Blog - Adventure Publications

Getting Ready for The Total Solar Eclipse

Posted on July 21, 2017

In a Q&A session about the August 21st total solar eclipse, George Moromisato, author of 101 Amazing Sights of the Night Sky, shares with us what is so special about this rare event. George also has some tips on where to see the eclipse. What’s so special about this solar eclipse? This is a total eclipse of the sun. Partial eclipses are not uncommon. There was one in the year 2000 that was visible throughout most of the continental U.S. But total eclipses are much rarer. The last total eclipse visible from the U.S. was in 1979, and that one was confined to a small patch of the Pacific Northwest. This total eclipse will be visible along a narrow path that stretches from Oregon to South Carolina. The last total eclipse to cross from coast to coast happened back in 1918—almost 100 years ago. OK, but what’s so special about a total solar eclipse? Picture this: You’ve got your solar observing glasses...

The Great Minnesota Hot Dish

Posted on July 19, 2017

in Cooking

by Liliane Opsomer

Hot dish is a tradition throughout the Midwest, but in Minnesota, it’s legendary. In print since the year 2000, Theresa Millang’s Great Minnesota Hot Dish has been the go-to source for this comfort food for years. Now it’s getting the update that it deserves. Wholly revised and updated with a fresh design, the second edition includes new recipes, thanks to new coauthor and noted cook, Karen Corbett. The revised book also includes “make it modern” options to help freshen up traditional hot dish recipes. And if you want to avoid using condensed soups, there’s a new section with recipes for making your own cream soups to use instead. So whether you want to make it like grandma made it, or make hot dish with a more modern flare, Great Minnesota Hot Dish has you covered. Here’s a sample recipe for you to try out! Cashew Chicken Hot Dish Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 4 boneless,...

Kids’ Football Book—A Game Within a Game

Posted on July 14, 2017

in Children's Books, New Release

by Ryan Jacobson

As a child, I was among the many reluctant readers—but, even then, I couldn’t resist a good kids’ football book. As much as I enjoyed those thrilling sports adventures, I never read one like Back to Pass, the newest addition to the Choose to Win series by Lisa M. Bolt Simons. Written for ages 9 to 13, this interactive story is like reading a book and playing a video game at the same time! Back to Pass follows the ever-popular “choose your path” format, in which the reader is cast as the main character, a concept that has always been appealing to traditional readers and reluctant readers alike. Every few pages, s/he is put in a tough predicament and must choose what to do next—and these choices absolutely matter. Sometimes, wrong choices lead to broken bones or getting kicked off the team, which brings an early end to the season and to this...

Little Minnesota in World War II: Tiny Towns, Big Contributions!

Posted on July 12, 2017

in Uncategorized

by Liliane Opsomer

In their forthcoming book, Little Minnesota in World War II, historians Jill Johnson and Deane Johnson share the heroism and history of Little Minnesota’s lost sons by recounting their service through their letters home, sharing family photos, and even by interviewing surviving relatives. This exhaustively researched book tells the story of 140 men who gave their lives for their country in some of the most famed battles of the war—including Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhineland Campaign. During the course of World War II, 17,867,000 men and women served in the U.S. Armed Forces; according to the National World War II Museum, 407,316 didn’t survive the war. No state was left unscathed. Even the tiniest towns in Minnesota, with populations in the hundreds, suffered casualties. Get to know your hometown heroes through this firsthand history of World War II. Along the way, you’ll meet members of the Greatest Generation who...

For the Love of the Twin Cities

Posted on July 5, 2017

in New Release, Travel

by Liliane Opsomer

We’re excited about the release of Minneapolis-St. Paul: A Photo Tour of the Twin Cities. A native of Minneapolis and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gregg Felsen has been a professional photographer and writer for more than 30 years. Blessed with an intuitive eye for composition, Gregg has combined his photographic talents with his affinity for his hometown to create a second edition of Minneapolis-St. Paul: A Photo Tour of the Twin Cities, a lovely guide to some of the area’s top attractions. Gregg’s love for the Twin Cities dates back to his childhood when Dayton’s and Donaldson’s were the major department stores; Southdale was the only shopping mall; the Rainbow Café, Lincoln Del, and Porky’s Drive-In were popular hangouts; and sports fans went to the old Met Stadium in Bloomington to watch the Twins and Vikings play outdoors. The Twin Cities area has always been known for its park systems, lakes, and picturesque riverfronts. Over the past few decades,...

The Nesting Behaviors of Sandhill Cranes

Posted on June 30, 2017

in Nature Smart, Stan Tekiela

by Liliane Opsomer

In this week’s post, author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela pauses to tell us about his observations of Sandhill Cranes. I’ve been doing a lot of sitting this spring. Over many days, while filming a Sandhill Crane nest, I’ve had lots of time for contemplation. For three years, I have been photographing a pair of Sandhill Cranes nesting, and this year they built their nest in the best place possible, allowing me to study their behavior in detail. In early April, after spending several days constructing the nest, the female laid two eggs and began to incubate them. Incubation (from the Latin incubationem, translating to “a laying upon eggs” or “to lie on, rest upon eggs”) is the process of an adult bird, male or female, laying upon eggs in order to control the environment in which the eggs are nestled. So the temperature, the level of humidity, and also the oxygen surrounding the eggs are all controlled...

Summer Reading: Essential for Children

Posted on June 28, 2017

in Children's Books

by Ryan Jacobson

Sure, summer reading sounds like a nice idea for your children. But is it really that big of a deal? After all, there’s so much else to do. Lake cabins, fishing trips, family vacations, swimming pools, and baseball games—the school-free days fill up fast. Believe me, I know how busy summer can get. But reading children’s books must find its way to the top of your kids’ “to-do” list, if not every day then close to it. This isn’t just because it seems like a good thing; it’s essential to their long-term education. For roughly nine months of the year, children attend school—and they learn a lot during those all-important months. Summer provides a much-needed break from the barrage of facts and figures. But, believe it or not, too much down time is bad for the brain. Summer reading of children’s books helps to prevent summer learning loss from setting in. What is Summer...

Indigo Bunting—A Familiar Summer Visitor

Posted on June 23, 2017

in Birds, Nature, Nature Smart, Stan Tekiela

by Liliane Opsomer

In this week’s column, Stan Tekiela shares with us the hard work of an Indigo Bunting mother during nesting season. Every now and then, I am fortunate enough that people will give me a call to say they found something cool in their yard and wonder if I want to photograph it. Recently, that very thing happened. It started with a text message from a homeowner who came across a nest when he was clearing the edge of his wooded yard. It was a small nest, low to the ground, and he felt bad about inadvertently exposing the nest by clearing the brush. He took a picture and texted it to me, saying he thought it was a hummingbird nest. When I received the text titled “hummingbird nest“ I got excited, but the moment I looked at the pic I knew immediately it wasn’t a hummer. Four beautiful white eggs were in the nest. Hummingbirds only have two eggs at the...