Fall Book Reviews

This fall I've hit a few walls with some books and either finished them with conquering triumph or didn't at all and don't feel guilty. Here are the ones worth passing on:

• A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini - I may be the last person to read this book, but I'm playing catch up. In my defense, I've read several other books about Afghanistan. Does that count? This one follows 2 women, born in different generations, and yes, it ends sadly. Very well written. These books always leave me feeling empty because I have so much. How can that happen? 
• The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau - I loved this so much I'm reading it to my 2nd and 3rd graders now. Very clean, good character development. About two friends who live in a city with no sun and the food and light bulbs are running out. I kept thinking it was going to get more scary and intense and it didn't (no hunger games in this utopia). Just perfect. Great solution at the end, but enough cliff hanger to make me want to read the next one (there are now 4, plus a graphic novel of this one).
• Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo - another one read late. Actually saw the movie first and loved it. The book is such a treat too. Not sure which one I liked more, and that's rare.
• An Acquaintance With Darkness, Ann Rinaldi - I'm just discovering her, but apparently she's written other YA historical fiction books, and if they're anything like this one, I'm in. Set at the death of Lincoln, she weaves the intrigue of the conspirators with other very interesting and historically accurate plots. I'm still thinking of these characters.
• Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, Ross King - I am catching up, did I mention? I liked his Impressionists book so much, and everyone says how great this one is. And I liked this one more. It went faster for me, was well rounded, and didn't make anyone angelic just because they are now, posthumously famous.
• The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder - one of the authors on my list I see and wonder how I received an English degree without reading. This was a small story, written in great detail, about several people who die when a rope bridge finally collapses in South America, and a priest's investigation into why God might have taken each of them just then. A little slow, but an interesting plot I'd love to visit myself.
• Big Twitch, Sean Dooley - a birding book. Maybe the funniest (without too many swear words) birding book I've read. Bird books can be funny, you say? Yes. When they're written by an Australian. This is Sean's story of his big year. Gets a bit slow and depressing around October when he's not sure he's going to make his goal. And then the end came to quickly, like he wanted to be done writing. Still worth the read if you're even marginally interested in birding. Made me want to look into the colonization and prisons of Australia.
• Dodger, Terry Pratchett - a YA book set in Charles Dickens era, based on what Oliver Twist's Dodger could have been like if given a chance. Includes famous people of the era, including Mr. Dickens. This was writing at its best, and I'm so glad it's a YA book, so kids can see what good lit is right off. Maybe one of the best opening pages ever. I'm looking for Pratchett's others now - he's written enough and they get very high ratings on goodreads.com.

Book Review: Okay For Now

Okay For Now, by Gary Schmidt is an instant classic I think every 8th grader should read. And me.  It's a truly wonderfully written story told by a boy who has just moved into a new town in New York, because his alcoholic dad's hot-head has gotten him fired yet again. He meets Audubon's plates and discovers his need and then talent of drawing. Each event in the boy's life is compared to the next bird portrait. The beginning was emotional because the writer wanted to really show you how bleak this boy's home life was, so that when art sets about changing it, you'll know how far he's come. I really, really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone over 12.

Birding in CA

There are tons of good places to bird in California, mainly because it's so big and diverse (kinda like the people. In fact Rory told me at the end of one day, "I saw this really freaky lady today who wasn't a lady at all!). While in the LA and Bay Area last week, Paul and I had the opportunity to go to some cool birding places and added 15 new life birds. Here is where we went that I would recommend:

• Hayward Shorline Preserve
• Oyster Bay Regional Shores
• Mines Road, Livermore
• Oakland Zoo
• Deukmejian Wilderness Park, La Crescenta near Pasadena (my fav)
• Descanso Gardens, La Canada
• Huntington Gardens, San Marino near Pasadena (my other fav)

HILARIOUS!

Thanks, Les.

The Big Year

The movie, The Big Year, is coming out on video tomorrow and the brilliant marketing guys promoting it came up with this hilarious video clip. Check it out.

Bird Books

I've come across some really great bird books, both field guides and fic/non-fiction lately. A new field guide came out last year that rattled the cages of the bird world, and I gave it to Paul for Christmas. The Crossley ID Guide is different than other field guides in its size (coffee table-esque) and it's format. Various poses, gender and phases of the same bird have been photo-shopped into one scene of likely habitat for that bird. I really like it, because many birds are tough to identify, but many ornithologists didn't like what he did, because it was computer edited. I think it's the way things are going. It's also fun to look through with our own budding birders at home and keeps their attention. This guide is for Eastern birds, and since many cross over to our side, it's enjoyable for Western birders. A Western guide is reportedly in the works.

