Thanks as always for the love you give to this blog, now in it’s 14th year. I feel so blessed by all of you. This past year we have had some posts absolutely hit the record…with more views, reads and comments than ever before. So as I do at the end of each year, here is a list of your favorites – the Top Blog Posts of 2025 for My Fab Fifties Life.
Number One
To my surprise, the most read post of the year was about Cleveland Ohio. This was unexpected to me…I assumed one of my European blogs or Australian posts would have that title. But no, Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss is the winner by a landslide. Loved both on Pinterest and for views and reads on the blog.
Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss
A Very Close Second Place
Coming in second but only by a thread, was my very recent post Time to Plan New England in the Fall. If you have not done a fall color trip yet, use our guide to plan one now. We really enjoyed it, and apparently you enjoyed reading about it.
My Favorite Day Trips from Bordeaux and Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City
The Great Ocean Road Victoria Australia Our very long stay in Australia resulted in multiple blog posts, but this one in particular really got a lot of love.
Hidden Gems of the Pacific Northwest – Port Angeles and the Olympic National Park
And these two rewrites that were updated and reposted in February also make the list. Both continue to be top performers year after year since they first were written in 2020;
Maui on a Budget It’s clear by the continued traction this post gets how much people are trying to visit Maui without breaking the bank. I’m glad we can help.
And there you have it. Your favorites of the year – Top Blog Posts of 2025.
More Great Posts on the Way
No blog post next Friday but come back after that for a report about our Winter European River Cruise. And in mid-January our annual World Travel Awards for 2025. Thanks for your continued support. We love it when you share our blog posts.
In a small Ohio town over five decades, Ryan creates a unique and engaging cast of characters in Buckeye. I listened to this on on Audible on our long road trip in October. Here is my book review Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.
Small Town Life
A small farming community in Ohio is the setting for Buckeye, a story that spans two world wars and a depression. This tight knit community is home to Cal, whose one leg too short keeps him from enlisting in the war. His beautiful wife Betsy has a gift. She can communicate with people who have passed on. Cal doesn’t believe this gift is true, and as Betsy pursues helping people in the community to communicate with the dead, their relationship becomes strained.
Margaret has a past secret. She is not the woman she claims to be, hiding her abandonment and the fact she grew up in an orphanage. She marries Felix, who also carries his own secret. Felix knows he is gay, and has had a couple of sexual encounters in his youth. But it’s not until he is drafted in WWII that he meets the love of his life.
While Felix is away, and Betsy is busy with her clients, Cal and Margaret will find each other.
Post War
Margaret has been told Felix is missing in action, and she is ashamed that she is somewhat relieved. Margaret does not want children, and she has fallen in love with Cal. But an unexpected twist will change everything, causing Margaret to abandon her entire life, while Cal and Betsy try to pick up the pieces of their marriage.
Empathy
I had a lot of empathy for these characters in this book, particularly for Felix and his struggle with being a homosexual during this era. The book explores several important topics including abandonment, infidelity, grief and regret. Mostly regret.
Book Review Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
****Four stars for Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Thank you for reading my book review Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. See last week’s Book Review The Elements by John Boyne.
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I’m finally doing a river cruise. Am I the last person on earth to try it? I know TONS of people absolutely love this form of travel, but it has not yet made it into our top choices. We have done several ocean cruises over the past four decades, but over the last nine years we have stuck pretty much to independent travel, with a tour thrown in here and there.
Viking River Cruises Modi. This is our ship.
And yet, I am intrigued by how many of my personal friends think river cruising is amazing. And so, why not? We booked a cruise from Basel Switzerland to Nuremburg Germany with Viking River Cruises. Our itinerary hits all the gorgeous European Christmas Markets along the way. I’ve wanted to do a winter Christmas Market visit for awhile, so lets go! Let’s talk about a Winter Wardrobe for European Christmas Market Cruise.
