"God's Country" by Karen Rock


Since I was a little girl, I’ve been lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth: The Adirondacks Park- a rugged, protected area spanning millions of acres of mountain peaks, sparkling lakes, and wild spaces. It’s the perfect place to vacation if you love nature, camping, hiking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, kayaking, bird watching, and mountain biking. Dubbed “God’s Country” for its high peaks and breathtaking vistas, it attracts 7- 10 million visitors each year from around the globe.  I’m thrilled to have used it as the setting for my July Harlequin Heartwarming release, UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY and hope you enjoy it too! Here are some fun facts about the Adirondacks:



1. The Adirondack Chair was created in Westport, New York, on the Adirondack Coast of Lake Champlain.


2. The source of the Hudson River is located on the highest lake in New York State – Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mount Marcy – at 5,344 feet.


3. In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States at North Creek Station. This was after learning that President William McKinley – who had been shot a few weeks earlier – had died.



4. The Adirondack Mountains are growing faster than the Himalayas, at a rate of one foot every 100 years.



5. Lake Placid, located in the northern Adirondack Park, is one of three places in the world to host the Winter Olympic Games twice, once in 1932 and 1980. The village was the first place in North America to host the event twice. 


6. The term “vacation” is said to have originated in the Adirondacks. Wealthy New Yorkers would “vacate” the city during the sticky summer months and head for the cool northern woods.


7. The Adirondack Park spans 6.1 million acres and is larger than the state of Massachusetts. In fact, several National Parks could fit inside the Blue Line (the line on a map that designates the outline of the park), including Glacier, Yosemite, the Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.



8. The Adirondack Park is the largest park in the continental United States.


9. The Prospect House, built in Blue Mountain Lake, was the first hotel in the United States to have electric lights.


10. Painted Pony Rodeo in Lake Luzerne – five miles west of Lake George – is the oldest weekly rodeo in the United States.


Come join Kate James, Amy Vastine, Catherine Lanigan and me on our 31 stop Summer Lovin blog tour this month full of fun posts, lists, excerpts and reviews for our July releases. Stop by HERE for the list of our scheduled stops. The tour runs throughout the month. 

Also, the four of us, along with wonderful guest authors are having a great Facebook party, packed with giveaways ever hour, on July 20th. Sign up for the party HERE or DM me on Facebook and I’ll invite you directly.
July 20

If you’d like to sample UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY, you can read the first three chapters, free, on WATTPAD HERE.

If interested in purchasing a copy, the print or digital versions are now available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iTunes and eHarlequin !


If you’d like to win an autographed copy of UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY, enter by telling me about your favorite or most memorable vacation spot! I’m looking forward to hearing your picks J I’ll announce the winner here tomorrow morning. Good luck, friends!

Comments

  1. Disney because I feel connected to my brother who had muscular dystrophy and passed before make a wish could get him there. It was always his dream so we all promised to go there for him in his memory. ( there were 13 kids in the family) I've been 3 times and start bawling the second I get in the park. There's so much to do and see .

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    1. I love Disney, too! I've been four times with my daughter and it's a magical place for our family. I'm so sorry that your brother didn't get to go, but I'm sure he's been with you in spirit as you honor him in that special way <3

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  2. Okay, after reading your post I want to come visit this beautiful place!!!!! Congrats on your release. Under An Adirondack Sky is an awesome book!

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    1. Thanks, Tara!! I couldn't have written it without my awesome critique partner <3

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  3. That would be Cape Cod Massachusetts. Also I get to see my Grandchildren to.

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    1. Cape Cod is the best! I've been there twice and loved their beaches, bird sanctuary and... seafood restaurants, of course! Fitting in a visit with your grandchildren makes it the perfect place to vacation, Charlene :)

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  4. Cinnamon Bay, USVI National Campground.

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    1. ooooooohhhhh! I've been there on my honeymoon! Never forgotten how exquisitely clear the water was. It was walking right into a clear, warm bath. Great spot :)

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    2. Went with my sister & mom... sent a box of books to be held... laid on beach, read and swam. It was great except my mom forgot her hearing aids.... that was kinda a pain!!

