Scoping Out Napa

Starting in September of 2016, we began making regular trips up to Napa, California.  The reason for this was because we had decided to have our wedding at a beautiful bed & breakfast there, planning on taking everyone out for a late lunch/early dinner afterwards.  Well, we didn't know the area well enough to choose a restaurant without having already eaten there.  Hence, the trips to Napa to scope out what they had to offer.  Of course, we also walked around the area and got a feel for what it's like up there, so here are the photos that I took on our various visits!

Cute little pathway hidden in the outskirts of the downtown area.

Love the adorable bulldog I caught in this shot, looking up intently at its owner! 😝

Of course, I could not ignore the flora...

Back view of the Napa River Inn, an elegant hotel within the 19th-century Historic Napa Mill. 

The view from the other side, clear shot of the fish sculpture.

This piece of artwork was absolutely STUNNING!  I wanted to just sit & stare at it all day.

Closeup of that beauty!  Did you know it was made from tons of tiny tiles?!  Be sure to look at the full-view photo on this one.

Another closeup because I couldn't resist!

View from walking along the Napa River.

2017 Reading Challenge: Volume 3

Continuing with the third and final volume of reviews for my reading challenge this year:

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The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

So, at the end of October, I spontaneously decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, which is the National Novel Writing Month that usually happens in November.  Hence my decision to dive into this idea book that I just happened to already have on my Nook account, downloaded from who knows when, because I knew I'd want to try to get back into writing one day.  I'm planning to refer to this book throughout my writing process, since I have not seriously written in such a long time.

This book definitely has plenty of prompts to spark that writing flame.  I cannot deny that.  However, many of them don't apply to my specific situation, or I just can't remember enough, such as when the prompt suggests to write about something that happened at a specific point in your past.  Especially since the memories of my early 20s always tend to be a bit of a blur to my mind.  But the chapter that has resonated with me the most is Chapter 17: Minding Other People's Business.  It talks about paying attention to the world around you, and letting those simple observations spark ideas for writing, such as a conversation that you've overheard at an airport or in a restaurant.  I already do this, whenever I'm out in public, because of a writing teacher I had that advised us to use the things you hear people say, as a potential beginning to a story.

I  thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and it has so many helpful tips and tricks to overcome the struggles of the writing process.  I felt inspired throughout the journey of reading it, which is exactly what I needed to get out of it.  And now I feel like I'm better prepared to dive right into my writing again.

[...] at some point, we must put away the books and sit down to write. There are lessons to be learned about writing that only can be taught by writing. -pg 336

Read from October 26, 2017 to November 15, 2017

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2017 Reading Challenge: Volume 2

Continuing with the second volume of reviews for my reading challenge this year:

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Promises in Death by J.D. Robb

📖 Reading prompt: a book by an author you love

I've always wanted to read a book by the pseudonym of one of my long-time favorite authors, Nora Roberts.  And I figure now's as good a time as any!  I picked this up randomly at Half-Price Books and I've had this book on my shelf for awhile.  Even though this is the 28th book in the In Death series, I can't wait to be introduced into the world of Eve Dallas for the first time.

For some reason, it actually took some time for me to get fully involved in this book.  Maybe it's the fact that it's so far into the series and there are a few blanks that I need to fill in, by reading the first book in the series.  But it's not so far that I can't understand the individual story.  After a quick wikipedia search, I found that the books are set in a futuristic setting of 2058, which explains the advancements in technology and some of the "inventions" that are referenced.  I figured most of them out myself, but it's nice to have confirmation of the items referenced, in any case.

One thing is prevalent in the book that I noticed: a lot of Eve's fellow cops are also female.  I feel like this was done on purpose, in trying to reverse the stereotypical nature of law enforcement officials.  I liked the subtle hints of romance thrown into this crime thriller as well, and I appreciated how it wasn't the main focus of the story.  Though the dynamic of Eve & Roarke's relationship is intriguing and makes me want to go back and read the beginning of the series to find out how exactly how they came to be who they are.  As for the actual story, I felt it was an exploration of the lives left behind and how you can find yourself not truly knowing everything about your partner until you have to examine every part of their life, in an attempt to catch their murderer.  It definitely yanked on my heartstrings a bit, in different ways for various characters.

Read from May 31, 2017 to July 17, 2017

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Copperopolis

First off, this quaint little town square instantly reminded me of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls!  It looks so similar and I felt like I was walking right along those same city streets, albeit slightly modernized (I think you had to be there in person to feel the full effect).  It is called Copperopolis and is located on State Rte 4.  We stopped here on the way up to Lake Alpine for a bathroom break and drinks, and decided to take some extra time to explore the square.  However, when we were there, the stores were closed, and only one restaurant was open, which is why I was able to capture so many shots without random people in them.

