Monday Moments - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

 Laundry from our Iceland trip is done. Whew! That took a bit. I'm still sorting pictures...so, patience my friends...You'll see some Northern Lights!!!  Yes - fantastic.  And also more waterfalls than you care to imagine.  Meanwhile - here's the book I read while traveling.  It's a good one. 

Dominic and his three kids are caretakers for Shearwater, a tiny island off the coast of Antarctica.  Sea levels are rising and they are packing up their life mission - the seed vault. Researchers and scientists have left. (some mysterious circumstances are hinted).  

A woman, Rowan,  washes up on shore, badly injured. Turns out she's the wife of one of the researchers.

What the heck is going on?    Sabotage.  Blood.   How many secrets are there? 

p. 168  and now there is this day. Here on a windswept, starlit hill, and I think I have found something, and the broken years fall away.        ...............I am quite certain I have found his grave.

p. 261  Orly the young lad who loves the plants, the seeds, and the stories of the island.  It's all he's known as a kid.    He's very protective of the seeds.  Here's his thoughts

The banksia will wait, and wait, and wait for this fire to come. Only with flames and smoke licking at everything around it will it open its valves and let its seeds be taken on this hot burning wind.......

which the untrained eye would look at and see death - comes life, bursting free....

McConaghy writes a very near future tale - very aware of climate change, global warnings,  all the nature concerns we have. It's also a tale of a family without a mother.  And a mysterious death? maybe. 

Wild Dark Shore is a wow of a tale and kept me hooked until the end.  Highly recommended. 

Monday Moments - Iceland Surprise

Surprise, I've been in Iceland.  Today, Ray and I return.  I am, no doubt, jetlagged.

and I have laundry to do, groceries to shop for, and I am jetlagged.   I got these two photos off the internet, just as a teaser. 
 

Once I'm settled in,  I shall bore you folks with my real photos and descriptions. 

I have to say when we booked this, it was on a "what the heck" whim.  We did not research that October is the super rainy month.  And fairly cold (like 40s plus some wind chill).   Ray and I were in  shorts in Texas as we packed for adventure hiking. 

Stories to tell gang.  Just give me a second to settle in. 

Enjoy a spooky Halloween week

Monday Moments - Flashback to 2012 Chihuly Night

2012 flashback - Chihuly at the Arboretum.

a glow at sunset time

even the flowers competed for attention

tough to beat this glass miracle

 and a flashback finale    wow!

I'm on hiatus and adventure.   Meanwhile, enjoy these flashbacks.

Monday Moments - Birthday cousins - flashback

 Mark and I were born four days apart.  Our mothers were in the same hospital room.  My birthday was Thursday the 8th, Mark's is today.  Here we are with our great grandmother. 

Ancient history. 

We stay in touch now via Facebook. He and his wife have been in Oregon, but I think they are now in AZ with grandkids.  

Flashback Fun

Monday Moments - Into the Blue by Emma Brodie

 Into the Blue by Emma Brodie is an entertaining read with relatable characters and quite  the drama. 

In 2000, AJ Graves wants to work for SNL, but is stuck in a video store. Noah Drew ends up working with her. Why is this rich kid from the Drew acting dynasty slumming it in small town MA.  There's a crazy bond - first friends, then acting with his aunt Eudora as a coach.  She's from a cult favorite sci-fi show.

Fast forward to 2017 and AJ is hired to be in a reboot series of that sci-fi show. Who  walks in? Noah - now a Hollywood heartthrob.   cover blurb - As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin  to blur.  They must confront the truth of what happened long ago - and face the devastating secret that will  send their lives careening apart. 

Brodie writes a compelling story filled with chemistry, yearning, and quite a journey.  AJ really has to dig deep to forge her success, while orbiting the Noah Drew magnetism. 

Monday Moments - Look Around and Up

 A quick Monday reminder to wander, look around, and explore.  The Philly airport often has displays to catch the eye. They feature some artists, or just a colorful balloon display. 

 and when you do sit down to wait for your plane, don't just stare at your phone.

