Let's Call It

Another summer has come to a close. For me, it was a rough summer. Almost no traveling, early mornings, hot days with lots of work but little to do. I spent hours upon hours in the cab of my mixer this summer. More than I spent at home to be honest. But I got through it and came out the other side with the usual sense of accomplishment. To get an idea of what my summer was like, I spent most of it driving around in good ole truck 44. We got to know each other pretty intimately, what after pulling a handful of all nighters together, more than a dozen 12 hour work days and even one 18 hour work day. Here are a few pics so we can all get the idea.

She's a dirty old gal.

That's how I make the concrete go!

The view from my office.

This is what my day looks like much of the time. 

Washing it out at the end of every work day.

I hate sidewalks. So hard not to hit people.

But somedays, it's all worth it for one beautiful moment.

Prince Caspian

So what can we say about this book? They made it into a movie and it was awful. This book is all about faith, faith in things that haven't been seen, faith in things that have been forgotten, and faith in yourself. By now Narnia has fallen into the hands of the Telmarines, a group of humans that hate all things magical and done everything they can to wipe out the talking animals, dwarves and other magical folk. Our young Prince Caspian is the only one who really believes in magic and quite frankly he's the only one who wants to get all the talking beasts back. This book is the one that is most riddled with allegory, so I will make it brief. Faith, believing in things you can't see. Aslan comes to save the day again along with the help of the other children. Honestly, the only reason I ever read this one is because it sets up the next book. My favorite book. So look for that post to be out soon!

Just Because!

We went to the lake again!

It's a big world.

So much to consider.

Cliffside at the Great Salt Lake.

Smile for the camera!

This is my new friend!

Billy the Buoy.

A tire!

Oooh

Ahhh

Billy followed me home!

The Horse and His Boy

What is there to say about this book? It takes place during the reign of King Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy, a time of relative peace for Narnia. You know what, I was just going to write a synopsis of this book while pointing out some themes and junk, but now I'm not going to do that. I'm just gonna let it gush. This book is great. It is purely a cinderella story, kid has a terrible step father, runs away with a talking horse, makes a new friend out of a runaway princess (riding another talking horse) and makes his way towards Narnia. But what makes this such a great book is the storytelling. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on storytelling. So from here I'm going off on a tangent.
Storytelling.
It's becoming a lost art. Or maybe it's just becoming less important, or less apparent in today's world. Especially in the spoken form, a well spoken story can send shivers up your spine and put goosebumps on your arms. Yet a poorly done story, even if it is something amazing, will leave you with nothing. In my own personal view, the only thing I can remember about poorly worded stories are how often the person said, "um" or "like" or any number of filler words that drive me insane! A story is like a river, it has flow, it has a current, it is supposed to take you away. Maybe that's why I love these books so much, because it's good storytelling. Plain and simple. I already know what is going to happen, but I enjoy reading them because even though these are children's book and I've read them a dozen times. I still get lost in the flow. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. It's magical. It's simple. It's beautiful. It's just good storytelling.

I Was Inside A Mountain!

The day was much like any other, except I had been giving the day off. A rarity for me, I decided to make the most of it. So I saddled up my trusty motor steed and set off into the mountains. Up and up I went, winding my way towards the Guardsman Pass. As I made the ascent I was comforted by my constant companions, the road, fresh mountain air, and my faithful steed. We had no purpose being there other than our being and that was more than enough to compel us onward. Upon reaching the summit I gazed into the distance, dark clouds loomed to the north, an ill omen for such a journey as this. For this reason, when I happened upon a fork in the road upon my descent, I chose the southern route. This path took me down from the mountain pass into the town of Midway where I had the good fortune of running into the mother of a good friend of mine. We conversed for a short while and she sent me on my way with the knowledge of more adventure! There was a cave, the Timpanogos Cave, a short way off. A wonder to behold, I knew that is where I would venture to on this most adventurous day. In a short time I found myself at the foot of the mountain, up an over again I had to make my way to the cave on the far side. Seventeen miles of pure motorcycling bliss. Linking one turn into the next and shaded by aspen groves I scaled the great peak. (In all seriousness, it was amazing. I was literally giggling for 17 miles.) The cave was close at hand by then, unfortunately the last mile and a half had to be climbed by foot. So I set about at my task and arrived at the cave huffing and puffing, but I had made it. To my great fortune I (and because I somewhat planned it) I serendipitously ran into Ms. Jones. The knowledgeable and gracious host of the Timpanogos Cave. Upon entering the cave I was introduced to a subterranean spectacle of colors, sounds, smells and stories. It was really quite a marvelous time and anyone who has the time should make the journey to see it for themselves as I'm certain my account can not do it proper justice. Alas, after exiting the cave my endeavors were at an end. A quick walk down the hill and a uneventful ride home gave me time to reflect upon and appreciate the good memories I had made.

