This book is full of

  mystery and intrigue... 

murder... and love... 

And by full - I mean A LOT...

I love EVERY book I've read by Patricia Bradley!

But this one has at least five or six sub-plots going on at the same time... 

and while most of them came together in the end,

 honestly - it was a little too much for me to keep up...

 But I did -

and it was all good in the end.

 

Madison Thorn was sent to Natchez, Mississippi to investigate white collar crime... but she also learns about human trafficking in the area and has to deal with the murder of her grandfather, who is a judge. In addition to all of this, someone wants her dead. AND there is also several life changing events happening in the midst of it all... 

Even though there were a lot of characters to keep up with, each of them was well-developed and I felt like I knew them in the end...

I especially loved the setting in Natchez, Mississippi since we've recently taken the time to drive the entire Natchez Trace 

and visited several places mentioned in the book

Patricia Bradley does a wonderful job bringing all the story-lines together in the closure of the book. I think this is a story of love, and forgiveness, and realizing that even those we trust the most are not perfect.

It was refreshing to see characters who have a real [every-day] relationship with God. One where they rely on Him and talk with others about the salvation, peace, and strength He can give us. Even in the midst of all the "stuff" of life. And rest assured, Madison is dealing with A LOT of stuff in this book!

Note: I was given a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. 

ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

The book came out just this week - you'll want to

Get your copy here as soon as you can!

Enjoy!

#meandmyweek

 

 

* It's not all fun and games around here as I'm dealing with a toenail that's been bruised one too many times... ouch

* We got our new fridge this week and who knew it would take 4 [5??] hours to get it in... but after taking off THREE doors and our glass door, they got her done.

* Enjoyed seeing the crawdad movie with friends, masked of course bc covid is rampant in these parts*

* I finished up my Travelers Notebook from our trip and hope to share that on the ole blog soon -

* It's still hot as hades outside, but I managed to get my little area of lawn done...

* I'm feeling good... tested negative after Craig's positive test* on Thursday - he says it just feels like a sinus cold - and I'm thankful for that  

* Got some books to read for review - fun!

* and took some time for art journaling this week - always relaxing...

* oh, and loving this $4 shirt from the walmart...

Annie Lee the Argosy Update No. 060

Harpeth River Bridge COE Campground

[outside Nashville, TN]

Again, another quick overnight since we needed to be 

downtown Nashville the next day -

This is a small campground with less than 20 spots and it's beautifully kept. 

It's a big contrast from Montgomery Bell and its rustic beauty...

But I have to say that I enjoyed those big concrete pads! 

And the river was gorgeous!

One could easily walk down to fish on the bank 

if there was the time or inclination...

The bridge was just above our campsite and 

we could easily hear the occasional car that passed by...

[I think I've shared before that we 

can barely hear A THING once we're inside our #AnnieLeetheArgosy .]

 

The weather was perfect for opened windows and doors

while we enjoyed our dinner... which must have been salads

or leftovers because I didn't set up the blackstone to cook...

The check-out time is a little later than some other campgrounds so we were able to  zip into Nashville for Craig's meeting and get back before we hit the road again!

My take:

EXCELLENT campground.

The concrete pads kept everything so clean and neat!

Bathrooms were clean!

Internet / cell was great!

Not a lot of shade...

Easy to be downtown Nashville in 30 minutes or so...

 

#meandmyweek

* Enjoyed a wonderful trip to Maine [in case you didn't already know that -ha]

* Lunched with our Vintage Airstream Club at the 65th [I think] Airstream International Rally

* Saw puffins and seals and whales!

* Drove through wonderful seaside towns

* Ate lots and lots of lobster !!

* Got some good 'finds' at thrift and vintage / retro stores

* Saw lots of beautiful light houses [love how they're all different!]

* Made it safely home...

 

Annie Lee the Argosy Update No. 059

Montgomery Bell State Park

near Nashville, TN

 We've wanted to camp here for years 

and just never made plans before now...

It's a beautiful rustic park with sites right on the creek.

And we loved that our site was shallow enough to walk right in 

and cool off after driving from our Hillman Ferry campground. 

The spring leaves were popping with color

and we enjoyed just relaxing outside our camper ...

especially since I had my best camping buddy with me, lol - 

Thermacell for those who need to know...

I seriously don't leave home without at least one of these babies with me...

[And have I shared my recent new-found knowledge 

that VICK'S VAPOR RUB will kill the itch?! 

It's life-changing for my camping life!]

 

Our stay here at Montgomery Bell was a quick overnight [and rain was forecast] so we didn't haul out all of our outdoor stuff... we're still in discussion about how much we'll take if we ever do a longer [multi-week] trip...

