Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Nineteen

-Grand Lake, Colorado. Plan on taking plenty of my own photos, once we are there.



-Giant Swallowtail. My photo.

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:


Books Read So Far...

OTS- Off the Shelf

May:

54) Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover 4.6 stars (audio)
55) The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss 4.2 stars OTS
56) Black Swans: Stories by Eve Babitz 4.4 stars OTS
57) A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne 3.6 stars (audio) OTS
58) The Beekeeper's Lament by Hannah Nordhaus 4 stars (audio)
59) Tabloid City: A Novel by Pete Hamill 4 stars AAC
60) The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey 3.8 stars (audio)
61) The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat 4 stars OTS
62) The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya 4.3 stars (audio)
63) Whispers in Dust and Bone by Andrew Geye 4.2 stars OTS
64) End of Watch by Stephen King 3.6 stars (audio) OTS
65) Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison 4 stars Good Reads
66) A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey 4.2 stars (audio)

June:

67) Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer 4 stars (audio)
68) Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosley 4.2 stars (audio) AAC
69) Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year by Kenn Kaufman 4.3 stars
70) The Night of the Gun (Memoir) by David Carr 5 stars (audio) OTS
71) Bearskin: A Novel by James A McLaughlin 4.2 stars ALA
72) CIRCE by Madeline Miller 4.5 stars (audio)
73) Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck 4.4 stars
74) The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea 4 stars (audio)
75) Cathedral by Raymond Carver 4.3 stars
76) Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan 3.8 stars (audio)
77) There There: A novel by Tommy Orange 4.5 stars

July:

78) The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley 4 stars (audio) AAC OTS
79) The Locals by Jonathan Dee 4.3 stars OTS
80) Dry Bones (Longmire) by Craig Johnson 4 stars (audio) OTS
81) The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan 4 stars (audio) AAC
82) Florida by Lauren Groff 4.2 stars
83) Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan 4.4 stars (audio) OTS
84) Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary by Christian Perrissin 4 stars GN
85) Sugar Money by Jane Harris 4.2 stars ALA OTS
86) Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman 4 stars (audio) OTS
87) Calypso by David Sedaris 4.4 stars (audio)
88) Beautiful Music by Michael Zadoorian 4.3 stars
89) Six and a Half Deadly Sins (Dr. Siri Paiboun) by Colin Cotterill 3.6 stars (audio)
90) The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson 4.2 stars OTS
91) Bad Blood: Secrets & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 4.7 stars (audio)
92) November Road by Lou Berney 4 stars ALA
93) Sabrina by Nick Drnaso 4.2 stars GN Booker List
94) The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan 3.7 stars (audio) OTS

August:

95) The Good People by Hannah Kent 4 stars (audio) OTS
96) The Man Who Climbs Trees by James Aldred 4.2 stars (E)
97) The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner 4.5 stars Booker List
98) Bullets into Bells: Poets & Citizens Respond to Gun Violence by Brian Clements 4.5 stars Poetry
99) The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour 4.2 stars (audio) AAC
100) The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories by Yukiko Motoya 3.7 stars
101) Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour 3.8 stars (audio) AAC

Welcome to the AAC V!

2018 AAC

January- Joan Didion Completed The White Album
February- Colson Whitehead Completed Sag Harbor
March- Tobias Wolff Completed The Night in Question: Stories
April- Alice Walker Completed In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
May- Peter Hamill Completed Tabloid City
June- Walter Mosley Completed Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
July- Amy Tan Completed The Bonesetter's Daughter
August- Louis L'Amour Completed The Walking Drum, Sackett's Land
September- Pat Conroy
October- Stephen King
November- Narrative Nonfiction
December- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Here is a link to the General Discussion Thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/279501#

Bullet Points

I will not shoot myself
In the head, and I will not shoot myself
In the back, and I will not hang myself
With a trashbag, and if I do
I promise you, I will not do it
In a police car while handcuffed
Or in the jail cell of a town
I only know the name of
Because I have to drive through it
To get home. Yes, I may be at risk,
But I promise you, I trust the maggots
And the ants and the roaches
Who live beneath the floorboards
Of my house to do what they must
To any carcass more than I trust
An officer of the law of the land
To shut my eyes like a man
Of God might, or to cover me with a sheet
So clean my mother could have used it
To tuck me in. When I kill me, I will kill me
The same way most Americans do,
I promise you: cigarette smoke
Or a piece of meat on which I choke
Or so broke I freeze
In one of these winters we keep
Calling worst. I promise that if you hear
Of me dead anywhere near
A cop, then that cop killed me. He took
Me from us and left my body, which is,
No matter what we’ve been taught,
Greater than the settlement a city can
pay to a mother to stop crying, and more
Beautiful than the brand new shiny bullet
Fished from the folds of my brain

by Jericho Brown



^This is from the excellent anthology, Bullets into Bells, that Nancy recommended. I am still slowly making my way through it.

^"The Walking Drum is a novel by the American author Louis L'Amour. Unlike most of his other novels (whose number exceeds 100), The Walking Drum is not set in the frontier era of the American West, but rather is an historical novel set in the Middle Ages—12th century Europe and the Middle East."

^I have only read his westerns, but I had this one saved on audio, (for many years now) and it sounded really interesting, so I started it today. It actually moves along very smoothly and is well-written, at least in the early going. It came out in 1985. L'Amour died in 1988, so it was one of his last books.

^I have wanted to read Rachel Kushner for several years now, and I think I have The Flamethrowers saved on my Kindle, but since The Mars Room landed on the Booker long-list, I decided to make this my next read. I plan on reading a nice chunk today.

Happy new thread, Mark!

What a lovely place at you topper, looks like a perfect place to be.

Happy new thread, Mark!

Enjoy your cool day in the man-cave! Enjoy that Kushner! I'll keep my eyes out for your thoughts as I plan to get to that one in the next few months.

Enjoy your reading day Mark. I'm hearing good things about that book. I shall finish Richard Powers' The Overstory which I think you will like.

Happy new thread, Mark. Wow, to both toppers!!!

>7 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. looking forward to doing plenty of hiking, birding and exploring on this trip.

>8 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. I hope to start the Kushner, a bit later this A.M.

>9 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Looking forward to a lazy day. The Overstory is high on my reading list. Several of my LT pals have loved it.

>10 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. I am sure getting that itch to visit some mountains.

A convenient time for a reappearance?!

Happy new one, buddy, and wishing you a special Sunday.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Mark.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Morning, Mark! Happy new one!

>12 PaulCranswick: Paul stopped by! Paul stopped by! I think I hear both the angels and the birds singing...grins. Great to see you, my friend.

>13 drneutron: >14 BLBera: >15 Crazymamie: Thanks, Jim, Beth & Mamie!

happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Mark.

>4 msf59: Some poem!

Hope you're having a good Sunday, buddy.

>17 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda.

>18 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. This poetry collection packs quite a punch. Yes, lots of R & R today. Books, beer and the Cubbies!

90) The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson 4.2 stars

”Initially, the story of the Tring heist—filled with quirky and obsessive individuals, strange birds, curio-filled museums, archaic fly recipes, Victorian hats, plume smugglers, grave robbers, and, at the heart of it all, a flute-playing thief—had been a welcome diversion from the unrelenting pressure of my work with refugees.”

How a twenty-year old American music prodigy, broke into a small British museum and stole the feathers and skins of dozens of rare bird specimens, worth a veritable fortune, is just part of this oddball story. The author's relentless pursuit of this young man, who had escaped capture, is another key element, along with a look at the art of Victorian salmon fly-tying and the black market feather trade.

This is solid narrative nonfiction. Nicely researched and well-written.



-Red-Ruffed Fruitcrow

^ On a lazy Sunday afternoon, enjoying a cold one, while watching the Cubbies and studying my bird guides for our upcoming Colorado trip.

Happy new one, Mark.

Happy new thread, Mark. Enjoy your day of rest with your books and beer in your cool man cave.

>22 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb.

>23 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. It has been a perfect R & R Sunday. And one more week, before vacation. B.A.G.

>6 msf59:. I loved Rachel Kushner ‘s first novel Telex from Cuba. The Mars Room is quite different.

Great review of The Feather Thief. You know how I love NNF.

Happy New Thread!

I haven't posted about it yet, but my latest NNF (or actually more like a memoir/travelogue) is The Sex Lives of the Cannibals by Maarten Troost. It was a funny, irreverent, honest take on his and his wife's experience moving to Tarawa. A small atoll on the equator in the South Pacific. Definitely made me NOT want to move the a desert island. Good read tho...

Hope you had a great weekend!

Happy new thread, Mark. I love your thread-topper photos.

Grand Lake looks fabulous!

>25 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie. Glad to hear you loved Telex from Cuba. I had not even heard of that one, until recently, so that is on the list, alongside The Flamethrowers. I think you would enjoy The Feather Thief.

>26 mahsdad: Thanks, Jeff. I will add The Sex Lives of the Cannibals to the obese WL. It does sound entertaining. Thanks.

