Fernie RV Resort
Fernie, British Columbia
July 2023
We've been home from our Canadian adventure for almost a month and I'm still living high on the memories from that spectacular trip. I shot so many photos, most of which I shared on Instagram and Facebook, but I plan to blog about the trip, as I did with our Glacier National Park trip (click on link to view those posts), in the coming months.
Meanwhile, back at home, we've been enjoying visits with relatives from Nebraska, San Diego, and Manhattan Beach. We'll see more from the Sacramento area, San Diego, and North Carolina in the next few months. Everyone is eager to come out and help my mom celebrate her 90th birthday and, thankfully, the weather couldn't be nicer. We've had so much sunshine and warm-to-us temps (mid-60s), which is great for those who are looking to escape the heat. With all the travel and visitors, I haven't had much time to read, but I'll get back to it as things begin to wind down later in the fall. I've been busy planning our next trip, which will take us back to Canada in mid-September. We plan to spend a month on Vancouver Island!
But about books... I read three novels, which were all entertaining, but nothing spectacular. I started and gave-up on several others, so I'm in a bit of a slump, but I'm confident that it will sort itself out as soon as I don't have so many distractions. It's all about balance, right?
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
Exiles by Jane Harper (3/5)
The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs (3/5)
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (4/5)
Gave up on:
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Starting from Scratch by Susan Gilbert-Collins
Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
Pastries by Bharti Kirchner
Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Movies & TV Series:
The Tower (Season 2) - Meh. Too much in the way of a romantic subplot. With lives at stake, there's no time for bad blood. Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones) and Jimmy Akingbola (Kate & Koji) return in this acclaimed crime drama based on Kate London’s thrilling second novel.
65 - A sci-fi movie that feels like a wannabe Jurassic Park that tugs at your heart strings. Don't recommend. After surviving a crash landing, an astronaut and his passenger must outlast the perils of prehistoric Earth to reach their only hope for escape. (Starring:Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, and Chloe Coleman)
Five Days - We enjoyed this series, but I felt that the acting wasn't as polished as it could be. Fun to see two actors from Downton Abbey! A five-part mini-series that revolves around the disappearance of a young mother in a quiet British suburb and the circumstances that leave her children abandoned far from home. (Starring: Suranne Jones, Lee Massey, Penelope Wilton, Hugh Bonneville, and David Oyelowo)
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The Bear - I'm thoroughly enjoying this show! A young chef from the fine dining world returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop. (Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ayo Edebiri)
Whitechapel (Season 2) - This show is pretty gritty. We need a palate-cleanser before we watch the next season! A fast-tracked inspector, a hardened detective sergeant, and an expert in historical homicides investigate modern crimes with connections to the past in the Whitechapel district of London. (Starring: Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, and Steve Pemberton)
Visitors:
As I mentioned, this is the summer of visitors! My younger brother and his family were here from Lincoln for several days, followed by a visit from my stepbrother and his family from San Diego. Today, my aunt & uncle and cousins arrive from Manhattan Beach and the following weekend, my stepsister and her family arrive from the Sacramento area. Everyone wants to help my mom celebrate her 90th birthday over the course of the summer, and it's been great catching up with everyone on a smaller scale than one huge family reunion!
Chris, Emily, Mom, Maddie and Jen
Cara, Mom, Val, Caleb and Neal
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and that it's not too hot where you live!
That’s a great trip. I would have loved the weather. Haven’t seen any of the shows you mentioned it WhiteChapel is in my list. Hope it’s not too intense!
ReplyDeleteDoug & I will be in Lincoln NE In October for almost a week, I can’t wait to see my son & granddaughter - it’s been 2 years.
It’s Tina in Florida. My comments always come up as anonymous when I use my iPhone, for whatever reason:-(
Hi, Tina! I'm glad you commented. I've missed your blog posts! Yes, it was a great trip, and the weather (for the most part) was lovely. We did get some snow, though, as well as some super hot temps toward the end, once we returned to the States. Your trip to Lincoln in October should be wonderful. I loved the fall colors in Nebraska and Lincoln will be beautiful that time of year. I'm so happy that you'll be able to spend time with your son and granddaughter. 2 years is a long time! It's been over a year since we saw our daughter and son-in-law. They lead very busy lives. Take care, my friend. xo
DeleteThose little girls you used to take care of!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNan, I know! They're all grown up now!
DeleteIt's wonderful that you had such a great month. I think we all are happy to sacrifice a little reading for good company. Love the photos!
