A Month in Summary - September 2024

Yellowstone National Park

September 2024

Well, I guess it's officially fall, although where we're currently camping, it feels more like summer. I think we hit 80 yesterday, and I was in shorts & flip flops again today, but I'll take it! We've seen a lot of beautiful fall colors on our road trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Park, but I don't mind the warmer temps. I'm sure when we get home to the Oregon Coast, it will be chilly and damp.

As is my normal routine, I probably won't blog about this trip until later in the year. As it is, I'm currently posting about our 2023 summer trip to Canada; that's how far behind I am with travel posts! But I will include a few favorite photos down below. If you want to see more (a lot more!), check out my Instagram or Facebook feeds. I've been updating daily, although I'm about a week behind our actual trip.

You won't be surprised to see that I only read two books in September, since I rarely get much read while on a road trip. However, both books are over 500 pages! September was a re-read and very enjoyable, but it was Billy Summers that stole my heart. I wanted to read it every chance I had, and when I wasn't reading, I was talking about it to Rod (who is now re-reading it). What a great novel!

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

September by Rosamunde Pilcher (4.5/5) - reread

Billy Summers by Stephen King (5/5)

In case you missed it, I wrapped up my summer reading challenge here. 

In other news, my daughter's company (MAYSON the label) was mentioned in Oprah Daily, which was quite thrilling. You can read about her fashion brand in that article here.

Amy (aka Fashion Jackson)

In addition, our family suffered two losses in the span of four days. We got news that my cousin's wife passed away on the 25th. This past Sunday I received word that another cousin had died. Kris Kristofferson was my first cousin, once removed (his mom and my grandmother were sisters). What's so heartbreaking is that my cousin's wife (who died on the 25th) was married to Kris' brother. It was (and will continue to be) a rough time for the family. I've been reading all the beautiful tributes about Kris, and Rod & I have been singing a lot of his songs as we grieve.

Rod, Kris and me

Family Reunion 2016

Depoe Bay, Oregon

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite photos from our five-week road trip. Enjoy.

Yellowstone National Park

Old Faithful

The Tetons & Jackson Lake, Wyoming

The beautiful aspens, willows

 and cottonwoods of Wyoming

Schwabacher Landing, Wyoming

Schwabacher Landing

T.A. Moulton Barn, Moose, Wyoming

Our view at Gros Ventre Campground, Wyoming

Music Monday #10 - Jesus Was a Capricorn

Time for another Music Monday with Rod. During this period of "sheltering in place," I thought it would be fun to share a personal music video on Mondays. My hope is that some of my family and friends will join in with their own videos for a virtual music tour.

Rest, nature, books, music... Such is my idea of happiness. ~ Leo Tolstoy

Music Monday #6 - Me and Bobby McGee

Time for another Music Monday with Rod. During this period of "sheltering in place," I thought it would be fun to share a personal music video on Mondays. My hope is that some of my family and friends will join in with their own videos for a virtual music tour.

Rest, nature, books, music... Such is my idea of happiness. ~ Leo Tolstoy

R.I.P. John Prine

One of my all-time favorite songs...



I love John's lyrics, but actually prefer Kris and Joan's performance better.

Paris Letters

Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod
Memoir
2014 Sourcebooks
Finished on September 2, 2014
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)





Publisher’s Blurb:

Finding love and freedom in a pen, a paintbrush… and Paris

How much money does it take to quit your job?

Exhausted and on the verge of burnout, Janice poses this question to herself as she doodles on a notepad at her desk. Surprisingly, the answer isn’t as daunting as she expected. With a little math and a lot of determination, Janice cuts back, saves up, and buys herself two years of freedom in Europe.

A few days into her stop in Paris, Janice meets Christophe, the cute butcher down the street—who doesn’t speak English. Through a combination of sign language and franglais, they embark on a whirlwind Paris romance. She soon realizes that she can never return to the world of twelve-hour workdays and greasy corporate lingo. But her dwindling savings force her to find a way to fund her dreams again. So Janice turns to her three loves—words, art, and Christophe—to figure out a way to make her happily-ever-after in Paris last forever.

Another selection for the 2014 Paris in July reading challenge, this one turned out to be a winner! I managed to read the entire book in just one week, which these days is a huge accomplishment for me. Littered with two dozen Post-It Notes, this book is one I plan to hang on to for future reference, right next to Eloisa James’ Paris in Love. I don’t know when, but I’m definitely planning to visit Paris… someday!