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  5. One of my fav places to vacation is at my brother's cottage in The Muskoka area of Ontario, he is on the Musquash River and in the morning my fav thing to do is sit out on the deck in the early morning with my cup of tea and good book. It is so tranquil and quiet. It's heaven.

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    1. That does sound like heaven, Kathleen! Reading is a must for me, too, on any vacation. I need those quiet, tranquil moments to lose myself in a great story :) I'm going to check out Musquash River- It sounds beautiful.

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  6. Beautiful pictures and sounds like a great place. My favorite vacation was a two week Mediterranean cruise my husband and I took in 2012, then took another week driving around Italy with our three children.

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    1. That sounds amazing, Michele! I love cruising and have always wanted to take the Mediterranean one. Adding a driving trip through Italy must have made that an unforgettable trip :)

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  7. My favorite vacation spot is the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. It's beautiful and relaxing. I love it. I don't get to go there enough!!

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    1. I bet those are gorgeous! I was born in California but have no memories of the Pacific ocean. I'd love to visit someday :)

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  8. My favorite vacation spot is the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. It's beautiful and relaxing. I love it. I don't get to go there enough!!

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  9. Port Saint Joe, Florida
    Beautiful beaches, no commercialism at all!

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    1. That sounds incredible. I love Florida beaches but some can get crowded. I'm adding Port Saint Joe to my list of places to visit. Thanks, Anita :)

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  10. Such beautiful pictures! I wish I could visit one day as I love forest era's like that. Thanks for sharing those facts, very interesting. I never realized these mountains were growing so fast!
    Picking a favorite vacation spot is difficult. I always love visiting Germany as it's such a beautiful country, but I've also been to Scotland once and it's really beautiful there too. Both places I want to visit again too.

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    1. I wish you could visit, too, Lola! My door is always open any time you want to visit :) I really think you'd love it here. I've never been to Germany or Scotland but I've seen pictures. I would love to see them someday! Especially castles. If there are old castles anywhere- I'm in!

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  11. We don't go to a vacation often because we are tight on money, but my favorite vacation is the balcony at my grandma's house. It's a really nice spot. You can clearly see the mountains. I feel like I'm close to nature. :)

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    1. I bet that is a beautiful, peaceful, uplifting spot, Alyssa! There is something about mountains... maybe their size, how close they are to the sky... it's just very uplifting to look at them and climb them :)

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  12. I think I love Niagara Falls the best because it is a natural beauty. Although when I was just out of college, I went cross country from NY to Denver and the view of those mountains will forever be in my memory

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    1. Niagara Falls is stunning, Kim! I've seen both the NY and the Canadian side one year when we went out that way to rescue a dog. I've never been to Denver but the pictures I've seen of the Rocky Mountains there takes my breath away.

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  13. Believe it or not me and my dear OH's favorite vacation spot is the Lake George area. But we stayed down in Queensbury about twice each summer, given our work schedule. Specifically we stayed at Martha's until they closed down due to Six Flags taking over a mile of Route 9 across from where they are located. We then migrated across the road to Greycourt, right next to Sutter's where we always ate breakfast. The first time we stayed at Greycourt when they asked how we chose them, I said we were refugees from Martha's. I missed hearing the sounds of the roar of the lions and the cry of the peacocks which reminded of my childhood when I'd lived a block away from the fence of the Bronx Zoo. Unfortunately, we haven't been up there for several years due to family matters, but we're looking to hopefully return there this summer if not next year.

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    1. Sutter's Mill Restaurants?! Robin! You are speaking my language :) They have the best blueberry pancakes and their country store (the one you pass through before heading upstairs to the restaurant) is amazing. I could lose myself in that place for hours. Lake George is one of my favorite spots, too. We go every summer when they start having fireworks every Thursday night. If you take the fireworks cruise, you can go out on the top deck and watch them explode overhead.

