Grand Cayman dive trip, Feb 2025

 Diving Trip!

I don't do underwater photography, so this is a picture of a Cathy Church photo.  You'll just have to trust that I saw amazing wildlife under the water :)

We stayed at Sunset House, our first time at a dive resort.  I really loved it.  The dive instructors and staff were excellent, the equipment was in good shape, and the whole process was organized and clear.  When we needed a doctors note, they had several close clinics and the process was easy.  Would happily come back.

Sunset from Sunset House.

I saw them cleaning the boat and was impressed with the efficiency and completeness.  They stay anchored just off the beach and when they need one, they swim out to it.  I bet that is normal, but new to me!

If you want to dive, you can just enter the water in this protected area.  I see why divers love dive resorts!

A great map of the dive site.

A photo of what to expect.

When you are not diving, it is still a great resort.  

Sunset House is also known for its ocean side bar/restaurant.  We ate here at least once a day and it was fantastic.  A big menu, so something for everyone, great staff, good drinks.

Free bikes for us to use.

A view of the cruise ships that dock, so you can decide if you want to go into town with tons of people, or not.

Got to have island chickens 

We took the bikes for one meal at a restaurant in the outdoor mall.  The weather was hot and sticky, the bikes were heavy and slow.  And it was totally worth it!

This is the fancy mall on the other side of town from us.  It was mid day and the stores were not busy. 

Seems like the economics of the place is a little odd.  There is the obvious tourism, but Grand Cayman is also a tax haven/ business incorporation place, so there are some accountants and finance people who account for a big portion of the population.  Interesting!  

Books and fossilized coral, April - August 2025

 Photos are from Sunset House dive resort, Grand Cayman, Feb 2025

by Helen DeWitt

The English Understand Wool:  Fantastic!  Short story, distinct voice, unusual

Some Trick:  Short stories, explores off the wall literary/mathematical/philosophical ideas in short form. 

-by Kate Atkinson

Case Histories:  Several detective cases that come together in the end.  Ok, a bit long but it might fill my need for a mystery series.

One Good Turn:  Same main detective and style with several plots coming together.  

When Will There Be Good News:  More of the same, though I find I don't love our main detectives.  I might continue anyway, but not quickly.

-by Ingrid Thoft

Loyalty:  She works as the PI for the family law firm.  They are slightly shady but it strikes the right balance of gruesome for me.  Not a lot of big mystery that you figure out from clues.  She spends time running down leads that don't pan out.   

Identity:  The ending from the last one hooked me enough to quickly pick this up.  Nice fast read.

Brutality:  And then I quickly moved to the third

Duplicity:  and fourth books.  That's all she's got for now, but I would happily read more.

-by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Plot:  Fun mix of mystery and novel and a book within a book.  Next up is The Sequel, hah!

-by John M. Ford

The Final Reflection:  Original series Star Trek book-super fun!!

-by Terry Pratchett (listening to ones that I read back in the day)

Reaper Man:  When Death is briefly let go from his job.  Audiobook for the win!

Monstrous Regiment:  There is a war going on and it is time to find more recruits, but of course there is a twist.  

-by Frank Herbert

Dune:  I've been intimidated by the size, but listened as an audiobook while doing yard work and the time flew past.

-by Pat Murphy

Falling Woman:  Older sci-fi novel about an archaeologist who sometimes sees through time.  Ok, but not moved to check out any more. 

-by Kevin Wilson

Nothing to See Here:  A young woman who is struggling to find herself takes care of children who catch on fire.  Audiobook won awards-nice.

-by Lisa Jewell

None of This is True:  Slow thriller.  I like a few more twists and found the ending super lame, but the rest of the writing is fine.

DNF

-by Helen DeWitt

The Last Samurai:  It has some great writing, but I loved the short story so much, all this feels like too much.

-by Solvej Balle

On the Calculation of Volume:  It is all the rage right now, got part way in, but felt like it was not moving forward.

-by Kaveh Akbar 

Martyr!:  I enjoyed the first quarter of it well enough, but then picked other books over it.

