Author Archives: explorenewness

a NEW book challenge

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Happy Saturday!

I’ve finished my personal challenge of reading a book from each genre listed on the Goodreads search page. My final list is below. Now for my next NEW reading challenge. I’m going to start an A-Z reading challenge. I may or may not read them all in order, we’ll see. So many books, so little time! Let me know about any really great book recommendations that I should put on my ever-growing list!

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW today!

***Finished list of books read for the Goodreads genre challenge:

Art: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon (3 stars).

Biography: Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman (3 stars)

Business: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance (3 stars)

Chick Lit: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks (3 stars)

Children’s: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, (3 stars)

Christian: Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again (2 stars)

Classics: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (3 stars)

Comics: Big Nate Nailed It! by Lincoln Peirce (2 stars)

Contemporary: Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 stars)

Cookbooks: Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines

Crime: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (3 stars)

Ebooks: (multiple books on this list!)

Fantasy: Six of Crows (3.5 stars)

Fiction: Homecoming by Kate Morton (3 stars)

Gay and Lesbian: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 stars)

Graphic Novel: Steve Jobs: Insanely Great by Jessie Hartland (3 stars)

Historical Fiction: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill (3 stars)

History: The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s Ten-Year Road Trip by Jeff Guinn (3 stars)

Horror: The Birds and Other Stores by Daphne de Maurier (3.5 stars)

Humor and Comedy: How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur (3 stars)

Manga: Kung Fu Klutz and Karate Cool by D.J. Milky, Mark Seidenberg, and Erich Owen (2 stars)

Memoir: A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (3 stars)

Music: Who was Johnny Cash by Jim Gigliotti (3 stars)

Mystery: Little Big Lies by Liane Moriarty (3 stars)

Nonfiction: The Tale-Tell Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human by V.S. Ramachandran (3 stars)

Paranormal: The Custodians, Beyond Abduction by Dolores Cannon (3 stars)

Philosophy: The Little Book of Philosophy: An Introduction to the Key Thinkers and Theories You Need to Know by Rachel Poulton (3 stars)

Poetry: Three Stories and Ten Poems by Ernest Hemingway (3 stars)

Psychology: The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter (3 stars)

Religion: A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women’s Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (3 stars)

Romance: The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams (3 stars)

Science: This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin (3 stars)

Science Fiction: Legion by Brandon Sanderson (3.5 stars)

Self Help: Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown (3 stars)

Suspense: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (3 stars)

Spirituality: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner (3 stars)

Sports: The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein (3 stars)

Thriller: The Whistler by John Grisham (3 stars)

Travel: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts (3 stars)

Young Adult: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (3 stars)

(Image generated by MidJourney AI)

a NEW collage of our most recent waterfall chase

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Happy Saturday!

I thought I’d better hurry and post all the waterfalls we saw on our recent trip to northern California before I forgot the names or can’t remember which were which in my photo stash. So here goes:

Top left: Burney Falls, (#51 on my Waterfalls Bucket List)

Top middle: Potem Falls (#50)

Top left of top right quad group: Lower McCloud Falls. (#52)

Top right of top right quad group: Upper McCloud Falls (#52)

Lower left of top right quad group: Lower Kings Creek Falls (#54)

Lower right, top right quad group: Hedge Creek Falls (#53)

Lower left: Whiskeytown Falls: (#55)

Lower middle, top of double group: Crystal Creek Falls (#56)

Lower middle, bottom of double group: Upper Kings Creek Falls (#54)

Lower right: Middle McCloud Falls (#52)

Have a terrific day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW Thursday thought

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Happy Thursday!

I was stalking this little guy recently. I captured him as he hopped around on the ground, then he flittered into the trees. Here he was, hopping around on the ground.

I captured him on this ledge, and then all of a sudden he took flight.

Today’s lesson: Don’t hop around the ground forever. Take flight!

Have a great day and I hope you learn or do something NEW today.

a few NEW photo challenge entries

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Happy Tuesday!

When I saw Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge topic today of “Sticks and Stones”, I knew I should have an image or two from our recent trip to enter. I remembered snapping quite a few “tree art” photos.

As we hiked to a waterfall on our trip, we passed by a burn area and I snapped another “tree art” photo that I thought would work well for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness photo challenge.

And lastly, here is my son having a stone skipping contest while we were visiting Grand Teton National Park. I’m pretty sure this is Jackson Lake. So, obviously, this image is for Cee’s “Sticks and Stones” challenge also.

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW update to my National Parks bucket list

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Happy Friday!

Today I’m updating my National Parks bucket list since we visited Lassen Volcanic National Park on our trip last week.