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    2. Unless they've moved the restaurant, which when we went there only served Breakfast and Lunch, the restaurant had been it the front of the place, right off Rte 9. When we stayed at Graycourt we never walked along Rte 9 but cut through the front of their property right into Sutter's. I just loved their homemade breads. Coming from the NYCity area we loved Lake George Village which reminded us of Greenwich, the "haunted" houses were cute, we even had taken an Olde Time photo with period clothing. and of course there was the fun of the arcade with the pinball games. Each time we went, we look the lunch cruise on Lake George on the Lac du Saint Sacrament.

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    3. I still have an old time picture of me and my three sisters. Jeanne was a saloon gal with playing cards stuck in her garter, I was dressed as a southern bell with a parasol and my youngest sister, Cathy, was a 20s flapper :)

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    4. I still have an old time picture of me and my three sisters. Jeanne was a saloon gal with playing cards stuck in her garter, I was dressed as a southern bell with a parasol and my youngest sister, Cathy, was a 20s flapper :)

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  14. It seems I like everywhere I go the best, but we went driving through Michigan's Upper Peninsula a few years ago and it was amazing. Your pictures definitely make me want to visit the Adirondacks!

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    1. I've never visited there before, Liz! I'll have to check that out. The Adirondacks are so photogenic. It was actually super hard to pick the ones that I chose because I kept going back and forth and couldn't decide which were best!

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  15. When our kids were little we loved to camp at Lake of the Ozark every year. Lots of good Memories.

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    1. Those are amazing memories your children will have for the rest of their lives... and hopefully continue with their own children. Camping is such a great way to get together as a family without all the distractions of regular life coming in.

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  16. When our kids were little we loved to camp at Lake of the Ozark every year. Lots of good Memories.

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  17. I am a New York gypsy and my family (mothers side) has been here since the 1500's. Actually the first governor of NY is my to the 10th great uncle (Peter Stuyvesant). Most of my life, I have lived in the Capital District so the Adirondacks are a hop, skip or jump for me. I have been all over them but my favorite spot to vacation, is either Blue Jay campsite in Tupper Lake or Limekiln/7th Lake Area. I live by the most majestic serene place in the world, why go anywhere else.

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    1. You said it, Anita :) It is majestic and I never get tired of all of the things we can do here. (We should put in for jobs at the travel bureau- lol) Tupper Lake/Upper Jay is an incredible area and my book is set right there! Oh- and wow about your ancestry! I went to college in Albany and remembered seeing the Stuyvesant name everywhere :)

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  18. Wonderful post, Karen! Love the photos and all the fascinating facts. Not sure where it is, but when I was six, we went somewhere in New Hampshire, I think, where Barnum and Bailey keep the animals over the winter. I loved it! And I remember a seriously rustic old country store with a genuine cigar store Indian on the porch. Like Liz, I've enjoyed everywhere I've been - though I haven't been far - but seeing the animals has stayed with me.

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    1. Thanks, Muriel :) Your childhood trip sounds incredible and I can see why it stayed with you. Getting to see those exotic animals must have been such a treat. I always loved the circus and this winter Greg and I went to the Ringling Bros circus museum in Sarasota, FL. We got to see the huge canon they shot the people out of, the cages that held the animals, the train and so many neat things!

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  19. Karen, what a fun post! The Adirondacks look almost as gorgeous as our Pacific Northwest - almost(; I've always wanted to see that beautiful country. I would love to go skiing at Lake Placid. How lucky you are to have it in your backyard - and your title! Congratulations on Under an Adirondack Sky.

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    1. Haha! Maybe we need to do one of those house swaps for a week someday, Carol! I've always wanted to visit the Pacific NW and my house is only 30 minutes away from Lake Placid :)

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  20. What a great post, Karen. You're blessed to live in such a beautiful area. I love Adirondack chairs! Thanks for sharing all of these interesting facts and your beautiful photographs!

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    1. You're so welcome, Jill :) It was fun to write a post about my neck of the woods and share all that I love about it!

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  21. I'm so happy to share a release month with you, Karen. Your post makes me want to visit you!! :-)

    Congratulations on the great reviews that UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY is getting!