On a drive to St. George I started reading Life of the Skies, by Jonathan Rosen to Paul. While I haven't finished it yet, I am really enjoying his turn at birding on a philosophical level. He analyzes why people enjoy birding, in groups or alone, what birds really are to man, and how they factor in our religions and literature. It's deep and thoughtful and makes you feel like there really is something existential about this whole birding endeavor.

On the other side of the spectrum, is The Big Year, by Marc Obmascik; The one the 2011 movie was adapted from. I really enjoyed the movie and I loved the book even more. The movie changed ages of the birders, but the book is a great read for someone who wants to understand what this birding business is really all about, and keeps your attention with humor and fun facts. Greg Miller, portrayed by Jack Black in the movie version, is the keynote speaker at the Great Salt Lake Birding Festival and you can bet Paul and I will be there to hear him. Paul's even trying to get into the 10-member class that's going birding by ear with Greg. Cool. 

And in case your family wants a good outing this winter, Bald Eagle Day is next month, so anytime now is a great time to go to the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (1325 W. Glover Lane in Farmington) to get a look at between 100-200 bald eagles fishing for carp during their winter migration. What a majestic bird! It's free, everyone is very helpful, and you can stay in your car for the drive through loop, or stop and get out at a good vantage point. Afternoon is the best time to see the most eagles. Other waterfowl are there too, but to see this many of a bird that was almost extinct 30 years ago is exciting and impressive to me.

Our Last 2 Months

This has been a long winter, I'm not going to lie to you. But the last two months of spring have been fun. We went to a Bon Jovi concert with old college friends, which I highly recommend. Nothing makes you feel young again like screaming at the top of your lungs for three hours to your favorite 80's rock band. And lest you think Paul was jealous, he was screaming louder than me.

My niece Caitlin got married, which was beautiful and exciting. We went to Portland to visit my family.

We went to Galveston to see old friends and go birding. Seeing two old college friends in one month reminds us where we've been and where we're going. Plus, we got to put our toes in the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico in the same month.

There were tons of migrants everywhere. Below is one place we visited, the famous rookery at Smith Oaks. The bushes held hundreds of nesting Spoonbills, Cormormants, and Egrets. Other birds came through, but these were the nesting ones. Plus, the American Alligator! Even more exciting if you're six.

When asked what his favorite part of the trip was, and believe me, he had plenty to choose from, he thinks it's so funny that while he and his dad went swimming in the hotel pool, I took a nap with his Blue Bear.

Sharpie Attack! + High Island

The most exciting thing happened this morning. A Sharp-Shinned Hawk came into our backyard, nabbed a Robin, and then proceeded to eat him on our lawn for an hour. We had our first backyard Sharpie last year, but we didn't see it get anything. This is a smaller hawk that hangs around busy feeders - easy, distracted prey. Paul heard it call after it had killed the Robin, so he ran to the window and we all watched it take apart the Robin. It took off most of the feathers, then took little tearing nips, always checking around for safety after each bite. Then it grabbed the left overs and flew away. It came back after a few minutes and now our feeder is almost empty. Bad PR if you ask me, but fun to see.

This is also a great time to tell you that we are taking our oldest son to Galveston Bay, Texas in April to see spring migration in full force. Texas and Florida are the first stops for birds coming back from South America each spring. In addition to birds we've seen up here, we have the potential to add 150+ birds to our list. We'll go from early morning until sunset about 8pm. Thousands of birders will converge there, so we're hoping to get in with some local experts. A friend has volunteered to take us into the Gulf in a fishing boat as well. And since we didn't have to pay for our tickets, I got to buy my first pair of new binoculars! I've been using my Grandpa's big, heavy engineering binocs from the 60's or 70's, and appreciated very much having them. I'm just excited to get some lighter, better ones finally. I can't wait for them to arrive in the mail and take them to High Island!!!

Salem Ponds

This morning our family went birding up at Sundance to find a group of Pygmy Owls that have been hanging out up there. We didn't find them, but we did see a Steller's Jay and a Townsend Solitaire.

Next we headed down to Salem Ponds. I don't know if that's the official name of them, but that's what the birders call it. What a wonderful place! We got off I-15 at the Spanish Fork exit, drove right by the beautiful Hare Krishna Lotus Temple where the chalk festival can be seen from the freeway, and into the city of Salem. It's just at the base of the mountains and what a beautiful little town.

