I’m testing new names for my Book Corner series. Book Corner is dull and has no connection to coffee. Cafe Noir is black coffee, and noir is a novel genre, so it seemed to fit. I’ll let it brew and see if I like it or come up with something better. December was a bit slow for reading. I had already hit my goal for the year, so I only tried to finish my book Read more
We have reached the end of 2020. I’m almost ready to put this year behind me. What about you? Before we do that, I want to share the most popular posts from J Volden Photography in 2020. Did you read them all or did you miss a couple of these? If not, here you go! Ten Most Popular Posts from J Volden Photography A Brief History of the National Parks Colorado River How to Protect Read more
In Phoenix, we don’t get a first snow. Captain obvious, huh? Even though I am not a fan of Wisconsin winters, I have to admit there is something magical about a first snow. It feels like a chance at a fresh start, a clean slate. We get to enjoy this beautiful blanket of pure white snow covering the dead brown earth. It makes me almost miss snow. Almost. Snow means winter is really here. And Read more
Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day That’s the island greeting that we send to you From the land where palm trees sway Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night Mele kalikimaka is Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas to you Lyrics from Lele Kalikimaka by R. Alex Anderson and performed by Bing Crosby Read more
Every Damn Trail from Aravaipa Running is a challenge to finish every trail (duh) at a park of your choice from September to December. I picked Estrella Mountain and finished in about a month and a half. Estrella has about 50-55 miles of trails between the regular trails and the competitive track. When I finished I had done about 92 miles. It probably could have been a few less but mishaps and bad runs happen. Read more
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James 5 Stars In 1982, Viv heads to New York with dreams of being an actress. Instead, she ends up in Fell, working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. Strange things happen during the night, and soon Viv disappears. In 2017, Carly’s mom passes away, and she decides now is the time to finally learn more about her aunt Viv, who disappeared in 1982. Carly packs Read more
We recently returned from a trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was the kind of reset I needed. There’s nothing like being out in nature, especially when human interaction is limited and wildlife is on display. When we first arrived at our campsite, we were greeted by elk. We noticed them all around as we drove to the site. It was truly amazing. They came back each day and wandered around. Read more
I’m putting together my planners for 2021. I am changing a bit from what Ive done the past few years. Previously I used a vertical life planner, a daily petite, and a desk calendar. The system worked pretty well for me and I love the vertical planner. It makes sense in my head. I used the vertical life planner for my daily life: workouts, appointments, to-dos, bills due, etc. I used the daily petite for Read more
Have you ever been to Joshua Tree National Park? Joshua Tree is a vast place with several diverse areas. You can hike to a palm tree oasis, off-road to see some of the oldest and largest Joshua Tree, or hike to an old mine. On the hike to the mine, there are several old cars. I always wonder how these old cars get to these random places. They aren’t easy places to get to, by Read more
I love sweets. If I could, I would eat candy and cookies all day, every day. Going gluten free has been difficult because gluten makes all those baked goods (and pizza) yummy. But over the years, I’ve found brands I like and would buy again. I’ve also eaten a lot of bad cookies. As a blogger for the Online Nourished Festival, I received a box of cookies from Homefree. They sent me six different flavors Read more
