Don Edwards Wildlife Preserve, Oct 2021

 

We visited the Don Edwards wildlife preserve to take a little walk outside before winter comes.  It is a quiet park as its main purpose is for the wildlife, not recreation.  It is almost a string of 'islands' because it is composed of many of the marshy areas that ring the bay.  There are several entrances in different cities, we visited one in Alviso.

Near the entrance is an intriguing sculpture/nature combo. 

At the top, it looks like it could be a fountain, but there is no place for water to come out...maybe just in the rain?

The main section looks to me like a map, maybe of the town and how the water drains into the bay?

Further down the base, the 'map' disintegrates.  There is no sign and the visitors center is currently closed!  Maybe someday I'll figure out what this is!

Gray day, but no rain.

I didn't recognize many of the shrubs and trees.  They really are only in the marshes.

This one bush had both flowers that had gone to seed

and many blooming on the same plant.

This other tree has the fruit/nuts still waiting around.  Maybe too big for birds and squirrels to eat?

Isn't this the cutest!  This was a scout's project-some history and an interactive learning experience.  The instructions were clear and I now am a believer in the bowline knot.

There is no traditional playground equipment, but there is an area for kids...including this box of pine cones.   I think my niece would love it :)

Books and fall plants July - September 2021

 What I've been reading and fun fall plants I saw on my walk.  

People are starting their Halloween decorations-fun

-by Christina Soontornvat

A Wish in the Dark:  Nice story of justice, befriending you enemies, it all works out in the end.  Not super memorable a few months later.

-by Nghi Vo

The Empress of Salt and Fortune:  Great story packed into a small space.  It has the bit by bit reveal of the full story as you go.

These are the fruits on a palm tree

-by Emma Newman

Planetfall:  Recommendation by the author of Murderbot stories...and like those, super competent, broken person does interesting stuff in space.  Would read more.

Multi colored Lantanas are some of my favorites.

-by Justin Torres

We the Animals:  Coming of age story.  Picked it up because it was on a library recommended list and short, lol.  

-by Alessandra Torre

The Ghostwriter:  Another story about writers.  Adjacent to thriller genre.  Also picked it up because it was on a library list.  Good read, not sure if it will be memorable in the long run.

-by Martha Wells
Network Effect:  Murderbot series!  This is the one novel in the series, love it!!

One perfect pomegranate

-by Naomi Novik

Deadly Education:  Book 1 in a series.  Think Hogwarts but much much deadlier.  Perhaps a bit over the top with shear number of baddies, but I am all in for the story and relationships.  The second book comes out soon!

End of season roses

-by Kelly Yang

Three Keys:  a follow up to Front Desk, YA, relentlessly upbeat, but fun and fresh.

- by Kate Stayman-London

One To Watch:  Famous by social media, Bea becomes the first fat lady on a Bachlorette type reality show.  A fast read, but nothing really surprising in the story.  Good ending.

-by Gretchen Rubin

Happier at Home:  One of her earlier books.  Follow on to her Happiness Project with some nice ideas.  Not strictly necessary if you have read her later stuff, but easy to finish.

-by Lauren Oyler

Fake Accounts:  Not sure how to classify this, adjacent to thriller type fiction, but only for a small percent of the book.  My biggest take-away was that she convincingly writes about the effect social media has on one mental health and thoughts.  I wanted to see the ending, which was mostly satisfying, but there is a large chunk in the middle that you can skip if you aren't feeling it.

Artichoke!

-by Pamela Ribon and Cat Farris

My Boyfriend is a Bear:  Short graphic novel.  Story is exactly as the title says.  Super cute and worth the time.

-by Kim Harrison

Dead Witch Walking:  First in a series.  World has a virus apocalypse, halves the human population, but not the witches, vampires, pixies etc.  I like the idea, but the style is too non-stop.  The cranky guys is always cranky, the vampire tension only shuts down for 5 seconds at a time, etc.  Fine for an airplane read.

-by Cynthia Ozick

The Messiah of Stockholm:  Hmm, super literary short novel.  The author has popped up here and there and I figured I should read something she wrote.  I don't think I need to read more though.

Passion fruit flower and then fruit

DNF

-by Hank Green
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing:  Only got through the first chapter and just couldn't get into it before time was up.  Not meant to be at this time.

-by Earl Stanley Gardner
The Case of the Lazy Lover:  I remember loving these as a kid.  My aunt had a huge set of them.  There was a waitlist for the electronic version at the library.  Are they popular again?  I read about a third and it just seemed so boring.   

-by Torrey Peters

Detransition, Baby:  Not bad, just not as exciting as the others I was reading.  I got about 15% in, time was running out on my checkout so it fell off the bottom of the pile.

Persimmons

-by Andre Aciman

Call Me By Your Name:  I read the first third, then Wikipedia about the rest.  It is good writing, minute by minute of what is going on in a 17 yr old boys head.  Didn't feel the need to finish.

-by Jacqueline Carey

Banewrecker:  The first of two books telling a Lord of the Rings style story from the point of view of the villains.    I love the idea, but I just could not handle the style.  Just a little too...old fashioned?  turgid?  romantic? full of thuses?  This was not even a DNF but a Couldn't Get Started.  I only managed 20 pages.

 

Milkweed pods and flowers