Little Whale Cove
Depoe Bay, Oregon
October 2020
I had hoped to get this posted before the election, but it's been a busy few days and I am only just now able to sit down and reflect on the past month. As I write, I am feeling anxious about the outcome of the election, which has yet to be called. I never expected it to be such a close race and I will never again trust the polls. I'm heartbroken that we remain so divided and that the underbelly of this country is filled with so much hatred and racism. Moving on...
I didn't have a very good month of reading with regard to quantity, mainly because my current audiobook (which is over 22 hours in length) is slowing me down. The two books I did finish were very good and I'm eager to read more by those authors. I also finished the RIP XV reading challenge and did much better than I anticipated. You can find my posts about that event here.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton (4/5)
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (4/5)
Abandoned:
The Good Daughter by Alexandra Burt
First Lines:
'She's been watching us for a while now.' (Blood Harvest)
A bottle of wine. A family-sized packet of Nacho Cheese Flavoured Tortilla Chips and a jar of hot salsa dip. A packet of cigarettes on the side (I know, I know). The rain hammering against the windows. And a book.
What could have been lovelier? (Magpie Murders)
Movies and TV Series:
DCI Banks - We love this series. I think it's as good, if not better than, Bosch.
Game of Thrones (Season 7) - So good! I loved the last episode of this season and am ready to finally watch Season 8.
The World Series - Yay, Dodgers!! I grew up in Southern California and even though we lived in San Diego (home of the Padres), I was always a Dodger fan. This was such a great series and I was thrilled when we were able to watch the final game on our TV in our RV. If all goes well, there are only 148 days until Opening Day.
Puzzlemania:
Outings:
Rod met with the orthopedic surgeon and she recommended shoulder replacement surgery. Once we had that surgery on the calendar, we decided to take the RV out for a little trip up to Nehalem State Park, which is only a couple of hours north of us. We spent 11 days there (which is the longest we've stayed in a single campground) and we had it pretty much to ourselves, with the exception of the first weekend. Even then, it was maybe only 10% full. The weather was great, with temps in the low 60s and only one day of rain and one overnight shower. It was perfect for sitting outside, reading in the sun, or taking walks to the bay or along the beach. In addition to the wonderful weather, we were treated to multiple visits by a herd of elk, many times right in our campsite! We've experienced this before at a campground in Washington, but never at Nehalem. We probably won't get back out for another camping trip until next spring, so we're very happy we were able to manage this one.
That pandemic continues to rage on. To date, we have seen daily numbers reaching almost 100,000 new cases, which is astonishing. Please, wear your masks, wash your hands and stay 6 feet apart from those outside of your household.
That is one scary puzzle! My eyes hurt just thinking about what a challenge it must have been. You seem to have spent a lovely month -- camping in a nearly-empty campground except for elk sounds great.
ReplyDeletebe safe! ... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae, it was such a tough puzzle, but I'm glad we didn't give up. We had a very nice time camping and look forward to doing more of that next spring.
DeleteWhat a beautiful place to visit. Look at those elk. Up close and personal.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would get into a regular habit of doing my yoga. I do best when others join me, and I did my very best when I went to Y a few times a week. I've been sporadic at best with yoga.
I hope your husband's surgery goes smoothly. I wonder how long his recovery is expected to take.
Deb, it's a great campground and the elk were a fun surprise! Ah, I haven't done yoga in such a long time. I tried to do it at home (watching videos) after the pandemic began, but I do so much better when I attend a class. I'm doing much better about getting on the Peloton and riding for 20-40 minutes. I'll eventually try some of the other classes besides just cycling. Thanks for the thoughts about Rod's surgery. He'll be in a sling for 6 weeks and then he'll have 3 months of PT.
DeleteSeeing your photographs makes me want a small camper--great way to travel with little need to be in close contact with others. I'm still very nervous about the election. I had hoped the Senate would flip. Best of luck to your husband on his surgery and rapid recovery!
ReplyDeleteJenclair, we love camping in our RV. We have our own bed & pillows, morning coffee either at our dinette or outside by the river/lake/ocean, and love exploring places that aren't full of tourists. It's a great way to see the country, that's for sure. Still waiting on the election results, but things are looking a little more positive this morning. Now if we can get those two Senate seats in GA! Thanks for the good wishes for Rod's upcoming surgery. We're very hopeful that this resolves his problems.
