Fab Five Friday (July 10, 2015)

Reblogged (sort of) revised from 101 Books. This isn’t a weekly meme, but I’ll call it Fab Five Friday (FFF) in homage to Top Ten Tuesday (TTT), as well as the 1993 University of Michigan basketball team.

Anyway, Robert at 101 Books asked what are the 5 most unique places you’ve read a book. I can’t bring myself to use the phrase “most unique”, so I’m changing it to 5 fabulous places you’ve read a book.

My answers:

·         800 feet underground in a nuclear bunker in North Bay, Canada. I was assigned to the combined Canadian – U.S. NORAD unit there. It’s a little like NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center (CMOC), but instead of inside a mountain it’s underground. Construction started in 1959, completed in 1963, 765,000 tons of rock removed, 3 blast doors 20 tons each, typical day shift is 350 personnel, who park at one of two parking lots up top and ride a bus down: North Tunnel 6621 feet, South Tunnel 3350 feet.  The South tunnel is wider, to include a lane for walkers. I took that stroll a number of times, going down is easy, going up little different. Many more facts here: http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/military/living_underground/  But probably a more interesting video here, of the bus going down the South Tunnel, and up the North:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRvPPnHMsyE   Yeah, the bus drivers go that fast. It’s a little unnerving the first dozen times or so. The North Tunnel is only 12’ x 12’.  On the occasional night shift, I did a little reading. I remember reading The Great Gatsby among others.

·         South Point or Ka Lae on the Big Island of Hawaii, southernmost point of the United States. My wife and I have dear friends who own a macadamia nut farm on South Point. Beautiful spot, far from light pollution, more stars than I’ve even seen. I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer there.

·        The KCOIC or Korean Combat Operations and Intelligence Center, Osan Airbase, Republic of Korea.  Another bunker, but this one above ground. Again, occasionally during exercises on the night shift I got a little reading in, nothing specific that I can remember.

·        My recliner, with one of my three grandsons: Judah, Luke, or Andrew. It’s tough to make it through an entire book with Judah, so he has not yet contributed a guest book review, but I am still hopeful he will one day. Luke (left) and Andrew (right) have both made guest book reviews, and don’t think I haven’t noticed that their reviews get more page views than mine.

 

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·         And finally, drumroll please, The Library of Congress. Actually, I haven’t done this yet, but I will soon. I have a very short book coming up, The Call of the Wild, and I plan to visit the LOC, get the library copy, and read it in the library. Hopefully, I’ll get pictures.

·         So, what are your Fab Five reading spots?