Anyway, getting right to the pictures:

Capturing the flags, proudly representing California, United States & Copperopolis.

The gazebo, located right smack in the middle of the square, with the buildings surrounding it.

One side of the square.

Another view, taken from outside of the gazebo.

And still another view!

Trying to keep up with the creative shots...

Looking back towards the Town Hall building, with the gazebo there on the left (out of the frame).

Jacques & I from inside the gazebo, in front of Town Hall.

And that's it!  Short but sweet, huh? ;)

On Lake {Alpine} Time

So, last year, for my birthday, we took a belated celebratory trip up to Lake Alpine to explore the beautiful scenery.  It is near Bear Valley, which is a popular 'escape' town, up in the Central Sierra Mountains.  I say belated, because we had planned to do this closer to the weekend of my actual birthday, but since we ended up getting rear-ended on the day before, we ran into this unexpected delay.  Anyway, here are the photos from that excursion!

These first few photos were from the Hell's Kitchen Vista Point, where you can walk around and get some amazing views.  This area is really pretty when it's covered in snow also!!

Just trying to get a unique perspective among the scenery...

Obligatory couple "selfie"! =D

Such pretty views!  I actually have a similar shot of this area, but covered in snow, taken back in February 2010.

Practicing my macro skills with this interesting branch formation...

Panorama shot, with Jacques being silly.

Seriously, I could not get enough of this area!

Here's the start of the pictures at Lake Alpine, walking around the area.  This was very serene and peaceful!

Another peaceful shot of the lake in between the trees.

Catching some canoe-ers rowing down the lake!

I liked this view of that log lodged in with the water...

Can you find the pup in this shot?! :)

Alcatraz, 53 years later...

The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a maximum high-security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles off the coast of San Francisco, California, which operated from August 11, 1934 until March 21, 1963.

The main prison building was built in 1910-1912 during its time as a United States Army military prison; Alcatraz had been the site of a citadel since the 1860s.  The United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch on Alcatraz was acquired by the United States Department of Justice on October 12, 1933, and the island became a prison of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in August 1934 after the buildings were modernized to meet the requirements of a top-notch security prison.  Given this high security and the location of Alcatraz in the cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay, the prison operators believed Alcatraz to be escape-proof and America's strongest prison.

Alcatraz was designed to hold prisoners who continuously caused trouble at other federal prisons.  One of the world's most notorious and best known prisons over the years, Alcatraz housed some 1,576 of America's most ruthless criminals, including Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. "Doc" Barker, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate).

Above information courtesy of Wikipedia

So now that you know exactly what Alcatraz was, I'll share my photos from my two experiences visiting this incredibly interesting site.  Our first visit was with my dad back in February 2015 and most of the photos from this post are from that.  I didn't get nearly as many photos during our second visit, because of course, I'd already seen everything.

First off, I wanted to capture this old sign from the ferry, as we were approaching the island.

Still on the approach; that building in the back is the main prison and held all of the inmates.

One of the guard towers; these were manned 24 hours a day, with no exceptions.

Just a pretty view of a smaller dock located around the island.

Inside the old army barracks building, which eventually was converted into apartments for the families of the staff.

A view of some of the remaining area from the civilian part of the island, away from the prison.

A view of the trees, taken from the perspective of a small circular window inside the main prison building

In a prison of strict regimentation, the yard offered rare freedom of movement, association and choice.  Some inmates chose to play baseball or run laps.  Others simply walked to the top of the bleachers and looked out at what they were missing.

Recreation yard for the inmates.  That grassy area at the back was a makeshift baseball field.

Looking back at the main prison from the recreation yard.

2017 Reading Challenge: Volume 1

So at the beginning of this year, I committed myself to a reading challenge on Goodreads, promising to read at least 30 books over the course of the year.  So, inspired by that, I'm going to post a compilation of these books and my personal reviews on them here.

{ I will be posting them in 3 separate 'volumes' with 10 books per post.  Any bonus books that I get through will have their own post as well. }

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Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I'd bought this book months before actually deciding to sit down and read it, from seeing the movie first.  I know books can provide so many more details and insights into the characters, so that's why I wanted to read it.  So here's what I thought:

First off, this is not a book for the faint-hearted reader.  It definitely has some truly disturbing and intense imagery and scenarios.  Having said that, the book is written in a way that leaves you itching to know what really happened on that fateful January night.  I saw the movie before reading the book, but it had been so long that I was still surprised by the ending, and of course, there are always many more details introduced from the book.  I also loved Ms. Flynn's way of describing emotions felt by Libby as an adult.

Read from December 5, 2016 to January 5, 2017

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