Day of the Dead Picture Book

Halloween and Mexico's Day of the Dead are not the same thing. First of all, today is Halloween, but tomorrow -- November 1 -- is Day of the Dead.

Secondly, while Halloween seems to be all about scaring yourself silly and hoarding candy, the Day of the Dead is about peacefully welcoming back the departed souls of your loved ones and spending time remembering your good times together even though you're now separated by death.

This picture book, Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, by Jeanette Winter, can help teach those differences.

It's an alphabet book with a cultural twist: Each letter of the alphabet depicts a skeleton all dolled-up for a Mexican Day of the Dead celebration.

The words associated with each letter are in Spanish, but the illustrations and glossary at the end make it easy to understand what all the words mean.

The happy skeletons offer a perfect opportunity to discuss the differences between Halloween and Day of the Dead and illustrate that even though skeletons are part of the Mexican holiday, they are about celebration and not fear.

And the pictures also show that both holidays are about sweet things to eat.

While the alphabet format suggests a younger audience, the book’s cultural element means it could be used with older students, too.

Two for One is Like One for Free

Two for One is One for Free or Almost One for Free?

Save a Village in Malawi

Do you eat Cheerios? Or any of the other gazillion products put out by General Mills?

If so, you might be interested in the company's Malawi mission. General Mills has set aside $500,000 to be donated amongst ten different villages in the African nation of Malawi through a program called Join My Village.

You can help determine how quickly money gets released. Go to the web site, create a log in name and then read about the various villages and projects going on there.

You take a quiz about Malawi and every time you answer a question, you "unlock" part of the $500,000 General Mills has set aside for its donation.

It's an interactive, feel-good way to learn more about a Malawi and get some resources heading into the country without ever having to break open your own account.

Novel about the Taj Mahal

Every once in a while I come across an author who captivates my imagination, and I go on a splurge reading everything they've ever written.

This year, my author splurge was John Shors.

In June, I read his novel, Beside a Burning Sea, and interviewed him on my haiku web site.

In August I read his newly released novel, Dragon House, which takes place in Saigon.

Now, I've just finished reading his first novel, Beneath a Marble Sky. It was sooooooo good!

It is a historical novel, a love story, and an adventure tale all rolled up in one. It is the story of the building of the Taj Mahal.

I don't think I can stress how much I loved this book! I've never been to India, and before picking up this book, only knew the barest of bones about the Taj Mahal. And yes, I know that the book is a work of fiction, and that some of the details might not be correct, but I DON'T CARE. It was that good!

It has only fueled my desire to visit the Taj Mahal. Someday....

In the meantime, I'll have to get an India fix by reading my fellow GoNomad blogger, Mridula Dwivedi. She lives in India and posts about her travels in her home land (and sometimes beyond).

Organic Blue Agave Nectar

A few weeks ago, I worked on a story about fair trade sugar. In researching that story, I spoke with one of the founders of Wholesome Sweeteners, a company that imports and sells fair trade sweeteners in the U.S.

Wholesome Sweeteners sells nine different types of fair trade sugar, but it also markets fair trade honey from Mexico and fair trade blue agave nectar, also from Mexico.

The blue agave nectar is harvested from the blue agave plant, which is also used to make tequila.

The nectar is sweet, sweeter than sugar, so you use less of it, and it has a low Glycemic index, which means that it breaks down slowly in your body, which means you don't experience a "sugar high."

I'm now obsessed with blue agave nectar. I have a bottle that I've been trying out on everything -- in coffee, on grapefruit, etc.

I recommend it!

Carpe Diem -- YA Travel Novel

A friend told me about a book called Carpe Diem. It's a young adult novel, she said, about traveling in Asia.

Since she's a reader whose opinion I respect, I decided to take her advice and seek out this book written by Autumn Cornwell.

In it, a sixteen year-old girl named Vassar gets kidnapped to Southeast Asia. Well, she's not really kidnapped. But to her, it feels like it.