Look Up

This nice message made me smile - Shine Anyway

That's your goal  today - muddle along and shine.  September is almost over and the final quarter of 2026 begins on  Thursday.  Yikes!

Monday Moments - Hagley Museum

One final memory batch from my summer trip back east.  The Hagley Museum in Wilmington DE. 

The visitor center housed exhibitions featuring diverse stories of American innovation

Brandywine River offered water power for the production of gun powder

Pollinator garden

Water works area

Historic barn - weather vanes, a cooper shop, wagons, carriages, and antique vehicles on display

 Eleutherian Mills Residence - Ancestral du Pont family home

The grounds were gorgeous and the walking tour was very interesting.   The Powder Yard had an orientation center, the roll mills, 19th century working  machine shop, and black powder explosion demonstration. 

Excellent preservation of history.  My sister and I were there for a few hours and didn't see everything. (We got hungry and voted to leave for lunch - a yummy cheesesteak sandwich)

Wonderful day in Delaware. 

Monday Moments - Longwood Gardens 2026

Every year now, when I visit my sister in Delaware, we head to Longwood Gardens in PA.  She's a member and we can explore the gardens and then enjoy their nightly fountain  show.  This year the theme was Animated Music.  At  9:30 pm, the fountains light up to music and water dance to the music. There are also arcs of water with fire.  It's awesome.   

Meanwhile - here's some August garden glory

This is not part of the fountain show.  

Every corner is magical as we stroll the grounds
 

And me against a huge hedge. 

Plan to stay a few hours to stroll and explore. 

Monday Moments - Retired, No Labor Here

It's Labor Day Monday.  I respect all worker bee fights for pay, etc.  However, I'm grateful to be retired and not in the game. Whew!    

So let's continue enjoying my summer adventures - here's a very tall sequoia tree at the Tyler Arboretum. I enjoyed a visit there in  August with my sister. 

and then brunch with Lori.   She is the BEST

cool mural in West Chester

and a little bird's next tree house there. 

fun findings as we wandered. 

Hope you've had a great weekend and good luck on Tuesday with Back to Work.  I'll  just be back to yoga and my regular YMCA schedule.  Rah!

Monday Moments - Suffs - the musical

 

Back on August 8th, I treated myself (and yes, I do treat myself to shows a lot) to the touring production of SUFFS at Bass Hall in Fort Worth.  It's a Tony Award winning musical by Shaina Taub. She is the first woman to win  for Best Book and Best Score.  The show was fabulous and totally lived up to the hype.  I remember watching a musical number on the Tony Awards and thinking - oh, yeah, when it rolls through here, I am going.  

SUFFS is the story of brilliant, passionate and funny American women who  fought tirelessly for the right to vote. The show  explores triumphs and trials and frankly the split in some women's styles - old school  vs new.   The show made me realize I need to bolster my knowledge of many of these famous women - Mollie Hay, Ida B. Wells, Alice Paul, and so many others. 

The musical is clever  - catchy tunes, great voices, and wonderful production. If it rolls through your area, I urge you to buy a ticket.   Support the arts.  Support women. Support the right and privilege to vote. 

And more than ever, plan to vote in the fall!!! 

Monday Moments - American Fantasy by Emma Straub

 Looking for a summer escape? Ahoy - Board the American Fantasy cruise ship for four days with your favorite nineties era boy band. Three thousand screaming women worshipping middle aged dudes.

Emma Straub writes a good tale with American Fantasy.  Annie is fifty, divorced, and signed on to this trip  with her sister. Alas, the sister can't go, so Annie is shocked at herself for starting to enjoy the hype. 

cover blurb - Call it memory. Call it nostalgia. Call it the chemical reaction of hormones, hope, and sexual reawakening.  By the time, Annie meets one of the band members - not just a celebrity but someone in need of a friend - she has accessed a sense of new possibility.

