Fred the frog and his friends from the Apple Bunch Books are back. The pals are headed south to Florida with a happy mix of excitement and anticipation about their trip to see and explore the Emerald Coast.Follow along as what begins as a relaxing vacation discovering the natural beauty and wonders of Florida, turns into an adventure-filled voyage where Fred finds the hero within himself.Along the way, Fred and the beloved cast of characters from Apples for Fred and Tator's Big Race, meet new and interesting friends who come through when Fred needs them most.In the latest adventure, Fred learns he not only has true friends at home, but also the wonderful new friends from his adventure to the amazing Emerald Coast of Florida.
September 1962: On a moonless night over the raging Atlantic Ocean, a thousand miles from land, the engines of Flying Tiger flight 923 to Germany burst into flames, one by one. Pilot John Murray didn’t have long before the plane crashed headlong into the 20-foot waves at 120 mph. As the four flight attendants donned life vests, collected sharp objects, and explained how to brace for the ferocious impact, 68 passengers clung to their seats: elementary schoolchildren from Hawaii, a teenage newlywed from Germany, a disabled Normandy vet from Cape Cod, an immigrant from Mexico, and 30 recent graduates of the 82nd Airborne’s Jump School. They all expected to die. Murray radioed out “Mayday” as he attempted to fly down through gale-force winds into the rough water, hoping the plane didn’t break apart when it hit the sea. Only a handful of ships could pick up the distress call so far from land. The closest was a Swiss freighter 13 hours away. Dozens of other ships and planes from 9 countries abruptly changed course or scrambled from Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall, all racing to the rescue—but they would take hours, or days, to arrive. From the cockpit, the blackness of the Atlantic grew ever closer. Could Murray do what no pilot had ever done—“land” a commercial airliner at night in a violent sea without everyone dying? And if he did, would rescuers find any survivors before they drowned or died from hypothermia in the icy water? The fate of Flying Tiger 923 riveted the world. Bulletins interrupted radio and TV programs. Headlines shouted off newspapers from London to LA. Frantic family members overwhelmed telephone switchboards. President Kennedy took a break from the brewing crises in Cuba and Mississippi to ask for hourly updates. Tiger in the Sea is a gripping tale of triumph, tragedy, unparalleled airmanship, and incredibly brave people from all walks of life. The author has pieced together the story—long hidden because of murky Cold War politics—through exhaustive research and reconstructed a true and inspiring tribute to the virtues of outside-the-box-thinking, teamwork, and hope.
The lovable friends from Apples for Fred are back in the second book of the charming series. Fred, Perdie, Cabbit and Tator face another heart-tugging challenge in Diane Shapley-Box's new book, Tator's Big Race.This time, Tator feels left out, sad and ordinary. He needs the help of the clever, caring crew to help him find his special talent before this year's Applefest. Tator is convinced that the only way to feel important and appreciated is to win a magnificent trophy. He soon learns that true pride and joy can come in exciting and unexpected ways.
This memoir presents author Elvin Bells recollection of his own history and of his encounters with some of the most well-known movers and shakers of the times. He provides us with astonishing revelations based upon his discussions, meetings, and casual conversations with them. The Event Makers Ive Known shares incredible close-ups of everyone from President Richard Nixon and his secretary, Rosemary Woods, to Elvis Presley and screen siren Marilyn Monroe. Bell reveals shocking details of the love affair between Woods and the Interior Secretary and describes the impetuosity of General William Westmoreland, among other stories. In addition to sharing stories of the famous people he has known, he tells his own personal stories, including the tragic story of his grandmothers death within just a few minutes of his mothers birth in a fire that engulfed the hospital in flames. He talks about the daring rescue of his mother by the young doctor who delivered hera rescue that cost the doctor his eyesight, his occupation, and eventually his life. He also shares fascinating stories of the hardships, ingenuity, and perseverance that many parents and grandparents endured on their dust bowl quest to reach California. In his tenth book, The Event Makers Ive Known, Bell takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride of superstar meltdowns, victories, and heartfelt personal stories.
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad--the Redwood Empire Route--once stretched its shining track from Humboldt Bay to San Francisco Bay. Created by the amalgamation of 42 different companies, the North Coast railroad network ranged from the Sonoma Prismoidal, an early wooden monorail, to broad-gauge logging lines built to be hauled by horses. In between were the two-foot Sonoma Magnesite Railroad, the narrow-gauge North Pacific Coast, and standard-gauge lines. Determining the route of major highways, this versatile transportation system also incorporated electric interurbans, ferry steamboats, sternwheel riverboats, tugs, car f loats, and unusual connectors like funiculars and scenic tourist railways. From the time of its formation in 1907 until the 1970s, Northwestern Pacific trains and boats were loaded with passengers and freight.
Fred the frog cannot go to the apple festival since everyone must eat an apple to enter the festival and Fred cannot chew an apple because he has no teeth. His friends, a bird, alligator, and rabbit, try to help, but nothing works. Then, Fred and his friends discover applesauce.
Elvin C. Bell, a retired USAF colonel and public official, has lived a full life. In the second volume of his entertaining autobiography, he brings more stories to life that detail his memorable encounters with such iconic personalities as former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, rock legend John Lennon, Walt Disney, and a few scoundrels who also crossed his path. Bell begins by sharing fascinating anecdotes about a variety of political and military figures such as senators and congressmen from multiple states, four Medal of Honor recipients, and General Alexander Haig. Also included are animated stories about John Wayne, Karen and Richard Carpenter, Eleanor Roosevelt, O.J. Simpson, and many others as well as little known facts about Gregory Peck’s secret philanthropic efforts and Senator Barry Goldwater’s military accomplishments during the Second World War and his monetary gifts to Native American tribes. In the conclusion to a captivating autobiography, a former military and public figure shares anecdotes that reveal his conversations with and unknown facts about a variety of iconic personalities.
New Orleans pastry chef Rita Lucero is out to bake her way to the top. But when she finds her almost-ex-husband killed with a chef's knife in his back, she becomes suspect number one. Now it's up to her to find the real killer before she winds up as the next victim served.
In Beyond Cantua Creek, a seasoned political insider with White House experience, shares some fascinating experiences during the Nixon Administration, including the Nixon-Brezhnev White House Summit Conference. During the Iron Curtain era, Elvin Bell led several intelligence missions into Russia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, in addition to later serving two special assignments in the White House and completing a tour in the Pentagon during the Ronald Reagan administration. He utilizes his political experience to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the power structure that existed during the Nixon administrationa foundation that allowed a secretary to appoint her own boyfriend to be secretary of the interior. As he shares the contents of startling conversations and meetings with Soviet President Leonid Ilych Brezhnev, Nixons secretary Rosemary Woods, Hollywood producer Sam Peckinpah, and scores of other notables, Bell captures the drama that escaped media attention and instead thrived behind the walls of the White House and elsewhere. Beyond Cantua Creek is a compelling compilation that will encourage lively discussions about politics, a presidential administration that will never be forgotten, and the eccentricities of those who once ruled Hollywood.
