Amelia Peabody Nos. 11, 12, and 13

The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Peters has outdone herself. This one is a cliff hanger. This is the first time that I must have the next installment to see what happens! Yes, Ms. Peters spent a lot of words that turned into pages instructing us on everything Egypt and English. There were several places that were skipable. In other words, it didn't add anything to the story so I didn't miss anything important by not reading them. What I am really liking about this series is the fact that the characters are moving along with time. Amelia and her family are not stuck in one brief time period. They are all aging/maturing and the reader is getting the benefit of the old characters maturing into new characters with new challenges and adventures. The older generation of heroes is passing the torch to a new generation of heroes! Recommend Amelia Peabody and her family to you!



He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ms. Peters has reached the pinnacle with this installment of the Amelia Peabody journals. I love the continuing characters and the introduction of new ones. I am also intrigued by the resolution of old mysteries that keep popping up to get in the way of their excavations. It has always puzzled me that Amelia is so intuitive about solving mysteries, but doesn't intuit what is going on in her own family. Not to be a spoiler, because you know he will appear...even Sethos remarks upon it.

I did have to wade through a lot of reiteration of past events so that the new reader will be up to date. I always recommend a new reader to start at the first book. Even though Ms. Peters does her best, you will miss a lot of the innuendo and character development.

Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody stories get better with each new book. There are parts where she seems compelled to give us a lesson in Egyptology.  Since I am reading this for the story and the characters, my eyes usually glaze over and I skip the details.

As I have said before-she keeps the story moving along with time. Time changes everything and her characters change along with it. There is always a new thread to follow and this one is no exception. No spoiler here. I will let you experience it yourself. This is one of my favorites.

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Celebrating The Day of My Birth

November 14, 2013  I had a great day!

We headed to Little Rock with a list of 'to do's'.  We were pacing ourselves to be back in Benton for dinner.

1st Stop:  Starbuck's on Chenal Parkway

Then, we headed to Schwab, Penney's, and Walmart.






Now for the good part: 
Best Buy for my present!  A new computer!
I selected a Lenovo (IBM product) laptop with Windows 8 with a free upgrade to 8.1...
and a major learning curve. (That's why it has taken me this long to post about my birthday:)

This is the best part!  After leaving Best Buy we had an appointment to see our new Great Great Niece, Ellen.  An appointment...to make sure she was awake. Our timing was perfect...she was up and ready for company. 

Too Precious!
I love being a Great, Great!

That was not my last stop.  Peg and Del took us out to eat and then for the perfect end of a perfect day...Peggy-Made Egg Custard Pie!

Many cards and 

Best Wishes!

from my friends 

and family 

made my day special! 

Thanks Everyone! 

Kansas No. 30 of 50*

How many times have I crossed Kansas on the way to somewhere else? ... too many to count. We go up to Wichita, Salina, and across through Hayes, where we usually break up the trip. 

On one 'through' trip
 we ventured off the beaten path
and stopped at Dodge City,
a fun place to get the flavor of the Old West.

The last time on the way home we stopped for the night in Wichita and then made a stop in Hutchinson.  It has a very interesting attraction that will surprise any traveler who accidentally happens upon it.

"The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center"

It is one of the most comprehensive space museums in the world. It is the only non NASA/NASM institution to display 

a flown spacecraft from each of the first three manned American space programs-Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.  Also on display is one of the largest collections of Russian Space Memorabilia outside of Russia.  There is an IMAX Theatre so if you plan a trip save time to spend some time at the Center. We only spared a few hours and wished for more. Maybe we'll go back one day.

Still, this was the most awesome sight we have ever seen as we traveled through Kansas on the way to somewhere else.

Wheat Harvest

*For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

 I can now say that I have been in, to or through all 50 United States.

 I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

 the 50 States. 

JO ELLEN DESIGNS, CAMDEN MAINE

On August 27, 2013, I had the most pleasant shopping experience ever.  I usually do not share my secrets, but this one was too good to keep.

On our 'Maine Trip' we landed in Camden, Maine, for a couple of days.  Our destination was Deer Isle, but we met up with our family in Camden at the Whitehall Inn...(aside: the movie, Peyton Place was filmed there!)

We spent the day going to museums, eating ice cream, and taking a ride on a schooner, and SHOPPING!

During the shopping portion of our day we walked into the most delightful shop-Jo Ellen Designs. If I had let myself, I would have made a major dent in my vacation 'WAM'.  I satisfied myself with a few small items and lots of pictures. 
They tell the story and are meant to entice you to visit Jo Ellen if you find yourself on Main Street in Camden, Maine.

Visit Jo Ellen Designs at 

• 21 Main Street Camden, Maine 04843
• or
• email her at: info@joellendesigns.com
• or 
• on-line at: http://joellendesigns.com/

Road Trip From Arkansas To Maine and Back

16 Days- 13 States-3,993 Miles

Day 1 
Aug 22 Thursday
Hot Springs Village, AR to Knoxville TN (#1)
and a visit with cousins Leigh and Robert

Day 2
Aug 23 Friday 
Knoxville TN to Charlottesville VA (#2)

Monticello

Day 3 
Aug 24 Saturday

Charlottesville VA
through West VA (#3)
to Boonsboro, MD (#4)
to Harrisburg PA (#5)

Boonsboro, Maryland
Nora Roberts' Bookstore,
Turn the Page

Day 4
Aug 25 Sunday

 PA 
through New York NY (#6)
to East Hartford CN (#7)

White Hall Inn

Day 5
Aug 26 Monday 

East Hartford, CN 
through MS (#8)
through NH (#9)

to Camden, ME (#10)

Day 6
Aug 27 Tuesday
Camden, ME
After a breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes at the Inn we headed to Rockland, ME and the Farnsworth Museum. 

N. C. Wyeth

It was a real treat to see the work of 
N. C., Grandfather, and Andrew Wyeth, father, and Grandson and son, James (Jamie) Wyeth.

            

...and a little shopping

in the cutest shop ever!

...and a little lunch

In a great deli!

...and then the best part...

Sailing for two hours
 on the Schooner Olad
in Penobscot Bay!

Day 7
Aug 28 Wednesday
Camden to Deer Isle

End of the Trail
Myrick's Place

           

Day 8
Aug 29 Thursday
Day Trip to Stonington to do a little sightseeing...            

...and buy LOBSTER!!! for dinner!

Ymmmmmmm!

Day 9
Aug 30 Friday
A Walk in the Woods..

A Picnic on the Rocks...

...and back to the house to hang out, pack, and get ready for last leg of our journey.

Day 10
Aug 31 Saturday
Deer Isle to Bar Harbor... 

Lunch at Bar Harbor Inn

Breakfast at 2 Cats

Day 11 
Sept 1 Sunday ...and Acadia National Park

Lunch at Jordan's Pond

Day 12
Sept 2 Monday Labor Day 
Bar Harbor to Schenectady NY 

To visit
my awesome cousin
and his family

Day 13
Sep 3 Tuesday
Schenectady NY to Naples NY 
Finger Lakes:

...and a visit
with a
Forever Friend

Day 14
Sept 4 Wednesday
Naples NY to Cambridge, OH (#11)

Day 15 
Sept 5 Thursday
Cambridge OH 
through Kentucky (#12)
to Union City TN

Day 16

YEA! WE'RE HOME!

Sept 6 Friday
Union City TN 
to Hot Springs Village AR (#13)