Life
This is a 2-week catch-up because we were on vacation last week! The week before was a busy one, with medical appointments, a long-overdue walk with friends, our son and his puppy came over for dinner, and lots of packing and preparation for a week of camping in the Laurel Highlands region of Pennsylvania.
Last Sunday, we drove to Ohiopyle State Park, sort of the crown jewel of the region (there are a half dozen or so state parks in the area). Unfortunately, I experienced another unexpected relapse of my chronic illness through most of last week, but we made the best of it. We took it easy our first day; fortunately, there are lots of beautiful views and water features in the park that are close to parking areas. We drove to Boughman Rock and admired the vast views over the river valley. We visited the Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny (pronounce yock-ee-o-gay-nee) River, and the park visitor center, all an easy stroll from the car.
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| View from Boughman Rock |
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| Youghiogheny River and Low Bridge |
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| Geese and goslings along the river |
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| Rapids leading to the falls |
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| Ken and I in front of Ohiopyle Falls |
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| View of Ohiopyle Falls |
The next day, we visited Fallingwater, a famous home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that I've wanted to see for decades! The walking tour was probably (definitely) too much for me, but I'm glad we finally got to see it. We toured the grounds and the house, which is built on top of a waterfall, a fabulous example of Wright incorporating nature into his buildings. You can hear the stream and waterfalls throughout the house, parts of the house (like the living room hearth) are built right into the rock the house is built on, and every room has stunning views of the surrounding trees and water. I'm ready to move in!
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| Fallingwater |
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| View from the top level of Fallingwater |
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| Part of the enormous living room & one of the patios |
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| Another view of the living room |
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| Front of the house, just before the falls |
Yeah, that was too much for me, and I was very sick the next day, with flu-like symptoms (typical with this disease), so we just rested. I read a lot, took a two-hour nap, and enjoyed the lovely view and birdsong surrounding us.
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| Our campsite at Ohiopyle State Park |
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| We enjoyed lots of campfires |
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| Beautiful views from our campsite |
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| Lots of reading time! |
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| My outdoor resting place |
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| View from my lounge chair! |
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| So many birds! |
Before leaving the park the next day, we were able to visit two other gorgeous water features, just a few steps from their parking areas: Cucumber Falls and Meadow Run Natural Waterslides. The water was high from all the recent rain, so the water was really roaring through these areas! (photos don't do it justice - I'll post s video to my YouTube channel tomorrow).
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| 40-foot high Cucumber Falls |
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| Us at Cucumber Falls |
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| Start of the rapids at Meadow Run Natural Waterslides |
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| So much powerful water roaring through here! |
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| People actually slide along this long stretch |
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| A cluster of butterflies near the waterslides |
Then, we moved our camper about an hour down the road to Laurel Hill State Park. Packing and setting up wiped me out again, so we had another rest day Friday. We were on a beautiful campsite, surrounded by trees, with a stream running through it, and lots of privacy. Unfortunately, what I didn't realize until too late was that the mosquitos and gnats also loved it there! I am covered with bites (gnat bites are particularly awful and burn for days). My arms and legs look polka-dotted, and I counted 18 gnat bites on the backs of my hands, including between my fingers. Ow! My husband didn't get a single bite all week!
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| Lovely view at Laurel Hill State Park, too |
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| Cozy campfires, and lots of reading! |
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| Our quiet campsite at Laurel Hill State Park |
Saturday, by some miracle, I woke up feeling like myself again! We took our kayaks out on beautiful Laurel Hill Lake for an hour and thoroughly enjoyed the lovely day.
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| Kayaking on Laurel Hill Lake |
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| So happy to be feeling well again! |
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| We only spotted one turtle on the lake, in spite of many sunny logs! |
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| Lovely day on the water, though very windy! |
Our stay ended with massive thunderstorms (winds up to 80 mph were reported) that took down trees throughout the area and left the park without power. Almost all the other campers left after that! We often camp without electricity (our camper has a battery), so we stayed. More storms came through during the night, but we were snug and cozy in our camper. We drove home yesterday.
