A Month in Summary - October 2023

Sooke River Campground

Sooke, British Columbia, Canada

October 2023

Another brief summary, as we've been busy getting settled after our adventure on Vancouver Island, as well as hosting more friends and family here in Little Whale Cove. Our trip on "Van Isle" was everything we had hoped for, and I have no doubt that we'll return in the not too distant future.

I read even less in October than in September, and have given up on several audiobooks, still waiting for something that will hold my attention. I may need to take a break from listening to books until after the holidays. 

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark (5/5)

The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill (4/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Not only has my reading taken a dive, but we haven't watched anything in the way of movies or TV series since we got home. We've been watching a lot of MLB, first cheering for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and after they lost their chance to be in the World Series, we switched our allegiance to the Texas Rangers. 

Visitors:

Deb, Dean, Rod and Me

Our great friends from Nebraska have been on the road in their RV for a couple of months and we were so happy they were able to spend a couple of days hanging out with us. We had a wonderful time catching up and hope it won't be another six years before we get together again!

Mom's sister and brother

Libby, Alison, Mom, Georgie, and Rick

Shortly after Deb & Dean's visit, my mom's brother, sister-in-law, sister and niece arrived for a few days. We had such a nice time catching up and reminiscing, and after a bit of damp weather, the sun did eventually come out. 

With the holidays rapidly approaching, things may get a little quiet around here. I am hoping to share a few "Wordless Wednesday" posts with photos from our trip, but we'll see how that goes.

Wordless Wednesday

A floral hug from one of my dearest friends who has the most amazing garden I have ever seen.

California Road Trip 2019 - Carmichael

Monday, October 7-9, 2019
Tahoe to Carmichael, CA
Sarah & Bert's
Distance: 95 miles
Route: Hwy. 50  
Duration: 3 nights
Cost: Moochdocking

We really enjoyed our short stay at Fallen Leaf Campground and hope to return sometime soon for at least a week or so. I envision long bike rides, trips to the ice cream parlor, reading by the lake, and gazing up at the stars while sitting by the campfire. 

From Tahoe we headed west on Hwy. 50, stopping near Placerville for lunch at In-n-Out. We reached our friends' home in Carmichael by mid-afternoon and enjoyed a relaxing evening, catching up over drinks out by the pool. They have such a lovely backyard and we always enjoy our visits, picking up right where we left off the last time we got together.

 Our wonderful hosts.

 Shrimp Scampi & Orzo

We were only there for three nights, but I caught Rod's cold and wasn't feeling 100%. Thankfully, we didn't have much on the schedule other than a couple of meals out and relaxing on the patio by the pool. I also managed to make dinner one night before my cold really kicked in. 

A Month in Summary - December 2019

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

December 2019

The final month of not only the year, but the decade! I've been compiling my year-end stats and will share those with you in another day or two, but first things first. I continued to have a good month of reading, although I gave up on several books (both in print and on audio) in the past week. I'm debating whether I should keep an on-going DNF list. It would be interesting to see how many I give up on each year. Anyhow, three of the six books I read in December wound up on my Top Ten list of 2019. Definitely a nice way to close out the year.

Books Read (click on the link for my review):

Devotion by Dani Shapiro

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? by Patricia Marx

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

First Lines:

A woman named Sandra was cradling my head in her hands. We were in a small room--just the two of us--and it was so quiet I could hear the ticking of her watch. The air smelled faintly of eucalyptus. A high window overlooked a parking lot, and beyond the parking lot, mountains. I tried to relax--that was the point, wasn't it?--but I wasn't relaxed at all. I had signed up for something called Master Level Energy Work, thinking it would be like a massage. But this was no massage. For one thing, she was sighing a lot. (Devotion)

"The simplest thing would be to tear it down," the man said. "The house is a shambles." (Unsheltered)

My mother is an absolutist. Wait--is that the right word? My mother is not Louis XIV. (Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?)

My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us. (Lucky Us)

Patient reports feeling "stressed out" and states that he is having difficulty sleeping and getting along with his wife. Expresses annoyance with others and seeks help "managing the idiots."  (Maybe You Should Talk To Someone)

At first, they blame the air. (The Dreamers)

Movies and TV Shows:

The Irishman - Thank goodness we were streaming this at home; I got so tired of all the swearing and eventually started working on a puzzle, only glancing up every now and then to see what was happening. Reminiscent of The Sopranos, but with no likable characters. Meh.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - Tom Hanks' performance is heartwarming and spot-on. I enjoyed the film, but felt the ending was too pat.

The Crown (Season 3) - Wah! We finished this and now have to wait who knows how long before Season 4 is released. I thought Olivia Colman did a wonderful job as the Queen. I loved her in Broadchurch, but she was just as impressive in this new role.

The Two Popes - It took me a while to warm up to this film, but I wound up enjoying it quite a lot. Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce are outstanding.

The Upside - A feel-good movie that made me laugh. Bryan Cranston was very convincing in his role.

Puzzlemania:

I was born in Canada, so this was fun!

I love all the whimsical pieces!

Visitors:

My brother and sister-in-law flew up from San Diego to surprise me on my birthday! I was stunned to see them sitting in the living room when I walked in the house after spending the afternoon (playing Mah Jong!) with my girlfriends. What a special treat!

Outings and Trips:

Hilltop Cafe in Waldport with the family!

Celebrations:

My Mah Jong Pals

I got the first winning hand on my birthday!

We must have been very good this year.

Christmas Dinner
(before our friends arrived)

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!

San Luis Obispo, CA

Thursday and Friday, October 18 & 19, 2018
Santa Paula to San Luis Obispo, California
George & Merry's
Distance: 154 miles
Duration: 2 nights

The following morning we made our way over to Hwy. 101, which was an easy drive even with the heavy traffic through Santa Barbara. It was a beautiful day for a drive and it was especially nice to see the ocean once again. When we were in San Diego, we never once made it to the beach! All our visits with family and friends were either inland or near downtown. 

Highway 101

Of course I had America's song

(Ventura Highway) in my head the entire time.

 Love these hills!

Time for a nightcap.

We planned our stop-over in San Luis Obispo in order to spend a couple of days catching up with Rod's childhood friend George, whom he has known since junior high school. George and Merry have a lovely piece of land nestled near some gentle, rolling hills just east of SLO. We were able to park our RV behind their house, overlooking their fruit orchard and the hills. 

After breakfast, I took a long walk on a nearby country road, which was very peaceful. I think I only saw one or two cars the entire hour I was walking. George recruited Rod to help him pick figs, which he was going to sell the following morning at the farmers market. More friends arrived later that afternoon and we had a good time catching up over a delicious meal prepared by George and Merry. 

Looking back and George and Merry's house.

Quiet road for a long walk.

Love those Steinbeck hills!

Creepy turkey vultures.

Vineyard!

Beautiful views.

Picking figs.

Buddies for 50 years!

Once again, I didn't take very many pictures. I meant to get a group photo, but didn't remember until it was too late.