Saturday, August 31, 2013

How to Have Adventures at Home-Chasing Happy

Can I just say how much I adore blogs out there that scream positivity and encourage others to do the same? And can we agree that we can all use a little pick me up...oh I don't know, just about every day? One of my favorites is written by Kenzie of Chasing Happy. This girls screams positivity, and you can't help but feel instantly brighter when reading her sweet words of encouragement, looking at what she has created next or when she gives great, relatable advice on how to pretty much live your life better; or some of my favorites, how to blog better. That's why I'm so excited about the piece that she's written for you all today. I know you're going to love her as much as I do!

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Hello there, beautiful people! I'm Kenzie from Chasing Happy, a blog about creativity, happiness, and real life. I'm so glad that Chelsea is having me on her blog today--I love meeting new people in blogland! Hi, hi, hi! The thing I love about Chelsea's blog is how much it feeds my wanderlust. I don't know about you, but I'd sell all my stuff to travel the world in a heartbeat, if I could. My husband might have an issue with that, though, so for now I content myself with taking vacations and stalking reading blogs like Chelsea's. But what's a girl to do on a long weekend (like this one!) when it seems like everyone has exciting travel plans? If you're stuck at home like me, here are a few ideas on how to scratch your adventure itch in your own city.

Visit a local tourist attraction

Head to a museum, snap photos of a public sculpture, explore an historic building, or sip coffee at a popular coffee shop. As a local, these little gems might have escaped your notice--but now's your chance to experience them with new eyes. Explore your city with the perspective of a visitor: what's unique about these attractions? What stories would you tell about them "back home?"

Go out for an exotic dinner

One of my favorite parts of any new place is the food. But most cities have exotic food of their own. Here in Nebraska, we've got Indian, Korean, Sudanese, authentic Mexican, Brazilian, Spanish, French... it's a huge variety. And this is Nebraska. If we have it, you have it, too. Probably even more. Treat your taste buds to something new!

Watch a foreign or inspiring movie

Even if you can't go anywhere, you can pretend you did by watching a carefully selected movie. Pick a foreign film to feel like you're in a different country, or rent a travel flick to live vicariously through someone else's adventures.

Start planning

Page through a travel guide and plan your next trip, even if you don't have a date in mind just yet. Anticipation can give you a huge happiness boost, and planning a vacation is a great way to create that excitement.

Have a spa day

Try recreating the typical vacation experiences, like a day at the beach (or pool, locally) or an afternoon of spa treatments (or even just a mani/pedi). The actual activity is probably pretty similar from place to place, so just close your eyes and pretend you're in Mexico.

Book a hotel stay

If all else fails, get out of the house. Reserve a hotel room and fake it. Ask the concierge for recommendations on things to do, lounge in bed and watch TV, order room service... do whatever it is you would if you were really out of town. With a little creativity, even a long weekend at home can feel like an adventure--you just need an open mind and a free spirit. Test out some of these ideas this weekend, and be sure to stop by Chasing Happy and tell me about your adventures!

Friday, August 30, 2013

A culinary road trip?

Early yesterday morning Emma and I headed out for my a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,MN, for my sometimes annual physical check up.  After several frustrating moments the night before trying to upload the latest maps on my GPS, I was successful and it took me on a slightly different route this time to Rochester.  I guess the upload was worth it as it scooted me around all the construction that is going on in the Twin Cities.

By about 3:00 I arrived at my oldest son Dan’s home, and was surprised to find his wife, Crystal, home.  She has been touring the country most of the summer as a sort of expeditor for a famous singing group.  I wish I could remember their name, but it’s The ‘something’ Brothers.  I hate it when I draw a blank like that.  I’m not familiar with them, but that’s not surprising.  It just came to me that it might be the Jonas Brothers?

Anyway, she is often gone from home pursuing her career.  She is quite a good cook, so this road trip may have more of a culinary trend to it than a medical one.

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Here’s what Crystal whipped up for dinner last night.  Tasty pork loin on a bed of couscous with with roasted green beans and eggplant.  I love it when somebody else cooks, and I’ve never had couscous before.  Made me kind of feel like I was visiting the Food Network channel.  In love

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The multi-talented Crystal with her hubby, Daniel.

