Blue Heron RV Park
Hornbrook, CA
July 2021
The above photo is of the wild horses at an RV park along the Klamath River. There were seven in all and as you can see, they weren't the least bit skittish around the campground. We had a great time on our trip, but it was far too hot and we will probably never go camping in California again during June or July.
We were very busy once we got back home with two sets of visitors in a two-week span. We spent several days catching up, eating, going for walks (looking for whales), eating, antiquing, eating, and simply having a great time. Now we're getting ready for another road trip to California for my uncle's memorial. We won't be gone too long, but it will be nice to get back out in the RV to familiar locations and see more family.
I have a feeling my reading will slow down next week, but my numbers improved quite a bit in July, once we got home after five weeks on the road. They were all mostly very good, but my favorites were 28 Summers and Still Me. The three that I abandoned had been on my shelves for years, which makes me wonder how many of the books remaining in my bookcase have lost their appeal.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand (4.5/5)
Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie (4/5)
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (3.5/5)
Still Me by JoJo Moyes (4.5/5)
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (4/5)
The Sewing Room by Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton (3/5)
Abandoned:
The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman
Movies & TV Series:
Unforgotten (Season Four) - Very, very good. I'm sad that there won't be a fifth season. Nicole Walker is outstanding!
Lupin (Season Two) - Meh. We've watched a couple of episodes and it's ok, but not great.
The Tomorrow War - Blech. Not my cuppa.
Visitors!
My cousin's daughters Cora (3) and Quinn (7).
Such sweet sisters!
Love these sweeties!
My cousin Heather with Cora & Quinn.
Quinn helped me make a
peach galette, which was a huge hit!
My niece Emily (16) who is
modeling the prom dress that SHE made!
My beautiful niece Maddie (19).
My beautiful nieces.
I was their nanny when they were babies!
Maddie, Chris (my brother), Emily and Jen.
2006... Time flies.
Such fun family photos; everyone looks to fresh and happy!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the seasons of Unforgotten that I have watched, but I still need to watch the most recent season that was just released.
Helen, it's been wonderful being able to have visitors! I'm glad they were all here before our numbers started climbing in our small county. They've all been vaccinated, with the exception of the two little ones.
DeleteThe final season of Unforgotten starts off a little slow, but then it really picks up. I love Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
Les,
ReplyDeleteI love your header and all the lovely family photos that you shared. Cora and Quinn are so special (love those names too) as are your older nieces. I loved 28 Summers, Still Me and Migrations. Funny what you said about the older books on you shelves as I tried one from 2009 from my shelves last month and it was a DNF. Take care and hope August is a good month for you.
Thanks so much, Diane. We had some special times with our family and were so happy they all made the trip to see us.
DeleteI'm slowly making my way through my older books. It will be interesting to see how many wind up in the DNF pile.
I tend to think that the books that have sat on the shelf for years are not really books we will enjoy when (if?) we ever read them. I did a huge purge some years ago, and got rid of eight tall bookshelves of books. No regrets.
ReplyDeleteI love all the family photos. I know you had a wonderful time with everyone. Look at all those beautiful smiles.
We want to go somewhere cooler in the summer, if we are going anywhere at all. That's not easy to do, I think.
I will look for Unforgotten but I think I'll pass on Lupin.
Deb, I did a big purge of my books before we moved four years ago, but I still have a full bookcase of unread books. I'm not buying new books at this point, although my mom gives me hers when she's finished, so my stacks aren't getting any smaller. :)
DeleteWe had such a good time with our visitors. The house feels very quiet right now, but we have family coming later in the year (Thanksgiving), if all goes well and we don't wind up in another lock-down.
What a wonderful July you had! Love the pictures of your beautiful…nieces? I’m not sure what we call our cousin’s children!😌 Even your header is so lovely with the vase of flowers to bring even more ambience to a soothing setting. I should have watched Unforgotten; I loved the season I saw. My husband seems to have control of our remote. 😉
ReplyDeleteIt was certainly an busy month with travel and visitors! I refer to my cousin's daughters as my cousins. They're technically my first cousins once removed.
DeleteMy header is of a spot we camped at in June. We were there for a few days, so I was inspired to make the picnic table look a little more homey than I usually do when we're only in a site for one night. It was lovely to sit outside, especially since it was still fairly comfortable, temperature wise.
I hope you get to watch more of Unforgotten. My husband thought it was very good and he's not a fan of TV series. He'd much rather just watch a movie.
