Weekend at Jordanelle

Last weekend Marilyn and I took her cute trailer for an inaugural camping trip to Jordanelle Reservoir.  It was so much fun!

This was our campsite.

This is Marilyn's cute trailer.  It was really easy for her to tow it up Parley's Canyon and it was a breeze to set up and take down.  It is quite comfortable and there is way more room inside than it looks like from the outside.  Marilyn is very proud of it.  Just about everybody who walked by our campsite stopped to make a comment about it!

Our campsite was nice with a big fire ring and a picnic table.  The only downside was that it was quite far from the bathroom (which was fun in the middle of the night).  I really enjoyed sitting by the campfire in the evenings.  It is very relaxing.

Some pictures of the Jordanelle Reservoir.  It is a very peaceful place and I really enjoyed listening to the water.  This was the perfect trip to start my summer vacation!

Spain

In the summer of 2007 I had the opportunity to visit Spain with a friend.  This trip was full of beautiful beaches, stunning architecture, and wonderful food.  Here are some highlights.

Royal Palace, Madrid

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Day trip to the medieval city of Toledo

Toledo (I loved the city wall and all of the winding alleys)

The Mesquita, Cordoba

Plaza de Espana, Seville

Seville Cathedral, Seville

The Alcazar, Seville

Costa del Sol, Marbella

The famous Rock of Gibraltar.  You can see the coast of Morocco from Gibraltar!

The Alhambra, Granada (the main reason I wanted to visit Spain)

Bull fight, Valencia (I wanted to see one because they feature so prominently in The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway but it was absolutely brutal)

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona (Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece)

Park Guell, Barcelona (designed by Gaudi)

Columbus Monument, Barcelona

La Rambla, Barcelona (a pedestrian street with lots of cafes and markets)

Of course I had to make a stop at the Hard Rock Cafe in Barcelona!  It's tradition!

I absolutely fell in love with all of the Moorish architecture in Spain.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I hope to be able to return someday.

African Safari

Canadian Rockies

London

Alpine Europe

Germany

The Fault in Our Stars

Whenever I see several of my students with the same book I'm always intrigued because, much to my dismay, my students do not usually like to read.  Since many of them have been reading The Fault In Our Stars lately, I decided to read it to find out what was so appealing.  (This is why I read the Twilight series.)  Frankly, I like any book that interests my reluctant readers but this book is amazing.  I loved it and, more importantly, so did my students.  Just the other day one them said, "Miss Johnson I was preparing myself for something to happen all through the book so when something else happened, I cried and cried."  Conversations with students about books make me happy!  Last night I went to the first screening of the film adaptation of this book (my students were so jealous).  Briefly, the story is about a teenage girl who meets, and then falls in love with, a boy at a cancer support group.  Incidentally, the theater was full of teenage girls who absolutely loved the movie!  I did, too!  In my opinion, this movie is exceptionally well cast.  Every actor seems to embody the character he or she portrays.  Both of the leads, Shailene Woodley (Hazel) and Ansel Elgort (Augustus), give authentic and emotional performances as the star-crossed lovers and their chemistry is palpable (the teenage girls in the theater were very taken with Elgort, practically swooning every time he grinned on screen).  Laura Dern is perfect as Hazel's mother, wanting to live in the moment but terrified of the future.  I also enjoyed Willem Dafoe's portrayal of the reclusive author they visit in Amsterdam.  The scene where Van Houten plays Swedish hip-hop music for the couple is hilarious.  Speaking of Amsterdam, the scenes there are absolutely beautiful.  It is not hard to believe Hazel falling in love with Gus in such a setting (their romantic dinner was almost exactly as I pictured it while reading).  I especially enjoyed the scenes at the Anne Frank house (the teenage girls clapped during the kiss just like the visitors do).  I believe that the screenplay definitely does justice to the best-selling book and fans will not be disappointed with this adaptation.  I highly recommend this movie (bring tissues).

Note:  I really love seeing new movies on opening night.  There is an energy and excitement in the audience that you can feel and it was especially fun with all of the teenage girls clapping and cheering.  Seeing all of those teenage girls waiting for their rides outside the theater was also very amusing.