>27 tymfos: Thanks, Terri. Good to see you. We hope to be in Grand Lake, in exactly a week.

Morning, Mark! Happy new thread!

>20 msf59: Great review! I've had that one on my radar for a while but I think I need to bump it up a bit
Hope you are having a cool weekend!

Nice opening photos, Mark! I look forward to seeing your photos from and descriptions of Colorado.

Morning Mark. One week! Hang in there, my friend.

We had a lovely weekend with my dad. The Horicon boat tour was nice. The air bnb was a good find. And lots of great food and beer. We didn't make it to 3 Sheeps. Next time.

Still reading Reporter: A Memoir and Carnival of Losses.

Morning, Mark!

I loved House of Broken Angels. What a book! I'm going to look for more by Urrea. The Hummingbird's Daughter is highly regarded, right?

I'm reading the latest Dr. Siri now, and it's another really good one.

Stay as cool as you can today, buddy.

Happy Monday, Mark. I hope you have mild weather this week.

>29 scaifea: Good Morning and thanks, Amber!

>30 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle and thanks. The Feather Thief is a solid NNF title. You should enjoy it.

>31 kidzdoc: Hi, Darryl. Glad you like the toppers. We will be in Grand Lake, in one week. Yah!

>32 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. Sounds like a lovely birthday weekend with dear old Dad. I hope you can make it to 3 Sheeps, at some point. How is the memoir coming? I am not familiar with him.

>33 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. I am so glad you enjoyed Broken Angels. Urrea is a treasure and Hummingbird is good place to go to next. And hooray for Dr. Siri!

>34 BLBera: Morning, Beth. It looks like a decent week ahead.

Your threads move so fast! Hope you're enjoying The Mars Room. I just finished it and found it deeply disturbing and totally gripping.

Hope you have a wonderful vacation! Sounds like you're getting well prepared for some good bird sightings.

One of my boys was in Chicago over the weekend (he has a summer internship in Normal at Illinois State) and was excited to get to a Cubs game. Sorry for the outcome though :(

>38 vivians: Hi, Vivian. Great to see you. Yep, I am really enjoying The Mars Room. Was this your first Kushner? It is mine.

Hooray, for your son visiting Chicagoland and seeing a Cubs game. They had a tough time against the Padres.

Mark - Take a look at Zoe's latest photographs from the Center, esp the hummingbird gif she created from photos!
https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/2018/08/03/fluttering-of-summer-at-schlitz-audubo...

Happy new thread, Mark! I recall quite liking The Walking Drum when I read it back when it came out, and I was disappointed that he was unable to complete the planned trilogy (I think it was).

BTW - I think you know Hersch's writing, maybe just didn't recognize the name.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/03/business/media/seymour-hersh-reporter-memoir....

>40 alphaorder: Wow! These nature photos are amazing, Nancy. Zoe has such talent. If I could be a tenth as good, I would be pleased. Thanks for sharing the link.



-Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. This was taken by Zoe, Nancy's friend/co-worker.

>41 harrygbutler: thanks, Harry. I really impressed how much I am enjoying The Walking Drum. This might actually be some of the best writing he has done. Sadly, he died before he finished a sequel.

>42 alphaorder: I may not recognize Hersh's name but he sounds like an amazing journalist, with a lot of historical value and interest. I hope I can track this one down on audio. Looks to be a perfect fit in that format. Thanks again, Nancy.

Happy new thread, Mark!

Not long now! You're going to have a great time in Colorado, I just know it! Safe travels!

Hello Mark! I hope all is well with you.

How are the Cub's fairing?

I hope you enjoy The Walking Drum. It is the favorite of a friend of mine though I never got to it myself.

I am continuing with Uncensored: Uncomfortable, but have also picked up Carrying Albert Home which looks to be a wonderfully humorous story by Homer Hickam, Jr.

>1 msf59: WOW! What a gorgeous place you are visiting.

I have been thinking about you, Mark, as I've been getting to know the birds in our back yard. You know about the Great Horned Owl. We also have lots of Goldfinches, and Nuthatches. I am so happy to have Nuthatches; we never got them in Seattle. We also have the usual chickadees, morning doves, robins, and various sparrows. And an occasional hummingbird. Oh, and we're having one of the best Monarch butterfly years in a decade or two (so the paper said). That has been so fun!

I just ordered a copy of House of Broken Angels and I'm SO tempted by The Mars Room, as well as all the Booker nominees, of course....

>45 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary. Good to see you. Next week, at this time we will be in Grand Lake, planning our hiking adventures. Yah!

>46 brodiew2: Hi, Brodie. All is well here. The Cubs are leading their division and have a solid record but there are plenty of issues, as well, so I am not seeing a playoff contender, at this point.

I am really enjoying The Walking Drum.

>47 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Thanks for the bird report. I love receiving these. I like nuthatches too, but mainly see white-breasted. Anymore signs of the GHO? Do you have any feeders set up?

Broken Angels is such a good book and I think you will like The Mars Room, although it is a tough read.

'Morning Mark, and happy day off. I hope you have a bird-filled walk.

>50 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Thanks. Looks to be a cloudy one today but I hope that keeps things cool.

91) Bad Blood: Secrets & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 4.7 stars

“We turned to my questions about the Edison. How many blood tests did Theranos perform on the device? That too was a trade secret, they said. I felt like I was watching a live performance of the Theater of the Absurd.”

This would make a perfect episode on the British science fiction anthology, Black Mirror: How a twenty-something, college drop-out, transformed herself into a billionaire, creating a biotech start-up, with a promise to revolutionize the blood testing industry. She was an industrious fund-raiser and surrounded herself with a who's who of supporters, like Robert Murdoch, General “Mad-Dog” Mattis, George Shultz and Henry Kissinger. Just one glitch though...her technology did not work.
This is scary, jaw-dropping reporting and this prize-winning journalist, (who broke the case) does a stellar job, turning this story into a fascinating, sometimes unsettling, read. I am not sure if Elizabeth Holmes, is going to prison or not, (she definitely deserves it) but if she doesn't I bet our current Commander in Chief, would love to have her in his cabinet.

**Thanks to Nancy for putting this one on my radar. One of my favorites of the year...so far.

Happy Tuesday, buddy. See you soon!

Hope you enjoy your day off, Mark! Even if the weather is not spectacular.

Nice review of Bad Blood, Mark. I'll almost certainly read it sometime this year.

>52 msf59: Great review of Bad Blood! Glad you liked it as much as I did.

>52 msf59: - I saw an expose of this story on 60 Minutes awhile ago. I had to laugh at your comment: I am not sure if Elizabeth Holmes, is going to prison or not, (she definitely deserves it) but if she doesn't I bet our current Commander in Chief, would love to have her in his cabinet.

>53 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Looking forward to it.

>54 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. Looks a bit better today. I am hoping for more cloud cover for my walk.

>55 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. It is quite a read. NNF at it's best.

>56 alphaorder: Thanks, Nancy. I highly appreciate the nudge.

>57 jessibud2: I should go back and watch that 60 Minute expose, Shelley. And yep, I could see Holmes being Trump's Chief of Staff. Grins...

^Heading to the Arboretum soon, for a bird stroll and I have LT company too. Joe & Debbi will be joining me. Yah!!

>59 msf59: Nice! Wish I was with you...

Late to the party but Happy new thread, Mark! Hope you, Joe and Debbi have a wonderful outing at the Arboretum!

>1 msf59: Wonderful destination Marc!

Happy new thread, and hope you are having a nice time at the arboretum.

>59 msf59:

Looking forward to seeing photos of this Birding Meet-up!

Sounds like you have a very nice day planned, Mark. Enjoy your walk with Joe and Debbi. Hmmm, watching for birds, discussing some books, perhaps a beer or two is also in the works! :)

>60 alphaorder: Maybe I can lure you guys down here some Sunday, in September...

>61 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. We had a nice nature walk.

>62 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. We had a good time at the Arb.

>63 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. Did not take many photos. Too busy chatting, I guess. Debbi took a photo of me and Joe, maybe she will share it.

>64 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. We had a good day at the Arboretum. I think they enjoyed the place. Lots of chatting but no beer...this time. They needed to get back into the city before rush hour traffic started.

^Eastern Towhee, (NMP)

We heard this guy singing gleefully, in a prairie setting, but Joe is the one who spotted him first. It was in a small tree and we all got good looks. Not a lot of birds were seen but there were a few. We did hear and see a couple indigo buntings, which are always a treat. There was also a white-breasted nuthatch, also seen by Joe. Who seems to be a natural. It was a very nice walk in the woods, with 2 good pals, on their anniversary.

>66 msf59: That sure was a good time, Mark. Thanks for the invite. I'll get the photo(s) from Debbi when our tech is working. BTW, I was not in a small tree when I spotted the Eastern Towhee. :-) I remember a nuthatch was on the list, too?