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| Lots of branches & leaves down on our site but no trees! |
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| Trees and branches down all over the park - and no one left but us! |
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| Steam rising from the pavement after the storm |
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| The lake was perfectly calm after the storm! |
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I pre-scheduled some videos to post while I was gone last week, plus my videos from the week before and some shorts I posted on the road:
8 Memories Tag - This tag has a simple concept: choose 8 books that you remember from various times during your life and discuss the books and memories. I had so much taking this walk down memory lane, with books that bring back cherished memories, from childhood through to recent years. What book memories do you have?
May Reading Wrap-Up - I read 4 print books and listened to 2 audio books in May, and every one of them was excellent - a 5-star reading month for me!
June on the Range - In this quick video, I talk about this fun annual event and what I'm reading for it this year.
Video Shorts (under 3 minutes):
Auburn Valley State Park in Delaware - peace, birdsong, and goslings at a local park
Big Book Summer Has Begun!
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Pennsylvania
My Big Book Summer Pile of Possibilities
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What We're Reading
My first pick for Big Book Summer, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, was outstanding! It focuses on three side characters from The Handmaid's Tale that
you didn't hear much about in that first book. Here, you get their
detailed backstories, how they came to be who they are, and what they
are doing in the years after that first book ended. I'm purposely not
saying who those characters are because their identities are gradually
revealed in the novel. Atwood said that for 30 years, readers have been asking her what happened next, so this is her response, and it shows how Gilead was finally defeated. It was absolutely gripping, horrifying (as
any story about Gilead is), and thoroughly engrossing. I was fully immersed in this propulsive follow-up from the moment I picked it up. Why did I wait so long to read it? Now, I can't wait to see the TV adaptation because the TV version of The Handmaid's Tale is one of the best TV shows my husband and I have ever watched.
During my vacation week, I was reading (and am getting close to the end of) Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry, the first prequel (book 1 in the quartet) of Lonesome Dove, which I read for Big Book Summer in 2024. It was one of the best novels I've ever read, so last summer I read the sequel, Streets of Laredo. In this prequel, the main characters of Lonesome Dove, Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, are very young men (boys, really) who have just joined the Texas Rangers. Their first two expeditions as Rangers are extremely dangerous and violent and leave Call angry and confused that their leaders weren't better prepared. There is just as much action, adventure, and plot twists as in the other two books of the series (which he wrote first), and it's fascinating to see Gus and Call gradually develop the skills, knowledge, and characteristics that define them in later adventures. McMurtry is a talented writer, and this novel once again includes humor, great dialogue, and some in-depth female characters. I'm loving it!
I am still listening to A Prayer for Owen Meany by
John Irving (my first Big Book on audio this summer); it's a long one! A group on
Booktube did a group read of this in May. I enjoy
John Irving but haven't read any of his novels in years, so I thought
I'd join the fun! I'm getting close to the end now, and it's been an outstanding coming-of-age novel. It's narrated by Owen's best friend,
John, as an adult looking back at their eventful childhood together.
It's warm, moving, funny, and completely engaging, as John recounts his
adventures with Owen, a very unique boy, and the joys and tragedies that
they shared together. It's also excellent on audio.
My husband, Ken, finished reading The List by Steve
Berry, a suspense novel with an iffy premise but that kept his attention. He is now reading his first book of Big Book Summer, The Devil's Bed by William Kent Krueger. We are both big fans of Krueger's novels, and a friend on Booktube recommended this one, an earlier novel of his. It's a political thriller so a bit different from his later novels. I know Ken's been enjoying it because he's almost finished after a week.
Ken's daytime "slow read" is Moby Dick by
Herman Melville, a classic we've both been meaning to read for years. He says he's
enjoying it, and he's amazed by how witty and relevant the writing is, given how
long ago it was written.
And I'm guessing that our son, 31, has not had any reading time in the past 2+ weeks because he and his fiancee have been on a cross-country road trip since her graduation! They spent time in San Antonio, visited some of our family there, went to Big Bend National Park (so jealous!), saw Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, stopped at Death Valley NP, and spent time in Los Angeles with a friend. They should be flying home soon.
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| Just past sunrise at Big Bend National Park |
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| At the Alamo in San Antonio |
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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.
