Old Saybrook, CT town beach on a chilly April evening
Hello, friends... it's been a while! April was an incredibly busy, but very productive month for us. We left Florida on the third and spent four days driving to Connecticut. Our first stop was Jeckyll Island, GA, a beautiful state-owned island with minimal development, lots of nature (including the GA sea turtle center), and a lovely historic district. I wish we'd planned more than a quick overnight, but we'll be back!
Once in Connecticut, I finally got to see the condo. My husband had seen it, but it was unnerving purchasing real estate I'd not personally inspected. Luckily, the virtual tour proved accurate - such a relief! We spent a couple more nights in a hotel as we awaited delivery of mattresses, then officially moved in. Two weeks later we were mostly organized and ready for the summer... though there's still plenty of work to do when we get back.
Another April highlight was a visit to central NY to see my parents and siblings for Easter. It was the first time we'd all been together since 2019... and it was wonderful! (despite the snow😬)
Last weekend we were in NYC. Both daughters had moved since the beginning of the pandemic and we finally got to see their new places. We also spent hours walking around the city. It's been years since we've experienced a NY spring! And the restaurants... oh, so good! [The photo below was taken in Washington Square, the other two are Central Park.]
April Reading//
Surprisingly, I managed to read four books in April. Two were quite short and all were audiobooks or read/listen combinations. I'll post mini-reviews post later this week.
The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff
Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson
Write For Your Life by Anna Quindlen
Assembly by Natasha Brown
May Reading Possibilities//
The Absolutist by John Boyne (currently reading)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox by Maggie O'Farrell
The Promise by Damon Galgut
Road Ends by Mary Lawson
And now May is here and we're back in Florida. It's noticeably quieter on the island as snowbirds and tourists return home. I love this time of year... and am hoping for a peaceful, low-key month ahead. Fingers crossed!
How was your month? What was your favorite April read?
What beautiful pictures you shared of New York City! It looks like you had a fantastic time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad everything turned out to be just as you hoped at the condo. That's a relief, I'm sure.
I shall look for Write for Your Life. I've been thinking about South to America.
Deb - NYC is so beautiful this time of year and it's been years since we've seen spring. This was a real treat!
DeleteGlad you made progress during your CT trip. I loved The Absolutist so much, hope you are enjoying it. Road Ends was very good as well. I also liked A Fortnight in September. Have a great month!
ReplyDeleteDiane - I'm just over 40% in The Absolutist and enjoying it very much. We'll see how many of the others I get to, or if something else will catch my eye instead.
DeleteLove the photos of the shoreline in CT as well as the photos in NY. Still can't believe you had snow in April!! Lots of good reading choices, I liked the Maggie O'Farrell book.
ReplyDeleteTina - Not only was there snow in central NY, they had to close schools one day! My feet were cold almost the whole time we were up there. Glad to be warm and in my sandals again ;-)
DeleteGreat pics! I so love New York! Glad everything went well for you. I hope you have a great week.
ReplyDeleteYvonne - I loved every second in NYC and am glad our daughters live there so I have an excuse to visit often! It was hard to stay away for so long, but I'm looking forward to spending more time there over the summer and early fall.
DeleteVicki - The beach in CT was beautiful, but SO cold and windy! I think I've been spoiled here in FL, lol. I love spending time in NYC... so, so good to finally visit again.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun April you had! Setting up the condo and getting ready for summer sounds like a great project full of promise of summer time. I am headed to NYC and Poughkeepsie in a few weeks and am really looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteHelen - It really was a fun month, even if there wasn't very much reading. I was really impressed with all the NYC restaurants have done with their outdoor dining spaces - so much creativity! The food, of course, was excellent. I hope you have a wonderful time in NYC and Poughkeepsie, too.
DeleteHow great that your virtual tour turned out to match the reality. And it is wonderful that you have had some get-togethers with family after such a long time due to the Pandemic.
ReplyDeleteYour books look wonderful. Enjoy the week and the month of May.
Laurel-Rain Snow - I was so worried about that condo... seems like there's always something not shown with those virtual tours, but our agent was very thorough. It was a great month!
DeleteOh man, I've always wanted to go to NYC and your photos are just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being able to move into the condo, finally and glad it didn't disappoint!
Jinjer - It looks like we'll have a reason to visit NYC for the forseeable future... neither of the girls plans to leave any time soon. I love spending time there!
DeleteSpring in NYC is just glorious! I mean, I love NYC all the time, but spring is such a nice time of year to walk around and explore!
ReplyDeleteAngela - I love NYC, too, but since we've been coming to Florida I've missed the spring. It is a particularly gorgeous time of year there!
DeleteWow! What a busy April! I'm glad things have quieted a bit. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteKathy - Yes, April was pretty wild but now I'm ready to settle in for a peaceful month with some good books. Hope you have a great week.
DeleteNYC in April is such a treat--only done that once myself, but it was lovely! Glad you are settled and that you found time to read despite the general busyness. Wonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteJaneGS - We have missed 'northern spring' since we started spending time in Florida, so this was a real treat. I hope we can spend more time in NYC this summer and fall.