Oops, someone you know is yelling for me to get off LT and have anniversary dinner with her. What the hey?!

Bad Blood goes on the list Mark.

>67 jnwelch: I corrected the mistakes, Joe. LOL. And gave credit, where credit is due!

>68 brenzi: I am glad I got your attention with Bad Blood, Bonnie. It is an amazing read.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you. I'm glad to hear that the Arboretum outing was a success. My feeders are hopping right now, with many Cardinals, a male Goldfinch, a male Indigo Bunting, many female finches chowing down, and a new skirmish in the Hummingbird Wars.

Morning, Mark. Wish we were heading back to the Arboretum this morning. Should be a reasonably cool day for August.

I'm enjoying the Chicago mystery Broken Places by Tracy Clark (she knows the city!) and The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodore Goss.

>70 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Yep, good time at the Arb yesterday. Nice to have company and I was able to show Joe & Debbi a couple of indigo buntings too. My feeders have been hopping lately too. The house sparrows have been swarming and I can't keep up with the suet feeder.

>71 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. I would love to have returned to the Arb today. Anytime you guys are up for it, my friend, I am game.

Glad you are enjoying those current reads.

Morning Mark, sounds like you had a great outing with Joe and Debbi doing one of your favourite things. I hope you have good weather today. Our high is supposed to be 38C. Lots of people out and about early to get in their walks before the heat hits. I have to wait for mine as I have a webinar first but should get out there early today too.

I've added Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup to my Mark's Fault tag and looking to figure out when I can work it into the audiobook queue. Sounds fascinating.

Happy countdown to vacation!

>74 Familyhistorian: Hi, Megan. I plan on doing plenty of my "favourite things" in Colorado next week and that actually includes a Meet Up in Denver. B.A.G.

Keep cool there, my friend. We have a HOT one tomorrow.

>75 SuziQoregon: Hi, Juli. I love it when my warbling, strikes pay-dirt. Bad Blood is a terrific book. I just can't believe I was not aware of this story. It is a stunner.

>75 SuziQoregon: Ha! I think more of us, including me, need to use that tag! :)

Hi Mark! Your thread moves so fast, that I feel no guilt in wishing you a happy new one at post #78!! LOL Bad Blood does sound interesting. I saw a piece on her on the news. Amazing that she could get as far as she did with a technology that doesn't work.

Hi Mark, somehow I missed the start of your new thread. Spectacular pics, as always.

>71 jnwelch: Joe, I'll have to take a look for Broken Places. I like a good Chicago mystery.

>77 alphaorder: I could become famous...grins.

>78 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Nothing wrong with #78. Always good to see you. I highly recommend Bad Blood.

>79 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda. Just watching a frustrating Cubs game. No offense, to speak of. I was hoping for a sweep.

>66 msf59: Good morning, Mark. Glad you had a good LT bird walk.

Morning, Mark. Hope you miss the rain they're predicting for later.

>79 lindapanzo: So far, Broken Places is very good, Linda.

Hi Mark and happy Thursday to you.

>82 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. I hope there are more LT bird walks to come...

>83 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. They are predicting rain for later in the afternoon. I hope to be home.

>84 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I hope you have a good day too.

>75 SuziQoregon: ha, I never thought of having a 'Mark's fault' etc tag. I've a few folk who will now get one of those.

I have had an OUTSTANDING year of nonfiction reading. So far, anyway. I usually have trouble finding nonfiction books that keep me reading and that are what I call accessible. That means that they read well as well as covering topics that I am interested in. Also, Suzanne's Nonfiction reading challenge has helped me to focus on reading and finishing nonfiction books and I think that has contributed to the explosion in nonfiction among my "favorites" of the year. So far, I have these nonfiction books on my best-of-the-year list. These are not in best-of order. They are just all on the list.

1. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan - I really liked this book. Mark didn't think it was outstanding. I listened to it and I think Mark did to. I thought the content was well done, and if you are interested in why something becomes an obsession this is the book for you.

2. American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow. This one was for one of Suzanne's nonfiction category challenges. It was written by a historian, but is about the history of the various forests in the U. S. While covering the forests, it also covers the expansion history of the U. S. A very interesting and original take on U. S. history. Lots of captains of industry bios in here as well as coverage of things like Dutch Elm Disease.

3. Popular: Vintage Wisdom for A Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen. This one is a memoir done by a 14 year old girl who attends school in Brownsville, Texas. It was listed as the ALA Best NonFiction Book for Teens back in 2015. The author found a book written in the 1950's for girls about how to be popular. The author of that book was a successful teen model back in the day. Maya and her mother make a bet about what might happen if Maya followed the guidelines set down in the book for one year. Maya did - and therein lies the adventure and discover. I enjoyed this book very much even though it was full of teenage angst and pathos. But that is life when you are 14.

4. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - This one doesn't need any more warbling. Mark did a great job of that already.

5. Dresden, Tuesday, February 13, 1945 by Frederick Taylor. This one is about the bombing of Dresden done by the British and the Americans. It covers everything from meteorology to the casualty controversy. I learned all about firestorms and that it takes a combination of appropriate meteorological conditions to make that happen. This information turned out to be apropos regarding the current wildfires in California. I also learned how this horrific event and the accurate number of casualities became a Cold War and Holocaust denier shuttlecock in the postwar period.

6. An American Insurrection: the Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962 by William Doyle. This one was a fascinating look at the desegregation of the University of Mississippi. The political mechanization's of both Ross Barnett, the Governor of Mississippi, and the Kennedy brother, John and Robert, as well as the story from the boots on the ground, the Federal Marshalls, the National Guard, and the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Who knew how close this event came to being a real insurrection? I didn't. But I do now.

I am still debating about whether or not to put Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies by Ross King on my list. This one was a revelation for me. I just thought of the water lily paintings as pretty pictures. Blurry, but pretty. They are so much more than that.

I hope that some of you will pick up one of these books as I found them all fascinating in different ways.

I am just finishing up another work of nonfiction that will also make my best-of-the-year list. Seeing in the Dark by Timothy Ferris this book has a subtitle that is very descriptive and will let you know exactly what this book is about - How Backyard Stargazers Are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Earth From Interplanetary Peril. This one is a book about amateur astronomers and how they furthering the research being done on all things having to do with what is out there questions. It turns out that amateur astronomers, with the aid of their own telescopes, some of them homemade, and home computers, are looking at the universe in many new ways. With the aid of the amateurs, astronomers are able to track objects in the skies twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Something that was impossible twenty-five years ago. The result, is an explosion in the knowledge of how our universe works. Great stuff in this book, and so easy to read.

Hi Mark. It's been a while since I've visited your thread, and I don't even know where to start on commenting. So I'll just say hi, been here and reading, and hope you're having a great day.

>86 Caroline_McElwee: I love it that there is such a thing as "Mark's Fault" tag. I am heavily promoting it. Grins...

>87 benitastrnad: >88 benitastrnad: Wow! This is an amazing NNF list, Benita. Thanks for sharing. As you know I love NNF too and I am tickled pick to see Barbarian Days and Killer Moon on there, both titles I loved.

Both American Canopy and Seeing in the Dark sound really good. They are now both on the list.

>89 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel. Great to see you, stranger. All is good here. My work day went fine, my current reads are strong and I am on vacation next week. B.A.G.

Hi Mark, I finished The Mars Room and thought it was a stunning indictment of mass incarceration in this country. What a read.

#91
American Canopy was published in 2012 and can be found in many libraries. Seeing in the Dark was published in 2002 and might be a little harder to find. Both of them are worth hunting down.

>86 Caroline_McElwee: Yeah...Mark's fault....I think several of my books deserve that tag.

Hi Mark. You are probably starting to dream about all the birds you are going to see in CO. Wish I could have stayed on another week for the meet-up. Be careful on the trails. My son was surprised by a mountain lion when he was hiking alone. Luckily, it was also surprised and dashed back into the trees.

There, There is waiting for me at the library. I have two books to read before I can get to it but a little delayed gratification is good for me.

>93 brenzi: I finished The Mars Room yesterday too, Bonnie. I wholeheartedly agree with you- It was excellent. I can't wait to try her other work.

>94 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. Both titles are firmly on my radar. American Canopy would make a perfect companion piece to The Man Who Climbs Trees.

>95 laytonwoman3rd: More Mark's Fault Tag love! Yah!

>96 Donna828: Hi, Donna. I started making a list of Colorado birds. Now, I need to brush up on the images of each one, for better identification. I could add 10-15 to my Life List, if I am lucky.

Thanks for the mountain lion tip. We will keep viligant. I am sure you will love There, There. Glad you requested it.

Mark - I am looking forward to your trip reports! Have a fabulous time.

I have about an hour left in Reporter. Time for a new fiction, so today I will start The Incendiaries.

My brother just came back into town, so tomorrow we are heading to Madison for the day. Not likely to get much reading done this weekend.

Happy Friday, Mark! Glad to hear that you enjoyed Mars Room!

Happy Friday, Mark.

