Books, Gulf Islands, San Juan Islands, Velkommen
Whiskey Cove
Whiskey Cove . Interesting book. And worthwhile reading just for the history lesson. If you are familiar with the greater Seattle area, Bellingham and the San Juan Islands, the setting will seem like your backyard. Prohibition was an exciting time (1919 to 1933), and Western Washington an exquisite backdrop for a story that spans the lifetime of one of the main characters. Big money, organized crime, bootleggers, fast boats and plenty of quality legal alcohol just a few miles North. Now wrap these threads within the lives of two Bellingham college students and you have all the pieces necessary for a great read. Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Treasure Island…..mixed with a more adult college-years romantic theme
Denise Frisino has all the components on her screen to weave a really good literary tapestry. But she is her own worst enemy. She has all the skills of a good writer, but editing is not among them. Descriptions are too verbose and repetitive, not compact and tight. She is in love with her own writing, as if she were her own audience. Then, when the really good stuff is about to happen, high tide with Nate and Jean locked in a hungry tongue-touching kiss…….. Denise turns on the cold shower and the narrative leaps to the next day. Hey, the juicy in-between stuff is what’s important. Turn up the heat. What happened to all the romantic descriptive prose? Shy?
An editor would have cut the fat from Whiskey Cove and replaced it with PASSION.
Good book, but it is really a first draft. A good first draft; lots of potential. The adult and adolescent themes need to expand and join like the flavors of a fine meal. The history of Northwest rumrunning is fascinating and colorful, but it’s really background. The dance of two young lovers is the expansive, but sadly underdeveloped, theme. Expand on the romance and prune the prose mercilessly. Please.
B dock – beginning HDR (high dynamic range)
No need for bifocals if you click on these pics.
I have much to learn about photography. High Dynamic Range can produce amazing pictures but there is a learning curve and I’m at the bottom. But……hey! Things are lookin’ up.
OK, let’s change the subject.
What did I learn? I need a wider range of exposure values and I need to reduce the noise in complied pic.
Extra Virginity – the sublime and scandalous world of olive oil
No, this is not about Popeye’s love life; that subject is a little thin, don’t you think? Food is a major component of boating. Flavors grow in the pungent salt air. It is satisfing to produce scrumptuous gourmet fare from a small galley. Gourmet fare is laced with olive oil. How do you know you are getting the ‘good stuff’?
I had no idea, but I had just purchased an expensive bottle of olive oil with an artistic label from the grocery store. It didn’t tast any different from the bargain brand I had just finished.
Extra Virginity is an interesting story, well worth the price and time. Tom Mueller is an exceptionally good writer and an equally good researcher. Extra Virginity explores the fascinating history of olive oil and the current state of a changing industry. I had no idea of the dollars involved and the corruption attracted. I had no idea that huge ocean tankers transported the commodity around the globe. So I came away with an expanded view of the world economy and a new appreciation of botique venders. I found Paradiso Olive Oil and Vinegar just a few miles away in Redmond. Now I can better appreciate the flavors from mild to bold and the blends that accent specific foods.
You wouldn’t use inferior components on your boat. Put the right olive oil in your galley, and on your table at home, too. It is so worth the effort. You can taste the difference. Extra Virginity will put you on the right course.
The mystery of the Blue Dolphin
Here lies the Blue Dolphin on 3-11-2012. A sad ending to a once nice boat.
Below is a Google Earth image from 8-25-2011. You can see the Blue Dolphin tied to the end of the dock. A few informative hotspots have been added.
So what is the mystery? Well, why does the Department of Ecology claim the vessel sank at Shannon Point? She obviously sank right where she has been tied up for a long time……about 200 yards fwest of the Anacortes terminal of the Guemes Ferry. Shannon Point is 2.3 NM to the west.
The Hunley: submarines, sacrifice & success in the Civil War
I’m beginning to become interested in Civil War history. The Hunley has been the catalyst.
I often think of history as boring and dull. A musty collection of dry facts and figures that have little relevance to the 21st century. Who cares? Well, now I know. Mark K. Ragan cares. The Hunley is fanatically well researched but assembled so it is interesting and easy to read. The Confederate story comes alive with a new invention out of Mobile, Alabama. Submarine warfare is born. Charleston, South Carolina is the proving ground.
The sea trials were a little rough. She sank twice before completing her one successful mission, sinking the USS Housatonic, on February 14, 1864. And then she vanished for 131 years.
Her story is absolutely fascinating, as are the many old photographs and copies of documents found in naval archives and elsewhere. I would never have believed that so much information could be pieced together after all that time. The story and the glory of the Hunley are exhaustively researched and well told.
The discovery, salvage and preservation of the Hunley occupy only a small segment of this book. For the ongoing story of the Hunley in the 21st century, a bit of personal research is in order. She now rests in a museum. She has a fabulous website and a high profile list of friends. Please, do surf the Hunley website, since you are already on the web. It is well done, interactive and so worthwhile. Should I ever get to Charleston, S.C. a visit to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center at the Old Navy Base is a top priority. Should you have even a faint flicker of interest in submarines or Civil War history…..this book is the definitve statement.
Google has an image gallery, that gives a visual taste of the fascinating world of marine archeology and forensics applied to the Hunley. Don’t miss it. The paperback edition this book is inexpensive and would make for a whale of a read on a rainy blustery night at anchor.