Right in the middle of it is a huge pond, which is more like a small lake, with bridges and little docks and paved walkways all around it. We walked right underneath a bald eagle and he didn't seem to care we were there! We brought bread to feed to the ducks, and saw nearly every wintering duck possible in one place, including a rare male red breasted merganser.

Our kids loved running around and feeding the squaking coots, mallards and geese. There was a play ground and other people walking dogs or fishing. Other than the "duck candy" all over the ground, it's the perfect place to take your family. I can't wait to see how it looks and what birds are there in the spring.

St. George Bird Festival

This has been a dull, dull winter. Long cold days. Bleak skies.

This weekend we went to St. George for their annual bird festival. We went last year and had a great time. For some reason, I felt like it was done and didn't need repeating. Paul really wanted to, so we went. My in-laws watched the kids during the day so we could escape (thanks guys!). Being down there in the sun and 60 degree weather was just the ticket.

We met up with guides we had been with last year and it was fun to wander with them. At one point, we were driving on a dirt road along the Utah/Arizona border in what's called the Beaver Dam Slope. It winds around and goes down into an area called Beaver Dam Wash. And since the flooding in St. George this winter, the wash was a huge area of debris and silt. Needless to say this is a vast area of nothing and mesas and Joshua trees.

We wandered and walked through bushes, searching for a gnatcatcher pair known to be in the area. The rocks underfoot were so unique. They had been tumbled and washed downriver. There were so many colors and so many types of rock. Our group was split up in the area, and Paul and I were following our guide, Larry. Finally I stopped searching for flitting wings in the underbrush and just stood.

I let the guys go on ahead. I closed my eyes and I listened to the wind. I felt it blow by me. I felt the sun warm my face, I didn't know it had been so long. I let go of my binoculars and let my fingertips dangle at my sides. I felt my breathing slow down. I experienced being alone, something a mother doesn't have very often.

This is a big world. There's forests and deserts and beaches. There's mothers and businessmen and hippies. It just felt good to stand still for a moment in the middle of nowhere and experience being nowhere. And then, the group found the gnatcatcher.

Of A Feather

I've added another book to my fav list. Of A Feather, by Scott Weidensaul. It's a history of birding in America, and before you yawn and click off, stay with me. The history of birding actually followed our nation's frontier expansion and the fight for conservationism, as talked about recently in Ken Burns' National Parks special on PBS. In fact, at the turn of the 20th century, it was women fresh on the suffrage movement who saved the birds of our country through legislation, and relaunched the Audubon Society as we know it today.

While we were in Boise last weekend, we stopped at the Snake River Birds of Prey Refuge and saw some amazing raptors. The best part was sitting in the van, (with the Sound of Music blaring in the back seat for the kids) watching an enormous Bald Eagle perched in a tree eating a fish it had just pulled from the river, not 20 yards away. We had seen them at a distance in the Colombia River Gorge, but to see one this close was really something!

On the long car drive, I read the second half of the book outloud to Paul (now with Seven Brides For Seven Brothers blaring). Just as we were pulling into Salt Lake City, I was reading the end of the book. Weidensaul is telling about the saw-whet owl tagging program he runs each fall. They put huge nets through a forest and run the owl's song through speakers to catch them during migration and number them for biological research. He's been doing it for ten years. These owls are one of the cuter birds around, about fist-sized. The last few pages of his book, he's describing an elementary school class who has come in the middle of the night with their parents and teachers to see the owls. He pulls open the bags and the children get so excited. His writing really shines. He expounds on the future of birding, hoping these children will see birds for the gift they truly are.

After reading this entire book in a short period of time, and then seeing those amazing birds of prey that morning, my hoarse voice turned to tears and I melted with the end of the book. I could just see those children peppering him with questions about the owls as he pulled them out of each bag. What an amazing experience. I don't know why it struck me so hard, but it did. Birding is just beginning for me, but it can because others protected them and researched them and loved them before me. And to have my own children pour birdseed in our backyard and get excited when juncos, finches, sparrows and towhees come, priceless. Oh, and I hope they can hold an owl someday, too.

November Leaves

Our house turns 40 in the new year. We bought an old house because we wanted old trees, and boy do we have trees. We've removed eight, and still have plenty. It takes us about 50 black garbage bags each fall. It's a lot of raking, but our kids dig in and I love that they work with us. Plus in the summer, we have plenty of shade.

I went to Portland to visit family and friends last month, and caught their leaves just falling. I'm sorry, but no matter how beautiful my leaves are all over my yard, nothing compares to NW leaves. All of the leaves in this picture are from the same tree!!

