Is it just me, or did May just zoom by? I felt like it did! Maybe because it is my favorite month? Maybe because I was doing stuff, literally moving from one place to the next nearly every day? Whatever it was, it went by fast. Oh and also, April showers DID bring May flowers, as I saw so many wildflowers! It was awesome.
Where was I? Türkiye and Georgia.
What about you? Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix!
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?
January: Baguettes and Many Steps
February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii
March: Wet and Wild
April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too
May: Al Fresco
(in reference to both being outside and also seeing a lot of art!)
2. What did you learn last month?
I learned a lot about the Hittites, the Christians and the Ottomans and how the lands in this part of the world were fought over. I was really fascinated by the caves in Cappadocia and the history of the Christians hiding in them, as well as the takeover by the Ottomans and the subsequent years after that. Some of the ruins or structures are BC (like Hieropolis, shown below) and that just blows my mind. I really am in the cradle of civilization and it is all so interesting! However, I did not even visit some of the oldest sites, like Göbekli Tepe, which is said to have been inhabited from around 9,500 BC! Woof! I still have so many places on my list to visit and learn about, like additional places in Türkiye, places like Israel and Jordan and...oh man, the list goes on and on and on!
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| Ani, Türkiye |
3. What was the weather like where you are?
It has been great for the most part. The last few days of the month were rainy, but I will take it! Being outside most of the time (hiking) has been great, sunny, and I even got a bit of a sunburn on a couple of the days (I put cream on, I swear!)
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| This shirt is for sun protection, not cold |
4. What event last month was your favorite?
I had a few extra days and I decided to go to a small town in the Caucasian mountains and I am so glad that I did and I could have easily stayed for another week; it was so beautiful and the people were nice, and the food was good, and I could hike right from my doorstep. It was perfect. (see photo above)
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?
I am going to tell this in book, movie/show, podcast format.
Book: I had a lot of fours, but no five stars, but I did enjoy The Firekeepers Daughter, The Drums of Autumn (4th Outlander, although not as good as the first one), and The Island of Missing Trees.
Movie/Show: N/A, again! But I watched a lot of nice sunrises!
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| Obligatory horse and balloon sunrise photo |
Podcast: I have been trying to listen to the news in French or Spanish at least once a week, but I am failing miserably. I just don't have the patience to really concentrate that hard at the moment.
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
I don't know if this is funny, or just weird, but I was hiking to a glacier and as I was walking on a road leading up to the trailhead, there was a dude on a bike with no shirt on who would pass me, and then he would stop and do exercises, and then I would pass him, and then he would pass me, and then he would stop and I would pass him. Anyway, eventually I got to the trail and he and I were still leapfrogging (he was now off of his bike) and so we said hello and introduced ourselves.
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| Bike guy |
Well then he decided that (a) we were friends, (b) I wanted to hear all about him and (c) I must need him to tell me where to go and to help me find the best path. It turns out he was 27 and was a guide who had horses and hiked these trails all the time. Anyway, he was kind of annoying, as I just wanted to take photos and stop and look at stuff and he was adamant that he knew the best way, the best photo ops, the best trail and what I should be doing etc. Long story short, I finally shook him and almost felt like hiding and waiting for him to pass me so I could mosey along on my own.
Fast forward to two days later, I get off a minibus on the outskirts of another town and I ask a German woman if she wants to share a ride into town. She does, and we get to talking about what we had done in the prior town, and she told me she hiked to the glacier, and I told her that I had too and I told her about this guy who kind of wouldn't leave me alone. She said that when she was there, there was a weird shirtless guy doing pushups who started talking to her, and we realized it was the same dude, and this must be his MO, going every day to the trail and picking up on random foreign women. Anyway, he was 0/2 in this case!
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
After moving around a lot (hiking for over two weeks, then pretty much staying in one place only a couple or few days at a time, and being on a lot of buses, trains and minivans), I am once again ready for an extended amount of time in one place. I have a list of (boring, admin, adult) things to do that I have been putting off, because I like to time block and my time has been a little erratic lately. Listen, I know I could have done paperwork instead of hiking, but my sanity depends on my getting fresh air and exercise, so I am not going to sacrifice that! I think June will have a nice mix of city time, nature time, excursions, errands/chores/admin stuff and downtime. Bring it on.
MAY:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?
2. What did you learn last month?
3. What was the weather like where you are?
4. What event last month was your favorite?
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
Bonus question! Where/when was your best sunrise/sunset?
