Book Reading List - 2023

• 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created - Author: Charles C. Mann
• Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America - Author: Steve Inskeep
• Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World - Author: Michael Pollan
• Better Living Through Birding - Author: Christian Cooper
• Wild New World: The Epic Story of People and Animals In America - Author: Dan Flores 
• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World and Why Things Are Better Than You Think - Author: Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Ronnlund, Ola Rosling
• The Common Good - Author: Robert Reich
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Author: L. Frank Baum
• Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies - Author: Jared Diamond 
• Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories: What We Should and Shouldn’t Believe – and Why - Author: Michael Shermer
• Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History - Author: Dan Flores
• What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures - Author: Malcolm Gladwell
• Killers of the Flower Moon - Author: David Grann
• Chip War - Author: Chris Miller
• Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ - Author: Giulia Enders
• A Little History of Science - Author: William F. Bynum
• The Home Place - Author: J. Drew Lanham
• The Pioneers - Author: David McCullough
• The Unsettling of America - Author: Wendell Berry
• Origin Story: A Big History of Everything - Author: David Christian
• H Is For Hawk - Author: Helen Macdonald

Book Review - 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created

Title - 1493: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

Author: Charles C. Mann 
Date Read: December 2023
Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

Review: Fantastic book. This book as well as its prequel, 1491, should be required reading for anyone who wants to truly understand America (Northern, Central and Southern). I highly recommend his book.

Description (Audible): More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed radically different suites of plants and animals. When Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas, he ended that separation at a stroke. Driven by the economic goal of establishing trade with China, he accidentally set off an ecological convulsion as European vessels carried thousands of species to new homes across the oceans.

The Columbian Exchange, as researchers call it, is the reason there are tomatoes in Italy, oranges in Florida, chocolates in Switzerland, and chili peppers in Thailand. More important, creatures the colonists knew nothing about hitched along for the ride. Earthworms, mosquitoes, and cockroaches; honeybees, dandelions, and African grasses; bacteria, fungi, and viruses; rats of every description—all of them rushed like eager tourists into lands that had never seen their like before, changing lives and landscapes across the planet.

Eight decades after Columbus, a Spaniard named Legazpi succeeded where Columbus had failed. He sailed west to establish continual trade with China, then the richest, most powerful country in the world. In Manila, a city Legazpi founded, silver from the Americas, mined by African and Indian slaves, was sold to Asians in return for silk for Europeans. It was the first time that goods and people from every corner of the globe were connected in a single worldwide exchange. Much as Columbus created a new world biologically, Legazpi and the Spanish empire he served created a new world economically.

As Charles C. Mann shows, the Columbian Exchange underlies much of subsequent human history. Presenting the latest research by ecologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians, Mann shows how the creation of this worldwide network of ecological and economic exchange fostered the rise of Europe, devastated imperial China, convulsed Africa, and for two centuries made Mexico City—where Asia, Europe, and the new frontier of the Americas dynamically interacted—the center of the world. In such encounters, he uncovers the germ of today’s fiercest political disputes, from immigration to trade policy to culture wars.

In 1493, Charles Mann gives us an eye-opening scientific interpretation of our past, unequaled in its authority and fascination.

Hike - Warrior Rock Lighthouse

Warrior Rock Lighthouse

Took advantage of a short break in the rain & hiked with friends & my pooch Buddy to the Warrior Rock Lighthouse on Sauvie Island, Oregon along the Columbia River. The lighthouse wasn’t real impressive but according to Wikipedia, it’s Oregon's smallest lighthouse & one of only two lighthouses still operating in Oregon which is not on the Pacific Ocean.

The lighthouse currently operates with an automated beacon and bell. Nice hike and the fall colors were super! We also lucked out & got to see the "Oceanus Leader" car carrier ship cruise by.

Hike - Cape Horn Trail

Steve, Larry, Buddy, Carol & Petrina

Hiked the Cape Horn Trail today with friends and our pooch, Buddy. This was my second time hiking this trail. The first time was ten years ago on October 15, 2013, not long after the trail was first opened. On that hike we did the full loop trail which is approximately 7.5 miles long. On todays hike however, we decided to take a shortcut that began from an unmarked pullout on Highway 14. From the pullout, it was an easy walk to the main trail and saved a few miles of switch backs and steep slopes. The trail has three main vista points with amazing views of the Columbia River Gorge. Without a doubt, this is a must-do hike for anyone looking for a memorable and moderately challenging hiking experience in the Pacific Northwest.

Looking east from Nancy Russell Overlook

Looking east from Oak VIew Overlook

Buddy Boy hiking Cape Horn Trail

Nancy Russell Overlook Cape Horn trail sign 

Closeup of Nancy Russell Overlook Cape Horn trail sign

Fall Equinox- Haiku

Sunflowers are done •

A new season has begun •

Welcome to Fall Y'all!

Book Review - Better Living Through Birding

Title - Better Living Through Birding 

Author: Christian Cooper 
Date Read: October 2023
Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

Review: I absolutely loved this book! I’m a casual birder and I love books about getting outside and exploring nature. Initially, I thought the book would be mostly about birding but it’s so much more. Christian Cooper has lived a very adventurous life and is an awesome writer. I highly recommend his book.

