Books and More

• Liberty Falling (Anna Pigeon Mysteries Book 7) by Nevada Barr - somewhat prophetic plot given what happened two years after this was published in another Neveda Barr mystery
• Deep South (Anna Pigeon Mysteries Book 8) by Nevada Barr - the most contemporary of the Barr books thus far with its TV-like plotline
• Choose Yourself! by James Altucher - I really like Altucher and this is his best work I have read so far
• History of the English Language by Seth Lerer - only listened to the first volume; interesting but not riveting
• The Art of War by Andrew Wilson- interesting look at the classic Chinese text
• Great Debate: Advocates and Opponents of the American Constitution by Thomas Pangle - some good topics about the debates surrounding the US Constitution but it was often hard to discern quotes and commentary
• Day Hikes and Overnights on the PCT - fabulous book with awesome maps
• How Few Remain (Southern Victory) by Harry Turtledove - interesting alternative history book; a bit tedious at times but good enough to continue on with the series
• The Royal Wulff Murders: A Novel (Sean Stranahan Mysteries Book 1) by Keith McCafferty - great mystery by a Field & Stream author

Early Birthday Weekend

• On Saturday, my parents came down with some early birthday pie!  We played Fluxx, then went to a family photo shoot at Terramar Beach.  I can't wait to see the results. Then we had lunch at Pizza Port Carlsbad.  It was a very fun day.
• On Sunday Jyoti and I went to Balboa Park.  It was very crowded due to a Halloween event but we parked on the west side and had a nice walk over Cabrillo Bridge.  There was a UCLA alumni event where we met great people.  We also visited the Timkin Museum.  I loved the 60's vintage architecture along with the art.  I wanted to go to the San Diego History Center for the Pacific Powerhouse exhibit.  It was pretty interesting but had some odd errors in some of the photos and captions.  Lastly, we went to the Museum of Art's Gauguin to Warhol exhibit which was fantastic.
  
  
  
  

Family Weekend

• Biking in Mission Bay - Bengt ran over some thorns and got several leaks in each tire
• Long walk on beach
• Two St. A's dinner parties

T774 Burnt Rancheria

The first overnight event of the season for Troop 774 was up in the Lagunas. We headed up to Burnt Rancheria campground on Friday night. As we drove higher, the temperature got lower. The patrols scattered to their individual campsites and everyone setup camp. The night ended up being pretty cold as it got into the 40's. I brought Sophie and I think she was a bit cold.
The next day was filled with some skills work. We taught fire starting, wood tools and cooking. I led a hike along the nearby PCT to a overlook with great views of the desert to the east. One of the troop stoves wouldn't work, so we used a propane burner that I brought. Unfortunately we ran out of gas and I had to head to Laguna Mt. Sports and Supply to get more. That is a great little stored, jam-packed with gear. I also got a coffee at the nearby Pine House Cafe. After dinner, there was a great campfire and an early night for me
Sunday morning we broke camp and headed back into town.

Sophie loves camping and being in the tent.

Sophie covered her food with grass and dirt for some reason.

Great Waves Weekend

• Awesome sunset dinner at Ki's
• Good bodysurfing at Moonlight Beach
• Sophie was very nervous at St. A's crazy Blessing of the Animals

Post by The Episcopal Church.