Getting close to heading west! Should be a decent one out there today.

I'm close to the end of Portugal, which has been different and good. I'm also a little ways into the 10th Ms. Marvel, which looks to be another solid entry by G. Willow Wilson.

I have to find a tux today for a wedding later this month. Arggh. Why do people do this? (Black tie, I mean, not get married!)

>98 msf59: Ooh! Getting close to VK days!!

>99 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. Getting pumped about our trip. Have a good time in Madison. Do you hit breweries or brewpubs while you are there? It is supposed to be a good town for it.

>100 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. I loved The Mars Room. I am sure it will be a top fiction read, for me this year.

>101 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Yep, getting excited about our CO trip. I still have my copy of Portugal home from the library. I hope to finally start it when I get back. Way behind on Ms. Marvel. Not sure I will catch up.

Good luck on the tux shopping. Ugh!

>102 Berly: I can almost smell that mountain air, Kimmers. Ahhhh...

>101 jnwelch: - Lol! Good that you clarified that; after reaching the big 35 so recently, that could have been a rather incriminating statement! ;-)

How long will you be out west, Mark?

Bird guides - check! Camera - check! Binoculars - check! Enjoy!

>101 jnwelch:

To keep tux people in business?

It's sure not a tradition that walked with us out of the Savannas!

>105 jessibud2: >106 jessibud2: LOL. We will there for a week, Shelley. Yep, I will definitely not forget those 3 items. Hope to get plenty of practice in with the new camera too.

>107 m.belljackson: Good point, Marianne.

Ooh, the countdown is on. Have a great trip, Mark. I hope that you give your camera a great work out and I expect that some of the results will show up here.

Birding buddies pic is up on my thread, as is the anniversary one.

>109 Familyhistorian: Happy Friday, Meg. Yep, one more work day. Looking forward to this trip. Hopefully, next time we visit, we will stay much longer. i hope to give the new camera a nice workout.

>110 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I will be over in a minute.

^This is the bird buddies at the Arboretum, last Tuesday, (Joe is wearing binoculars too). Thanks to Debbi, for taking a cool photo. This area is called the Spruce Plot, one of my favorite locations, out of many at the Arb.

>112 msf59:

Are the paths in this beautiful Plot just wood chips or something more?

>112 msf59:

>113 m.belljackson: Mostly wood chips/mulch on the trails, Marianne, which makes easy walking.

>114 jnwelch: I think that is a keeper, Joe.

92) November Road by Lou Berney 4 stars

“The prairie, weathered and leathery and endless. Like God meant to get around to it during Creation but had run out of steam.”

“And Dolly would sell him out. Every human heart was rotten meat, but Dolly's was more rotten than most.”

Frank Guidry is a handsome, charming, well-liked guy. He is also a career criminal, working for a New Orleans mob boss. When he is ordered to go to Dallas, to retrieve and dispose of a powder blue Eldorado, all hell breaks loose. It turns out the date is November 23rd, 1963 and things are red-hot in that fateful, Texas city.
Frank finds himself on the run and like everyone else involved in this deadly scenario, he is highly disposable. He some how ends up with a young woman and her son, fleeing from a broken marriage and uses the pair as a perfect cover, as they flee to LA. Well maybe, not so perfect...

This is a tight, violent and suspenseful crime novel, well-written and nicely paced. Plenty of echoes of Elmore Leonard here, but Berney has slightly better writing chops.

*Once again, a big thanks to Benita, for picking me up a copy at ALA.

Fantastic timing: To the Far Blue Mountains (Sacketts Book 2) is a Kindle Deal. 2 bucks! Come on down! I plan on reading Sackett's Land, Book One, (a reread), later in the month.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_3778560_295525590_pe_1725760_157297530_...

I love L'Amour and I haven't read the Sacket series. Dang Thank you!

>118 Berly: I so glad that so many people have enjoyed L' Amour, Kim and the Sackett saga is a good one.

^I was recently sent a copy of The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories from the publisher and it looks like a perfect book, to take along on vacation. I will also bring my Kindle, since I have a couple of books on there, I would like to get to, including Eileen. Since, I finished The Walking Drum yesterday, I won't start another audio, until I get back to work.

I love the birding buddies photo. Am I correct in thinking that you and Joe met one another via LT? Many of us have forged F2F friendships here, but it's less common to live close enough to see each other often.

>120 msf59: Whoa. Cute author! I might have to read that book...

>117 msf59: Good morning, Mark! I'm anticipating rereading To the Far Blue Mountains soon. @fuzzi and I are discussing the possibility of a shared read of all the Sackett novels in chronological order kicking off sometime this fall.

Enjoy your vacation, Mark.

Hi Mark and happy Saturday to you. Very nice pic of you and Joe at the Arb, as you put it.

Getting close to your vay-cay....

>121 lauralkeet: Morning, Laura. I need to edit that to birds, books & beer buddies. Grins...Yes, I met Joe through LT. Lots of cool friendships have been forged here.

>122 kidzdoc: Morning, Darryl. I am hoping that is the correct photo. Finding her author photo, was proving elusive.

>123 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. I like the idea of a Sackett saga read. How many of them are there, in total? I would think quite a few.

>124 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Have a great weekend.

>125 karenmarie: Morning, Karen and thanks. Tomorrow at this time we will be at the airport.

>112 msf59: Great birding shot! Hope you guys saw lots of birdies from your wishlist!

>128 ChelleBearss: Happy Saturday, Chelle. We did see a few new birds for Joe & Debbi, so that was good. It is a start, right?

^ Stellar Jay. Just one of the birds I want to see in Colorado. With those vibrant colors, they shouldn't be hard to spot.

Another stunner. I hope you get to see one Mark. Happy holidays.

Happy Holidays Mark, wishing you lots of stunner birds, and relaxation.

What Ella said, Mark. You made it! Have a great vacation, and say hello to any LTers you happen to see. :-)

>130 msf59: Beautiful.

>131 Caroline_McElwee: >132 EllaTim: Hope to see several different stunners, Caroline & Ella! Thanks, to both of you.

>133 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. We leave for the airport about 10. Looking forward to a Meet Up later this afternoon. Yah!

^Clark's Nutcracker. Another beauty I hope to see in CO.

Morning, Mark! Safe travels!

Have a great time, Mark!! Looking forward to reports and pics!

>136 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>137 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. I am really looking forward to this trip. I won't be posting many photos, until I get back, unless we get a few nice cellphone shots.
I sure hope to add some birds to the Life List.

>130 msf59: Beautiful bird! Hope you see some on your trip!

Have a great time and safe travels! Enjoy :)

Safe travels, Mark, and have a wonderful vacation.

Have a safe trip and a splendid vacation, Mark! I look forward to seeing your photos.

>139 ChelleBearss: >140 karenmarie: Thanks, Chelle & Karen. Looking forward to it.

>141 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. Looking forward to seeing some mountains and enjoying a Meet Up later today, with Joanne, Anne & Kris. Yah!

>142 msf59: 👍🏽Hooray for LT meet ups!

Have fun Mark

>112 msf59: Great photo of two of my best LT buddies.

Have a great Sunday and safe travels.

>143 kidzdoc: Hope to post some Meet Up photos, Darryl.

>144 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie.

>145 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Maybe one of these days you could join us and we could be the three amigos. B.A.G.

Safe travels, Mark. Enjoy!

>146 msf59: Whaddya mean hope, mister? Don't you know that LT meet ups require the taking and posting of photos?!

Sounds like a great trip Mark. Looking forward to the photos!

Our flight is 2 hours delayed. I am bummed...

...should be boarding soon.

Oh no! Hope you got some quality reading in.

Hate when that happens, still you will soon be on your way Mark.

Safe travels and have a GREAT time in Colorado!!! We'll look forward to hearing about your vacation -- yeah!!

Have fun and say hi to Colorado for me!

You will need to be sure to post some pictures of the LT meet-up.

As for Grand Lake. The last time I was there (30 years ago) I got to spend two nights in the venerable Grand Lake Lodge. Those cabins were straight out of 1950 and I love them! I hope you have a great time in CO.

You made it! Hope you have a wonderful time in Colorado, Mark!

Morning, Mark. Happy birding and booking, buddy.

>147 katiekrug: >149 charl08: Thanks, Katie & Charlotte.

>148 kidzdoc: We did take a couple of photos of the Meet up, Darryl, but I will have to post them when I get back home.

>151 alphaorder: Not as much reading as I hoped, Nancy. Too many distractions. I will squeeze it in when I can.

>152 Caroline_McElwee: We are usually pretty lucky when we travel but we definitely hit some rough spots yesterday, Caroline, but we are here.

>153 EBT1002: >154 mdoris: Thanks, Ellen & Mary. I said hello to CO for you.

>155 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Photos will be posted. Looking forward to Grand Lake. We will arrive sometime this afternoon.

>156 Storeetllr: Yes, we did, Mary. The only thing missing last night, was seeing you. Bummer.

