Saturday Slight Detours

Happy Saturday.  I'm planning to take it easy with this morning's blog and send you on a couple of slight detours, both very compelling. 

A while back, I received an email note of introduction from a Cynthia Tanner.  She informed me that she has been reading my blog for some time.  

Cynthia also explained that we share a relationship:  the outlaws!

I'd hate to try to get it all straight, but I'm guessing the Cynthia's mother Pamela is my sister-in-law Mary's cousin.  Pamela introduced herself via email quite a while back.  

I've never met either of these ladies in person, but it's been fun to have both of them pop up out of the vast reaches of cyberspace.

When Cynthia, who lives in Wisconsin, first wrote, she told me that she was starting her own blog, called "Northwoods Listener."  

It can be found at http://northwoodslistener.wordpress.com/

Cynthia takes a totally different approach to her postings than I do.  They appear less frequently, but when they do, it's obvious she has done her homework.  

They reflect upon a topic which has been thoroughly researched, and they provide links supporting that research.  

I've enjoyed reading these posts and learning from them.  

I've especially appreciated the fact that Cynthia and I share an admiration for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. 

While I knew nothing of Russell until he showed up at the Seahawks, Cynthia has followed him since his days as a Wisconsin Badger.

Recently, Cynthia asked if she could use one of my photos for an upcoming blog post. Well, I saw the posting yesterday for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it.  

The photo served as a perfect visual fit for her topic:  jigsaw puzzling.  The post reflects Cynthia's usual attention to detail and higher level thinking skills.

Plus, I think it's pretty apt for this time of the year when we're looking for indoor activities to keep our minds engaged.   

So, I'm sending you there on your first slight detour this morning. 

And, then, I'd like to send you to another link, featuring a segment that aired on last night's "20-20" on ABC.  

I found the segment very timely because just yesterday I handed over my personally autographed Jon Krakauer book Into the Wild to Swiss Miss aka Laura to read. 

Laura is an avid reader, and during our trips to and from basketball practice, I told her about some of my most favorite books ever.  

That discussion led to a stack of three books for her to read, including Krakauer's bestseller about Chris McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp who starved to death in a bus in Alaska's Denali National Park.  

She'll also be reading Seabiscuit and Laura Hillenbrand's most recent title Unbroken.  The latter should be perfect timing for the movie release of Unbroken, scheduled for Christmas Day. 

After all this discussion of books, you can imagine how ironic it was for me to see the segment on "20-20," which indicates yet another book and an upcoming documentary about the Chris McCandless story. 

So, if you did not see "20-20" last night, I encourage you to take another slight detour and visit the link below and watch the powerful segment featuring Chris McCandless' sisters and ABC reporter Bob Woodward.  

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/chris-mccandless-sisters-return-alaskan-home-26773216?tab=9482930&section=1206863&playlist=6627259