OXYGEN

I asked The Child: "Do you want to watch a couple of sci-fi films?" I was surprised that The Child was all in.

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We watched a short film, Akai, directed by Michael Sparks, to kick things off.

For our feature, we watched Oxygen, directed by Alexandre Ada. While it dabbled in some classic sci-fi scenarios and tropes, the way that it presented and developed them was intriguing and well-done and fresh. I felt my blood pressure rising along with the character portrayed by Mélanie Laurent, who did an absolutely wonderful job of acting.

RAMEN BOWL

Homemade ramen bowl and 21st Amendment Brewery Brew Free! or Die Blood Orange IPA.

Ramen bowl = ramen + chicken + stir-fry sauce + cabbage + carrots + red pepper + pickled ginger + boiled egg. Then you add the citrus flavors of the blood orange IPA and it pushes this into a whole new level of heavenly street food. The bonus is that it is so simple to make. Most of the time is acting as sous chef and cutting up vegetables and meat.

TIPSOO LAKE

The past three days have been so damn hot that I'm dreaming of jumping into the snow-covered version of Tipsoo Lake that I saw two weeks ago. (Even though I know it has probably completely thawed during this same heat.)

WELCOME to HELL

Welcome to Hell!

Three consecutive days of high temperatures above 100ºF.

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We left the house because it was getting too hot. We went to an air conditioned building to eat dinner and let the dogs (and us) cool off.

This is what we arrived home to. 97.6°F is the main floor temperature record! (In. The. House.) It made it to 105° outdoors (record). Our "cool" basement topped out at 83° (record).

In 2020, I washed my hands more than the rest of my entire life combined. In 2021, I guess I'm trying to sweat more than I ever have. Apocalyptic goals!

SAWMILL FLAT

We didn't camp during 2020. (Thank you, COVID!)

We didn't see most of our family in person during 2020. (Thank you, COVID!)

So we decided to go camping. And then some family was added. Then a bit more family was added. (Take that, COVID!) So we made up for what we missed in 2020.

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We ended up at Sawmill Flat Campground, on the Naches River, near Naches, Washington.

No internet connection. No social media. No news. I didn't even bring a book with me. It was a simple weekend of eating and conversation and sitting around and sleeping in a tent and eating and campfire and herding and/or holding dogs and hiking and eating.

And while Western Washington was inundated with rain, we saw a bit of drizzle, but even that didn't bother us because our campsites were beneath canopies of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine.

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It was nice to break routine. Then it was good to reestablish it again. That shower after three days of dirt and sweat and campfire smoke and sleeping alongside stinky dogs was amazing!

HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER

"That month the southern white rhino and a species of pangolin had gone extinct. Wildfires in five countries meant animals were crawling to the side of roads to beg people speeding by for water. People were poisoning vultures and shooting bats out of the sky, scared of pandemics. To care more meant putting a bullet in your brain. So, like many, I had learned to care less. Silvina called it 'the fatal adaptation.'"

—page 37, Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer.

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This novel is the latest wild ride from Jeff VanderMeer, and quite the ride it is!

We meet Jane Smith, who is an unpleasant character. She is soon swept up into a narrative that is not entirely of her own making and begins with her being handed an envelope that leads her to a  taxidermied hummingbird that may or may not be extinct.

The story is equal parts eco-thriller, science fiction, and weird fiction. As Jane gets sucked deeper and deeper into the mystery surrounding the aforementioned hummingbird and its companion salamander, we get sucked in alongside her.

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For those familiar with other novels by VanderMeer—especially Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance, Borne, and Dead Astronauts—there are plenty of "Easter eggs" hidden within. Some are nods to or echoes of characters or settings in prior novels, while others feel like variants or alternative universe versions. (Welcome to the VanderVerse!)

Here are some of the Easter eggs that caught my attention

• “Jane Smith” as the looking-glass version of Control.
• The naiad hummingbird as the looking-glass version of the Strange Bird.
• We encounter Mord? (This is actually a humorous allusion to a horrible situation in Borne.)
• We encounter the Blue Fox.
• We encounter Botch.
• Area X visits us. (The ark of HS. The “contained” experiments of Charlie X and the Company.)
• Unitopia as echoes of the City, the Southern Reach, Veniss.
• Shot as the looking-glass version of Control’s grandmother.
• The (house)boat along the (Pacific Northwest) coast. 

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As with other VanderMeer novels, I'm going to have to read this again (and soon). The material is so rich and chewy and rewarding. Plus, a second reading really helps me to see details I missed the first time around.