Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 31

Pompeii - Saturday Snapshots

This past Thursday my husband and I traveled back in time to 24 August, 79 AD to the ancient city of Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius - via Seattle's Pacific Science Center. Here are a few of the many photos I took of the exhibit. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
I wonder what the philosopher (on the left)
is contemplating. Beautiful mosaic table and section of floor,
along with murals portraying life in Pompeii Amphora used to store wine, grain, water, etc. ArmorMost compelling of all to me were the casts of people caught in the volcano's ash and lava.
Top to bottom: a pregnant woman,
a child, and a man
The exhibit also featured displays of cooking utensils, jewelry, art, oil lamps, surgical tools, and even a recreation of a brothel. Near the end of the exhibit, we were ushered into a room with a huge movie screen filling one wall. Here's what happened, as described on the museum's website:

Then, as the floors shake and the walls rumble, relive the volcano's catastrophic eruption through an immersive CGI experience, culminating in the reveal of 6 full body casts of twisted human forms, asphyxiated by extreme heat and noxious gases and forever frozen in time.

The shake and rumble were created by sound, and plumes of water mist simulated the noxious gases, but it was still a cool experience.

For an interesting video that encapsulates Mt. Vesuvius's most famous eruption, check out the video on History.com: HERE

Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger
*****Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Dancing at the Rascal Fair - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

I've never been to Montana, but I feel like I've seen its wide open spaces and soaring mountains after reading Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig. This second book in Doig's Montana trilogy (it stands alone) made me a fan of his writing, and I've read almost all his books. Unfortunately, Mr. Doig passed away earlier this year at age 75.

Book Beginning (It starts with a newspaper story.)
Scotland and Helena      Harbour Mishap at Greenock. Yesterday morning, while a horse and cart were conveying a thousand-weight of sugar on the quay at Albert Harbour, one of the cartwheels caught a mooring stanchion, which caused the laden conveyance and its draft animal to fall over into the water. The poor creature made desperate efforts to free itself and was successful in casting off all the harness except the collar, which, being attached to the shafts of the sunken cart, held its head under water until it was drowned. The dead animal and the cart were raised during the forenoon by the Greenock harbour diver.
-- Glawgow Caledonian, October 23, 1889

     To say the truth, it was not how I expected - stepping off toward America past a drowned horse.

The Friday 56 (from Page 56 in my trade paperback edition):
     Past the rear of his saloon and across a wide weedy yard he led us toward a two-story frame house. The house needed paint - this entire town needed that - but it sat comfortably between two fat gray cottonwood trees, like a mantel clock between pewter candlesticks.  

Genre: Montana Historical Fiction Length: 400 Pages (trade paperback edition)Amazon Link: Dancing at the Rascal FairAuthor Website: Ivan Doig
Synopsis:     The central volume in Ivan Doig's acclaimed Montana trilogy, Dancing at the Rascal Fair is an authentic saga of the American experience at the turn of this century and a passionate portrayal of the immigrants who dared to try new lives in the imposing Rocky Mountains.
     Ivan Doig's supple tale of landseekers unfolds into a fateful contest of the heart between Anna Ramsay and Angus McCaskill, walled apart by their obligations as they and their stormy kith and kin vie to tame the brutal, beautiful Two Medicine country.
                 

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reads) 
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

The Other Side of Heartache - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph

     The Other Side of Heartache tells the story of two women - a mother (Penny) and her daughter (Grace). The book starts in the present in Grace's point of view, then goes into the past as Grace reads her mother's diaries. The switch in time was easy to follow, and I was caught up in both stories. 
     Sarah Jo Smith did a great job of showing attitudes towards premarital sex as well as the expectations placed on teenage girls in the early to mid-1960s (before The Pill). The author goes deep into her characters - something I always enjoy.

First Paragraph:
Oak Valley
August 2000
Grace pulled into the driveway of her childhood home, pea gravel crushing beneath balding tires, and turned off the ignition with relief. The waistband of her shorts cut into soft flesh, and her right knee locked into place for six hours as she pressed the gas pedal, ached to distraction. She twisted the rear view mirror toward her and groaned, wishing she'd kept that last hair appointment. Sweaty bangs clung to her forehead like little ropes, a result of the car's air conditioner that shot out sporadic blasts of heat. She tried fluffing her honey blond curls but nothing helped. She turned her head one way and then the other, examining herself with a critical eye, yet the result was the same. Exhaustion pulled at her, especially around the mouth. At thirty-two, she was too young to look this drained, but mirrors don't lie.

Teaser (from 41% on my Kindle):
Last year a senior girl left during Easter break and never returned. The talk was she went away to have a baby. 