Lololol on the weirdo shirtless guy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were in Georgia! Very cool. I love hot air balloons and so those photos were just up my alley. Hmm...do I have it in me to answer your questions? I'll try but it's early, and if I don't do it now I'll forget to come back.
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? All the garden all the time.
2. What did you learn last month? I learned a lot about the publishing process, particularly hybrid publishing.
3. What was the weather like where you are? Beautiful! Sunny, in the 20s.
4. What event last month was your favorite? Oh lord, I can't remember what happened earlier in the month. Did I have an event? I guess it was a birthday party for my May friends, a movie night with the girls.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I had five five star books in May! Two were rereads (Mansfield Park, Devotions) but the other three were Animal Instinct, What Are You Going Through, Death by a Thousand Cuts.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. I need to have one at the ready for when you ask this every month! I can never think of a thing! Even though THINGS DO HAPPEN.
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? Garden! Reading! Writing!
Ooh, hybrid publishing? What is that? Is it like not quite independent? I would love to hear! I am a bit jealous that you had so many five star reads. I think part of it for me is that I listened to a lot of books and sometimes I do not fully focus when I do that, and so I may not get the impact that I would get if I were focusing on just reading. I actually have not read any of the five books that you mentioned! I know that funny things happen to you, since you can even make the grocery store funny, but I get it; sometimes the stories go away quickly!
DeleteMAY:
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?
Turn Up The Furnace; I'm Still Cold
2. What did you learn last month?
That leftover coffee is good for watering my cyclamen plant.
3. What was the weather like where you are?
Grey, windy, very cool for May, lots of rain
4. What event last month was your favorite?
Memorial Day Weekend at the lake with the whole family: everyone spent two nights and Theo danced on the boat
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?
Last month I found a podcast (I know! I never listen to those!) called Beatles Anomalies, Mysteries, and More. I listened to the episodes on my walks. It's about little hidden things in Beatles songs.
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
I put out peanuts for the blue jays on my front porch every morning. I like to stick them in odd places for the birds to find them; also, it brings them a bit closer so that my cats are entertained from their perch on the back of the couch. I always put a couple of peanuts on the window frames, and the jays swoop in and grab them. One morning, I heard a scratching sound, and here was a squirrel climbing up the screen to get to the peanut on the window frame! The cats were outraged. It was the squirrel I nicknamed ShortStack because she has only half a tail. If that wasn't bad enough, she suddenly let out a jet of pee that hit the storm window (squirrels pee all the time, often to mark territory). Thank goodness the window was closed.
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
Warmer weather! More boat time without sweaters and blankets. My basil coming in strong.
ShortStack! What a cheeky little one! Those squirrels are ambitious! I went to my cousin's house for Thanksgiving last year and his kids were watching a YouTube video where the guy sets up this elaborate obstacle course for the squirrels and it is pretty cool to see how crafty they are, and also how fast they figure it out! I think it is this guy here and it is worth a watch as it is pretty entertaining!
DeleteMAY:
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? "Where are you spring?"
2. What did you learn last month? That 3 weeks of travel in a row is TOO MUCH.
3. What was the weather like where you are? Mostly sh*tty. It was very rainy and cold with one weekend of temps in the 90s. We ran our a/c and heater during the same dang month.
4. What event last month was your favorite? We went to a fun paella party but it fell during the cold snap so I was literally shaking with cold when we left.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? Best book was Crow Mary or Heartwood; best viewing was the episodes of Top Chef although I wish they had moved around Canada more. They were only in Montreal and Calgary, yet the marketing photo for the episode was clearly Banff. But they were mostly in Montreal...
6. Tell us one funny recent story. So at the Paella party, the kids were watching a movie in the garage. Another couple that we are friends with said they hated to tell this story and get Taco in trouble but it was too funny for them not to share. The kids were watching How to Train Your Dragon. They were standing next to Taco and when the dragon started to fly, Taco said: "God D*mmit that thing can fly?" Who do you think he learned those words from? It was NOT ME.
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? I'm going on a 1:1 trip with Will to Chicago at the end of the month. We are also "camping" at a cabin at a state park around Juneteenth. It's our way to dip our toe into camping to see if the boys like it/are hearty enough to go camping.
