Fun With Family!

I apologize for the recent lack of reviews, but that will be rectified shortly.  Meanwhile, I will give you a glimpse into the fun my husband and I had with our oldest son and his family.

Last week we drove to Boston. It was a long, but particularly enjoyable ride. We took I-90, which is a toll road through Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.  Toll roads are definitely the way to go.  There was some semi-truck traffic, but not nearly as many as we encountered on regular interstate highways.

It is always exciting to visit our grandsons (and yes, of course, their parents too), and we always pick up where we left off the last visit, as if no time intervened.

Our first day there we took the train into Boston to meet our son for dinner.  While we were waiting, our oldest grandson found a new friend.

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My husband and our son at dinner

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Another day we walked the freedom trail. It was fascinating. We saw Paul Revere’s grave, house, and the North Church. Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, the Old Statehouse, the USS Constitution, Boston Massacre Site are among some of the fascinating stops on the tour.

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In front of the Maclaurin Building on MIT’s Campus

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Lunch at the Russell House in Harvard Square

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Harvard University’s Memorial Hall

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Visit to Newburyport, Massachusetts

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Like all visits, time flew by so quickly.  We had a wonderful time laughing, talking, and exploring together.  It was, as always, difficult to say ‘till next time.’

On the way home, we stopped at Niagara Falls and stayed on the Canadian side of the falls.  It was the first time we’d been back in nearly twenty years. The surrounding area has changed tremendously, but the falls remain the same awe-inspiring, powerful, and immensely beautiful spectacle as ever.

The view of Niagara Falls from our hotel room

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12 Useful Websites to Improve Your Writing

A great list from Zoe at Just English.

JustEnglish.me's avatarJust English

by Johnny Webber

1. Words-to-Use.com — A different kind of thesaurus.

2. OneLook.com — One quick dictionary search tool.

3. Vocabulary.com — The quickest, most intelligent way to improve your vocabulary.

4. ZenPen.io — A minimalist writing zone where you can block out all distractions.

5. 750words.com — Write three new pages every day.

6. Readability-Score.com — Get scored on your writing’s readability.

7. YouShouldWrite.com — Get a new writing prompt every time you visit.

8. WriterKata.com — Improve your writing with repetitive exercises.

9. IWL.me — A tool that analyzes your writing and tells you which famous authors you most write like.

10. HemingwayApp.com — Simplify your writing.

11. FakeNameGenerator.com — Generate fake names for your characters.

12. Storyline.io — Collaborate on a story with others by submitting a paragraph.

SOURCE

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As You, My Most Beloved One

Beautiful words always flow from Morgan’s pen (or keyboard) Enjoy and please visit her lovely blog and check out some of her other fabulous poetry.

Morgan's avatarBooknVolume

As You, My

Touch my hand with Your Enticing Warmth,
Draw me in like a Sweet Breath
Under the Blissful Balm of Starlit Night,
Where the Heavens Reach in spangled Glory.
Tapestry of Dreams,
Song of Echoes,
Stirring the Wandering musings of my mind
In Dizzy spells of Enchantment,
As You, My Most Beloved One.

Lean Near to me beneath this Shrine of Ancient Light,
Allow me to Gaze in Breathless Wonder
Into the Remarkable Depths of Your Lustrous stare,
Beguiled and Bewildered
By the Intoxicating Allure I See,
Unrivaled by the Wealth of Splendor
Spanning O’er our Heads,
As You, My Most Beloved One.

Press Your Perfect lips to mine
In the silhouette of Luminous Moonlight,
Undo my every notion with the Blush of Your Sweet Kiss,
And Listen to the Heartbeat of my Pure Elation,
Like the Mystical Symphony of Harmonious cosmos
Singing in Resplendent tones of Purest Joy,
Matchless in…

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How to Get your Kids to Read

What a fantastic idea for encouraging your children to become readers!

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

GatewaySuccessStory-JeffGunhusFoil._V350981886_I found a lovely post on Amazon by Jeff Gunhus, and just had to share! Jeff details how he started his Jack Templar book series as a way to get his two young boys to read. This is what he has to say:

“My son Jack was smart and outgoing. He got great grades. But he liked reading books about as much as he liked walking behind our two yellow labs on clean-up duty. He was way more interested in movies, TV, video games. At first, I wasn’t too worried. But his vocabulary and writing skills began to slip. I decided to do something.

I created the Early Morning Book Club. That was my name anyway. To Jack, I’m sure it was the Early Morning Torture Club. The plan was that we’d get up early and Jack would read out loud to me for an hour. Luckily for him…

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The Almond Tree By Michelle Cohen Corasanti

The Almond TreeThe Almond Tree is the saga of a young Palestinian boy’s journey from his village, where he lived under the threat of losing his home, imprisonment, and even death, as the Israelis took over his homeland.  Ahmed Hamid (Ichmad) is blessed with incredible math talent and a scientific mindset. Using his talents, he teamed up with Professor Menachem Sharon at Hebrew University and little by little the two whittled away their prejudices to continue their ground-breaking research, become the best of friends, and travel to America to continue their research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Almond Tree is written from the author’s point of view as an American Jew living in Palestine while a student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Corasanti’s trip from the United States to Israel, where she attended high school, opened her eyes to a world different than what she knew.

To find out more about Michelle Cohen Corasanti Click on her website The Almond Tree.

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.