Genre: Women's Fiction
Amazon link: The Other Side of Heartache
Book Length: 344 pages
Author's Amazon Page: Sarah Jo Smith

Synopsis:
     Grace’s well-ordered world shatters when she loses her unborn child and her mother within a few months. Summoned to her childhood home to sort through Penny’s belongings, the timing couldn’t be worse. Grieving over her losses and exhausted from a demanding teaching schedule, she worries that her marriage is collapsing under the pressure. While packing her mother’s closet, Grace discovers a box filled with mysterious keepsakes and old diaries written in Penny’s hand and takes them home. After reading pages filled with typical musings of a teenage girl from a generation ago, she stumbles upon a dark secret and is devastated to learn that what she believed her whole life about her family was based on lies.
     As Grace digs beneath the Rose family tree, she unearths more than one skeleton buried there. All the while, she must endure the wrath of her grandmother, Eleanor, who is determined to block her efforts to find out what happened when Penny was seventeen, as well as the underlying cause of her premature death. Yet Eleanor harbors a well-kept secret of her own, one more deceitful and calculating than Penny’s sin. Grace’s journey through an emotional labyrinth of passion, shame, and manipulation not only leads to more shocking revelations but also changes the course she had mapped for her life. 
     Through a story told in alternating voices between the past and present where old morals and double standards from the historical 1950s and ‘60s clash with modern day values, Grace must decide if it’s worth taking an unforeseen risk to reaffirm her belief in the power of love. BOOK GROUP GUIDE INCLUDED.


Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!
Link at  ADailyRhythm.com





First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.


Link at  BibliophileByTheSea

Hood Canal, WA - Saturday Snapshots

A couple of years ago my husband and I spent two nights in the beautiful Selah Inn B&B at Hood Canal, Washington. The setting was lovely, the breakfasts were delicious, and we found plenty of sightseeing within easy driving distance. Although the B&B was only an hour's drive from our home, we felt as if we were hundreds of miles away. Here are some of the photos I took during that stay. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The water was just a short stroll away. We shared a bottle of wine with other guests
in this comfortable common area. A delightful setting for breakfast. Delicious seafood dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Food seems to taste better when it's
eaten outdoors, doesn't it? Driving around the area
(Olympic Mountains in the distance) Plus beautiful sunsets at the end of the day.
I'm definitely ready to go back!


Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Elizabeth's Landing - First Paragraph/First Chapter & Teaser Tuesday

Interested in environmental issues? How about sea turtles? Maybe neither subject captures your imagination but if you like a good story, then you'll enjoy Elizabeth's Landing by Katy Pye. I had fun getting to know 14-year-old, aspiring photographer Elizabeth Barker as she tries to adjust to life in fictional Port Winston, Texas. I also enjoyed learning more about sea turtles, the shrimping industry, and the effects of commercial and residential development along our coastlines. This is a terrific young adult novel that's full of adventure, insight, and well-researched information. It's award-winning and G-rated too.
First Paragraph/First Chapter:Port Winston, TexasSaturday, April 3, 2010     "Straighten that girl out before it's too late, hear?" Grandpa's trapped Dad inside the swayback garage behind our dump of a rental house. Another one of his "I know best" lectures spews out the open window. Only this morning's gripe isn't about dragging for shrimp, Dad's landscaping job, or Mom being gone. It's about me.     I straddle my bike, bend low, and roll in close, listening for one more reason to hate this place.
Teaser (from 73% on my Kindle):     Dad steadies the boat as we ride up the wave, then dip down the other side. The sky flashes white from another lightning hit.     He's going to die. We're all going to die.
    
Genre: Young Adult
Length: 354 Pages
Amazon Link: Elizabeth's Landing
Author Website: Katy Pye

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!
Link at  ADailyRhythm.com





First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.


Link at  BibliophileByTheSea

Middle-Aged Crazy - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Middle-Aged Crazy: Short Stories of Midlife and Beyond (The Complete Collection) is just what the title says, plus it's a lot of fun. In this collection of eighteen short stories and essays, author Lynne M. Spreen introduces a variety of characters--from Rita (driving a semi across the Donner Summit in a fierce storm) to Carolyn (advice columnist who writes "Carolyn's Corner" for the Bee). I enjoyed meeting every one of them. The book ends with several thoughtful essays, including "Could You Live in a Ditch?" and "Do You Lack Purpose?" Lynne Spreen, I like your attitude!

I highly recommend this book, not only for midlife readers but also for adult readers of any age. 
FYI: Ms. Spreen is also the author of Dakota Blues.

Book Beginning (from "The Kirby Girls"):
This girl came up my son's driveway just as I was stepping outside to take my baby granddaughter for a walk. The Santa Anas were coming up already, and the wind blew the girl's shoulder-length hair every which way, hiding her face. She was holding a clipboard and I figured she was one of those Jehovah's Witnesses, here to save my soul, but then I changed my mind when I saw she was wearing real short shorts the color of old mustard, and black tights. I bent down to the baby in the stroller, fastening the straps so she couldn't fall out, and I thought maybe she shouldn't be seeing this girl.

