I received this as an audiobook.  Although not my favorite format, I  downloaded it to my iPod as my “Hawaiian beach read” and started listening to it on the six-hour plane ride.  Wow ... this felt like one of my quickest and best plane rides ever. The aircraft was packed and I just closed my eyes and shut out the world and immersed in the story of Andy a 37-ish woman, navigating her way through the complexities of life, love, family and relationships.

Andy meets Ethan, falls in love and marries him.  All she has ever wanted was a baby and a family of her own. As it turns out, she cannot get pregnant. Ethan came to the marriage with two daughters and for him adoption is out of the question. Andy, heartbroken, must come to terms  with this. The older daughter Emily is nothing but trouble and Andy’s  relationship with her is terrible at best. Lots of bad stuff happens…

Flip to part two which is mostly about Emily.
The author gives you the perspective from both sides. Emily constantly struggles with self-esteem issues and her connection with both her real mother and father and her turbulent relationship with Andy.  Anyone who has gone through these dilemmas can probably relate.

This book is an easy read and I found the deeper I got in the more I liked it. There was a fair bit of whining from both the women but I guess I would probably do the same thing if my life were as complicated (not in a good way) as theirs.  A tad long for what it was I still enjoyed it over the whole. I would guess that any woman who has ever struggled with these issues would probably feel compassion for all the characters.

I enjoyed having the actual author Jane Green read this.  She read it with passion and during emotional scenes you know this is really how she meant it to sound.  It was worth a “listen”.

--

Thank you, Traveling Pat for your review of Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green

Pre-order on Amazon: Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green

An article from Traveling Pat!

Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.
--

The planning was done…the ride was on.  Oh dear I hadn’t given it much thought and for sure there wasn’t enough time left to get in really good shape.  Well bonus…turns out you don’t have to be in good condition for this one.  Paved flat railway beds with the smallest of grades means this is a bike ride that almost anyone can do.

Our plan (with friends Linda and Ron)…. Ride The trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s in Idaho.

The first day we drove to Plumber, unpacked the bikes and started off on a 20 mile ride to Harrison on Coeur d’Alene Lake.

The trail follows the old union pacific railway and spans almost the whole panhandle of Idaho.

From the get go I was in heaven. No hills, just superb scenery and great camaraderie.  Riding through the chain lakes region on our way to Harrison we passed through a pristine eco system ranging from narrow mountain valleys to low marshlands.   There are trail heads bathrooms etc making it all rather civilized. 

Rode into Harrison, the largest town on Coeur D’Alene Lake.  Boasting a whopping 267 population the place is quirky and fun.  The upcoming events to see consisted of the “Pig in the Park festival”, “June Bug Craft Fair” and the ever-famous “Haul Ass to Harrison Show and Shine”…

 The Lakeview Lodge, our home for the evening was on the water and just steps from all the action.  Speaking of action, One-shot Charlie’s was definitely calling to us.  We had a powerful thirst after all that riding.

The distant aroma of coffee and something baking got us up and attem the next morning.  It was 25 miles until our lunch break.  (The men were tough taskmasters!)  Just as we were about to start off the rain began but undaunted I procured a lovely off blue transparent garbage bag to use as a raincoat. (Very stylish) The motto from my Girl Guide days of “Be Prepared” had been long forgotten.  Twit twit tawoo…or was that brownies?  Whatever.

 We rode and rode and rode (sun was out again) along the lake and through marshes and I was off in my own little world when out of the blue… Rocky and Bullwinkle appeared just off the trail. Is anyone old enough to remember them?  What I mean is 2 moose…or is that mooses?

Finally we get to our lunch spot.  The infamous SNAKE PIT.  Talk about local color. Back in the day 1897ish it was in its heyday as a railroad hotel layover. On the façade at the front there were horns with the skull of a bull with two red bulbs for eyes.  Guess what happened when the eyes lit up?  Yup, you guessed it!  One kind of creepy thing is... back then the privy was outside and because it was in low marshland, water snakes were a common sight when using the loo. Yuck.

We rode and rode and rode some more and finally we get to the silver capital of the world…

The mines around Wallace turned out 1 BILLION oz of silver in the past century and expect 1 billion more in the next.  Wow!  This town is filled with historic buildings and memorabilia stores and even has a plaque proclaiming it to be the center of the universe.  They challenge you to prove it isn’t …..

Anyway Lana Turner lived there and they filmed Dante’s Peak (Pierce Brosnan) and they have a bordello that was open from 1895 to 1988.  Now there is a business with longevity!

 In 1910 the area had the largest fire in American history or maybe the largest fire ever.  It raged across 3 million acres in just 2 days!

