Happy New Year From The Pops

As you know by now I love being in Massachusetts. I posted at Christmas some music from the Boston Pops, today I want to share New Year Music from them.  I hope you enjoy it and Happy New Year!

Fireworks from this past year.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

This year has been interesting to say the least. I appreciate all of you that follow me on my blog, Twitter and Facebook. I am grateful to those that have bought my books and reviewed them.  I am looking forward to a couple of new books coming out next year as well as the student guide for The Hidden Chamber In the Great Sphinx.

I wish you nothing but happiness for the holiday season.
~Linda Cadose

Egypt has snow?

Yesterday on Facebook I reported that it had been snowing in Egypt. What makes this unreal is that it has not snowed there in 112 years! It is certainly an event of epic proportions there and around the world.

The snow shut down roads and businesses because it was not know what to do with such an event.

So, what do we have, global warming? Who knows!

 



Today I just wanted to share with you some of the photos from around the net I found. Enjoy them, I know I am!

ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT:Coming in early 2014, the Study Guide for "The Hidden Chamber in the Great Sphinx" ideal for middle school grade readers."

More from the Boston Pops

Last Monday I shared with you some music from the Boston Pops. I thought today that I would share a little more music from them. Enjoy!
~Linda Cadose

The perfect gift...

Did you know that Christmas was once outlawed?

Did you know in the Massachusetts area that Christmas was once outlawed?

It was. 

Here was the law that was in effect for 22 years before it was overturned.

"For preventing disorders, arising in several places within this jurisdiction by reason of some still observing such festivals as were superstitiously kept in other communities, to the great dishonor of God and offense of others: it is therefore ordered by this court and the authority thereof that whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way, upon any such account as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall pay for every such offence five shilling as a fine to the county."

From the records of the General Court,

Massachusetts Bay Colony

May 11, 1659

What do you think about that? Tell me in comments.

Christmas Music from the Boston Pops

I thought today I would share some Christmas/Holiday music from our famous orchestra the Boston Pops. Enjoy! ~Linda Cadose

Sleigh Ride

A Christmas Festival

Carol of the Bells

White Christmas

What to do with leftovers

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am sure everyone has tons of leftovers. What in the world to do with it all without having to eat the same thing four days in a row? Well, I gathered some sites that might be able to help with that.
~Linda Cadose

Curried Mashed Potato Soup

Double Grilled Cheese and Turkey

Turkey and Waffles

Cranberry BBQ Sandwiches

Potato Tacos

Plymouth, MA & Thank you!

As you most likely know Plymouth, MA was the site of the first Thanksgiving. It was where the first colony was established by those from the Mayflower in 1620.

Plymouth's population at the time would have been small as many people perished on the way over. The first Thanksgiving was to celebrate their deliverance.
In perspective, the U.S. census in 2010 showed Plymouth's population to be 56,468.

Plymouth has not always been the site of tourism but that of capitalism considering its location. Plymouth was known for its fishing, shipping and rope making. This helped the city to survive.

Now that tourism is its main attraction, one can see those things made most famous like Plymouth Rock. Although there is no written historical proof that this was the landing site of the pilgrims, it is the most well known and most identified place.



Although much of things that supposedly happened at Plymouth are most likely that of myth than anything, it is still known for its rich heritage and will be a tourist dream for years to come.
------------------

I want to thank each and everyone who visits my blog and buys my books. I am grateful for all of you.
From me to you, Happy Thanksgiving!

~Linda Cadose

What would they eat?

Not too long ago, I blogged about what aliens might eat.
So, I was thinking, with Thanksgiving coming up in the U.S. very soon, what would the aliens eat if they were invited to Thanksgiving dinner?

Cows? Chicken? Bones?
I have no clue. What do you think?
Tell me in a comment.

Crop Circles

In the past several decades crop circles have appeared in different fields across the world.
Where did they come from? Who put them there? What do they mean?

Some people say that they were created by ancient aliens to send messages to us or even back to where they came from.  Others say that the crop circles are proof that aliens do exist and the intricacy of them is proof of their intelligence. Still others say they are complete hoaxes by kids just having fun.

What do you think? Let me know in a blog comment.
~Linda Cadose

New Discovery!

As of yesterday, November 13th, it was reported that two new statues were found in the area of Luxor in Egypt. The two statues dated back 3500 years.

This is another exciting and amazing discovery for the ministry of antiquities.

If you would like to read about it, go HERE.

Veteran's Day 2013

Like many communities across the country here in Massachusetts we honor our veterans this weekend and through tomorrow, November 11th.
Thank you to all our veterans who have served our country in various ways and thank you to those who gave all. You are appreciated.
~Linda Cadose

Mohawk Trail

In my last blog I wrote about the Freedom Trail in Boston. This time, I want to talk to you about the Mohawk Trail in Western Massachusetts. 