DeleteLove the pictures from your trip! Those elk, reminds me of the ones that we've seen in New Mexico. The bull elk are huge there. How fun that Amy sent you guys a Pelaton! I'll be curious how you use it over the winter. So sorry that Rod will be having surgery, but I hope that it will solve his shoulder/arm issues. And hopefully won't take too terribly long to recover from. We have tried the DCI Banks series once I think. Somehow, it didn't grab us, but we may try again before long. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay! It was a great getaway. Aren't elk amazing creatures. The bull elk we saw here wasn't very large, but we've seen them in Washington and it was pretty cool to hear the bull elk bugling! I'm loving the Peloton and look forward to trying some of the other classes. Right now, I'm focusing on cycling, which is a great workout. Ooh, you'll have to give DCI Banks another try. We love it and watch two episodes every night. It's been a great distraction this week! Thanks for the positive thoughts for Rod.
DeleteVicki, DCI Banks is a great show, if you like detective programs. You might enjoy working on a puzzle this winter. We always have one going. We've been camping in either a travel trailer or this larger RV for about 3 years now and we love it. A lot of people don't get it, but we love to camp by rivers & lakes and see all sorts of wildlife. Experiences you might not get if you stay in hotels. Plus, if we have noisy neighbors, we can just go somewhere else. :) Thanks for the good thoughts for Rod's surgery.
ReplyDeleteWe, too, expected the election would be a landslide victory for Biden/Harris. I'm deeply disturbed that there is such a huge chasm in our country...and that anyone in good conscience could vote for Trump after witnessing his atrocious, destructive behavior the past four years. We obviously have a long road of healing ahead for our nation.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely that you had such a peaceful getaway. Take good care.
Laurel, it is pretty shocking/disturbing that there are so many people who voted for Trump, in spite of all he's done (or not done) in the past four years.
DeleteIt really was lovely that we had such a nice getaway. We're out again, but nowhere as nice as Nehalem. We're in Junction City at Guaranty's rv park. Rod has two appointments in Albany this week, so we decided to bring the rv over and spend the week. We'll do the same when he comes back over for his surgery, although we'll stay in Corvallis instead. So nice to have this little house on wheels!
That RV is the perfect size for the two of you. I would love to have one that size. We have none. LOL.
ReplyDeleteShoulder surgery. My co-leader for youth group, her husband is having a bionic shoulder joint built in Japan! It's taking a really long time to be cleared for US use. He can't wait because his should joint was removed and the only thing holding his arm on are the tendons! Crazy!! Will your husband's joint be bionic too? :)
The election. I didn't let the polls influence me at all and I know from the city I live in, that the Red wave is huge and disappointing. Such nastiness here ever since we shut down. But the results are promising. It won't be called for a long time though, at least I don't think so because 45 is throwing everything at the wall hoping something sticks. Eeesh. I am so over it. It's so exhausting. Someone the other day said Biden would be so boring in office. Ah, I wouldn't say boring but even so, what's wrong with that?? I can't wait to feel like a normal person again and not some raving lunatic trying to defend my beliefs when it's common decency!
Ti, we love our RV. I do all the driving and have no problem navigating in large cities and the L.A. freeways when we're down that way. If we ever decide to go fulltime, we'll probably get something a little larger (this is 26 feet), but for 2-3 month trips, it's great.
DeleteNo, Rod is not getting a bionic shoulder joint. At least, not that I'm aware of! It's a reverse shoulder though, with the socket attached to his humerus mainly because of how his bones broke when he fell. Ugh! I can't imagine your friend's husband only having tendons holding his arm on to his body. I wonder if he has to have it in a sling until his surgery.
I'm feeling a little better about the election results since most of the lawsuits are being thrown out. I think Trump's just making a lot of noise and distraction. I worry about what he's going to do over the next two months. Yes, I'll take calm and boring any day over all the exhausting and stressful news that we've had for four years.
Looks beautiful there with the elk. Glad you got out in the RV. So nice & peaceful! The puzzle looks very difficult (I did 2 early on in the pandemic but it's been awhile now). And I'm impressed too by the Peloton bike - is the programming on it easy to use? Or expensive? It does seem excellent for the rainy months, love the biking. I'm glad the Dodgers won this time ... though growing up I was a Big Red Machine fan and loved Johnny Bench & the team of the Reds. That was long ago. I used to go to Dodger Stadium & see when Johnny came to town, ha! Such a big rivalry back then. And what is this show better than Bosch? I will have to see if we get it here. thanks for all these tips on shows. We must get thru these tough / divided times somehow. Once again it's been very eye-opening and not exactly in a good way. Enjoy your fall days along the coast.
ReplyDeleteSusan, it was lovely! We really lucked out with nice weather and a fairly empty park. It was good to get away before the election, as well as before the hectic few weeks leading up to my husband's surgery. We're back in the RV again for a few days as we go back and forth between our site and his doctor's office in Albany, OR. It's an RV park rather than a campground, but it's clean & quiet and a shorter drive than from home.
DeleteYep, that puzzle was very slow-going and difficult, but we felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finished.
