Small Joys

 Found while transcribing a journal of mine from the Czech Republic:

Things I love:

-Strangers lighting their sparklers from yours

-Duck prints on the frozen river

-A billion diamonds scattered in the snow

Total Lunar Eclipse March 13-14, 2025

 Not sure I really need words:

Grand Obsession: Harvey Buchart and the Exploration of the Grand Canyon, by Elias Butler and Tom Myers

As a person currently quite obsessed with the Grand Canyon (though not as obsessed as Harvey Buchart), I thought this was really interesting.  The authors certainly did their research, and though I think it could have been trimmed a bit, it didn’t feel overburdened by the weight of that research.

The style was very readable, and I liked knowing more about Harvey’s early life and later life, as well as the lives of some of his contemporary hiker/explorers.  I also enjoyed the authors’ attempts to recreate some of the routes/climbs Harvey did.  

I enjoyed the pictures.  I wish there had been a few more maps (the famous one on the inside cover was too tiny to be terribly useful)

Overall, a slightly long but very interesting read for someone already interested in the topic.  It might be a bit much for those who aren’t already a little obsessed.

And Harvey…though this book did keep him a bit at arms’ length, it worked for me, because it kept him larger than life.  

4.5 stars