I was headed for the Mayo Clinic early this morning without breakfast for my annual check-up.  The Mayo satellite clinic that I go to is about 20 miles away.  That’s where my family doctor, DR. K., that I’ve dealt with for over 15 years, practices.  Even though I tried to get an appointment with her more than a month ago, they said she was not available.  Instead I was scheduled with some young doctor I didn’t know.  I wasn’t thrilled with that since I’d then have to go through all of my history and explain my lifestyle of the past seven years.

It seems Dr. K. is serving in a more supervisory capacity these days with training in new doctors in their residency years.  Imagine my surprise when Dr. K. stepped into the examination room and said, “Judy, how is life going in the motorhome?”  I was thrilled, and we got right down to the nitty-gritty.  I was poked, prodded, got a pneumonia vaccine, had blood drawn for the usual tests, and was on my way in short order.

Then of course, it was off to the Gonda Building at The Mayo Clinic in downtown Rochester for my mammogram.  They’ve streamlined things there as well, and I was in and out in less than a half hour.  I’ve been checked out and given the go ahead to continue living! 

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Late this afternoon, Crystal and I met Dan at the Chau Noodle Restaurant.  I’ve never eaten Vietnamese food before, so this was another culinary first for me.

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We started off with Vietnamese spring rolls as an appetizer.  They are wrapped in rice paper, totally edible, and come with a sauce that we used a spoon to drizzle through the middle of the spring roll since we were sharing the sauce bowl.  (Crystal is the one with experience here to teach me about this cuisine.)

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For the main course, Daniel and I shared an order of PHO TAI.  It’s a beef soup with rice noodles, lemon grass, cilantro, green onions, and thinly sliced beef.  On the side is a plate of fresh basil leaves, bean sprouts, jalapeno peppers and line slices that can be added as you like to the soup.  I, of course, skipped the peppers.  The serving was enormous, and I can’t imagine one person eating this whole huge bowl.  Both of us ate our fill, and still had a quart to take home.  There were also sauces to dip the beef slices into. 

For me, my first impression was that the broth was delicious.  There was a taste, though, that I really didn’t care for.  I eventually figured out that it was the lemon grass.  If I could have this dish without the lemon grass, I would really like it.

This post is getting rather long, but I wanted to mention what I’ll be doing this evening and tomorrow morning.

_MG_9188Remember the furry “Three Musketeers” from my last visit here in July?  Yes, from left to right that’s Buddy, Georgie Girl, and Emma.  I like to think of them as the two young lunatics and one calm old dog.  I’m babysitting them all tonight while Crystal and Dan have a night on the town together.  They will return tomorrow.  I’m thinking this may be more challenging than grandchildren!  Wish me luck…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Why Passionfruit is the Bomb Dot Com (Plus 5 Membership Giveaways!)

I've been told by legitimate sources that the phrase in the title is still cool to say...so I'm sticking with it. Unless you've been hiding under a rock lately, you've heard all about Passionfruit, the website that actually makes sponsoring fun. I started using Passionfruit back in November and I haven't looked back since. So what first drew me to start using it? Guys, I've tried the whole coding thing. It's not as fun as it looks.
Now I understand that $9 can seem like a lot. Especially when you're first starting out and it feels like all you do is shell out money for this and that to just get your blog up and running. But if you sign up now, you can get a whole year for just $50. That's only $4 a month. That's just a cup of coffee guys! Or, to be fair, in the States, that's actually two cups of coffee (dang you Korean coffee prices). Regardless, I am more than willing to skimp on my coffee intake in order to let someone else handle my nightmare coding problems for me.

But my favorite part?....

You're not alone.

It's not some faceless corporate company with hundreds of employees buzzing around a large office company. It's a family guy that is passionate about what he does and truly sincerely cares for the bloggers that support his company. When you email, text or call with a question; you don't get put on hold and have to listen to crappy instrumentals of the 80's greatest hits only to be connected to a different person than the last 10 times you've called or tried to contact. You don't get auto response emails from a computer, or only a F&Q section to figure out a glitch or question. You get a real live person, the same person that you've talked with before. And might I say, a speedy person at that.

