Happy Monday! As I mentioned in my last post, August was a full month! I definitely saw a lot of great things, connected with some great people and logged a lot of miles. I also took over 4,000 photos and that does not even include ones that other people took for me on their phones and shared! Buckle up and stick around to find out more!
As always, I'd love to hear what you're up to! Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix!
Where was I? Montana, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska & Iowa (phew, that was a mouthful!)
What country related books or documentaries did I watch?
Read: NONE! My reading in August was basically non-existent
Watched: NONE! Woof.
Did I complete any other items on this year's looking forward list?
✅New food <-- Huckleberry bear claw, which is a big thing in the Glacier NP area (my take? Despite loving bear claws and huckleberries, I found it a bit overrated!)
✅New beer (*new category) <-- too many to count! However, my favorite was Mustaches and Man Buns! How's that for a name?
✅ New States <-- Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota (which leaves me with only three more to finish all 50!)
✅ New National Parks <-- Cuyahoga Valley, Indiana Dunes, Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone & Badlands (+ Mt. Rushmore, which is not an NP)
✅ New thing <-- So many! Here is one: Floating on the Flathead River, which reminded me of my childhood (we did A LOT of rafting and tubing)
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1. What is the name of last month's chapter?
January: Devouring the Sweet Potato
February: Back in the Groove
March: Serenity Before the Storm
April: Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
May: The Ring of Fire and Ice
June: On The Road Again
July: A River Rides Through It
August: That's What Friends Are For
August was the month of visiting and hanging out with friends, both new and old. My oldest friend I visited was from high school and I had not seen her in about six years!
2. What did I learn last month?
I learned a lot about capitals and capitols! We visited four state capitol buildings, Bismarck, Helena, Pierre and Lincoln, and in that I learned a lot about the buildings themselves, the towns and the states as a whole. For example, I did not know a lot about the Montana gold rush, or the fact that North and South Dakota are the 39th and 40th state, but this was not deliberately chosen; the papers for statehood were shuffled around, making it fair that one would be first and the other second but not actually choosing one over the other to be ahead in line.
My quick take on capitols: there are lots of circles!
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| Various things found in ND, MT, SD, NE (Check out Birchie's blog for more detail coming soon!) |
3. What was the weather like?
It varied. The weather in Montana was great, but very smoky. Then Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota were humid and hottish. North Dakota, Montana (again), Wyoming were good temperatures (50s- 80s for the most part) and not humid. South Dakota was hot (90s) but not humid, then as we headed back east, the humidity came back! I am not sure I am cut out to live in the Midwest, more due to humidity than the extreme cold (I lived in Iowa over a winter and it got down to -30 f, but I still think that's better than super humid!!!)
4. What event last month was my favorite?
This is too hard to choose, so I will do some quick bullets.
- Staying with my HS friend and going tubing with her, having great catch ups and hanging out.
- Hiking in the Bob Marshall Wilderness with Bugsy
- Seeing many bison in the wild
- Visiting five national parks, including some sleepers
- Many small exploratory hikes and runs
- Meeting Doggo
- Meeting several bloggers IRL for the first time
- Meeting up with several bloggers for a second (or more) time
....and too many more to list!
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| A taste of the national parks. (stay tuned for more) |
5. What was the best thing read, listened to or watched last month?
Book: On the Banks of Plum Creek (one of only TWO books I read this month! 😒)
Movie/Show: Traitors UK (I had seen an episode or two before, but Birchie and I started watching it from the beginning)
Podcast: Elisabeth's two interviews on BOBW and The Reframe
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
I liked the story about how Helena actually cheated in order to get the capital status, and this was not found out until much later when restoration work was being done on some of the officials old houses and they found a bunch of hidden votes (for the other city of Anaconda)!
7. What am I looking forward to this month?
Catching up on admin, having a routine, and seeing another old friend or two!
Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.
AUGUST:
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.
SEPTEMBER:
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
Bonus question! Tell me about your oldest friend! When was the last time you saw them?