The story is  told from various viewpoints, Annie, boy band dudes, and the managing director of the whole four days. Her tale is rather exhausting - controlling the guys, herding the fans, and making the  magic happen. 

Emma Staub captures the vibe - the passion, the yearning, the dips into the past, and the reality that exists. 

This is a silly, very fun read.  I confess - back in the  day, I'd buy Tiger Beat: I loved David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, and more.  I could totally get on board this fantasy trip.  

Monday Moments - The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

 From the prologue:

Each of us has a private Austen.   Jocelyn's Austen wrote wonderful novels about love and courtship, but never married.  Bernadette's Austen was a comic genius. Prudie's Austen was somber. Allegra would have shelved Austen in  the horror  section. Sylvia was newly divorced and needed to be distracted. And then there was the man Jocelyn invited to the club - Grigg. None of them knew who  Grigg's Austen was. 

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler is amusing, especially if you, the reader, enjoy Jane Austen. You'll enjoy the references and discussions. You'll enjoy the real life that is running alongside the six months of book club meetings.  Marriages are tested. Affairs are begun. Feelings are hurt. And then there's love, gosh darn it. 

cover blurb - This is the novel that Jane Austen might have written had she lived in 2014 California. Sublime social comedy. 

I laughed out loud. I enjoyed this very light summer read.  Another $1 library sale and worth every penny. 

Monday Moments - Ray had his Day

August 1st was Ray's 70th birthday.  That is worthy of another post.  Here's the birthday king ready to celebrate in front of his picture gallery
 

This very yummy cake from Texas Star Bakery had the pickleball theme - Ray's current obsession. He bought himself a new paddle as his birthday treat.  Look out competition!

Over forty people showed up for the pool  party.  Quite the fun crowd.  Everyone enjoyed pizza, wings, margaritas, beer, and plenty of water.

The Texas heat cooperated - it was 98 or so with a good breeze. We did have  plenty of shade, and folks were inside too - playing games like Scattergories. 

Ray had his Day!  

Monday Moments - More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen

More Than  Enough by Anna Quindlen is a good solid read. I love that it's about the fact that your book club knows a lot about you. From book choices to discussions to the after book discussions, Polly Goodman, an English teacher counts on these close friends. The club friends give her an ancestry kit as a joke. She matches with a stranger and that causes Polly to look at family history. Polly learns how friendships can change your life. 

Polly after meeting with Barbara -  Sometimes our minds protect us, but not enough. You walk along with this pain in your head, thinking about things you know, the things you've discovered, the things you've lost, and all those things that run around and around in your mind, like a stone in your shoe. And then everyday life saves you. Weather talk - maybe snow, maybe rain. You go to the laundromat and a neighbor ask if you have detergent. Life happens. 

Anna Quindlen draws you in with her writing and her characters. You are along for Polly's search and solutions to a life mystery. Twists and turns and surprises amidst ordinary life.  Enjoy the journey. 

 

Monday Moments - The Invite

 I watched an episode of Hot Ones on YouTube and Penelope Cruz was the guest. She was pushing this movie The Invite, and it sounded intriguing.  

Well, it was different, angsty, very all talkie, amusing at times, cringe worthy, and I can't recommend it. 

But - I was interested enough to stay and watch. Does that make sense?  This was a Thursday matinee and there were two other ladies in  the theater. As we were leaving, the one said, "Well, I guess I'm not allowed to pick a movie for awhile."     Ha!

Olivia Wilde directed this and also starred as Angela.  She's married to Joe (Seth Rogan).  She's invited the upstairs neighbors to dinner. Joe is not happy and pretty much promises  to be rude. 

 Ding dong - doorbell rings and here's Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penelope Cruz).  They are obviously very cool and exude an exotic flair.  Here's where  Penelope shines - she just pops on the screen. She has the best lines and you can tell Joe is feeling her vibe. 

Well the conversation does take a racy turn....I won't say more. But  the tempo of the movie picked up, the stress of the awkwardness heightened, and let's just say someone might need to move!

