Finally Friday - Exciting Book Launch for Annalisa Crawford

 PHOTOGRAPHS OF EMILY by Annalisa Crawford

“A ghost, perhaps, is not the spirit of someone who died, it’s the echo of someone who thought they’d lived.”

 

It’s been ten years since Emily lost her life in a tragic accident. For Zeb, that’s meant ten years of crushing guilt and counselling to overcome the image of his girlfriend dying in front of him because of a decision he made.

When multiple witnesses report seeing a ghostly figure in the churchyard where it happened, her family decides to host a memorial to soothe Emily’s restless spirit. Zeb cautiously returns to his estranged hometown for the service, hoping to establish the truth about these sightings.

Unforeseen circumstances compel him to stay longer than planned, and even though he remains skeptical, he finds himself drawn to the churchyard, seeking the elusive ghost.

 

Lives are shattered, grief is stark, and new futures are forged from the embers.

____________________________________________________________________

Doesn't this sound like an excellent read?  I've preordered this on Amazon for my Kindle, and I'm excited to promote it today.  I met Annalisa via blog world and I've enjoyed her writing. She's been kind enough to let me read and advise on  some books, but this one shall be a surprise for me. 

Treat yourself and Happy Weekend everyone.  Support your hard working writers. 

Finally Friday - The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage

 New Year's Day - Tasmania. Lexi Villers is a second year medical resident. Everything's going great. 

alas, a helicopter lands.

Her  father and older brother were killed in a skiing accident. 

She is now the heir to the throne. Lexi's grandmother is the Queen of England. 

Lexi returns to England reluctantly.  Her grandmother gives her a year  to make a very important decision.  

Let her scheming uncle claim the throne?

Give it up and be with Jack?

Lexi must chart her own destiny.............The Heir Apparent by  Rebecca Armitage. . It's not obvious what route will be chosen.  Whew!

Finally Friday - It's Primetime Summertime and the heat is on

The heat is on  in  Texas.  Not excessive - just "normal".  But whew!  

Summertime...An' the livin' is easy - Ira Gershwin from Porgy and Bess

Spray on enough bug spray and hammock time is comfortable at 8:30 pm.  A lovely hang out

The hammock sky view. 

1836  Ralph Waldo Emerson  The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is because man is disunited with himself. 

Peace and Love is needed. Ray and  I attended our local fireworks in person.  We walked to the park about an hour ahead of time. The place was packed - a good band was playing, kids were running about, folks were eating, talking, and laughing.  Black, brown, white - any and all just there to enjoy July 4th. 

Everyone was behaving and having fun. Outdoors. Personal interaction. I actually felt the overall good vibe.  We need that every day. 

We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.  Ben Franklin  July 4, 1776.

Are not the mountains, waves, and skies a part of me and my soul, as I of them?   Lord Byron 1812

 

Finally Friday - July 4th Weekend

 Well, 250 years of the United States of America

Here's my table decor

Are we, America, going to survive?

I actually question if we can survive the current presidency.   I am at a WTF question mark. 

On a side note, the whole World Cup joy has brought me joy.  Get rid of politics and crap - people are people are people.  I've learned this from travel.  Folks are kind, thoughtful, and generous in real life situations.

Folks  discovering Buc-cees, Taco Bell, BBQ, and more in Texas - it's been joyously fabulous. 

so, we'll see if the Great American Experiment can survive the current crap administration and carry on. 

I'm now going to re-watch Hamilton for the zillionth time on  Disney+

Cheers, fireworks, pool float, hot dogs, hamburgers, and family time. 

Enjoy and all the best to YOU!!!

Finally Friday - Summer Malaise

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm actually at a Silver Sneakers class as you read this.  The instructor, Terry, is incredibly fit and funny, so when he says, "You can do one more...", you actually believe him and do it.   Whew!

But, often, my brain says - c'mon, stop, go sit, read, lay down, what are you doing?, why?

I am SO sick of thinking about meals.  This happens every summer.  Yes, I get hungry.  Yes, we must eat.

But I hate planning meals.  Ray is brilliant at grilling and we do well.  But I think the prices of food right now is making me hate it.  Don't fret.  We can afford to eat.  It's the principal of it all. 

Arrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That's my random Friday post.  Thank you for reading.  I hope you have some fun ahead. 

it's  Sangria Saturday with friends.  We shall float poolside, chat like crazy, drink Sangria, and eat snacky foods.   It's a tradition with Linda H. and Julie (Shout out, ladies)

Sunday, I'm going to a Dallas Wings basketball game with a long time friend, Trish.

I am very fortunate in fun and friends.    Cheers, all - call an old friend and catch up. 

(Meanwhile, Ray finishes his Pickleball League - please win, please win, please win

Then he heads to his family reunion...enjoy BBQ and whatever in the country)   Rah!
 

Finally Friday - Keep Strolling

You wanted more of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's POP exhibit.  Sean Kenney found his creative niche in the world of Legos. 

Snow leopard looks ready to pounce

This flower is real.  I had to take a picture.  So pretty

a pangolin with its baby

Polar bear and cubs.  Good  it's Legos and not an ice sculpture.  It was a very humid day.  I was melting. 

This mama is a favorite. 

But, wait, there will be more and then you can pick your fave. 
 

Finally Friday - Frivolity

Finally Friday and a family trip for Kevin and his crew out west.  Here he is with Skylar on his shoulders and Dakota by his side to view the Grand Canyon. I hope the girls appreciate the grandeur and absorb the awe. 
 

Plus they had fun at White Sands, New Mexico.   A fleeting Faries mark

Every week lately has seemed like, "Wow, what the heck is going on?"  

Deep yoga breath.  I hope you have a good weekend.  If nothing else, step outside and really look at what's around you. 

Nature has her own mode of doing each thing, and she has somewhere told it plainly, if we will keep our eyes and ears open - Ralph Waldo Emerson  1860

Finally Friday - The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

 You can count on  Ruth Ware's writing to you keep your attention, keep you surprised, and keep those pages turning. The Woman in Suite 11 is  a follow-up to The Woman in Cabin 10 and it's a doozy.

cover blurb - Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe. She's ready to reestablish her journalism career, but she's been out of the game for ten years. It's a different landscape. 

The luxury Swiss hotel is owned by billionaire, Marcus Leidmann. She hopes to land an interview. A late night call from his  room leads to her being greeted by an alleged mistress in  life or death jeopardy. 

cover  How much is Lo willing to sacrifice to save this woman...and can she actually trust her?

I can't write more. I don't want to give away secrets.  Money, power, and intrigue. Who will survive?

Whew!

Finally Friday - Memorial Weekend

 

The real and lasting victories are those of peace and not of war - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Unfortunately, wars occur and valiant soldiers do their duty, serve their country and lose their lives for the cause. This Memorial Weekend, amidst the pool openings, picnics, cookouts, and beers, let's remember the  fallen and salute their efforts. 

As John Lennon  sang, "All we are saying, give peace  a chance."   Make  Love, Not War

Peace, Please

Finally Friday - Kimbell Art Museum Dazzles Again

The Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth,TX) once again brings a glorious exhibit of history and very shiny things.  The Holy Sepulcher - Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem is wonderful. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the  place where, according to tradition, Jesus Christ  was crucified, buried, and rose  from the dead. So much treasure has stayed intact, cared for since the 1300s by Franciscan friars.  It's been safeguarded in  Jerusalem and rediscovered in the 1980s. 

This is a preservation of liturgical treasures - given by kings. The finest goldsmiths and embroiders from France, Spain, Portugal, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Italian states, used gold, silver, precious stones, and textiles to honor the holy.  
 (brochure blurb)

gold, precious stones - breathtaking

vestments embroidered in gold.  The detail is exquisite

This silver metal piece depicts Christ's rise from death.  In person, it's fabulous

gold with lapis lazuli inlay.  You have to say, "Holy......!!"

The Kimbell is a wonderful museum with lovely exhibition space. The spacing, the lighting, the magnificent art - awe inspiring history. 

Finally Friday - The News From Dublin

 Finally Friday and you read The News from Dublin title of this  blog post. Did you think I was off traveling again? Fooled you. This is a book of short stories  by Colm Toibin. It is a lovely journey - nine short stories set in Ireland, Spain, and  America. His work covers the complexities of family, longing, and love. (cover blurb)

Toibin writes with ease - complex dynamics, haunting pull of the past, and the quiet revelations that define our lives. Whether navigating the aftermath of war, forbidden love, the longings of a Catalan girl in Argentina, or  the  quiet  struggles of mundane life, all are rendered with  illuminating empathy and insight. (cover blurb)

I enjoyed dipping in and out of this book and peering into others' lives. Very well written and rich tales told. 

