New Blog!
Hi Everyone!
As most of you know, this blog is dedicated to our novel The Enchanted Cottage of Oceania: An American Fairytale, and all things bookish. I will sometimes add news, human rights stories, travel photos, or other things that we love, but in an effort to not spam you guys with random posts that aren’t book related I’ve started a separate personal blog.
I will be posting any and everything on my new blog… from architecture spams to travel dreams, novels in progress, job search stories… just any and everything really :-)
But this blog (Enchanted Cottage of Oceania), will absolutely still be just as active as it has always been…. in point of fact we have some amazing things coming up… (more contests and giveaways too!)… so stay tuned, and thanks as always!
Charlotte Brown: America Strong
She’s one of the best pole vaulters in the nation- she’s cleared over 11 feet! Harper would love this!
Very cool Charlotte. Cheering for you!
If my afternoon today had a theme song…. this would be it.
Happy Friday folks! So glad that the weekend is finally here!
(Source: Spotify)
A Workout For Book Nerds
All you need for this workout is a stack of hardcovers and some yarn or rope to tie them together!
Workout #1: The Book Curl
Workout #2: The Book Up
Workout #3: The Brunch (Book Crunch) - Just like brunch this can be done alone or with a friend!
Cool Down
Love this!
Resourceful much?
This miniature ecosystem has been thriving in an almost completely isolated state for more than forty years. It has been watered just once in that time.
The original single spiderwort plant has grown and multiplied, putting out seedlings. As it has access to light, it continues to photosynthesize. The water builds up on the inside of the bottle and then rains back down on the plants in a miniature version of the water cycle.As leaves die, they fall off and rot at the bottom producing the carbon dioxide and nutrients required for more plants to grow.
(via kehuno)
Midday digital vacation….. a trip to Brazil, c/o the great Nat King Cole.
(Source: Spotify)
Drivers, Please Be Careful
After almost being hit by a taxi, (again!) today, I think all drivers in DC need to recognize that pedestrians walking on their light deserve to make it across the street in one piece, and in peace. It is rude and dangerous to make turns when you clearly see pedestrians are crossing. Metro buses are sporting new creative signs that say things like “pedestrians don’t come with air bags” because pedestrian accidents are way too common now!
My mom saw a little boy get hit a few years ago in Georgetown. She was one of the first ones to call 911 and we tried to follow his story on the news because she was so worried about him. It was reported not long after the accident that he died. His family had been visiting Washington on a holiday. My mom still can’t get his father’s screams out of her mind.
If I was a small child, the taxi speeding to make that turn today ( on MY light), might have not seen me at all and hit me. I took the time to follow the taxi to the hotel where he was dropping off passengers to talk to him about his diving practices, but I don’t know if it even made a bit of difference.
I avoid confrontation at all costs, and I feel kind of bad for yelling ( hopefully not totally incoherently) in parts of the conversation but as I was deciding whether or not to confront him or keep walking, I kept thinking about that boy in Georgetown, and the toddler that just died not far from my house in a car accident so horrific that the first people on the scene reported that they couldn’t even stomach looking at the victims that they’d rushed over to help. Another tragic case of speeding.
It is only May, but tourists with bunches of kids and school groups have already started trickling into the city. Drivers have got to be more sensitive, let’s make this an accident-free summer in DC.
Milky Way Below Sea Level
“The photo shows the Milky Way just after twilight from the salt flats of El Gualicho in Patagonia, Argentina. Altitude is 72 meters below sea level. The Milky Way was visible to the naked eye even when the the sky was not totally dark yet. There’re hundreds of stars reflected on the salt too.” — Luis Argerich
Carmelo Hotel Photos & Videos | Four Seasons Resort Carmelo, Uruguay
View hotel photos and videos of Four Seasons Resort Carmelo, a luxury five-star resort in Carmelo, Uruguay.
My midday digital lunch vacation…. today I’m headed to Uruguay.
Astronaut Chris Hadfieldâs space station music video is a first
Chris Hadfield returns to Earth after his superstar turn in orbit.
Love him!
Despite its name, the maned wolf is not a wolf at all, nor is it a fox, coyote, or dog. It is the only member of the Chrysocyon genus, making it a truly unique animal, not closely related to any other living canid. One hypothesis for this is that the maned wolf is the last surviving species of the Pleistocene Extinction, which wiped out all other large canids from the continent.
(via anndruyan)
My Medical Choice
Opening a conversation on women’s health.
I already have the sniffles because of spring allergies, but this moving piece opened the flood gates. I love Angie’s art, her work, and her openness about her medical journey. I’m so glad that she’s healthy and happy, she seems like a wonderful person :-)