Title: 4,000 Miles & 4,000 Memories
ReplyDeleteLearn: What didn't I learn last month? The correct term for a flag raised halfway is half staff and not half mast. Your mom used to work for the post office so you take pictures of post offices that you see on the road to send to her. All about jackalopes. What bison scat looks like. The dirty deets about the selection of Helena as the capital. All about Crazy Horse...I'm only scratching the surface here.
Weather: humid and warm at home, and then what you said for the rest.
Recent listens/watches: what you said!
Funny story: too many to count! One is that we stopped at a liquor store to buy beer for your friend in SD. We weren't sure what to buy and so we just got one beer to try before buying a six pack. We knew we couldn't drink it in the store so we told the clerk that we would be "back in a minute". She obviously can't condone us drinking beer outside, but she wants to help us so she says "there's a table out back where you can smoke". We go outside and "smoke" aka try the beer, decide that we like it, so you went back into the store through the back while I walked around the front with the open can of beer. Meanwhile the clerk was sitting out front and smoking, and her back was toward me. Since there was no way for her to know that you were in the store, I said, "hi, we liked the beer and my friend is inside to buy more". Unfortunately she was not expecting me so when I spoke it scared her and she screamed. I felt so bad that I scared her after she went out of her way to help us, but it was also funny.
Looking forward to: everything! I have some fun friends events this month and I'm working on my next trip.
4,000 memories indeed! I also had trouble narrowing things down, as everything was fun, new and interesting! Ten states, new runs, hikes and walks, new faces and places; it was all a blast. I am sure your next month will be great too, as time with new friends is always good. And of course, planning travel and travelling is my bailiwick, so I'm on the same page as you with that.
DeleteThe poor ady that you scared came back in and told us that you had scared the $hit out of her!
My VERY oldest friend lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have very little in common nowadays other than fond memories, and it was really nice to see her and catch up when I went there in 2023. I met her in pre-school or kindergarten, not sure which, because it was the same school, I went for a couple of years - my mom was the teacher, and it was a Montessori school My friend’s name is Aimee, and she has inherited her parents house, the same one she lived in as a kid. I think she splits her time between California and Alaska, but I’m not sure, she may be full time up there now, she’s running for office!
ReplyDeleteMy other oldest friends are Neva, whom I met in 6th grade, and Rosemary (my BFF), whom I met in 9th grade. I saw them both in August! It was a great month for me, friend wise.
Wow, you had a lot of great visits! Don't you love it when it feels as if time has not even passed? I have quite a few HS friends who I feel that with for sure! My oldest friend is from her birth, which was two months after mine! We were out in the crib together and grew up side by side.
DeleteWhat an epic adventure.
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? August. Busy, Overwhelming, and Done!
2. What did you learn last month? That I'm ready for a return to routine.
3. What was the weather like where you are? Pretty nice, but enough rain we didn't have to worry about forest fires nearly as much as other recent summers.
4. What event last month was your favorite? Getting our privacy fence installed.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I really enjoyed Gone With the Wind. What an epic read.
7. What are you looking forward to this month? BACK TO SCHOOL! Routine!!
P.S. Thanks for the podcast shoutouts. They were really fun and the timing was perfect with your road trip ;)
GWTW in a great book! I probably read it for the first time when I was in my early teens and it was good then and is still good now! I also enjoyed the movie in both eras. I am sure you are happy to have the kids back in school and also to not have to be moving around as much! I also enjoy getting back into my routine and am looking forward to that a lot! Your podcasts were fun and a nice way to bring you with us on our trip!
Delete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? All garden, all the time.
ReplyDelete2. What did you learn last month? I learned that Berlin is deep in what used to be East Germany, as opposed to half in East, half in West, which is what I thought it was, this WHOLE TIME. How did I get to this point without knowing that? I am ashamed!
3. What was the weather like where you are? Summer! A bit smoky for about half the month, but beautiful temps around 30 every day.
