a NEW thursday thought
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more NEW bucket list updates
Happy Monday! In my book, it’s a pretty great week when I can mark off items from two different bucket lists. Today I’m updating my National Parks bucket list and my 100 Waterfalls bucket list! Woohoo!
Recently, we visited Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. What a unique national park! It’s basically in the middle of some towns and very close to a large city – Cleveland, Ohio. It was made a national park because the beauty of the area was being threatened by development. We rode our bikes on the Erie-Ohio tow path, then made our way to this awesome waterfall. I’ve wanted to go here ever since Nancy at Two Trails One Road recommended it! It did not disappoint! Thanks, Nancy! We rode further on the tow path and saw this awesome bridge. I believe it’s called Station Road Bridge:
After lunch, we hiked to Blue Hen Falls. However, after visiting Brandywine Falls, these falls were a bit underwhelming (especially after a semi-difficult hike), but hey, any waterfall is worth it in my opinion! I’m thinking perhaps there might be more water in the spring rather than the hot days of August!
On the drive back to our campground, we stopped in the cute little town of Chagrin Falls. We bought an ice cream cone and enjoyed their falls right in their downtown.
Toward the end of the week, we hiked the short distance to Minnehaha Falls and Cascade Falls in Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park. The Minnehaha Falls has a glass bridge that you can walk over the large gorge that the waterfall flows through. Again, I’m thinking there would likely be more water in the springtime than there was in August. But I’m counting them both toward my 100 waterfalls!
So, the bucket list stats are at 29 out of 63 national parks and 68 out of 100 waterfalls. We’re getting there. Being retired will likely speed up the progress!
Have a great day! I hope you learn or do something NEW today!
a few NEW lighthouse photos
Happy Thursday! In honor of National Lighthouse Day, I thought I’d post a few photos of lighthouses that I’ve seen in the last two weeks – and update my Lighthouse List.
The top two photos are of the William Livingstone lighthouse on Belle Isle, Michigan.
And this one is the Milliken State Park Lighthouse, which is close by – just across the Detroit River from Belle Isle.
I’m not sure I’ll count these as “visited” because I was so far away. But these are the Cleveland Harbor Main Entrance Lighthouse and the Cleveland Harbor East Breakwater Lighthouse – taken from across the harbor. Then again, maybe I’ll count them. I just learned they are privately owned, so you can’t visit them without permission. These photos will have to suffice.
Have a terrific day! I hope you get out and learn or do something NEW today!
a NEW National Park checked off my bucket list
Happy Wednesday!
We recently visited our 28th (out of 63) National Park. We explored Indiana Dunes National Park. The weather was perfect. The crowds were small. Yay!
I’m not sure if drones are permitted at this national park (probably not), but there are some impressive photos posted online which were taken from above at some point. Here are a few of mine taken from ground-level. Maybe I should look into getting a drone, haha! (????)
35 more parks to go!
I hope you have a lovely day and learn or do something NEW today!
Miscellaneous Monday: NEW stuff i gotta share
I thought it was time for another A-Z list of all the little miscellaneous NEW things I’ve been learning or experiencing. My first one was back in 2023, (how time flies!). I got the prompts from Deb’s World. Here goes:
Admiring: this beautiful fountain and the lovely gardens at Buxton Park. We spent a night in Indianola, Iowa, and after dinner, noticed a lovely park, so we got out and walked around. Now that’s my kind of after-dinner walk! It was very lovely. I took lots of photos of the flowers and this beautiful fountain. Then I changed the photo into a watercolor painting using the Waterlogue app on my phone.
Becoming: more adept at setting up and taking down our 5th wheel RV (named Stebi = Spending ThE Boys Inheritance). In the past, hubby has done the vast majority of the outside work, and I’ve taken care of the inside. However, I’ve helped out more with the outside lately. It’s a process! I haven’t touched the sewer hose yet, and I don’t plan to!!! :o)
Curious: about Narwhals. I just recently learned about them. How did I not know about this fascinating species earlier?! Do I live under a rock?!