First, we stopped at Manzanita Lake and walked all the way around it, then hiked the Kings Creek Falls Trail, and lastly, we hiked down to Bumpass Hell (see photos…that’s where all the hot steam comes out). There were warning signs to stay on the path, so we wouldn’t end up like Mr. Bumpass who had to get his leg amputated because of burns he’d received from falling through. We were, of course, very careful to do so!

We’re up to 19 out of 63. Many more to go!

LIST OF US NATIONAL PARKS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (63 total)

  • Acadia National Park {done}
  • Arches National Park {done}
  • Badlands National Park
  • Big Bend National Park
  • Biscayne National Park
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park {done}
  • Bryce Canyon National Park {done}
  • Canyonlands National Park {done}
  • Capitol Reef National Park {done}
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
  • Channel Islands National Park
  • Congaree National Park
  • Crater Lake National Park
  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
  • Death Valley National Park
  • Denali National Park and Preserve
  • Dry Tortugas National Park
  • Everglades National Park
  • Gates of the Arctic National Park
  • Gateway Arch National Park 
  • Glacier National Park
  • Glacier Bay National Park
  • Grand Canyon National Park {done}
  • Grand Teton National Park {done}
  • Great Basin National Park
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park {done}
  • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
  • Haleakala National Park
  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park {done}
  • Hot Springs National Park
  • Indiana Dunes National Park
  • Isle Royale National Park
  • Joshua Tree National Park
  • Katmai National Park and Preserve
  • Kenai Fjords National Park
  • Kings Canyon National Park {done}
  • Kobuk Valley National Park
  • Lake Clark National Park
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park {done}
  • Mammoth Cave National Park
  • Mesa Verde National Park {done}
  • Mount Rainier National Park
  • National Park of American Samoa
  • New River Gorge National Park 
  • North Cascades National Park
  • Olympic National Park
  • Petrified Forest National Park
  • Pinnacles National Park
  • Redwood National Park {done}
  • Rocky Mountain National Park {done}
  • Saguaro National Park
  • Sequoia National Park {done}
  • Shenandoah National Park
  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park
  • Virgin Islands National Park
  • Voyageurs National Park
  • White Sands National Park 
  • Wind Cave National Park
  • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
  • Yellowstone National Park {done}
  • Yosemite National Park {done}
  • Zion National Park {done}

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW thought Thursday

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Happy Thursday!

I love the idea of having experiences that are so great people can’t put them into words. I wondered what some of those experiences might be, so after I created this image (with AI), I had AI come up with some ideas for such experiences. Here’s what it came up with:

*****

  • Experiencing nature in all its glory. Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, hiking to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, or swimming with dolphins are all experiences that can leave you speechless.
  • Witnessing a powerful work of art. Visiting the Louvre Museum, seeing the Mona Lisa in person, or attending a concert by your favorite band are all experiences that can move you on a deep emotional level.
  • Connecting with a loved one on a profound level. Falling in love, having a child, or sharing a moment of deep grief with a close friend are all experiences that can create an unbreakable bond between two people.
  • Achieving a personal goal that you have worked hard for. Graduating from college, getting your dream job, or winning a marathon are all experiences that can bring a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that is hard to describe.
  • Making a difference in the world. Volunteering your time to help others, starting a charity, or making a scientific breakthrough are all experiences that can give you a sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Here are some more specific examples:

  • Seeing the Northern Lights dance across the sky
  • Witnessing a birth or a death
  • Experiencing a deep religious or spiritual awakening
  • Coming close to death and then surviving
  • Helping to save someone’s life
  • Overcoming a major challenge or obstacle
  • Falling in love at first sight
  • Having a mystical or paranormal experience
  • Witnessing a natural disaster or other awe-inspiring event
  • Traveling to a new and exotic country
  • Learning a new language or culture
  • Meeting someone who changes your life

Ultimately, the experiences that are so great that people can’t put them into words are the ones that touch us on a deep level and leave us feeling changed forever. They are the experiences that make us feel alive, connected to the world around us, and grateful for all that we have.

*****

What do you think? Pretty accurate?

What NEW experience would you like to have that you might not be able to put into words? Something NEW to think about huh?

a NEW favorite waterfall

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Happy Tuesday!

We returned home from a fun trip where we chased a bunch of waterfalls, rode e-bikes, and hiked and hiked and hiked! So, I need to update my Waterfalls Bucket List. I believe I’ve found my NEW favorite waterfall. Burney Falls in Shasta County, California was amazing! Here are some more views from the trees as we walked down to it, and then hiked up the other side of the creek.

And here’s a longer shot of the area.

We hiked to 7 different waterfalls on our trip. I’ll try to show the other photos in upcoming posts. I debated counting more than 7 because a few had lower falls, then we hiked to the middle falls and then to upper falls, but I guess I’ll just count one falls per creek. I’m at 56 out of my bucket list of 100! Many more to go!

Have a great day. I hope you do or learn something NEW today!