This book kept showing up on lists of favorites by other readers I follow. But I was hesitant to read ANOTHER World War II story. But I relented and downloaded it to listen to on audible on our recent road trip. It was a very pleasant surprise. Please enjoy my book review of Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan.
Sullivan happened upon the story of Pino Lella, a real person, who became an uncommon hero in Italy during World War II. When Sullivan approached the aging Lella, Lella didn’t understand how anyone could think him a hero or want to write his story.
But Lella is another, like many before him, who risked everything during WWII to do what he knew was right in his heart and save many, many people in the process. Pino Lella, an Italian teenager, was a real hero.
Sullivan walks the reader through the Italian side of WWII, in itself a refreshing storyline war story. Pino’s first hand account of what happened to him, as well as extensive research by the author, creates a suspenseful and often hard-to-believe tale of life in Italy during the war under Nazi occupation. Pino finds himself a spy, at the right hand of one of the Nazi’s most notorious leaders. His position, wit and savoir faire keeps him alive while also saving many Italians.
Near death experiences, meeting Moussilini, falling in love, saving Jews, seeing death everywhere he turns, wearing the Nazi uniform and his greatest heartbreak – non of these things take Pino down. His uncommon valor as such a young man makes him an uncommon hero.
My husband found some of the story not believable. But I’ve read enough WWII stories to except how living through such a unprecedented time created unprecedented heroes. I loved the book and Pino Lella. Thanks for reading my book review of Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan.
*****Five Stars for Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
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Inspired to explore environs closer to home, meaning in the United States, we set out on a road trip in August. Road tripping Colorado USA began in Washington State. We traveled 3375 miles through 5 states over 13 days. Our goal was only to sate a wee bit of our wanderlust and see a few towns and regions we had never visited. This is the second installment of three part series of our road trip adventures. Read installment number one here.
We left Idaho to continue our journey to the Aspen Colorado area. For all the travel we had done, even several visits to Colorado, somehow Aspen eluded me. And so why not? Aspen here I come.
Welcome to Colorado
Seemed easy enough, although a long drive from Sun Valley to Aspen we could do it in a day. We left early and enjoyed the beauty as we left Idaho and spent many miles through Utah and eventually crossing into Colorado.
But oh no, we could see it for miles…smoke. Something was definitely burning. We proceded but when we were about an hour from our destination of Carbondale, a small town outside of Aspen, we learned that Interstate 70 was closed due to a fire. Our only option was a four-hour detour through Grand Junction. Sigh….a long day of driving got even longer.
Grizzly Creek Fire
It was a relief to finally arrive, road weary but intact, at Cedar Ridge Ranch and our Glamping Airbnb. It was pitch black but we found our cozy tent with queen size bed ready and waiting and we collapsed into.
Glamping at Cedar Ridge Ranch
At sunrise with coffee in hand we explored the ranch to see what exactly it was we had gotten ourselves into. We could see the fire burning…but felt comfortable at the distance we were at. And so we headed out to see what we came here to see.
Grizzly Creek Fire behind Cedar Ridge Ranch
The Aspen region includes the towns of Carbondale, Basalt, Glenwood Springs, Marble and several others. Our lodgings were high above Carbondale and about a 30 minute drive to the town of Aspen.
Slopes come right into dowtown Aspen
We spent one day in Aspen and I was amazed how the ski slopes come right down into town. It would be really fun to come back here in the winter. Aspen and all the small towns we visited were enforcing the mask wearing not only inside buildings, stores and restaurants but in all public spaces including sidewalks, parks and even on the chairlifts. Good for them.
Colorado, with a population of 5.5 million ranks 35th in the states for virus cases currently at 52,000 as of this writing.
Mask up in Aspen
We explored the small town of Carbondale, visited the weekly farmers market, and did several morning runs along the Crystal Creek trail, an old railroad bed trail about six miles long.
We loved the tiny and historic town of Basalt, the cutest town I think of all we saw. It was really lively with street performers and lots of visitors, but still easy to social distance. We had an outstanding meal at Temparnillo. I highly recommend it.
Fantastic meal at Temparnillo
We did a steep hike called Sunnyside, just outside of Aspen and boy did I feel the elevation. Starting at 7000 feet and climbing to 9500 I was breathing hard. But the views…wow. So the next day we did a long but flat 8 mile hike on the Rio Grand trail, a paved trail popular with cyclists that runs through the valley from Aspen to Glenwood Springs about 42 miles. It was a great way to exercise without the elevation gain.