Description (Audible): In Better Living Through Birding, Cooper tells the story of his extraordinary life leading up to the now-infamous incident in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him, in the most uncanny of ways, to be a gay, Black man in America today. From sharpened senses that work just as well at a protest as in a park to what a bird like the Common Grackle can teach us about self-acceptance, Better Living Through Birding exults in the pleasures of a life lived in pursuit of the natural world and invites you to discover them yourself.
Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and primer on the art of birding, this is Cooper’s story of learning to claim and defend space for himself and others like him, from his days at Marvel Comics introducing the first gay storylines to vivid and life-changing birding expeditions through Africa, Australia, the Americas, and the Himalayas. Better Living Through Birding recounts Cooper’s journey through the wonderful world of birds and what they can teach us about life, if only we would look and listen.

Hike - Lewis River Falls Trail

The Lewis River Falls Trail on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is absolutely stunning! I first experienced the trail back in August 2000 when I rode my mountain bike on the "Pedal the Pinchot" ride from the Curly Creek trailhead to the Lower Lewis River Falls.

I swore to go back again soon but only just recently returned to hike the Lewis River Falls Trail from the Lower Falls to the Upper Falls. The awesome Lower, Middle and Upper waterfalls and amazing old-growth Douglas-fir / Western Red Cedar / Hemlock forest make this one of the most spectacular hikes and rides in the PNW region!

Lower Lewis River Falls

Lewis River Falls Trail

Lewis River Falls Trail

Middle Lewis River Falls

Picnicing at Middle Lewis River Falls

Amazing old-growth Douglas-fir tree 

Buddy Boy hiking the Lewis River Falls trail

Upper Lewis River Falls

Sky - Super Blue Moon

Every so often, I try to take photos of astronomical phenomena. On August 30, 2023 I tried to photograph one of the biggest and brightest full moons of the year. This full moon was the second of two full moons in the month of August which made it a Blue Moon. In addition to being a Blue Moon, it was a supermoon, which is a full moon that is closer to Earth, making it appear slightly larger in the sky. 

Photograph was taken using a tripod with a Sony RX10 IV camera, (F4, 1/1600 sec, ISO-400, 600 mm focal length).

Portland Waterfront Blues Festival

Pics & vids from the 36th annual Portland Waterfront Blues Festival July 2, 2023. Hard to believe the last time I went to the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival was 2010. The WFB Festival is a four-day annual event that first started in 1988 and is the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi River. This year included legendary Buddy Guy, Shemeka Copeland and one of my favorites, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Was a good day and thankfully, not too hot. Also got to use my somewhat new Insta360 camera and take some 360-degree photos and videos (links below).

Larry & me at the 36th annual WFB Festival

Portland WFB Festival (Click for 360 degree view)

Rick Estrin & The Nightcats - Video

Shemeka Copeland - Video

Book Review - What the Dog Saw

 

Title - What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Date Read: June 2023
Rating: 👍👍👍👍

Review: I love dogs. So the title of the book caught my attention. Malcolm Gladwell is a gifted writer. The book consists of a collection of short stories he wrote over time for The New Yorker. The title of the book comes from a story about Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer where Malcolm describes Cesar's uncany ability to understand what is going on in the minds of dogs and through that understanding, train them to be better companions. Some of the stories in the book were not as interesting but there were enough overall to make it a worthwhile read. 

Description (Audible): Here is the bittersweet tale of the inventor of the birth control pill, and the dazzling inventions of the pasta sauce pioneer Howard Moscowitz. Gladwell sits with Ron Popeil, the king of the American kitchen, as he sells rotisserie ovens, and divines the secrets of Cesar Millan, the "dog whisperer" who can calm savage animals with the touch of his hand. He explores intelligence tests and ethnic profiling and "hindsight bias" and why it was that everyone in Silicon Valley once tripped over themselves to hire the same college graduate.

Wine Tasting - Waving Tree Winery

Click for 360 View

Had a wonderful time tasting wine with friends at Waving Tree Winery and Vineyards. Our host, Takashi, was extremely friendly and knowledgable about the many varieties of wine they sell. It was hard to decide but I ended up getting a bottle of the Sangiovese Reserve and the Sweet Sangiovese Rose'.

Waving Tree Winery is very pituresque and close to other attractions such as the Stonehenge  Memorial, Maryhill Museum and Maryhill Fruit Stand where we bought some tasty locally grown Brooks cherries.

Book Review - Killers of the Flower Moon

Title - Killers of the Flower Moon

Author: David Grann
Date Read: May 2023
Rating: 👍👍👍👍

Review: This book exposes a truly sad episode of American history. I enjoyed the book but found it somewhat hard to follow. Looking forward to the movie with Robert De Niro & Leonardo DiCaprio this October 2023.

Description (Audible): In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. Based on years of research and startling new evidence, the book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward American Indians that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly compelling but also emotionally devastating.