This trail once connected the Atlantic Native American Tribes with those of upper state New York for trade. On the National Register for Historic Places, the Mohawk Trail is around 62 miles and follows along the Millers and Deerfield Rivers.

 Many points of interest and historical places are to be found along this driven route including camping, statues and other historical aspects to be seen.  Beautiful forest areas accommodate this wonderful drive and allow for gorgeous scenic views of the Fall foliage.

 In 2011, a 6 mile section of the road was damaged when Hurricane Katrina hit the area.
If you are ever in this area during the Fall, this is a no-miss trip to take.

Boston's Freedom Trail

An interesting place to visit in Boston to visit is called "The Freedom Trail". This area is 2.5 miles of brick-lined route that leads the follower to 16 different sites.

Along the route you can find museums, cemeteries, old churches and meeting places. Each place allows the wander to learn of the United States' founding history and how the American Revolution began.

It is certainly a place you want to visit.

Massachusetts

If you do not already know, I hail from Massachusetts. I love my state and the rich history that comes out of this state.This month I am going to share with you some of that history.

I do hope you will come along for the ride and enjoy all there is to "see" in Massachusetts.
~Linda Cadose

Want to go on an archaeological dig?

If you could have a chance to go on an archaeological dig in your hometown, where would you go? 

I have thought about this. Since I live in Massachusetts, I would choose Cole’s Hill, this is the burial grounds where many of the pilgrims were buried.

The winter of 1620-1621 was severe. It was extremely cold and snowy. The Pilgrims lost half their number. They didn't want the Indians to see how great their losses had been throughout that harsh first winter, so the Pilgrims secretly buried their dead on Cole’s Hill.

For my archeological dig, I would make a grid over the entire cemetery, then collect artifacts. I would catalog each and eventually place them in the Pilgrim Hall Museum. I would hire a forensic anthropologist – like Temperance Brennen from the show, Bones – to analyze the cause of death in the Pilgrims.  My choice of Cole’s Hill for an archaeological dig would reveal much about the Pilgrims and how they lived their lives.

How about you? Where would you dig in your backyard?
Tell me in a blog comment.

Do you like the boo?

Today on my Facebook, I was posting different "ghost" costumes. Some were traditional and some just down right unique.

We have a fascination with ghost and other worldly non-dead. We like to go on ghost hunts, visit spooky places, take in a haunted house and play ghost in a grave yard.  We also like to watch about ghost on TV with shows like, "Ghost Hunters" and "Ghost Adventurers". Of course there are the movies like, "Ghost" and "Poltergeist".

Yes, we like out ghost!

Here is a short movie from YouTube of the most friendliest ghost on earth. Enjoy!
~Linda Cadose

Crystal Skulls

Among some of the most interesting archaeological finds in the world are crystal skulls.
Most have been found in the regions of Mexico and Central America.
They are deemed to be thousands of years old and a wonderment of how they were actually carved.

Some people have surmised that they are proof of the ancient lost civilization of Atlantis. Others yet think they may be proof of alien existence.

In my book I write about a discovery of crystal skulls and how they work together to be a conduit for the ancients. Although fictional in my book, this is a real theory of the skulls.

The crystal skulls remain a controversy to this day as they have been deemed not as old as originally thought by some but some remain to say they are still thousands of years old. It is hard to date them and the truth is, no one knows for sure.

What do you think?
Tell me in a blog comment.
~Linda Cadose

Mummies are not necessarily from Egypt!

Today is all about mummies! I have shared some costume ideas on my Facebook pages and even a cute countdown calendar.

Did you know that mummies have not just been found in Egypt? That is right, they have been found in many different areas of the world.

Here is some proof.
~Linda Cadose

Archaeology with Bill Nye the Science Guy

Today I am sharing all things archaeology. I found this video by Bill Nye the Science Guy on YouTube. I hope you enjoy.
Oh and head over to my Facebook page and see some costume ideas to go as an archaeologist for Halloween.
~Linda Cadose

Egyptian Disney Classic

Today on my Facebook page I shared some Egyptian costumes that I had found around the net.
I thought on my blog today I would share a Disney short cartoon from 1931. The music was fun and the characters funny. This is true Disney classic. Enjoy.
~Linda Cadose

Mummies

Mummy of Cleopatra

In my second book,  The Underwater Pyramid In The Bermuda Triangle, the character Cliff and his son, Matt discover a glass pyramid under the ocean. There they find two mummies.

I thought today, I would just briefly touch on mummies.

We all know that the ancient Egyptians mummified people and animals too. Do you know how mummification works or why they did it?

Well, as far as the working part goes, I will spare you the sorted details but to say that the process was twofold: embalming and wrapping.

