Hello, friends. It's Memorial Day weekend, and we are back in Connecticut. The above photo was taken on our last evening in Sanibel. It made me happy to finally see a few whisps of sea oats returning to our dunes. Imagine what it will look like after an entire rainy season!
Our trip north was, thankfully, uneventful. The highlight was a stop in Pennsylvania to visit my brother and his family. We haven't spent much time together since before the pandemic, so this was a real treat. We enjoyed a day at Longwood Gardens... such a beautiful place! It has inspired me to get to work on the small flower gardens here. More on that project throughout the summer...
The first few days back have been all about cleaning, doing laundry, getting groceries... the usual drill. This morning we took a break to go out to brunch. I'm going to check in on my book-loving friends' blogs next, then spend the rest of the afternoon reading in my zero gravity lounger.
Recent reading//
I haven't had any reading time in over a week, so there's nothing to report here. Prior to the trip I tried a couple of books, but just couldn't focus on anything... not even a light beach read!
Current reading//
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
When the going gets tough, I can always count on Jane! Yes, I am reading Pride and Prejudice yet again... and loving every single sentence. The audio edition narrated by Rosamund Pike is available free in the audible plus catalog, so I've even listened to parts of it this time around. I'm nearly 80% done and plan to finish today. It is still my favorite novel!
Up next//
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
This book, beloved by so many readers, has been on my "to read" list for literally decades... and I'm finally going to tackle it this summer! I'm not really into westerns but from what I understand, that doesn't seem to matter. My kindle is loaded and ready to go, plus I found the audio available on hoopla. I'll get started this week... wish me luck!
The week ahead//
Tomorrow we'll go to the local Memorial Day parade, continue cleaning out the flower beds, and prepare the traditional barbecue. I'm certain there will be at least a couple of trips to the garden store this week, too.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
I bet you are delighted to be in Connecticut. The weather must be ideal at this time of year. Good luck with your small flower garden project.
ReplyDeleteBe prepared to fall in love with those two rascally cowboys, Gus and Woodrow. I do hope you will enjoy Lonesome Dove.
Deb - The weather here is absolutely perfect right now! Daytime highs have been in the 70s, with crisp, cool nights perfect for sleeping. Can't wait to get started on Lonesome Dove!
DeleteHappy Memorial Day weekend! Your photos of the Longwood Gardens were wonderful and now I want to visit. Since you are rereading P&P, I'm going to do a little promotion. The JASNA region I belong to (Denver/Boulder region) is hosting the AGM in Denver during the first weekend in November and the theme is P&P. If you are interested in attending, you do need to be a JASNA member to register and registration opens in mid-June. We expect it to sell out quickly so if you are at all interested...https://jasna.org/agms/denver2023/home.php
ReplyDeleteJaneGS - How I would love to attend!! My daughter is getting married the last weekend in October, them my nephew is getting married a couple of weeks later... that will be the extent of our fall travel, I'm afraid.
DeleteIt really looked like I was falling into a reading slump and my husband actually suggested I read P&P! Why didn't I think of it myself, and who don't I reread Jane Austen novels more frequently??
Vicki - I hate driving in all that rain, too, but can't wait to see what the island looks like after it's over! We had a couple of good rains before we left and each one brought improvement.
ReplyDeleteGlad your niece enjoyed the Lonesome Dove mini-series. I'm sure I'll be watching it after I'm done reading.
Love both Pride and Prejudice and Lonesome Dove. You have picked good ones.
ReplyDeleteAnne - I don't even know how many times I've reread P&P at this point, but I don't remember enjoying every single sentence quite this much! Will start Lonesome Dove very soon.
DeleteI had a week of less reading/blogging as well. I am hoping to get back on my schedule this week! Have a great rest of your weekend!
ReplyDeleteCindy - Hopefully we both get back on track in the week ahead!
DeleteI really enjoyed your photos- it sounds lovely there. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jodie. Longwood was a beautiful place!