4. What event last month was your favorite? I had a visit from Suzanne and a visit from my dearest oldest friend (longtime, not age, she's slightly younger than me)
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I declared last month to be Reread Month, so I reread 9 out of 14 books, all fantastic. I also read Good People, Kin, Silver Sparrow, and The Sweet Spot, which were five star reads for me as well.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. Nothing funny ever happens to me! Lol. I'm sure something did but you know I can never remember. Come back to me, I'm sure it will occur to me when I'm doing my yoga practice or something.
I am so glad that you got to meet up with your oldest friend! (my oldest time-wise is also younger than me!) August is the month of friend meet ups, I guess! I have heard good things about Good People and I have it on my holds list! I am happy that you liked it and I am looking forward to reading it. I am sure something happened to you that is funny; you always have run ins in the grocery store and on the walking paths that seem funny to me. It will come to you! Re Berlin, I saw your post on that, and I think that I never really pictured what it looked like either. History fail!
DeleteWhat a month you've had. I've enjoyed following along with your travels on Birchie's blog.
ReplyDeleteI learned the joy of delegating a dreaded task to G.
We've been watching the latest season of Silo, which I love.
The weather here is mostly cold but sunny at least half the time, and my favourite event was our City2Surf weekend.
I am glad that Birchie is better at keeping up with the postings than I am! I have really been struggling with my routine (or lack thereof!) lately and keeping up with posting moved down to the bottom of my list! Delegating is so satisfying, but why is it sometimes so hard!? I often just "do it myself" but sometimes it is nice to have help or pass it on; however, I rarely do! I am glad its not been too cold there and am sure you are getting ready for spring!
Delete1. Sweet summertime!
ReplyDelete2. I google a lot of random things and the one that stands out is when Phil and I were watching the PGA Tour Championship. I love to go down the rabbit hole about people, so I googled Scottie Scheffler's Caddie because I thought he looked a bit old but Phil did not agree. I could not determine his age but before he caddied for several PGA pros, he was a professional foosball player. I had no idea that was a thing.
3. It was hot and humid for much of the month but that's summer in Minnesota.
4. Hosting you guys, my book club, and spending the week with my parents!
5. I loved "Voicemails for Isabelle" on netflix. I rarely watch movies but had a free night on Sunday while Phil was working. It was a delight.
6. This isn't funny exactly but yesterday at OTF, I had to run to the bathroom and throw up after the treadmill part of the workout. I don't know if I overdid it or my breakfast didn't sit well or what. But I rallied and went back into the studio for the weights portion of the workout. I was so relieved I made it to the bathroom as I started to gag when I was on the treadmill!!
My longest friendship is my cousin that I grew up with. Does a family member count? I saw her this summer at our 4th of July gathering and we had the best time. Phil loves her partner so we always enjoy catching up with them.
Sweet summertime indeed! It has been a really good one (which in my world means no rain) and I am going to be sad for it to end! I love that you Google random things! I love doing that and often find out a lot more than I bargained for. I did not know that the caddies would be prior professional sports players, but I do know that a lot of those guys do switch sports, like Michael Jordan! I will have to check out VM for Isabelle! Putting it on my TBW list!
DeleteMy oldest friend lives in our hometown, and I was lucky enough to see her just over a year ago! We were supposed to get together this year, but the stars didn't align. Sometimes, we go years without seeing one another in person. Sometimes, like 2024/25, we get to see each other twice in a twelve-month span.
ReplyDeleteYour August sounds extremely fun and busy, and it seems like your eyes were WAY too busy taking in the sights and drinking in friends to read a lot, and that's okay!
My experience with huckleberries is that the best huckleberry is straight off the bush.
I agree re huckleberries! I love them and often see them in the wild and I spend more time eating them than hiking!! I also love bear claws, but these were a bit too doughy and maybe had too many (is that even possible) huckleberries too! They were okay but not stellar! Too bad you didn't get a chance to see your friend this year, but I am sure you will make time next year! Sometimes things just don't line up. This year I was lucky to see MANY people, but last year it was a lot less, that is for sure!
DeleteYou had a delightfully busy month!
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? Gratitude.