You can view the process here:

 

The reason why the Egyptians mummified was for religious reasons. In fact, it was part of a religious ceremony. The Egyptians believed that the deceased, especially pharaohs, rose again in the afterlife.
The body had to be prepared in a proper manner in order to be received and brought into the afterlife.

This meant that all the deceased king's possessions must go with him. Sometimes, that included people and animals that were still alive. I am sure you can understand what that meant for them and is why often those mummies were also in the tomb with the king.

Recipes for the ancients

In my books, the main character, Cliff has a wife who enjoys cooking. She loves to cook so much that she finds out how to make conch and marlin ceviche in my second book. I even included recipes in that book.

I thought today I would share a couple of recipes from Egypt that the character may have cooked in the first book when she and Cliff were on an archaeology dig of the Sphinx.

Melokhia
source

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 kg of fresh molokhia (or melokhia) leaves cleaned
• one tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• one hot chilly pepper (optional)
• one bay leaf (optional)
• one small onion, finely chopped (optional)
• black pepper
• two tablespoons of butter
• several cloves of garlic, minced
• one teaspoon ground coriander
• one teaspoon salt
• one tablespoon fresh coriander leaves (also called cilantro) or fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• juice of one lemon or a teaspoon vinegar (optional)
• ground cayenne pepper or red pepper (optional)

Steps

• Chop the molokhia leaves as finely as possible.
• Over high heat, bring the chicken stock to a near boil in a large pot. Add the molokhia, stirring well. Add the tomato paste, chile pepper, bay leaf, and onion (if desired), and black pepper, continuing to stir. Reduce heat and simmer. The molokhia will simmer for about twenty minutes.
• After the chicken stock and melokhia have simmered for about ten minutes: heat the butter in a skillet. Using either the back of a spoon in a bowl or a sharp knife on a cutting board, grind the garlic, ground coriander, and the salt together into a paste. Fry the mixture in the oil for two to four minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is slightly browned
• After the melokhia has been simmering for about twenty minutes and has broken down to make a thick soup, add the garlic mixture and the butter it was fried in to the simmering molokhia. Stir well
• Add any of the remaining optional ingredients. . Continue simmering and stirring occasionally for a few more minutes.
• Serve immediately, hot. Molokhia soup is often served over boiled Rice and sometimes with boiled chicken.

Spiced Prawns
source

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ginger, fresh grated

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, raw & shelled

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped (cilantro)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan; add the garlic and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the paprika, cumin and ginger; stir to combine.
3. Stir in prawns, salt and cilantro. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the prawns turn pink.
4. Serve over hot rice.

 

 

Hibiscus Tea

source

 

2 -3 cups dried hibiscus flowers (often called red sorrel or roselle)

2 quarts cold water

1 -2 cup sugar

1-2 of the following optional flavorings

• 1 sprig mint (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, to be halal make sure there is no alcohol)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot (optional)
• 1 teaspoon orange flower water (optional)
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

1. Briefly rinse the dried flowers in cool water.
2. In a saucepan heat two quarts (approximately two litres) of cold water. As soon as the water begins to boil, add the dried hibiscus. Immediately remove from heat and let the flowers steep for ten minutes.
3. Pour the water from the pot into a pitcher using a strainer (lined with a cheesecloth) to separate the flowers from the water. (Be sure not to pour any of the flower sediment into the pitcher.).
4. Stir in the sugar.
5. Add any other flavorings (if desired).
6. Add ice and chill completely.
 

 

Interview

Today I though I would share part of an interview  that I did in 2012 with The Children's Book Review. Enjoy.

 

Linda has travelled to Egypt and visited all of the historical sites discussed in her book The Hidden Chamber in the Great Sphinx. She holds a Master’s degree in technical and professional writing from Northeastern University. Her career as a Registered Respiratory Therapist and teacher prevented her from seeking a writing career in the past, however, she has always had an interest in writing and is particularly interested in writing for the juvenile market. She grew up in Plymouth, MA, and now resides in Carver, MA.

Bianca Schulze: From where did you draw the inspiration for your archeological adventure novel The Hidden Chamber in the Great Sphinx? Were you inspired by your trips visiting historical sites in Egypt?

 

Linda Cadose: I drew my inspiration for the novel from visiting Egypt. Egypt is a lovely and fascinating country. The antiquities left me spellbound.
BS: How much of your travel experience and observations impacted the way you developed the characters?
LC: My travel experiences helped me create Dr. Abdul Saad and his wife Fatima. The other characters were American and I based those characters on people I knew at home. Dr. Cliff Post is based on one of my Boston University professors.
BS: The main character, Dr. Cliff Post, is an archeologist. Which aspect of Dr. Cliff Post’s personality do you think readers will connect with most?
LC: Dr. Cliff Post is an honorable man who protects women and is kind to handicapped children. I think his dignity and humanity are his most appealing characteristics.

