A Month in Summary - July 2025

 

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

July 2025

Another page flipped on the calendar and summer is winding down. For many, it's been a long hot summer and I'm hearing that you're eager for cooler temps and fall activities. Here on the Oregon coast, we're just entering our nicest time of the year. The chilly, overcast days aren't nearly as frequent as in June and July, and the temps are climbing into the mid-60s. We typically travel in September, which everyone says is the best month of the year, but I'm hoping August will prove to be just as lovely.

My reading felt a bit off in July, mainly due to two lackluster novels, one of which was far too long. The two books I read in print were over 400 pages, and the two audios were between 8 and 10 hours. I spent two weeks reading The Frozen River, and while I enjoyed it, I began to get impatient, eager to make more headway on my Summer Reading challenge. My reading has also suffered due to my new interest in watching a couple of episodes of The Handmaid's Tale each night. I also used to read for about an hour in the afternoon before fixing dinner, but my new obsession interest in American Mah Jong has me playing several games on my computer. 

 

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

How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard (3.5/5)

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick (2/5)

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (4/5)

So Far Gone by Jess Walter (4.5/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Missing - An ok show, but I've already forgotten the plot. 

Place of Execution - Another decent show, but not at all memorable.

Force of Nature: The Dry 2 - I read Jane Harper's book in 2018 and thought it was decent, but the series wasn't as good.

The Residence - Silly, although I did enjoy the main character. 

The Handmaid's Tale (Season 2) - I've watched two seasons and will continue despite the unsettling themes about women's rights that feel far too prescient in today's world. 

Visitors:

My aunt and uncle (Alison & Brian) came up from Manhattan Beach for a few days. We had a wonderful visit with them!

Hiking:

Molly and I hiked Cascade Head for the second year in a row. It was a beautiful, sunny day!

New Obsession:

As mentioned above, I've started play American Mah Jong with a friend in my neighborhood. In addition to our face-to-face games, I've started playing online, which is a great way to improve my skills. I love it!

New Car!

Yes, we bought a new car. We traded in the Miata, which after owning for less than two years proved to be somewhat impractical. It looked cute, especially with the top down, but it wasn't very comfortable for either of us. We started looking at Subarus and I fell in love with the Outback Limited. It has more bells & whistles than my 2010 Forester (which we sold to some good friends before moving to Oregon), and I think it will be a better fit for us than the Miata.

Lastly, we received our second tsunami alert since moving to the Oregon coast in 2017. Thankfully, nothing came of the advisory. Phew!

Hope you're all enjoying your summer! Happy reading!

A Month in Summary - August 2024

Marys Peak

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

August 2024

 

Summer is winding down, but you wouldn't know it by the temperature. We hit 70 this past week, which is balmy for us! The locals say September is the best month on the coast, but we're always on the road and miss the "second summer." It's a trade off, since we really prefer to travel in our RV once school has resumed and the campgrounds aren't quite as crowded. This year, we're heading to Wyoming, specifically Grand Teton National Park. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to read, so while I'm away, I'm going to (finally!) start posting about our trip to Canada last year. It's been fun looking back through all of the photos I took on that epic trip, and I hope you enjoy the posts. 

Speaking of reading, I had a pretty decent month with one outstanding thriller and several very good novels. There was only one book that was ho-hum, but the setting of that one kept me reading.

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

The Wedding People by Alison Espach (4/5)

Bear by Julia Phillips (3/5)

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood (4/5)

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (4.5/5)

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (4/5)

Movies & TV Series:

The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 2) - This is an enjoyable show, although it's pretty light, and at times silly. 

Your Honor (Season Two) - Excellent follow-up to the first season, although I didn't care for the last episode.

Bodies - A time travel mystery! Very good, but I spent too much time trying to sort out the various timelines.

Ripley - Outstanding cinematography! I loved this show. I haven't watched anything this good in a long time. Highly recommend!

Visitors:

We so enjoyed our visit with long-time friends from Lincoln, Nebraska. We walked out to our bluff to look for whales before heading out for lunch at a local brewery (Pelican Brewing Co.). The weather couldn't have been better. Thanks for spending the day with us, Sandy & Rick!