Other awesome features:

  • The marketplace, where you can find other awesome bloggers and hang out on their sidebar.
  • Payment processing, weekly paychecks, delivered right to your Paypal account. There's nothing easier than that!
  • Image hosting, no more fuss, no more muss over putting in ads yourself, keeping track of how long they should be up there, and swapping them out when their ad time is over. That frees up my time for more important things like writing and building relationships. 
  • Easy HTML, we all know this is my favorite. 
  • Automatic reminders, for all those forgetful people out there, myself included. They let you know when someone's ad is about to expire so you can go bug them about renewing, or when you own ad is about to expire.


And here's the best part. They're letting me give away FIVE one year memberships! Because we all know that free is always the best option. And here's the really cool part. If you're already signed up? They will reimburse you! What a deal, what a deal.




Rules
  • You need to have the Passionfruit Widget installed on your blog by the 1st of September in order to be eligible, so if you haven't already, go upgrade now!
  • If you are already a paid member and win, you get your money back!
  • The giveaway will end at 12am on September 1st!
  • Five winners will each receive one annual membership valued at $50.
  • The winners will officially be announced on September 1st as well.
Good luck!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Treasures from Cambodia for Sale!

SOLD OUT

I can't tell you how excited I am for this! When I saw these elephant wallets for sale in a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I just knew that I had to bring some back. I bought some for gifts, one for myself and I gave one away last week. If anyone searched my bag at the airport they probably thought I was crazy for having so many wallets tucked away in my bag. But then ask me if I care and you'll get a big fat nope.

Well here's the great news guys, if you entered the giveaway last week but didn't win, you can still get your hands on one! I have six of these bad boys to sell, in two different designs and you can buy them through my sponsor page. These wallets are well made from recycled concrete bags in Cambodia (how cool is that?!). So if you want your own souvenir from Cambodia, be sure to head over to my sponsor page and snag one up for yourself!



Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Another 19 posts painted today

A couple of days ago, my blogger virtual friend Merikay wrote about Re-Learning to See.  It got me thinking.  I always try to see the little details around me during my days, but a reminder to stop, and look, and wonder, is always welcome.  So as I headed out to paint my 19 posts for the day, I kept that in mind.  I hope you enjoy what I found today.

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There was a pretty heavy fog around this morning as a result of the rain last night, and the abnormally high temps and humidity.  I just had to stop the truck and admire these delicate spider webs that were made so visible by the foggy dew.  Each of us creatures on earth make our own way through this world, but what beauty and symmetry I observed in the high branches.  Yep, it was one of those times to stop, and look, and wonder…  Of course, the guy in the Speedy Delivery van gave me on odd look, and probably didn’t appreciate me stopping in the middle of the road with my door open.  Disappointed smile

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After I finished my first four posts in the blazing hot sun, I headed across the street to paint the more shaded gate posts for the River Road Trail.  The gate was bordered on each side by large boulders left by the glaciers in times long past.  But I just had to wonder about these bluish lichens that were living on the boulders.  I sure wished I had my friend Jack’s macro lens when I took these shots.

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When you are out painting posts by yourself for six hours a day, you have a lot of time to ponder things.  This sign made me ponder.  Do you see what’s wrong with this picture?

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Yeah, some idiot with a shotgun decided to take a blast at this sign that designates a handicapped accessible fishing pier.  What’s up with that?  Can anyone explain to me why some people think it’s so macho to shoot at signs?  In my mind it ranks right up there with throwing your trash out your vehicle window.  However, I’d like you all to notice the beautiful stain job on the sign posts!  Open-mouthed smile

73 Tamarac NWR, 201329

I tried to identify the wild flowers in tonight’s post, but after consulting my Minnesota wildflower book I’m still not sure.

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I’m hoping the guru of Minnesota wildflowers, and fellow blogger that writes Far Side of Fifty, will help me out here. 

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I also found some little red berries ripening.  They looked luscious, but since I don’t know what they are, I wasn’t about to taste them no matter how much I was tempted.

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So, it was a day observing and enjoying the little things in life as I made my way through painting today’s 19 posts.  Thanks, Merikay, for the reminder.

