Pictures from the past -

People change. Pictures don't. The little guy in this picture (Graham Russell) was just one year old when I took this picture of him on my Ski-doo fifty years ago. I haven't seen him since then, but I suspect that he looks a bit different now! In fact, he may be unrecognizable to his family and the people who have aged with him and watched him change over the years. They know him as he is today. I know him as he was 50 years ago.
Recently I reestablished contact with his parents and his family, and sent them the pictures I had taken when I was with them, and it never occurred to me that they wouldn't be able to recognize family members. I have a bunch of old black-and-white pictures of my own unidentified ancestors. The people who knew them are dead and gone so I have no way of knowing who is pictured there.
Today we take a million pictures with our cell phones of every breath we take, every smile we make, every cake we bake. Fifty years from now, will people recognize who those people are? And since electronic technology changes so fast (think of those big cassette tapes you can't play any more), will we even be able to look at all those images?
Time doesn't like to be frozen. Be sure you enjoy and remember what you see with your eyes. Today.

Stay well,
Paul
Paul H. Raymer
P.S there's more to this newsletter - please keep reading.

Tana French - The Searcher
Genre: Mystery

This is Tana French's eighth novel, but the only one I have had the pleasure of reading so far. This book has a home on my great scenes reference shelf - books that I pull out when I want to remind myself how to write a particular scene.

The overall canvas of this story is spectacular. French's description of the sky, hills, fields, and weather provides a dynamic visual background over which she paints the events of the story.

Then there are the people. Cal Hooper is a retired Chicago police officer who buys a run-down house in Ireland. He believes the remote village to be peaceful and untroubled by crime and murder, a place where he can just quietly rehabilitate the run-down house and watch the rooks scold him from the end of his yard. His deceptively jolly neighbor, Mart, likes his cookies and chatting about neighborly issues. The world around Cal gradually become less peaceful and less balanced.

There is a scene when Cal goes drinking at the local pub and is introduced to the local society and some local home-brew. French does such an amazing job describing this evening that I was concerned that I would wake up the next morning with a hangover.

The story is written in the present tense which I always find challenging, but French handles it with briliant skill and alacrity.

It is a well woven and well written tale. And there are always the rooks there to comment.

Amazing Star of Building Science - Rob deKieffer

Rob deKieffer was a farmer, eagle scout, Cub Scout leader, singer, performer and treasurer with Up with People! He was also one of twelve people tasked by then Vice President Joe Biden with crafting a new national energy policy. Rob worked at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) which became NREL in 1991 when it became the only sole purpose national laboratory. He was the managing partner of Boulder Design Alliance and was involved in applied research, development, and application of innovative energy conservation programs from1978 forward. Rob wrote papers with titles like Combustion Safety Checks: How Not to Kill Your Clients for Home Energy Magazine and actively participated in Affordable Comfort conferences talking about Energy Consumption as a Diagnostic Tool with Michael Blasnik and The Road to High Performance New Construction.

Rob had a ready sense of humor and a wonderful laugh and helped the world to spin just a little more smoothly. I am glad to have him in Second Law as a trainer at my fictional conference on Cape Cod in 1984.

Independent Bookstores - East End Books Ptown

East End Books in Ptown is a full service bookstore in beautiful Provincetown on the East End. A lovingly curated collection of Books in print, Ebooks, Audiobooks, Vinyl Albums, really cool magazines & more. East End Books Ptown is located at 389 Commercial Street, Unit 1 (next to Utilities). The phone number is (508) 413-9059.

Some Bits for Benjamin Bunny and the Rabbit Hole

How about some interesting blogs?
Energy Vanguard - This is a top notch building science blog that has been going on for years. You can truly disappear down this rabbit hole pursuing all sorts of building science technology paths.
Feedspot - This is the spot for thrillers, bloggers, and influencers. A great resource.
A-Thrill-a-Week - This is a book review blog from the scientific viewpoint. This blog focuses primarily on forensic, medical, and techno-thrillers.

Please let me know of other blogs that you enjoy.

PHR Books
Residential Ventilation Handbook V2
Recalculating Truth
Death at the Edge of the Diamond

Also available on-line and in fine bookshops.

PHR Work-in-Progress
The new novel - Second Law - First draft is complete. Going through now and pulling out the weeds, tightening up the words, and getting ready to send it out to beta readers.

If you enjoyed this issue, please share it. Thank you!

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Salty Air Publishing Newsletter is a free, bi-weekly newsletter from Paul H. Raymer that launched in 2020. More than 1,000 subscribers receive it. Knowing that you are giving me your time to read these words, it is my goal to be as interesting and helpful as possible.

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