Also while I was there I saw the dark-eyed junco for the first time. It's a small sparrow-like bird with a dramatic black hood that pecks at seeds on the ground. The females have a dark circle around their eyes (me too!), and they both have white streaks down the sides of their tail that shows better in flight. I'd never seen them in Utah until last week. They started showing up in our backyard. It must have taken them a few extra weeks to migrate this far inland. I love watching them and wondering where they spent the summer.

We Broke 100!

Recently Paul and I reached the 100 bird mark on our list, not that we're watching for the numbers (as long as mine's higher than his). It's still mostly a combination of amazement at so many different kinds of birds, and the game of figuring out which one we're looking at exactly before our kids chase it away. Right now is fall migration, so birds we haven't seen since April are coming back through our area. It's exciting, if you're into that kind of thing.

One of the first birds I saw in January when I started birding right after Christmas was the Northern Flicker. I've been waiting to see it again this fall, so Paul could see it too, and now that it's back for a time, I think it's one of my favorite birds around. It's gray top feathers disappear when it flies because its under feathers are this great bronze orange color. Makes me think of the true strength of a woman. We've got something colorful and surprising underneath. Three flickers were actually fighting in one of the maples in our backyard and their calls sounded more like turkeys or grouse than a sapsucker/woodpecker kind of bird. Oh how I've missed them! So look up for bright orange flying overhead.

Bear River and Refuge

A few weeks ago we drove up to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City. I've got to say, our kids were amazing the entire day. It took us an extra hour to get up there in traffic, and then we spent four hours in the car on the tour. Not since our drive to Portland in April have we blown through so many videos in the van.

During the summer you can go on guided tours of the refuge with professional naturalists and birders who volunteer their time. In our case, they let us have a walkie-talkie and follow the tour van so we could stay in our own vehicle. We added 14 new birds to our list, including some cool ones like the black-capped night heron, snowy egret and clark's grebe. We're going back next month when migration is in full-swing and we have a better chance of adding ducks.

We also learned more about field guides and the Sibley Guide to Birds has got to be the coolest birding book out there. There's pictures of each bird in juvenile and adult stages, with months to expect to see which plumage, both male and female, and in flight. A memoir I saw while looking through the gift shop in their beautiful visitors center, is Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams. This book has hit me at a time when birding and cancer came to my life. Terry is an avid birder and feels very connected to Great Salt Lake, and in the 1980's when it flooded into fresh water basins and downtown Salt Lake (interesting stories there), her mother was also being flooded with cancer, which took her life. My own mother has been batting thyroid cancer for almost two years, and although it's supposed to be the "best kind of cancer to have," it's taken its toll and scared us all. I have really enjoyed reading Tempest Williams' poetic style and her conversion from fighting for her mother's life to letting her mother's life be her own. It was a beautiful and educational review of pain and birds and the area I find myself living in now.

O Pioneer

It wasn't Pioneer Day last week, but my family decided to take part in the great sites of the pioneers here in the valley. Disclaimer: I used to really detest this valley. I was used to being surrounded by green, and being able to drive to the beach in two hours. And then two things happened: I grew up, and I found out how many of my relatives on both sides came to this valley and worked the land and made it blossom like a rose. So I decided to look at it with new eyes. And now, ten years later, I do love the scenery here.

Paul's parents came for a visit and we hiked Ensign Peak, behind the State Capitol. The hike is less than a mile round trip, but fairly steep and it was ninety degrees by ten in the morning. We all made it up and the sweeping views were worth it. A family of golden eagles soared above us on our way down as if to congratulate us. I'm just glad I didn't have to carry my three-year old over the Mormon Trail.

After that we ate lunch in City Creek Park, and headed over to the Salt Lake City Cemetery. What a beautiful place! I've never been here before, but I knew many of the LDS Prophets are buried there. Before hand, I found this blog about the General Authorities buried there, and a great map the author created. With this in hand, we ran around looking for the headstones. The most gigantic sprinklers were running, and so we did too. It was great fun. Here are my in-laws in front of David O. McKay's headstone. I love that so many great leaders are buried here in such a lovely, peaceful place. Cemeteries of heroes are always so filled with the Spirit to me.

We finished our day at This is the Place Monument. Notice I didn't say Park. By now we were all too hot and tired to take part in pioneer reinactments. We also lost my 18-month old for the first, and hopefully last time, due to too many adults and not enough communication. The worst part was when another family with more kids than ours brought him screaming to me, and I hadn't even realized he was missing. I'll listen for the Mom of the Year Award Distributors knocking on my door at any moment.

