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Showing posts from February, 2020

Let's Go Hiking in North Carolina-My Raven Rock State Park Hike

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Raven Rock State Park Lillington NC I enjoy taking long walks with my dog.  The walks we take are near home and usually on paved trails.  We usually go 1-2 miles. I always enjoy these times with Brodie. I am a member of several MeetUp Groups, and one of them is a hiking group.  Being in a group like this allows me to explore without the possibility of getting lost.  (At least I hope our fearless leaders know where we are going:-) When I was looking at an upcoming event on the MeetUp site, I saw that one of my favorite groups was hiking at Raven Rock.  The Hiking Over The Hill Group was planning on hiking 4.5 miles on this trip.  It would be a combination of the Little Creek Trail and the Raven Rock Trail. Below is a description of the Raven Rock Loop Trail, as found on the park website. Our group met at the Visitor Center. The visitor center is very nice.  There are restrooms, an exhibit hall, and even a gift shop with fun things to buy plus park information. H

Stand Alone Books in a Series vs Cliff Hangers. How can I tell which is which?

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Click below to see my YouTube Video (I am an Amazon Affiliate and if you click on my Amazon links and buy anything on the site I get a small percent of the sale with no extra cost to you.  Thanks!:-) I get really frustrated when I have finished the last chapter of a book only to find I am left hanging on the cliff with no clear ending.  Many times it has been with a book that I was not even aware was a series/serial book and many times it was clearly marked as a series but I had assumed it was a stand-alone book.  Never assume! This frustration has led me on a journey.  The journey to find out how to tell if a series book is a stand-alone book or a to be continued book that just leaves you hanging.   I have done some research only to find myself further frustrated.  It is not an easy chore to find the answer. Here is the definition of series vs serial books that I found on  Indies Unlimited  According to Wikipedia, a  series  will typically share a common setting, story arc

Let's say A Toast to North Carolina-My Home State

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I was browsing North Carolina on my computer and found a Toast written to my state.   There is no indication as to who wrote the toast, which I found on DennyDavis.net .  I think North Carolina is a beautiful state.  There is such variety here.  You have the mountains in the west and ocean to our east and a ton of things in between. There is so much to enjoy and discover.  There are wineries, museums, and marvelous hiking trails.  With that in mind, I, too, will say a toast to my home state of NC. North Carolina Toast "Here's to the land of the longleaf pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine. Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State." Author Unknown

Afternoon Tea at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary NC

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(This post is a "Blast From the Past" from 2017) Stephanie, Erica, and I wanted to go on an adventure.  We like tea so we decided to try Afternoon Tea at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary. Here are a couple of quotes from their website... "Afternoon Tea is served in the lobby lounge, situated amongst the art adorned walls, enhanced by the hotel's Dale Chihuly glass sculpture. Afternoon Tea is a welcoming and elegant way to spend an afternoon socializing." "Afternoon Tea is served Wednesday - Sunday from 2:30-4:00pm."  "Live harpist accompaniment adds to the soothing environment."  Click for a PDF of the menu along with the types of tea they serve.  I chose Earl Grey Tea.  It was lovely.  I think tea sandwiches are so much fun.  I don't know if I could pick a favorite they were all delicious. After the tea sandwiches, we were served a variety of scones. Yummy.  And yes, if you were wondering, we ate all of those to

Fashion-Spring Trend Polka Dots Are Back in Style-Let's Find Some on Amazon

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According to the internet, it seems that polka dots are the trend this spring.  They have been spotted on red carpets and at the Golden Globes.  With this in mind, I decided I would take a look at what Amazon had to offer in the world of polka dots.  Let's go shopping....(I am an Amazon Affiliate and if you click on the shopping links below the photo and buy anything on Amazon I get a small % of the sale with no extra cost to you.  Thanks!) #1 Agaric Cute Polka Dot Travel Umbrella $19.99 #2 Polka Dot Piggy Bank $25.95 #3 Little Girls Polka Dot Socks $14.99-$18.00 #4 Polka Dot Planner, on sale for $17.98 #5 Polka Dot Travel Tote Duffel Bag $35.99 As I was scrolling through Amazon I began to wonder if I had anything in my house with polka dots.  Yes, I do.  I have 2 polka dot tops, one pair of polka dot undies, and a red wine glass with polka dots. As I look over the shopping list I want to buy everything.  Sadly I can't do that but it sure is fun to pretend. How do

Quote From My Book-"My Story My Divorce God's Promise"

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My book is for sale on Amazon.                                                               God Bless You! KathieyV

Reading Wrap-up, The Last Five Books in my Recent Reads

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(There is an Amazon link to each book.  If you are interested in a bit more information, just click on the link.  I am an Amazon Affiliate.  If you click on the link and buy anything at all, I get a percent of the sale with no cost to you...thanks:-) *************************************************************************** Here is a scale on how I rate my books. ********************************************************************************* Book 1  "Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches" Book One by Michel Guyon Genres-Fantasy, Children's, Middle Grade Good Reads Rating-4.26/5 stars ***This is a series and book one does not stand alone**** My rating is 3/5 stars                                                                Overview I found on GoodReads What happened 500 years ago was never supposed to resurface. Exploring his Grandma’s scary manor, Archibald stumbles upon a dark family secret, linked to a time of grea