 

Craig had a little work to do the next morning

and I played with ART a bit, but mostly enjoyed reading while it rained...

I really love being in our camper while it rains... 

[looking at the creek out our bathroom window -]

it's just cozy and nice!

And - OKAY... maybe a little crowded 

when we've pulled everything inside from the rain -  

[real-life photo vs cropped above. LOL]

 

Can you see the difference in the water level 

after our morning rain?

So, Montgomery Bell State Park - 

My take: I love a rustic campground where I feel more connected to nature!!

The defined [mostly level] gravel pads were nice. 

Bathrooms were clean and neat.

Internet / Cell service was wonderful.

Close to most things you might need.

[We didn't take the time to shop around the area.]

We'll definitely camp here again!

 

#meandmyweek

* We're planning / revising our itinerary for Maine at the end of the month and hoping to see a real-live PUFFIN!!

* I've been watching Hallmark movies and listening to podcasts while I walk on the ole treadmill...and I'm more than ready to move on from Christmas in July  -

*Our cats have declared this the "cat days of summer" and are sleeping in past 8 o'clock.  What's up with that?

* Loving tomato and bacon sandwiches right now! AND CANTALOUPE!!

* Surprisingly, at some point this week, my body started 'asking' for the walk...but it's still not fun.

* Enjoyed a day with Craig's mother over in The Shoals...

* And a fun evening doing the layout class at Nicole's scrapbook place -

* And a walk through our local botanical gardens during the early open hour for members...still, it was 80* at 8 a.m. #summerinthesouth

* Relaxed with a much-needed mani/pedi

* And had fun playing with a photo app... my hair is not multicolor -

Annie Lee the Argosy Update No. 058

 Hillman Ferry Campground

Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky

 

  My first time in the area...

And it's really pretty!

BUT. Our problem was that we got completely set up and 

realized we had zero - zilch cell service and

because we want to stay in touch with the people in our lives

 we had to find a different spot - pronto... 

 

I have to admit, the welcoming heart rock at our first site

was so much nicer than the fake dog poo at the 2nd one - HA.

But the young boys across from us LOVED IT, so all was good. lol...

 

 This was a joint gathering of our Music City Airstream  

and East Tennessee Airstream Clubs

and they always [always] do a great job hosting our gatherings!

We had a fun little craft time making popcorn bowls with maps 

[just use mod podge to stick the map on on the OUTSIDE of the plastic bowl...]

and also a time to learn more about 

all the airstream camping gadgets / gizmos / hacks...

Our, new-to-us site was a pull-through that was close

to this bridge that led to the store and rec area...

 

Craig [and others] had to go up there on occasion 

to get an internet signal strong enough for work related things...

[Look closely! He's up there!]

 

Hillman Ferry Campground is HUGE!

And we enjoyed riding our scooters all around - 

 from the lakeside spots

  

to the mountain [HILL -- ha] view sites... 

It's a really pretty area! 

[But I think I said that already...]

There's not a lot of things nearby 

[I think it was 40 minutes or so to get some groceries...] 

 

So we enjoyed being in the campground... 

and cooking our meals at our campsite...

[Y'all know we love our blackstone!]

We visited around the campfires and got to know 

different people in the 'club' that we hadn't met before...

 

You can see [above] that I'm keeping the decor for our #AnnieLeetheArgosy fairly simple these days, mostly because I want to stream-line the set up so I can just enjoy camping - [BTW - I LOVE OUR YELLOW COLEMAN COOLER.]

 

During the weekend we visited Patti's 1880s Settlement, with more than a few log cabins that have been moved to the area and re-purposed for shops and a restaurant. 

 

The food was good ... and the flower pot roll was fun!

On another day we drove around the marina and had lunch while we were in the area - nothing to write home about there, sadly.

 

And of course... we had to drive through The Bison Prairie!

This gate made me think of Jurassic Park - lol -

It was cool to be in the meadows / "prairie" with them...

[We're hoping to see some -- more wild -- ones, later in the year...]

They are HUGE creatures that appear to be quite slow...

but can actually move VERY quickly!

This trip was during April and the campground was in full-bloom with flowers 

that had already faded in our neck of the woods...

And trees just beginning to bud out...

[see Craig on his scooter down by the water -]

The weather was pretty much perfect for relaxing by our own fire

and enjoying God's wonderful creation....

 

We took a different route home

because 1] the 24 out of Nashville nearly beat us to death

and 2] we were headed to another campground down in Tennessee

as our great adventure to Natchez begins! 

More on that soon!

Hillman Ferry Campground:

Beautiful.

Limited cell / internet service -

Nice paved /packed gravel sites...

Bath Houses: standard -

Pretty lake-side sites that might be hard to back in...