OMG, Will must have learned that from Paul, as clearly neither you nor Phil are big swearers! Hahah! I was actually surprised that you even said that your weather was "sh*tty!" I am looking forward to binge watching the entire Top Chef season as soon as I get back into a place where my VPN works properly (I have to be able to route it through the US to do it, and for some reason, the last two countries I have been in have a blocker for that), but that is fine with me, as I prefer to watch them all at once rather than wait anyway. Fun fact, the first season, which was set in San Francisco, was actually filmed in Oakland/Alameda, and my brother's friend, who was a wine maker, bought the location and it still had the Kenmore appliances in it. Another fun fact, even though they said it was San Francisco, any time they did a challenge in the city, you could see them driving over the Bay Bridge to get there! If you Google it, you can't find anything about it though!
DeleteOh BOO, creepy bike guys are still a thing? Even when I was in France there was a creepy bike guy who completely ruined my walk on the Cap de Nice footpath! (over 30 years ago.) Ugh. I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but how hilarious that you met someone who had encountered him! Do these guys actually have success with their annoyingness?
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? May showers and flowers!
2. What did you learn last month? I learned about octopuses!
3. What was the weather like where you are? Rainy, but also nice. I loved it!
4. What event last month was your favorite? Celebrating mother's day with my beautiful mom.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I listened to Remarkably Bright Creatures and loved it.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. I ordered a little TV tray to put beside my recliner, and when it arrived, it had to be assembled. There was a really nice-looking screwdriver in the box and I thought, "Wow! That's the nicest screwdriver I've ever seen in a hardware packet!" On the first twist, I snapped the screwdriver in half! It was like the handle was made of sponge. Hubby came home and saw the broken screwdriver, and we had a good laugh about me not knowing my own strength!
I have never seen a assembly packet that has that kind of tool, but I would not expect them to be very strong, as oftentimes the furniture you are assembling is not that strong! However, maybe you have been working out? I think you should go to the local bar and challenge the closest cowboy to an arm wrestling contest! :) Yes, there are creepy guys everywhere. I have a lot more of these stories, and luckily none have ended badly, but there is a creepy guy in every country. I was in Paris walking down the street when a guy approached me and was speaking in French and I said (in French) that I don't speak French and he said something along the lines of "well you just did!" and I eventually had to tell him (in French) to f*** off. I mean, if you are going to learn another language, that is a handy phrase to learn first! Haha. He finally did leave me alone but I was very uncomfortable.
DeleteI know I would find that part of the world fascinating. I will have to put it on my to-visit list, which, of course, is very long.
ReplyDeleteMAY:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? Road Trip UK
2. What did you learn last month? I learnt that once puffins can fly they spend their first five years at sea before returning to where they were born to breed.
3. What was the weather like where you are? Sunny. for the whole of May, both in the UK and Australia I only had one light shower.
4. What event last month was your favorite? I'm going to have to choose two—Mount Snowdon Summit and seeing puffins.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? - I read the Lathe of Heaven which has been on my TBR for ages and I finally picked up a copy in a bookshop in Hay-on-Wye.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. - I'm sure there was something but nothing comes to mind right now.
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
Sorry forgot to put in my name.
DeleteOh, how interesting about the puffins! So they are kind of like salmon a little bit? And also, they don't breed until they are five? How long do they live? Okay, I just Googled it; they can live up to 36 years old in some cases! I never would have guessed. Thank you for that! Also, did you see puffins in the UK? I am obviously very naive about puffins, but I thought they were from jungle places, or maybe snowy lands, like one of the poles, or Greenland. Wow, I just realized I know basically nothing about puffins.
DeleteWe caught a boat out to Skomer Island off the coast of Wales. You have to book in advance (when my husband was looking up the details of where to go he was shocked that the trips were sold out until July). They drop you off and you have five hours five hours on the island. Puffins nest on a number of offshore UK islands (probably elsewhere as well) but only where there are no rats, cats, foxes and other predators.
DeleteI think I need to look into that. I have never seen a puffin and I think that would be very fun.
DeleteMAY:
ReplyDelete1. California Girl
2. There is no cell service in Muir Woods, which is a problem if you’re using ride shares for transportation. I never for a moment considered that I would not have cell service so close to San Francisco.
3. It’s still on the cold side with SO MUCH RAIN back home. California was a delight with zero clouds and zero rain, but there hasn't been much drought yet so everything is green. It was in the 80s in Sacramento and high 60s in San Fran.
4. All of the California trip, especially meeting San and Julie. The three of us had dinner the first night and then I had 1:1 time with both of them later in the trip.
5. Media run down:
- Books – sweet sweet redemption after April’s reading slump. Caroline, Go As A River, and Sky Daddy.
