Tag Archives: Travels

Unknown's avatar

Art & Whimsy

by

On our last full day of fun in Sarasota, we were able to take another long walk on the beach,

_MG_1055-2_MG_1065-4_MG_1051-2 _MG_1091-2

followed by opportunities to explore some of the downtown architecture, Farmer’s Market, restaurants, and street activity.

_MG_1130-2 _MG_1104-3 _MG_1099-2 _MG_1129-3 _MG_1124-2 _MG_1113-2 _MG_1112-3

We also visited the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy, where “part of the mission is to collect and preserve work of artistic and whimsical importance.  Our collection is bright and colorful.  The artwork will lift your spirits and, hopefully, inspire creative expression”.  It was a bright, sunny day, and these images do not do justice to the colorful, metal works.

Take my word for it, our spirits were definitely lifted!

_MG_1170-2 _MG_1167-2 2016-03-12 14.26.29-2 2016-03-12 14.13.43-2 _MG_1177-2 _MG_1174-2 _MG_1171-2

Before I knew it, the time had come to fly home.  What an incredible 3 days! I’m grateful to have friends who value this tradition as much as I do!

_MG_1242-2

Thanks for coming along with me on the adventure!

Unknown's avatar

Springtime in Florida

by

For the past 3 years, I’ve had the good fortune to travel to Florida in March.  The snow and cold temperatures are left behind, and I am greeted by springtime on the gulf coast.  Tons of color, cooling breezes, gorgeous horizons, and dear friends.  The trip is never long enough, but 3 full days offers a welcome break from the routine.

I’m even getting comfortable with flying. Yes, as odd as it seems, the woman who rides a motorcycle has a tendency to be a bit nervous on a plane.

_MG_0822-3

The first day in Florida found us enjoying delicious food at Columbia Restaurant, followed by a bit of shopping and walking.

_MG_0827-3

_MG_0831-2 _MG_0835-2

The next morning, after coffee, yogurt, and fresh fruit by the pool (aka hot tub), we were walking Lido Beach.

_MG_0870-3

_MG_0944-3

20160310_171708-4 _MG_0846-3 _MG_0884-2

The camera was rarely out of my hand!!

_MG_0899-3 _MG_0943-2

_MG_0901-2

And thank goodness for that!

_MG_0905-2 - Copy _MG_0906-2 _MG_0933-2

This little guy was hunkered down in a footprint.

_MG_0891-2

And this guy seemed to be saying “what are you looking at?”

_MG_0935-2

After a couple hours of walking, it was time to find lunch and to explore some local history.

20160311_115825-2

Next Post: Spanish Point

Unknown's avatar

“Nothin’ to Sneeze At”

by

Three years with WordPress is nothing to sneeze at!

anniversary-2x

And what is the origin of that term, anyway?  According to the Word Detective, “To sneeze at” something or someone is a colloquial usage, first appearing in the early 19th century, to mean that the thing under consideration (Three years with WordPress) may appear modest or trivial but is actually at least somewhat important or impressive.

Impressive or not, three years with WP has had a tremendous impact on my life.  I’ll not tie you down with statistics, but instead offer thanks to all of you for being here with me.  Whether you regularly comment, or more randomly “like”, I’m grateful for all of you.  You’ve encouraged my growth as a photographer (Joe has even provided phone and text consults), have followed me on my motorcycle journeys, supported me after my wreck, contributed to my campaign, created beautiful gifts for me, and have spent time with me in Virginia.

You’ve become my friends, and my life is richer for all that you share.

Your photos and drawings, your stories and poems, your creativity and crafts, and your life lessons learned.

My sincere thanks.

060-2

See ya on down the road!

Unknown's avatar

Bloggers: The Most Incredible Gathering of Friends!

by

We’ve all said it, and many of you have as well.

WordPress Blogging has become so much more than we ever thought it would be.  What started out as travel diary, forum for writing, sharing of photography, enlightenment about art, gardening, or crafting, or keeping up with family has become a community of international friends.