>157 jnwelch: Morning, Joe and thanks. It should be a great time.

>158 msf59: No problem! Pictures were taken, which is more important than the timing of their posting.

Have a great day today!

Greetings from CO! After a rocky start, we are safe and sound in Denver. With our flight delay and a long rental car process, we were not able to visit Tattered Book, before it closed, (bummer) but we made it to the restaurant and we were able to meet Anne and her daughters before they had to leave. They were all as lovely as I expected. My wife and I then were able to have dinner with Joanne and her husband John. It was a terrific visit and it was great to finally meet my old pal Joanne. Lots of book, bird and politic chatter. We plan on coming back to the area and spending more time with them.

We will be heading to the Rocky Mountain National Park, a bit later this morning, after traffic lets up, with our first stop in Estes Park. We will lunch there and then make our way over the divide to Grand Lake. Ooh, baby...

I hope you make time to step outside of whatever place you are staying tonight and make use of all that thin air in Grand Lake. Tonight will be the last night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Being that high up and so much less light pollution you should have a great view of them. Of course, the best view will be after midnight - but you are on vacation.

Right now I am all enthused about things stargazing because I finished my summer read Seeing in the Dark: How Backyard Stargazers are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Earth From Interplanetary Peril by Timothy Ferris. This was a great book about amateur astronomers and what they are doing to help the professionals learn more about our universe. This book was written in 2002 but it didn't seem that dated and it was written in very understandable way. Even when he was talking about galaxies that are 100,000 light years away from Earth. Topics ranged from looking at the Moon to what it means when light is one billion years old. Great stuff in here for anybody interested in the night sky. It made me want to take a vacation to Chicago to go to the Adler Planetarium. Or maybe to Bozeman and the planetarium in the Museum of the Rockies. And lucky you, to be in a natural planetarium - right now.

Have fun.

>162 msf59:

Colorado and Cubs - you must be one happy dude!

>161 msf59: Glad you're enjoying yourself despite a slow start! Continue to do so. And take pictures? :)

Sorry your meetup was delayed. You’ll have to visit The Tattered Cover on your next visit. Hint hint... Anne and girls are delightful. I’ve never met John but Joanne always says good things about him. ;-) I hope the rest of your CO visit runs like clockwork, Mark, with the birds and stars in complete cooperation.

Happy vacation, Mark. I, too, hope, there are no further delays and that everything runs as smooth as clockwork.

Good morning, Mark! It sounds like your vacation is off to a good start despite a few hiccups. Enjoy!

>163 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. It was overcast when we went to bed last night, but Sue got up about 2am and checked the sky. I joined her. It was clear and stars were visible but there was still some light pollution and we could not spot the meteor shower. At least we tried.

Seeing in the Dark sounds really good. I am not getting much reading in, at the moment.

>164 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. Yes, I am one very happy dude. Thanks.

>165 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. I am taking photos but I will not be able to share anything until I get back. The scenery is stunning.

>166 Donna828: Hi, Donna. Bummed about Tattered Cover but I will be back and hopefully I can coordinate it with a visit from you.

>167 DeltaQueen50: >168 harrygbutler: Thanks, Judy and Harry. Things have smoothed out nicely. Our drive over the pass was wonderful.

Greetings from Grand Lake. Chilly, clear morning here. Of course, everyone is still in the sack but yours truly, as I sit in the semi-darkness pecking away on my iPad.

Yesterday went smoothly. We drove up to Estes Park in the A.M. We were welcomed by a bald eagle, perched on a power line stanchion, as we entered the city limits. We picked up lunch fixings and began to make our way over the pass. Joanne recommended taking Old Fall River RD, which we did. Gravel road, with many tight switchbacks, but also many cool places to pull off and one was a nice lunch spot, in the pines. I saw a few steller's Jay's here and got a few good photos. Also, plenty of crows hanging around.

We made it up to the Alpine Visitor Center, which is on top of the world, as it crosses the divide, at nearly 12,000 feet. We hiked up to the tippy-top of the ridge, not very far but it left you winded and a bit disorientated. Many visitors were doing the same thing, so it wasn't particularly difficult.

We shared a beer, enjoyed the spectacular 360 degree view and then began our drive down the pass, which continued to be gorgeous all along the way. No elk sighting but just before entering Grand Lake, there were cars pulled over on the side of the road, our first "moose jam", as we spotted a pair of cow moose, feeding in a meadow. First moose sighting for me in CO.

We had a relaxing rest of the evening, having dinner in town, which is quaint, clean and laid-back. No luck with the meteor shower, although my wife got up at 2am, to check and I joined her.

Howdy, Mark! Your trip west sounds awesome! Gravel roads and tight switchback spook me especially if they are on a mountainside. The scenery is worth it all, I'm sure! Have a good time!

>172 msf59: Sounds wonderful. Moose! We will be wanting pictures, you do realise that?

Sounds great, Mark. A most excellent place to share a beer. Yeah, I'm with Ella - any chance we'll see photos?

Hi Mark - It sounds like you're having a great time. Bummer that you didn't see any meteors, but I'm assuming that also means that the skies are clear and you are not having to fight smoke. Horay! I had wondered about that.

Starting off with a meet-up is a great way to begin a vacation, Mark. I hope the rest of your travels go smoothly.

Morning, Mark. Hope you continue to have a swell time in CO.

Morning, Mark! Sounds like your trip is full of fabulous - well except for the flight delay and missing the Tattered Cover.

>116 msf59: Ouch on behalf of Elmore Leonard. Sounds like one I will have to check out.

Hi Mark!

Congrats on the Bald Eagle, Steller's Jay, and moose sightings. Beer, birds, hiking - sounds like a great vay-cay so far.

Greetings from Grand Lake. Last day here. Getting ready to shove off, heading north back through the Park and up and around the top, with Longmont as our destination. This is near Ft. Collins.

I will be back to give a better report on yesterday's adventures but for now we saw another moose, several mule deer and an osprey.
No elk yet. WTH?

Thanks to everyone for stopping by. You guys are the best.

Morning, Mark. Sounds like your trip has been pretty great! Love all the animals sightings!
Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Hi Mark, Glad to see you checking in! No elk still?? Seriously, wth?

I forgot to mention that Ft Collins has a nice little indie bookstore (new and used) -Old Firehouse Books, just off the mall in Old Town. Also a good used bookstore - The Bizarre Bazaar, on College Ave, across from the campus.

And one or two (OK...many, many!) breweries. Don’t miss New Belgium and/or Odell (do a tour at one or the other if you can. May be able to walk in even if the websites say the tours are full), Equinox, Black Bottle. Chris likes Zwei but I’ve never been.

Roadhouse 34, on Elizabeth, west of campus, has great sandwiches, a huge tap list, and a really nice vibe.

Longmont is pretty close to Boulder, too (although I much prefer Ft Collins) and the Boulder Bookstore (on the Pearl St Mall) is a favorite of mine.

Have fun!

Your meetup sounds great (despite the missed bookshop). An osprey? Wow!

Hi Mark!

I'm sorry you are elk-less so far, but moose, mule deer and ospreys are way cool.

Greetings from Longmont. This is located just south of Ft. Collins. We had a nice travel day yesterday, driving back north through the Park, with a couple of hiking stops along the way. Everything is gorgeous. We also drove over the pass again, taking a different route down. It was an absolutely breath-taking drive, making you a little nervous with the shoulder-less road, with sheer drop-offs, looming alongside. Yikes. No elk! Boo! But we sure tried like hell.

We arrived in Ft. Collins mid-afternoon and, of course, New Belgium Brewery was our first stop. My cousin and his grandkids, joined us. A big, sprawling place, airy and fun. We then ventured to Odell Brewery, which we all loved. It had a beautiful outdoor seating area and the beer was tasty too. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and my cousin's two sons, along with a family friend joined us. Lots of partying and socializing. Feeling it a bit today. I need a hike, to clear my head.

Bree and Matt are heading to the airport. Bree needs to be back for work. Sue and I will hang out, until Saturday. We plan on doing some exploring today and I am sure more breweries tonight. Grins...

Enjoy the exploring and brew-sampling, buddy. That's such a beautiful part of the country.

>182 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. It has been a terrific trip so far.

>183 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. Yep, no elk. We went elk-searching last evening and woke up early yesterday, and tried again. I think we get A for effort.

Like I mentioned Sunday, Ft. Collins was booked up and very expensive, so that is why we are staying in Longmont. We really enjoyed both New Belgium and Odells. Thanks for the other recommendations. We are now planning a couple of day outings, for outdoorsy kind of stuff.

Mark--Glad to hear that you are having such a great time on your trip, elk-less though it may be so far. ; ) I haven't been out that way since we moved out here 23 years ago. The fist time I drove the pass I had just gotten my driver's permit and everyone feel alseep in the car and I was terrified by the hairpin turns and steep drop-offs. Luckily we all survived. I would love to revisit. Happy hiking and brew-tasting!!

