🎆 July 4th Camping Weekend at Council Grove

Happy 4 of July!

We went camping once again this year for the July 4th holiday weekend. The weather was great, and we were at one of our favorite spots—Council Grove Lake. It’s a fun place where we’ve rented a boat in the past, but this year we weren’t able to get one since we booked the site too late. Still, the campsite was wonderful—tucked along the dam with plenty of space and areas for our dogs to roam.

Erin and Carrie headed out a few days early, and Greg and I joined them on Thursday night. I actually made a quick trip out on Tuesday night to drop off a carload of supplies before heading back to Topeka. Erin and Carrie had great weather for their first night, with the temperature dropping to a cool 61 degrees. Carrie told me she got a little chilly that evening.

It was nice pulling into our campsite Thursday night to find everything already set up. Erin and Carrie had decorated with American flags and lights, and the tents were ready to go. Greg and I unloaded a few things from the car, and we were all set for the night. We picked up Pizza Hut for dinner since the town is only about 5–10 minutes away—another reason we love this site.

 

 

 

  

🌊 July 4th by the Water

Oliver in his Wagon

There had been a lot of rain in the weeks leading up to our trip, so the lake was flooded in some areas, and the main beach was closed. We found a nice little spot with shade where we could get down to the water and spent the 4th of July there. Charley and Oliver loved splashing around and staying cool by our sides. We think the area used to be an old campsite, so wading out was a bit tricky with hidden stumps and debris. Still, we set up our chairs in the water, dipped our feet in, and had a great day.

Steak and Potatoes for Dinner

After a relaxing day by the water, we returned to camp for our July 4th dinner: steaks, mashed potatoes, and green beans. So good! We stayed up late by the campfire, listening to music, enjoying drinks, and soaking in the night. Our friends Taylor and Rachael stopped by for a visit, which was a nice surprise.

🎇 Fireworks & Furry Friends

We were a bit caught off guard by how loud the fireworks were at our site. Fireworks aren’t allowed in the campground, but we were just on the edge of town, and there were plenty of booms and flashes. Oliver wasn’t happy about it, so I took him to the car, turned on the AC and the Royals game to help drown out the noise. That helped, and thankfully the fireworks ended by 10:30, so we could enjoy the rest of the evening.

☕ Saturday in Town

At the Brewery

On Saturday, we spent some time in Council Grove. We visited a great coffee shop that Erin and Carrie had been going to daily. Later, we hung out at Riverbank Brewing, which has been open for three years now. The beer and other drinks were great. We set up on the patio with both dogs, fans running at full blast, and had a relaxing afternoon.

🍗 Guests & Goodbyes

That evening, we had two more guests—Joan and Eddie—who came to see our campsite and brought Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner. It was so thoughtful of them, and we had a lovely evening. After they left, we gathered around the campfire for our final night and enjoyed each other’s company.

🚗 Heading Home

Packed Car with Stuff on Top Too

Sunday, we packed up and headed back to Topeka. Our car had been acting up since July 4th, struggling to start. Thankfully, it kept working, but I wasn’t sure how long it would last. Turns out it was a bad battery cell, which I got replaced after taking it to the shop on Tuesday. All fixed now and ready for more adventures!

🌦️ A Rainy Lesson

Overall, we had a fantastic time. The rain held off, the weather was nice (even if a bit hot during the day), and we were able to bring both dogs. Oh! I almost forgot—Carrie and I got caught in a rainstorm early Friday morning without the rainfly on our tent. We had to scramble at 5:30 a.m. to get it on. Lesson learned! Everything got damp, but we aired it out and it dried nicely throughout the day.

Until next time—have a great week and happy camping! 🏕️

Completed the GoodReads 2022 Reading Challenge of Twenty Books and Thinking New Goal for 2023

Met My 2022 Reading Goal

A year ago I set a goal to read twenty books for 2022. This was done on GoodReads where I have been a member for a while now. I have tried their challenge a few times setting goals for five or ten books in the past. This is the first time I have completed my goal and actually exceeded my set goal.

The year is not over and I have read 21 of 20 books so far. I hope to be able to complete two more books before the year is finished. I am about halfway through one book and then during the break between Christmas and New Years, I should be able to get another book completed.

I read every day for the past year. There was not one day where I did not read at least a few pages. Whether it was on vacation, at blues festival, or exhausted from a day of work, I found time to read. According to Kindle stats, I have read for a streak of 359 days and 58 weeks in a row which I obviously started before the New Year started a year ago. 

During the year, I have read a few series. C.J. Box is the recent series I have been reading. I really enjoy his books and story. Another series that I enjoyed was from L.T. Ryan about Racheal Hatch. I enjoyed the history of Code Girls that I read through a book group on-line. I want to do more with that book group as it gets me to read books that I might normally read and then interact with others that are reading the same book.

Full details of the books in the image above can be viewed on my GoodReads 2022 Reading Challenge page. I am thinking about my goal for 2023 and while I do not want to go crazy by picking a larger number I could not possibly hit, I do want to do more than twenty books for 2023. I am thinking I will probably increase it by five and go for twenty-five for 2023. I was ahead of schedule during 2022 on my target, but I would have to double the effort to hit thirty books if I go that high. Granted, there were weekends and evenings where I could have been reading but decided to watch television, sleep, or just relax, but it is possible I could increase the time I spend reading which would help me to meet a higher goal. We will see what I select for my new reading challenge.

I have always enjoyed reading when I made time to do so. I enjoy getting into a story and escaping through the story to whatever setting the author is describing. I am happy to say that reading is a part of my regular day that I make sure to complete no matter what and I intend to keep this going through 2023.

What are your favorite books? Do you have one to recommend based on the series I have read? You can connect with me on GoodReads through my profile.