For the complete interview go HERE

Alien Food

 

 

Did you ever wonder what aliens eat for food? Movies such as Close Encounters have them possibly eating cows. Then other movies like E.T. have them eating things like Reese's Pieces and drinking soda. Hmmm...?

For fun, I thought I would do a little research and find out just exactly what alien food looked liked or better yet, find a recipe or two.

Here are my results.

I found this alien food pod. Is this what they eat their food out of or is it a delicacy from another planet of planets?

source

Here I found a purplish, slimy food which apparently is quite loved. It is called mushroom Maggie. According to what I found out, this is not to be served to alien guest. Why in the world did they have to give it a name?

source

Among the delicacies of alien food, I found something called a granadilla.  It looks nothing more than alien eye balls with tentacles. Does that mean they eat their own kind? Eww...

source

Finally, I found the ultimate in alien foods but somewhat alarming. Alien feet soup. Apparently though, this soup is only liked by the adult aliens. Is there an age limit here?

source

There you have it. If you find any other aliens recipes or foods that you would like me to see. Leave me a comment and I will be sure to check them out.

World Gratitude Day

Thank you to all of you that follow my blogs and buy my books. You keep my dreams alive by doing so. I am truly grateful not only on this day but everyday.

 

Amazon

 

 

 

 

Video of 25 interesting finds

This may be interesting to you. It is a video of the 25 most interesting archaeology finds.

In Remembrance

photo source

Sunken Treasure

Last Friday, I spoke to you about marine archaeology and the sunken pirate ship Whydah.
I found this video that talks about that ship.
~Linda Cadose

<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/G94VbgnajOs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Marine Archaeology

The sunken city off the coast of Cuba which is the subject of my second book, The Underwater Pyramid in the Bermuda Triangle was explored by the marine archaeologist Kyle Wilson.

Marine archaeology is the study of submerged archaeological sites.
Submerged archaeological sites are very expensive to explore. Most marine expeditions are financed by benefactors or foundations.

photo source

When I wrote The Underwater Pyramid in the Bermuda Triangle, I created the character of the multimillionaire, Mike Pollicellli who is the CEO of the fictional fast food chain Fat Mike’s Dogs.
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, the fictional Mike has the Texas Foot Long, a chili-cheese dog.

The fictional research vessel in my book was a World War II minesweeper purchased by Mike Pollicelli. Cousteau did his research in a salvaged British WW II mine sweeper.

Marine archaeology also plays a role in exploring shipwrecks such as the Titanic. The pirate ship the Whydah was also salvaged and is on display at the pier in Provincetown, MA.
Many artifacts have been salvaged from the ocean floor.

Where to find my book: Amazon or Smashwords

The Ancient Alien Theory From Dr. Cliff Post

The Ancient Aliens Theory

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Welcome to Lodge University’s Annual Lecture: New Theories in Archaeology and please welcome our new speaker Dr. Cliff Post.

For centuries, no one has been able to answer the question of how the Great Pyramid was built.

The Great Pyramid is composed of 2.5 million blocks of stone weighing between 2-15 tons each. Yet, the immense blocks are fit together so tightly that you can’t place a credit card between the stones.

The quarries from which the stones were taken were a great distance from the Pyramid.

This leads to several questions:

1. How were the stones transported from the quarry to the Pyramid?

2. How were the stones transported up the Pyramid?

3. How many men were required to build the Pyramid?

4. How many years did it take to build the Pyramid?

Christopher Dunn, the engineer and machinist have discovered saw marks on some of the stones.

He calculates that the ancient Egyptians used 35 foot saws to cut the stones.

This indicates the presence of advanced technologies which the ancient Egyptians did not possess.

There is evidence of advanced technology on the statues as well. There is a statue of Ramses II which Christopher Dunn took photographs of.

Mr. Dunn inserted the photographs into the graphics program on his computer.

He discovered that the left side of Ramses II’s face is the exact mirror image of the right side of Ramses II’s face.

This indicates the use of advanced tooling.

The conclusion that I reach is that a civilization far more advanced than the ancient Egyptians helped to build the structures of ancient Egypt.

Huge Announcement

I  am absolutely thrilled to announce  that I have won the Summer 2013 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in the category of Young Adult. I won for my book, The Hidden Chamber In The Great Sphinx.

Thank you to those that have purchased my books and left reviews. I could not achieve such a thing without my readers.

About the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award:

Each year, for the past 29 years, NABE,
now known as the National Association of Book Entreprenurs,
presents some of the finest books published by our members. 



~Linda Cadose