Life finds a way...

Across the valley

The climb

Gasp! It's a sign!

Thank you Ms. Jones!

   

The Classic

After a rough work week (and handful of all-nighters and one sixteen hour day) I was finally able to finish book two in the series. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. By far the most well known book in the series, I've decided not to go in depth on this one because many of you probably already know it. I do love how C.S. Lewis breaks the fourth wall in this book. He does it often and he does it well, just steps right out of the story to address the reader. It amuses me. One such time,
"'It's all right! It isn't Her!' This was bad grammar of course, but that's how beavers talk when they are excited; I mean, in Narnia, in our world they usually don't talk at all."
That snipit is just the right amount of whimsy for me, I laugh and think about how I've never heard a beaver talk but if I ever did I might know what it sound like.
There are plenty of times I wish I could run away to a place like Narnia, talk to animals, dance with the trees, swim with merpeople and do all the things that are only possible in one's imagination. So for now I'll just keep on reading, dreaming and making the best out of the real world I have in front of me.

The Magic of Words

As the temperatures rise and the summer drags on I find myself looking for solace in words. In this case, words I have read many times before and look forward to reading again. I'm talking about my favorite books. Books that I have read so many times that I almost have them memorized, yet somehow I learn something new every time I read them. It is like going to your favorite restaurant, you already know what is on the menu and what you're going to get, but it is always enjoyable. So what are my favorite books? Who are the old friends that I've decided reacquaint myself with over the summer? The Chronicles of Narnia of course! Books that I have been reading since I was just a wee child. Why these books you ask? There are lots of reasons. First of all, they are easy to read. They were written for children and seeing as how I'm just an overgrown child, they are perfect for me. Secondly, I love magic! That's why I also love Harry Potter, but that is beside the point. Thirdly, the Chronicles of Narnia were my introduction to magic and fantasy and the world of possibilities that only the written word can provide. It is nice to go back to the beginning, to where my lifelong love of fiction first blossomed. So, I thought I would share my adventure with you so that maybe you remember the magic of words.

Book one, The Magicians Nephew

I feel like this book is incredibly underrated in the series, it's the story that begins all other stories. Is it necessary to understand the rest of the books? No, but it gives backbone to all the other books. It also lets you witness the creation of Narnia, I don't mean you get to discover Narnia, I mean that you are there as the first day dawns on a new world. It is like Bob Ross taking a blank canvas and watching him cover it with happy little trees, but 800 times better. It gives you a connection to the place, not just the characters and I love it. 

My favorite quote from the book:

"Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that very often succeed."

Wow, C.S. Lewis you crafty devil. The lies we tell ourselves so that we don't have to face the truth. To think that these books are written for children! I guess it just goes to show you that even though the target audience is children, people of any age can still take something away. 

I think one of the things I like most about C.S. Lewis is that he leaves much of the story to the imagination of the reader, at times he speaks directly to the reader to explain why he is leaving out a certain part of the story. Many times this is because what he is trying to describe is so good, that the only way to get his point across is to leave it to you, the reader, to imagine something that you love and then to expand upon that with your own imagination. For me, a man child with a very active imagination, every time I read these kinds of passages, it changes. This might account for why I'm able to reread these books every summer. 

Whew!

This post came out more like a book report than anything, a scatterbrained book report, but that's ok. There will be six more very similar to this over the next little while. For those of you who haven't read the books yet, I highly suggest you do, do it for your inner child.