Whatever this book is about, it isn’t about walking the AT. Bryson (despite his protestations at the conclusion) did not walk the AT. The really sad part is that the only worthwhile parts of this book are about he and Katz WALKING the AT. Which they did a LITTLE of. They walked from Springer to Clingman’s, then rented a car to Shenandoah and walked a LITTLE there, then they dropped out of the 100 Mile Wilderness after a day.

And when he writes about walking, he has something to say. Otherwise he gives miniature and mostly wildly inaccurate lectures about murders on the trail, forest pests, Stonewall Jackson, and the like.

On top of that, at first I thought he just was a regular Yankee bigot and didn’t like Southerners but turns out he doesn’t like anyone, at least not from the way he characterizes everyone else as miscreants.

Despite all the reasons I didn’t like this book, it still gets an “it’s ok” rating because he really would be a good writer, and he is when he has something to say.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

well, what was left by the time I thought to take the photo.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

While we stayed in a motel, we really lived in front of these four stalls.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

I'm not even going to attempt a description of piaffe and passage in dressage, but while this photograph is not, in itself, a great photograph, *I* love it. It captures that moment of still total potential in the piaffe.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

just a generic shot of the warm up areas.

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Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

ok, really, this little Arab doesn't look BAD in this browband, but I find it gaudy and distasteful.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

yes, that is a GIANT lamb's quarter plant decorated with wild flowers!

but she is not a writer. She regurgitates names who were at parties but she never really tells a story. She never captures the essence of any moment except maybe doing acid in San Francisco when she says, wow or something similarly inane. And in the end, she whines and whines about how little money she has while she’s telling of her trips around the world. And she claims, of course, that it was really her that both these men really always loved, which I’m thinking, you know, probably not.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

that's hotsauce up front.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

peas, turnip tops (thinned), turnips (from older bed, mature), new potatoes, garlic and onions, black kale. If you miss palm trees, grow black kale as it is a palm type.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

One of each kind of potatoes we planted (major, not the minor varieties) pulled to check on how they were maturing. This was about ten days ago I think, because we ate the first meal of them last night.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

this little snake was in the road and I about stepped on him coming out of the garden and I danced and the children laughed because no one saw him but me and I didn't know that he wasn't a baby copperhead you know.

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

world's smallest fire lizard salamander

Contrary Goddess posted a photo:

ain't she beautiful