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    1. Thanks for your congrats, Kate and you should come visit me! Lots to do here year-round. Boating/hiking/camping/canoeing/skiing/apple picking- plus lots of great backgrounds to cruise on your Harleys :)

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    2. We'd love it! Harley as in motorcycle or Harley as in black Lab?? :-)

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  22. We love Virginia's Historic Triangle--Williamsburg,Jamestown, and Yorktown. After 5 years away, we are finally returning at the end of this month. I am sooo excited!!

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    1. I'm so happy for you to be returning to a favorite spot, Julie :) My husband and I have gone to Williamsburg three times. We can't get enough of the colonial village and the area around there is just beautiful! History and sightseeing. It doesn't get better than that.

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  23. I guess one of my favorite vacations was when my family (my mom, my dad, my brother, and I) went to Yellowstone in 1976. We even got to see the Corn Palace on our way out there.

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    1. The Corn Palace? Why have I never heard of this before, Marlene? lol. But seriously... why haven't I heard of it since I LOVE stuff like that. I'm adding that to my list of places to see, thanks :)

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  24. We have enjoyed stay-cations lately. My favorite thing to do is hit the Rails to Trails paths on my bike early in the morning. Riding through the woods and observing the wildlife, the sense of peace and the interesting remains of towns that have since disappeared is wonderful.

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    1. Stay-cations are lovely- especially if you have access to wonderful places to get out like you do, Cathy! There are tons of awesome dirt bike baths through the woods here, but I haven't gotten up the guts to try them yet :)

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  25. Such beautiful pictures and description. I've always wanted to go there. I'll have to move it up a few spots on my bucket list.

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    1. Thanks, Patricia! If you do visit, drop me a line and I'll show you some neat spots :)

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  26. I love your pictures and information about the beautiful Adirondacks! I have traveled a little in that region, but you have inspired me to do more! Thanks for a lovely post.

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    1. You're welcome, Amie! It was a joy to write about a place I love. If you ever travel this way again, let me know!

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  27. Beautiful pictures! I'd love to visit the Adirondack Mountains! It's difficult to choose just one place. The mountains of Vermont are beautiful, the gulf coast of Florida, my home state of WV, and there are so many places I haven't visited yet!! Thanks for the chance!

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    1. You're welcome, Christy :) All of the places you mentioned are so lovely. The Green Mountains are where the Van Trapp family moved to when they fled Austria and they have a lodge up there that serves high tea every day! My favorite thing in Stowe, VT is their annual Fall craft fair where the most talented artisans come from all over the country to share their works... and drain my bank account- LOL

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  28. Wonderful pictures. I often went into the Adirondacks when I lived in New Jersey. Lovely place.

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    1. Thanks, Marion! The Adirondacks aren't too long of a drive from New Jersey (4-5 hours?) and it's nice to have that wilderness close when you want to slip away :)

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  29. We have fallen in love with Charleston, SC. Its history, beaches, and fabulous foods.

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    1. Charleston, SC is at the very tip top of my list of places to visit, Isabell! It looks beyond beautiful and has such great history and culture... plus, as you also mentioned... the food. Always a prime consideration for me- lol

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  30. A few years ago we took a Circle Lighthouse Tour, we drove to Wisconsin saw there lighthouses & then went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan & then on down to lower Michigan. I Love Lighthouses & to be able to go inside & see how they work was amazing. Thanks for this away. Linda May

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    1. You're so welcome, Linda! Thank you for stopping by the blog :) Lighthouses are such a great piece of our countries maritime history and I'm glad we've preserved many of them. I'm with you on liking to go up inside and peek at the inner workings. The ingenuity used to design them long before we had technology like today is incredible!

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  31. Beautiful pictures! I hope to visit there someday. Congratulations on your new book - love that cover!

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    1. Thanks, Amy! I hope you get to visit - let me know if you do :)

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  32. My most memorable vacation or getaway was my first marriage in 1974 we took off to the outskirts of reno and went all over no gambling more of a site seeing well that was after disneyland which we were so tired. Well we were taking pictures right and left and then we lost the roll of film we called everywhere and no roll of film even posted in their newspaper so it was in our brains and had nothing to show others and i should of known then how long this marriage was going to last if i lost the roll of film just about as long as we had the film although i did have a wonderful daughter from it who always calls me for something at 38 but that's ok she is still a kid in her heart and mine.