DeleteLove that photo and so happy to read you made it to CT safely. Lonesome Dove has been on my TBR forever, but not ready for a chunkster just yet:) So great that you got to visit your brother in your travels. I loved the "gardens" photos on IG too. Have a wonderful Memorial Day.
ReplyDeleteDiane - We're happy to be back, too... closer to our daughters and other family. It seems very comforting. I can understand why you're not up for a chunkster, but am very happy you're able to read again. Longwood was such a beautiful place. My brother was telling us how they have amazing lights during the holiday season. Hope we can visit again them. Happy Memorial Day to you, too. Great to see you posting again!
DeleteSanibel is looking beautiful! I enjoy seeing your photos on Instagram. Enjoy your weekend — the zero gravity lounger sounds heavenly!
ReplyDeleteDiana - Sanibel is slowly recovering and I can't wait to see how much more progress is made while we're away. My time in the zero gravity was just what I needed this afternoon... and I finished my Pride and Prejudice reread!
DeleteOnly a few authors have inspired me to reread their works many times and Jane Austen is definitely on that list!
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - I agree 100%!!
DeleteOh, how I love to see your posts. I know you've been busy with your travels back north, but I'm glad you found time to blog. I'll bet it's hard to leave Sanibel, but also good to be back near family. I hope you have a wonderful summer (and early fall?).
ReplyDeleteWe head out tomorrow for our LONG trip to Canada. I won't be online much, but I do have A LOT of posts scheduled to go live, mostly of all our travels from last fall to Glacier. I have a half-dozen books packed for our tirp, but we'll see how much I read/review in the coming weeks.
I'm so glad you had a good visit with your brother and family. These post-pandemic visits are so special, aren't they?
Ah, I plan to dive into Lonesome Dove later this summer, but not while we're traveling. I need to devote a big chunk of uninterrupted time for it, but I'll be eager to hear your thoughts. I've got it on audio, so maybe in July... Good luck to you!
Les - I was going to skip writing a post this weekend. Doesn't seem like there was much to say, but I wanted to stop in and say hello to everyone. With my daughter's wedding at the end of October, we'll probably stay north a little longer than usual this year... but that's okay because I love fall!
DeleteI'm planning to read Lonesome Dove slowly over a couple of months, but we'll see. If I get sucked in, it's possible I could just read exclusively that.
Hope you have a wonderful trip... so, so exciting! I'll keep an eye out for photos on Instagram. Are wildfires still an issue? Feels like I've been out of touch with the news since we left FL. Safe travels!
Love the photo. I hope you enjoy your time up north. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yvonne. Hope you have a good week, too.
DeleteI finally read Lonesome Dove myself a year or two ago - I had the same reluctance....I'm not really much of a western fan. But, this book is excellent - the characters are terrific! Hope you like it.
ReplyDeleteTerrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Terrie - That is so encouraging to know! Readers keep saying that you don't need to be a fan of westerns to love this one, but I'm still kind of skeptical...
DeleteLongwood Gardens are on my bucket list. I was just talking to someone about them. I'm glad that you made it safely home.
ReplyDeleteJoy - Longwood Gardens was spectacular! I hope to visit again... well worth the trip!
DeleteI LOVE Lonesome Dove (although Dead Man's Walk is my fave in the series) and I am not a westerns reader. I hope you like it!!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see that Sanibel is making a comeback, nature and people. :)
Erin - I've heard several readers say they're not western fans, but still love Lonesome Dove. Sounds encouraging!
DeleteI lived in Delaware for a year and loved going to Longwood Gardens! And I was just thinking that it's time for a Jane Austen. I think it's been longest since I've read (or re-read) Northanger Abbey... Enjoy your time in Connecticut!
ReplyDeleteAudrey - It was actually my husband who suggested I pick up Jane Austen... don't know why I didn't think of it myself! I was trying to decide between Northanger Abbey and P&P. Settled on P&P with plans to reread NA in the fall. Maybe we could read it together?
DeleteI've never tried the Lonesome Dove series and will be interested to know what you think. Longwood Gardens was a 25 minutes drive from my childhood home in PA. I miss Pennsylvania and I wish we could be there, without harsh winters :-) Hogies, the Amish markets, Booth;s Corners and the people. (Sigh)
ReplyDeleteThe dune and sea oats will surely come back. After Michael many of the dunes on St George Island were wiped out and they take a long time to come back but...they do.
