Astoria, Oregon
April 2023
While many of you have already experienced summer-like weather, we are just now beginning to see temps in the upper 50s. After several months of rain (and more hail than we have ever seen here on the coast), the sun has finally stuck around long enough to dry things out. I even played pickleball on the outdoor courts yesterday for the first time!
It's been a busy month, but I managed to read seven books. Two were outstanding, two were very good, and the others were good, but not great.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (5/5)
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet (4/5)
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (3.5/5)
Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (3/5)
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (4/5)
Recursion by Blake Crouch (5/5)
Go As a River by Shelley Read (3/5)
Movies & TV Series:
New Amsterdam (Season 4) - New cast members and creative writing keep this show from turning stale, but it does border on sappiness.
Deadly Seasons - 4 episodes. French with subtitles. Each case is solved at the end of the episode. Don't remember any of them!
Dead Lucky - Enjoyable four-part Australian crime show. I hope to see a second season of this show. Fun fact: After watching the first episode, it finally dawned on me that Rachel Griffiths (who plays the lead) was in Six Feet Under.
The Night Agent - We enjoyed this series, but agree that it could have been half the length. Not the best acting, but some twists and one particularly surprising scene.
Road Trips:
After our trip to Glacier National Park last fall, we parked the RV for the long, cold winter. With our upcoming road trip to Canada, we wanted to take a short trip in the RV to make sure everything was working properly, so we drove up to one of our favorite state parks (about 2 hours north of us) where we camped for four nights. The rain and wind were relentless, but we did have one afternoon of nice weather, which worked out well since we needed to drive a little further north to Astoria to make a Costco run. We also enjoyed a visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, followed by a good lunch at the Astoria Brewing Company. Heading home, we always make time to stop at Pacific Roots for mini-donuts along the Nehalem River. Delicious!
Celebrations!
My mom turns 90 on Sunday! We hosted a gathering for her with friends and neighbors this past weekend, and I plan to share more photos later, but here are a few favorites.
Oh, I love the pictures, especially of your mother! Happy Birthday to her! Aren’t we blessed to have such long-lived parents? My father is 92, and my mother is 87, and I’m just now seeing some fragility with her.
ReplyDeleteI know absolutely nothing about television shows! I recognize the actor in the photo of Love Heals as playing in Blacklist years ago, but when that, and Mad Men went off the air, I pretty much quit watching anything but WTTW.
I get a vicarious thrill out of your road trips! Do you kayak any more, or cycle? I’ve had awful surgeries on my foot this year, and cycling is my favorite go to, as it doesn’t put pressure on my feet.
Well, I have returned to Blogger, missing the camaraderie which somehow could not be replaced on Wordpress. I’m so happy so many of my old friends (you!) are still blogging. xo
Thank you, Meredith! Mom is doing great for 90, and she thoroughly enjoyed her celebration. I have not seen Blacklist, but if the lead star of New Amsterdam (Love Heals season) is in it, I may have to watch. No, I no longer have a kayak, but if I get an opportunity to rent one while traveling, I'll do so. I still have my bike, but don't ride much around here since we don't have a very good trail system in the area. I ride my Peloton bike when I'm not working out at the gym or playing pickleball. I'm glad you are back on Blogger and will pop over and catch up with you in the coming week. xo
DeleteYour mom looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you're finally getting some sunshine and drying out. It's been a long weird winter for many of us on the west coast (we even had rain in Santa Barbara today!). I got a copy of We All Want Impossible Things on your recommendation and I hope to get to it next month.
Helen, I agree. She certainly doesn't look 90, does she?! Ah, it has been nice to have some dry, warm-ish weather. Still not as warm as I'd like, but I'm thankful for the absence of rain. I hope you enjoy We All Want Impossible Things. It's a gem!
DeleteHappy birthday to your mom!!! I thought that was Julia Roberts in the photo for Dead Lucky when I first saw it. Have not seen any you mentioned and would like to see The Night Agent when it goes to DVD.
ReplyDeleteSeven books is a good month of reading!! I just finsihed a long book called The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. JoAnn at Gulfside Musing mentioned it and it was very good.
Great photos!
Tina, we continue with my mom's birthday celebration this weekend when my siblings arrive. I hope we don't get too tired of birthday cakes. ;) I agree that the actress in Dead Lucky looks like Julia Roberts. I also read about The Latecomer on JoAnn's blog and hope to get a copy. It sounds like winner!
DeleteWhat a beautiful birthday celebration!! I love your travel adventures.
ReplyDeleteWe had three days straight of 90 degree temps which made me HATE the thought of summer being right around the corner but then it dropped to 50 and today, it's holding at 52 or so with rain expected tomorrow.
You had an excellent reading month. I finished two books. Yes, one of them was almost 600 pages but it wasn't one to blow through (Demon Copperhead). I just want to read good books. I am reading The Last Word right now by Taylor Adams, (No Exit). It's really cheesy and silly but I think he's mocking the genre. I can't put it down. I should be done in a day or so.
