This post seems to be about endings ...

Sunset is my favorite time of the day. I love how it can be dramatic or soft, or metallic. Sometimes the bay seems to be lit from below. The photographer Lora Drasner published a wonderful book on the subject called, simply, Sunsets. There are photos from around the world (it took her three years to gather all the pictures), including several from Washington State (she was born here).

Good to Go: a Guide to Preparing for the End of Life, by Jo Myers was a nice surprise. All sorts of information on writing wills, setting up power of attorney, funerals (and alternatives) and more, coupled with real life experience in dealing with a family in bereavement from the author. Excellent advice from professionals is also included.

Where Are They Buried? How Did They Die? by Tod Benoit. The subtitle here is the best description: 'fitting ends and final resting places of the famous, infamous, and noteworthy' .... Easy to read in between other books, or during ads on tv (I've said this about books before), there's a good assortment of long ago and recent deaths (this is the updated version of the book). The author includes locations and directions to those listed so, depending on what you like to do on vacation, it's also a road trip book.

The Buryin' Barry mystery series, by Mark de Castrique, is set in a funeral home that has been in the family for generations. In the first book, Dangerous Undertaking, Barry has returned home to help out because of his father's failing health. Something I've really enjoyed is that there are always two mysteries going on ... one past, one present. One of the titles in the series offers a clue, too! ;-)

An excellent suggestion from Canadian Reader gave me the ending (sorry) for this post ... last meals!

If you knew when your last meal would be, what would you have? My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals: Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes, by Melanie Dunea answers that question (at least for those interviewed), plus things like what music, who would be at the table, and who would cook.

Have you ever considered hosting a theme dinner? Say, one about the Titanic? Last Dinner on the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Great Liner, by Rick Archbold and Dana McCauley not only explains what was served on the Titanic that fateful night, but offers suggestions on how to plan just such an event (up to a certain point, of course).

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National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day. It was established in 1978.

I never knew my grandparents so these two books caught my eye: How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew, and How to Build a Fire: And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew, by Erin Bried. Filled with information that everyone knew on one time, these are collections of (mostly) forgotten skills. Witty and charming, I even read the parts about sports in the grandfather book.

Going back even further in time, with instructions on both attacking and defending a castle, thatching a roof, setting broken bones, and milking a cow there's Back in the Day: 101 Things Everyone Used to Know How to Do, by Michael Powell. If I wasn't so clumsy with sharp tools, I'd make my own totem pole.

One from the more recent past is Where's Mom Now That I Need Her? Surviving Away From Home, by Betty Frandsen, Kathryn J. Frandsen, and Kent P. Frandsen. A great start up book with easy recipes, house keeping tips, shopping tips and so on. Do note, this is a pre-microwave book. ;-)

For cooking, basic cooking, easy recipes, clear instructions and pictures, How to Boil Water: Life Beyond Takeout from the Food Network Kitchens is the way to go. I can say this with confidence because my friends who are excellent cooks said so. And because I was successful with the few things I tried. :-)

And finally, sort of a side trail here, Fictitious Dishes: an Album of Literature's Most Memorable Meals, by Dinah Fried. It seems what the author remembers most in her favorite books are the meals. This lead to her gathering those scenes into a book, adding some interesting details about the book or the food, and then 'staging' it in some wonderfully creative photos. Thanks to Constant Reader for the recommendation!

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I love a good mystery! Here are some of my favorites.

In the Bleak Midwinter, by Julia Spencer-Fleming introduces a most interesting detective: a woman who was a former military pilot in and is now a priest. This series is a favorite of mine ... like the Louise Penny books the setting, character, language, and story all captivate me.

Rhys Bowen writes several series, the Molly Murphy Mysteries being one. Molly makes an amazing escape from Ireland (fleeing the murder of a would be rapist) only to become involved in a murder on Ellis Island. Because of this, and in need of a way to support herself, she becomes a private investigator. An old Cockney P.I. hires her to help investigate cheating husbands, and so on and her career is launched. Set at the turn of the (last) century, in New York City, these are wonderful period pieces. Murphy's Law is the first in the series.