Delighted: by these fun fishing poles my friend gave us for a retirement gift. She knows we’re not really big on fishing, but fishing is symbolic of retirement, right?! Aren’t they SO adorable?!
Excited: to visit NEW places and meet NEW people on our 4-ish month RV trip.
Feeling: like I’m gonna really miss my one-year-old granddaughter while we’re gone!
Going: to take an online landscape design course and maybe an online Master Gardener course. Any good recommendations?
Helping: the victims of the devastating Texas floods by donating to relief funds.
Imploring: people on both sides of the political aisle to “just get along”!
Joking: with my son, whose middle name is Geoff, by sending him this hilarious SNL clip!
Knowing: that computer algorithms feed me certain content, often one-sided content, is concerning. Any good ideas on how to remedy that?
Loving: it when we see awesome sunsets! This was taken in Laramie, Wyoming. I’ve never been to Laramie before. Well, I guess I’ve driven past it, but never stayed there. I love it when the sky says goodnight in such a spectacular way!
Making: my art journal needs to become a priority. Doing art in an RV might be challenging, but I brought a few supplies. Wish me luck!!
Next: phase of our life is beginning! Bring on the Golden Years! It’s gonna be GREAT!
Observing: the world’s largest train yard from the observation deck of the Golden Spike Tower in North Platte, Nebraska. The train yard is 8 miles long and about 2 miles wide.
Posting: more often (hopefully), because retirement = more time (again, hopefully). ;o)
Questioning: why my computer keeps spazzing out! Agh!
Reading: My NEW reading challenge is to read a book set in each of these time periods: Pre-1200, 1300-1499, 1500-1699, 1700-1799, 1800-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999, 2000-present, the future. I found this “When Are You Reading” challenge HERE.
Staying: and traveling in our 5th Wheel full-time until about November. We’re thankful our son can keep tabs on our home for us while we’re gone! I’ve told neighbors to text me if the lawn isn’t mowed or if the weeds in the flower beds get out of control. Haha!
Trying: to remember that we’re actually retired folk now. Haha! This vacation we’re on is permanent!
Understanding: Spanish isn’t really getting any easier for me. I’ve been doing Duolingo for over 3 years, but I think I need a real, live tutor. Will that happen any time soon? Not so sure!
Viewing: fireworks from the soccer stadium. It was great because the entire family was able to attend the game together. Getting schedules to align like that rarely happens. Fun night!
Welcoming: the NEW technology of Starlink for our travel necessities!
X (Our choice): Extra hard finding a laundry mat in certain areas!
Yes: to playing MORE pickleball and racquetball!
Z (Our choice): People watching is a joy! Watching the young man on the riding lawn mower dance and jive to the music (I’m assuming) on his earbuds brought a smile to my face!
Whew! That was kind of time-consuming! But I’ll appreciate looking back at this post in a few years.
I hope you all have a great week and do or learn something NEW! Take care!
a NEW completed reading challenge
Happy Sunday! I recently finished up my A-Z reading challenge and wanted to document and remember what I read.
A: At the Existentialist Cafe
B: Build the Life You Want; (The) Body…a guide for occupants
C: (The) Christie Affair
D: Demon Copperhead; Death Behing the Dumpster
E: Everyday Dharma
F: Freakonomics; Forever Strong; Follow the River; (The) Frozen River
G:Gossamer
H: Hidden Potential; How to Know a Person
I: (The) Invisible Life of Addie Larue
J: James
K: (The) Keeper of Hidden Books
L: (The) Lost City of Z
M: Made to Stick
N: Nurture Shock: New Thinking about Children
O: Outlive, The Art and Science of Longevity
P: (A) Place to Hang the Moon; A Piece of the World
Q:(A) Quiet Life in 7 Steps
R: Rough Sleepers
S: (The) Shadow of the Wind
T: Think Like a Monk; Tiny Habits
U: Under the Java Moon
V: (The) Vanishing Half
W: (A) Woman’s Place; (The) Wager
X: X-Marks the Spot
Y: Year of Wonders; Year of Yes
Z: Zen in the Art of Writing
I’m off to figure out my next challenge. With SO many books on my TBR list, it helps to work on a challenge to filter the books I decide to pick up! Have a great week and I hope you do or learn, or read, something NEW!