Tina - I finished my P&P reread today, so will start Lonesome Dove tomorrow... looking forward to it! Longwood Gardens was about a 45 min drive from my brother's house. They also like to go around Christmas to see the lights. I'll bet it's really beautiful then, too! With all the crazy stuff happening in FL, it's kind of a relief to be back up here. I guess it was pretty cold over the winter, but there hasn't been much snow lately. Sanibel has been paying very close attention to the recovery from Micheal to help us know what to expect... the sea oats was an encouraging sight!
DeleteI've not read either of your planned books. I'm glad you are getting settled in your summer home. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. Hope you have a good week!
DeleteWelcome back!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nise'.
DeleteI didn't get to see my brother for nearly three years due to the pandemic; it was so great to see him when I did in January.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Lonesome Dove--and I'm also not much of a Westerns reader--so I'll be curious what you think.
Reese - Lonesome Dove will be quite a leap for me, but I read part of the first chapter last night and thought it was very engaging. We'll see!
DeleteI prefer reading Emma to Pride & Prejudice, but the P&P movie with Kiera Knightly is my favourite ever movie.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week.
Shelleyrae - I love Emma, too! My daughter is partial to the Kiera Knightly P&P movie, but my favorite is the older one with Colin Firth as Darcy! Hope your week is off to a good start.
DeleteI am woefully behind on reading blogs after a busy weekend and now hanging out with my daughter. It gets awfully daunting to see my Feedly feed!
ReplyDeleteHelen - Relax and enjoy your time with your daughter... we're not going anywhere!
DeleteI'm not into Westerns either but I loooooooved Lonsome Dove! I also saw the miniseries or whatever it was with Diane Lane, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones and a billion other big names. I think I saw the miniseries first, actually.
ReplyDeleteAnyway! Enjoy your time in Connecticut!!!!
Jinjer - There's got to be something pretty special about Lonesome Dove to win over so many Western-averse readers and viewers! I've read the first couple of chapters and am already developing a soft spot for the characters.
DeleteWe haven't visited Longwood Gardens in years! It's beautiful there. I've been reading the same three books for the whole month of May, but finally finished one yesterday. Not a reading slump, just allowing myself to get side-tracked and distracted -- usually by my phone! Jane Austen is a never-fail author for me, too.
ReplyDeleteLaurie - I suspected we had very similar taste in books and now you've confirmed it! May will go down as a slow reading month for me... only two books, but both 5 stars. I won't mention all the books I started and stopped ;-)
DeleteSo glad your trip north was uneventful and wonderful to be reconnecting with family after the pandemic. I'm in a bit of a reading funk at the moment so maybe I should pick up a Jane Austen book! It's been awhile since I read Pride and Prejudice. I hope you are having a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Jane always seems to get me out of a slump and this time I think she prevented one! I think you should give it a try... you can never reread P&P too many times.
DeleteI have never read Lonesome Dove, but have enjoyed other books by the author: Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show.
ReplyDeleteLaurel-Rain Snow - How did I not know McMurtry wrote the two books you mentioned?? I've not read either, but they are so familiar. Started Lonesome Dove yesterday and, after just 60 pages, really enjoy the main characters!
DeleteJoAnn, I'll be shocked if you don't enjoy Lonesome Dove - and I think it will probably turn you into a Larry McMurtry fan. He left behind a great novel - and nonfiction - catalog to choose from.
DeleteSam - I've read about 100 pages of Lonesome Dove and must admit my surprise at how much I'm enjoying it! Will let you know if it continues.
DeleteGlad the trip went well and you're back in Conn again for summer. So pretty there and it looks like great fun. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSusan - It is good to be back! I'm loving the weather... and the political climate as well ;-)
DeleteGlad you had a good road trip and got to visit with your brother. Longwood Gardens is such a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteAngela - Thanks. I'm already looking forward to another visit!
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