Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate! This week my son didn’t have summer camp, so my husband and I also took off from work and turned it into a full staycation. I’m sharing a few places we visited in the Bay Area, my 2025 goal check-in, updates from the blog this week, and my book haul from a local library sale!
Staycation Mode
My husband and I visited Alcatraz nine years ago and we decided that our son is old enough now for the full experience. We booked our tickets about 8 days in advance and could not have asked for better weather. I’m always amazed at how the weather can be so different in the East Bay compared to the city – like 30 degrees different! Everyone was wearing long sleeves.
The ferry to get to the island was an easy ride. I also liked how you can stay on the island as long as you’d like and then just get back in line for one of the return ferries. I remembered the audio tour was good from the first time we went, and it held up! Even my seven-year-old was able to follow along.
The view looking back to the city was absolutely spectacular. No fog!
While we were in the city, I popped into Book Passage at the Ferry Building.
Is this bookshelf with the ladder what dreams are made of?
I loved the selection of local books for kids!
This week we also went to Hurricane Harbor in Concord. Since we got there around noon on a weekday, it was not that busy. I’m a fan of spending just enough time in a place to love it and not get too tired throughout the day; we were there for 3 hours and it was perfect.
The locker situation and location to the attractions was easy and we rented a tube for the lazy river. We brought all of our own snacks so didn’t need to spend any money on that. I really liked that the park has life jackets that you can just pick-up anywhere, free of charge. My son only put one on to go into the very deep end of the wave pool with us – so much fun!
We started off in the wave pool, which my son loved and kept coming back to. Then we spent quite a bit of time in the lazy river and the big kid splash pad. As a family, we went on exactly one thrill ride and decided to save all others for…next year. Next summer we will definitely be getting a season pass. It’s such a good way to beat the heat!
2025 Goal Check-In
Since we are officially halfway through the year, I’m taking the opportunity to check-in on my goals.
- I’ve read 18 books this year and I’m on track to finish 36 by the end of the year (above my goal of 24). I’m also above target on pages for the year (I try to average ~30 pages per day.)
- I’m behind on my mileage goal – I’d like to walk 1000 miles this year and I’m track to finish at about 950, unless I figure out where I can make up some miles! Even if I finish under 1000, it will still be more than I’ve walked in any other year!
- From a writing standpoint, I’ve posted each week of the year, so I’m on target there!
So what would I like to start, stop, and continue?
- Continue: Morning walks, Lattes for Literacy, daily slow read, weekly EBB newsletter, in-person book club, and online book club
- Start: visit more libraries and bookstores in the East Bay, establish a daily reading ritual
- Stop: Regular readers know that I am a certified mood reader. I think this is ok generally, but I would like to stop doing that all the time. You can see above where I’d like to establish a reading ritual – meaning that I read at the same time every single day for at least a little bit, even if it’s just a few pages!
ICYMI: 2025 Mid-Year Reading Report
Earlier this week, I shared my reflections about the 18 books I’ve read so far this year and why I picked up each one along with my quick thoughts. I spotted a few themes: short books, book-to-screen adaptations, and loving the books from my in-person book club!
Walnut Creek Library Foundation
Yesterday I made a donation to the Walnut Creek Library Foundation through my Lattes for Literacy project. This is my third donation since February to a local library or literacy program made possibly by simply modifying my daily coffee order. Small changes really do add up!
Pop-Up Library Book Sale
Last Saturday I stopped by the Friends of the Danville Library pop-up book sale – they always have such a great selection and the prices can’t be beat. I had a $4 coupon from when I became a member, so I was ready!
So, what did I get?
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister. I read her book No Two Persons last year and attended the author event / book signing at Rakestraw.
The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro. I read The Art Forger a few years ago and loved it!
How could I walk away from this National Book Award Winner? Trust Exercise by Susan Choi.
If you are local, mark your calendar for the next book sale on July 26th!
A few questions for your weekend:
- What’s on your staycation fun list?
- How are you doing on your 2025 goals?
- What has been your best find at a library book sale?
We are headed to a July 4th parade today. Have a happy, safe, and cool weekend!
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