Category Archives: Travels

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Home!

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Hello from the very rainy Commonwealth of Virginia!

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I’m back from vacation, during which I saw very little sun, but had a wonderful time!  Luckily, I only rode in about 6 hours of rain, 2 of which were the final hours before arriving home.  If you were to visit me right now, you would see drying bike gear everywhere!

I’m anxious to catch up with your blogs and plan to visit within the next 24 hours!  And of course, soon I’ll be sharing photos and notes from my travels.  I’ll hope that some of our rain pushes west in order to provide relief to the draught stricken!

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Purple Rain

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Despite the rain on the Middle Peninsula last week, each morning I woke to the sounds of the Chesapeake Bay and the beauty of nature.  As you read this post, which I wrote and scheduled before I hit the road, I’ll be riding through southeastern Kentucky.

Cross your fingers and hope that it’s not raining where I am, and I’ll hope the same for you (unless you are in draught conditions, of course!)

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Fresh from the Bay

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The first half of my vacation is over but the memories of the Middle Peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the beaches of Delaware keep me smiling.  There is much I want to share with you but since I leave for Kentucky in the morning, I thought I would share just a few photos from our fresh crab and tuna steak shopping trip.

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Aren’t the colors of those crabs vibrant?  These photos are unedited; the color is true.

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The fisherman working that day, saw my camera and offered to let me walk out onto this fairly rickety dock.  From that vantage point I was able to photograph some of the surrounding docks.

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The weather those first three days was what some might consider less than “beachy”, but for me and my friends, it did not matter.

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We were happy just to be together and to explore the culture, marine life, and food that the Middle Peninsula of Virginia offers.

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What an incredible place!

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More photos from the coastline of Virginia and Delaware after I get back from my time on the bike!  Next stop … Kentucky!

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Blog Tour: Partial Failure

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What a whirlwind week it has been, one filled with many big and small things!

The biggest and most important thing was undergoing my 15th procedure since the wreck and to finally have my smile restored!  I’ve not devoted much blog space to the events of the past 9 months, and the only reason I’m doing so today is because this important event kept me from fulfilling an obligation that I committed myself to.

I’d been asked by 3 different bloggers to participate in a Blog Tour. I appreciated the invitations but knowing that I was a bit over extended and had a big case pending, I initially declined. Eventually I did agree to participate because it seemed fun, and a nice way to meet other bloggers.

The rules are simple.  The invited participant composes a one-time post. 4 questions are answered and then 4 other bloggers are invited to create a post, answering those same questions.

I dutifully made a calendar note to create a post, but then … I forgot to invite others to participate!

I must apologize to Emilio for only partially fulfilling my role as participant.  Please check out his post about the Virtual Blog Tour.

 And since we’re talking Tours, why don’t you visit a Displaced Beachbum.  She’s traveled the world and is currently touring Scotland.

Jo the Tart Queen is another blogger whose posts share delicious sounding recipes and beautiful photos from her travels.

So … the Answers to the 4 Questions in brief:

What am I currently working on?  I’m continuing my growth as an amateur photographer and am so happy to have been included as one of the photographers in a new B&W Photography Blog called Monochromia.  Please visit the blog and check out the great work of the participating photographers.

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How does my work differ from others of its genre? I have no specific goal other than to improve and no specific subject other than what draws and attracts my eye.  I do like to travel as much as I can and many of my posts are about the things I see from the road … short, local trips and longer, more adventurous ones.

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Why do I write/create what I do?  Simply put: It’s all about the joy, the fun, and the opportunity to be creative in a life filled with work and structure.

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How does your writing/creating process work?  Oh gosh … let’s see.  Something draws my attention. I pull over, crawl around on the ground, climb a ladder, fence, or bed of the truck, or slide down a riverbank, and shoot and shoot and shoot.  Once I get home, I just pray that something worked!  I do edit but not extensively.

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Thanks Emilio for inviting me to be a part of this tour!

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Youch!

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Also seen during a recent visit to the Botanical Garden:

The Silk Floss Tree (Ceiba Speciosa)

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Check out my previous two posts for more images from the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, here and here.

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Botanical Gardens

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Other than the scary plane flight back home (oh my!), my time in Florida could not have been better. The company of dear friends, along with delicious food and drink, was more than enough to make me happy.  The addition of warmer temperatures, even if accompanied by rain and overcast skies, and a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, made for a wonderful weekend.