I’ve been dreaming about this for a few years! (Canva)
Packing for a Winter River Cruise
Over the past couple of years we have found ourselves in more winter destinations than when we first started traveling. But this is the first time I have packed exclusively for a winter destination. Although cruising is not the big fashion show with sequins and tuxedos that it used to be, there still is an element of casual elegance with warmth and comfort. I tried to figure out how to do carry-on bags only on this trip, due specifically to the issues with air travel right now. But, we have determined to check one bag and bring two carry ons, distributing our essentials amongst the three just in case. And I also expect to bring some fun gifts and souvenirs home! Here is what I have put together for 16 days of travel;
The Basics
I feel pretty good about this capsule wardrobe and its mix and match possibilities. I am bringing black pants, a black skirt, navy pants and my olive green corduroy pants. All of these are comfortable and easy to mix and match with multiple sweaters and tops. I have three blouses, five sweaters (red, burgundy, green, grey, black) and two long sleeve print t-shirts. I might remove one sweater…still thinking on it. Exactly how many sweaters does a girl need for a Winter Wardrobe for European Christmas Market Cruise?
Black Pants and my new long sleeve print t-shirt and green sweater
Black Skirt, Button down and grey cardigan
Black pants, black turtleneck and my trusty denim shirt
New sweater from Nordstrom will go with all of my bottoms
Black leopard print top works with both pants and skirt
I love these new olive corduroys I just got from Nordstrom. My choice over jeans
Emerald Green is a good color for me and works with black and navy
Corduroy’s with the Talbots t-shirt and grey cardigan
Shoes and Boots
We won’t be doing any hiking or running on this trip, but we will be doing a lot of walking. I have two pairs of sturdy, comfortable, winter walking shoes as well as one pair of black booties. No dressy heels made the cut. But my slippers did.
When we were in Italy I couple winters ago I bought these black loafers at a leather shop and they are hands down the best shoes I have ever worn.
New and comfy loafers from Vionic
Waterproof black booties are Blondo from Nordstrom and such a great winter walking boot
Keeping Warm
I am bringing my puffy jacket which is black and goes with everything. I am also bringing my Hele Hanson navy blue raincoat. The puffy coat fits under the rain coat if needed. One pair of gloves and three hats. Also an umbrella. We are expecting temperatures in the mid-30’s to the high 40’s fahrenheit.
I am bringing my comfy pajamas which I just purchased from the Vermont Country Store as well as my slippers. Gotta stay cozy.
My down puffy jacket is from Lands End
One of the best purchases I ever made was this Navy Helle Hanson raincoat
Accesories
Scarfs are your friend. I wear scarfs more than I wear necklaces at home and when traveling. Scarfs are light weight and diverse. I have two large multicolor cotton scarfs and one warm fuzzy scarf for outdoors. I will pack just a couple of pairs of versatile earrings. Nothing of value.
Brand new Navy trousers from Talbots are so comfortable. Paired with this older red poncho I love
The Navy pants and this green sweater are so versatile
And the work horse of any good wardrobe, a denim shirt.
Underneath it All
Of course I have undies and bras, and I have been pretty particular about choosing socks that for me have been great for walking. I have one pair of tights and just for good measure I’m throwing in my silk long underwear. We hope to not need laundry service, and all my underthings are made for fast dry so I can do hand laundry when on the go.
Onboard I wear comfy but warm with layers. This is my airplane outfit.
Winter Wardrobe European Christmas Market Cruise
Keeping it basic with basic colors that mix and match, sturdy, comfy yet stylish shoes and functional outerwear. That’s my plan for for my first river cruise and my long awaited European Christmas Market fun!
I won’t be posting a blog about the cruise until we get home, but I hope you will follow along on Instagram and Facebook where I will post everyday starting tomorrow!
See last week’s blog post Time to Plan New England in the Fall, the final post of our October road trip. Thanks as always for following our world travels. Please share, comment and pin this post.