Calling them cousins is a good idea! Somehow, I’ve fallen into calling my sweet cousin’s daughter my niece. I guess, because I’m the oldest, I feel like the auntie to everyone! Not a grandma, though, yet…😌
DeleteI was sure you’d make your camping spot cozy: you have that touch. xo
I could also call them my great-goddaughters since my cousin is my goddaughter. :)
DeleteSuch sweet family time! Your nieces are lovely, and your cousin's daughters are absolutely darling. And yum, that peach galette! Such a bummer that it was so hot for you in California. I'll bet it felt good to return home to the Oregon Coast. Safe travels on your next journey, and I hope you have better temps!
ReplyDeleteLaurel, we really did have a good time with all our relatives. I love being around little children and those young cousins were so sweet with their hugs. I also enjoyed spending time talking with my two nieces whom I haven't seen in a couple of years.
DeleteIt did feel good to get back to cooler temps on the Oregon coast. I was actually cold the first week we were home! Our next trip shouldn't be quite as hot. 80s are much better than triple digits!
Those horses are in great shape for being wild.
ReplyDeleteThat prom dress is gorgeous. If I ever tried to make a dress it would resemble the one from Pretty in Pink, sack dress. :)
Ti, we thought so too! There were about 7 in all and they were fairly tame. I wonder if someone nearby puts feed out for them.
DeleteYeah, I'm the same when it comes to sewing. Too frustrating for me! Emily did a remarkable job with difficult fabrics. We were all impressed.
Wonderful pictures of your family! The Unforgotten is so good, but anything Nicole Walker is in keeps me engaged. I'll have to see about The Tomorrow War--it may be something my husband and I can both watch. We often have different tastes, so it is fun when we both enjoy the same films or series. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenclair. It was great to see everyone! I agree about Nicola Walker. I loved her in Unforgotten and River. I haven't watched The Split, but it's on my list since she's in it. My husband liked The Tomorrow War, so maybe yours will, too. I can't even remember what it was about!
DeleteCute kids, wow! Nice photos of all of them. How fun. Have you already finished Bosch Season 7? We will start it after the Olympics. We have also liked Unforgotten and Line of Duty (another Brit crime series). It's hard to tell those are wild horses near the Klamath River .... look so shiny & nice. I hope your uncle's memorial goes well and it'll be good to see others there. Have a safe & fun trip!
ReplyDeleteAren't they darling, Susan? And the older nieces are such beautiful and intelligent girls. We really did have a lot of fun.
DeleteWe did finish Bosch and really enjoyed it. I can't say the same for Lupin. We finished it last night and won't watch anymore, should they decide to make another season. I'll have to look into Line of Duty. We love Brit crime series.
My uncle's memorial has been postponed due to the spike in COVID cases in Sonoma county. We're still planning to go down for a visit with my aunt, as we'll be in the RV the entire trip. It's so frustrating that things are going backwards with regard to this pandemic.
So much goodness in July! Love the family photos... such cute (and talented!) kids. I'm glad you got to spend time with them all. It's starting to feel like the pandemic is closing in again. I'm glad we're not in FL now, but all of CT is substantial spread and two are high. We're back to masking indoors :(
ReplyDeleteYou had a good reading month, too. I loved 28 Summers last year. There is a new kindle short story about the summer after the book ends. I'll have to read it. Me Before You was such a good book, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read Still Me. Sequels are often disappointing, so I'm glad to know you enjoyed it so much. Happy August!
It was a good month, JoAnn! I loved seeing all the kids and their families. We're heading to TN in a few weeks and will be masking up everywhere we go. :(
DeleteI'm looking forward to reading the follow-up to 28 Summers. Gosh, that was a good audiobook. As far as Still Me, I think it almost reads like a stand-alone. I'd forgot a lot of the details from After You, but I was still entertained and didn't feel like I needed to go back and refresh my memory. She's a good storyteller!
I've certainly forgotten many details about Me Before You, so am glad to know that wasn't a problem for you. Now let's see how long it takes me to get to Still Me! ;-)
DeleteI just loved all the pictures with your family - you can see so much joy in your smiles! And, I still can't believe Emily made that dress - what a talented young lady and she looks beautiful in her dress. I'll have to add 28 Summers to my reading list. I am thrilled about the Bosch spin-off although I wonder how many of the Bosch characters will be in it.
ReplyDeleteIliana, we certainly had fun with all of our visitors! Yes, Emily is incredibly talented. I'm lucky if I can sew a button on a shirt without drawing too much blood. ;) I'm excited about the Bosch spin-off, too. From what I've read, I think it will have Bosch, his daughter and Honey (the attorney). Should be good!
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