Her artist grandmother insists that Vassar get out of the country and away from her high-expectation parents for a summer. The grandma fears Vassar is in danger of becoming an over-focused planner with no ability to adapt to life's changes.

And of course, if you've been there, then you know that there is no better way to break someone of their love of planning than to take them on a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia.

I actually really liked the book. It didn't matter to me at all that the main character was a 16 year old kid. I identified with her journey, the places she was seeing and the feelings she was experiencing.

If you know a middle school/high school girl looking for a book, I say hand her a copy of Carpe Diem. And even if you're an adult -- so what? It's still worth a read!

Neighborhood Block Parties

The timing of this feels like a joke.

This month, a local magazine is featuring a story I wrote about neighborhood block parties, an activity that usually takes place (at least in this neck of the woods) when the weather outside is nice.

And yet, in the past week, just as the article was unveiled, it has snowed here -- TWICE!

Ah well. If you'd like to get a jump start on planning next year's block party, you can get ideas from my story: Neighborhood Block Party

Early October Snow

My backyard on October 12, 2010, taken at 1 pm. I'm not ready for this.

Wine Tours in Hungary

Ask me where you should go for a really great glass of wine and Hungary probably wouldn't be the first country out of my mouth.

But maybe I should rethink that.

According to Jamison Bachrach, owner of Wandering Puffin, a travel provider specializing in Eastern Europe, Hungary is a wine-lovers paradise.

Check out his suggested nine-day food and wine travel itinerary for Hungary.

A View from St. Paul's Harriet Isalnd

The entrance to St. Paul's Harriet Island Park.

The park isn't really an island, but a peninsula that sticks out into the Mississippi River.

I liked the view of the St. Paul Cathedral in the background. It's on the opposite bank of the river, and as you can see, atop a tall hill.

River Boat Grill & Views of St. Paul

The Mississippi River cuts through the city of St. Paul. I'd never really spent much time around the river in St. Paul and so the other day a friend and I decided to check it out.

We stumbled upon the River Boat Grill, a restaurant on an old boat docked at Harriet Island.

Could there be a better way to enjoy views of the water and downtown St. Paul than to sit on a boat with something to drink? No. We found a table and ordered some lunch.

The boat's menu told the long story about the boat's beginnings and how it came to be a restaurant in St. Paul. Unfortunately, that story isn't posted anywhere on the restaurant's web site. And I didn't have too much time to absorb it at my table. The waitress set upon us pretty quick for our order before snapping the menus out of our hands.

Oh well. The sign on the receptionist stand had warned us. It said something along the lines of Beware the Bitter Waitress.

We didn't give it much more mind, other than to giggle a bit over it. The views of downtown St. Paul were just too pleasant and the people watching was equally appealing.

Visiting Alpacas in Minnesota

It was an easy drive into the countryside to hang out with an alpaca herd for the day.

We set off toward the small town of Hutchinson and an alpaca ranch just beyond its reach called The Abbey Alpacas.

I've been around alpacas before. I'd encountered them while traveling in both Bolivia and Peru. And I'd seen plenty of llamas and alpacas at the Minnesota State Fair.

But I'd never been to an alpaca farm so I was curious to see the set up.

The owner, Ruth Kinkade, opened the doors to her alpaca barn and freely welcomed visitors. She talked to anyone who cared to listen about the animals, their temperaments (they spit if you touch their face), their wool, mating techniques for achieving better wool, and how much it costs to buy an alpaca (thousands -- 3, 7 or even 18!).

We got to pet a couple and sink our fingers into their fuzzy hair. They'd been shaved last spring so their current wool wasn't too long. Still, it was soft and squishy to the touch.

Apparently there's a lot of money to be made in the alpaca industry. The wool can pull in a pretty penny.

Plus there's lots to be made from selling the animals to others looking to start or expand their herds. Alpacas can no longer be imported into the United States. If you want to start a herd, you have to get them from within the country.