Rio Grand Trail Aspen Valley
We squeezed in nine holes at the River Valley Ranch Golf Course on a really hot day, but we enjoyed getting to play despite the smoke billowing in the distance.
River Valley Ranch with the fire in the distance
We really loved staying at the Cedar Ridge Ranch and having the horses, cows, alpacas and chickens as our neighbors. We saw coyote, ground hogs, deer and wild turkeys. Cedar Ridge offers horse rides, farm tours, yoga and even arts and crafts. Next time we will stay longer, because our four nights zoomed by. Road Tripping Colorado USA was made perfect down on the ranch.
Cute Alpacas at Cedar Ridge Ranch
As we left the fire continued to burn, and even two weeks later as I write this blog the Grizzly Canyon fire continues to burn. Interstate 70 has just reopened though, luckily for all the businesses and residents. Our thoughts and prayers are with all we met and everyone in beautiful Colorado.
Cedar Ridge Ranch at dusk
Hope you enjoyed Road Tripping Colorado USA. Next week we visit Oregon.
Inspired to explore environs closer to home, meaning in the United States, we set out on a road trip in August. Road tripping Idaho USA began in Washington State. We traveled 3375 miles through 5 states over 13 days. Our goal was only to sate a wee bit of our wanderlust and see a few towns and regions we had never visited. This is the first installment of three part series of our road trip adventures.
Hiking was at the top of our list for our road trip activities
Road Warriors
I should start by telling those of you who don’t know, that we have visited all fifty states. Yes, in addition to the 110 countries we have visited we can also claim to have visited all fifty states. Admittedly I am a bit of an overachiever (insert eye roll).
But point of clarification – the way we accomplished this momentous task is by…wait for it…ROAD TRIPPING! Yep, it’s really the only way to visit all 50 states, and over the past twenty-eight years we have traversed the entire country on six separate road trips. Our first road trip was in 1992 when we drove from Washington State to Washington DC. So our Road tripping Idaho USA begins our sixth USA road trip.
Rural Idaho offers a lot of wildlife viewing opportunities
Road Tripping in the Time of The “C” Word
That inconvenient virus has made every aspect of our lives a struggle, including a summer road trip. We planned a socially distanced itinerary and were able to pull it off by planning ahead, traveling with cleaning supplies and wearing our masks. We spent multiple days in Idaho, Colorado and Oregon.
Way to go Idaho
Given that Idaho is the neighbor to my home state of Washington you’d think I would have spent more time there. But not so much. I’ve visited the panhandle multiple times, and the city of Boise, but on this trip I really wanted to see more of the mountains in the south so that’s what we set out to do.
Beautiful Twin Lakes, a four mile easy round trip hike in McCall
We drove our first day to Spokane, still in Washington State but right on the border with Idaho. We spent a fun evening with my husband’s brother and his wife, before making an early morning escape under the cover of darkness. Today’s drive was about six hours to McCall Idaho (crossing into Mountain time zone), home to Payette Lake, Brundage Mountain and beautiful scenery.
We spent our first day in McCall enjoying the company of dear old friends who have retired to this gorgeous area. It’s not hard to see why they would choose it. Everything you might want is here; hot dry summers, cold dry winters, hiking, biking, boating, skiing, great dining and beer. Wow.
Abundant wildflowers at Twin Lakes
Day two in McCall we did two easy hikes. First we hiked to Twin Lakes, an easy four mile round trip suitable for just about anyone. It was one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. We had gotten an early start and found the trail and the lake deserted, except for a lone fisherman…perfect. The views were like a postcard…actually better!
Next we went to the Brundage Ski Area very popular in the summer for mountain bikers. We had a delicious lunch (socially distanced outdoors) on the deck of the lodge before riding the chair lift ($15) up to the top of the mountain. Here we could see all the way back to McCall and Payette Lake and well beyond. The chair lift ticket includes a round trip, but we hiked the 4 mile cat track back down to the lodge, enjoying a wide variety of wildflowers and bird life, and only a handful of other people.