2. What did you learn last month? I learned all about you, Birchie, and J! So fun!
3. What was the weather like where you are? Hot and dry with many days of smoke.
4. What event last month was your favorite? A good eye appointment and blogger meetups!
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I listened to The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. I was trimming my fingernails at my desk. One went flying, hit my water glass that was sitting on the top shelf of the desk, then bounced back to land on the paper towel I was using to keep things tidy. I couldn't repeat that again if I tried!
7L What am I looking forward to in September? Oooooh, I got a fun surprise today and I can't wait to write about it!
It was a great month! I am glad that I was a part of your month, and that you could learn new things about all of us! We enjoyed learning about you, and cattle, and tractors! :) Did you enjoy Emma M. Lion? I did, and even binged ALL the books while riding my bike, so now I am caught up (sad face) and have to wait for the next one(s) to be released! Generally with series, I wait until they are all out and then binge the entire one, because I hate waiting! OMG your fingernail! It knew where it needed to be, I suppose. I can't wait to hear about your September surprise!
DeleteTraitors UK!!!! One of my faves. Claudia is sensational.
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? The Month Where Everything Was Too Much
2. What did you learn last month? I did quite a lot of research about cognitive biases for a recent podcast episode I recorded.
3. What was the weather like where you are? Rainy! It was so needed.
4. What event last month was your favorite? Bedazzling book club.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I'm finally all caught up on Emma M. Lion so I'm sad I don't have any new books to read until Vol 9 releases. I also really enjoyed Enormous Wings.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. At bedazzling book club, the very first thing I did was open one of the gem kits wrong and caused a whole bunch of gems to fall to the floor. We had to get a broom out and I'm sure my friend will be finding gems for months to come.
7. What are you looking forward to this month? Football!
We finished season 1 and now I am starting on season 2! I am glad you got rain; we also need it but it has not really happened! It was almost 100 in CA last week and we are dry, dry, dry! I don't really want too much snow, but a good snow year would be really a blessing this year! I enjoyed Emma M. Lion but was sad to realize that there were going to be 20 something volumes so I am going to have to wait for each one in real time! I usually binge an entire series at once, so this is going to be hard for me to wait for each of them! Do you have any thoughts about who she will end up with in the end (or maybe it will be nobody?)
DeleteWell, I knew a lot about your month from Birchie's recaps! That trip really sounds amazing. If I had to come up with a name for last month's chapter it might be: August- wait, what? But I might have already used that for other months. I'm thinking I need some mindfulness exercises or something so these months don't just fly by.
ReplyDeleteWeather- BLAH.
Best thing I watched- preseason football!!! Oh and if I had to pick an event (the month is all coming back to me now) it might be our first high school football game.
September- I'm looking forward to my fall reading TBR, football, and... hurricanes? No, not looking forward to that. Looking forward to the weather cooling down, but it won't happen till October.
Football! I bet you are super excited for the season to get started for real! I love the transition periods, and the end of one season. I think its nice to have the change to realize what we miss and/or are looking forward to! I hope that it starts to cool down for you soon, and that there are NO hurricanes!
DeleteWhat a full August! My month was definitely a lot less eventful (or scenic!). My oldest friend is from Kindergarten and I saw her the last time in April for my big birthday party back home (and some other friends that go back to elementary school) and it was wonderful. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is great that you got to see your old friend! I am sure that was nice. I like that the old friends know you, good or bad, and so you can move past the small talk and just be yourself! That is priceless. I am sure your month was great, even if it was not scenic!
DeleteThis was such a full months. I would need a vacation. So I guess an admin month is kinda like a reset and restructure month. Where will you be? Home for a change?
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to meeting Melissa in September when she is in Berlin. I also have two family birthdays and maybe an impromptu vacation. I am not sure.
Yes, it was a few full months, and I do need a vacation! I will be housesitting for the month of September, with the entire month being in one place, which will be a nice change for sure. Plus it is beginning to be fall and the colors are nice and it is fun to be in the same place where I can see the colors change little by little. Also I have a pup to walk and lots of things to get done (travel planning etc.) so it will be nice to get a bit of a routine down!
Delete