Since I’m leaving on Thursday for a weekend down in Rochester for my Mayo Clinic appointments, I decided to do a load of laundry tonight in preparation.  I figured I’d just hang the clothes out on the line tonight, and they’d dry tomorrow during this continued hot spell.  What I didn’t count on was hanging the clothes out just at dusk.  Uff-da!  I was reminded in a very short time that the mosquitoes are still here in full force at dusk, and I was wearing shorts.  You can guess the results.  I have to quit now to scratch my legs!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Swimming With the Whale Sharks VIDEO!

This has to be my favorite videos that Jeremy has made (well besides our wedding video obviously). Swimming with whale sharks was one of the most unique and exciting travel experiences I have ever had and the fact that we have it all on video makes it even better (even if I do make weird expressions when I'm under water). If you want to read more about it, click here.

Oh and I've received several questions through comments and emails about what equipment we use for our underwater shots and what was used for our rappelling video. We use a Go Pro Hero 2 (which has now been replaced by the Go Pro Hero 3 on their website) which is a great addition to any travel equipment and we have loved using it on our trips. We mostly use it for video but it has great photo capabilities as well. We also have a few add ons to it which enhance our capabilities even further. We use a dive housing which allows us to take it under water to depths of 60 meters. We also use the head strap mount and the Xshot camera extender which is an extending pole for wide angle shots or self portraits. I hope this helps and that you'll give it a shot! You won't regret it!

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And now onto one of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check her out and say hi!

About Belinda: Greetings lovely little jelly beans! My name is Belinda and I am the girl behind the blog Found Love, Now What?, where I write about love and life and following your heart all while fueled with lots and lots of coffee.  Oh, and did I mention that I live in Wales? Moving there to be with my new British husband after being in a long distance relationship of 5,000 miles? {Sometimes I blog about that too!} I hope you can hop on over, grab a cup of coffee and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you!

Her best traveling advice: I think my best tip for traveling would have to be to step away from the throngs of tourists.  Sure when you are in Paris you want to see the Louvre or the Seine, but walk off the beaten path a bit and experience the city as locals do.  Sit in a a cafe.  People watch.  Eat crepes with Nutella {yum!}.  Enjoy just being present, not always scrambling for a map or a metro or a museum pass, just be there.

Where to start exploring
Where to follow along



Monday, August 26, 2013

Back in the saddle again

Yep, it was post painting time for me once again this morning after the staff meeting that lasted better than an hour.  The temps are up, the humidity is up, but I’m on a mission to paint all of these posts before I leave here next month.  When I can leave first thing in the morning, I generally get 20 various posts painted before I fizzle out. 

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By the time I got out of the meeting, gathered my supplies, and gassed up the refuge truck, it was 10:00 o’clock today.  That didn’t bode well for reaching a 20 post average.

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Of course I always bring my cameras along, and that meant I had a nice view of this young bald eagle today near the Chippewa picnic area. 

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A couple of weeks ago, this youngster’s constant screeching for food about drove me nuts for three hours as I painted all of the posts around the picnic area.  I was happy to see today that it has finally fledged off of the nearby nest, and wasn’t quite so vocal.  At this stage in their life, they probably weigh more than their adult parents.  It has a lot of learning to do in the next 4-5 years.  I wish it well, and hope it learns its lessons well enough to be one of the survivors.

I only got 11 posts painted today before I had to return to the rig for a fresh set of clothes.  It was into the 90’s by noon, and with the humidity and stillness of the air, my clothes were soaked through with perspiration (I’ve been told ladies don’t say sweat Winking smile). 

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After lunch, I made my weekly circuit of the refuge roads to restock all of the brochures in the kiosks.  It always amazes me how many brochures are taken each week.  I think lots more people visit this refuge than gets recorded.  I’m pleased to know that, buy it still surprises me since we’re a bit off the beaten track.

I found another pair of trumpeter swans with two rather young surviving signets today.  It’s almost September, so I hope they have enough time to grow up and move on by the time the lakes start to freeze. 

There’s a severe thunderstorm watch posted for tonight.  Emma and I just got back into the rig from outside before the skies opened up.  With as dry as it has been, I hope we get a good easy rain tonight.  With the skies rumbling away, I put Emma in her thunder shirt.  It sure seems to help her quit that constant pacing that drives me up the wall.  All the noise from the thunder made me remember what my mother told me when I was little.  She said all that noise was people bowling up in heaven.  I guess the fall bowling leagues have started…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy  

Travel Tuesdays-Nepal

Just a little something to cure your wanderlust for the week.
travel tuesdays nepal
via

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux


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And now onto some of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check them out and say hi!