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    1. That is a memorable vacation!! Sure wish you had found the pictures- though your wonderful daughter sounds like the real keeper. 38 or 8- they are always kids to us that's for sure :) Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today.

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  33. Beautiful pictures! I loved Scotland. We went in the fall and even though the days were shorter and it was rainy it was beautiful. We got to see the wooly cows and the heather growing all over. My family loved it!

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    1. I have always wanted to go to Scotland and yes- it has everything to do with The Outlander- lol- well, maybe not all of it... It's beautiful and I've never seen wild fields of heather. That must be stunning :)

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  34. Wow!! How beautiful, and thank you for all of the fun facts. I learned a lot I didn't know. How fortunate you are to live in and among such loveliness. I am a mountain lover myself so I'm all over that. One of my favorite vacation locations is The Great Smoky Mountains. I can't get enough of the beautiful views.
    I HAVE to read your book. I already know it's going to be good because I read the first 3 chapters. And, love the cover too. ( :

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    1. Awwwwww!!! Thank you, Laurie <3 I'm so glad you liked the chapters. The winters here can be harsh and spring is late but summer and fall, especially, can't be beat. I've driven through the Smokey Mtns and they are gorgeous. It's on my list of places to stay. There's just something about being in mountain country... it just makes your insides feel fresh scrubbed :)

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  35. Mine would be when my mom and I went to visit my brother in Oceanside Ca. My sister and her family also came down to his it his parents in San Marcos Ca. One day we all got together and went to SeaWorld and spent the day together. We haven't all been together in a long time. It was like a family reunion.

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    1. A vacation and family reunion plus California equal an amazing time!! That must have been an incredible time :) One time my husband's family had a reunion on a cruise ship so we were all kind of trapped together- but we made it - lol. Actually we're all super close so it's one of my all time vacations

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  36. I'd love to visit all of those sights. But outside of that I'm with Britany who loves the San Juan Islands. I just got my July books. Have to read fast to finish up the June books that are also fantastic.

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    1. You can come and stay with me, Roz! The fall is my favorite time- leaf peeping, pumpkin patch rides and craft fairs :)

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  37. Okay, I'm coming for a visit. Beautiful pictures. Teddy is my favorite president. So colorful. I do have a political snark I could say, but I'll be nice.

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    1. Lol! now you have to come up and visit me, Pam since I love snark and adore you <3

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  38. Congratulations Robin Leigh Morgan! You are the winner of an autographed copy of UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY :) Please email me with our address at karenrock@live.com and I will get it in the mail to you ASAP. Thanks so much for everyone that participated today. I loved hearing about your favorite vacation spots and now want to visit them, too.

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  39. Congratulations Robin Leigh Morgan! You are the winner of an autographed copy of UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY :) Please email me with our address at karenrock@live.com and I will get it in the mail to you ASAP. Thanks so much for everyone that participated today. I loved hearing about your favorite vacation spots and now want to visit them, too.

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    1. Since I DON'T ACCEPT requests to review books, and review those books I've personally bought or had won through Giveaways. I'm happy to have won a signed copy of your book. You've made my weekend. Have a GREAT WEEKEND with your family !!! :-) :-) :-)

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  40. amy guillaume lindermanJuly 8, 2016 at 8:07 AM

    i would have to say our trip to amish country in PA, when my kids were still young enough to not have interest in electronics.....hubby and i didn't even have cell phones.. it was so nice to just focus on each other and the scenery and spend time together in the peace and quiet of the countryside

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  41. Jaime Lyn from facebook here. These pictures are stunning and I would love to read this book. I'd be able to take a mental vacation, lol. Congratulations on the book and much success to you.

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  42. If anyone is interested here's the 5 STAR review I wrote for this book on Amazon
    https://www.amazon.com/review/R1EV08LXUDGJXP

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