The Global War on Morris by Steve Israel

The Global War on Morris by Steve Israel

A most entertaining book if you have an interest in government and the ludicrous complexity of the bureaucracy that it supports. 
It is entertaining as it is a satirical, humorous book written by a congressman about a typical American family and how they get drawn into  the "war on terror".
Morris is an unassuming, middle-class American living a quiet placid life in suburban USA. He is a salesman for a pharmaceutical company. 
He has a dalliance with a receptionist at one of the companies he visits. In an attempt to hide his misadventure from his  wife Rona, he inadvertently gets mixed up with a drug criminal who is under observation from homeland security and at least 2 other government agencies.  Each agency doesn't know about the other agencies activities and life quickly becomes very complicated for everyone concerned.
The whole situation gets even more convoluted  when Rona feels sorry for a young Arab pool attendant and his friends in Florida and decides she is going to help them with counselling, her profession.
 Unfortunately for Morris and Rona, the young Arabs  really are terrorists just waiting for their turn at "going to paradise".
The plot thickens and if you read on through many layers of confusion and misinterpretation by all the agencies, eventually you will then find out if  Morris and Rona will ever get their old life  back.

"Cherries" first challenge painting for August

"Cherries" first challenge painting for August

Acrylic 8" x 12"

Yes, I know the cherries look more like plums or small apples and it's very dark but that's the best I could do! I always have trouble painting a subject when it is larger than the original item. 
 The challenge photo on "paintinganddrawtogether" seemed to me to have larger cherries than normal and it was a very dark painting.
See below. What do you think?

original photo challenge

I did try it first in watercolor paint on a smaller size but I find water- color paint didn't seem right for this subject. Just too light!!
See the rest of the paintings here.Some are wonderful
www.paintanddrawtogether.blogspot.com

Unfinished watercolor.

Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon

Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon

Intrigue, spying, daring, difficult to understand at times but once you get involved, this is a book you just can't put down especially as you suspect the book has episodes that closely relate to true experiences.

This excellent spy novel is set in 1949 Berlin at the time when Germany and Berlin, in particular were divided into war zones. The Berlin airlift was  providing supplies to the excluded parts of Berlin that were in the German and Russian zones. It was a time just after the finish of the war and set in the devastation. disorganization  and ruins of a bombed out country.

Into this mess and confusion, comes Alex Meiers, a young Jewish writer, who fled Germany during the war but because of his youthful politics and his support of Communism, has been told he will be deported from America. He makes a deal with the CIA to win back his place in America by becoming an agent in his native Berlin. Having no choice, he agrees to do so. He appears to be welcomed by his old remaining German friends as an honored native returning writer but quickly becomes involved in a complex game  where he never is sure just who his real friends are and just what he has become involved in.

A very interesting book to read and a real page-turner!!

Welcome to Little Nathan

Welcome to Little Nathan
Nathan Ian Burton, born on  August 9, 2015.

Nathan with proud Mom and Dad
The baby was 7lb. 1 oz, and was 19" long, He weighed 7,1lbs

Something very special happened in our lives this week. Something that hadn't happened anytime before.
We became Great grandparents for the first time.

It wasn't a complete surprise as Chrissy, our granddaughter had kept everyone well informed during her pregnancy and we knew at sometime during August, little Nathan Ian Burton would make his entry into this world.

Great Nanny Bond with Nathan








                                                Great Grandad Bond with Nathan

He was eager to get here I am sure as he was a few weeks early but came into the world healthy and like all brand new babies so very, very cute.We all loved him immediately.

His family, the Burtons and the Bonds were all there to welcome him.  All the relatives and friends from near and far , so many it seems, sent their good wishes cards and calls.

We all wish him a happy, joyful, healthy, successful and fulfilling life .
We send our congratulations to his parents, Chrissy and Ben and know
that with this addition to their family, life will now change but also for the better, how could it not, with such a beautiful baby boy to love and cherish.

2nd Challenge painting for July

2nd Challenge painting for July

The other challenge for July was the creative challenge issued for the topic"Extra Second" for the Facebook page, Monthly Painters Challenge .

 With this Challenge, the artists are given a topic at the beginning of the month, set by the artist who got the most "likes" for a previous challenge.
It really makes you think of a topic that would be just right for the challenge and then also something that you could actually paint! Creativity plus skill !!
It leads to a lot of discussion in our house.
I finally narrowed my choice between a person running across a train track at the last minute, or a racehorse with one extra second needed to win the race!!
You can see which one I chose.This is an acrylic painting on canvas.
If you wish to see the other entries go to the Facebook page , select Albums and check out"Extra Second"

Challenge painting- Fruit Bowl

Challenge painting- Fruit Bowl 
Acrylic  12'x10" in the still life style of the Old Masters

This is my attempt at the challenge put out on the  PADT (paintanddrawtogether.blogspot.com for July
This was chosen by the administrator of the blogspot . The idea is for all the artists to be challenged to take the original painting and from it make their own painting by taking some ideas or parts or style so all the finished paintings are similar but different.You really need to visit the blog to see what I mean. It is fascinating to see how each artist interprets the original idea in his/her own way. Maybe you would also like to join in and give it a try!!

From the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art
Fruit Basket- still life painting
Juan VanderHamen y Leon 1629

The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell by William Klabber

The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell by William Klabber

A historical novel based on the Story of Lucy Lobdell who lived in the early nineteen century.  This was a woman who was born before her time and wanted to be allowed to do the things that men could do but women were not allowed to do.Loved by her father she had been taught well to fire a gun and do chores as any young man would do and she enjoyed it. 
An unhappy marriage and a husband who deserted her and her child,led to her running away to try to make a life of her own . So she decided to dress and act like a man which she wished she was.
Her travels, to make a living for herself in early America had her travelling even to the Western frontier. She had a hard life but determined as she was,  she managed to find another woman to love and in some ways fulfilled her dream.
 A sad book to read as her trials were many but the book holds the reader well and despite the sadness it makes you have hope that all will end well.

I wrote this review before I went on my vacation and just now found it so here it is. Way behind with the book reviews but I'll catch up eventually!!