Hikes:

Hiking has become my new obsession passion! I went with friends on five hikes in August for a total of 31 miles. We hiked in the coastal mountains, as well as on long stretches of the beach. My favorites were at Cape Perpetua and Marys Peak, both of which are in the Siuslaw National Forest. I walk a lot in my neighborhood, but it's especially great to get outside and discover to trails with epic views. Think I'm ready for the Pacific Crest Trail? 😃

Moolack Beach, OR

Mike Miller Park Trail

Cook's Ridge & Gwynn Creek Loop Trail

Cape Perpetua, OR

Molly & Me

Ona Beach State Park, OR

North of Seal Rock, OR

Marys Peak, OR

Me with my buddies, Dennis & Nancy

Reminder: Future (scheduled) posts will be of our previous trip (June 2023) to Alberta & British Columbia. We are heading out to Wyoming, so I won't be posting much while we're on the road.

A Month in Summary - July 2024

Cascade Head

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

July 4, 2024

Summer feels so short here on the Oregon coast, and as we flip the page on the calendar, it's hard to imagine that our sunny, warm-ish weather will be gone in just a few more months. I know several of my friends in Texas, Nebraska and on the East Coast are eager for autumn, but I'm still basking in the rain-free, blue skies and would be happy if summer would stretch out until November!

I had a pretty good reading month with several enjoyable novels and only one dud in the bunch. I'm not making a very big dent in my stacks for the Summer Reading Challenge since I found a couple of books at the library that I couldn't pass up. Once I finish those, I plan to focus on the shorter books that I chose for the challenge in order to clear them off my shelf before we head out on our RV trip in September. I'd rather take a couple of big books on that trip since I know I won't have a lot of time to read more than one or two.

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

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (4.5/5)

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain (4/5)

After Annie by Anna Quindlen (4/5)

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (2/5) 

The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard (4.5/5)

Movies & TV Series:

The Lincoln Lawyer (Season One) - We're now into season two and are enjoying this show. It's lighter than our usual fare, but a nice palate cleanser from some of the darker shows we've watched this year.

Presumed Innocent - Wow! This was so good. Kept me guessing the entire time.

Presumed Innocent - I watched this movie when it first came out (1990), but had forgotten so much, particularly the ending. It's very dated, but fun to see the 80s fashion and hair styles, in addition to comparing it to the new series.

Your Honor (Season One) - Holy smokes! This is one of the best shows I've watched in a long time! The acting is powerful, and the finale to the first season had me shocked in disbelief. Glad I had no idea what was coming.

Hikes:

I've started hiking with a friend and am loving it. The hikes aren't super long, but the elevation gains are challenging and we're looking forward to continuing on a weekly basis (weather permitting!). I shot so many photos on each of the hikes, that I've decided to post separate photo essays for each. Stay tuned!

Cascade Head

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

July 4, 2024

Cascade Head

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

July 4, 2024

St. Perpetua Trail

Cape Perpetua

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

July 14, 2024

Hidden Lake Hike (Part Three) - Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park Road Trip (Fall 2022)

September 18, 2022

Hidden Lake Hike

I was hoping to see all sorts of wildlife on this hike, and while I didn't see any bears or bighorn sheep, I was very happy to spot this mountain goat. He was close to the trail, so I was able to get a couple of shots of him before he leaped off a rock and headed down toward the lake. I also saw a couple of marmots, which have pretty nasty looking claws!

Hidden Lake Hike (Part Two) - Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park Road Trip (Fall 2022)

September 18, 2022

Hidden Lake Hike

What a great hike! It was a little chilly when we started out, but we warmed up quickly. I wish I had taken more specific notes about which mountains we saw; I'm relying on my memory and Wikipedia!

Clements Mountain

Bishops Cap (far left)

Karen & Warren

Mt. Oberlin (?)

Bearhat Mountain, Mount Brown, and Mount Stanton

Reynolds Mountain, Gunsight Mountain, and Bearhat Mountain

Sperry Glacier

Click here for a more detailed description of the trail and surrounding areas.