Spain, Day by Day

Spain, Day by Day is a Frommer’s travel guide book. I have to say, it is one of the best I’ve come across in the last decade. Most guidebooks are the “see this, do that” kind with a few photos tossed in. Day by Day does this more effectively. It suggests strategies for enjoying a visit to the Iberian Peninsula and then proceeds with itineraries. Furthermore, there are regional sub-guides with routes to follow according to various cultural experiences. Topics like “wine lovers” point the way to specific interests so you don’t have to plow through the rest for which you have no desire.

Spain, Day by Day, is clearly written, beautifully photographed, and the maps very useful. Having visited Spain many times, I was pleased to see how what I saw shows up in the book. Of course, I also see what I’ve missed. Therefore, I’m using this book as one of my resources in planning the next sojourn. For the price, it’s been a great help.

Published in: on June 26, 2011 at 1:22 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Hard Knocks Down Under

The Broken Shore is the first Peter Temple book I’ve read. It features Joe Cashin, a detective haunted by a splintered family, nagging injuries, and his own questions about justice under the law. The story begins with the attack and subsequent death/murder of a wealthy local man. As Cashin is on and off the case, societal tensions are exposed as well as old wounds in his own personal history. The story careens around odd corners and meanders through Cashin’s past and present, revealing the details about a place where the friction is no longer under the surface. I would have preferred a bit more plot and a bit less interdiction for family heartstrings.

Much has been made about Temple’s writing style. It does have a staccato beat, which at times can be distracting. Chapter endings are a bit like stepping off a cliff. His sparse dialog may leave you guessing sometimes, too. However, he does paint the picture of a portion of Australia many American readers may not know. I’m going read another of his books because this installment has piqued my curiosity.

Published in: on June 23, 2011 at 3:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Martha’s Vineyard Flight

Recently, I had the pleasure of a nice cross country flight from my home base to the island of Martha’s Vineyard. The day was just about perfect: clear skies, light winds, great visibility. Here’s a photo just as I make a turn in over the island from the west.

Beautiful green scenery below. At this point, I was speaking with the tower. Great controllers on duty there, handling the traffic, which on a day like this one can be hectic. We flew in to the field and then onto a right downwind leg for Runway 24. After turning base, then starting on final, the next photo was taken.

There’s plenty of runway down there for the Cirrus to land. We touched down nicely then rolled over to the transient parking. After a snack at the airport restaurant, we took a short ride around one part of the island. I’ll have a few photos of that in the next post here at The Bent Page. Mean time, back to flying. After the tour, fueling up, preflight, and final checks, we headed for departure from Runway 24. Here’s a look just as the takeoff roll begins.

Looks like we’re going into warp drive there. Not quite. But the Cirrus does have some get up and go. We were off the ground in no time, climbing out to the proper altitude for the flight home. Here’s a view just as we’re leaving the edge of the island.

Heading toward Newport, RI, it was blue water below, blue skies above. Can’t beat that. This was a great flight all in all. The airplane performed well, the weather cooperated, and Martha’s Vineyard was an interesting place to see from both the ground and the air. I look forward to making this trip again, and possibly out to Nantucket. More about that later. Special thanks to my pal, Ben, for the company and photos while flying and to his father for the personal tour on the island.

Published in: on June 21, 2011 at 2:37 pm  Comments (1)  
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More thin crust please!

I posted here at The Bent Page several times with regard to Jules Thin Crust pizza of Doylestown, PA, USA. Well, here goes again. Stopped in there recently to find the quality as good as ever. Take a look at the long view of options.

Lots of options there. We whittled it down to four. Here they are.

Above on the left you have sausage, onions, and basil. On the right you see a tomato pie with extra garlic. Here are two more.

The left side has spinach and ricotta, the right is soybean and caramelized onions. All great choices on the thin crust that has more flavor than you would expect. Ingredients are organic; service is excellent.

Doylestown is a great place to visit for the shops, the colonial buildings, and to have a great slice of pizza. Enjoy it all.

Published in: on June 20, 2011 at 7:55 pm  Leave a Comment  
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