Inspiration to De-Clutter:

By night, I moved on from my closets to delve into my cupboards. I tossed dried-up nail polishes and hairbrushes. I only used one hairbrush. Why did I have six? I used up the rest of my teeth whitening gel. I gave up on and tossed the recipes I’d clipped for dishes I never made. I tossed the free CD of weird music I never listen to from that yoga class I stopped going to. The old yoga mat, the deflated yoga ball, the broken yoga straps, the expired yoga membership…tossed. Half-filled journals of half-baked ideas, the stack of phone books from the last five years [who uses phones books anymore?!], broken flowerpots that I kept with thoughts of making something crafty from them, the broken frames I meant to fix…tossed. Makeup samples, swag from film industry party gift bags, sunglasses with scratches [eh-hem], a home phone even though I didn’t have a land line anymore, chargers for cell phones I didn’t have anymore, computer boxes for computers I didn’t have either, instruction manuals for electronics that I didn’t even remember having, the wrong-sized vacuum bags I never returned, checkbooks for accounts I no longer had…tossed. And loyalty cards that promised savings on everything I bought. Tossed. I’d save more by not buying.

This brought a smile to my face:

By June, the sixth month into my journaling year, I had crossed plenty off my list of unfinished business and let go of many items, such as most of my books and one of my guitars. I was ruthless. I knew, without knowing where I was going, that I wouldn’t need this stuff when I got there.

But one item stopped me in my tracks.

My Kris Kristofferson album.

I haven’t owned a record player since my single-digit years, but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of this album. This record was pilfered from my parents’ collection. When I was a kid, I would gawk at this album cover and stare into his steely blue eyes. Kris Kristofferson was a real artist. A great lyricist and a pretty good actor. When I looked at Kris, I thought, “This guy is so good at everything he does. And what he does is so cool. I want to do something cool.” I kept the album.

On the magic of bookstores:

My haste to get outside is based on an exciting call I received after lunch. The book I ordered has arrived at the local English bookstore. There is something poetic about a good old-fashioned bookstore. I used to have Amazon deliver books to my door. I’ve always had a love for mail. And these days, I’ll be the first to brag about the convenience and pleasure of e-books. The instant access to English books in a French-speaking land is a magical delight. But there is magic in traditional bookstores too. It’s a magic you can feel in the air. The smell of aging paper, of ink, and of people. And in Paris, some of those people were Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

Final Thoughts:

This delightful memoir, with its black-and-white drawings and countless travel suggestions, is the perfect armchair guide to "La Ville-Lumière.” Not only do I plan to peruse it again at a later date, I’ve also just discovered the author’s blog, which I know will keep me entertained for many, many months. Paris Letters is all that Eat Pray Love hoped to be, but without the prayer and the navel-gazing.

Music Monday

Feeling Mortal 

(click here to listen to sample tracks)

Wordless Wednesday

Musical Monday

Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends: The Publishing Demos1968-72

Kris has a new album due out May 11, 2010!!

Take a listen to the sample tracks. Man, oh man, this is the Kristofferson I grew up on! Listening to Kris' music is like a trip down memory lane; I find myself reminiscing about all the California family gatherings in Woodside, Leucadia, and Fallbrook with my great-grandmother (Kris' grandmother), my grandparents, my great aunts and uncles, and distant cousins.

Favorite sample track: Just the Other Side of Nowhere. That's got to be one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard.

Product Description:

Over 5 years in the making, and with the attention to detail and elaborate packaging the label is known for, LITA 050 is none other than the never-before-released 1968-1972 demos of Texas-born Renaissance man and maverick songwriting pioneer, Kris Kristofferson. With the outlaw Highwayman's full blessing, Light In The Attic is proud and honored to present Kristofferson's honest and upfront formative takes on the tunes that would eventually become part of the great American songbook.

Since penning these numbers (many of which were written during the mid-to-late 60s while working as a janitor for Columbia Records in Nashville), over 500 artists including patron saint Johnny Cash, one-time lover Janis Joplin, and co-actor Bob Dylan (to name but three), have covered Kristofferson's material. While we shouldn't forget his vast commercial accomplishments as an award-winning recording artist and actor, it's these soul-stirring demos that laid the groundwork for his rough and tumble creative journey. Drop the needle and be transported into the intimate candle lit studio session like a fly on the wall.

Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Demos 1968-72 features comprehensive liner notes by Michael Simmons (MOJO, LA Weekly), including interviews with Kristofferson, the musicians, and other related-folks from these landmark sessions. Plus, dig into a handful of testimonials from friends Dennis Hopper and Merle Haggard. Includes full lyrics housed in a massive 60 page full color booklet featuring unseen photos and archival material, plus a gloriously mastered audio soundtrack.

With that 60 page color booklet, this is one to own, not download! Pre-order here.

Wisdom

This is simply marvelous!



To view in full-screen mode, click on the small box, second from the right.

For more video clips about this project, go here.

You can check out the book here:

Eight Things About Me

I guess everyone in the blogosphere knows how terrible I am about participating in memes. Not one single person tagged me for the Eight Things About Me meme, so I've tagged myself. Actually, I needed some blog material as I've been in a bit of a reading slump and haven't written very many reviews this month.