A stop along the way

Route of the Hiawatha’s - our final day of riding.

 This day was a 15-mile rail trail, which is described as one of the most scenic stretches of railroad in the country. Winding along the Bitterroot Mountains (don’t you just love that name?) it has 10 tunnels and seven trestles. At one point you ride through an almost 2 mile long pitch-dark tunnel and all you have is a small headlamp and it feels like sensory deprivation.  It’s kind of different (ok scaryish) but a satisfying accomplishment at the end.  

 I was sorry when it ended as I was just getting in the groove.  Maybe next year I will do something just as fun and even a few days longer.  Oh do I hear Europe calling?

--

Thank you, Traveling Pat.

Hope you have a wonderful Friday & a fantastic weekend, friends!  ☼

An article from Traveling Pat!

Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.

In the summer of 2002, I moved to the Okanagan region of British Columbia with my husband following my college graduation.  My in-laws were starting a vineyard at the time.  The beauty was breathtaking.  Since that time we’ve moved to Vancouver and now Northern Idaho.  As Traveling Pat returns to the Okanagan I am thrilled to share with you some of the region's beauty through her article.  Please enjoy! ☺
♥Wendy Irene

--

An engineering marvel not to be missed is only 18 km from the city of Kelowna.  I’m referring to the Myra Canyon trestles. Built between 1910 and 1915 the trestles are part of the legendary Kettle Valley Railroad.

In Aug 2003 a bolt of lightning hit the ground at Squally Point on Okanagan Lake and a fire swiftly spread up the hill and then raged out of control, first burning over 200 homes in Kelowna, then on into Okanagan Mountain Park.  By the time the fire was extinguished several weeks later 12 trestles were destroyed and 2 were damaged.  History gone up in smoke.

Rebuilt in 2005 they are now available for all to enjoy.

Along the way we drove past the posh Gallagher’s Canyon Golf course then made our way into what felt like ever-increasing wilderness. The car bumped and jounced along the dirt washboard road and at one point a gorgeous, healthy looking black bear bounded onto the road, skidded to a stop, took a good look at us then hot footed it back into the bush.  Now we really felt like we were on a mini wilderness adventure!

We strolled along the track bed awed by the breathtaking views and the truly impressive engineering feat.  The information station gives you the skinny on the fire and the wildlife and the track bed is wide and relatively smooth making it easy to bike ride or hike.  Strategically located benches are situated for folks to sit and take in the view, which stretches all the way down to the city and Okanagan Lake, the reported home of Ogopogo, but that’s another story.

--

Thank you, Traveling Pat.

Have a beautiful day, friends!  ☼

An article from Traveling Pat!

Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.

Hard as it is to leave Tucson with its wonderful 80- 90-degree weather every day, plus the luscious joy of an 88-degree swimming pool, we reluctantly commence our journey back to Canada. It’s time for us to head back for the summer. The prize at the end of the rainbow though is to be reunited with our family and friends again.

Jag loaded to the gills we drive up to Northern Arizona and the Navajo Indian reservation.  This area is home to the revered Navajo Code talkers.  Bi-lingual English and Navajo speakers, these brave and clever men created an unbreakable code that confounded the Japanese and contributed greatly to the success of World War 2.

The first day finds us at the

Located in the North Eastern part of the state it is about 140 miles northeast of Flagstaff.

During the 13th century, decedents of the Hopi people lived in cliff dwellings or “pueblos” which were sheltered under gigantic rock formations. In 1907 the discovery of these remarkable monuments from the ancient past electrified historians.  Along with the dwellings they found fabulous Anasazi pottery baskets and even well preserved ears of corn.

This is truly one of nature’s treasures and we were extremely fortunate to be able to see this magnificent spectacle.  Millions of years of water erosion turned a simple creek into an extraordinary slot canyon. In some places it is 100 feet deep and the walls are made up of layer upon layer of sandstone that in turn has formed all kinds of shapes and colour variations.

Just a few years ago out of the blue, on sunny, hot cloudless day water from over 35 miles away cascaded down from the mountain and blasted through the canyon with devastating force.  Unfortunately 11 hikers were in the middle of it.  They didn’t stand a chance.  A lone plaque in front bears the names of the unfortunate victims.  Such is the force of nature.

This area is chock-o-block with breathtaking sites.  These 3,000-foot cliffs loom over the desert floor, towering like majestic fortresses.  We drove past miles and miles of red, brown and pink hues memorized by the enormity of it all.

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Pat

An article from Traveling Pat!

Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.