About Lindsey: A Broad's World frolics around my life abroad and on the go! From spending 2 years in Thailand, to preparing to move to Australia to all of the wonderful and easily accessible adventures in between. I write about anything else that comes up in my daily life which usually has to do with embarking in a new adventure, savoring the culture of where I am/have been, or providing "travel inspired" food fixes and recipes. 

What she can't travel without: My running shoes for fun and random adventures. Plus I always seem to think I'm going to workout on vacation and will say to myself "this trip is different!" but exercising never ends up happening.


About Robyn: I started my blog to keep in touch with friends and family when I was living in Uganda. After 3 years in East Africa I moved to Kuwait (where I am teaching now), hence the 'and beyond...' on my blog title. Come say 'hello' and read about my misadventures and experiences! 

What she can't travel without:  My first thought was 'my trainers', but actually I would say my credit card. I always double check that I have my card, then anything else that I forget is not so important!
About Melissa: Hi I'm Melissa! A midwest mama married to her best friend. We're always on the go and I love every minute of it. I have a passion for photography, cooking, laughing, and spending time with my family. If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!

What she can't travel without: My PHONE! I love to take pictures and document everything. Not only that, but I like to be able to keep in touch with my family. If I'm not traveling with my little, my husband finds a way to video chat with me so I can see her and talk to her and at the very least, tell her goodnight and I love you!. These precious moments mean the world to me and wouldn't be possible without my phone.


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Cross Country on Two Wheels-Roadtrip Across Cambodia

On the last few trips it's become a sort of unintentional tradition to rent a motorbike and take a road trip (you can check out our one in the Philippines and Thailand). We love it because not only it is a cheaper method of transportation versus taxis or tuk tuks since it's less than $10 a day for a rental, but I feel like we are also able to see parts of the country that would have whizzed by the bus window.
road trip across cambodia
In total we rode over 900 km (that's 560 miles for you USers), or the width of Cambodia and almost back again and I have the bruises on my butt to prove it. We went through cities and back country roads where the farmers were steering their ox through the rice paddies. We drove through the blazing heat, dusty roads and pouring down rain. We met farmers, school children, business owners and our guardian angel; a stranger who drove slowly in front of us with their hazards on so we could see the road through the downpour of rain. But no matter where we traveled, we were always met with smiling faces and inquisitive looks. Even though it was a long ride, I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Here are some little tid bits from our 13+ hours on the open road:

Our first pit stop was to get gas at a small family owned service station. The girls in the top picture were selling mango and salt (an interesting combination for sure) while the boys helped their father with the station. The man sitting below had worked for ten years at a hotel in Phnom Penh in order to buy this gas station. And you'll notice that on the gas pump they have a handle they have to crank in order to get the gas from the barrel, up into the glass container, then through the house and into the vehicle.
gas station cambodia
Some of the other gorgeous views along the way.
cambodian countryside
cambodian rice fields
This is another one of our many pit stops where we found children swimming through lily pads and collecting lotus pods to sell and eat.
cambodian children
motor bike cambodia
We often had 'road blocks'. Luckily this was only one cow but there were times when we had to sit and wait for a group of them to get up and move out of the way before we could keep going.
cambodian cow
On one of our last stops we went by an area where all of the houses and buildings were up on stilts. Certain areas can actually flood so much during rainy season that the water actually reaches the bottom of these buildings.
house on stilts cambodia
Along the same route we found a hammock restaurant on stilts and decided to take a break and enjoy the view. Plus, who can say no to hammocks and a cold drink?
hammock restaurant cambodia
I just couldn't resist putting some pictures of cows in Cambodia because they may just be my new favorite animal.
cambodian cow
cambodian cow
On our way back from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn, we left at 4:30 in the morning (definitely not my idea) in order to beat some of the city traffic and also the scorching heat that sets in late morning. Thankfully the views made it well worth it.
sunset in cambodia
bike ride across cambodia
Even though the trip was a blast and I would recommend it to anyone traveling to Southeast Asia, there are some things that made it a whole lot easier on us, and some things that we wish we would have known:

