Blue Jeans And Teacups: Travel

I hope you had an amazing Christmas. I flew to be with my daughter in Nor Cal and getting there had a few challenges, but in the end, it was well worth it!

Me waiting at the airport

Firstly, I tried using Uber for the very first time. I downloaded the app, set up an account, parked my car at my brother's 5 minutes from the airport, and waited outside with my luggage since the app told me my driver would be there in 3 minutes. But, the app kept suggesting different drivers until finally, it got down to zero minutes and canceled me altogether telling me there were no drivers in the area. My poor brother, who did not feel well, ultimately took me. Thanks brother!

Then just as I was about to board my 10:30 flight, they announced we had all been re-booked to 3:25 due to mechanical failure of our aircraft (yikes!). Praise Jesus it did not happen DURING the flight. My daughter had a 2.5 hr drive to pick me up at her airport, but luckily she was only a half hr into her drive when I called her. I settled in to start a new book (see below) and time passed quickly.

While visiting, my daughter wanted to take me to see a waterfall. We took a lovely drive in the rain, listening to Christmas music and enjoying the view of moss-covered trees, a meandering creek, and plenty of nature! Suddenly, the rain seemed to change direction coming straight at our windshield. But, then we realized it wasn't rain, but SNOW! We were so tickled and stopped to take pictures. Then we found the perfect sign ON CHRISTMAS DAY btw and took more pictures. We never did make it all the way up to the falls because the snow got more intense and it was not safe, but still, I could not stop smiling.

We visited the Sacramento River at the Sundial Bridge the next day. It was glorious!!

Sunset behind the Sundial Bridge
Sacramento River

Sunset and many wild birds in the center; Sacramento River

Canadian Geese on the Sacramento River

Egret on the Sacramento River

I am returned home now, and wonderfully it was pouring buckets today - which is rare in So Cal.

My rain-soaked holly bush

And now, the book!

*** COMPELLING HISTORICAL, CLEARLY A LABOR OF LOVE ***

I suspect this book may be seen as controversial/difficult for some readers. It takes place during 1861 Civil War, with a heavy emphasis on slaves & slave owners. While that was a dark time in our history, it nonetheless did happen & should not be forgotten or ignored. The author shares that she literally spent years on this book, coming back to it, reworking & researching it. There are rich details & many struggles shared. I especially liked the relationship that developed between Luther, a free black man & Phin, newly signed up in the Confederate Navy (“Sarcasm doesn’t become you Luth.” “Nonsense. It & I are the dearest of friends.”) & how God used each of them to help the other with their problems & gain better understanding of the other’s race (“Father in Heaven,” he prayed softly, but loud enough that it might slice through the cloud of Phineas’s mind, “place your hand on young Phineas. Heal him, Lord, by the power of the blood of Christ Jesus, who has died so that we might live. Let this young man stand again, walk again. Go home again to the family he misses so much.”). I loved how both Phin & Delia grew in their compassion towards slaves, even to the point of helping them escape. Delia is consumed with writing fictional stories & the joy she gets in sharing them was fun to experience. There are several secondary stories adding to the book’s complexity. E.g., Salina is half black & half white. We see through her eyes the struggle that meant for her. Overall, this was a rich story that made me consider much, but still enjoy the journey of it.

I was gifted a book from the author & publisher for my honest opinions, which are all my own without compensation or further expectation.

Bethany House Publishing, Stand-alone-novel 392 Pages (c) 01-05-2020

((4.5 Stars=I Really Liked It))

PUBLISHERS SYNOPSIS: Cordelia Owens can weave a hopeful dream around anything & is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope & comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother & sister.

But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured & cynical, & all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him. Matters of black & white don't seem so simple anymore to Phin, & despite her best efforts, Delia's smiles can't erase all the complications in his life. & when Fort Pulaski falls & the future wavers, they both must decide where the dreams of a new America will take them, & if they will go together.

CLICK HERE for an autographed copy link

AUTHOR BIO: Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, & pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents & thous&s of years. Spies & war & mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her & her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

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