Masked up for the chairlift ride at Brundage Ski Area
We spent our two nights in McCall in a tiny little cabin a block from the lake. Teeny kitchen and bath, a comfy bed and a fireplace make this place cozy and perfect for a few days winter or summer. We also enjoyed sitting around the campfire in the evening. See it here.
Payette Lake is a dream for boating and water sports
Day four we exited early, heading south to the famous Sun Valley region. We had never visited Sun Valley and it had been on my list for a long time. Sun Valley is made up of several towns, and several ski areas. The best known town is Ketchum. We stayed in Hailey, about five miles outside of Ketchum (another peaceful and exceptionally well kept Airbnb. See it here).
You can see forever from the top of Sun Valley Ski Resort
Our first day in the valley we took the gondola at Sun Valley Ski Resort up to the top of the mountain ($25). The weather was clear and warm and you could see for a hundred miles. We had an outdoor socially distanced meal at Warfield Distillery in Ketchum and explored some of the local microbrews.
A great view from the outdoor patio at Warfield Distillery in Ketchum
Day two in the valley I enjoyed a long morning run on the Wood River trail that runs for 15+ miles all along the valley. Next we took a short hike on a nature trail near our Airbnb along the Wood River. We finished our day playing nine holes of golf at the beautiful Elk Horn Golf Course. Sun Valley is peppered with golf courses…wish we had been able to check out a few more – next time!
A beautiful golf course, Elk Horn in Sun Valley
Feeling Safe in Idaho
Idaho has a population of 1.75 million and ranks 35th in the USA for virus infections with just over 28,000 (Source Statista as of August 19th). In both McCall and the Sun Valley area we found people wearing masks in all stores and restaurants and many people wearing masks on the sidewalks in town. Idaho was dead last in the USA for cases until mid-June when virus cases began to rise.
Mountains Majesty – the Sawtooth Mountains
We made a point to keep distanced, choose activities where we could easily stay away from crowds, and we enjoyed our road trip in Idaho. It really is an underrated gem in the United States. Now I want to go back in the winter. Road tripping Idaho USA filled our goals.
Join us next week for our Colorado installment of Road Tripping USA.
One of the best books I have read in months. I have been struggling to find a really captivating novel for a while. I found it here in this beautifully written story. Here is my book review of This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.
Set in Minnesota in 1932, our narrator is a 12-year old boy (nearly thirteen, he keeps telling the reader), finds himself caught up in an adventure of a lifetime. Leaving behind the cruel and corrupt Lincoln Indian School, Odie O’Banion and three other orphans set off to find a new life, and nearly perish in doing so.
Odie (nearly 13, his older brother Albert, Moses ( a mute Sioux boy) and 6-year old Emmy are all searching for something – home. They become a little family as they navigate in a canoe from Lincoln School towards Saint Louis on the Mississippi.
Of course a multitude of dangerous, funny, frightening and surreal adventures ensue…including murder, kidnap, snake bites and near starvation as the four orphans endure great loss and pain, reminiscent of The Grapes of Wrath and Tom Sawyer all in one book.
I enjoyed William Kent Krueger’s Ordinary Grace (see my review), but I loved This Tender Land and think Krueger’s storytelling ability shines bright in this coming of age novel about life in the hard scrabble depression. With a backdrop of the beautiful American Midwest, Krueger brings the reader easily along the adventure and the characters of this novel easily into our hearts.
*****Five stars for This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Read last week’s Year End Review 2019-2020
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We continue to look for lovely little getaways close to home that we are calling Sanity Staycations (read about our first Sanity Staycation here). A way to travel when we can’t really travel, due to this inconvenient little virus. On our latest Sanity Staycation we found a Tree House Hideaway in Washington State. Only a couple of hours from home.
Our little nest
I’ve known about Tree House Point for years…but it has never made it into our destination bucket, until now. Boy am I glad we went. Secluded, unique, comfortable and beautiful – living in a tree is incredible – such a surprise. I can’t wait to go back. A tree house hideaway in Washington State tops just about anywhere we have stayed…and that’s saying a lot.
The old growth spruce that started it all
Beginning in 2004 when Pete and Judy Nelson first bought this magnificent forested property on the Raging River just 30 minutes from Seattle, Tree House Point now welcomes visitors from around the world for overnight stays, weddings, retreats and more.
