Big Miracle

I had really wanted to see Big Miracle in theaters but never got the chance. When I went to the library to see if I could put the DVD on hold, they didn't have it yet so I borrowed the book instead. Big Miracle by Tom Rose tells the true story of three stranded whales in Barrow, Alaska in October of 1988.  I was too young to know that this event happened and when the movie trailers came out, I was very interested.

The book shares the details of everyone that was involved in the whale rescue. From Greenpeace, the U.S. Navy and oil producers to (my favorite) Minnesotans who manufactured de-icers. I was amazed at the number of poeple involved and the amount of money spent on this rescue. The author also highlights the drama of what he calls the media-created-nonevent. If the cameras didn't capture it and televise it, the rescue probably would not have happened! But every TV network and even a few foreign media crews were in Barrow watching and televising the whole thing. That just boggles my mind.

Reading this book made me realize that I'm not (yes, I'm admitting this in public) very environmentally friendly. I honestly don't think whales are people. Do I want to protect them and keep them around -- yes. Do I think we need to spend six million dollars to save three of them? Probably not.

This book also had at least a dozen gramatical errors, which drove me nuts. I don't claim to know everything about English at all -- but even I can write complete sentences! In my opinion, since there is now a movie on the subject, there isn't really a reason to read this book. The story itself was interesting but I wasn't a fan of the way it was written and I didn't think it needed to be as long as it was.

I had really wanted to see Big Miracle in theaters but never got the chance. When I went to the library to see if I could put the DVD on hold, they didn't have it yet so I borrowed the book instead. Big Miracle by Tom Rose tells the true story of three stranded whales in Barrow, Alaska in October of 1988.  I was too young to know that this event happened and when the movie trailers came out, I was very interested.

The book shares the details of everyone that was involved in the whale rescue. From Greenpeace, the U.S. Navy and oil producers to (my favorite) Minnesotans who manufactured de-icers. I was amazed at the number of poeple involved and the amount of money spent on this rescue. The author also highlights the drama of what he calls the media-created-nonevent. If the cameras didn't capture it and televise it, the rescue probably would not have happened! But every TV network and even a few foreign media crews were in Barrow watching and televising the whole thing. That just boggles my mind.

Reading this book made me realize that I'm not (yes, I'm admitting this in public) very environmentally friendly. I honestly don't think whales are people. Do I want to protect them and keep them around -- yes. Do I think we need to spend six million dollars to save three of them? Probably not.

This book also had at least a dozen gramatical errors, which drove me nuts. I don't claim to know everything about English at all -- but even I can write complete sentences! In my opinion, since there is now a movie on the subject, there isn't really a reason to read this book. The story itself was interesting but I wasn't a fan of the way it was written and I didn't think it needed to be as long as it was.

Cline Winery

Photos from our afternoon spent at Cline winery in Sonoma California. 

the food and wine

the one I love

flower gardens

statues in the lagoon

Photos from our afternoon spent at Cline winery in Sonoma California. 

the food and wine

the one I love

flower gardens

statues in the lagoon

Road Trip to Sonoma

We are not very good at planning our three-day weekends in advance, which means that all the camp sites are full and other over-night options pass us by. But, determined to go somewhere and do something, Chris and I decided to go hiking.

We found out that there was a Historical State Park where the famous author Jack London lived not to far from Sonoma. On Saturday morning, I woke up to find Chris making us a picnic lunch! I made breakfast and soon after we left on our almost two-hour long road trip. The weather was really great and it was a beautiful drive.

Jack London and his wife had built there dream house north of Sonoma in a fairly secluded woodsy area. It was made of stone and lava rock; the 18-room home cost a lot of money (especially for the early 1900s). Just weeks before they were set to move in, a fire burned it down. All that remained was the stone walls. The ruins of his dream home in the forest were beautiful. He planned to rebuild it but died within a few years after and that plan was never realized. It was tragic . . . but beautiful.

(See more photos here)

After two hours of walking around his vast property and taking in all the beauty of it, we drove just 20 minutes south to stop at a winery our friends had mentioned to us long ago. Not many wineries offer free tastings but this one did. The grounds of this winery (like most I'm sure) were absolutely gorgeous. There were fountains, flower beds, trees and lagoons.

We took our time with the tasting, trying several I had never heard of before. Most were delicious, especially the port-like sweet wine they gave us at the end! (I'm always a fan of wine that goes well with chocolate!) Chris picked out one of the wines we tried and bought a bottle.

We took out or packed lunch and enjoyed our wine right there at the winery! I'll be honest, it was pretty romantic.

(see more photos here)

We had a wonderful afternoon together exploring and relaxing. Getting away for a three-day weekend would have been nice, but this one-day get away was just as sweet (not to mention more affordable and less stressful).

We are not very good at planning our three-day weekends in advance, which means that all the camp sites are full and other over-night options pass us by. But, determined to go somewhere and do something, Chris and I decided to go hiking.

We found out that there was a Historical State Park where the famous author Jack London lived not to far from Sonoma. On Saturday morning, I woke up to find Chris making us a picnic lunch! I made breakfast and soon after we left on our almost two-hour long road trip. The weather was really great and it was a beautiful drive.

Jack London and his wife had built there dream house north of Sonoma in a fairly secluded woodsy area. It was made of stone and lava rock; the 18-room home cost a lot of money (especially for the early 1900s). Just weeks before they were set to move in, a fire burned it down. All that remained was the stone walls. The ruins of his dream home in the forest were beautiful. He planned to rebuild it but died within a few years after and that plan was never realized. It was tragic . . . but beautiful.

(See more photos here)

After two hours of walking around his vast property and taking in all the beauty of it, we drove just 20 minutes south to stop at a winery our friends had mentioned to us long ago. Not many wineries offer free tastings but this one did. The grounds of this winery (like most I'm sure) were absolutely gorgeous. There were fountains, flower beds, trees and lagoons.

We took our time with the tasting, trying several I had never heard of before. Most were delicious, especially the port-like sweet wine they gave us at the end! (I'm always a fan of wine that goes well with chocolate!) Chris picked out one of the wines we tried and bought a bottle.

We took out or packed lunch and enjoyed our wine right there at the winery! I'll be honest, it was pretty romantic.

(see more photos here)

We had a wonderful afternoon together exploring and relaxing. Getting away for a three-day weekend would have been nice, but this one-day get away was just as sweet (not to mention more affordable and less stressful).