>184 charl08: >185 karenmarie: Thanks, Charlotte and Karen. Everything is going along perfectly.

>188 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Thanks for all your visits. We are out of the mountains and on the eastern slope, at the moment. It is still nice looking country and of course there are breweries galore.

Glad you are having a great holiday Mark.

>186 msf59:

Your description of the north Park drive sounds a lot like the terrifyingly beautiful Going to the Sun road at Glacier.

If it’s any consolation, I’d much rather see moose than elk. Heck, we even have several herds of elk here in Missouri. We had an elusive moose hunt when we went to Alaska ten years ago until we visited an animal preserve. I know...cheating...

It sounds like you are having a great time. That’s good because we need to do that meetup at The Tattered Cover someday. There is a satellite operation at the airport but that is almost as lame as seeing the moose in captivity in Alaska. Lol.

Birds and breweries sounds like your perfect vacation, Mark. I hope you are both having a great time.

Your trip sounds awesome! Enjoy to the utmost!

We are out of the mountains and on the eastern slope, at the moment. I get the feeling you're not in Chicago anymore!

I probably told you the story of my Dad and the elk. He was probably 75 or so, and that was his number one animal he wanted to see. Despite our being in animal-filled Yellowstone for many days and driving him around, we saw zero. Then, shortly after we left the park, we drove into a little town (can't remember the name), and all of the sudden - elk everywhere. We all started laughing. He was a happy guy.

>190 Berly: Hi, Kim. All is good here. Your story about driving over the pass is pretty scary. Yikes. Glad you survived the ordeal.

>192 Caroline_McElwee: We definitely are, Caroline. Thanks.

>193 m.belljackson: Funny, my cousin had just made the same comparison with the Sun Road. I have still not been to Glacier. Possibly next year? It is high on the bucket list.

Hi Mark! Happy Colorado Friday.

>194 Donna828: Hi, Donna. I would give a slight nod to moose also, but we were just hoping to cross the elk off the list, plus seeing them in a herd is still pretty cool. Not sure when, but we will be back to CO.

>195 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. We are in brewery country here, so we can't help ourselves. Birds have been a bit harder to find and indentify.

>196 Carmenere: It has been awesome. Thanks, Lynda.

>197 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. I do remember you telling me your Dad's elk story. It is a good one. We saw plenty of elk at Yellowstone, along with buffalo.

>199 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Last full day here in CO. Sad face.

This is still the wrong season for elk. In a couple of weeks they will move down from the high country and start bugling. When they are in rut they don’t care who sees them - well not as much. Even then they don’t like people. Moose are the more don’t care animal of the two. At this time of the year elk are still pretty much solitary and so they are hard to find. They will start gathering in herds when it is rutting season and then you can find them. The best time to do elk spotting is around the 25th of September until about Oct 10th. When they bugle it is something very primeval. Someday plan a trip to the mountains after Labor Day and then you can spot elk. Unless your are in Yellowstone and go to Gardner. They have both elk and bison that wander through the town year round. They have to clean elk and bison calling cards off of the football field in the fall before practice and home games. (I am pretty sure Gardiner is where Joe’s Dad saw his elk. But they also can be found in West Yellowstone during rutting season. Generally West Yellowstone is too busy for them, so they don’t like it as much as Gardiner.)

I am on the road today and am in La Grange, Kentucky. I am on my way back from Buffalo/Chautauqua New York and will be back in Tuscaloosa tomorrow (Saturday) evening.

>201 benitastrnad: Happy Saturday, Benita. Thanks for all the great elk info. People we talked to, said they had recently seen elk, so they were around, we just didn't get a chance to spot any. Hey, at least we got a few moose.

What were you doing in upper state NY?

Last day in CO! We head back to Denver, early afternoon, for the airport. Yesterday, we hiked a bit at a state park. Sue shopped awhile in Longmont, while I waited patiently at a brewery. We then met friends in Ft. Collins, for a dinner and drinks. It was a very nice evening.

It has been a terrific trip. We did everything we planned and saw everyone we wanted to. The only thing that suffered, was my reading time, but I plan on coming roaring back.

Your vacation sounds like it was exactly what you were looking for. Have a good trip home.

Safe travels, Mark. Sounds like it was a terrific vacation. Looking forward to your pics

Have a safe trip, Mark. Glad you had a wonderful time out there.

>205 alphaorder: >206 jessibud2: >207 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Nancy, Shelley & Linda. It was a terrific time. I just wish we could have stayed a couple more days in Grand Lake.

Leaving for the airport in an hour or so...

...but, I am all ready missing the mountains.

See everybody tomorrow.

Welcome back! So glad you had an awesome time. Now get back to the books young man! : )

Good morning, Mark and happy Sunday to you.

So glad that you had a wonderful time. My reading suffered on my Montana trip too.

>210 Berly: Thanks, Kimmers. I plan on having a lazy day with the books.

>211 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. We did have a great time and I finally finished a book yesterday and started another one. Yah!!

Welcome home, Mark! It's good you have a day to recover before going back to work (assuming you have to work tomorrow). I've finally realized the benefit of taking the day off after a trip, and it makes a big difference.

Enjoy your lazy day with the books!

>213 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Happy Sunday. Yep, love having that "cushion" day and it will be well spent too. I have some catching up to do on the books.

I also want to visit some neglected threads and start work on transferring some of these photos. I took quite a few...for me anyway.

^The long-awaited Meet-Up with Anne and Joanne, in Denver. We look pretty pleased, right? Unfortunately, due to our delayed flight, we missed our visit to the Tattered Cover, (it closed at 6, we arrived at 10 after) but we briefly met Anne and her lovely daughters, who waited patiently for us and then sat down and had dinner with Joanne and her husband John.

Joanne also presented me with a copy of Fight No More: stories, which I am very excited to read. Yah!

^This is the entrance to the park, just a few miles outside of Estes Park. We forgot to take the photo going up but remembered doing it when we left. Sue was happy. The rest of the photos are in chronological order.



^One of the first views of the park.



^We stopped at a little alpine picnic area, for lunch, (beautiful setting) and I saw my first Stellar's Jay, actually several of them.

^Joanne recommended taking Old Fall River Rd which winds it's way to the top of the summit. It is all gravel, with tight switchbacks, but not as scary as it looks. We made a couple stops along the way, at a couple of waterfalls.



^We arrived on top, at the Alpine Visitor Center. Our first marmot sighting, despite the human traffic along the path. He did not budge.



^We climbed a ridge, from the visitor center, that took us to this point. With the high altitude, this was a tough climb and it was hard to catch your breath. A gorgeous view. The top of the world.

^Our first moose sighting, as we were leaving the park and entering Grand Lake. It was also our first "moose jam", as folks were pulled over to the side of the road, to see this majestic animal. Actually, there were 2 cows here but they were hard to photograph.



^This was our first full day of hiking, just outside Grand Lake.



^These mountain meadows, were my favorite views.



^My first Common Raven. I am sure I have seen these, sometime in my life, but this is my first documented one.

I sure hope I am not boring the hell out of everyone. LT folks wanted a few photos...not a whole lot left...

^This was Bowman Trailhead, a few miles north of Grand Lake, in the Park. Our favorite spot. More photos here, than anywhere else. Huge meadows, flank both sides of this path. This was at dusk. We hoped to see elk but no such luck.



^Another shot of Bowmen, with Bree and Matt chillin'...



^Our 3rd moose. She was a bit more cooperative.

^A Mule Deer buck, hanging at the side of the road.



^We did a little hiking on our way back, on Wednesday. This is still in the the park.



^This is on Rabbit Mountain, on the eastern slope, near Longmont. Sue and I, had a nice hike up here. Very rocky trail, but the incline was gradual and the views on top were lovely.

**I am sure this will make a future topper...

Beautiful photos Mark! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Mark.

WOW, gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing.

Welcome back, Mark! Love the photos. Looks like a great trip.

Great pics, Mark and terrific that the weather cooperated for you. The Stellar's Jay is a beauty, isn't it? I haven't seen that one myself as it is only in the west but pictures of it are stunning

>217 msf59:
Not surprised the marmot didn’t budge. In my experience they seem to see hikers and campers as delivery vehicles for the local Marmot Walmart. Or maybe they just find us comical.

Wonderful pictures in beautiful country. Nice way to start the day.

Photos all GREAT!

It just took me a minute (low lying cataracts, maybe) to figure out that the one of your first Moose
was not a very unusual bear looking straight at us: 2 eyes & a beak nose.

It eventually morphed into a Moose rear end.

Thanks, Nancy, Beth, Mary & Joe! Glad you like the photos.

>226 jessibud2: I was hoping to see a Stellar's Jay, Shelley and got lucky to see them, early on too. I never saw them again on the west side of the park.

>227 dypaloh: "In my experience they seem to see hikers and campers as delivery vehicles for the local Marmot Walmart." LOL! Nice to see you over here, Dypaloh. Are you from Colorado?