Over the last several days, 8 WP bloggers from 3 countries and 2 states, have met in various locations to continue in person, the relationships that have been forged through the world of blogging.

IMG_2142-2

Laurie, Boomdee,  Pauline, Alys, and Julia in Old Town Alexandria.

We marveled that while most of us had never met each other, we talked and laughed as if we’d known each other for years.

Which, of course, we had.

IMG_2185-2

Laurie, Stacy, Boomdee, Alys, Lisa, Pauline, and Patty in Georgetown

What might have seemed unusual to friends and family (“you’re letting someone you’ve never met stay in your home?”), to us seemed natural.  No doubts.

Our days have been full of laughter, many hugs, lots of delicious food and the sharing of stories.

IMG_2247-2

Pauline, Shelley, Boomdee, Alys

We’re still in the middle of this amazing gathering of friends, but I wanted to share the joy, because of course, there are so many of you out there that I would love to meet!

Let’s get to planning.  I promise it is worth the effort!

We’ve got another couple days here in Radford before I put Boomdee, Kelly, and Pauline on the train back to DC.  Until the, we’ll fill every single moment with the joy of being together.

And now, while the others get a bit more rest, I’m off to work on the campaign for a couple hours.

Unknown's avatar

Until Tomorrow

by

IMG_1745-3

It was lovely to visit many of your blogs this evening, which kept me from doing much work on the photos from my recent trip to Florida.

There’s always tomorrow, right?  G’Night Ya’ll!

Unknown's avatar

Uptown Charlotte

by

My visit to Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, was all too brief, yet a vigorous walk the evening that I arrived and another the next morning gave me an introduction to this city of just under 800,000.  I dropped my bag in my room, grabbed my camera, and headed towards the door of the hotel.

IMG_1039-2

It was early in February, and while the northeast was getting hammered with snow, Virginia and North Carolina were experiencing a clear 50 degree weekend.

Il Grando Disco (The Grand Disc) is a coin-shaped piece of art that sits at Bank of America Plaza on Tryon Street. The piece is a large, bronze wheel with dark edges and designs etched throughout. Created specifically for the space by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, Il Grande Disco was installed on October 2, 1974 (http://charlotte.about.com)

_MG_1126-3

Across the intersection is a far more traditional installation.

_MG_1071-2

My friend Tim pointed out that for a brief moment, the sounds of the traffic were drowned out by this fountain.

_MG_1060-2

In the previous post I shared two images of the fence that surrounds the First Presbyterian Church. Built in 1857, the church is a one-story, Gothic Revival style stuccoed brick building.  The evening light was waning by the time I got there, so I’ve processed these two images differently, although they were taken just moments apart.

_MG_1082-2

IMG_1083-2

The power line remains in this photo, because it is a more accurate portrayal of the street scene.

IMG_1081-2

The next morning, with my visit drawing to an end, I took a walk in search of coffee and breakfast.

_MG_1115-2

The morning sun cast a bright light on this fountain and also of the homeless man still sleeping.

_MG_1116-2

The Mariachi crepe at Hazelnuts Creperie, was filled with egg, black beans, bacon, tomato, mozzarella, onion, avocado & jalapeño cream.  Oh my gosh YUM!

_MG_1122-2

The only other time I’d been to Charlotte, other than for runs to the airport, was to see my beloved Hokies play football, and I didn’t see much more than the stadium.  I’ll definitely return for more explorations soon!

Unknown's avatar

Oh How The Mood Changes

by

A quick trip to Charlotte, NC offered me a chance to have a mini 12 hour vacation.  The day was beautiful for driving (I very much regretted not riding the bike) and I met friends in Uptown.

How wonderful it was to walk and wander, to point and shoot, to breathe and relax.

