Open Book ~ September'19

The Guensey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows was as wonderful as many people had told me.  Told entirely in letter form I appreciated the many different voices the author managed to create as well as how the letters shifted in formality as characters came to know each other better.  The lead characters prove to be excellent narrators and help to keep the many minor characters straight.

Becoming by Michelle Obama was an unexpected fun read.  My mom lent her copy to me during a recent visit and told me to read it; and being a wonderfully obedient daughter I did.  Joking aside; I really enjoyed this autobiography/political memoir.  I found the writing very good, and felt Mrs Obama found a wonderful balance of explaining not only what happened in her and the President's life but some of the why and how.


The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick continues the story of William Marshall begun in The Greatest Knight.  In this book you see Marshall react to King Richard's death and the tumult of King John's reign; as well as challenges within the family as his children grow and seek to make their mark in the world.  I continue to really enjoy this author; especially her attention to detail and ability to made history come alive.

I also read These High Green Hills by Jan Karon which is the third installment in the Mitford Series and as lovely and as funny as the first two.


Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.

Quick Takes #281: Canada, O'Canada

1. In a bit of a departure from our usual August vacation, thanks to the generosity of my MIL we as an extended family have recently returned from a Canadian Maritime cruise.  Which in summary was wonderfully exhausting and hopefully have left us with many, many memories to reflect back on over the years.
2. It all began very familiarly with driving to Maine which actually went fairly smoothly with minimal traffic for a summer Friday; the next morning we quickly repacked and headed down to meet up with the rest of the family and head to the port. Boarding the ship involved the excited nervousness of having never done this before and being unsure of how independent the kids would need to be with holding their own passports and answering security questions.  In the end it all went very smoothly and we found our room which was very nice and well set-up for four people (Elisabeth was staying with her TCBFF in Gma's room).
3. Bar Harbor was our first port of call and our first experience with the process of getting off & on the boat made more interesting by having to take a tender (small boat) to the port as the Zaandam had anchored off-shore.  Bar Harbor is a lovely old seaport town where we found tasty sandwiches and a wonderful park to eat them.  After while some of the party went shopping the rest of us followed a walking trail along the coastline. Beautiful rocky coast, with evergreens right down to the shore line and lovely old homes.  Other highlights were the cannons the kids could climb on and the ducks by the tender dock.
4. Halifax allowed for a wonderful and unusual welcome; as we walked down to breakfast we heard a bagpiper welcoming us to Nova Scotia otherwise known as New Scotland.  On our walking tour we saw the Government House, a beautiful old church, the Citadel overlooking the city, and the Public Garden.  After a lot of walking luck smiled on us and we found a playground for the kids to blow off some energy and the grown-ups to sit a spell. Then back to the boat to prepare for our first fancy dinner on the ship.
5. Sydney was our stop in Cape Breton Island (also a part of Nova Scotia); and we were again greeting by a bagpiper.  After all the walking of the day before I decided to hang back with the kids and we explored the shoreline while the rest of the group headed into town to shop and sightsee.  During our wandering we found a fun ice cream spot that we returned to later in the afternoon while others enjoyed an American Taste Kitchen demonstration.
6. And so as to not cram too much into one post I will leave the overview here with one lovely hint ~ our next port of call allowed me to visit the house that was the inspiration for Green Gables!!
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   Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's!