-by Ellen Hopkins

Tricks:  On a list of frequently banned books.  Several stories of older teens who, through a variety of circumstances end up turning to prostitution to survive.  Well written, but just a little too long for me to finish after I got the gist.

San Jose Rose Garden and Books, January-March 2025

 San Jose Rose Garden and books I've read

The San Jose Municipal Rose Garden 

We visited in June 2024 with cousin Steve

Gorgeous!

-by Louise Penny

The Gray Wolf: Excited to see that the next one is The Black Wolf.   This one revisits the monastery out "Between the Wolves".  I might go back and reread that before the next comes out as they seem to be connected.

-by Thomas Rockwell

How To Eat Fried Worms:  A childhood favorite-did an audiobook, loved it!  It is a little dated but has so many good scenes.

-by Judy Blume

Freckle Juice:  Another childhood classic that I listened to.

-by Robin Sloan

Moon bound: So different from his previous books.  Well written, meta interest in stories, set in the far future so we can have talking animals and other oddness.  It kept me reading, but I don't think I will ever need to re-read it.

-by Ingvild Rishoi

Brightly Shining:  Vibes of The Little Match Girl, but set in present day.  Christmas story but super sad?

-by Marci R Rendon

Murder on the Red River:  Very little detective work in this, dependent on visions, because Native American...also, set in the 70's, so much smoking-edit that out and you lose 10% of the book, lol.  All from Cash, she is hard from from torn from her family young and raised in terrible foster homes.

Girl Gone Missing:  But it turns out I love her and quickly finished book 2

Sinister Graves: and book 3.   

Broken Fields:  and book 4. She really grows on you.

Where They Last Saw Her:  Different people, didn't love it as much, but finished it no problem.  I am up to date on her mysteries.

Ursula LeGuin:  Wizard of Earthsea 

First 4 books:  Total comfort read.  I mean to read the rest of the books again...someday.

Garth Nix

Sabriel:  Audiobook read by Tim Curry!   This is a re-read from a decade ago.  Love the magic system in this world!

by Makana Yamamoto

Hammajang Luck: Sci Fi plus heist story.  I think this might be better in movie format.  It's not bad, but hard to convey the excitement of a heist.  It is more of a description of a possible, slightly dystopian, future.

by Jodi Piccoult

The Book of Two Ways:  Pure beach read/chick lit with Egyptian archaeology theme.

by Clare Pooley

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting:  Fun characters who meet on their train commute.  People are not what they seem, happy endings for all.

-by Linda Holmes

Back After This:  Romcom about a podcast editor done dirty by a boyfriend and her work situation.  I don't generally read romcoms, but such a great writer it was super fun.

-by Terry Pratchett

Soul Music:  I know that I read this a while ago, but the audio book made it really stick in my head.

DNFs: 

-by Tim O'Brien

America Fantastica:  Had a great review, but after the first couple chapters it didn't gel for me.

-by Claire Oshetshy

Poor Deer:   hmmm, dealing with childhood trauma of having accidentally killed your friend.   

-by Sara Fujimura

Every Reason We Shouldn't:  Teen romance while ice skating, just okay for me.

by Ellen Hopkins

Tricks:  I picked it up because it is one of the most banned books.  Several stories about how teens end up turning to prostitution.  Well written and I can see that teens would want to read it.  Didn't finish it because I see where it is going.

Puzzles!

 Puzzles 

First, here are a couple I did during the heat wave of 2024

Succulents!  Start with lots of sorting.

It is a lovely color gradient and a few are quite distinct.

Starting from each corner was easy, but then the center pieces looked alike.

This one is from the women's march and the frame is easy.  Finding pieces with words was easy.

So many tiny faces took a long time.

The largest wooden puzzle I've done!

Gorgeous pieces, easy to sort.

Great finish.

A few more from the winter puzzling season

Tiny Totoro puzzle from clear plastic pieces.  They snap together great and are so cute in the light!

Posters of the National Parks!  

Lots of helpers like unique colors

the frame around each poster

the titles so you know which direction is up

Love it!