It was an icy start to the morning, exceptionally cold for Tucson but appropriate for our excursion to the Titanic exhibition. As Aaron and I and our friends Kay and Dave strolled past re-created state rooms, and slightly eerie photos of the grand staircase I cast my mind back to the movie and saw Leo De Caprio looking so very handsome and debonair in his tux and I stood right there with him as he declared himself to be the “King of the World” (Kate Winslet was nowhere in sight for my little day dream.)  Back in the real world we drifted by displays of interesting artifacts.  There were personal items, dishes, silverware, musical instruments, all manor of things, as well as touching stories of the passengers. It was quite a poignant experience for me and I was aware of how much the world is still fascinated by the tragic events leading up to the disaster. The Titanic was a huge footnote in history and an unfortunate testament to man’s arrogance.  1517 souls perished that night April 14th 1912.  Something that gave me pause was that more people died in 2nd and third class than in1st class…. When we purchased our tickets we were given a bio of a person or family that sailed on the ship. At the exit there was a wall plaque listing the names of the survivors, and those that perished.  My bio of the family of 10 were third class passengers and unfortunately did not survive.

Titanic's icy grave

We opted now for a change of pace and made our way to the

The miniature museum though small in scale was big in impact. Immediately we were dazzled by the dollhouse displayed in the lobby and were curious to know what else awaited us.
 
 Entering the gallery we were transported into times both historical and imagined and the artifacts on display allowed us a captivating glimpse of days gone by. The enchanted realm held a special appeal for us as grandparents.  We just knew our grandkids would love to see the fantasy miniatures and collectables.

Details from little rooms to entire villages delighted us at every turn.  The exquisite craftsmanship was evident in the creation of woven tapestries, intricate lace and re-productions of famous oil paintings, all done to a precise scale. No detail was too small or unimportant to be left out. 

There we were …two mature world traveling couples noses pressed to the glass in awe of the artistry and skill employed in creating the teenie, weenie  itty bitty (did I mention small?) dioramas of castles and villages and every day scenes. 

We chuckled to ourselves as we spotted the guys. Our “manly” husbands bent over, carefully inspecting some little aspect of a general store or a child’s bedroom.  We were almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work so naturally our next step was to find an Italian restaurant and have a glass of wine and some yummy pasta end off our great day.
 
Cheers everyone.

An article from Traveling Pat!
Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.

Possibly some of you might remember that recently I was in India.  At one point on my journey my camera conked out and I was unable to send you any pictures of Karni Mata Temple, otherwise known as the HOLY RAT TEMPLE.

Just to re-cap a bit…Legend has it that Karni Mata an incantation of the God Durga, asked Yama the God of Death to restore to life the son of a grieving storyteller. Yama refused because he had already re-incarnated him. Karni Mata was furious at her failure so she cut a deal with Yama that no one would fall into his hands again.  Instead they would be re-born as rats before being re-born back into their tribe.
 
It was smoking hot the day we went there (48C) and I swear I almost got 2nd degree burns running barefoot over the zoiling cement that led to the inside of the temple.  It was UNBELIEVABLE!  20,000 rats live there and trust me this is not a big place.  The furry little varmints are everywhere….scurrying along the floors, railings, walls and crawling all over people.  (The locals live in harmony with the rats) There were dead ones shoved into piles and some lying around dying…  Masses of rat crap all over   Yuck!!  We weren’t doing Canada proud as the whole time we were screeching and flinching and jumping around. A young man took my hand and told me to “no lift feet” It is considered auspicious if one runs across your toes.

Inside the temple the rats are fed grains, milk and coconuts shells from giant bowls.  None of the rats try to run away and interestingly enough no one ever sees the babies. 
 
It was kind of a creepy place and not for everyone (maybe an understatement) but I’m glad I got to see it.

--
Thank you Traveling Pat!

My favorite part is the smiles and laughter on the family's faces :-)  That is what it is all about!

An article from Traveling Pat!
Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.

It was an interesting trip home from Hawaii...

Enjoy! 

ps - my posting times might be a little random over the next few weeks in an effort to spend a little more time offline enjoying the holidays.  Thank you for being here! :-)


♥Wendy Irene

Everything started off fine.  I said my goodbyes and got through security no problem, the plane left on time and I was in a row all by myself.  We landed in Honolulu and it was all going along seamlessly.  Again, on time boarding.  I did have a seat mate this time but as I was in the aisle seat and she didn't bother to acknowledge me when I sat down I felt confident that I would have a good trip home.

