1. Washington is the only state named after a president. Many cities and counties are named after presidents.

Although many cities and states are named after the Presidents of the United States, Washington is the only state named after one.

  1. California is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. There are many islands, waterways, and rivers not to mention the evergreen forests near the coast.

California’s Pacific Coast has evergreen forests, along with many islands, waterways and rivers to explore.

  1. The car battery would not start. The battery was dead. I called a tow truck.

The car would not start because the battery was dead so I had to call a tow truck.

  1. She was not like her sister in fact they were total opposites.

She and her sister were total opposites.

  1. Ricky Martin will remain my favorite singer although he has fallen out of fashion and I think he is terrific. He has done some free concerts for good causes too.

Ricky Martin may have fallen out of fashion, but he is still someone who does concerts for good causes and I think he is a terrific singer.

  1. I took a trip to PetSmart. It surprised me that I was the only one looking for hamsters. I wondered if no one realized. They make terrific pets.

When I went to PetSmart for a hamster I was the only one looking at them, even though they make great pets.

  1. The heat is unrelenting. The ground is cracked. It has been dry since the beginning of October. The desert seems to be covered with a fine reddish dust.

The desert had been dry since October; the ground was deeply cracked, the heat was unbearable, and everything seemed to be covered in a coating of fine, red dust.

  1. Holly was told she was going to be a beauty someday. At sixteen, she was thin. She was severe. She wore thick glasses down on her nose. Her shoulder bones showed through her shirt. They seemed to puncture her skin.

At sixteen, she was thin – so thin her bones looked like they were tearing through her skin – and she wore glasses, but Holly had been told she would be a beauty someday.

  1. The guitar had been a gift from Aunt Alice. It was when Joanne turned fifteen. Aunt Alice bought it used in town. The strings were broken. There was a scratch on the outside.

When Joanne was fifteen her aunt Alice bought her a used guitar for a gift; even with the broken strings and scratch from the previous owner it was wonderful.

  1. Late winter was clammy. The cold went through clothes to the skin. Maple sugaring time was near. Buds popped out on the trees.

The buds on the trees meant Maple sugaring time was near, but late winter hung on, cold and clammy and freezing right through your heaviest clothes.