Castellarenpositiu blog

Posts Tagged ‘mountain’

Wow. I hope that’s not all I can say about this book, but that’s where I’ll start. Wow.

Every time I hesitate to think I’ll find a book that is captivating, entertaining, and that will keep my interest and keep me thinking about its characters long after the book is over, I somehow seem to find myself happily surprised. Water for Elephants was one of those books. It was really that good.

I heard good things about it, always saw it on the shelves at bookstores, but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to give it a chance. Why? A book about a circus in the depression/prohibition era is probably as far away from my “normal” reading zone as I can get. But I’m telling you – it doesn’t matter! Not one bit.

Entertaining and engrossing from the very first chapter, I was taken away on this journey with the characters. Nothing short of fascinating, in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible. Part love story, part coming of age, this is at its roots, a story about life and the unexpected paths it may take. I really came to love the character of Jacob, and sympathize with his situation and his love for animals. It’s been over a week since I’ve finished the novel, and I still think about the characters every day. I really got caught up in their world which is something, I must say, is sometimes way too rare in the books I read. Many are good stories, but with Water for Elephants, I really felt like I was traveling along with them in their adventures. A pleasant surprise.

Overall, I have already recommended to more than a few friends, and would encouragingly recommend it here. It may just be one of those precious few books that when you finish it, you stop and, at a loss for words, say – wow.

BMW Touring Mountain Bike

My dash slopes toward the floor but this base holds my GPS and its power cord, with it’s FW enhancement, in place on my dash in spite of where I drive. It hasn’t slipped an inch yet. A second big plus is, unlike a suction base that is glued in place, when I stow the GPS and the base, it leaves no evidence in the sight of would be thieves to announces there is a GPS unit in my car. It’s X shape conforms to the contours of the dash better than cheaper circular designs.
Blue Mountain Wallcoverings 31720496

Good bike for the money. Good bang for a buck… Dual suspension + disk brakes. Nicely built sturdy bike.

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Inexpensive 6-speed 20″ girls bike. I purchased this bike for a specific goal – an inexpensive 20″ girls bike with speeds or gears for an almost 8 year old who outgrew a 16″ single speed bike. Use will be for streets & rail trail rather than true mountain biking. I was looking for hand brakes and multi speeds, but not necessarily a derailer bike, as this is. But 20″ 3 and 5 speeds were hard to find. So, despite some low ratings on other Pacific models, and no ratings or evaluations on this one, for under $100 I took a chance. Main reason – I found that Pacific is a sister company to Schwinn. That said, the bike is made in China.

We’ve had Pacific Evolution Girls Mountain Bike for 3 weeks, so I have can review it for everything but longevity. Its not too bad, but not too good either. Pluses are 6 speeds, cam adjustable seat height, comes with kick stand, attractive design. Basic assembly was easy, but derailler adjustments less so. Minuses are cheap construction (not than an 8 year old would notice) like very visible welds and cheap parts. Manual isn’t model specific. In my case, the shaft for the handlebars was a bear to get into the frame. I would have liked the seat to go a little lower, but my daughter’s growth will fix that in a month or two. But I can’t use the red reflector at the seat height she needs now. Rather than not have a rear reflector, I mounted a reflector on the back of the seat.

The hand index shifter broke while I was trying to get the speeds adjusted. (Out of the box it wouldn’t go to either end of the range). Probably my fault (hint – don’t try changing gears without cranking the pedals). Called the 800# and got the replacement in 4 days. So, customer service seems pretty good (although I was a little scared when they said the shifter was backordered and didn’t have a shipping date).

Took my time this time and got all 6 speeds shifting fine in about 1/2 hour. If you can’t handle pliers, hex wrenches and a phillips screwdriver, don’t get a bike online (and definitely don’t get this one). But if you’re somewhat mechanically inclined and don’t want to shell out more than $250 bucks for a bike your kid will outgrow in a couple years, this one is worth considering.

I’m hoping its built to stand up to kids’ ordinary use and abuse to last while my dauther goes from 8 to 10 or 11. But if it doesn’t, I won’t be out much $$ and I may have bought enough time for her to grow into a 24″ that she’ll have for a while.

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