The very first tree house built, Temple of the Blue Moon, (see title image) happens to be the one we stayed in. Apparently the magnificent old growth spruce that supports this tree house was the inspiration for Pete and his crew at Nelson Tree House and Supply. And well, after the completion of Temple of the Blue Moon in 2007, Pete just kept building and today six tree houses (with a seventh on the way) make up this exceptional hidden retreat.
Temple of the Blue Moon interior
Our Sanity Staycation included more than just hanging out in trees…we went waterfall chasing too. During our visit we hiked in to see Franklin Falls and Twin Falls. Both these falls are a short and easy hike, less than 30 minutes from the tree house. Each hike offers beautiful scenery with minimal elevation gain, and very close to Interstate 90. But beware, because of their easy access they can be very crowded on a summer weekend. Try to visit midweek.
Franklin Falls
We also visited Snoqualmie Falls and had a spectacular meal overlooking the falls at the world famous Salish Lodge. We have eaten here before and once again were not disappointed. My scallops were sublime and Arne’s pork chop was as tender as butter. Salish offers valet parking for guests, a wonderful list of Washington wines and first class customer service.
Snoqualmie Falls
Scallops at Salish Lodge
Tree House Point room rates vary by season but sleeping in the trees will run close to $400 per night. Usually two night minimum is requested, however, if there is an opening in the calendar for one night you can book. That is what we did, and how we were able to reserve on fairly short notice. And by the way, it was worth every penny.
Breakfast at Tree House Point
It’s a special experience, includes a delicious breakfast and the customer service was top notch. If you can, try to visit. I have to agree with the folks at Tree House Point…everyone should “be in a tree”. They make it easy here.
I’ll be sharing more about waterfalls in a blog soon.
A year end review of reading. I did it. I set a goal last July to read 75 books in a year. And I did it, I read 83 books. Nearly all these books I read on Kindle while we were traveling. A couple were on Audible and a few were good old fashioned paperbacks. I enjoy books in all three applications.
Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve found it a bit difficult to stay focused on a book. My mind wanders a lot. But I still was able to meet my goal, and I also wrote one book review blog a week over the past year.
I don’t think I’ll set a goal for next year. I’m just gonna read for the love of reading. We can see a year from now how that turned out.
Reading Wednesday
I love that our Reading Wednesday feature on this blog is one of the most popular things about My Fab Fifties Life. If I can inspire you to get lost in a book, my job is done here. And hopefully a year end review of reading can do just that.
Although I gave five stars to many of the books I read, below is a list of my most favorite of the 83. In fact in the list below are five that I can say are some of the best books I have ever read…and that is saying a lot.
For a year end review of reading I’ve put those five at the top, and then below that the rest are listed randomly. I hope you can find a favorite of your own amongst this list and I thank you for your continuing support of Reading Wednesday and My Fab Fifties Life.
The Immoralists by Chloe Benjamen – if you were told when you were a child the exact day you would die, how might it affect everything about your life? So is the question Benjamen explores in the brilliant and unique novel The Immoralists. I loved this story.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn – Just after the end of WWII a young, unmarried and pregnant Charlie goes in search of her missing cousin in Europe. Her search will lead her to horror stories of the war and eventually to her true family and friends. I loved this book.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – I never read Stephen King so I was shocked to find that this story became one of my favorite reads ever. Not just about the assassination of JFK on 11/22/63, but an unequaled time travel book about the choices we might consider if we could go back and change history – would we do it and what would the consequences be. I loved this book.
The Testaments – by Margaret Atwood – Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale continues to rank as one of my favorite books of all time, even after 30 years. So it was with both excitement and trepidation that I waited for the release of the sequel (finally). It was worth the wait. Every bit as compelling and incomparable, even pulling in some subtle nods to the politics of the USA in 2020. I loved this book.
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd – Kidd’s bold re-telling of the story of Jesus once again shows her chutzpa as a writer, her creative ability and incomparable talent to take the reader on a well-worn journey with an absolutely fascinating new twist. I love Kidd’s work and The Book of Longings did not dissapoint. I loved this book.
It was hard for me to only choose five for the list above. Because there were so many good ones this year. Here are 14 more of the very best from the 83 books I finished this year.
