52:8 Hanging out with Jake

This week I'm house- and dog-sitting for my friend Rebecca. She's on vacation in Vancouver, taking in the Winter Olympics. I'm hanging out with Jake, her dog. I took these pictures on one of our walks after we stopped to play fetch for a while.
 

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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

52:7 Book Group

I've already blogged about joining a book group. This week we discussed Isaac's Storm and next time we'll discuss The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It was a fun surprise at the end  of the meeting when the hostess, Suanne, sent the floral centerpiece home with me. How sweet!

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Originally posted at http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com

Book: Isaac's Storm

This book was the second book I read with my book group, and a completely different selection. This is a non-fiction history book about a catastrophic hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas in 1900. The title character, Isaac, runs the Galveston office of the U.S. Weather Bureau, an entity that was at the time very new.

For a lot of reasons, the bureau failed to predict the impending storm, Galveston was not evacuated, and the loss of life from this event was in excess of 6000 people, and the collateral damage devastating to the city.

Although non-fiction, the book was for the most part easy to follow as it was written in a very narrative style. The author captures a lot about Isaac, his family, and many of the residents of Galveston that he gained through extensive research of historical documents, including U.S. Weather Bureau reports and records and a book Isaac later published.

History buffs and Weather Channel aficionados will definitely like this book. I was pleasantly surprised myself.

Isaac's Storm

by Erik Larson

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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

52:6 Valentine's Surprise

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day, but it made my week when I found a fat envelope in my mailbox. You know, a FAT envelope, the kind where you know there is something besides a card in it? I just got even more excited as I opened it to find a Valentine's card and a little velvet pouch. Pretty things come in little pouches like that! And I was not disappointed, for inside I found this little bracelet from Aaron & Susannah, a gift from them with some help from their awesome mom. Thank you SO MUCH. I love it!

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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/