-It goes without saying that you need a lot of cushion. On the way back I was tempted to go try and find those butt inserts to make the ride a little better. Instead we folded some of our clothes in bags and sat on those instead.
-Cover up! Even though it may not feel hot when you're riding and you can feel the wind, you're getting a lot more sun that you think you are.
-Have a water proof option. We rode during the rainy season and thankfully only got caught in the rain once. We covered all of our bags in trash bags to protect them from getting wet.
-Get an international license. We've never been asked to show ours in the countries that we have rented but it doesn't hurt to have this extra precaution.
-We bought kramas (traditional Cambodian scarves) before we hit the road. A lot of the roads we went on weren't paved so there was a lot of dirt and dust that we would have been breathing in if we didn't have these scarves. Anytime we stopped, we got funny looks because of how dirty our faces were in the areas the scarf didn't cover.

Have you ever done a road trip in another country? What was your saving grace or what was something you wish you would have known beforehand?

Just melting away here

When I got back from running to town on Friday, the temps had risen into the 90’s.  I thought perhaps we were done with those hot humid days up here for this year, but the heat wave is supposed to continue until at least Thursday.  It’s not cooling down enough for my tastes at night either.

So, I’ve pretty much spent the weekend indoors with the AC on.  Yesterday morning, Steve was scheduled to pull out of here and begin his journey to the Pacific Northwest.  As he was hooking up his toad, I mentioned that the wind seemed kind of strong.  He headed out anyway.  Personally, I would have sat still for another day.  The winds ended up being gale force, and some of my outside furniture and a rug took flight during one of the tremendous gusts.  I never even considered putting out my big awning to shade the rig.  It would have ended up in Canada, I think.  I even pulled in my small awnings over two of the windows on the driver’s side of the rig.  The wind was that strong all day.

Then, this morning, about 5:00, a real thunder buster rolled through out of the northwest.  Made me sit up and take notice in bed.  Thankfully it didn’t last too long, but the winds as that little front moved through really got things rocking.  It was really more noise and wind than productive rain, but of course I had accidentally left the driver’s side window open on the car.  Sad smile  The seat was quite wet and covered with pine needles that had flown in.

Since it was going to be too hot for me to do any sightseeing this weekend, I decided to do some cooking instead.  I have some favorite recipes, but they make enough for a family.  With my travels beginning in about a month, I thought I’d get some dinners frozen for driving days on the road.

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I seldom if ever put recipes on this blog, but this casserole is so tasty and easy, I thought some of you ladies might like to try it.

EVERYBODY’S GOT ROOM FOR SECONDS CASSEROLE

1 10 oz. can of chunk white chicken, drained

4 cups frozen broccoli cuts (I use one bunch of fresh broccoli tops)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup mayonnaise (don’t be using Miracle Whip, now. Winking smile)

1  teaspoon of lemon juice (I didn’t have any, so put in a squirt of wine instead)

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I love cheese, so I probably use a cup)

Bread crumbs

Layer broccoli in a 7”X11” baking dish.  Top with chicken.  (Since I also love mushrooms, I also add a layer of drained whole button mushrooms)  In a separate bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder.  Spread the soup mixture evenly over the layers.  Finish by sprinkling the cheese on top and adding a light coating of bread crumbs.  Cover and bake at 350* for one hour.  If desired, place under broiler until lightly browned.

Now, I only have a convection oven in the rig so I baked it for 55 minutes.  I probably should have only baked it for 45-50 minutes, but I like the crusty part on the edges.  I also serve it over brown rice, spaghetti noodles, or even toast.  I think it’s hard not to go back for seconds, but I controlled myself…

The plan today was to make some pork stir fry chow Mein, but I just wasn’t in the mood.  So instead I just boiled up some fresh shrimp, put them on ice, and enjoyed them in this heat with some fresh sliced tomatoes.

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About the only other thing I did this weekend is to get started reading this book.  I’m finding it quite enjoyable.  It helps if you’re interested in birds, but you don’t have to be an expert by any means to read it.  I’ve decided to quit reading it for now so I can take it along next weekend to read while I’m waiting for my Mayo Clinic appointments.  Women’s Day and Sports Illustrated don’t do anything for me in waiting rooms.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy