Finally Friday - By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is a reliable writer.  Here in By Any Other  Name she introduces us to  two women, centuries apart.  One is the real author of Shakespeare's plays. The other hides behind her name to get published. 

Melina  Green has written a play about an Elizabethan ancestor, Emilia Bassano. The theater world  is tough for  women. But  her best friend submits the  play to a festival under a male pseudonym. 

Meanwhile, Picoult also  explores Emilia's  life in  1581. She becomes a mistress to a wealthy man and  sees the workings of  the art/ theater world.   Her plan - pay an actor  named  William  Shakespeare to front  her work. 

cover blurb. 

Picoult weaves the two  tales and interlaces the issues of ambition, creativity, and prejudices for women.   Should a writer  do whatever it takes  to see her story live on...no matter the cost? 

I enjoyed this book a lot and the rich characters along with current day and historical backdrop. 
 

Whatever Wednesday - Stay Upright on Skates

Oh Canada - Ice Hockey time.  Here's a new recruit - Ray

Rah for the Canmore Eagles. We enjoyed the  ice hockey experience.   Some  films, stories, history of ice hockey, and more. 

Ray and I are suited up.  You can't see my ankles waver.  It's been  a long,  long time since I  was a little girl in  PA and went ice skating. 

and here  we  are with a fellow traveler, Gwen.  She ended  up being quite good on the ice hitting pucks.  Ray and I clung to our ice "walkers" and shuffled  our feet.  I let go for two seconds to attempt a puck hit.  Happy to report I  did not fall down.  

Just  getting on  all of the gear was tiring.  

Alas, while in Canada, our Dallas Stars  got beat in  playoffs  by  the Edmonton Oilers. 

Then in  the  Stanley  Cup - the Oilers were  beaten by the  Florida  Panthers for  the second time. 

 

Monday Moments - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow

 My PA book club read Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow. Considered a classic, this lyrical book is set in New Rochelle, NY before the First World  War.  For the rich, life  is good. For an immigrant Jewish peddler, Tateh, it's challenging.  And for Coalhouse Walker, Jr, a black ragtime pianist from Harlem - his story brings a shocking climax.  (back blurb)

Doctorow weaves fictional characters with famous people of that period - Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford.  It's musical, well-paced, and the author orchestrates themes of American innocence, energy, and ambition. The writing seems  old-timey and yet it works - it  puts you, the reader, into the lives. 

Ragtime is piano music with a syncopated melody. 

Ragtime is a ragged music book  of the  ragged times.   It's a novel about oppression, social change, and the search for stability in a rapidly evolving world   (source - various  reviews)

I'd say Ragtime is a very worthwhile read in this day and age as  we come off  a challenging July 4th and rather wild 2025 so far.  Whew!

July 4 Weekend

 We can dream....

Flag color joy

No Kings!

Stay safe all.  Happy (?) 4th of July Weekend. 

Whatever Wednesday - Athabasca Falls

Can you hear the roar?

whoosh

power

majesty

beauty

Thank you Canada!   My eyes  are full of wonder
 

Monday Moments - Matriarch by Tina Knowles

 Matriarch by Tina Knowles is a powerful memoir of a strong woman from  a  long line of  strong women. She's the mother of  Beyonce and Solange. Enjoys her bonus daughters Kelly Rowland and Angie Beyince.  cover blurb - She's known the world over as the quintessential definition  of a matriarch: a fiercely determined, self-possessed, creative, wise woman. But this story is about so much more than that. 

1950s Galveston, TX - little Tina learns a lot  about race, female limitations, and dreams. She, as a talented clothing  designer, can sing, is creative, and audacious. Romantic turmoil, tragedies, and triumphs abound.  She's  the backbone  behind Destiny's Child. She is strong and values the multi-generations of strong women behind  her.  This saga is the story of America - and the wisdom that women pass on to one  another, mothers to daughters, across generations.  (cover blurb)

I enjoyed this book and was very impressed  by Ms. Knowles. I admit to skimming a  teensy bit a times - maybe  too much detail on  some small incident. But overall, I admire her determination and fortitude. Tough times as a light skinned  black woman in a judging  world.  Kudos (and  I'd say Beyonce and Solange turned out pretty darn good!). 

Finally Friday - Enjoy the Views

Early in our Canadian Rockies trip - oh  darn, just a little pit stop.  Cold  water, snowy mountains, greenery.  

A view out the bus  window.  Glad to leave the driving to someone else - thanks Trafalgar Bus Tours

Stretch the legs in front of some fun displays

How many people  could cram into that  cable car?

 Hooray for the Maple  Leaf!

Hope you have  a scenic  weekend

Whatever Wednesday - More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova

 Maddy Banks is a stressed out  NYU freshman. She's always  felt like  the odd one in her family - all Connecticut blonde - perfect mother,  high-achieving older sister, Emily, charming popular brother Jack. Maddy's struggling with  schoolwork, tests, a break-up, and her new passion to do comedy.  Plus she's sure Taylor Swift will want to work with her. 

cover blurb - But she soon  spirals into a wild mania that culminates in a terrifying breaking point and a diagnosis of  bipolar disorder.  Maddy will have to figure out how to  manage being both too much and not enough. 

In  More or  Less Maddy by Lisa Genova, we get to hear Maddy's voice and follow  her mood  swings. She can be so funny and endearing. Then the reader can feel their own heartbeat race as Maddy gets  more frenetic.  Or alas, our narrator dips way too  low. Genova, a PhD in neuroscience, writes a very realistic tale of bipolar  disorder and while fiction, it gives quite the insight into mental illness. Well done and a surprise pick at the library. 