ReplyDeleteDeb, absolutely! Time with family is valued so much more, especially since 2020.
DeleteSounds like a month of decent reading and TV, but a fantastic month for family visits. I hope the upcoming family time is just as fun.
ReplyDeleteHelen, we are so thankful for family visits, especially while we're having such awesome weather. No rain or cold temps since the first group arrived in mid-July, which is so nice for those who aren't used to our typical Oregon climate (although an overnight rain shower or two would be welcome, at this point!).
DeleteLooks like you're having a fabulous vacation. Love seeing your photos on IG! Safe travels!
Sounds like you've had such a good month with all your visitors... no wonder the books don't seem like anything special! They will still be there when things settle down. Beautiful photos. I just love all those smiling faces!
ReplyDeleteThanks, JoAnn. My reading has picked up and I'm eager to start Tom Lake now that I've finished Our Town. The fourth set of visitors left this morning and the next group arrive on Friday! I should do a post with the "blooper" photos. I've discarded dozens since it's tough to get one good one with everyone smiling and nobody's eyes shut. :)
DeleteIt's nice to have so many visitors! My sister is flying out here at the end of August and I need to start planning what we're going to do. Banff is on my radar (she's never been) but I need to check out the smoke situation. We just took a scenic drive up to Nelson, BC and it was a lovely area but it was too smoky and dry to fully appreciate. We wanted to visit Vancouver and Victoria Islands while we were in Vancouver but we just didn't have enough time. It should be a beautiful trip for you though.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of indifferent to The Lost and Found Bookshop too.
My husband wanted to start watching Bear. He loves food and cooking but I really don't. He kept watching my reaction more than the show. "You don't like it, do you?" "We can turn it off if you don't like it." "Do you want me to turn it off?" Bless his heart. He's so thoughtful. I'll give it a couple of more episodes. All the characters screaming and cursing at each other stressed me out in the first episode.
Jen, it is fun, especially when all the visits are spread out. I can't imagine entertaining 3 dozen relatives over the course of a weekend. This is much more relaxing, with more personal conversations. I hope you get up to Banff while your sister is visiting. Another great spot (nearby) is the town of Fernie. We loved our time there. I think you can get to Banff fairly easily from there, but I'm not positive. Too bad Nelson was smoky & dry. I'm hoping Vancouver Island won't be too rainy by the time we go, but I talked to my stepmom and she said the weather is lovely that time of year. She and my dad used to take their live-aboard boat up through those islands when they lived in Seattle.
DeleteI've started Season Two of the Bear and am still loving it. Yeah, all the yelling and swearing was a bit of a turn-off in the first episode, but I'm used to it now. Kind of like when we watched Deadwood. :) Very thoughtful of your hubby to check on your reaction to the show as you guys were watching. I'm pretty sure my husband and mom wouldn't care for it.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Lovely reunion shots! Hope you all are having fun. And a month on Vancouver Island will be wonderful. We have enjoyed time there -- here & there over the years, mostly in Victoria. There's quite a bit to see on the Island and I think you will have fun. We don't really have Brit Box but I might look for Five Days ... to see if we can access via Prime. My reading has been slow this summer -- too much with the new house ... but audios have been better. I hope my reading picks up in fall too. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteSusan, we've been enjoying more family visitors this month. Another set arrive today! And, yes. A month on Vancouver Island should be great fun. I can hardly wait! We've been to Victoria a few times, but nowhere else. Actually, that's not true. We wandered around Brentwood Bay and Cowichan when we were cruising with my dad and stepmom on their live-aboard cabin cruiser. Lovely areas!
DeleteYou're probably about to wrap up this month and here I am finally catching up! So glad July was such a wonderful month for you and love seeing the pictures you posted on Instagram. You saw some beautiful places. I hope your mom had a wonderful time visiting with family too! And how exciting that you get to spend a whole month in Vancouver Island. Take me! haha.. Taking note of the shows you recommend. I'm curious about Whitechapel actually. We are without a good one right now so may have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteIliana, you would be correct. I posted my monthly summary for August yesterday. :) We've enjoyed seeing the family and friends who have visited this summer. Another family arrives tomorrow for a short visit, and we might see more before we head up to Canada mid-month, as well as another set in October and in November. December should be a quiet month! You might enjoy Whitechapel. We're currently watching The Fall, which is a bit disturbing at times, but we're hooked.
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