Hey - the theater was air-conditioned and I killed two hours. I did laugh out loud at some lines - Seth can be amusing in his delivery.  And thumbs up to Penelope - she is damn hot and a good actress. 

This was my public service announcement for you. 

Monday Moments - Minions and Monsters

 News is nutso. It's hot and humid. Time for a small escape.  Ray and I ran away to our local movie theater to enjoy a Minions and Monsters matinee. 

And we laughed out loud starting with the opening credits -  a black and white homage to old Hollywood with minions meddling in the middle, and inevitable messing up a scene. So clever.  As old farts, we could pick up on so many references. I loved it. 

The general theme of the movie has school kids at a history museum and learning about James and Henry - minions who made a huge impact on the world. 

As the docent spins the story, we follow the guys as they muddle along in ancient times (reference Cyclops), or look to a Russian warlock to follow, and ultimately they land on a Hollywood set - thinking that the robbers are real. They are hired and are successful until the talkies some along. Minion tongue (all done by Pierre Coffin, the director) doesn't translate.  

So, kicked out - James and Henry decide to make their own monster film. I won't give away more. 

This movie is funny, silly, and dumb in a good way. It's creative and catchy. Ray and I both left giggling and amused. Success!  It was a bright spot on a Tuesday. 

Monday Moments - The English Teacher by Lily King

 Vida Avery is one of the best English teachers Fayer Academy has ever seen. She's a fixture. Her son Peter has managed his life.  Now his mother marries, rather impulsively.  He's very happy to have a new dad - Tom Belou - and new siblings.  He seeks a normalcy.   His mother is still adjusting. She's been so accustomed to an isolated life and has protected Peter from so much.  She uses books as a wall. 

The English Teacher by Lily King is really well written.  Vida is a peculiar heroine. You root for her and her new marriage. And then you root for Tom because she is not treating him well.  Peter wants his siblings  to love him, but they still mourn their wonderful mother,  They weren't ready to move on. 

So many emotions in this book.  It is extraordinarily well written, yet  tears at the soul.  

Dang.  Tears.  Heart!  I recommend this for its deep feelings. 

Have tissues ready. 

Monday Moments - David Sedaris Latest

 I love David Sedaris humor.  The man is a gem. He's a national treasure. His humor and observations are priceless. 

I own every book in his career and can chuckle reading any page.

His latest, The Land and Its People, investigates what it means to be a traveler, a brother, a lifelong friend. 

cover blurb - Throughout these essays - at once acerbic and tender, playful and profound - Sedaris shows how much there is to marvel at when you keep your head up and your eyes open, observing warmth - our fascinating human species, and the land we inhabit. 

Trust me - as you read and wonder where he's going with a story, he will zap you with a hilarious final line. 

I  laughed out loud multiple times.      Enjoy.

(PS - I  saw him once at a public reading - This was a bucket list item.  He is hysterical and gives it his all live in performance. )

Monday Moments - Sassy Mamas

 Saturday, June 20th, I treated myself to some local theater.  I love the Jubilee and they do not disappoint. 

SASSY  MAMAS was hysterical.  Written by Celeste Bedford Walker.  Directed by Davian Jackson. 

cast - The Key Ladies   

 Jo Billie - Crystal Williams

Mary - Pattra Smith

Wilhelmina - Deon Sanders

Side pieces - the guys.   Colby - Christopher Hill,   LaDonte - Jacobie Thornton, Wes - Brian Gibson

OMG - These ladies were looking for love for various reasons.   It took a bit, some struggle, some misunderstandings....

But they found the right connections. 

Very funny.  Well-acted. The ladies were fine.  The men were HOT.

We all laughed

Awesome Saturday matinee.  Support Your Local Theater.    Truly

Monday Moments - surprises around every corner

It was not that long ago that I posted our Costa Rica pic of the red-eyed tree frog.  Now here's a colorful Lego version. 

You can almost hear this woodpecker

Deer and fawn

Proud stag

Sly fox (almost looks on the move)

and where's the yard crew?