a NEW list of reading challenges
I love a good reading challenge and want to keep track of them. Here is a list of reading challenges I’ve completed:
a NEW Bucket List….movie locations
A NEW list! I’m going to try to keep track of where I’ve visited that has also been a movie location. Here goes:
a NEW National Parks Bucket List
I’ve organized my National Parks list and added links for the parks where I’ve posted photos. Here’s the updated list of parks we’ve visited:
LIST OF US NATIONAL PARKS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (63 total)
- Acadia National Park {done}
- Arches National Park {done}
- Badlands National Park
- Big Bend National Park
- Biscayne National Park {done}
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park {done}
- Bryce Canyon National Park {done}
- Canyonlands National Park {done}
- Capitol Reef National Park {done}
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Channel Islands National Park
- Congaree National Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park {done}
- Death Valley National Park {done}
- Denali National Park and Preserve
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Everglades National Park {done}
- Gates of the Arctic National Park
- Gateway Arch National Park {done}
- Glacier National Park {done}
- Glacier Bay National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park {done}
- Grand Teton National Park {done}
- Great Basin National Park {done}
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park {done}
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Haleakala National Park
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park {done}
- Hot Springs National Park
- Indiana Dunes National Park {done}
- Isle Royale National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park {done}
- Katmai National Park and Preserve
- Kenai Fjords National Park
- Kings Canyon National Park {done}
- Kobuk Valley National Park
- Lake Clark National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park {done}
- Mammoth Cave National Park {done}
- Mesa Verde National Park {done}
- Mount Rainier National Park
- National Park of American Samoa
- New River Gorge National Park {done}
- North Cascades National Park
- Olympic National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park {done}
- Pinnacles National Park
- Redwood National Park {done}
- Rocky Mountain National Park {done}
- Saguaro National Park {done}
- Sequoia National Park {done}
- Shenandoah National Park {done}
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Virgin Islands National Park
- Voyageurs National Park
- White Sands National Park
- Wind Cave National Park
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
- Yellowstone National Park {done}
- Yosemite National Park {done}
- Zion National Park {done}
a NEW challenge: Six Sentence Story
Happy Saturday! I was recently reading my favorite blogs and learned about something NEW (to me): The Six Sentence Story blog hop. The theme of the post I was reading was RANK, so I immediately wrote my Six Sentence Story about RANK because the theme held special meaning for me this week. Well, I soon realized that theme was for waaayyyy back in February! Oh well, I’m posting it anyway! :o) But I’ll also include my Six Sentence Story for this week’s theme: MINUTE. Here goes!
RANK:
This coming Monday, 30 June 2025, will be my Retirement Day! Instead of researching the families of unaccounted-for service members from WWII with ranks such as PVT, SSGT, SGT, 1LT, 2LT, CPT, etc., I will be leaving those duties to others. I wish them much success in their research, because it is such important work. It has been an honor, and I will always cherish the phone calls I had with family members who exclaimed, “Thank you for the work you are doing – our loved ones will never be forgotten!”. I will miss explaining to those family members how their mitochondrial DNA or their y-DNA or their SNP could possibly help identify their relative. Thank you, soldiers (of all ranks), and your families, for your service!
(The image above was AI generated)
Now on to this week’s theme!
MINUTE
My one and only grandchild turns one year old today! The minute she opens her eyes, she will see the hard work of her parents…the gifts, the decorations etc. The minute she tastes cake for the first time will be a joy to see. The minute she rips the colorful paper off her gifts will be so fun for her! How did all the minutes, hours and days go by so quickly? One year old today, sweet precious girl!
Have a wonderful weekend. I hope you learn or do something NEW!
Explore Newness 