Week of July 14 – 20, 2024
Debra is a full-time RVer who has traveled coast to coast looking for the cutest bookstores and the perfect cup of chai. She and her husband enjoy creating community on the road by meeting up with friends or finding new ones enroute. They love sharing their adventures and making friends here at The Virtual Campground and sharing Barry’s great photography.
Every week brings a new adventure and a new focus as we move around the country. Sometimes I find something on our travels that helps me so much that I want to share it. Sometimes something old becomes new or at least, newly appreciated. And of course, there is are always books to read and things to see. Here are my favorites for this week, July 14 – 20, 2024.
Helping Me this Week
Fans
The heat wave has hit us. It might not be as bad as the southern states, but it is still uncomfortable. And it is humid! So these mini fans have been a blessing. First, on the drive over the weekend. The breeze on my face can make me feel cooler even when things are a bit hot. And then, as I worked outside this week. Not only did it again give me a breeze in the still air, but it helped to keep the bugs off my face.
Actually, that was the reason we had bought them. Our first day in Wisconsin, there were a lot of flies that would attack every time we stepped outside. As long as the wind was up or air moving, they seemed to go away. We picked them up at Walmart, but these on Amazon are similar. And I love that they charge via a usb, no batteries!
Coffee Shop
We love finding coffee shops with a nice vibe to work in. It helps to get us out of the RV and enjoy the our new neighborhood. It helps makes us feel like locals wherever we are. Our favorites have strong wifi, good chai and tables for working on a laptop. The coffee shops in Brattleboro were a bit too small for working, so we traveled next door to New Hampshire. (First, can I say that it is still so strange to me how the states are so close here in the Northeast? It always tickles my Texas brain that I just have to travel 5 miles to be in another state. From this campground, there are three within 30 miles. )
We found an amazing coffee shop in Keene, NH, just 20 minutes away. (Might I add, the same distance that it took me to travel to work while in Texas and I was in the same city!). Brewbakers has screaming wifi, good chai (Dona) and tasty dishes. Plus it has a coffee roasters in the same building and a creative space. WakaDoodles has merchandise for sale, but also tools so that you can sit down and make your own art or just take a creative break. I love this idea and took advantage on Friday to do a little coloring.
We have already been back three times and earned ourselves a free drink! Brewbakers is now in my top ten list of coffee shops!
Green Tea
This is more of a learning to love item. This week, we have been trying to add green tea to our daily routine. It has polyphenals that assist in fighting disease, but finding the right one can be tricky. Many taste very grassy. So we have been trying Sencha which is pretty light. I do like matcha tea which is even stronger in those polyphenals. However, I have to be careful of the sweetener. Life is a balance!
This Week’s Reading
I like to support independent bookstores by purchasing most of my books through them as we travel around the country. It is a fun way to show support and a nice souvenir. Knowing that I already have more books in the rig than I will read this year, I made a promise not to buy more until I read some of. these. However, there are still bookstores to browse!
Luckily my nephew and his wife gave me a new bookstore purpose. They are expecting their first child in a month, the first grandchild of their generation. I decided that Great Aunt Debra’s job was to provide her with a starting library. This week, I purchased a cute pop-up from Toadstool Bookshop. I try to find books from or about that state, but this was just a nice addition to add to her growing collection.
As for my own reading, I have been doing the Lady Darby series from Anna Lee Huber on audio. I love the Scottish brogue of the narrator and enjoy these historical romance mysteries as a good listen while I exercise or house tasks. I also finished up AntiCancer by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber. (The reason for the call to add green tea to our diet!) With a close family history of cancer on Barry’s side, we are taking steps to get healthier and change our “terrain” as Dr. David calls it. The better the soil, the less likely or strongly the weeds will grow!
Picture of My Week
I seem enamored of flowers these days. Wildflowers are favorites. I love that Brewbaker’s has a small arrangement on each table. Sunflowers make my heart smile!
Let me know in the comments what you are finding this week make your days easier or happier. I would love to know.
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