Night

I figured that as long as I average about one book a week (I don't know how with school and everything, but I do) I decided I might as well write something about what I'm reading. Recently I have been trying to expand my reading from the typical Fantasy Fiction that I so love and read all the time. So recently (i.e. over the past few months) I've purchased some new books to expand my library. The first one after finishing the last Drizzt book is a book entitled Night by Elie Wiesel. This one was recommended to me by my brother-in-law Chris Maloy. Basic synopsis is that Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor and this book is about that experience. Elie Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize for this novel in 1986. The New York Times said that it is "a slim volume of terrifying power." So here is an excerpt from the novel:
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
"Never shall I forget that smoke.
"Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
"Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
"Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
"Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
"Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
"Never."
It really is a powerful book and I recommend that we all should read from it and learn what he has to teach us about compassion.
Now that I have finished that small volume (just over 100 pages) I've just started Bram Stoker's Dracula and it is pretty good so far.

Dad's Art

Well I've grown up with my Dad being an amazing artist and truly appreciate all that he does. He is an amazing man apart from being an amazing artist. Those who read my sister Nicole and Jodi's blogs may well already know that Dad has an art show coming up this month at Cal Poly and it should be a great event. So at Jodi's suggestion, The Following is a digital inventory of the five lucky pieces that Amanda and I have received of my Dad's art. Enjoy!
This piece is 23"H x 30"W and hangs above our fireplace. It is done in oil medium and once hung in my grandma Hendrickson's house.
These two pieces hang side-by-side above our TV and across from the mountain scene. I believe them both to be watercolor. The first (with red flowers) hangs on the left and is 20 1/2"H x 14 1/2"W. The second hangs on the left and measures 17"H x 11"w. The second one was a wedding gift and is an older painting that had partial damage and was restored by Dad.

This piece is a wonderful little sunset/beach scene. Landscapes are some of my personal favorite types of art, and of landscapes, these types of beach scenes I just love. Just ask my wife. I am always taking pictures of sunsets or commenting about how awesome the cloud formations look that day. Maybe I'll put some sunsets I've taken on here... Anyways, this is a smaller painting that hangs in our hallway and measures 9"H x 7"W and also is one that once hung in G-ma Hendrickson's house. It too is an older painting done in oil paint.
This last painting hangs in our dining room and I couldn't really get a good picture of it because of the lighting but it has amazing color. It is mixed media of Watercolor and ink. It's 19"H x 14"W and very beautiful. This is another work from Dad's more recent college days.