Wine Tasting - Idiots Grace

Idiots Grace is a beautiful little winery hidden away in the Columbia Gorge on the eastern edge of Mosier, Oregon. My wife and I had the fortune of knowing someone who is a member of the Idiots Grace wine club and tagged along with them when they went to pickup a few bottles of wine. I'm a bit of a novice at wine tasting but I've never experienced anything like what's offered at Idiots Grace.

We sat outside on a beautiful day in the shade while a wine steward brought us a sample of six wines ranging from white, rose to red. The steward described each wine in detail and mentioned a few other wines she thought we might like.

Two of the wines I ended up buying (2020 Marssonne Roysanne & 2020 Dolcetta) came from grapes harvested after the 2020 Oregon wildfires which gave them a bit of a smokey flavor (which I loved). Idiots Grace is a hidden gem and I'll be back!

Book Review - Chip War

Title - Chip War

Author: Chris Miller
Date Read: April 2023
Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

Review: Awesome book describing the evolution of computer chips and how it has affected so many things in our daily lives.

Description (Audible): You may be surprised to learn that microchips are the new oil—the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. Virtually everything—from missiles to microwaves—runs on chips, including cars, smartphones, the stock market, even the electric grid. Until recently, America designed and built the fastest chips and maintained its lead as the number one superpower, but America’s edge is in danger of slipping, undermined by players in Taiwan, Korea, and Europe taking over manufacturing. Now, as Chip War reveals, China, which spends more on chips than any other product, is pouring billions into a chip-building initiative to catch up to the US. At stake is America’s military superiority and economic prosperity.
Economic historian Chris Miller explains how the technology works and why it’s so important, recounting the fascinating events that led to the United States perfecting the chip design, and to America’s victory in the Cold War by using faster chips to render the Soviet Union’s arsenal of precision-guided weapons obsolete. But lately, America has let key components of the chip-building process slip out of its grasp, leading to a worldwide chip shortage and a new war brewing with a superpower adversary that is desperate to bridge the gap.

Book Review - Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ

Title - Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ

Author: Giulia Enders
Date Read: March 2023
Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

Review: I predict this will be my favorite book of 2023. The author has a wonderful sense of humor that turns what might be a yucky subject into a humorous and fascinating journey into the workings of the gut.

Description (Audible): Gut: The Inside Story is an entertaining, informative tour of the digestive system from the moment we raise a tasty morsel to our lips until the moment our body surrenders the remnants to the toilet bowl. No topic is too lowly for the author's wonder and admiration, from the careful choreography of breaking wind to the precise internal communication required for a cleansing vomit. Along the way, the author provides practical advice, such as the best ways to sit on the toilet to have a comfortable bowel movement, how clean your kitchen should be for optimum gut health, and how different laxatives work. She tells stories of gut bacteria that can lead to obesity, autoimmune diseases, or even suicide, and she discusses the benefits of dietary supplements, such as probiotics.

Bike Ride - Frenchman's Bar

Today was one of the first sunny days this year so decided to take my first bike ride of 2023!

Columbia River at Frenchman's Bar Regional Park, WA

Columbia River at Frenchman's Bar Regional Park, WA

Mt. Hood from Frenchman's Bar Regional Park, WA

Dogs - Buddy Boy

Buddy Boy

Introducing Buddy Boy. After almost three years of petlessness, we finally found a new pooch! Buddy came from a litter of 6 Australian Shepherd puppies bred at Heritage Hill Acres in Otis, Oregon. Buddy is a quick learner and has already learned how to sit, down, stay, come, fetch and is working really hard on not chewing everything in sight 😂

Road Trip - Days 2 & 3 - Manzanita, OR

On day 2 we spent most of the day exploring Manzanita and nearby Nehalem Bay State Park. Turned out January 6 was a full moon and high tide was close to what's referred to as King Tide.

So, that in combination with stormy weather, caused some pretty scary surf conditions.

Beaches were covered with huge logs and woody debris that had been washed up by giant waves. Walking on the beach was a bit treacherous and we had to constantly keep an eye out for sneaker waves. 

Since it was off-season, Nehalem Bay State Park was deserted. The park includes a huge campground with bike trails, bathrooms, showers, yurts and facilities for horses. Nehalem Bay also had a boat launch which I assume would be used mainly by fishermen.

On day 3 we drove south to the town of Nehalem and found a nice little restaurant named Wandas Cafe where we treated ourselves to breakfast before heading back home.    

Looking south from coast highway towards Manzanita and Nehalem Bay, OR

Road Trip - Day 1 - Manzanita, OR

Took a short road trip to Manzanita, Oregon in celebration of Carol and my 40th anniversary. Stayed at The Inn at Manzanita and spent a couple days exploring the area. Weather was stormy and due to a full moon, tides were very high.

We'd never been to Manzanita so it was fun exploring a new area. Manzanita is a quaint little town with shops, restaurants and other touristy things but, since it was off-season, many of the restaurants and shops were closed. 

Thankfully though, there was a bakery/coffee shop nearby where we were able to get our morning caffine fix. There was also a cozy little book store and a few artsy shops where we were able to spend a little time and lots of money.