A Month in Summary - May 2024

 

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

May 2024

This is my most favorite time of year! The days are getting longer, the temps are getting warmer, the rain isn't as frequent, and between visitors, we're getting out for some short road trips. Life is good! Meanwhile, my reading is holding steady, and I'm excited about my summer reading plans. We'll see if I can actually read all 20 books on my list, but I'm hopeful! I enjoyed most of what I read in May, and was pleased that the book I chose to reread was as good the second time around.

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

The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring (4/5)

Devorgilla Days by Kathleen Hart (4/5)

The Women by Kristin Hannah (2/5)

The Hours by Michael Cunningham (4/5) - reread

Movies & TV Series:

The Gentlemen - Odd and violent, yet witty, this Tarantino-esque series was surprisingly good.

Sugar - We enjoyed this series! Unfortunately, I came across a spoiler early on, so be careful and skip all reviews if you want to be surprised. I hope there's going to be a second season. 

Why Didn't They Ask Evans - Entertaining series!

All the Light We Cannot See - I watched this by myself and initially wasn't impressed, but decided to stick with it. The last two episodes redeemed this four-episode mini-series from a complete disappointment, mainly due to the introduction of Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne. Nonetheless, the book was much better than this adaptation.

Celebrations:

We celebrated two birthdays in May. Rod turned 72 and my mom turned 91!

Doesn't my mom look great?!

Visitors:

My aunt and uncle (Mom's brother) came out for a visit from Durham, N.C. and thankfully, the sun came out for part of their visit.

My brother and sister-in-law were here at the beginning of the month to help celebrate the birthdays, as well. This may be the first time I didn't take any photos while they were here! I did get a shot of this other visitor, however.

Travels:

We spent the last week of May camping at one of our favorite parks on the Oregon Coast. Nehalem Bay State Park is only two hours from home, which makes it nice for a quick get-away. Our neighbors and camping buddies joined us for three of the four days we were there. Good times!

We missed the aurora borealis at the beginning of the month (I went back inside too early!), but I love this shot of Depoe Bay, which I took earlier that night. 

And, Rachel, who is always in our hearts...

February 17, 1981 to May 28, 2005

A Month in Summary - April 2023

Astoria, Oregon

April 2023

While many of you have already experienced summer-like weather, we are just now beginning to see temps in the upper 50s. After several months of rain (and more hail than we have ever seen here on the coast), the sun has finally stuck around long enough to dry things out. I even played pickleball on the outdoor courts yesterday for the first time!

It's been a busy month, but I managed to read seven books. Two were outstanding, two were very good, and the others were good, but not great. 

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

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (5/5)

Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet (4/5)

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (3.5/5)

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (3/5)

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (4/5)

Recursion by Blake Crouch (5/5)

Go As a River by Shelley Read (3/5)

Movies & TV Series:

New Amsterdam (Season 4) - New cast members and creative writing keep this show from turning stale, but it does border on sappiness.

Deadly Seasons - 4 episodes. French with subtitles. Each case is solved at the end of the episode. Don't remember any of them! 

The Current War - I haven't read The Last Days of Night, but thoroughly enjoyed this movie about Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla.
 

Dead Lucky - Enjoyable four-part Australian crime show. I hope to see a second season of this show. Fun fact: After watching the first episode, it finally dawned on me that Rachel Griffiths (who plays the lead) was in Six Feet Under.

The Night Agent - We enjoyed this series, but agree that it could have been half the length. Not the best acting, but some twists and one particularly surprising scene. 

Road Trips:

After our trip to Glacier National Park last fall, we parked the RV for the long, cold winter. With our upcoming road trip to Canada, we wanted to take a short trip in the RV to make sure everything was working properly, so we drove up to one of our favorite state parks (about 2 hours north of us) where we camped for four nights. The rain and wind were relentless, but we did have one afternoon of nice weather, which worked out well since we needed to drive a little further north to Astoria to make a Costco run. We also enjoyed a visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, followed by a good lunch at the Astoria Brewing Company. Heading home, we always make time to stop at Pacific Roots for mini-donuts along the Nehalem River. Delicious!

Celebrations!

My mom turns 90 on Sunday! We hosted a gathering for her with friends and neighbors this past weekend, and I plan to share more photos later, but here are a few favorites.

Wordless Wednesday

Nehalem Bay State Park

April 2021