Quick Takes #280 ~ August Daze

1. Happy August! How is your's going? Feeling the panic yet to soak up all things summer before school starts?
2. Before I tell you about our recent road trip I need to document how awful the traffic was; because it was awful ~ the worst I've experience in quite a while. Which has the unfortunate outcome that siblings stuck in a car together for too many hours fight, and jump on their mother's last nerve.  On the upside said traffic did not in the end effect our ability to do any of the things we had planned and so in time can fade from memory.
3. Now on to what we did in Virginia ~ wonderful family time started first with a wonderful brunch hosted by one of my sisters where I got to catch up with my heading off to college nephew and beginning to think about college niece and the kids got in some cousin time.  Later that afternoon we headed to a local pool where in addition to more quality cousin time; Lisbeth and Liam were able able to work on their front flip technique off the two diving boards.
4. Sunday the kids and I headed west to Monticello.  First spending some time in the Discovery Center the kids enjoyed many of the hands-ons exhibits demonstrating different aspects of life at Jefferson's home. We then caught a shuttle bus up to the mountaintop and explored some of the outer buildings before the start time for our tour of the mansion.  I had signed up for the family tour and the tour guide did a wonderful job catching and holding the attention of all the kids on the tour; while still happy to answer any questions from the adults.  
5. Thanks for a major traffic jam we arrived at the hotel too late for any swimming that night but did manage a swim after breakfast the next morning before heading home.  The way home including the kids first views of West Virginia.
6. Life now largely consists with looking over school supply list; finishing up summer reading and trying to sneak in a few more pool trips around the pop-up thunderstorms we have been having all week.
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   Have a wonderful weekend!!

Open Book ~ August '19

The Mistress of Husaby by Sigrid Undset is the second book in the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy and picks up the story as she travels to her husband's home after their wedding.  I enjoy this book even more than the first as the writing continues to be very good and the story itself moves from the angst of early love into the deeper sustaining love of growing a family and building a life together.  I also appreciated watching Kristin mature into womanhood making peace with the mistakes of her youth, making amends to those she had hurt but also trusting in God's mercy and learning to let go of guilt and shame.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather is a wonderful work of fiction based on the real lives of Father Lamy and Father Machebeuf; the actual first bishops of New Mexico and Denver.  Covering the time from when Father LaTour is named Archbishop to his death, Cather tells an amazing story of time and place. Sharing stories of settlers, Mexicans, Native Americans and how their experience of faith and land shift and change over time. The wonderful through line being the friendship of the two French priests who differ in personality but share a common missionary commitment to do the hard work set before them in  this new and foreign place.

Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.

Quick Takes #279: Some of our Summer Days

1. Hot, but fun would be how I'd describe the summer thus far ~ with camp going well and everyone enjoying the pool. Caitlin is showing herself to be quite the fish. Teaching herself to swim underwater and having a decent dog-paddle I'm now looking for an instructor to help her learn strokes.
2. Before too much time has passed I do want to finish recording my wonderful trip at the end of June.  That Friday morning we did a bit of shopping before packing up and heading to the airport for a our flight to England, specifically Birmingham.  All of the flight stuff went very smoothly; unfortunately an accident on the highway made getting from the airport to our hotel a long process.  Knowing that Saturday was going to be a very full day we opted for dinner at the hotel restaurant and ice cream (very yummy btw) in our room.
3. Saturday morning after we set-up my sister's table at the book event we headed out to a explore a bit and find breakfast.  We found and paid our respects to the famous Bull at the Bullring and grabbed a quick breakfast at a nearby coffee shop.  The rest of the day was spent at the Four Brits Book Fest where I had the great pleasure of serving as my sister's assistant. This is only the second book signing of her's I've been able to attend, and so I had so much fun meeting her readers and fans, and other independent authors.   
4. Afterwards we walked to the city's amazing canal area and enjoyed wonderful dinner at a french restaurant which overlooked a canal.  Later walking back to the hotel we came upon an amazing street performance of an acrobatic troupe ahead of an anniversary gala for a local theater.  The trip home went smoothly aside from a bumpy descent into Philadelphia and a VERY long wait for our luggage which was so frustrating when I knew I was so close to hugging my people again.
5. Camp-wise the older kids decided on a bit of a swap.  Lisbeth chose to do a week of soccer camp which she really enjoyed aside from getting slightly sunburned shoulders, and Liam is currently enjoying art camp which started this week and runs the next couple of weeks.
6. And finally in the milestones of childhood category: In the last week Caitlin has lost three teeth including on her 'two front teeth'; which makes for a very cute smile at the moment ~ and a slightly poor tooth fairy.
7. Picture time! Have a wonderful weekend!

Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's!

Quick Lit ~ July '19

Linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy, and sharing what I've been reading ~ many of which complete categories in the MMD reading challenge.

The Gown by Jennifer Robson; which I chose for the cover (category) and to ease my impatience while I wait for the next season of the Crown.   While the story did not contain much of the lives of the Windsor's; it was a wonderful story of post WW2 England when rationing was still in effect and Londoners were dealing with survivor guilt and beginning look forward.  Primarily it tells the story of two of the embroiderers while they worked on Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown and how their grandchildren learn of this fascinating past.  I appreciated the stories of female friendship and the ease with which the author moved from the past, to present day and back again.

The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer is the story of Brigade-Major Harry Smith and his newlywed Juana. They met and fell instantly in love in Portugal while Major Smith was serving during the Peninsular War.  While I've been reading and enjoying Heyer's Regency 'comedy of manners' books for years this was my first 'historical', and found the balance she found between the details of battles and troop movements and the daily challenges faced by the couple and their friends excellent.  I learned a lot about the war (at least from the British perspective) but didn't feel like the human element was lost.

The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart is part memoir of Stewart's family's adventure as they down-sized dramatically and moved to a farm in TX for her husband's work; and part primer on how to live intentionally so that your choices fit your values even if they differ from those around you.  Stewart does a wonderful job of sharing what worked for her family while still being open to how those choices might not work in other situations.  She also manages to write beautifully about her value system and how she and her family have chosen to live according to them without coming across judgmental about other approaches to home and family.

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick is the story of William Marshall, a knight and tournament  champion during the time of the Plantagenet Kings.  Fictionalized but based on extensive research of the actual man; Chadwick tells an amazing story of a liege knight who must navigate loyalty and politics as his liege lord shifts from King Henry II, to his eldest son Henry the Young King, back to King Henry and by the end of the book King Richard.  This is the third book of Chadwick's I've read, and continue to really enjoy her attention to detail and character development.

Please head over to Modern Mrs Darcy for more Quick Lit.

What I saw on my Irish vacation ~ Part 2

Part 1

    Having made it back to Dublin and enjoyed a good night sleep; the next morning had us up and ready for the day's adventure. Starting at Trinity College we took some time to wander around the main Quad before queuing up (as the locals would say) to see The Book of Kells.  Two of the four gospels are displayed at a time; at this time the Gospels of Luke and John are on display.  In addition to the books the exhibit includes a very good history of the books and illuminated manuscripts in general. We then headed upstairs to tour the old library and learn more about Trinity College; Ireland's oldest and still largest university.
   Our tour guide then led us towards Dublin Castle pointing out landmarks along the way.  We began our tour of the castle grounds in Duhb Linn Gardens just outside the castle; duhb linn means dark pool from where the water would gather from the two local rivers and where the city takes its name.  The castle originally a wooden Viking structure was fortified with stone in the thirteenth century at the order of  King John (his father King Henry II being the original Norman invader of Ireland) was in continuous use until 1922 and is still the site of the inauguration of President of Ireland and other ceremonial events.

Dublin Castle; painted portion shows where the original castle was damaged and repaired.

    That afternoon we headed north of the city to the Castle Malahide; a castle held by the same family (Talbot) from the 13th century till the 1970's when the last owner turned it over to the Irish Trust.  An amazing place to explore with the different rooms furnished as they would be during different points in history. We began the tour in a sitting room with paneling from the 14th century before moving to another sitting room with the colorful paint color and elaborate moldings of the 18th,  The castle grounds also contain beautiful and extensive gardens which unfortunately there was not time to explore before again boarding the tour bus.  We then drove along the coast line looking across the Irish Sea where apparently on a good day you can see Wales.  I didn't but we did pass an island where one of the three families living there brought a couple of wallabies back from Australia years ago and there are now about 30 wallabies living on the island.  Stopped off for a bit in the fishing village of Howth before heading back to Dublin for a fish & chips dinner and a Guiness.

Banquet Hall circa 1690's