What does an author buy as Christmas presents? Books of course. In my stocking I found
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. She is one of Wayne's favourite science fiction writers. He purchased it earlier in the year
for his Kindle, but couldn't share it with me because I don't have one yet.
Elizabeth Moon is from Texas. Her educational background is in history and biology (just like me) and she served as a Marine (definitely not like me).
Remnant Population isn't your normal (if there is such a thing) science fiction novel. It is set in Sims Bancorp Colony 3245.12 on a distant earth-like planet. Over the last forty years, the colony has terraformed their surroundings, but it hasn't been easy. Now, representatives from company headquarters have arrived to tell them they all must leave. With stoic resignation, the colonists prepare their belongings and ready themselves for a long interstellar trip in cryogenic suspension. Everyone except for grandmotherly Ofelia. She has always followed the demands of her parents, husband, employer and most recently her son, but not this time. She decides to stay behind and live as she wishes, alone but not lonely.
Trained as a self-sufficient colonist, she is able to use and maintain the buildings, materials and equipment needed to sustain herself. She's an avid gardener and lives simply until new colonists arrive far to the north. As she listens to their landing transmissions, they are horribly massacred. Ofelia knows this will be the end of her solitary life. Intelligent and deadly creatures share her planet, and her own kind won't let the tragedy go unavenged.
Even though the book is set far in the future on a distant planet, life in the colony was much like living in a small rural community. I could see lots of similarities to my lifestyle and attitudes living off the grid. Ofelia decided late in life that she would live according to her own plan. She no longer cared what others thought and finally was comfortable speaking her own mind. She became quite a role model for me in more ways than one.
Check your local bookstore, library or online book source for
Remnant Population. I couldn't put it down except when my flashlight ran dim late at night. -- Margy
Wayne and I decided to use some of our time in the States to go to a USC women's basketball game in Seattle. To get there, the easiest route from Bellingham is directly south on I-5, but this time we had to make a stop on Whidbey Island. We decided to keep on going to the southern tip and take the Clinton-Mulkilteo Ferry across to the mainland.
Whidbey is the largest island in Washington and the fifth largest in the contiguous United States. It claims to be the longest island in the States, but that is often disputed by Long Island in New York. The drive along Highways 20 and 525 is both excellent and beautiful. In the north there's picturesque Deception Pass. On the south island, there are gorgeous peak-a-boo views of the ocean.
At the southern tip of Whidbey Island is the town of Clinton. That is where you catch the ferry to Mukilteo on the mainland. Ferries run every half hour from 4:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. It's a classic design with inside and outside seats on the upper deck. There's not much time to relax, the crossing takes from 15-20 minutes, but head on up for some great views and sky photo opportunities.
We love to go to games at the University of Wasington. We stay at the Silver Cloud Inn in nearby University Village. From there we can walk to all of the sports venues. And for a brew and a bite to eat, we love the Ram Restaurant & Brewery. My kind of place for sure. And the Women of Troy pulled out a victory over the Huskies. Way to go! -- Margy