Here are the details:

1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4: Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Here we go:

1. I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and have dual-citizenship (Canadian father, American mother). Not sure exactly what all that means other than if the House of Bush decides to draft 40-plus-year-old women, I can flee to Canada - legally.

2. I'm a PK. Any guesses?

3. Kris Kristofferson is my first cousin, once-removed. Explanation: His mother and my grandmother were sisters. He and my mom are first cousins.

4. I have a couple of special autographs:

The first is a baseball signed by Sandy Koufax (left-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers 1955-1966). I didn't actually meet him in person; a friend gave me the ball. I believe he got it at a golf benefit.

The second is from Charles Lindbergh. My grandfather used to fly for Pan American Airlines and he invited Lindbergh to a family Christmas party. My mom (who was 14 at the time) got his autograph in 1947 and passed it on to me a few years ago.

5. My first husband's last name is the same as my maiden name. Was it an omen? ;)

6. I was kicked out of kindergarten after just one day. Well, not exactly kicked out. But my teacher told my mom that I was so painfully shy that perhaps it would be better to wait another year before starting school.

7. Speaking of school, we moved around quite a bit when I was a child. I went to 10 schools in 12 years.

8. I've run one marathon. Took me ten years! Ran the first "Half" in 1985 (La Jolla, CA) and the second in 1995 (Lincoln, NE).

9. Well, I've never been to Spain, but I've been to Oklahoma...

Guess that was more than eight. Oh, well. Not only am I a meme wimp, I don't play by the rules! And I won't tag eight people since I'm probably the very last person to participate. If you haven't and want to, consider yourself tagged.

Look at that old photograph...

Is it really you
Smiling like a baby full of dreams
Smiling ain’t so easy now
Some are coming true
Nothing’s simple as it seems

But I guess you count your blessings with the problems
That you’re dealing with today
Like the changing of the seasons
Ain’t you come a long way (Ain’t you come a long way)
Ain’t you come a long way down
This old road

When I began this blog almost a year ago, I was determined to keep the focus on books. I’ve since created other blogs in which I can share my favorite recipes, pictures of my garden, the birds that visit, or simply chatter about the beauty of the changing seasons. But like a great book that continues to haunt me well after I’ve finished reading, I find myself reliving a magical evening spent listening to one of my favorite singer/songwriters and I decided to write a bit about it here.

In some ways it feels as if I cut my teeth on Kris Kristofferson’s music. My entire family (parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, etc.) owned all his early albums




and I have fond memories of hearing them played in the homes of my childhood (or on the 8-track deck in my grandparent’s car when we’d go to visit them at their beach house in Southern California), learning all the lyrics as I sang along to the gravelly voice of the man whom everyone referred to as “Kristy.” The very first concert I ever attended was in 1973 when Kris & Rita (Coolidge) performed at the San Diego Concourse Center (yes, that's me standing next to Kris in the above photograph). What a thrilling evening that was, as we got to go backstage after the show and say hi to Kris, Rita and the band. At 11 years old, I thought I was super cool!

It’s been 33 years since that first concert. Rod and I have seen Kris perform several times since and last month’s show in Omaha was by far the best. We were entertained with songs spanning his entire career, a few of which I haven’t heard in several years, if not decades. Over 30 songs (some abbreviated to accommodate the lack of band or backup musicians) in two hours. I’m not sure I remember the entire play list, but here’s what comes to mind (I’ve highlighted my favorites):

Just the Other Side of Nowhere
Shipwrecked in the Eighties
Casey’s Last Ride
Best of all Possible Worlds
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Johnny Lobo
I’d Rather Be Sorry
Here Comes That Rainbow Again
Darby’s Castle
Me & Bobby McGee
Jody and the Kid
The Pilgrim, Chapter 33
Pilgrim’s Progress
Billy Dee
Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)
To Beat the Devil
The Last Thing to Go
Wild American
Holy Road
In the News
Final Attraction
This Old Road
Sunday Morning Coming Down
Nobody Wins
Thank You For a Life
Love Is the Way
The Silver Tongued Devil and I
Chase the Feeling
For the Good Times
A Moment of Forever
Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down
Why Me
Between Heaven and Here
The Promise
The Heart

It was a remarkable evening. Someone recently said Kris is a living legend. All I know is that I hope I have half his stamina when I’m 70 years old! Given the fact that Kris’ mom and my grandmother were sisters, it’s entirely possible. We share the same great family genes. I, however, missed out on the musical talent.

Kris has a long list of engagements on this particular tour and I strongly urge you to check out his website. If you can’t make it to one of his shows, pick up a copy of his latest album, This Old Road



It’s one of his best (although A Moment of Forever remains my favorite).

Personally, I’d love to see the show again and I’m trying to figure out a way to convince my husband that Scotland (or Vienna) would be a perfect location.