Lastly, we enjoyed falafel at my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, O Falafel, in Sugarhouse. I highly recommend boldness and eating outside the comfort zone. My pioneer roots probably rolled over in their graves that they worked so hard to get here and I'm eating falafel and french fries at the end of the day remembering them. But guys, if you could have, you would have, too.

Bird Books & Red Butte Gardens

I love to read books, and I love to travel. Another way birding fits into my personality so well. I mentioned the Peterson Field Guide in my last bird post. We use a few other references, too. Peterson also has a Flash Guide, which is a big laminated poster that folds into your backpack (or in my case, purse - I've got all that other junk in there, what's one more thing). We bought the one for Western Trailside Birds, and it's so handy. And if birding isn't your thing, but constellations, or fish, or wildflowers is, they've got Flash Guides for all that and more.

Another quick reference we bought at Red Butte Gardens is the Pocket Naturalist's Guide to Utah Birds, also a laminated fold out and in my purse often. I should have plugged Red Butte Gardens more in my last post about bird spots we love in our area. This is a terrific place to take your family for any occasion. The children's garden entertains my brood for an hour if we let them, and always ends up with everyone being soaked. We bring dinner and eat there a lot. All of the main garden is paved, so stroller away. Plus there's trails behind that you can discover if you're feeling adventurous. All this summer they had Family Night concerts for members that we frequented. The pass is $55, well worth it, and I think it's $6 for adults for one day. Go see it!

And finally, our last reference book we bought at the Ogden Nature Center, Birds of Utah Field Guide, by Stan Tekiela. I love this book because he's chosen the 130 most popular birds of Utah, and each page has a real photograph of the bird, and often the male/female or juvenile shot as well. Plus, it's organized by main color of the bird. So if you see a blue bird, you can flip to the blue section to find your bird. I heart Stan.

Bird is the Word

Last year I picked up the book, To See Every Bird on Earth, by Dan Koeppel. I thought the idea of a father and son wanting to see as many birds as they could sounded interesting, and let's be honest. I liked the cover art. Turns out I loved the book, too. I've always wanted to know the name of the birds I see flitting past, and this book detailed the world of birders and listers and a complex familial relationship. Well written and informative. And it got me hooked on bird watching.

I know what you're thinking. Her husband fly-fishes, she quilts, and now they count birds? Nerd alert. But in my defense, bird watching appeals to three qualities I love. Having fun without spending a lot of money, collecting things (bird types), and making lists. For Christmas Paul gave me my very first Peterson Field Guide, and a pair of small binoculars, and by February I had 20 birds, just in my backyard. I can't believe there were that many kinds of birds flying around my neighborhood and I never stopped to see them. That alone sealed the deal for me and birding.

I was keeping track of my list in the back of my field guide until my neighbor told me about a great website for tracking your list, that her husband and his brother have created. It has the best photos of any bird I'm looking for, which helps identify what I've seen on trips. And it gives you your world ranking, which is why Paul started his list too. We've both got close to 80 birds, and are about to break into the 200's in world ranking. And we've only been doing this for 6 months.

So now we're branching out and going on specific bird watching trips. We've been up AF canyon and in the ravine behind Tracey's house in Highland (we netted 7 birds there, including a red-tailed hawk), the Ogden Nature Center, and Antelope Island. We invested in a spotting scope with a bonus from work, and that's added to our fun. Antelope Island, although a bit bleak and smelly, is a GREAT birding location. Our first trip we saw 20 different birds, most of them waterfoul. Plus it's great with our kids, because they could sit in the air conditioned van with a movie on (a rare treat), and Paul would run down to the shore through the spiders with the scope and a walkie-talkie (also a fun addition to our birding), while I sat in the car with the reference books giving him clues to the birds he was looking at. Plus, our children see a bird, can sometimes identify it, and always tell me to "run get the book."

I'll keep posting about birds more, since it's becoming a bit of a tradition in our little family. I think it's amazing that Heavenly Father made so many different kinds of birds for us (over 800 just in North America) and I've been missing his creation all of this time. My testimony of his love for us through this earth he made has grown with each bird I identify. And I love that my children are slowing down when they hear a bird chirp or fly overhead. But the best part? Birding with Paul. When we got married, I knew he was the one for me, without a doubt, but it's nice to know that I can grow and change and find new interests throughout life and he'll be right there supporting me, or making jokes through the walkie-talkie.