Review of Lighthouses Seen from Avery Point

On a July visit to Connecticut, we made a stop at the Avery Point campus of the University of Connecticut (UCONN) to photograph the lighthouse that I had heard was located at the edge of the campus.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful campus that along with the lighthouse had some beautiful sculptures.  Just offshore of the campus we had a wonderful surprise when I located two additional lighthouses.  On this page I will share my photographs of all three lighthouses and some of the sculptures I saw while walking along the paths on the campus.

Avery Point Lighthouse

Avery Point is the last lighthouse built in the state as an official navigational aid.  It was completed in 1943 but was not lit until a year later because of concerns about a possible Nazi attack during WWII.

As I strolled along the paths of the university I could see the lighthouse in the distance.  It is a distinctive beige brick tower and is a beautiful icon overlooking the water.

New London Harbor Light

Across the water from the campus I noted what I thought might be a lighthouse.  When I put on my longer lens, I was delighted to find this stately structure, which I found out was the New London Harbor Light.

In reading a brochure on lighthouse cruises, I found out that this is the oldest lighthouse in Connecticut. It was said to help to guide colonial privateers who sought shelter up the Thames River during the American Revolution.

New London Ledge Lighthouse

In the water, not too far off shore from the campus, I spotted a third lighthouse.  This lighthouse has some rather unique architectural features.  I read that it is a French Second Empire structure that is architecturally unique for a lighthouse.  It is also reported to be haunted by a former keeper.

There were lots of sailboats in the harbor and I was able to capture one just before it passed the lighthouse.

Other Interesting Features on the Avery  Point Campus of UCONN

Here are some of the photos I took of a building and a few of the many sculptures on the grounds.

Zazzle Products from my Photos

I enjoy sharing my photos on products made at

Zazzle.  Here are a couple you might like.

Avery Point Light Two-Tone Coffee Mug
by lighthouseenthusiast

Avery Point Light Magnet
by lighthouseenthusiast

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Unplanned: The Movie, a Review!

Unplanned, is the most controversial Movie of 2019.  

Here's my Review!

Now before I get into the Review proper, I must tell you that I am a Christian and this subject is very personally repugnant to me.  But, having said that, I think this is a movie that should be shown to every "adult"  person.  Why?  Because there is so much misinformation out there about abortion.  There is also so much anger and polarization about this topic.  This review may seem one sided, but that is my point of view.  After seeing this movie you can make up your own mind. 

The Movie is based on the book Unplanned by Abby Johnson!  It is a true story and there is nothing added or taken away from her experiences.  The movie is very emotionally charged in all aspects. Happiness, sadness, anger, hope, joy and so much more.

 

I personally have not read the book, but have seen the movie and the book is on order. I like to read and re-read on this topic because I feel it is so important to be completely clear on all the information and implications. After all this is supposed to be helping women and looking after their health care. There is so much information that gets twisted by the emotional aspect of the subject.

Now you may be wondering what the heck the subject of this Movie and Book are.  Well, there's no easy way to say it's about ABORTION, and the whole abortion industry. (Make no mistake, it is an industry.)

Abby Johnson, the author, should know the industry better than anyone.  She worked for many years as a Director of a Planned Parenthood facility in Texas.  She had worked her way through the system from handing out flyers to college kids, working as a volunteer at the clinic and ultimately becoming the clinic's director.  She was so good at her job that she was awarded the Planned Parenthood highest accolades, Employee of the Year at their annual convention.

Coincidentally, this is the moment that Abby finds out that Planned Parenthood's  mission statement is a lie! In one meeting she goes from Employee of the Year to questioning everything she has always believed.

I don't want to give away too much of this story, because I really want you to see it!  Many movie theaters will not show this movie because of it's controversial topic.  Not to worry,  you can get to see it on Hoopla!

Hoopla is a free service and you can borrow movies, books, and so much more.  Tracey, one of our writers let us know about this service and I'm so thankful to her for sharing this with me.

I also don't like movie theaters telling me what I can and cannot see!  There are so many questionable movies out there that are readily shown to the public, but,  when a movie takes a moral stand, they deem it inappropriate and don't allow it to be seen in their venues.   So in order to understand this, I watched this movie using Hoopla!

