Reading in the Garden

Racing Reporters Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman.   In 1889, two women set off to race around the world in an attempt to beat fictional character, Phileas Fogg’s, record of 80 days.   The race was a grand marketing stunt to boost newspaper sales.   Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The World decides to send star reporter, Nellie Bly, around the world.   Hours later, The Cosmopolitan magazine grabs its chance for equal publicity by sending their own female journalist, Elizabeth Bisland, the other direction in an attempt to beat Nellie. Nellie didn’t even know about the other woman until she was halfway around the globe.   Both women are given very little notice to begin this bold adventure in the Victorian age, a time of great restraints—more than just corsets.   I’m referring to social restraints; a time when women didn’t go anywhere unescorted, much less travel to foreign countries alone.     Sounds like fiction, and would surely make a great movie, but this story is true. ­W

Connecting with Midwest Readers You may have read my other posts about Little Free Libraries where you can take a book/leave a book: Little Free Libraries or Coeur d’Alene Update . Well, I just can’t seem to get enough of them.   This fall, my husband and I took a road trip for our vacation traveling from northern Idaho through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota , heading back through Iowa, South Dakota, Montana again and on home. I thought wouldn’t it be fun to make small detours along the way and visit Little Free Libraries all over.   So, I went on the Little Free Library Map and located some “libraries” on the way to our destinations. It’s almost like a treasure hunt. Sounds great! Right? Well, my husband didn’t think so.   With our outdated GPS system and nothing but construction all over, we got lost many times, all the while our GPS lady kept insisting over and over again that we “make the next legal U-turn” to get us back on track. But my husband was such a trouper and d

Covington Inn B&B Quirky Sleeps by Bruce and Susan Armstrong is a travel book that lists unusual hotels across the United States. My husband and I had stayed at the Dog Bark Park B&B in Cottonwood, Idaho earlier this year and loved it.   We then planned our vacation with some more quirky sleeps including a stay in a train car at the Whistle Stop B&B in New York Mills, MN and a night at the LaVoie Treehouse in Long Prairie,MN. Covington Inn B&B, St. Paul, MN The third off-beat hotel we stayed at was not listed in the book, but inspired by it.   Somehow I found the Covington Inn B&B , a tugboat on the Mississippi River in St Paul, MN. The boat was wonderful!! Our “Riverview” suite was downstairs in the hull. It had a bed high up on a pedestal with a step down to a little living room with a couch and fireplace. While the furnishings were mostly updated and modern, it gave me the feeling of another era.   Maybe it was all the nice woodwork.   I

LaVoie Treehouse  Today, I’m continuing with my update on Quirky Sleeps by Bruce and Susan Armstrong .   Last week I highlighted my stay in a train car at the Whistle Stop B&B in New York Mills, MN. LaVoie Treehouse Next up on our autumn vacation was the LaVoie Treehouse in Long Prairie, MN. It had always been Joyce’s dream to build a treehouse and she finally got one in her backyard—in the midst of a mini forest.   It’s not all that far from her home, but you couldn’t see it from there because it was tucked into the woods, like a wonderful log cabin in the sky. A cozy and inviting room.. The bed had a red and white quilt layered with a red and black fleece throw.   A fake bear rug greeted us on the pillows .   It was so cozy and inviting looking.   There were two wicker chairs and two retro red dining chairs with a matching table.   A bookshelf held some treehouse and woodsy-type books, and appropriately, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. The 

Whistle Stop B&B I first reviewed Quirky Sleeps by Bruce and Susan Armstrong in May, 2015.   Quirky Sleeps is a travel book that lists unusual hotels across the United States. As I mentioned in that review, I had already checked one remarkable hotel off the list—the Dog Bark Park B&B in Cottonwood, Idaho.   I loved sleeping in the dog-shaped hotel!   It’s not something you get to do very often. But we had more funky hotels planned. At the end of September my husband and I finally took our postponed vacation, which included two uncommon stays listed in the book, plus a bonus one I found on my own.    Imperial Car First up was the Whistle Stop B&B in New York Mills, MN .   What can I say about this luxury train car?   Well, it exceeded all my expectations.   My husband and I stayed in the “Imperial Car,” a former day coach on the Yellowstone Park line, built at the turn of the century.   It was just gorgeous—and big.   I’m guessing it was about 70 feet long.