Packing Prep

Posted on February 28, 2018 by vanbraman

Tonight I have been busy getting prepared for packing my suitcase tomorrow.

Packing prep is always important as I gather together things that must be taken on a trip.

Laundry, dryer, Packing prep, trip prepPacking prep also means laundry time. I have to make sure that all the clothes I need to take are ready to go. I also hate coming home to an already full laundry basket when I know that I will have a suitcase full of clothes to wash. I have most of the laundry done, but will have a small load to do tomorrow with some shirts that I wore this week and plan to wear next week.

Luggage Items, gifts, chalk, pop tarts, pencils, colorsI have been slowly placing some items on top of my suitcase over the last couple of weeks. I will be visiting friends and have a few items to take to their kids. I have had the chalk and colors for quite awhile. I hope their youngest daughter still likes to draw with chalk. It is a bit cold and wet in Toronto now, but come springtime I am sure that she will have a lot of fun writing on the sidewalk.Chalk Drawing, chalk board, colorful drawingYou also can see that I have already selected a few books for the trip. I have two Tolkien related books that I have been wanting to read. They are on the short list for this trip.

Boston Tea Party, Used Books, Manteca, CaliforniaAnother book I am considering is The Boston Tea Party by Benjamin Woods Labaree. I want to learn more about this historic event.

Jane on the Brain, Wendy Jones, Social Intelligence, Jane AustenI usually do not take library books with me on trips, but I think I will take Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence with Jane Austen by Wendy Jones. I have started to read this, but have been sidetracked with novels that I am reading for several challenges. I usually read more non-fiction when I travel as it is easier to pick up and put down. With a novel it is easy to lose the thread of a story when reading in an unfamiliar environment or while waiting for things to happen.

This will be a short trip of only one week, but I will have a full suitcase as I have to take along some cold weather items. A bit of different inputs to The Travel Formula this time.

Now to empty the dryer and get some sleep.

Steven

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Snowy Commute

Posted on February 27, 2018 by vanbraman

When you see the title of my post you may wonder where I am. How did I have a snowy commute today?

I did not have to drive through snow, but I could see plenty of snow during my commute.

We had a big storm pass through the area and the temperatures dropped enough to bring the snow levels down to around 3,000 feet. I even heard thunder last night as the storm came through.

Yesterday while driving to work I saw some snow in the Livermore hills, but none on Mt. Diablo.

Snow Level, Livermore Hills, Central Valley, CaliforniaAs I headed off to work this morning I could see the snow covered peaks of the Livermore hills in the distance. They were just peeking over the top of the hills that line the western edge of the Central Valley.

I could also see the double peaks of Mt. Diablo covered in snow.

Altamont, Livermore Hills, Snow, Snow LevelAs I headed down the Altamont into Livermore you could see the snow covered hills to the south. There was more snow on the hills than I have seen in a very long time.

Mt. Diablo, Snow Covered, Snow Levels, WinterAs I turned off 580 to head to the office you could see Mt. Diablo covered with snow. The snow was far down the slopes and it looked very beautiful and impressive.

It is also interesting to see the palm trees with snow in the background.

Mt. Diablo, Snow, Winter, Snow Cover, DublinHere is the view from my parking place this morning. I felt like I was somewhere else like the mountains of Colorado.

Mt. Diablo, Dublin, California, SnowHere is one more picture of the snow on Mt. Diablo. When Mt. Diablo is snow covered it appears to be a bit closer to you.

However, by the time I left for home this afternoon the snow had all melted and Mt. Diablo was dark again.

There is another round of storms later in the week, so there is a possibility we will see more snow in the hills.

Steven

 

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