Alexander McCall Smith also is the author of several series. For some reason I find I like just one (but don't keep this from trying the other series, you might like them, other reading friends of mine do). I love Precious Ramotswe of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, the first in the series of the same name. Solving mysteries with common sense and rebush tea, not to mention her tiny white van, and assistant Mma Makutsi these 'cozy' mysteries are a delight.

Maisie Dobbs was a young servant in a big (English) house. She liked to sit in the library and read after her chores were finished and one night she gets caught. Rather then being dismissed, however, her reading is encouraged, as is continued education. World War I intervenes, however, and she enlists as a nurse and ambulance driver. When she returns home she starts a Detective Agency. Many of her cases, and interactions involve those who fought that terrible war and I gained a new understanding of how damaged many of the soldiers were when they came back. Gripping, sometimes sad, compelling and well done. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is the first of the series.

I have mentioned the Kerry Greenwood character 'Phyrne Fisher' in an earlier blog. A Question of Death: an Illustrated Phryne Fisher Treasury is a collection of short stories as well as some information from the author as to how the character came to be. Fun!

All of the Donna Andrews Meg Langslow mysteries have a bird in the title, starting with Murder With Peacocks. This series is a lot of fun, a quirky (and growing) family, and zany birds. For a cozy with a chuckle, these fit the bill.

There will be more mysteries, and more female detectives in later posts. :-)

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"Look back at our struggle for freedom.

Trace our present day's strength to the source

And you'll find that man's pathway to glory

Is strewn with the bones of the horse." (Unknown)

I used The Royal Canadian Mounted Police: a Century of History, 1873 - 1973, by Nora Kelly in a paper I wrote once (a long time ago, it seems). The RCMP started out as the North-West Mounted Police, patrolling the wilderness areas of Canada (a rather vast territory). It would evolve into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, most familiar to us because of their red coats and distinctive hats. And the wonderful musical ride! I was unable to find a synopsis of this book on-line, but I remember it being very interesting, and with black and white pictures.

The Pony Express: an Illustrated History by C.W. Guthrie with photographs by Bart Smith. A history of the pony express, from the idea to the last day, the routes, the riders, the horses, the weather ... easy to read, lots of photos.

Working Horses: Looking Back 100 Years to America's Horse Drawn Days, by Charles Philip Fox, contains (according to the title page) 300 Historic Photographs. This book came out in 1990, so it's a bit more than 100 years ago now that America was in the

horse drawn days but other than that, it's a wonderful look back. It was a time when horses and carts were used to deliver everything from coal, to ice, the mail, groceries ... and in one amazing photo, tomatoes to the Campbell soup processing plant ... at least 30 wagons fill the parking lot. There were wagons designed to sweep the streets, and wagons that could lay asphalt. Some wagons were big enough to move houses! Horses helped move logs, and hay ... you get the idea, anything and everything that needed moving could be done with horses. Stage coaches, trolley cars, family wagons, hearses,fancy carts for going out. and, of course, plows ... the pictures here seem to cover everything. Weather problems and solutions are discussed, as are the more unusual vehicles such as an ambulance, fire truck or livestock truck. There's a chapter on the horses, and one on mules, and on the various types of harness needed. This is one of my favorite books to revisit on a regular basis. :-)

There is a chapter on circus horses in the Working Horses book, but A Pictorial History of Performing Horses by the same author, goes into much greater detail. Again, the author has done a wonderful job on the research and writing as well as gathering up an amazing collection of pictures. Circus horses may be found on these pages, as are those in wild west shows and rodeos, and some of the curious 'special' acts (such as diving horses).

Horses were used in wars for a long time, so The Story of the U.S. Cavalry 1775 - 1942, by John K. Herr and Edward S. Wallace covers just a part of this history. I'll admit, I read this book because of my love for horses, but I much prefer a more social type of history book to all the military strategy this one provided.

A later post will include various books on dressage, polo and so forth, but this seemed like a good place to stop today.

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This will be a post of mixed entries, starting with some local stuff and then adding to some of my earlier 'trails'.

