My Sister Rocks

My sister is a college professor and she teaches reading. How does that work you may ask? Well here she is in this video explaining it:

Book Review: Neutral Buoyancy

I am not a diver but after reading Shadow Divers I became interested in reading about diving and picked up a couple of books. I just finished "Neutral Buoyancy" and really enjoyed it.

The book tells the history of diving along with personal diving stories about the author's underwater adventures around the globe. It's beautifully written and his passion for diving shines through.

The highlight for me was the history of "the bends" and how the true cause was discovered. I also enjoyed the chapter on free diving which comes near the end. It is an interesting counterpoint to most of the book which is about the evolution of diving technology. It is like diving has come full circle.

Now I'm reading "Last Breath" which despite the title is not about diving. Thanks Karen for the recommending this book. I'm an adventure book junky (most mountain climbing books) and this one is up my alley.

Book Review: Over The Edge Of The World

"Over The Edge Of The World" is the story of the first circumnavigation of the globe in a boat by Magellan and his crew. The story goes into great detail about life on a ship in the Age of Discovery. They would set sail on a mystery tour for years at a time. To get a sense of what it was like we can compare it to space travel today.

The book starts with background details on Magellan's life and the politics of the times. For some reason Dukes and Archbishops and Kings don't really interest me but I kept at it because I knew it was necessary to have the background. Once Magellan's armada set sail the interesting stuff began. I was fascinated with the hierachy on the ships and how Magellan was almost a mythical figure even to the crew who didn't see him too often. As commander he had full authority by the King to be judge, jury and executioner (and he certainly exercised this authority). Where and when they sailed was also up to him and the crew had no choice - they verged on being slaves.

Sailing around the world required finding a rumored strait through the Americas which is now called the Straits of Magellan for obvious reasons. But even after finding it, they had to cross the Pacific Ocean in search of the "Spice Islands". The story is filled with great adventure, mutiny and bizarre interactions with native people.

I really enjoyed this book and it fit well with my current reading mood which is non-fiction. Next up is "Neutral Buoyancy" which is the history of deep sea diving. I got hooked on this topic when I read "Shadow Divers".

The Golden Spruce

I just finished reading The Golden Spruce. It's a true story about a one of kind Sitka Spruce on the West Coast of Canada that had golden leaves. This tree had religious and cultural meaning to a local indigenous tribe, the Haida, as well as been a member of the ever shrinking club of old growth forest. It was also revered by all local people and tourists alike.

The story is about an ex-logger turned activist (and perhaps crazy) who ended up cutting down the Golden Spruce as an act of protest. This story gives the author room to riff on various subjects such as the history of logging and the coming of the white man to the Pacific Northwest and he does an excellent job of it. I have a new understanding of the logging industry and when we were driving through the Cascades yesterday I was seeing the trees and clear cuts in a new way. I highly recommend this book.