The programming on the Peloton is very easy. The touchscreen is great and I've enjoyed taking different (pre-recorded) classes from a variety of instructors. Each class is unique and challenging, but I never feel like it's too difficult and I'm eager to ride every day. It isn't cheap (there's the initial cost of the bike, shoes, etc., as well as a monthly membership fee), but the fee is less than a gym membership and the convenience of hopping on the bike anytime I want makes it easier to stick with it.
We didn't watch much baseball this year, since it felt so weird watching with empty stands, but it was fun to see the World Series. I wonder how the season will go next year.
I hope you can watch DCI Banks. It took a few episodes to get interested, but we love it. I'm not sure what we'll get into once we finish, but there's never a problem finding good shows these days.
Take good care!
That puzzle looks so complicated! Congrats on getting the peloton. I've been curious about the peloton bike. Hope you enjoy it! And, I rally enjoy the DCI Banks books but only watched a couple of the shows and for some reason we sort of forgot about it. Need to look for it again.
ReplyDeleteIliana, it was a complicated puzzle, but lots of fun, too.
DeleteI love the Peloton and find that I miss riding when we're traveling. If only there were a spot for it in RV! :)
My husband has started reading a few of the DCI Banks books, but I'm not sure if I will until enough time has passed for me to forget the details of the show. We're coming to the end of the series, which makes me sad. I hear there might eventually be a new season, so I've got my fingers crossed!
Love that puzzle!! Better than Bosch? Adding it to our watchlist. My reading these past few months has taken a nose dive and I'm not sure that will change until January 20.
ReplyDeleteStacy, it's a pretty puzzle, but it sure was difficult! Yep, DCI Banks is great. OK, maybe not better than Bosch, but just as good. Yeah, my reading just ground to a halt this past week. I'm hoping to get back to it now that the news is settling down a little bit. January can't come soon enough!
DeleteI'm so glad the election is over, but disheartened that it was so close and you-know-who won't admit defeat. Your photos are beautiful... must have been so nice to get away for a little while. I haven't been reading at all the past few weeks. It might be time to put everything aside and start with a batch of new titles. We're still in the process of moving into the house, but plan to be mostly settled by Thanksgiving. Glad you're enjoying the Peloton. I'd love to try one!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, isn't it great to finally have that election behind us. Now to be done with all the noise about illegal votes and move on with the transition. And then there's Georgia's runoff for the Senate seats. Now I'm counting the days until January 20th.
DeleteIt was great to get away before the election, as well as before all the appointments before Rod's surgery. We probably won't get out for a long camping trip until March or April, so it was nice to be able to do this one.
My reading has ground to a halt this past week, but I hoping to get back to it, especially since it's Nonfiction November! I may drag it out thru December since it's already the 10th and I've only read a dozen pages of my current book.
I love my Peloton and as I mentioned above, I wish there were a way to bring it along in the RV. Might take up too much room, not to mention that it's super heavy! I may do a blog post about it later this winter.
Enjoy your move and redecorating! Hope your ankle continues to behave. Take care.
Peloton looks great fun! I get tired just seeing the adverts for them!
ReplyDeleteThe campground sounds lovely and peaceful, have a good week.
Heather, I've never seen an ad for the Peloton, but then I don't watch regular TV. I only learned about it when my daughter got hers. It seems like the perfect way to exercise not only during the cold, rainy months of winter, but in the safety of your own home. I can't imagine going to a gym during the pandemic, but I know people do. It's so convenient to just change into my workout clothes, hop on the bike, take a 30-40 minute class. No need to drive anywhere, which means fewer excuses to skip it. I've made it a part of my daily routine, unlike any other exercise machine I've owned, but I think it's because of the huge monitor/screen and the great classes.
DeleteThe campground was great. We'll get back there in the early spring, I'm sure.
Take care!
Your first photo is exactly the kind that I love to take, with that gorgeous filtered light streaming through the trees. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHow cool that the elk visited you! Biologists re-introduced elk back home in the mountains of NC and their numbers are slowly growing. It's such a treat for us to see them! But who am I kidding? I still get excited if I see a deer and they're everywhere!
Enjoy the bike! I didn't realize they had other classes either.
Good job on that puzzle--it looks like a doozy!
Thanks, Jen. I walk in that forest several times a week (it's in our neighborhood) and I love the filtered light through the trees. It's so peaceful and feels magical.
DeleteI'm the same way about deer as you, but we don't have very many around us. For several years, we'd see a couple in our backyard, but I guess they've moved on.
Yes, Peloton has a huge library of classes. I now see that they have some for barre, which I've never tried, but I'm intrigued.
Yeah, that puzzle was a bit of a challenge! We're working on a 1,500 piece right now. It may take us a while. :)