A friend of mine is working on a website about the Fairhaven district. Still a work in progress, it's worth a look, I spent a lot of time here one afternoon! http://www.fairhavenhistory.com/

The local branch of the Washington State Archives also houses the collections for WWU and the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies. There are all kinds of interesting things to be found at https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/archives_northwest.aspx

Shelter dogs are amazing. If you are thinking of getting a dog, consider an older dog. They are past the puppy stage, are often house trained, and, are used to a work day sort of schedule where they are alone for part of the day. This is a site I check on a regular basis: http://olddoghaven.org/

Recently a wonderful Bellingham artist passed away: Scott Montgomery. For years he did the artwork for Ski to Sea, but he also illustrated my book Shemsu: a Story Told In Comic Verse. A shelter rescue dog, Shem inspired a poem that started with "I have a dog, his name is Shem. He and I are best of friends." It then took on a life of it's own and became rather epic in length! Scott's playful artwork beautifully captures the relationship between dog and human. It's available at lulu.com

Here are a few books that fit with some of my earlier 'trails', but have been read (or found on a high shelf) recently:

The future: Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future, by Joseph J. Corn and Brian Horrigan (edited by Katherine Chambers). The companion book to a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit. Filled with wonderful pictures and essays of how those in the past thought the future might be. From advertising (picture the Statue of Liberty holding up a sign for a product of some sort) to 'waterproof' houses which could be cleaned with a hose, to films and cars, weapons and space travel, and how cities would cope with a growing population ... it's been a while since I read this book (I rediscovered it when dusting the top level of my book shelves) but the parts I skimmed recently where good and the pictures worth a look.

More on dogs, this time it's working dogs. Warning, this is a sad book and brought me to tears many times. It also made me proud, and once again, amazed at what dogs can, and will do. Soldier Dogs: the Untold Story of America's Canine Heroes, by Maria Goodavage, explains how dogs are chosen and trained for the jobs they do for the military. It follows a few of them as they are deployed, the relationship with their handler, and how important they are (and not just for sniffing out bombs, etc).

Night. Or dogs. Or sled dogs. ;-) In January young Diane is allowed to pick her own puppy from a litter of Huskies. The smallest one picks her out, so that is the one she takes. For the next year she and Kimo go out on the night of the full moon. Even though all the pictures are of night time, the change of seasons is very evident. To See the Moon, was written by Ethel Bacon and is illustrated by David Ray.

Night, well, evening sky: Grandfather Twilight, by Barbara Berger combines many of my favorite things: a dog, the ocean, the night sky, a reader ... and, I have seen the bay look like the pictures in this book. Dusk, twilight ... it's my favorite time of day.

Weather disasters: Unseasonable high temps, an uncharacteristic length of time between rains, unusual winds all lead to the huge (more than three million acres) fire that burned in parts of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in 1910. The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America, by Timothy Egan is the story of that fire.

Autumn is in the air!

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I was working on this post to use at a later date .... and then I learned the northern lights might be visible in the pnw tonight! (September 12, 2014) It was obvious that I had to get this one ready sooner rather than later. ;-)

Aurora Borealis: the Amazing Northern Lights, by S.-I Akasofu (yes, that's exactly how it shows on the book!) is part of the Alaska Geographic Society collection of books that have been in past blogs. I enjoy the diversity of what is included in these books: in this case there are woodcuts and pencil drawings as well as photographs. There are poems, legends, scientific essays, and excerpts from journals of travelers. There are chapters on the polar explorers, those that came and settled in this cold, harsh land, and studies done in everything from a balloon to an airplane. It's too bad these books are no longer published. (This one came out in 1979).

Aurora: the Northern Lights in Mythology, History and Science by Harald Falck-Ytter with photographs by Torbjorn Lovgren. This really does get into the science end of things, and some of it is a bit of a slog for me, but overall this was a good read. Again, beautiful pictures.

I found the 'sciency' stuff a bit easier to read in Aurora: the Mysterious Northern Lights by Candace Savage. There's even a bit on the Southern Lights (which seem to mirror the Northern Lights). My favorite part is the excerpt from a Robert Service poem The Ballad of the Northern Lights where the author explains what the lights really are!