John Boyne is the author of 2 dozen books. I have read two; The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas and All the Broken Places. Boyne has had his share of controversy as well (read about it here), but I thought his latest novel, though disturbing, an amazing book. Here is my book review The Elements by John Boyne.
Four Connecting Stories
Unlike many novels that run parallel stories to further the plot, Boyne creates four seemingly separate stories in The Elements. But as the book builds so does the connections between the protagonists in the four stories. Through each story runs a theme…not a pleasant one. Often disturbing the book will look at abuse in ways I have never seen in a novel before.
The Abuser and The Abused
Boyne explores pedophilia and those who look the other way. He tackles incest and suicide. We will see a brilliant athlete, violently abused as a child, get involved in a rape and cover up. And a twist on abuse will be a female abuser of young boys, who uses her own horrific childhood tragedy to justify her actions. These stories are presented separately, but a thread of abuse and characters will connect the stories. Finally we will meet a single father raising a son, protecting him fiercely all while keeping his own secrets of his youth.
Happy Ending?
I wouldn’t call this a happy ending, so much as a bit of redemption for all the lives affected over generations of abuse. There is some happy moments in the end, but only when communication is opened up and truths are revealed.
Though difficult and disturbing these are topics often swept under the rug, a practice that only creates more sorrow for victims. I thought the book was really well done, interesting and engaging, even with the sexual abuse story line. Thank you for reading my book review The Elements by John Boyne.
It’s not too early to start to plan your fall visit to beautiful New England for the fall foliage. I really enjoyed our visit to four states for leaf peeping, incredible food, hiking and fabulous hospitality. With the popularity of fall in the Northeastern USA on the rise, don’t wait to make your plans for 2026.
A hard but gorgeous hike in New Hampshire – Frankenstein Cliffs
My Favorites
In October 2025 we visited New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Upstate New York. Each was beautiful, sunny and a perfect picture postcard of fall. There are many, many places to stay and eat, as well as things to do. But for the purposes of this post, I will share the things we enjoyed and recommend. I will also share some fabulous photos – I took thousands of photos!!
Something amazing at every turn in New Hampshire
Albany Covered Bridge
Sunny and Colorful
New Hampshire
We had such a great time in New Hampshire. Even though we arrived a few days past peak of color (changes annually – see this handy guide here) but we were NOT disappointed. We had fantastic weather and the colors were still mind-blowing. Our time was spent in the Conway area which is insanely popular. I highly recommend planning your visit for a weekday or two, not on a weekend. We gave up trying to do anything on a Saturday because of the crowds, and came back on Sunday and Monday to see the sights. Luckily we had the time to do that.
Arethusa Falls
Arethusa Falls Trail
Artist Point
Mount Washington Resort is open for non guests to visit
Don’t miss Franconia Notch State Park (especially the Flume and the Basin Cascade Pools), Kancamagus Highway, Artists Point, Bretton Woods Gondola, Arethusa Falls- Frankenstein Cliffs and Mount Washington Resort. Learn more at Visit New Hampshire.
We stayed in the small town of Glen about 15 minutes from Conway. We loved The Covered Bridge House Bed and Breakfast. The hosts were amazing, the breakfasts were delicious and the riverside location was peaceful. I would definitely stay here again.
Perfect accommodations at The Covered Bridge House Bed and Breakfast
Morning coffee by the river
The property includes this historic covered bridge which houses a gift shop
The best food we had in New Hampshire was at the nearby White Mountain Cider Company. Reservations are a must, and book early during this very busy time of year. It is a very special place, small and quaint and the food and service were outstanding.
Highly recommend the White Mountain Cider Company
Fall is in the air at the White Mountain Cider Company
Vermont
The color in Vermont was also fabulous, and the area we stayed near Lake Champlain was rural and peaceful. Before arriving in our rural destination we spent several hours in Stowe. We enjoyed the old town, did some shopping and picture taking. Then we rode the gondola at the Stowe ski resort to enjoy the expansive view and finished with a wonderful late lunch at The Alpine Hall in the ski village. The short, free gondola ride from the main gondola over to the ski village was a bonus!
