A Trip and Another Book Review

It's been quiet on this end because we took a short trip to the upper midwest for the July 4th weekend.  We traveled 15 hours to southeastern Michigan for a mini-family reunion at one of my sisters' home.  She and her family live just south of Ann Arbor in a lovely little community.  It was the first time we'd made it to her house, and we enjoyed our visit.  My other 2 sisters also were able to make it there over the weekend, so we all had a chance to visit and catch up with each other.  The states of New Hampshire, New York, Indiana, and of course, Michigan were well-represented.  We only missed our brother and the state of Virginia!  We are planning a trip to his home later this month to help him celebrate his daughter's engagement.

It was hot throughout the whole trip, but we had the luxury of air-conditioning in our car and in our hotel room.  We do not have that luxury here in our own home, so we have been suffering over the past few days in the heat and humidity.  I definitely prefer cooler weather and have a much easier time getting warm than I do getting cool.  When my bedroom is 88°F at midnight and it's still that temperature at 5:30 am, you know it's been a tough night to sleep.  It feels a bit cooler this morning, but the humidity is at 86% so it's still pretty uncomfortable.  Yuck!


 The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Richard Jury has been asked by a friend in Stratford-upon-Avon to help investigate the disappearance of Jimmy Farraday, the 9 year old adopted son of a rich American tourist.  When the murder of a member of Farraday's tour group is found murdered, Jimmy's disappearance takes on greater urgency.  I had a hard time staying focused on the story. Perhaps it felt too dated; there was a great deal of emphasis on the wonder of a portable computer one of the tourists was carrying, and much of the character description relied too much on caricature.  I did enjoy the setting details.  I've visited Stratford-on-Avon, and ate a meal at the Dirty Duck.

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