Hollywoodland

And now we’re off to Costa Rica! The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a rain forest located in the mountains. Though you might find sunshine, the usual day will find you surrounded by very wet mists or fog. You’ll also find coffee plantations at the same altitude. Plant and animal life includes mammals and birds, and exotic plants.

On TV tonight: the return of Who Do You Think You Are? and new episodes of Grimm and Fringe.

Reading: Still reading Die Job which I’m enjoying.

We’re off to South Africa and the Kruger National Park. Kruger is one of the largest animal preserves in Africa. And that’s saying something! We’ll see lions, giraffes, cheetahs, leopards. And while the animals are wild, they’re used to humans visiting and you can drive up close to them to snap pictures. There are 21 camps, 2 private lodges, and 15 safari lodges.

Today in history:

• 1876 – The National Baseball League was formed.

• 1901 – Queen Victoria’s funeral was held.

• 1913 – Grand Central Terminal opened in New York City.

• 1935 – Leonarde Keeler tested the first polygraph machine.

On TV tonight: Wipeout and The Finder.

Reading: Last night I read The Clue in the Patchwork Quilt by Margaret Sutton. Tonight I’ll be starting Die Job by Lila Dare.

I’ve always wanted to visit Peru and fly over the Nazca Lines. Ever since I first heard of this place years ago I’ve been fascinated with it. In the Nazca Desert a series of mysterious figures (human and animal) are depicted across 193 square miles. You can really only see them from the air, but the designs were created thousands of years ago. How, you ask? Nobody knows! Hence the mystery.

Today in history:

• 1893 – Thomas Edison finished construction on the first motion picture studio in West Orange, New Jersey.

• 1894 – Director/producer John Ford was born. He began directing in 1917 and ended his career in 1966.

• 1906 – Singer/actress Hildegarde was born. Yes, she used just the one name for over 70 years. Long before Cher or Madonna. And she had a lot more class.

On TV tonight: just Ghost Hunters so I’ll probably watch some recorded stuff too. I have become obsessed with the old ’70s TV show Emergency! which I’ve been watching on Netflix. But I need to watch the series finale of Chuck and a few other things.

Reading: Last night I read The Name on the Bracelet by Margaret Sutton which is the 13th book in the Judy Bolton series.