Stowe Vermont
Gorgeous day in Stowe Vermont
We really enjoyed this gondola and the view from the Stowe Mountain Resort
After settling into our Inn we took several long drives to enjoy the bucolic region, walked along Lake Champlain in the small town of Saint Albans, and mostly just relaxed. Our accommodations at The Inn at Buck Hollow were more rustic than New Hampshire, but still comfortable, and the breakfast was delicious.
Inn at Buck Hollow Farm sits on 400 acres
Tiny Saint Albans
Enjoying the area around Lake Champlain
Bucolic views everywhere we looked
Don’t miss: Cold Hollow Cider Mill, the towns of Stowe and Woodstock, The Vermont Country Store in Rockingham, and Saint Albans. Learn more at Visit Vermont
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Woodstock Vermont
Vermont Country Store
New York
Two places in New York State really made an impression on us, and I would return to both.
Lake Placid
It’s hard to believe this tiny town managed to hold two Olympic Games (1932 and 1980) but it did. We enjoyed a short visit to this colorful place with the peaceful lake. We had an outstanding breakfast at The Breakfast Club and did some shopping in the small town. Definitely worth a visit.
Beautiful church in Lake Placid
Can’t get more placid than that!
Cold Spring / Beacon
Our visit to Cold Spring and Beacon was to attend a wedding so we had limited time for sightseeing. However this small town was a perfect little package. Multiple amazing restaurants, lots of unique and eclectic shops, beautiful fall color and a fantastic location right on the Hudson River.
Cold Spring Depot
Cold Spring on the Hudson
Because of the wedding we did not have time to see many sights, but highly recommended is Mount Beacon for hiking, Bannerman Island for history and the tour of West Point (which is right across the Hudson). Learn more at visit New York.
Cold Spring
View of Hudson River from Boscobel House in Beacon
We are lucky to have friends in Maine and we enjoy visiting them (see Ogunquit Maine – My Favorite Things). But we had never been to Maine in the fall. We were not disappointed. Sunny and cool and sometimes windy, we enjoyed visiting Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farms for a burst of fall color, some bird watching and history too.
Wells Reserve at Laudholm is a great place to walk
Historic farm at Wells Reserve at Laudholm
Farm stand in Ogunquit
We visited Kennebunkport town, somewhere we had not been before. This historic port city (home to the Bush Family) is full of fabulous shops and restaurants and can be very busy on a weekend. We had a marvelous lunch (lobster roll of course) at The Boathouse right on the harbor.
Lots of shops on the seaside in Kennebunkport
Lots of great shops
Love Lobster in Maine and this Lobster Roll at The Boathouse in Kennebunkport did not disappoint.
We drove about 45 min north to Portland Maine. Maine’s largest city is home to about 70,000. Over the past decade Portland has emerged from a sometimes grimy port city to a fresh and thriving tourist destination, while keeping its fishing and lobster roots. There are many wonderful shops to peruse, beautiful views and museums too. And food…so many restaurants. We had a marvelous dinner at Solo Italiano right near the port.
Portland Harbor
Exceptional Drinks and Food at Solo Italiano in Portland Maine
Octopus at Solo Italiano
Time to Plan New England in the Fall
We planned our road trip for fall color about 8 months in advance. Starting in New Hampshire, crossed over to Vermont, looped down to New York and back up to Maine. We had our own car since we were on a larger road trip, but you could easily do a similar itinerary flying into any of the NYC Airports, Boston or Portland.
Portland Maine
There is much more you could consider when you decide to find Time to Plan New England in the Fall. MUCH more. But for us, our visit was everything we had hoped for and we would definitely go again.
Thanks for reading my post Time to Plan New England in the Fall. Happy Fall Y’all! Nothing like basking in the reds and golds of fall before winter descends.