The Fiddler of the Northern Lights, by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock and illustrations by Leslie W. Bowman appeals to me not only as someone who loves the northern lights, but as a musician as well. Turns out, it is a fiddler that calls up the dancing lights in the sky, and this story is proof. :-)

While The Night Rainbow is another book about the northern lights, this time it's done in poetry. Barbara Juster Esbensen includes many of the old legends her poem, which is perfectly illustrated by Helen K. Davie. I especially enjoyed the page at the end explaining all the different shapes the lights might take. Be sure to look for them in the poem.

Someone had to figure out just what the northern lights were and what caused them. That man was Kristian Birkeland and his story is told in The Northern Lights: the True Story of the Man Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis, by Lucy Jago. Well researched, this was an interesting read.

Many of the amazing photographs in Northern Lights: the Science, Myth, and Wonder of the Aurora Borealis I've seen on calendars, and with good reason, they are by the same folks, Calvin Hall and Daryl Pederson. The essay by George Bryson only adds to the wonder.

I do hope there is a dog team or two out there running under the northern lights!

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There are sailboats on the bay as I work on this post, and while they are beautiful, whether small or tall, I have a special fondness for tug boats and ferry boats.

My cousins have a boat ... a Nordic Tug ... I was unable to find a book (other than a maintenance manual) on the Nordic Tug, so please, do a google image search and see what they look like. It reminded me of an old favorite (and I'm betting a good number of you know what it is) ... Little Toot! With pictures and story by Hardie Gramatky, this has been a favorite children's book since 1939! Little Toot is a 'young tug' who loves to make figure 8's. The 'grown up' tugs look down on this and ignore the youngster. Sadly, in a funk, if you will, Little Toot drifts out onto the open ocean where he discovers an ocean liner in distress. The outcome will change his life.

For a simple, really simple, book on tugs, and what they do, I'm adding another children's book here: Tugboats (from a series called Mighty Machines), by Matt Doeden. As with most kid's books, there are great photos, including one that is truly amazing. At the end there are internet connections for more information and activities.

Tugboats on Puget Sound by Chuck Fowler and Captain Mark Freeman is full of archival photos of tugboats from the 1800's to 2008. Tugboats with sails, military tugboats, tugboats that fight fire, move bridges, and guide great ships in to the harbor are all here in this well done local history book. (Images of America is a series that "celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country." Look for others, they are worth it). Carefully researched and well written, the text with the pictures is excellent.

From canoes to steam ships to diesel engines; luxurious interiors (complete with spittoons) to spare and functional; private companies to the state ferry system, Puget Sound Ferries From Canoe to Catamaran: an Illustrated History by Carolyn Neal and Thomas Kilday Janus is a nicely written history of the ferry system. Be sure to check out the chapter on the Kalakala!

In sharp contrast to Puget Sound Ferries is Crossings on the Ferries of Puget Sound, by Michael Diehl. Brief text and color pictures recreate what it's like to be on the ferry at all times of the day throughout each seasons (although, surprisingly, very little rain). The pictures are wonderful! For me, this was a 'two cup of tea' book.

Another book from the Images of America series (and just as good) is Ferries of Puget Sound, by Steven J. Pickens. From the 1950's to 2008 there are pictures of the Ghost Fleet (retired ferries) to the newer, bigger boats now in service. From wooden hulls to steel, the design has remained pretty much the same as has the familiar green and white paint. The traditional whistle blast (one long, two short) has been in use for more than a century. Again, great photos and text.

Early in our friendship Tall Reader and I discovered that as kids, we both wanted to work on a light house figuring we'd have lots of time to read!

A well known book in this area is The Light On the Island: Tales of a Lighthouse Keeper's Family in the San Juan Islands, by Helene Glidden. The author lived with her family on Patos Island from the age of 5 to 15 and the book is told from that perspective. There were 13 kids! The lighthouse job would provide them with a house (rent free), cows, pigs, chickens, and room for a large garden. (And, no way for the kids to get too far from home). It was 25 miles to the grocery store. In a row boat. Like Little Heathens, this is a wonderful memoir of a time long gone.

