A Trip to the Beach

Two weeks ago Joel, his father & brother and myself took a long weekend trip to Ocean City, MD. This trip had been planned for months and it came at just the right time. Joel wanted to get there for the 'striper run' - he coordinated our trip right down to the phases of the moon (a striper is also known as a 'rockfish' or 'striped bass'. The striper run is when all the fish migrate north again after the winter.) After traveling to Pennsylvania for 3 straight weeks, enduring the loss of my uncle in the midst of that, a relaxing trip to the ocean was just what the doctor ordered!

The view from our balcony... & a crab-shaped cloud to boot!

The fishing had to begin almost as soon as we got there - Joel was ansy! That's him cutting up his bait, which was another type of fish.


So that just meant while Joel fished, I played around with some photography...


I'm proud to say I'm a close second to his love for fishing...

His 15 foot pole - it catches 'big shit'...

He was so excited to be fishing after a long, harsh winter in Maryland...

It is my hope that someday I will get to live next to this..

A heart I drew with our initial in it :) - JJ in the background

trying to go for the big one!

found a horseshoe crab with some mussels that decided to hitch a ride...

sadly for Joel - this was the 'big catch' of the trip - a stingray!

A partial view of the Ocean City boardwalk - I believe it's 2 miles long

As with many vacations, they are never quite long enough. We all could have spent a bit more time at the beach!

Ocean City - May 2010

A Little Update on Charles

I have officially had Charles in my possession now for 3 whole months. What an adventure this has been! From hissing at me every time he sees me to knocking plants over to cuddling up to me when I take naps on the couch. He is still a little hellion, but just look at him...

Trying to help out when I work at home...

Overworked & underpaid..

What everyone desires to wake up to on a Saturday morning...

What I like to call "bat-cat" or "Queen of Sheba"..

And even though he acts more like a dog than a cat, I still can't help but love him!

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

Jodi, normally you keep me coming back for more with all of your books. I hate to say it, but Vanishing Acts did not do it for me. I never thought I'd ever find myself saying that about a Jodi novel, but alas, the time has come.

Vanishing Acts is the story of a woman, Delia, and her father, Andrew, and the discovery that Delia is not who she thinks she is. When she was just a young child, her father 'kidnapped' her from her mother. As the story goes, early on Andrew is arrested at their home in New Hampshire and taken back to their home state of Arizona to await his trial for kidnapping. Keep in mind that at this time, Delia is an adult woman – I would guess in her late twenties/early thirties. Of course she is flabbergasted at her father's imprisonment, and travels to AZ to be near him during these difficult times. None other than Delia's boyfriend, Eric, is picked to represent Andrew. Eric is a recovering alcoholic, which provides an ironic (or not really) twist to the story.

I couldn't help but read some other book reviews while I was in the midst of reading this book. Many were negative, stating how the plot line was predictable and how there was a lot of unnecessary storytelling – I agree with the latter part of this for sure. There was a good chunk of the book devoted to a story of this Native American woman who lived next door to Delia and her daughter during Andrew's trial. I don't really see the point to that woman's involvement at all. Then the book ends in typical Jodi fashion – causing you to wonder what the truth really was! Was Andrew lying about why he kidnapped his daughter? I won't reveal what his reasons were, but if you did read this book – please let me know – I want to know your thoughts!

I'm not giving up on you yet Jodi! Of all the books of yours I've read, this was the only flop in my opinion. I look forward to reading others by you soon!

Next up on my list is Peace Like a River by Lief Enger. This is a book club selection from my church's reading group. Stay tuned for more!