Please be aware, you might want to watch this movie first before sharing it with your family,  It is a very emotional topic, but one that really needs to be understood from all sides.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Raspberry Danish Murder Reviewed

A Culinary Cozy Mystery

Raspberry Danish Anyone?
Image courtesy of pixabay.com

I recently read Raspberry Danish Murder and wanted to review it for you today. This book happens to be number 22 in the Hannah Swenson Mystery series. Written by Joanne Fluke and published by Kensington Books this is a mystery that could almost pass as a cookbook.

I am a little confused by the title. Certainly, raspberry danish is mentioned early in the book and there is a recipe for the danish but beyond that it wasn't mentioned again and I don't see the relevance to the mystery or the murder. Just an observation on my part. Although, I guess after 21 other books in the series it might have gotten tough to come up with new titles.

A Short Synopsis of Raspberry Danish Murder

Hannah Swenson lives in the small Minnesota town of Lake Eden. She co-owns a cookie and coffee shop called The Cookie Jar. The story opens in November when people are getting ready for Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. We find out early in the book that Hannah is a newlywed but the problem is her new husband Ross has disappeared. Ross works or worked for a local television station and just left one day without his belongings or even his car. Hannah and her family keep hoping that he will return with a logical explanation any day now. In the meantime, Hannah has a cookie business to run and a whole lot of cookies to bake for the upcoming holiday season.

Hannah has some help in searching for her missing husband from the local law enforcement and her husband's assistant P.K. There is something about P.K. He is covering for his missing boss and trying to find clues as to where he can be but he has also taken over Ross's office and ends up driving his car when his has to go into the shop for repairs. No one seems to be able to discover where Ross has gone and then P.K. ends up dead after eating some candy that was sent to the office for Ross. Was the candy meant for the missing Ross or did someone plan to kill P.K?

My Review of this Cozy Mystery

I enjoyed the book, the mystery part. I mentioned earlier that it could almost pass as a cookbook. At first I enjoyed having recipes for cookies, pastries and savory dishes after the chapters they were mentioned in. After a while, I almost found it annoying. Don't get me wrong, the recipes sounded pretty good and the formatting of the pages was clever but goodness gracious they started to get in the way of finding out what was happening in the actual story. Personally, I feel that the recipes could have been included but perhaps a little note that states the recipe can be found at the back of the book instead of after every chapter. They would be easy to reference in a paperback but in an ebook they would be difficult to go back to after reading the book.

The mystery, itself, was well written and intriguing. I loved the characters and the different events that transpired, the solution to the murder and the explanation about Ross. Although, the Ross situation needs a whole lot more words. My guess is it will be addressed in the next book. This book stands alone quite well but I think I might enjoy reading the earlier books for the backstories on many of the characters. 

All in all it is a very good mystery and I think you will enjoy it. You might not have a problem with all of those recipes. Frankly, I like to put a recipe or two in my own books but they are always at the back and hopefully non-intrusive. I also enjoy seeing recipes in books but I prefer them at the back and as a little bonus but I don't need tons of them. If I want a cookie cookbook, I'll buy one. When I buy a Cozy Mystery...well, I want a mystery. I got one and it was a good one, I just didn't appreciate all those extra pages of cooking tips. 

Raspberry Danish Murder

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Here to Stay by Mark Edwards - Book Review

Reviewing Here to Stay by Mark Edwards

On a sunny spring day in West Dulwich, an area in south London, Elliot opens his garden to the public during the Open Gardens event; self-guided tours showcasing the private gardens of residents. He had no way of knowing that he'd meet his future bride surrounded by his wisteria and tulips. And he had no way of knowing that beautiful Gemma's family were the stuff nightmares are made of. Sometimes chance meetings and whirlwind romances are planned events with ulterior motives. By the time Elliot realizes this, the evil has moved in and is Here to Stay.

Warning: This psychological thriller describes the behaviors of cruel and/or dysfunctional people. This story involves threats, intimidation, and murders. 

Elliot - a 38 year old bachelor who lives alone with his cat, Charlie, at number twenty-six Cuckoo Lane. Socially clumsy, his dating life was nearly non-existent. He kept busy with remodeling his historic Victorian home and his career. Elliott is a good, albeit somewhat anal, guy. He is a science teacher who earned a significant amount of money selling an educational website. This income allowed him to start a non-profit that ran science workshops for underprivileged kids. 

Gemma - The beautiful Gemma. When she arrives at Elliot's open house (garden), he is immediately smitten. She reminds him of an American movie star. Little does he know that she carries a lifetime of scars, both outwardly and inwardly. She and Elliott very quickly fall in love.