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I have always enjoyed musicals, film scores, and themes for TV shows.

For anyone who likes Fred Astaire, Astaire Dancing: the Musical Films, by John Mueller is a treasure! The music and choreography are discussed in some detail that includes sequential photos of the dances. I like to pull this book of the shelf when I watch an old Astaire movie. :-)

For more on the old musicals, there's The Melody Lingers On: the Great Songwriters and Their Movie Musicals, by Roy Heming. Each entry includes a brief biography, how the songwriter liked to work, and a listing of his (or her) works. Lots of nice photos, too.

In the past, when there was just the one high school, (and an amazing auditorium) there was a musical performed every year. It comes as no surprise then, (well, at least to me) that I got hooked. Rodgers and Hammerstein by Ethan Mordden .... the dances, the costumes, the orchestrations (Robert Russell Bennet is my favorite) .... Broadway and movie versions, playbills, rehearsal shots .... I love this book!!

George Perry did a wonderful job with The Complete Phantom of the Opera. Mostly about the musical (including the libretto) by Andrew Lloyd Webber, there are also chapters on the origin of the story, and early versions of it (including the one with Lon Chaney). There are sketches of early set designs and costumes for the Lloyd Webber production, who staged it, and how they made the chandelier fall. (Every night for thousands of performances).

For a chance to play and/or sing along, try The Big Book of TV Theme Songs: 78 of the All Time Greats (well, up to 1999). Fun, that's it, just fun!

And finally, MusicHound: Soundtracks: the Essential Album Guide to Film, Television and Stage Music, by Didier C. Deutsch. This is the guide to soundtracks of all kinds (musicals, TV shows, movie scores), books and magazines on the subject, composers and so on. There is a nice, short entry about the music, and a few photos.

One of my favorite quotes about music is from Aaron Copland, and has to do with movie music: "Film music is like a small lamp that you place below the screen to warm it."

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Back in May (the 24th) I mentioned that the American frontier was a busy place ... further proof of that may be found in Prairie Fever: British Aristocrats in the American West 1830 - 1890, by Peter Pagnamenta. They came for sport (hunting the bison), they came for opportunity (second and third sons, etc.). Some stayed just for the hunt, arriving with a lot of money (and some very surprised valets), some tried farming or a business venture and failed (mostly because they were more interested in recreating the fox hunt or polo), and some came and stayed. This is an interesting and sometimes humorous book on how the Brits saw the frontier, and how the American frontiersman saw them.

For younger readers, and a mix of fiction and non-fiction, there are the Little House books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, of course. While I did read these books, and even watched a few episodes of the popular TV show, I was not as big a fan as many others.

The author of The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost Wold of Little House on the Prairie, however, was! Wendy McClure came to them 'late' (only because she was born when she was) in that she read them as paperbacks, the ones with the yellow covers, not the hardcover books I remember. She felt an association with Laura that would last well into her adult years. At some point she (and then her husband) planned vacations to visit the places where the books had taken place. Some are recreated villages and houses, there are festivals, and so on. The author found a butter churn and made her own butter, and tried many of the recipes from the books. Some times interesting, some times a bit of a slog, I think a more serious fan would enjoy it this book.

Constant Reader reminded me of a recommendation from a few years ago: Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, by Alison Arngrim. Allsion had a terrible childhood ... oblivious parents, an abusive brother (who gave her various drugs), bullied at school, and, at that time, no one to tell. Starting at a young age, she played the most hated character on the TV series Little House On the Prairie and was often treated as if she WAS this person by fans. The years on the set protected her from the earlier memories but when she left the show they all came flooding back. Good friends, a good therapist and her stand-up comedy act were all part of a healing process. What emerged was a strong, confident woman, happily married, who does charity work with the AIDS Project Los Angeles and the National Association to Protect Children. Witty, charming and humorous, this is an amazing read.

For obvious reasons I find myself humming "Home on the Range" ....

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