Saturday Snapshot

Best Friends Ever!!!

(minus about 39 of them)

I love this photo.  

About 3 years ago, we tried a Friday Friend 'get-together'  and I was lucky because 11 out of about 50 of my closest friends from all over came to my birthday party.

From PA, AZ, CA, WA, OR, NV.

They didn't know each other....and yet...they did.

(That's how social media works!)

(That, and they all had/have  ME in common)

I am linking with  Melinda of West Metro Mommy Reads and her 

Saturday Snapshot meme.

It's time for a....Summer-cation!

Sheila from Book Journey is hosting a Summer-Cation Blog Hop.

Ahhhhh.....Summer!

She says:

Happy Summer-Cation!  As I mentioned last weekend on the blog, I just need to do something SUNNY!  I decided to host a last minute “let’s talk about something shiny” (THE SUN!) event where others were and are invited to join me to post something about a summery event, a giveaway, summer plans, WHATEVER as long as no snow or cold is involved.

I repeat….

No Snow and NO Cold can be mentioned in your posts. 

Oh man.  I cannot mention S--w   or  C--d, because those things are EXACTLY what we want to get away from.  I must hide my inner rebel who feels like shouting it out--just once.  It's like when someone tells me not to touch the hot plate,  I still have to feel it--just once.  But I will resist.  NO S--W will be mentioned here.......  this is all about the SUNSHINE.

One thing I love. LOVE. LOVE!    Is sunlight shining on water.  Lakes, ponds, rivers....with sunlight sparkling on the waves, ripples or smooth, glass like surfaces.    I LOVE IT.     Sunlight shining on water is one of my favorite things ever!

I love to hike in the mountains, on the beach, thru the woods and come upon sunlight on the water,  it's the most beautiful thing to me.  Throw in some spring wildflowers and MAN OH MAN.

Don't you just want to go NOW?    Let's go for a hike and check out this most beautiful WINTER (I did not mention  S--w or C--d) buster!    Come on, get your shoes on---we are going for a SUNNY hike.   Before I show you our (just pretend you are doing this sunny hike with me)  photos,  I want to tell you how you can win this coffee mug (coffee is good on early SUMMER mornings.  Good with a book while sitting on your patio after your early SUNNY hike):

It's the "Greatest First Lines Ever" mug. I love it and I want you to have one too!   All you have to do is make a comment on this blog post. ( I would love to be your friend on Goodreads too, but that is not a requirement),  just make a comment and I will randomly choose a winner to receive this wonderful 'literary'  mug.   My friend Sally thinks it would be a great challenge to read every book on this mug. What do you think?

Okay now... a collection where we are going to take our sunny hike to see "Sunlight on the Water"

Bookmark Monday

I have a collection of bookmarks, so I was excited to come across  "Bookmark Monday"  at Guiltless Reading. 

 Because really what else are you going to do with a collection of bookmarks? Except share!

My bookmark for Monday is a "Lewis and Clark" bookmark.  This is actually a scanned copy of mine.

My husband and I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where the Lewis and Clark trail is everywhere you turn. 

It's one of the most well known historical attractions in the area, spanning many states, beginning in Illinois and ending at the mouth of the Columbia River as it spills into the Pacific Ocean between Washington and Oregon.

We grew up knowing all about Lewis and Clark. So it saddened me  when I went back to Virginia a few years ago, and encountered someone on the plane, a local man (we were flying from Richmond to Atlanta), who had no idea about Lewis and Clark and their mapping of the Louisiana Purchase and search for the Northwest passage.  We were discussing with him what wonderful history Virginia had.  It was a nice visit, but it always makes me sad that the west gets no respect when it comes to the history of the United States.

I live in the west, but I LOVE every regional thing about all of the United States.   I would love to travel and experience every state, every town, every people!

This is the Lewis and Clark Trail

It's Monday and Good old dry Nevada

It is Monday and I'm reading....what I said I wanted to read in last week's First Chapter, First Paragraph,  Tuesday Intros.

I don't always do that, (read the book immediately) so that's been kind of fun...it was the book in my last post,  At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard.

It is amazing.  If you like memoirs.  And intellectual talk about books.

I do like all  those things, so am finding this read about Maynard's life fascinating. 

It's Monday,  What are you Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  A fun place to pop into every Monday to see what is on everyone's reading list.

I find my best books from these people who participate!

Speaking of Sheila from Book Journey, she is hosting a 

summer-cation, and I'm joining in!

It's a weekend blog hop  (this coming weekend) and I'm not really sure how it works, BUT I will be posting my summerloving summerdreaming, summerwishing blog post. And I'll have a give away.   And I'll be visiting all the other blogs who are having a SUMMER-CATION.  

I don't have snow like in the mid-west and back east, but we did drive home thru this yesterday:

There is no sunshine, this is no warm, summer scene.

This is much needed rain in California!

So, good for them, BUT scary to drive thru.

I was glad to see  good ol' dry Nevada.  (we don't have weather issues when it comes to driving--usually.)

So I will participate in the Summer-Cation this weekend.

I can't wait!

See you then.