>228 m.belljackson: Thanks, Marianne. Glad you figured out it was a moose. LOL. It wasn't an easy photo to take.

"Originally published in 1978, this classic exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with and understanding of wolves returns with a new afterword by the author.

Humankind's relationship with the wolf is based on a spectrum of responses running from fear to admiration and affection. Lopez’s classic, careful study won praise from a wide range of reviewers and went on to improve the way books about wild animals are written."

^I only finished one book last week, The Lonesome Bodybuilder, and it was a shorty. I had my Kindle along, so I decided to start Of Wolves and Men, which I have had saved forever in the ebook stacks. I thought it would be a perfect way for me to continue my western adventure, in print. This is my first Lopez read, but he seems like an ideal fit for me. I think Joe recommended him to me. Anyone else a Lopez fan? I have not seen him mentioned much on LT.

>230 msf59:

Figuring that it would be too sad, I haven't read OF WOLVES AND MEN;
here are ratings for those reviewed:

Lessons from The Wolverine 4
Light Action in the Caribbean (stories) 4
Crossing Open Ground 3
About This Life: Journeys on the Threshold of Memory 5
Crow and Weasel 3
Arctic Dreams 5
and, his writing is included in The Norton Book of Nature Writing .

Even when our feelings and opinions widely diverge, he remains a favorite author.

Hi Mark! Glad you enjoyed the mountains and thanks for sharing your photos.

I hope you'll make it to Glacier Park one day .. although this is the second year it's been plagued by fires. Going to the Sun Road was closed due to fire activity, but has reopened now. Lake McDonald Lodge however, was evacuated and will not open again this season. They've lost some historic buildings. There are a few photos on my thread.

I haven't read anything by Barry Lopez although I do have a copy of Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with his Daughter on Planet TBR. I'll be interested to see what you think of him.

Fabulous photos, Mark! Thanks for sharing them, and your vacation, with us.

>231 m.belljackson: Thanks for your opinions on Barry Lopez, Marianne. That is excellent. Arctic Dreams sounds particularly good. He also wrote, Winter Count, a story collection that is definitely on my list.

BTW: I am not finding Of Wolves and Men at all sad. Just solid wolf facts and stories. I recommend it.

>232 streamsong: Hi, Janet. Glad you like the photos. Funny, we talked about visiting Glacier, several times on this trip. It has always been very high on my bucket list. We hope to go next summer. I wish it was closer, so we could drive. And I definitely want to drive the Sun Road.

You will really like Of Wolves and Men.

>233 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. It was a great trip. I just wish we could have spent more time in Grand Lake.

Great vacation report, Mark. Super glad you had such a good time.

Keep on chooglin', ma man.

>236 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. It was a good trip. I sure like the great outdoors.

>229 msf59: My marmots are part of the gang in California's Sierra. I’ve got to visit Colorado again. It’s been too long and what a place. A bit of envy and certainly enjoyment reading about your trip.

Thanks for posting all those photos Marc! Wonderful looking country. Loved the pic of the marmot;-)
And good for you that you had such a good time!

Never heard of mr. Lopez but I'll be looking for Of Wolves and Men. Wolves are in the news here in Holland, as they keep appearing on or over the borders migrating from Germany. Stirring up very mixed feelings here. So a good book about them will be an interesting read.

Morning, Mark! Welcome back! And those are great photos - thanks for sharing!

>238 dypaloh: The marmot gang, eh, Steve? There are many places in California I have been meaning to get to, including Yosemite. It is a shame I have never been.

>239 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. Glad you like the photos. It is beautiful country. Photos can barely express it. Wolves continue to be very controversial here too. Also read American Wolf if you get a chance. It is excellent.

>240 scaifea: Morning, Amber. And thanks. Always nice to be back home but not looking forward to work...sighs.

(NMP)

^I have seen Black-Billed Magpies before, they are common in Colorado and other western states, but these are the first I have seen since starting the List. I saw several on the eastern side of the park but do not remember seeing many on the west side.

Thanks for sharing the photos, Mark! Looks like some amazing scenery. Sorry your flight affected your meet-up but glad you were able to have a visit!

Great photos, and glad there were a couple of birds, if no Elk.

I have a couple of Lopez on the shelf, the one you are reading, and Arctic Dreams, both as yet unread, but bought after reading a couple of his articles some years ago Mark.

Just thought I would stop by to recommend The Shakespeare Requirement for those who like satirical academic novels. It is by Julie Schumacher and is a sequel to Dear Committee Members. You don't necessarily have to read the first one, but that is fun too!

Hi Mark and happy Monday to you.

Excellent photos, thanks for sharing. I saw a lot of magpies when in Montana - they are gorgeous birds and considered a nuisance by my friend Karen. Glad to see that you got some good reading in yesterday.

Welcome home, Mark! Your photos are stunning! I can't decide, if by chance I'd have the opportunity, where I would like to retire. The mountains or the ocean. Decisions, decisions, right?
Hope you have a few more days off in order to gradually get back to the route.

Have a good day back at work, Mark.

Hi, Mark.

I'm glad Of Wolves and Men is suiting you so well. I thought it would. Yep, that was my rec. If you can find a hard copy at the library, there are some great photos, too.

I remember thinking Arctic Dreams looked awfully good. I may add that one to the WL.

I'm thinking you may be glad to be back on flat Midwestern soil for the work day, rather than mountains and hills. :-)

Why can't I have every Monday off, after vacation? Sighs...Two more years, folks.

>243 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. Glad you like the photos.

>244 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I have seen elk in the past, just not on this trip. Glad you have some Lopez on shelf. I plan on reading more of him.

>245 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. Thanks for the book rec. You rarely steer me wrong.

>246 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Glad you like the photos. I wish I could have ticked off a few more birds, but that is birding for you.

>247 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda. I really like the ocean but I would definitely lean toward mountain living, although it might have to be seasonal.

Why chose between mountains and ocean? Move to the west coast. Of course, it is sometimes hard to see both because of the wildfires. Great photos of your time in the wild, Mark. Looks like everyone enjoyed themselves. Too bad it is at an end but isn't this your last year of work or did I misremember that?

>241 msf59:
The marmot gang: In 2005, while backpacking in southern Yosemite, we stopped at the lower of the three Chain Lakes. At that time my knees were such that I wore neoprene braces reinforced with steel mesh along the sides. Didn’t help a lot but helped a little. After pitching the tent, I went down to the lake for a while. Returning to the tent I discovered I’d neglected to put the knee braces inside. One was chewed up pretty good. The other was gone. Found it the next day all torn up under the boulder stack by the lake where the marmots liked to hang out.

On the good side, they’re cute little guys!

Mark, if you can, visit Yosemite Valley late spring before school lets out. Not too crowded then and the falls are at their best from the snow melt. It’s a wonder.

For more marmot mischief: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/marmots.htm

>249 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. My WiFi at work was a bit wonky, so I couldn't respond earlier. Yep, I am enjoying Of Wolves and Men. I really want to read Arctic Dreams too. I also have Winter Count on my Kindle. It is a short story collection and a shorty to boot! Yah, for Lopez.

>252 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. I would love the Pacific NW, but many of my friends and family still live here and that is quite a jaunt. I will say, that BC, is high on my Bucket List. My daughter too. So, I hope to get out there in the next few years.

>253 dypaloh: >254 dypaloh: That is quite a marmot tale, Steve. I had no idea that they were that destructive, despite the cuteness. And the warnings about your vehicle is amazing. Chewing through radiator hoses? Wrapping your car in a tarp? Wow!

Thanks for your suggestion, on visiting Yosemite. I hope to get out there one of these days.

Beautiful photos, Mark! So glad the weather and some cool birds and beasts cooperated and you all had such a nice time!

I thought magpies were such beautiful birds when I first saw them when we moved out here. Then one year a couple of them ravaged a robins’ nest that was in our spruce tree. I’ve not felt kindly towards them since (and that was probably about 25 years ago).

>215 msf59:. Beth raved about this collection Mark.. I love all your pictures. Looks like a fabulous trip. I have Barry Lopez’s Arctic Dreams saved on my Kindle ( forever it seems) so maybe I’ll try to get to it.

>257 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. Glad you like the photos. I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I will keep practicing. I have heard this about magpies, but I sure like the way they look.

>258 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie. I like Millet, so I am really looking forward to this collection. I am suddenly a Lopez fan and Arctic Dreams is definitely on the list.

-Harry Bliss

Morning, Mark! I hope post-vacation work is treating you fairly okay.

I scanned. I admit it! I'm about two threads behind and... well I suck. But hola! Hope all is well.

Hi Mark and happy Tuesday to you.

I'm going to a reading by David Sedaris tonight at a local indie. I'm taking my copy of Calypso, of course, but am also going to see if he'll sign one other book - Theft by Finding.

>261 scaifea: Morning, Amber. Slowly getting back into the work groove, but still daydreaming about those majestic mountains.