As we pulled away from the jet way I opened my mystery novel and settled back for the fairly long 5 1/2 hour flight to Phoenix. The first hint that everything wasn't going to be truly perfect was the silence. Hmmm I thought.  After a few minutes there were the familiar grindings, groaning s and revving of the engine.  I relaxed.  Then silence.  Finally the dreaded "Ladies and Gentlemen this is the captain speaking” Oh cripes!  It turned out the starter on one of the engines was bad so they had to tow us back to the gate and call the mechanics and they would assess the problem and let us know what was what. Fine.  Meanwhile we would receive a complimentary "dry snack" and a glass of water.  Yippee!!  The long the short of it is that an hour later it was fixed and we were on our way.

The flight was scheduled to get in at 11:59 pm.  I left a couple of messages for Aaron to check the flight status because of our situation but I guess he didn't get the message.  Possibly because he rarely checks.  We get in to Phoenix around 1:20 and I rush out and down to the baggage claim and scan the crowd for my husband.  Not there.  Oh well I think he is probably just arriving.  I phone home just in case we had our wires crossed, no answer and call his cell phone, no answer.  I try again and finally he picks up. The conversation goes something like this... "Did my guy get you he asks curtly"?  "Guy" I mumble back".  "Ya Mark."  "Ummmm Mark"? “Do you have a pen"?  "No".   "Well find one” So I fumble around in my pack and as I do I ask "is there something wrong Aaron"? (I was always pretty quick of the mark). “Yes he says, I am half way from Tucson to Phoenix and I had a blow out and those    .......s   at the tire shop never gave us a key for the wheels when they put on the new tires". I have phoned every tow truck company in Casa Grande and no one can change the tire without this thing and I have been sitting on the hwy for 4 hours.  I have a taxi driver coming up to get you...Mark... so you need to call him.  He gives me the # and I call the guy and he and a woman pick me up in their van. How will I recognize you he asks?  I say I have a very purple shirt on and a dazed look on my face.  He spots me right away.

So I get into the back of the van (with strangers) and we head off toward Hwy 10.  It is now around 2:00 am.  The first thing he says to the woman is that the traffic is very heavy on 10 and we will have to go another way.  Lots of traffic at 2 a.m. I croak from the back seat?  They say yes lots of accidents.  So they go on this other route and it is unfamiliar and AZ is very dark at night and I jokingly say “Are you going to kidnap me?"  They were Mexican and didn't appreciate my humor... It is around 50 degrees and I am freezing with my little sandals and capris on.  So I just say forget it and change my clothes right there in the back seat.  Put on my long pants and socks and runners and a pashmina around my neck.  I have been in Hawaii for goodness sake!

Finally we spot the flashers on the freeway and we pull up to meet Aaron.  Our taxi guy was very helpful in getting one of his friends to come with a flat bed truck to take the car and us back to Tucson.  The whole way the guy was ranting away about racial profiling of Mexican's by the US law enforcement.  After that he slipped into the next rant that the US is becoming a socialist country that communism is next. There was a mini rant about the fact the people think that GM is doing better but he shouts out that it is because all the government agencies are required to use GM vehicles! Despite all that we kind of enjoyed the guy.   He dropped us off at 4:30 am. 

Now wide awake we turned on the hot tub poured a glass of scotch and wine and watched cage wrestling until the hot tub got warm enough.  We tore ourselves away from that, had a tub and finally hit the sack.   What a day.

pictures provided by Julie at Maui Vacation Guide  Thank you!

An article from Traveling Pat!
Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.

Today Patricia’s travels take her to Hawaii!!
Enjoy!

♥Wendy Irene

Floating along in our gi-normous white 96 Cadi, tropical air blowing in our faces, excitedly we made our way toward Lahaina.  On one side the ocean sparkled brightly, car pullouts appear here and there, a perfect view stop for the tourists keen to see a glimpse of whales or have a good look at distant islands. On the mountain side an ancient lava rock wall defines the old road to Lahaina, inviting us to drift back in time and imagine what it must have been like for the old Japanese fellow who travelled daily from Wailuku with his truck loaded with produce.  Quite the journey on a rough road with the dust trailing behind and air conditioning still a thing of the future.

Lahaina, once a whaler’s village, still retains the flavor of days past. After poking through the shops we climb up to the Cool Cat Café, a 50s themed diner where we luck out with a perfect view seat enabling us to not only see the water but also to gaze down at the gigantic banyan tree that shades the always interesting weekly local arts and crafts bazaar.