- Movies – Lady Bird
6. I wish. I just don’t remember anything. On a related note, I did not start a line a day journal which I pondered doing in my April recap
JUNE:
7. I have a lot of small, fun things planned. Jenny and I are reading Gone With the Wind together, and I’m touring a lighthouse this weekend. Beyond that TBD. I don’t think that I will ever catch up on blogging.
Ha to your number 2! I actually assume (always) that I will NOT have cell service because I grew up in a place that still doesn't have it. So when these city dwellers don't download things offline (I am not talking about you!), and then are flummoxed when their maps or Spotify doesn't work, I am always the one to whip out my phone and save the day. Yes, I am bragging a little but this is why my trail name is Prepper. I have an irrational fear of not being prepared sometimes.
DeleteThe best month to go to the part of CA that you went to is...May. In San Francisco it is not too cold or foggy; inland it is not too hot (I think it has been over 100 in recent days) and the hills are still green. It is my favorite time to run near Julie's house; otherwise it is brown and HOT.
I loved Gone With The Wind and can say that it is one of the books that I have read more than once! I also love the movie, but I wonder if it is because it is one of those OG ones, or if it really is good. I guess I have to watch it again!
OMG, the weird shirtless guy! That's so damn annoying. I'm glad you were able to shake him! And how crazy to meet another woman who ALSO had a run-in with him.
ReplyDeleteMAY:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? New Experiences, New (Fur) Nephew
2. What did you learn last month? How expensive dental cleaning is for cats! Oof.
3. What was the weather like where you are? HOT. It's summer. It's hot. That is all.
4. What event last month was your favorite? Going to a drag show with a friend! It was my first one and just so HAPPY.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? Best thing I read is a toss-up between The Third Gilmore Girl and Look Closer. And the best thing I watched was Dirty Dancing!
6. Tell us one funny recent story. Ugh, meeting my new fur-nephew Moose was hysterical because he's a 60-lb lap dog who just wanted to lay directly on my mom the entire time we were there!
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? We're doing a dolphin cruise for book club, which should be fun! And I'm going to pet-sit for Chip and Lucy one weekend.
Yeah, weird shirtless guy was weird. Oh a drag show! I used to go to those in San Francisco and they were a ton of fun. When I worked in retail, I worked with a guy who would dress up on the weekends and he was stunning! I went to a "beauty contest" with him and they did a swimsuit section, and I had to ask him where they put their junk! I learned a lot of fun stuff from him! Do you know that I have never seen Dirty Dancing? It was all the rage when I was young, but my Mom would not let me watch it, and by the time I got old enough to do so, I didn't really care. I lived in Florida for a summer and New Orleans for several of them and I could do without the heat AND humidity. Although last summer I was in Wisconsin and that was pretty bad too!
Delete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? May is Crazy.
ReplyDelete2. What did you learn last month? May is crazy, and I'm in need of a break from parenting!
3. What was the weather like where you are? Rainy and cold. Argh. There was some sunshine, but there was so. much. rain.
4. What event last month was your favorite? Even though it drained all my energy reserves, I really enjoyed the busy weekend full of kid finales. Indy's choir concert (which was spectacular), Belle's drama production (awesome) and her baptism (so special).
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I loved Beautiful Ugly and The Clockmaker's Daughter
6. Tell us one funny recent story. Yesterday, my husband took our son to a local field to play soccer. It started to pour but they kept on playing. I guess when he got in the car, Indy went very quiet and then said - after a long pause - "Dad, this was one of the best days of my life." I wasn't there (I'm in NB), but it melted my heart and made me so happy. His life has been pretty short, but I love that he had such a fond memory of that time spent alone with Dad.
JUNE:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? The next few days at my parents and then hopefully lots and lots of sunshine.
I love the story about Indy; that must have been so satisfying for your husband! I love that Indy felt that way AND that he was able to express it without hesitation; that is the best part! I am always amazed when people can be so raw and honest about their feelings!
DeleteOh my gosh that weirdo shirtless guy.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny until its not and I can never really tell when the tipping point is so I try to avoid these situations.
Again it sounds like your months has been wonderful with so many great excursions. I live so much closer to these places then you and yet here you are traveling and seeing it all. I might develop some travel envy.
Yes, weird shirtless guy was weird! It was kind of "funny until it isn't" but luckily it never got to "it isn't" in a bad way! However I was staying in a pretty small town where all the locals probably know each other and I was wondering if I would run into him the next day or something, which luckily I did not!
Delete