DeleteWelcome to CT! My mom lives there, and I'll be driving up this week. Your travels sound wonderful - both GA and NYC - gorgeous photos! I grew up in western NY and went to college in far northern NY, so I hear ya about that spring snow!
ReplyDeleteI love Anna Quindlen and John Boyne (The Heart's Invisible Furies was outstanding). And I loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. Hope you enjoy all your books and your time back in FL!
Sue
Book By Book
Sue - We lived in CT when we were first married, so this seems like a homecoming of sorts. My sisters went to school way up in the north country, too (heartier souls than I ever was!) and still live in central NY. I remember one year we got several inches of snow on Mother's Day!
DeleteAnna Quindlen is a favorite, but this is my first experience with John Boyne. Maggie O'Farrell is an author I've been meaning to read for ages. Glad to know you loved Esme Lennox!
Love the pictures, thanks for sharing! I have never been to NYC or CT. Maybe someday. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteCindy - I love visiting NYC and we used to live in CT after we were married. It's been a lot of fun going back there.
DeleteI keep thinking that life will get back on an even keel, but then something happens unexpectedly or else is coming up and requires planning! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm not sure how I feel about having two places to live at different times of year, but I'm glad it's working out well for you! Isn't it nice to have family gatherings again? We took a risk with Covid and holding a medium-sized wedding, but I'm hoping that everyone who attended will be careful and mask up for a while afterwards.
ReplyDeleteLaurie - Having two places is a challenge but, after selling our house in NY, I still needed to get out of FL during the worst of the heat and hurricanes. Fingers crossed this all works out! The family gatherings of the past month have added so much to my overall well-being though I know there is still a risk. So far we're all fine, and I hope all is well with you after the wedding, too.
DeleteThat top photo of the beach in CT does look chilly. Much like our area here in Oregon. We have family visiting from TN and it was 85 when they left for the airport. It was 50 here when they arrived. Not exactly beach weather!
ReplyDeleteWe have friends who have vacationed on Jeckyll Island several times and love it. Maybe we'll get there some day.
Glad the condo in CT worked out! My husband found our first house in Nebraska before I had a chance to fly out (from San Diego) to see it back in 1992. He sent me photos (back when you had to get the film developed) and I fell in love with the place. He made the offer and bought it all without me stepping foot inside. Thankfully, I loved it just as much in person as in the photos. ;)
Your Easter sounds wonderful! Isn't wonderful to finally see family and loved ones after two long years? This is our summer for LOTS of visitors, but we're thrilled (and will have a couple of RV trips planned in between).
I hope you enjoy The Absolutist as much as I did. I'm saving another by Boyne for later in the year. Oooh, and I want to read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox, too. I had three favorites in April and really can't say which I liked best. Maybe The Shell Seekers.
Enjoy your quiet month. Hope it doesn't get too hot too soon.
Les - It was pretty chilly in CT and NY, especially early and mid month. My feet were cold for two weeks straight!
DeleteWe loved Jeckyll Island and want to go back when we have a little more time to explore. We'll head north again after Memorial Day but won't be able to stop then... we'll be making tracks to get get to my husband's college reunion.
I'm glad you'll get to have lots of visitors again this summer - it sure has been a long couple of years! And it's great you'll get to take some RV trips, too. Where will you go? We'll spend most of out time in CT, but plan to explore more of southern New England, too. It's been several years since we've been to Maine, too... maybe early fall.
The Absolutist is really good so far. I'm about 60% through now... thanks for the recommendation! Maggie O'Farrell is a must read author for me this year and I just picked up Esme Lennox on a kindle daily deal.
Our quiet month has started out on a pretty social note with lots of end-of-season getting together with friends and neighbors - fun! Hope your May is off to a good start.
Beautiful pics of Central Park, esp. the cherry blossoms. I was there a few years ago, and that's why memories came back when I visited High Park in Toronto recently. Having trouble signing in and commenting, but here I am. 'Kayan' is my Chinese name, don't know why Google has that and I can't change it to Arti. When you see Kayan, that's me, Arti of Ripple Effects. BTW, Colin Firth has a new movie coming out on Netflix "Operation Mincemeat" , and a TV series "The Staircase" on HBO. And, if you like In the "Garden of the Beasts", you'll be interested in "Operation Mincemeat." :)
ReplyDeleteArti - Good to hear from you! I'm sorry you've had trouble commenting, but glad you were finally able to get through. New York City is always so beautiful in the spring... and all those blooms smelled wonderful, too. I'm already hoping we can take a spring trip again next year. Operation Mincemeat sounds good, and Netflix is already telling me they think I might be interested in it, lol. I'll keep an eye out for The Staircase, too - thanks!
DeleteIt seems April was a traveling whirlwind for you, but you got a lot accomplished. Nice to hear that your Conn. condo will be right for you, what a relief you must feel. Now you can take a break on your pretty island. Your May reading list looks good. I need to read a couple of these like The Promise. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSusan - Yes, April was pretty wild but a lot of fun, too. Not to mention productive. I bought The Promise while we were in NYC and vow not to let it sit on my shelf for very long. We'll see.
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