While most of the US is dealing with a heat wave this weekend, let's imagine what 2,334 degrees Fahrenheit might feel like, shall we?

That's the top temp of lava lakes, of which one more was recently discovered (which makes eight worldwide.) Lava lakes are, well . . .  lakes of lava that are around semi-permanently. They are basically a hole in the crust of the earth where we can see what our molten core looks like because it is erupting in front of our eyes. (How does our planet not implode into a fireball?) This is not a volcano that erupts sometimes, it is a lake that is always lava-ing.

This new lava lake took a long time to discover because it was hidden, you know, under a glacier in Antarctica.❄️

A Burning Lava Lake Concealed by a Volcano's Glacial Ice | NYT

The 'gram is not just for selfies, egos, and hubris.

My mother is thinking about ways to share our family history (stories and pictures) and I sent her some examples of Instagram accounts that I think are doing really neat things with the platform. I think you might like them, too!

Brown History – people of South Asian descent submit photos of their own family's history to share

History Cool Kids - very random and almost always interesting photos from the past 

Nitch – great quotes and unusual black & white photos of writers (and some celebrities); always unexpected

Are there any accounts you are super into? Send them my way; I'd love to see them!

I used to think I had a general grasp of ocean tides. Ha ha oh wow was I wrong! They are so, so varied and weirdly unpredictable.

Up where I am in Maine is not too far from the Bay of Fundy, which has the largest tides in the world – 50 foot vertical tides, which switch roughly every 6 hours and 13 minutes. Twice a day, more water moves through this bay then through all of the freshwater rivers in the world combined. ( ! )

I learned about this, and about much more from the book Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean by Jonathan White. I loved it so much I am going to read it again.

Now when someone says something like "the moon causes tides" or "all places have two low tides and two high tides in a day" I act all superior, like I've always known better. 😉

I've got a video recording studio all set up and in the next couple of weeks, I'll be recording a whole bunch of videos to share with you.

I'll be recording meditation instruction, and I've already had a some requests, like: 

• I'm bored with apps; now what?
• Meditation for anxiety
• Working with strong emotions 
• Eyes open or closed? Why?
• Getting comfortable on the cushion 

What videos about meditation would you like to see? I would love to know! (Just hit reply, or reach out any other way.) 💓

As I mentioned, we're at a lakehouse in Maine, and so we're all doing a lot of reading. I asked Nika (aka my monkey) to make her own book recommendations and here's what she offered: 

PACHINKO – A really beautiful multi-generational story of a family, in which anyone can probably see traces of their own experience. It's dauntingly long, but it moves fast and keeps you very engaged. And, if you're like me and you don't know much about Korean history, it provides a lot of cultural context and information.

GRACE: A MEMOIR – A super fun read that is full of history of an industry (fashion) that doesn't get much attention in traditional history books–but is super relevant to the modern world. If you have any interest in fashion, it's well worth the read. Plus, she (Grace Coddington) is just awesome–78 years old and still setting trends, half a century after she started. 😍