Educated...a Memoir by Tara Westover

Amazing the abilities of God's human soul to overcome trauma and abuse, to rise above and pursue goals with all odds against you.  This is Tara Westover.  Set in the backdrop of Bucks Peak, near Clifton, Idaho; Tara was the youngest of seven children born to Mormon fundamentalist parents.  From her 30 year old self comes a memoir of depth and horror, tempered with as much objectivity and love for her parents as is possible.  I loved that she bravely recounts her story without rancor or hate; just an unusual amount of understanding of the reality of who her family was.

This book drew so many questions from my soul.  How does a mother not stand up and protect her children?  How does a wife continually capitulate to a slightly crazed, bi-polar, dominant husband?  How does this brilliant wife strive and succeed in creating a multi-million dollar business, when she appears mentally unstable during much of her life?  What makes a sister appear to take a stand against the evil occurring around her...then recant and become the docile daughter?  How many times does a wife agree to continue living with a violent man just because he asks forgiveness?  So much insecurity, fear, and confusion instilled in children as they grew up....that is the heartbreak.

Tara's triumph is in her quest to overcome the voices from her past by educating herself, and taking very slow steps to healing by protecting herself from this family that she misses and loves.  So wonderful the people, both friends and professors, along the way who stepped in and believed in her.  A wonderful story of redemption, somewhat similar to Hillbilly Elegy; except more harrowing.

Final UP Memories: Day 8-9, Manistique & Straits State Park

Heading back towards the straits, we stopped at Kitch-iti-kipi near Manistique where we viewed lots of trout while standing on a glass bottomed raft.  The water was crystal clear, which meant we could see 40 feet down at the bubbling springs!  This Indian name means "big cold water" and is fed by springs, to the tune of 10,000 gallons per minute!!  Amazing...but I forgot my camera!  A fun stop!  The sun came out on our drive along Lake Michigan, with great views of the Mighty Mac,  one of Michigan's finest attractions.  After pulling into the Straits State Park and eating dinner out, we came up with the brilliant idea of finding an unused camping site by the lake where we could view the Bridge at night, and enjoy a final campfire.  The view was delightful, but the wood sold by the park was wet... so, after many valiant tries by Mike, we simply enjoyed the view and the stars!  Unexpectedly as we were getting up to return to our site at 9:30 pm, a car pulls up ---this was the site they had reserved!  What a comical ending to our trip--of ALL the sites, we picked an unused one that had been reserved!  Such a fun trip, kudos to the patient driver who endured directives from several people!!

 

  

 

More UP Adventures: Day 6-7, Baraga State Park

Baraga State Park was a perfect spot, nestled on Keweenaw Bay.  From that home base, we traveled by car throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula.  Bill and I thoroughly enjoyed Quincy Copper Mine in Hancock (which the Meyers had already visited) while Mike & Marilyn found some interesting shops in Houghton.  All of us LOVED the pasties at Connie's Kitchen in Calumet before we headed to Copper Harbor via Brockway Mountain Road, where we found some of the best colors of the trip.  Also memorable:  the ONE perfectly sunny day at Baraga with the best campfire AND s'mores!

  

 



 

  

 

The UP Adventure Continues: Day 4-5, Marquette Tourist Park

With good reviews, we attempted to stop at the Gitchee Goomie Campground as we headed into Marquette -- but with a dummy person sitting in the front entrance booth as we rolled in and NO ONE at the dilapidated office, we quickly headed back on the highway.  I guess a little weirdness did follow us west!!  The Tourist Park was perfect for our needs...except the electric hook-up was not set up correctly.  Suffice it to say that Mike was a bit perplexed and frustrated as we lost battery both nights, with dimming lights.  It messed up our card playing!  Marquette favs:  Donckers breakfast spot with old school decor, a little historic info from the front desk manager at the Landmark Inn, a side-trip drive to Presque Isle Park where we enjoyed the black rocks in the rain, the Northern Michigan University Yooper Dome (all wood dome) and a climb up Sugarloaf Mountain.  Because we missed Picture Rocks, we back-tracked in the car to Munising to board the Riptide Ride.  We will NOT forget it!  With an excellent driver in a Coast Guard approved vessel, our 1 1/2 hour ride in 47 degree weather, with a weather advisory for high waves was MEMORABLE!  Mike's highlight, but a stretch for Marlita!