Finally Friday - River Cruise in Costa Rica

Nearing the end of our Costa Rica adventure.  A little river cruise

a heron of some sort

this is a line of bats sleeping.  They make it look like a snake on the tree.   Creepy!

Tough to spot the howler monkeys

Um, glad we were on the boat.  Crocodile!

Hope your nature encounters this weekend have less teeth.  

Happy May Day!
 

Finally Friday - Beach Life

looks lovely, but a red flag was whipping.  Wicked undertow lurked.

Costa Rica resort life  - very spoiled

just waiting for a mojito

sunset dinner view

We have been back from Costa Rica for a month now. But the loveliness lingers

Hard to believe it's now almost end of April. We've been backyard prepping for summer. Some new landscaping by worker bees  is awesome and our backs don't hurt. The pool is warming up.   And here in Texas,  it's been festival time. Lots of music shows, fairs, and frivolity. We have to get it in now to beat the heat.  Hope you are having a spring fling!   Enjoy.
 

Finally Friday - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 Finally Friday.  

Well, many Fridays ago, while in Costa Rica I finally finished reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Amongst friends, this was THE book of  the season.  I was on  the library list forever. And, of course, it was ready for me a day before our trip. Turned out to be a wonderful read. I kept  the pages turning and it helped the four hour  flight time zoom. 

cover blurb - Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of her world and her place in it.  She writes to her brother, her best friend, to Joan Didion, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. 

As the reader, we learn about Sybil and her life. The ebb and flow offers questions, sometimes  answers, and we slowly see a life story build. The writing has verve, shows strong character, and is delightfully precise with a touch of whimsy. 

This book is a gem - shows the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.  (cover blurb)

As a letter writer myself, I truly appreciated the author's skill in navigating Sybil's life via this form of communication. 

The Correspondent is a MUST READ.   Super duper!!!

Finally Friday - Costa Rica - Mistic Park

Another day of adventure.  Do you like heights?  Mistic park features hanging bridges in a jungle
 

Are you tired of seeing lush greenery?

unique trees?

Ray crossing the bridge - what's on  the other side?

We lucked out with weather. The sky and clouds are fantastic

Always a volcano in the distance

Finally Friday - Easter Weekend

 And a Good Friday/ Easter Weekend to all.   Here's a blast from the past - forsythia in PA.  This was at my father's house.  I wonder if it is still blooming or if the new owners have slashed it back. 

I like bunnies!

Ready for an egg hunt.  My tummy hurts from already eating too much chocolate - ha!  Bite off those ears. 

We'll probably be going out  to Kevin's house - young girls in pretty dresses will be fighting for those money eggs.  I hope your weekend is full of Easter grace.  Enjoy

Finally Friday - Wuthering Heights movie

 Enjoyed a lunch and movie time a few weeks ago with some of my pickleball ladies.  Jason's Deli had a nice variety of soups, salad bar, and sandwiches. I went with roast beef on rye with provolone. Classic and tasty. 

Onward to Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie as Catherine and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. This is NOT your ancient Sir Lawrence Olivier version. This is a bit more heaving bosoms and innuendo. I'm not sure if Emily Bronte, the author, would approve. 

The filming and photography were gorgeous. Margot and Jacob had chemistry. He was suitably brooding and the moors were enshrouded in mist. 

My group had mixed reactions.  One cried at the end over unrequited love.  One preferred the old black and white film.  I was mixed. I would have edited it quite a bit. I'm not a prude, but there were parts that were unnecessary. 

I remember reading  the book a long, long time ago, but truly did not remember the story line.  I will say Catherine annoyed me quite a bit. Oh well, it will go to streaming soon enough. I do not think you need to pay for  the theater. I enjoyed the afternoon with the ladies and that counted for a lot. 

Happy Friday the 13th (again! remember February).  Hope you have a good weekend.  

Finally Friday - More Rides!

Here's Ray in a very happy place - Race Car Alley of the DFW Car and Toy Museum.  Here's part 2 of our adventures in  our own backyard - i.e. thirty minute drive.  Our visited lasted over two hours and a lot of steps.  We could easily come back and no doubt catch details we missed. 

The museum  owner loves Volkswagen

He has all kinds

Here's a land/water vehicle

Gotta love some super car spiff

zoom zoom and fly away with Pegasus

Go  support local museums!