Next off we go to one of my favorite beaches at the Kahekili Beach Park. We wind our way on our sea- side ramble past the luxury open-air hotels, and past all the ensuing action along the way.  Talk about lots of things to do!  We pass windsurfing lessons, condo sellers, water sliders, bathing beauties, exercisers, massage therapists, paddle boarders, scuba divers, snorkelers, golfers, (breathe Pat) whale watchers, sun bathers, divers, walkers, shoppers, and runners. The area tries so hard to cater to their guests that they even have (cough cough) outside designated smoking areas. I had a twinge as I ambled past the castaway café wishing maybe I had waited a bit longer and eaten my lunch there feeling the ocean breeze and relaxing by the water.  We end up at the Hyatt hotel and pay our respects to Roger the resident Parrot, procure a wave from him and make our way back to the park.  Back in the Cadi fed up, shopped out and exercised nicely we head home.  Another fabulous day in Maui.

Self imposed mandatory walk complete, next on the agenda is an excursion upcountry to Kula Lodge. It is 3000 feet in elevation in a lovely garden setting. I have to admit though, I felt a bit chilly way up there.  However it’s a neat place with a restaurant, chalets, a nifty market place and an art gallery featuring local artist Curtis Wilson.

Onward and upward we go and on impulse turn and head to the Alii Kula Lavender farm.  It’s nestled on the slopes of the Haleakala Crater and if I thought it was getting nippy before, add 1000 more feet and my first thought was to rush straight to the gift store and buy a sweatshirt.  Alas all they had for sale was every kind of lavender gift you could think of (they grow 45 different varieties) plus an enticing lavender and scone tea. In my mind it is a pretty “cool” spot to see.

Finally, we wind our way along the narrow road toward our last stop, the Tedeschi winery.  This time we lose some elevation, now we are down to 2000 feet and all thoughts of buying warmer clothing have vanished from my mind.  The air-conditioning comes back on and we drive through astonishingly pretty green hills reminiscent of parts of England.  The views are almost too spectacular because with that big ol car of ours too much gawking at the view can be a dangerous thing!  Anyway bellied up to the bar for the free wine samples, we tasted a refreshing chardonnay, a fruity red blend and their unique pineapple wine.  Happy as heck we head home.

An hour later we are sitting on the ocean shore, glass in hand enjoying the Maui sunset and congratulating ourselves for being so clever as to choose to come to Maui for a vacation.

An article from Traveling Pat!

Patricia is a regular contributor to Give Love Create Happiness.  She has an adventurous spirit with a love for travel.  Follow along with Pat as her journey takes her around the world.


Enjoy!  J

♥Wendy Irene
--

Together again, Barb, Aaron and I.  It’s not India this time but the 3 of us set out for a day trip from Tucson Arizona with our ultimate destination being the Wilcox Wine Festival.  Gassed upped, with a Starbucks traveler we are ready to go.
 
First on the agenda…..The Singing wind bookstore just outside Benson.  By the way, a stones throw up the road from there is Tombstone “the town that was “too tough to die” where the famous shoot out between Wyatt Earp and the Clanton brothers took place.  Worth a quick visit if you are in the area.
 
Anyway you gotta love a bookstore that you get to by driving on a dirt road (no signs that we could see) turning into a working ranch, skirting by the horses and farm equipment and are greeted by a rancher on a tractor waving his hand and saying “Winn’s in back, just ring the bell”. So we did and Winn and her dog Chester came over, welcomed us and gave us the tour. The place is a haven, jammed with an eclectic array of titles and housing an impressive assortment of books chronicling the history of the southwest. The children’s section is so adorable with its antique chairs just waiting for little ones to plunk themselves down and immerse in a story. Anyway with our moods lightened along with our pocket books we forged on toward Wilcox and the promise of some fine Arizona vintages.
 
Wilcox is in the heart of Apache country and when it was established 1880 in it was a cow town and a whistle stop along the railway line.  The wine festival was located right beside the tracks and whenever a train came along the band quit playing and all conversation ended until it finished thundering by.  No problem, it gave us more sipping time! It was also just down from the Rex Allen museum.  In case you don’t remember (and really why would you?) he was a cowboy movie star and singer from the old west days. So there was lots of local color. The white tents, sound of clinking glasses and cheerful live music beckoned us.  What could we do?  Ten bucks gets you a wine glass and 6 tasting tickets.  I’m rather embarrassed to say that I used all my tickets up in one place savoring the Grenache and Shiraz from Shafer/Keeling.  Mmmmm who ever associates Arizona with producing good wine, let alone producing wine at all!  I just sat at a table, quaffed yummy wine, tapped my toes to the music and enjoyed the scene.  Barb and Aaron were much more democratic, spreading their tickets among the colossal 8 or 9 vendors that were tasting that day.
 
It just goes to show you that you don’t have to spend a great wad of money to have a little travel adventure.
 
Cheers all,
 
Pat