  

  

  

 

Autumn Adventure: Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Day 1-3

Our generous friends, the Meyers, invited us to share their Class A motorhome for a 9 day trip -- the Yooper Loop.  We made it to all the highlights except the western Porcupine Mountains.  Departing on Tuesday, September 25, we made it to our first stop, Tahquamenon Falls State Park in mid afternoon where we spent our first 3 nights.  Highlights: Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point; Upper & Lower Falls, great Pizza at Lake Superior Brewing in Grand Marais, Sable Falls.

    

  

   

  

The first 3 days were definitely weird, as we decided that all the oddities that we heard about the UP were correct! First we passed the campground as there was NO sign indicating a campground. Because we were hauling a car behind the 34 ft. RV, turning around was always a problem!  Next, no pull aside at the registration office -- we had to wait in a single line for both registrants and already registered. NOT efficient!  As Marilyn was trying to register, the female park ranger kept interfering as if the male ranger could not manage--a bit of tension! At Whitefish Point, the ticket lady tells us that the $13 price was all-inclusive.  When we headed to the lighthouse, which would have been a favorite for Mike, add on cost was $4!! Traveling H58 along Lake Superior (which MANY assured us was a beautiful drive) proved decidedly strange: it turned into a narrow dirt road that did not show on the map, and there was no phone service... so we stopped to ask directions of some Yoopers in their yard.  They responded that the pavement would return "just a ways down the road".  About 8 miles more and we found our way to Grand Marais!  Looking for ice cream on the way home, we located "Scoopers" on the internet--open until 9.  Yay!  Except that it was closed for the season 😂.  So we continued on and found Zeller's in Newberry, advertising homemade pie.  Marilyn and Bill tried to scam Mike and I by announcing that there was no pie left ... we all laughed, until the waitress admitted that her piemaker had retired!! No pie!!  (So, WHY was it still on the billboard??)  BUT, we did enjoy the Biggest Cinnamon Bun we ever saw!!  Stopping at the Sable Falls Information Center, we found backpackers outside who had been inside to inquire about camping--but the ranger told them she was closing for lunch for an hour and they would have to wait until she returned!!!  Happily, most of the weirdness cleared up as we traveled further west...or we just got used to it!!

  

   

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers

I have been a long time fan of Rivers, since reading her gut-wrenching Mark of the Lion trilogy.  If you are looking for a redemptive story with a happy ending, this hits the mark.  I was impressed that she branched out to learn about the art form of graffiti, and that her Christian characters in this book are presented with some major stumbles in their walk.  More real and relevant in this very confusing and difficult culture, where many voices are calling out to our young people.  I also very much appreciated her frank approach to the many ways that God speaks, even through angels and dreams sometimes.  We are not cookie cutter Christians, and God made each of us uniquely wired to be led by the Holy Spirit via different modes.

A good read, a good reminder of God's grace.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult books are difficult for me to read sometimes because the issues she so painstakingly portrays make me uncomfortable and divided.  It's so easy to look only at one side of a situation:  my perspective.  It's so much more difficult to feel the angst caused by a collision of differing opinions, and somehow come out confused on where to stand, and on what justice should look like.

Ruth, an African American nurse with 20 years of experience, gets charged with negligence in the death of a baby.  This book chronicles the story, told in first person by Ruth, her lawyer and her accuser.  Picoult does a great job of presenting the emotional upheavals that each face.  In the end, I was surprised by the final outcome--it actually ends with a positive twist ending;  which I consider a positive from this author!