Historic Boscobel House on the Hudson River in Beacon NY
What’s next? We are heading next week to a 16 day European Christmas Market Tour! Follow our journey at our Instagram account for daily updates. Thanks for following along…we are grateful when you share, pin and comment on our travel posts.
R.F. Kuang was only 19 years old when she published her first novel The Poppy Wars. I discovered her only recently. She has had several books since her debut. I have read two. Yellowface, which I listened to on Audible and found it to be annoying, and Babel which I am reviewing today and enjoyed a lot. Here is my Book Review Babel by R.F. Kuang.
Speculative History
I enjoy the genre of Speculative History, the re-imaging of historical events with a “what if” twist. Often these novels have a magical theme or fantasy theme. Kuang has written several novels that fall into the fantasy theme, including Babel.
I will admit the first quarter or so of this book I couldn’t really grasp what was going on…but once I realized this wasn’t historical fiction, rather re-imagined, it began to make sense.
Oxford 1830
A young Chinese boy is taken to England from Canton to be raised and educated by a wealthy man. The boy takes the English name of Robin Swift. He lives a strange life of intense study often being paraded by his benefactor as Chinese student lucky to be in England. When Robin comes of age, and without any warning, he is enrolled into the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford.
Silver
Robin’s only friends at the Institute are three other’s who don’t fall into the white male category; a boy from India and two women. Their differences bind them together. But they begin to learn how silver has manipulated everything in British society and created vast wealth, power and colonialism. Through the secretive and magical power of silver, the students become tangled in a dangerous effort to usurp the hierarchy and take control.
Book Review Babel by R.F. Kuang
Some of this book I found fascinating and engaging, particularly as I began to unravel some of the hidden secrets in the story. The amount of research that must have been done to write such an epic novel is incredible. But there were parts I also found fault in, a lot of violence and coincidence. I wasn’t particularly fond in most of the characters.
But if you like history, and fantasy, and a grand saga you might like Babel. Thank you for reading my book review Babel by R.F. Kuang.
Iconic American roads are famous for some fun and crazy roadside attractions. Everything from the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Kansas to Cadillac Ranch in Texas. See a full list here. Since we have driven across the USA multiple times, we have visited some of these quirky and unexpected sites. So on our recent return drive from Maine to Washington State, we visited four more. Here are our suggestions for Fun Roadside Attractions Cross Country Interstate 90.
SPAM Museum, Austin Minnesota
Interstate 90
On our 6 previous cross-country road trips we have wandered around multiple interstates, back roads and the iconic Route 66. But for the purpose of this round trip cross country drive we stuck pretty close to Interstate 90. I-90 is an amazing interstate system that starts in Seattle and ends in Boston Massachusetts. It’s well maintained, and despite parts of the interstate being in wide open and sparsely populated regions, it is safe.
I-90 Starts in Seattle Washington
History of Roadside Attractions
When I was a kid we drove from Seattle to the Redwood Forests and my clearest memory of that trip is a giant Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe! I don’t really remember the trees! US road travel has always been part of the culture, and US entrepreneurs have cashed in on this for generations. Here is what Wikipedia says about the history of roadside attractions;
When long-distance road travel became practical and popular in the 1920s, entrepreneurs began building restaurants, motels, coffee shops, cafes, and unusual businesses to attract travelers.[4][5] Many of the buildings were attractions in themselves in the form of novelty architecture, depicting everyday objects of enormous size, typically relating to the items sold there.[6] Some other types of roadside attractions include monuments and fictionalized-paranormal/illusionary amusements such as the Mystery Spot near Santa Cruz, California,[7] or curiosities such as The Thing? along Interstate 10 in Arizona.[8]
With the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s, many roadside attractions were bypassed and quickly went out of business.[5] Some remained attractive enough to divert travelers from the interstate for a brief respite and thus remain in business. (Wikipedia)
An iconic old gas station on Route 66, 2016.