My Book Reading Experience Has Peaks and Valleys… Right Now on a Peak! I am Enjoying Reading for Fun! #books #reading

A few times a year, I find myself reading for fun. I would not call myself an avid reader, but I do enjoy reading. Of course I spend every day reading a lot of email, information, etc., for work, but sitting down to read is not something I do regularly or at least most years. The past few weeks, I have found myself reading in the evening, weekends, and often times as I go to sleep. I have started reading when riding the bike on my regular workouts which is a nice change and helps to make the time pass as I ride. 

My book reading is typically read for a few weeks, finish a book, and then I stop reading for a period of time. As 2021 ended, I started a series which I have found I really enjoy. There are seven books in the series and I have read four of them so far. I set my GoodReads profile goal this year to read 20 books. I am at 2 of 20 so far to start 2022.

The series I stumbled across is the Rachel Hatch series by L.T. Ryan. Easy reading and they keep my interest. I am taking a little break from them currently and reading another book but I plan to go back to the Rachel Hatch series once I am done with The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels. I recently joined a book reading club which I have never done before. This one is through Washburn University and you can join it too by visiting https://washburn.pbc.guru/. The book being reviewed at this time is A Gentleman in Moscow. I am currently on a waiting list from the library to get the book. Estimated to be 16 weeks, so I am hoping to get the book in time to review before the first part of March. 

So, I am interested to participate in the book reading club and to discuss books with others from the Washburn community. If you are not a member of GoodReads, I would encourage you to do so. A popular site to track books you are reading, want to read, or connect with others with similar interests. I have been a member of GoodReads since 2013. If you check my profile at GoodReads, you will see if I have not read that many books in the nine years since I joined (78 read books). 

This year, I am hoping to change my GoodReads stats for reading and meet my goal of 20 books for the year if not surpass the goal I set of 20 books. As I mentioned earlier, I read a lot throughout the week as most of us do relying on email for our work. I read a lot of documents, I stay updated on news by reading the local paper (online of course), and I read a lot in my job to stay current on technology. 

I forget how much I enjoy reading until I become entrenched in a story. When I get a good book that takes me to where ever the story is happening, I can make the movie in my head and I find I dream of the story of the book too at night when I am sleeping. The story becomes so real, that I cannot wait to get back to the book to see what is happening and what will happen next. In the past, I have read books that later go on to be movies (i.e. The Woman in the Window, The Girl on the Train, The Client, etc.) where I think what I had in my mind is better than what was depicted on the big screen. Still, it is fun to read the books and then see how the director plays out the story.

A few books, I have had problems finishing. Carrie will recommend them to me and I will start, but they are difficult to read or do not keep my interest. I will start them, read a few chapters, and then stop reading. Sometimes I will start a book and read it over the course of a few months between either not reading at all or reading other books and going back to pick up where I left off to read more of the book. It is fun to find a good book, or series, that keeps my interest and helps me to go back to reading to find out what will happen next. 

We will see where I am at in another five to six months to see where I am at in my reading challenge of 20 books for the year, but I am hoping to be to about ten by that time… if not more. More on this later this year as I continue by reading journey.

What are your favorite books? Do you have any series that you enjoy that you would share? You can see my GoodReads Profile to see what I have read, or those I want to read, and make suggestions, I am open to checking out new titles.

Happy reading…

Reading Books, Goodreads, and Goal for End of Summer Reading

I am in no way an avid reader. I go through spurts where I read a lot and then other times where I read very little. I might go months without picking up a book to read. When I am taking classes and reading textbooks, I typically do not read at all. My summer class recently ended and I told myself I am going to try and read as much as I can between now and when the fall semester class starts which will be in the middle of October. So, I should have a chance to read a lot between now and then.


My Goodread profile was created back in 2013. During that time, I have not read many books at only 63. I think my most productive year of reading was last year. I pick up books that look interesting from the cover or a brief read of the info about the book from Goodreads. I have started a few books and then end up abandoning because I do not find it interesting. I need to rely more on the recommendations of other Goodreads friends as it seems that when I do find a book that sounds interesting it sometimes is not great and it takes a while to get through those as it is difficult to keep focus on the book.

Carrie has recommended a few books to me and one that I loved was Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime Discovery. It was a book I could not set down and found it inspiring to read about a true story of life in space. If you have not read the book, I highly recommend picking it up and enjoy the read.

I am always looking for new books to add to my read list, so if you have a recommendation, please feel free to comment on this post or friend me on Goodread profile to recommend a book.

My current book is Say You're Sorry (Morgan Dane #1) which I think I got for free through Amazon and being a Prime member. It is one of those books I started back in December, my spring class started, I did not read at all, summer class started, and I did not read, so I picked it back up the middle of July and continued reading. The book has been entertaining and I am almost done with it. In fact, I should finish it today as I am at 93% complete. Overall, I am enjoying this book that I found for free on Amazon.

Other than the books I get through Amazon, I typically get books from our local library through Overdrive. I only read electronic books and only on my Kindle. I sometimes will read with the Kindle app on my iPhone if I do not have my Kindle reader. Makes it nice as it syncs up from both devices including the computer. I know my mom, and others, enjoy the feel of a book in their hands while they are reading, but I prefer the e-book to a real book.

My goal is to finish two books before the fall semester begins in the middle of August. Not my semester, as my semester does not start until the second eight weeks of the fall semester as I mentioned earlier. But, I want to finish two books before the semester begins. If I give myself a goal, it helps to be able to stay on track and motivate for reading at least a chapter each day.

Please post a comment if you have book recommendations or connect with me on Goodread profile to share book recommendations. I would love to hear from you or connect with others on discussion of books.