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“Nested in 14 acres and amongst 12 buildings, the gardens are an open-air and under-glass museum of thousands of colorful and exotics plants.  The mission of the gardens is to provide an oasis of inspiration and tranquility, while furthering the understanding and appreciation of plants, especially epiphytes (a plant that derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and usually grows on another plant).  Selby Gardens is known for its living collection of more than 6,000 orchids, but it is also an established authority on other epiphytes including bromeliads, gesneriads, and other plants”.

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I’m not sure when I’ve been to a place where I’ve known so little and learned so much!  My ability with the camera did not do justice to the glory of these plants (tripods were not allowed iin the orchid house), but the photos do reveal their vibrant colors and uniqueness.

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This Fig Tree had the most incredible root system.

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Despite the focus on plant life, the Gardens are home to wildlife as well.

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I was so focused on capturing the color of this plant that I didn’t realize until later that I beheaded this little critter.

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The Rainforest Masks of Costa Rica were on display, in the 10th annual exhibition of the people of Boruca.  The masks are carved from native woods and are intricately painted in vibrant acrylic pigments.  Incredible!

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The historic Selby estate contains gardens devoted to Bamboo and Banyans, Cactus and Succulents, Bonsai, Hibiscus, Tropical Fruit, Fern, Native Florida Plants, Mangroves, Tropical Hardwoods, as well as Orchids.

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Even the gate that surrounds the property is a work of art.

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 Multiple visits would be needed to fully appreciate the gardens, a must see for plant / flower lovers.

 

 

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Pitcher Plant

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The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, is an estate garden whose mission is to “provide an oasis of inspiration and tranquility, while furthering the understanding and appreciation of plants, especially epiphytes”.  An epiphyte is a plant that derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and usually grows on another plant.

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It’s been an all too short, but wonderful visit to Sarasota, and I’ll have more photos and stories to post later.  For now, know that I’ve missed many of your posts while I’ve traveled, but I’ll catch up soon!!

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Planning for the Near Future

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We woke to a brief but lovely snow the other morning.  The few flakes that fell were gone in an hour, but it was peaceful and pretty while it lasted.  Lynda (Life on the Farmlet) – those sparkles are for you!

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For some reason, the pace of life has kept me from spending much time with my camera even though I carry it with me everywhere.  I am so ready to improve and have the outcome match my vision.  No negativity here … I am patient (sort of!).

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I do have some trips, for both pleasure and business, coming up in the next 6 weeks and I look forward to sharing the journey with you.

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And then, of course, I’ll be test riding some bikes and hoping the joy of the wind in my face is far greater than any anxiety I might feel.

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The Boars Head Inn

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The Boars Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA, an historic hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains, sits on the site of Terrell’s Ordinary, a modest inn where, during the 1700s, westward travelers stayed the night (these comments, and some of the next are taken from the Boars Head website).

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By the 1960s, the Ordinary was but a memory and in its place was the quintessential Virginia Inn.

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The heart of The Boar’s Head was built from the timbers of an abandoned gristmill along the banks of the Hardware River, which dated back to 1834.

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I’m lucky enough to attend a quarterly Board Meeting for my Nurse Practitioner organization at the Boars Head, but this time, I met my parents and one of my sisters and stayed as an overnight guest as well.

Situated on over 570 acres, the Inn features beautifully renovated rooms, afternoon canapes in the tea room, and five course dining in the Old Mill Room (which showcases beams from that 150 year old grist mill).

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We were still experiencing frigid temps while there, yet the geese on the frozen pond seemed to have adapted pretty well.

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The sunrise reflecting off yet another frozen pond was an incredible way to start the day.  I’m not sure when I’ve seen colors like this.

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I spent several hours learning the new camera yesterday, but that was after my time at the Boars Head Inn.  I look forward to applying some of what I have learned on my next trip back to Charlottesville.

Consider stopping in for a visit if you are near Charlottesville.  You will not be disappointed!

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Blowing Rock: Come on In

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My all too short visit to Blowing Rock was so much fun (see here), and as I walked around the town before heading home on the first day of 2014, I couldn’t help but photograph a few doors and windows.  As with the chairs and benches, I didn’t realize until I got home just how many doors and windows I had photographed.

Some from the outside …

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… and some from the inside.

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At times it was the color that caught my eye …

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… and other times, it was the light.

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And sometimes … I just don’t know 🙂

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No matter the reason, I spent 24 wonderful hours in this little town (well, except for when I locked myself out of my room … in my PJs … ha!).  Friendly folks, delicious food and drink, and lots of places to explore.

Be sure to check out Blowing Rock the next time you are near.

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Next Trip?  A day trip to Roanoke to buy my new camera!