Happy Summer!

Now that it's officially here, we hope you're finding time for easy getaways, grilling with friends, and enjoying whatever city you call home. That's what we have on the calendar for the next couple weeks, taking in some baseball, making some Aperol Spritz (my recipe here), and planning for my next getaway trip next month (southern California).

My Kontiki expedition sailing in Costa Rica was fabulous, exhausting, and a wonderful opportunity to enjoy nature. I saw sloths, capuchin monkey, spider monkeys, coati, macaw, anteaters, and more. All in their natural environment (we visited two national parks). I'm still processing my experience, and have hours of photo sorting to do, so look for a review sometime next month.

One of the things I've tried very hard to avoid is filling the blog with ads. I absolutely hate those video ads with auto-start, all the pop-ups covering up content, and the annoying necessity of having to click out of so many ads just to see what's on the site. I understand why people choose to do that, but my business plan has always allowed for other options.

Here's how I make money from my site:

I syndicate content to other sites that pay a licensing fee to use it.

I include affiliate links to products and services that I use. If you make a purchase using that link, I may receive a small commission (and I do mean small, often just a few cents). If affiliate links are used, it is always clearly labeled on the post.

I accept occasional sponsorships and/or paid campaigns when the project aligns with more core travel values. This is always clearly labeled and disclosed.

I accept sponsored travel (commonly called press or media trips). This represents less than 50% of my annual travel budget. While this isn't money in my pocket, it is an additional way to find information to create content for readers.

I've started offering travel booking services for cruise and hotels through a travel agency association. If you'd like to book a hotel or cruise that I've written about, let us help you with that.

And finally, today I've reactivated my "Buy Me a Coffee" account. I used this back in the early days of blogging, when readers would throw a couple bucks my way if I helped them with information, inspiration, or research for their upcoming travels. It was a far more personal connection then, far more personal than randomly targeted ads, so if you feel like I've helped you in some way, or just appreciate personal travel information that isn't AI created, feel free to "Buy Me a Wine" (I've renamed it). More info here.

All of these things combined, help me keep Traveling with MJ ad free. I thank you.

Safe travels,

Mary Jo & Tony

Have You Read:

Catch a Drive-In Movie in Washington State Of about 300 outdoor theater remaining in the United States, there are five drive-in movie theaters in Washington State that have managed to survive. And since it’s still a fun way to watch a movie, I want to highlight the remaining ones and suggest that you add a visit to one on your things-to-do list. Read story

Newport Mansions: The Summer Palaces of the Gilded Age Originally a quiet port and Quaker community, Newport underwent seismic change when America’s wealthiest families—names like Vanderbilt, Astor, and Berwind—descended in the late 1800s. This marked a new era of conspicuous consumption, with fortunes amassed through railroads, coal, and banking funding decadent “summer cottages.” Read story

Friendcation: 12 Fun Destinations and Tips For a Vacation With Friends Friendcations, vacations taken with close friends who share accommodations, meals, and much of the daily experience, offer a powerful way to deepen social bonds through extended, meaningful time spent together. We’ve got some tips to help you start planning a friendcation, along with 12 choices that we think are perfect friendcation destinations. Read story

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Here's what else is going on:

Traveling: Home

We've got plans around home for the next couple weeks, checking out a couple of recommendations, spending time with family, and hopefully getting to see some July 4th fireworks.

Reading: The Belles by Lacy N. Dunham

In this richly atmospheric, dark academia debut novel, a young woman with a secretive past will risk everything—including her life—to fit in.

Dark academia doesn't appear to be one of my favorite genres as I've been slogging away at this since my Costa Rica trip. I'm just a little over half way through (and that's after two four and a half hour flights). I keep thinking it will pick up, but it really hasn't, and after reading some other reviews, I'm not the only one finding the slow pacing tedious. Still, I persevere and hope to finish it this week.

Learn more about the book here, or check at your local library.

I behind in doing a full update of my reading list, but I think I've finished 71 books this year, fulfilling 22 prompts (nothing to check off from the past couple weeks).

You can take a look at all the books I've read so far this year here.

Want to join in the challenge? It's designed for travelers who like to read and readers who like to travel. It started as a simple project with friends, grew into a larger project with friends and friends of friends, and now we have a small community of travelers who love to read. It's self-paced, and while you can read what you want when you want, we hope the prompts encourage you to try some new authors and genres to your reading choices.

You can learn more about the challenge by signing up for our monthly newsletter here. Or join our spoiler-free Facebook group here.

Watching: Father Brown (BritBox)

Friends recommended the British period detective series based (loosely) on a short story series. The series is set in a fictional town in the Cotswolds during the early 1950s. The episodes are full of allegory and symbolism about big picture issues, and the show has grown on us.

We're currently watching season, although with both of us traveling, we didn't watch much the last couple of weeks. With 13 seasons released, and a 14th scheduled, we've got a lot of Father Brown ahead of us.

More info here.

Listening: America's First Daughter (audiobook)

From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother's death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.

This has been a fascinating, and often troubling, look at Thomas Jefferson through the eyes of his daughter, Patsy. At 24 hours in duration, it was a major commitment. I'm down to 10 hours left, so I've made considerable progress. At time brilliant, at other times petty, and still at other times, downright hypocritical, this look at one of our preeminent founding fathers is perfectly times with the upcoming 250th celebration.

Listen here.

Heads in Beds: Wishmaker House (Belleville, Ohio)

If the television series Gilmore Girls had been set in Ohio instead of Connecticut, it would have been set in the town of Bellville. And the town plaza where everyone gathered would be the park right next to the Wishmaker House Bed & Breakfast.

I've been enjoying small towns (Bellville population around 2,000) and this bed and breakfast captured me with its charm and attention to details. If you're touring in Ohio, plan a stop at the Mansfield Reformatory (filming location for Shawshank Redemption), and stay at Wishmaker House.

Interested in booking Wishmaker House? You may be hard pressed to get reservations during World Cup games (but always worth a try), but keep the hotel in mind for future Seattle trips.

If you're a DIYer, you can find info here.

Or, if you'd prefer to work directly with us for your travel booking, taking advantage of the many value-added perks we can help with at this hotel, get in touch via our dedicated booking email (most services at no fee).

In the Glass:

Since both of us were traveling, and on opposite schedules, we haven't had a chance to try anything new. We're looking for some overlooked wines from Washington State, so if you have favorites, hit reply to this newsletter and let us know.

4946 SW 329th Way, Federal Way, WA 98023

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