Cape Blanco, Oregon
September 2026
Well, I suppose summer is now officially over. I'll try not to whine. We've been very fortunate this year. It actually felt like we had a summer. We didn't have the terrible heat that others suffered through, but we had a lot of sunshine and comfortable temps (60s).
We got away for another camping trip right after Labor Day, spending a week near Coos Bay, and several other days at Cape Blanco. We had very nice weather, which was good for long walks and sitting by the campfire.
After our return, we enjoyed a nice visit with both of mom's siblings and their spouses. Lots of reminiscing, good meals, and a little Dodger baseball.
I didn't get much reading in during September, especially toward the end of the month. I had hoped to read a lot of mysteries, but couldn't get interested in several that I tried. I wound up filling two bags to donate to our community library. After that, I started looking at the books on my "keeper" shelves and filled another bag with books I know I'll never read again. Nice to see some space on those shelves.
As far as what I did read, I enjoyed two and the other two were just so-so. One was a re-read that dropped in my rating since my first reading. I'm hoping October will be a bit better with regard to quantity and quality.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Volume 2) by Beth Brower (4/5)
Faithful Place by Tana French - reread (3/5)
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (4/5)
Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel (3.5/5)
Gave Up On:
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Since She Went Away by David Bell
The Unforgotten by Laura Powell
Movies & TV Series:
Bergerac - Well. This was ok, but an awful lot of angst on Bergerac's part.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - This was a fun movie. A bit violent, but not gory.
Trips:
I plan to post about our trip, but here are a few favorites:
Eel Lake
William Tugman State Park, Oregon
Port Orford, Oregon
Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon
We're off on another camping trip in the van in a couple of weeks. Heading up to Washington to a lake near Mount Saint Helens, Whidbey Island, Port Townsend, and then back down into Oregon to Cannon Beach. Fingers crossed for beautiful fall weather!
Your photos are always so lovely. Really makes me regret not moving to Oregon about a decade ago.
ReplyDeleteSummer here wasn't too bad temp wise. I think the highest it got was 110 but humidity is not something we typically battle and this summer it was a beast. My hair will never be the same. I also took up running and running in humidity was so unpleasant.
Still reeling from losing my little pup. I know I will find another to rescue at some point whether that be a dog or cat. I have always had furry family members and the house is just too quiet.
I've been reading a lot of good stuff. I set my Goodreads goal at a reasonable number and I noticed that I already made that goal so that's good.
You are so sweet, Ti. Thank you! We've been in Oregon almost ten years now. It's such a beautiful place, and we feel very fortunate to live on the coast.
Delete110 isn't bad?! Ugh. I am not used to the heat anymore. We used to get over 100 in Nebraska and Texas, but now if we're somewhere and it's in the 80s, we whine and whine. :) I see the Dodgers are playing on Saturday when it's going to get close to 100. Ugh. I feel for the players and the fans.
I'm glad you're thinking about getting another pet. After we said good-bye to our Annie-Dog, I said no more dogs. It just broke my heart too much to lose her. Plus, now with our lifestyle, having a dog would be a little more complicated.
I met my Goodreads goal, too. The next three months look promising for some good books. I'm looking forward to Nonfiction November and have my stack ready to go!
The way we have been traveling this year has not been conducive to reading. I would start a library book, and then we'd be off on a trip where I couldn't take it along, and when I returned, I'd forgotten what I'd read. I read twelve short books for Shorty September though, and I enjoyed almost every one of them, so maybe that's what I need to do in the future when we travel a lot.
ReplyDeleteThose photos are glorious! It's been hot and mosquito-ey---I am eager to have some cooler weather here.
Deb, it's all about balance, right? You've done a lot of fun traveling, but maybe with the cooler months ahead, you'll find more time to read. We're getting ready to head out on another camping trip, and I'm trying to decide what books to bring along. I may just bring one big one (400+ pages) since I'm sure I won't read more than that!
DeleteJust this morning, I was thinking that it's time to go through my TBR shelf and get rid of books that I keep avoiding. There must be a reason, right? Glad to hear I am not the only one. Your vacation looks lovely; what beautiful places you go to.
ReplyDeleteHelen, it really feels good to go through my stacks and review what's there to be read. I may take a closer look now that I've already eliminated some. The saying, "So many books, so little time" has more meaning with each passing year, doesn't it? Heading out on another trip mid-month. It will be fun to explore some new-to-us spots, as well as returning to some favorites.
DeleteHi Les, you posted some wonderful photos and I would love to beam into those settings. The lighthouse photo is one I would hang in the house. My Spetmeber reading wasn't great either, as far as a book count.
ReplyDeleteThe shows look good. I have not seen or heard of Bergerac but we do own the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Try IN the Gray with Cavill and Gyllenhaal, they play well off each other and the female actress is in this as well. Kinda plays the same character.
Thanks, Tina. We really enjoyed our stay at Cape Blanco and hope to return again, maybe next year. Funny you mention wanting to hang the lighthouse photo in your house. We actually have two lighthouse images in our house. One is a print, which we used to have hanging over our fireplace in Lincoln, and the other is a watercolor that a friend made for us (of a local lighthouse that we visited with him). I'm drawn to lighthouses for some reason...
DeleteBergerac is ok, but not great. We just finished the Marble Hall Murders on PBS, which was much better than Bergerac.