Our summer of healthy eating continues and we have been swimming in delicious wild caught fish from Alaska, thanks to our monthly membership with Wild Alaskan Company. And today I am sharing with a few of my favorite wild caught Alaska white fish recipes
Meanwhile, salmon isn’t the only fish in the sea, and in fact I often prefer a firm white fish when in a restaurant or cooking at home. I am a big fan of halibut, and we order cod in restaurants around the world. Cod has many different names depending where you are including haddock, plaice, scrod, pollock and Gadus. Gadus is the actual name of the genus of this fish.
Recently I discovered that one of my favorite fish, Black Cod, is not cod at all. Black Cod is actually Sable Fish, sometimes called Butterfish.
Confused? Well rest assured these fish, no matter what they are called, can all be delicious as long as you are buying and serving wild caught and not farmed. There is also a difference in taste between Atlantic Cod and Pacific Cod (in my opinion), another reason I am such a fan of fish from Alaska.
Get Your $15 Off Today and Free Recipes Too
As I have enjoyed my monthly delivery from Wild Alaskan Company I have been experimenting with white fish and have five wild caught Alaska white fish recipes to share with you today. I continue my experimenting in my kitchen, so I hope to have more recipes (both white fish and salmon) in the months ahead.
And then start cooking with the wild caught Alaska white fish recipe’s below.
Air Fryer Cod
Air Fryer Cod
Serves Two
Two 6 oz Cod fillets
Two Tablespoons Panko, mixed with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of red chili flakes
After thawing your cod fillets dry them really well with a paper towell and then let them sit out and air dry a bit more. Mix your breading ingredients together and toss the fillets in the panko mix. Preheat your air fryer for about 5 minutes to 375 degrees. Place your fillets in your air fryer basket and cook for ten minutes, turn over and cook another 6-8 minutes until done.
Easy, healthy, delicious.
Cod Tacos
Fish Tacos
Serves Two
Two 6 oz Cod fillets
I used Air Fryer Cod (above) for our tacos, but you could also fry the breaded cod fillets in oil on the stove top until crispy.
Break the cod apart and make street taco size tacos using four inch round flour or corn tortillas. Offer homemade coleslaw, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and salsa for a make your own taco feast.
Butter Cod or Halibut
Butter Cod
Serves Two
You can use either halibut or cod for this recipe. Thaw two 6 oz pieces of your choice
In cast iron skillet (or other skillet that is ovenproof), brown 4 oz of butter. Place fillets in butter and fry two minutes on each side. Remove from heat and spoon brown butter over fillets, then add juice of one lemon.
Put in pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes to finish. Spoon sauce over fish once during cooking.
Baked or BBQ Orange Halibut
Orange Halibut
Servess Two
Two 6oz Halibut Fillets
2 Tablespoons butter
Zest of one orange
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
Place Halibut on foil. Smear one tablespoon of butter on each fillet. Sprinkle orange zest on each fillet. Salt and pepper to taste.
Place on cookie sheet for oven (375 preheated) or roll-up side of foil for BBQ leaving top open. Pour half cup of OJ over fillets. Bake or BBQ till flaky.
Miso Glazed Sable Fish
Miso Glazed Sable Fish
This is possibly my favorite recipe of all time. I had a dish similar to this in a restaurant years ago, and it took me a long time to find a recipe that works. This one definitely works. Sable Fish is da bomb.
Serves 6
Six Sable Fish fillets thawed
Marinade: 1/3 cup white miso (usually in the refridgerated specialty foods section of your market)
1/3 sake
1/3 rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Heat the marinade ingredients on the stove top until sugar melts, about five minutes. Let cool. Hold out about a half cup of marinade and pour the rest into a gallon size freezer bag and add your fish fillets. Place in fridge for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours turning bag occasionally.
Grease a cookie sheet really well and place your fillets on the cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake fish for about 10 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and finish the fish under the broiler another 2-3 minutes. Watch it closely.
Meanwhile in microwave reheat the marinade you held aside.
To serve the Sable Fish place a little bit of the marinade on top, sprinkle with fresh, chopped green onions.
Delicious and beautiful served with black rice and stir fried bok choy.
Chinese Halibut with Noodles
This is a recipe I created based on a dish I had when I was in China. I don’t think the fish I was eating in China was Halibut, but I enjoyed the dish so much I came home and came up with this recipe. Chinese Halibut with Noodles was presented on my YouTube channel as part of our weekly Tasty Tuesday series. See it here. We invite you to follow us on YouTube.
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