The In-Laws - Gemma's family consists of her brother, Stuart, and his family who live in a nearby neighborhood. Gemma's Mom (Lizzy), Dad (Jeff), and sister (Chloe) are currently living in France but returning to the UK and need a place to stay.

Jeff and Lizzy are rude, intimidating, and dirty house guests. They immediately begin to foul up Elliot's immaculate home. Jeff and Lizzy are very quickly and easily disliked. Chloe is visibly ill. There is something very wrong with Chloe but Jeff and Lizzy keep her isolated rather than seek help. Anytime that soft-spoken Elliot attempts to make a stand, Jeff postures and physically intimidates. 

Fairly soon, innocent people are victimized. Dead bodies begin to turn up and when it is too late Elliot thinks he knows what the scheme is. Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Or is it only part of a plan created by a parasitic family who is trying to meet their own needs?




This author, Mark Edwards, has an increasing fan base and many online reviewers are raving about this story in particular. Some of the negative reviews state that the story line is unbelievable; that there aren't people like this (both naive Elliot and his evil in-laws) in the world. But there are. There are many, many people just like them. Naive people who are used as pawns and those who stop just short of leaving a trail of dead bodies in order to obtain what they want. This is the part of the story that kept me up and reading late into the night. This book may be for you if you like stories where the girl-next-door may really be something nightmares of made of.

Note: Edited for correction. The character's name is Gemma. Not Emma as written in the original review. 

Other Psychological Thrillers:

Stephen King's Misery is probably the best example of a plain, everyday neighbor who is someone you never want to meet. Someone who uses people to meet her own needs in a very sick way. While it is a bit hard to believe that good ol' Annie Wilkes is able to rescue a full grown man from a terrible car wreck and keep him alive despite his horrendous injuries, it is a gripping and frightening tale. Annie was able to get him "out of the cockadoodee car" and kept him alive in order to torture him until he completed a task for her. 

For more psychological thriller selections on Amazon click here.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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How to Display Artwork Without Hanging it on the Wall

A Review of 5 Ways to Display Artwork Without Hanging it on the Wall

When levels, hooks, hammers, and nails frustrate you, or you're not keen on marking up the walls, below are designer approved alternative methods to feature art:

1. An Art Easel

Art easels provide mobility. Place your favorite piece of art on an easel and move from room to room when you need a change. Easels come in numerous styles. Finding one to match your decor should be a cinch.

2. Frame TV

Frame TV transforms into art. Samsung's Frame TV turns into a beautiful piece of art when you're not watching it. This particular Frame TV should be wall-mounted. However, if you're planning to wall mount your TV anyway, an art tv provides two-for-one use. Display spectacular artwork from a list of established or up-and-coming artists. Oh, and one more thing, put a Frame TV on an easel for a display of rotating or static art.

3. Lean Art Against the Wall

There are two ways to consider doing this:

Leaning a larger piece on the floor

The trick to this is placing the art in a room without it appearing as a shortcut or after-thought. A very large piece of art should be positioned so that it's part of the design of the room. Avoid placing it away from the focus of the space. The decor and furniture in the room should tie into the piece.

Leaning and layering pieces on a cabinet, bench, fireplace or other furniture surfaces

Layering is exactly what it sounds like. You layer a variety of photos so they're slightly touching each other. As an example, on a cabinet,  layer multiple family photos in a collection of matching or non-matching frames against the wall.

4. Place Art in a Decorative or Non-Operational Fireplace

An unused fireplace insert area is ideal to display art. Choose at least one or more pieces to cover the entire back wall, then layer a few smaller pieces in front. The art completes the fireplace by giving it a distinctive purpose.

5. Use a Bookcase or Large Cabinet

If you have a large bookcase or cabinet, lean your art inside one or more of the shelves. It's especially lovely to use larger art pieces on a few shelves. Don't stop at one or two pieces, add several in varying sizes.

If You Decide to Hang Photos on the Wall, what are the Best Hooks?

If ultimately you decide to hang your photos, I HIGHLY recommend these hooks. They're the only ones I use. It's one of those 'As you see on TV' products and they're fantastic. They only leave a pinhole in the wall and you don't need tools (hammers etc) to hang your pictures. I can hang photos on my own now, no need to ask for help.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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