Book Reviews

Although I have never reviewed a book on this blog I find that I'm compelled to tell you about two books I read this week.  Each one is entirely different from the other but both fascinated me in an all consuming way.

The first book that I started at the beginning of the week, Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne is the historically accurate account, data the author has taken from many books, personal diaries and articles, is the story of the Plains Indians, the nomadic warriors of which there were several bands after their migration from the Northern Plains to the buffalo hunting grounds in the Southwest.  After a raid which killed many people at Parker Fort, Cynthia Ann Parker was taken as a nine year old.  Little is known of her life until twenty five years later when she is recaptured by the whites and taken back to live with her family, the Parkers of Parker County, Texas.  She grieved for the rest of her life for her two sons who disappeared in a raid by the Texas Rangers on one of their encampments in the Panhandle of Texas.  Her daughter, Prairie Flower died while she was with her family in Texas.  Cynthia Ann, who saw her husband Peta Nocona killed at the hands of the white man eventually starves herself in her grief for her Indian family.  During the many battles between the Texas Rangers and the various Indian tribes who eventually band together and ride against the encroaching whites, the Civil War begins and ends.  Quanah Parker the eldest son of Cynthia Ann and Peta Nocona becomes the most powerful Indian chief at the time they all surrender to live on a reservation which is now Oklahoma.  We learn  cruelty from both sides, atrocities commited by both the Indians and the whites.  Author S. C. Gwynne gives a most thorough review of those years and of the different Texas Rangers who became excellent Indian fighters.  Living in Texas I can associate the places where battles were fought, possibly very near where I live.  One of the last pictures of Cynthia Ann (and pictured in the book) was taken in Fort Worth, Texas.

The second book, A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron, is an extraordinary story of one dog who is reincarnated four times, each time taking along things he has learned about himself and the humans he encounters and loves until he fulfills the true meaning of his life.  Told from the viewpoint of the dog, the story is funny and also heartbreaking, much as life is.  Any dog lover will love this book.  I read it in one day because I just couldn't put it down.  It is not a history like Empire of the Summer Moon but I was equally entranced and totally moved by it.  Can you tell I am a dog lover?

Ho Hum!

Ho Hum, I am so sleepy.  Tinker just cracks me up!  I was watching TV the other night and I looked over at Tinker and she looked like she was watching TV also, getting bored and about to doze off. 

Looking Through a Lens

I finally did it. I bought a new camera body that will fit the lenses I have for my other camera. The Nikon D90 will suit me just fine, it has some new gadgets that the D80 doesn't have and I think I absolutely need - like a larger LCD viewing screen. I recently bought a Nikkor f/3.5 - 6.3, 18 - 200mm for a walkabout lens and I want an f/2.8- 300mm lens to take to Africa with me. The 300mm lens weighs 6.4 lbs. and I imagine I'm not going to like carrying that around, it's not a zoom lens but to take pictures of wildlife, it's essential.

TCU has adult education classes and I signed up today for their photography class that starts in May so that I can truly learn all the secrets that the D90 holds. Wish me luck.

Hope that soon I'll have fantastic photos to post.

Af- ri- ca

A three syllable word that means thrills, excitement, awesome sights, lifelong dream...

I'm mentioning casually that I won a trip to Africa....have to be casual or I'll be jumping up and down for months! It all started with Marie asking me if I wanted to go to the Mardi Gras party that "Meals on Wheels" was putting on to raise money. I said I would go, although I wasn't too enthusiastic about it.


I got there and believe me, I had a wonderful time. I met a lot of new people and bid on some silent auctions, had dinner, a few drinks and I thought I was all through.


Ha! Then came the Live Auctions. They had a few local trips and even a chihuahua puppy that I wasn't interested in and I thought I was safe. Then....along came an all expense paid trip to Namibia for two for a photo safari. Well I've always wanted to go to Africa so I bid on it. And then bid again, and again and again and then once more - and I won!

The safari people are coming to my house on Friday to tell me all about it, I guess to tell me I'll be living in a tent surrounded by leopards, snakes and scorpions with only a camera for defense.

Springtime in Africa is in September, about a month before summer officially starts and the temperature starts to rise higher than 115 degrees. The safari company has a website, if you are interested in looking at all the wonderful things they do. http://www.sumsare.net/ . Take a peek, maybe you will want to plan a real safari - with guns!

In the meantime, I'm going to all the airline sites to find flights that aren't too expensive. I think the flight will be in two legs, one from here to Frankfurt, Germany and another from Frankfurt to Windhoek, Namibia.

Already I am picturing myself packing a suitcase. OOOOhhhh that's the worse part of the whole trip. How many 'things' can I live without for a week?

Vet Blues

Tinker went to the vet today and got a total of seven shots, including her rabies shot. She also had her teeth cleaned and she is feeling depressed and sore all over. She's mad at me too, doesn't even want to look at me. If I walk up to her she turns her head away.

Dogs are funny that way when they feel they have been betrayed. I guess people are too but since dogs have those long tongues and can't form words, their actions have to speak louder.