The Friday 56 (from "Phoenix"):
(I found this terrific description at 54% on my Kindle)
      The address on the cement saguaro confirmed she was in the right place, but Stacey stood on the front porch knocking for a good five minutes without any response. Now her knuckles were copper-tinged, and every time she knocked on the rusty security screen, she had to angle her body to avoid the Palo Verde tree. Its lacy branches buzzed with bees, to which Stacey was allergic.

Genre: Coming of Age / Contemporary Women
Amazon link: Middle-Aged Crazy
Length: 129 pages
Author Website/Blog: Any Shiny Thing - Aging Well

                 

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reads) 
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

Renton Quilt Show - Saturday Snapshots

Last weekend, my son's neighbor invited me to a quilt show hosted by her church, Fairwood Community United Methodist Church in Renton, Washington. Each quilt included an information sheet, telling its story and the name of its maker. Here are a few pictures I took at that delightful event. (Click on pictures to enlarge for more detail.)

Cats and yarn make a clever quilt design.






Crazy quilts (like the one pictured below) can include buttons, lace, charms, embroidery, silks, satins, velvets, and just about any embellishment you want. Traditionally, these quilts have been created for show rather than for function and often cannot be washed because of the fabrics used.

Here's a signature quilt, with each square signed (and embroidered) by the person who made it. QuiltingInAmerica.com says:In the mid-1800s, Victorian quilters began a popular tradition of making signature quilts, signed and quilted remembrances, to honor family members or friends. At a time when many loved ones moved away and seldom, if ever, returned home to see their families again, these quilts served as precious remembrances for those families who had only occasional letters to connect them with friends and relatives back home.

Beautiful cross-stitched whole cloth quilt. In a whole cloth quilt, the emphasis is on the stitching. Some designs include trapunto, a technique that involves stuffing certain areas of the motifs to add more depth.
    More amazing embroidery.
 
I wish I'd written down the name of this quilt pattern. The simple design and autumn colors appeal to me.


Now I'm inspired to start quilting again!
Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Something About Maudy - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

     Pastor Maudy is a down-to-earth Porsche-driving Methodist minister. She isn't at all what I expected! Maudy handles every challenge (and there are many) with common sense and a sense of humor, trying her best to do the right thing for the aging congregation of her small church. There's plenty of humor in this story (her cat is named John Wesley) and an element of romance for Maudy, too. The book kept me entertained from beginning to end. 
     Something About Maudy doesn't preach or teach Bible lessons. 
     I enjoyed the story's small-town Puget Sound, WA, setting and had a great time getting to know Maudy in this delightful book.


Book Beginning:
Maude
I've always considered carpets, if I thought about them at all, to be rather boring. I'm talking about rugs here - not the most exciting objects in the world. We can all continue to learn, and I learned something about carpets one Monday at City People's Nursery in Seattle when a rug decided to change the course of my life and became animate.

Friday 56 excerpt (from 56% on my Kindle):
Your daddy got hurt. He had an infection in his brain. He would never have done what he did if he hadn't been hurt. 

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Length: 318 Pages
Amazon Link: Something About Maudy
Other Books by This Author: Delinda McCann

Synopsis from Goodreads:
To My Congregation: This first year as your pastor at Blackfish United Methodist Church has been a wild ride. In the beginning, I thought the bishop was crazy when he appointed me to your church. He knew something had to change or the doors would close for good. He also knew I needed direction in my life. Perhaps the bishop was crazy, crazy like a fox. . You never had a woman pastor, let alone one who had once been an actress. You barely tolerated my Porsche, my dress, my makeup, and my style of ministering. You didn't trust my son, and couldn't understand why I didn't want you letting yourself into the parsonage when I wasn't home. But somehow we managed. . While I was learning to appreciate all of you, I met the man who was to give me a whole new outlook on life. It couldn't have come at a better time. It was his love that gave me the inspiration and courage to serve all of you. Love has a way of changing us like that. . This is an account of what happened in my first year at Blackfish UMC. It includes a flood, attempted murder of a young woman, a cheating husband, several natural deaths, two divorces, and so much more. I'm still amazed at all that has happened, but even more at how it drew us together. Truly love conquers all. I wonder what the next year will bring. God bless all of you, Pastor Maudy.

                 

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Read) Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

50% Rebate Sale - All Romance eBooks

Today only, All Romance eBooks is having a 50% rebate sale on select books.
Here's the link to mine:  BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY

Smart Phones, Writing Research, and Romance

I'm over at Smart Girls Read Romance today, blogging about my first encounter with a smart phone and research for my work-in-progress. Stop by and say "hi!"

Princess & Smart Phones


Smart Girls Read Romance