January 10: Snow? No.

Sunrise wast at 7:56, sunset will be at 4:39.

The mornings are so much darker than they were; is it the cloud cover or what?  There may be more light, but it's gotta be at the other end of the day, the night end.  It's cold out, today, not rainy, yet, but cold.  There are little birds hanging upside down from the moss on the trees, picking at whatever seeds have lodged there. 

This is a video of the trip across the sound the other day, I think it was last Sunday when I went into work later than usual so there's daylight with which to see the ups and downs of the waves.  It's taken from inside so you may see my reflection in the window, the lights behind me, and the bird poop on the window (which I didn't see until I reviewed the video).  West Seattle is in the frame (to the left) and then Vashon Island and Blake Island off to the right.

In all the years of living on the Oregon coast, I don't think I was actually ever on a boat, in the water.  Once when I was really little I was on a fishing boat with my grandpa.  Weird.  All that water everywhere and I've only recently been on top of it.  And now I have a very vague idea as to why people become fishermen or ferryboat captains.  A couple of nights ago we were hit by crosswaves that let the ferry down in a hurry and everyone said, "OOH!"  and then laughed.  A little nervously.  It's an exciting trip every single time, always something new to see.  I'll post photos and videos of what I see on these trips.

One more grown up book:  Love Water Memory, by Jennie Shortridge, was a wonderful story about a woman who's lost her memory due to something traumatic in her life.  She ends up in San Francisco, but she was from Seattle.  When her husband finds her, they realize that she has no idea who he is or what their relationship was like.  As she gets to know him, sleeping in the guest room, wearing things she would have never previously chosen, they both question how they got to this point.  What caused this traumatic break in her reality?  It was a good story well told, it left me happy and glowy.  Definitely worth picking up and spending some time with.  Loved it.  Gallery Books.  $26.00.  Available April 2013.

Now, for a recent young adult novel:  If You Find Me, by Emily Murdoch.  I don't know where I actually got this book.  It looks like a St. Martin's adult title but it could be YA.  It's a difficult book to read, the children in it were not treated well nor were they safe, but the story and the characters are perfect for an older young adult audience (as well as for an adult one).  Carey and her little sister live in a run-down camper in the middle of a national park, well off the grid and path of anyone except for those who are looking to do harm. 

Carey and Jenessa have been living in this camper for many years, their mother an addict and alcoholic, a woman who uses the children in trade for drugs.  Carey has been Jenessa's caregiver and keeper since her birth, making sure her teeth are brushed and that she knows how to read and write.  Carey has inherited her mother's skill at playing the violin, and, luckily, very little else.  When they hear voices in the woods calling their names, Carey grabs the shotgun and sends her sister into the camper to hide.  Carey's father and a social worker have found the girls and have arrived to take them home, to a new family, and to society.

What an amazing adventure story this was!  Carey knows how to negotiate the woods and the wilds, she feels an immense affinity for the only home she remembers, but she has a need to make sure that Jenessa stays safe and has a real home to live in.  Jenessa has a slightly easier time of fitting in to this new world of warmth and food other than beans; Carey is a sophomore, dropped into a middle school full of all things middle school, with a step-sister who resents her, and a new friend who remembers her from the past.  A different kind of wilderness where the dangers are unknown.

Really well-written, compelling, I absolutely could not put it down.  I loved the characters, especially Ryan, Carey's rediscovered old friend.  I especially liked the very matter-of-fact way Carey approaches her worlds and their collisions.  It's a good thing she had something to hold onto, a reason for staying safe.  Definitely older young adults, maybe 14 or so, just for the brutality.  St. Martin's Press.  $9.99.  April, 2013.