Some Quirky and Some Not
In this post today I’m sharing four US Roadside Attractions we visited on our return trip. Two are a bit quirky, and two were fascinating. Here is our list;
Jolly Green Giant
If you grew up in the USA in the 1960’s, the Jolly Green Giant TV Commercial and jingle were part of daily life. The Jolly Green Giant brand of canned and frozen vegetables created the iconic symbol in 1928. The 55 foot fiberglass statue of The Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth Minnesota, right on I-90, was created in 1978. It attracts more than 10,000 visitors a year, including me and my husband in September.
Jolly Green Giant, Blue Earth Minnesota
SPAM Museum
How this humble meat in a square can became an icon around the world is the story you will learn at the SPAM Museum in Austin Minnesota. I was pleasantly surprised by this fun, colorful, interesting, educational and FREE museum. Located in the heart of the historic community of Austin. SPAM (an acronym for Spiced Ham) is manufactured by the Hormel Company. George Hormel founded Hormel Foods which today owns multiple well-known products under many other brand names, such as Applegate, Columbus Craft Meats, Herdez, Jennie-O, Planters, SKIPPY, and WHOLLY.
The museum is colorful and fun and kids would love it. There are multiple interactive activities as well as recipes, history, science, a gift shop and free samples! Over 100,000 people visit each year. I really enjoyed our visit and recommend it highly.
SPAM Museum Austin Minnesota
SPAM was a staple food during WWII
Island nations love SPAM . Guam consumes more SPAM than any other place in the world
Monty Python helped bring SPAM into the psyche with humor
The Corn Palace
I arrived at The Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota having done zero research and expecting something tacky and kitschy. Absolutely not. We were astonished. It is so much more than a tacky tourist attraction…it is the center of the lovely small historic farming town of Mitchell.
The Corn Palace website describes the history as;
Eight years before the turn of the 20th century, in 1892 (when Mitchell, South Dakota was a small, 12-year-old city of 3,000 inhabitants) the World’s Only Corn Palace was established on the city’s Main Street. During it’s over 100 years of existence, it has become known worldwide and now attracts more than a half a million visitors annually.
The palace was conceived as a gathering place where city residents and their rural neighbors could enjoy a fall festival with extraordinary stage entertainment – a celebration to climax a crop-growing season and harvest. This tradition continues today with the annual Corn Palace Festival held in late August each year.
Some 500,000 tourists come from around the nation each year to see the uniquely designed corn murals. The city’s first Corn Palace was built as a way to prove to the world that South Dakota had a healthy agricultural climate. (Corn Palace Website)
I was astonished by the beauty of the interior performing and sporting venue, as well as the annually-changed exterior murals made of corn and corn byproducts. More than 500,000 people visit the Corn Palace each year. I highly recommend a visit to the Worlds Only Corn Palace when in South Dakota.
Exterior of the Corn Palace, Mitchell South Dakota
Gorgeous interior for sports and arts at the Corn Palace
Exterior Murals are changed annually
Mural theme for 2026 is Wonders of the World
Wall Drug
One of the most famous USA roadside attractions is in the small town of Wall South Dakota, where more than 2 million people a year visit Wall Drug. And to think it all started with free ice water in 1931.
The depression was raging, offering something free…even water…was unheard of. But Wall Drug founder Theodore “Ted” Hustead, took a chance. He used free ice water and catchy roadside signs to lure visitors on their way to Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. And today, millions of people follow in those same tracks. Today the sprawling complex is a bit tourist kitsch, with tsotskys and old West theme. But, especially for kids, there is a lot of fun to be had. We had a cup of the iconic 5-cent coffee (it was good), walked around on a chilly October day and smiled at the wide range of crazy sights from a giant Jack Rabbit to a T Rex. Something for everyone in Wall Drug, Wall South Dakota.
Silly Wall Drug, South Dakota
Touristy trinkets, clothing and art available for purchase in Wall Drug
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