Happy Valentine's Day! Not only am I celebrating with my husband and the twins, but my sister and brother-in-law are visiting. It's winter break week in the Great White North, and here in SW Florida the sun is shining and temperatures are finally warming. Our plans today include the Farmer's Market, an Art and Crafts Show, and maybe steaks on the grill for dinner.
With last week's cooler temperatures, we did a lot of biking.... though still no resolution on the gear issue. I mentioned in an earlier post that my husband has an 18-speed trail bike and I try to keep up with him on my no-gears 'beach cruiser'. One of us is working a lot harder, but that beach cruiser is just so darn cute.
Our bike travels took us through a nearby wildlife refuge. There was a flock of white pelicans hanging out and I saw my first roseate spoonbills! They are beautiful pink birds with an unusual shovel-shaped beak, and such fun to observe through binoculars. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a decent photo with my iPhone.
As for the books//
I didn't finish anything last week and am currently reading...
What Maisie Knew by Henry James
Slow going, but wonderful. It's surprising how modern this 1897 novel about a child custody battle feels. I'm probably behind the readalong group, but plan to finish by the end of the month.
Death With An Ocean View by Noreen Wald
This cozy mystery set in south Florida is my 'fun' reading. It's perfect for evenings when I'm too tired to concentrate on Henry James. I've only read a few chapters, but am enjoying it so far.On the blog//
Tuesday Intro: Death with an Ocean View
Review: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
In the kitchen//
The White Chicken Chili Dip I made for the Super Bowl was a hit! This week I'd like to try New England Clam Chowder from the CIA... or possibly a new recipe for Quick & Easy Fish Stew.
The week ahead//
I'll be stepping away from the blog this week while my sister is visiting.
Hope you're having a great weekend, and reading a good book.
See you next week!
This post will link to It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
Hmmm. it's a little cooler here today too, and since we can't go outside for more than 10 minutes without risking frostbite, I think I'll make some progress with Maisie today. :) (I'm on Chapter 15.) I agree that it's slow going, but there are so many (hidden) gems. Your time in Sanibel sounds lovely, as always.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day! Thanks for sharing your photos. It sounds like you have a great day planned with your family. We have patches of snow left and more to come tonight. So we are mostly staying inside!
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of your warm(er) weather. Our kitchen faucet froze last night - UGH!
ReplyDeleteWe went to Sanibel a couple of years ago and I was so disappointed at the lack of seashells. I guess it's dependent on time of year, and weather and all that, but definitely we appreciated the warm weather with or without shells!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your family! Our son's coming over for dinner this evening to celebrate with us.
ReplyDeleteToday and tomorrow will be cold here but then it's going to warm up to the high 60s. I can't wait!
Happy Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteSo much for our mid winter here on Long Island. It went down to zero degrees Fahrenheit here last night.
Family time is alwaysfun. Ok, not always but when you get along well it's great! Sounds like a great week. I liked your white chicken chili dip.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the nice temperatures 😀
Always love hearing about your Florida time and it seems that you guys picked a good time to be there. Sounds cold in your regular part of the world! Enjoy your time with your sister and girls. And Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteI love both birds and biking! I saw that fish stew and said the same thing! I want to make it soon!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday! Glad to hear the sun is shining- that and some steaks on the grill sound pretty good. :) I love pelicans and flamingos when I'm down there... so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDeath with an Ocean View looks fun!
Death with an Ocean View looks tempting...and because I enjoyed the movie What Maisie Knew, I want to read my copy of the book. Soon.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your week and the lovely warmer clime.
Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I love the picture of the pelicans! I am dreaming of a FL vacation--it usually hits this time of year! Birding, warm sunshine, sandy beaches. Enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteThe bike riding sounds amazing and the spotting of the roseate spoonbill something really special. Enjoy your visitors.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great week with family! All that bike riding sounds so much fun even if you are riding a cruiser. I rode one once at a beach and boy was it hard.
ReplyDeleteHave a great visit with your sister!
ReplyDeleteLove the spoonbills! Enjoy your sister's visit. Biking is terrific, is it not?!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful visit.
ReplyDeleteI've had great reading these last two months despite heaps of stuff to do. Enjoy your visit.
ReplyDeleteLovely picks; enjoy family time.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a wonderful Sunday and Valentines Day! Sanibel is lovely, isn't it. I might consider Death With An Ocean View as a fun cozy read. Enjoy the rest of your week.
ReplyDeleteI like the looks of Death With An Ocean View.
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a nice visit and a good week this week.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My It's Monday, What Are You Reading
Looks like we were in almost the same place! Our dinner was at Gator Bites just before t he causeway to Sanibel. We didn't stay there as we didn't want to contend with the traffic. Have a wonderful time! We're now in Homestead.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
So jealous of all of your photos from sunny Florida! Hope you didn't have too much trouble with the storms that rolled through.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good combination of books to have going! Have a fun week with your sister! My husband and I do line dancing together (I'm a nervous nellie and haven't ridden a bike in decades!) so we both have to work equally hard! ;)
ReplyDelete