>262 BekkaJo: Hi, Bekka. Great to see you. You do not suck at all. It is tough keeping up, especially on the chatty threads.

>263 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Have a great time at the Sedaris event. I hope you have a low number in the signing line. That could take awhile.

Morning, Mark!

Did you read A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet? I really enjoyed that one and its successor, but unfortunately found the third one (not a trilogy) a letdown. I did enjoy a different sci-fi-er, The Spaceship Next Door.

I hope you're continuing to have a good time with Of Wolves and Men. Hey, Ada Limon has a new collection out, The Carrying. I'm just starting it; so far it's another stellar one.

Low letter in the signing line - B - so I hope to get home by about 11:30 or so.

>259 msf59:

Re: Arctic Dreams

For some unknown reason, my LT review got cut in half = even using Edit again,
it only appears completely on the Edit page. No clue.

Hope you did not get flooded out as Madison did last night, with 10-12 inches of rain.

Any idea where to find affordable flood insurance?

Lovely photos, Mark. It's been many years since I was in Estes Park, but it is beautiful. I remember the magpies being all around when camping out near Aspen. Our trips coincided (but to different places) so I haven't been online much in the last couple weeks. It's nice to be home.

Hiya, Mark! LOVE all your pictures. Thanks or sharing. Sounds like the perfect summer vacation. : ) Hpeyour weather is cooling off.

Thanks for sharing all those lovely pictures, Mark. "Boring"??? Hardly.

The Cubs claimed Daniel Murphy off waivers. Over the years, Murphy was a Cubs killer and it'll be nice to have him on our side for a change.

>265 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. I hope you are enjoying your day. I am eating dinner, catching up over here and getting ready to watch the Cubs game and squeeze in a bit more reading.

I have not read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, although I have seen it mentioned around here. As you know, I do not read much Sci-Fi, unless one of my LT pals really nudges me into it.

Hooray for a new Ada Limon collection. I cant believe you are all ready reading it. Did you buy it?

>266 karenmarie: Hooray for snagging a low letter, Karen. I can't wait to hear all about it.

>267 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. I can't wait to read Arctic Dreams. And you were right about Of Wolves and Men. It is very sad. He really gets into the incredible slaughter that these wolves were subjected to. We are a barbaric nation.

We got some rain last night, 2 inches in some places but nothing like you guys. WOW! I hope you are staying afloat.

>268 ronincats: Hi, Rhonda. Great to see you. I was wondering, where you had wandered off to. We saw very little of Estes Park, on this trip and I think I have only driven by Aspen. Not much of a skier anymore, I guess. I do LOVE the west side of the Rockies though.

>269 Berly: Hi, Kimmers. Glad you like the photos. It was a wonderful time. It hasn't cooled off much here and it is supposed to get HOT again over the weekend. Sighs...

>270 laytonwoman3rd: You are welcome, Linda. And I am glad to hear that I am not boring.

>271 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda P! I heard the news about Murphy, while at work. Great pick-up. I sure hope he is the spark plug, we need to ignite this offense.

"What Is the What is the epic novel based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng who, along with thousands of other children —the so-called Lost Boys—was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot..."

^I can't believe it has taken me this long to get to this one. Honestly, I thought this was NF and I prefer Eggers' NF, but it is based on a true story, so there you go. I just started it on audio and I think it begins well. Like most of Eggers' work, it received mixed reviews, but I am hoping to come down on the positive side.

I am sure many of you have read it. Thoughts?

Break Spot Report:

I saw the first Baltimore Oriole on my route today. It was busy today at my break spot, despite a light rain. I haven't even seen one at my own feeders yet.

For shits and giggles, I tallied up all the birds I have seen at this break spot and it's immediate vicinity and came up with 22 species. Not shabby. And I am sure I missed a few too, because this goes back about two years. I can't recall if I saw any grackles or starlings at this spot, but I will keep my peepers open.

>274 msf59: Ah, I remember being moved by this book when it was first released. Believe it or not, it is the only Eggers I have read! And I had the good fortune of hosting both authors at the bookshop. A very memorable night.

>275 msf59: Congrats on the oriole at your break spot!

I am glad that you got to Estes Park. I love the area around Grand Lake. I am surprised that you didn’t stop and take a picture of yourself at the point where the Colorado River starts. It is at the lower end of Grand Lake.

If you make it to Montana and Glacier you have to stop and see the 10,000 Buddha’s monument. I found it amazing and restful.

I am deep into reading Lasso the Wind: Away to the New West by Timothy Egan. It is one of his earlier works and is a series of essays based on his reporting for the New York Times. As a reporter his beat was the West and all of the essays in this book are about the West. This is very interesting writing and good stuff.

I have read four of the essays and in most of them he mentions the writing of Terry Tempest Williams. Guess I will have to get one of her books and read it.

I was on the road from Upstate New York because I flew into Buffalo to drive my friend back to Tuscaloosa. SHe spent the summer at her cottage in Jamestown, New York. She says that at 72 she is to old to make the 1,000 mile trip by herself, so I drove her up and then two months later flew up and drove her back. I got to drive past 3 major NFL football stadiums on the trip. Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Nashville. That is the same number as I drive by when I travel from Tuscaloosa to Munden.

I have several Dave Eggers books on my list. I have only read one - The Circle.

Our library classes What Is the What as fiction, but it is really a fictional autobiography. I am not sure what that is. Maybe it is like narrative nonfiction. I think that all writing is narrative, so for me there is no such thing as narrative nonfiction because all nonfiction is narrative. I think that factionalized autobiography falls into that same category. If it is factionalized it can’t be an autobiography since an autobiography can be documented. If it can be documented then it isn’t fiction.

And don’t get me started on the non-word deselection. That word is an impossibility.

>276 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. Hooray for going to a Eggers' event. You sure had a special time, working at that bookstore, didn't you? I am jealous. And yah, for the oriole. I love seeing them.

>277 benitastrnad: >278 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. We loved our Colorado trip. We mostly stayed on the west side of the Park. I liked the quiet of Grand Lake. We hope to finally get to Glacier next summer.

I am glad you are enjoying the Egan essay collection. Sounds really good. I love his work. And please read TTW. She is a national treasure.

>280 benitastrnad: In regards to Eggers, The Circle is one, I did not like, but I loved Zeitoun and got a kick out of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. For some reason, Eggers decided to make What Is the What a fictional account of a man's life, which is perfectly okay. It gives the author more flexibility. I am enjoying it.

It sounds like you had a whirlwind trip to NY. You sure like driving don't you? Grins...

Morning, Mark.

I did buy The Carrying, knowing that I like her poetry so much. It has been terrific so far.

I'm still laid up with that calf sprain. Becca and I are heading to Comic Con on Saturday, so it'd better be healed up by then!

Hi Mark! Happy Wednesday to you!

>265 jnwelch: I read and loved A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet but completely bogged down and abandoned A Closed and Common Orbit. It's still on my shelves but I don't anticipate picking it back up again any time soon.

>272 msf59: I was quite verbose about the David Sedaris event on my thread - come on over for a visit! The short version: he arrived about 5:15, signed until 7:05 including my two books, the event was wonderful, and I got home by 9:15.

>283 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Sorry to hear about your calf sprain. Bummer. Hope it heals before the weekend.

Gorgeous day out here. I wish we could get a stretch of these. I might follow your lead on the Limon collection. Glad to hear it is another strong one.

>284 karenmarie: I had a good time with A Closed and Common Orbit, Karen - in the second half you find out some important things tied back to the first book. That's about as vague as I can say it. But the third lacked the zip of those first two. So if you abandoned the second one, I don't think you'd finish the third. It's too bad - I was really looking forward to the third one.

>285 msf59: I'm going to get out on our back deck at least on this gorgeous morning. I was going to say I'm glad it didn't happen while Rafa and his folks were here, but actually it did. I got it last Friday, and hobbled to the various weekend events. At least sitting with young Rafa was easy.

>284 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Sounds like you had a great time at the Sedaris event. I will swing by your thread later, for the juicy details.

>286 jnwelch: Sorry, to hear you had to silently suffer through that injury. That was admirable. Glad you get at least get out on the deck.

I am off tomorrow, so looking forward to a bird stroll. It is supposed to be another beauty.

>275 msf59: so pretty. Lucky you Mark, and at your break spot too.

>288 Caroline_McElwee: Glad you like the oriole, Caroline. Since migration season is starting here soon, I hope to add a few more to my Break Spot Report and my other lists, as well.

Great photos, Mark, you make me want to hit the road! It's such a shame that there are so many wild fires in the West, it makes me sad to think of the destruction. Apprently the tourists here in Vancouver haven't been very happy, the smoke is so thick that they can't even see the mountains! We are still hoping to take a road trip of our own through the mountains this Fall, weather and health permitting. For now I am trying to rest up, and get lots of reading done!

>290 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Great to see you. We had a great Colorado trip. I love those mountains and mountain meadows. Sorry, to hear about all the wildfires out your way. I hope they get them under control.