Thanks, Ti. We had about 50+ guests at Mom's party and everyone had a great time. Oooh, 90 degrees is too hot, even for me. We're still in the mid-50s, but we don't usually get up into the low 70s until September. I'm looking forward to reading Demon Copperhead, but will wait until I can really focus on it, and right now I have too many distractions. I just finished Maame by Jessica George which was outstanding.
DeleteMy last comment posted as anonymous. It's me.
ReplyDeleteI guessed it was you when you mentioned your 90 degree weather. :)
DeleteA big happy birthday to your mom! She looks happy and healthy.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea to try out your camping vehicle before you take a long trip. I hope you have great weather for your Canada venture.
Dinosaurs and We All Want Impossible Things were two favorites of mine from this year.
Deb, my mom is very healthy, only really suffering from some stability issues. Nobody can believe she's 90! I hope we have great weather for our trip, too. It might be cold, but we'll be ahead of the fire season, which is a good thing. I want to see the beautiful mountains and lakes without the haze of smoke!
DeleteHappy 90th Birthday to your mom! That looks like quite a celebration... and she looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteToo bad the weather didn't cooperate for your first trip of the season, but what a good idea to take a short trip close to home before the BIG trip. You two are definitely seasoned travelers. When does the Canadian trip start?
April was a really good reading month for you, too! I don't often get two 5-star reads in the same month. We All Want Impossible Things sounds excellent. Happy May!
JoAnn, I agree! Mom looks remarkably young, and she was quite pleased with her celebration. Everyone had such a good time.
DeleteWe head out for Canada on May 29th. We'll travel through Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, and won't cross the border until June 4th. We'll be in Canada for a little more than four weeks.
I've been on quite a roll with my reading. I've already finished two books for May and I'm still debating whether to give one of the books 4.5 or 5 stars. It was very, very good!
Happy Birthday Andi. Wonderful to see her in the photos so happy, yay! I've always wanted to go to Astoria ... how pretty it seems along the water. Thx for the tip on The Current War ... I have read Last Days of Night ... and never knew the movie existed. You had a good reading month. I'm just a tad worried about your trip due to wildfires & smoke ... so I'm praying for rain. We had a few weeks of very hot unusual weather at end of April/May start ... and somehow fires got started (mostly up north of Edmonton) and in the West in the mountains. I will try to stay up on conditions in Banff and Jasper. What day do you start driving? I have your itinerary somewhere in my email. And hope to see you in Black Diamond in June
ReplyDeleteSusan, my mom had a wonderful birthday celebration with her friends, and this past weekend, she had all four of her "kids" with her to celebrate. Yeah, I'm hoping Alberta gets some rain soon! I saw the fire reports and have the wildfire status website linked for quick reference. We start our trip on May 29th, entering Canada at Waterton on June 4th. Hope we don't have to cancel or re-route our trip. If all goes well, we'll see you in Black Diamond on June 8th!
DeleteTime is flying by with all of our moving around, but I'm finally checking in on you! You know how I love your monthly wrap-up posts and I get ALL of my best book recommendations from you. (I just started Signal Fires and love it.)
ReplyDeleteYour mom looks fantastic...belated Happy Birthday to her! I don't remember if you've ever mentioned if she's a reader, too? I got my love of reading from my mom and I'm wondering if that's true for you, as well. Glad you are finally getting some spring weather on the Oregon coast. We're enjoying the long, leisurely spring here in North Carolina. We're feeling happy with our decision to move here!
You must be very busy getting ready to leave on your summer adventure. I'm excited for you. That's a trip we still want to make. So many adventures ahead!
Laurel, time does fly, doesn't it?! I can't believe it's almost June! I'm so happy to hear that you are reading and enjoying Signal Fires. Gosh, that was a good book.
DeleteYes, my mom is a voracious reader. My shelves are overflowing with all of the books that she has read and passed on to me. Aren't I lucky?!
I'm glad you're feeling good about your move to NC. My aunt & uncle have been in Durham for over 60 years. We've been out to visit them a few times and love it, although the humidity can be rough!
Yes, we're in the final countdown for our big adventure. We're hoping Alberta gets some rain to help douse some of the wildfires, as well as clear out some of the smokey skies. We thought we were smart to plan the trip early in the fire season, but like hurricane season, it's starting (and ending) much earlier than in years past.
Speaking of adventures, I have all of my Glacier NP blog posts ready to go, and will start publishing them at the end of the month. Stay tuned! :)
Les, I love that your mom passed on her love of reading to you. And that she passes on books to you! My mom did the same. I miss her so much.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope those wildfires calm down by the time you leave on your trip. It's really difficult to plan travel these days with the fires and smoke. I thought spring would be a safe bet for Canada. Wishing you happy and safe travels! :-))
Laurel, I've been keeping an eye on the Alberta fires. It looks like they might be getting some rain, which is good, as long as there are no lightning strikes!
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