Monday Moments - more dads

 I'll celebrate more  dads here in June.    Kevin has three girls - Makyla 16, Skylar 10, and Dakota 8.  Someone is grounded every day of the week.   Makyla is off for  an adventure to Spain with  a school group.   We are  excited for  her.  

Krystal joined Chris for this outing.  He's dad to Abby, and grandfather to Levi (18 months).

Ray's the  head of this crew.  They were out to play pool.   

And here's Jared with Myles (2 months old) at Folly Beach.  New dad.  New son with first toes in the water. Doesn't look too thrilled.  My brother, David, now a grandfather got  to enjoy this moment. 

Dads are worthy of celebration. 

Finally Friday - Lovely Lake Louise

What better place to start our Trafalgar bus tour, than a stop  at Lake Louise. As you can tell, it was  a  lovely day. 

 It was end of May and snow  still topped the  mountains

Beauty along the little walking path

Blue skies and trees posing

Nature's natural watercolors

Enjoy your weekend!

Juneteenth

 Juneteenth is celebrated to honor those enslaved folks who  finally got word that the Civil War ended and that they were free.  But then  a whole  new world still awaited them, and there is struggle today for  equal rights  and freedoms. 

Here in Texas, in Fort Worth, Miss  Opal Lee will not be walking as usual.  She's  having some health issues at age 98.   She was a school  teacher and is an activist known as the "grandmother" of Juneteenth in her fight to make it a federal holiday.  A museum is being built  in Fort  Worth to showcase the history.  

We actually met her once at the  Jubilee Theater in the audience.  A tiny woman with a strong presence. 

Blessings to her. 

Whatever Wednesday - Whoa Calgary

Whoa Calgary!   Yes, we started our Canada adventure at  the Calgary Tower.  Yes, those are my feet on the observation deck. 

And a sign we don't generally see in TX in  May. Guess it's still possible in Calgary, though we had warm temps  and enjoyed  patio eating without fear.  

This just kicks  off our Canadian Rockies adventures.  Hope you like mountains,  lakes, and glaciers. 
 

Monday Moments - Daydream Drift and Dad

One of those heavenly days that cannot die - William Wordsworth  1800

 Yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream - Kahlil Gibran  1923

So, yesterday June 15th was Father's Day.  Alas, my father has been gone over a year now.  Hard to believe.  Here was his favorite picture of himself - a Navy man.

And here was March 2024.  He passed May 9, 2024.  Age 91

He was hanging around in spirit in Folly Beach as my family - Ray, brother David and his wife Cherie, and my sister Lori - enjoyed time together early May. 

Oh we laughed and told stories - our favorite George moments.  

A good man.  

Finally Friday - The Private Patient by PD James

back blurb - Cheverell Manor, a lovely old house in Dorset, serves as the renowned  plastic surgeon  George Chandler-Powell's private clinic. Investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn arrives to have a disfiguring facial scar removed. Within hours of the operation, she is murdered. 

Commander Dalgliesh and his team are called in to investigate. But old crimes and complicated secrets of the past prove complex and perplexing. 

Oh so British, and such a good read. The writing is delightful, the descriptions and settings are rich, and the characters have depth.   The  Private Patient by PD James is an utter gem of a tale.  Kept  me guessing!    Pour a cup  of tea, and start reading....

Whatever Wednesday - Drifting Away

 A moment of Zen brought to you from a Folly Beach vacation

Monday Moments - The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

 cover blurb  London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society, with a single  goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts.  Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy plan to solve an actual murder, a young woman found strangled in a park in France. 

Marie Benedict writes a lark of a novel, The Queens  of Crime. From start to finish, this book is daring fun. She captures the voices and bearing of strong women.  They use their own writing process and inhabit  their particular detective characters to think through the murder of this young nurse. They are appalled at the  lack of police attention.  But  they are not shocked that high  levels  of British establishment are involved.

This book was inspired by a true story in  Dorothy Sayers's own life. Benedict does a superb job of  showing strength in numbers when it comes  to the clever brains  and determination of  these successful women.  And she keeps  us guessing from start to finish as clues, red herrings, and more keep  the pages turning. 

Very, very fun find  at my library. 

Finally Friday - Look Up in Charleston

As you stroll Charleston, always stop and look up.  The  homes are often built tall and narrow - all the better to open windows and catch a sea breeze.  There are a lot of balconies and gorgeous finishing to  the roofs. 

Oh, it's a money town.  One can imagine the parties, the carriages pulling up to home, and folks decked in their finery stepping out to dance the night away.  

 We have to acknowledge the gardeners of Charleston. I wouldn't want  to be responsible for the greenery upkeep.

Home tour - look up. There's always a chandelier

The Joseph Maginault home "in town".  You had to have property/ plantation, and then your city home for entertaining during the high season. 

Charleston keeps its history intact and  up to date. Their historical society respects and maintains gorgeous  properties. 

After your tours, stop into one of the many restaurants that abound. Enjoy some very fresh seafood!

Whatever Wednesday - Stroll Charleston

 Welcome to Charleston, SC.  This is a delightful port city full of southern charm, trees dripping with Spanish moss, history, and architecture.  Take a walk with us

No Ray, they are NOT going to open the gate for you

A stately home

Lori and I in front of a bank window

And of course, lovely church steeples touch the sky