_MG_1049-2

As an aside: I wondered why the residents of Charlotte call it Uptown and learned that this is a common question, one that Brad Panovich, Chief Meteorologist a WCNC-NBC TV answered in this blog post.

While I have many photos to work through and share, I loved the contrast between these two. Without a tripod, I took one with, and one without, flash.  The mood changed dramatically in comparison, and the second begged to be converted to monochrome.

The first evokes a lovely evening stroll …

IMG_1084-2

while the second encourages you to turn around and head home.

_MG_1086-2

Oh the joy of photography!

Unknown's avatar

Parting Shots from Pittsburgh

by

Can you handle just a few more photos from a great trip to Pittsburgh?  I sure hope so because this is the last post!

Ruth and I rode the Monongahela Incline, one of two cable-powered inclines designed for transportation between the river valleys and the communities on top of the overlooking bluffs.  The first two photos are mine, but I really think my friend Ruth’s photo captured the feel of the inside of that cable car.  Please check the link for information about these historic inclines!  So very cool!

_MG_9241 _MG_9243

IMG_2041

Check out that 78% grade!

_MG_9242

Once at the top, we walked the Mount Washington community, enjoyed a warm beverage from a local ice cream / coffee shop, and enjoyed chatting with the local business owner.

_MG_9239

Ruth holds the framed article about that same business owner, while he tells us about the Mount Washington community and it’s local businesses.

_MG_9238 _MG_9236

Ruth thankfully is a photographer, one who has taught me much, and has complete patience with my non-stop shooting.  Before riding back down, we posed for a picture in front of a the beautiful cityscape.

_MG_9229

IMG_2037

_MG_9264-2 IMG_9260-2 IMG_9261-2

Just a few more shots that I think capture the essence of Pittsburgh.

Catsup 🙂

IMG_9251-2

Bridges

IMG_9212-2

Rivers and History

IMG_9205-2

and Sports

IMG_9149-2

Thanks for coming along on our road trip to Pittsburgh! I wonder where we’ll travel to next year?

Unknown's avatar

Pittsburgh: Come Walk with Me

by

During our six mile walk around Pittsburgh, in addition to enjoying the bridges and rivers, we were impressed with the mix of old and new, the historic and the modern.  We stopped for a light lunch, and of course I had to taste a Pittsburgh pilsner, but otherwise we didn’t shop.  We just looked, and walked, and marveled and exclaimed.  It was a perfect day to explore.

Ruth pointed out that the leaves of the Honey Locust tree, which we saw all along the streets, are the colors of the sports teams of Pittsburgh.

  IMG_9191

The Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail complex, designed in 1883 by Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and built between 1884-1888, is a beautiful historic building right in the middle of Pittsburgh’s downtown business district.

_MG_9127

_MG_9124

The P&LERR (Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad) terminal building, or the Landmarks Building, was constructed in 1900.  This historic landmark, once a busy passenger station and hub of the P&LERR railroad, has been renovated and in now contains shops, restaurants, and is a wedding venue.

IMG_9216

The interior was being set up for a wedding but we were allowed to take a quick look.  The low light made for difficult spur of the moment photography, but wow! Isn’t it a beautiful room?

IMG_9222

The Union Trust Building was erected in 1915–16 by industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The Flemish-Gothic structure’s original purpose was to serve as a shopping arcade. Known as the Union Arcade, it featured 240 shops and galleries. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

_MG_9245

This beautiful movie palace was a major theatre in Pittsburgh, opened originally as the Grand Theatre in 1918.  Renamed Warner Theatre in 1930, it was used as a cinema through the 1980s, deteriorating all the while.  The auditorium was demolished, and a two story shopping center named Warner Center was built on the site. The beautiful doors and a portion of the huge lobby have been retained.

_MG_9132

The clubhouse of the Harvard, Yale, and Princeton Club of Allegheny is a National Historic Landmark.  Built in 1894, the building originally contained 12 three-room apartments and served as workers’ row housing. Pittsburgh architect and club member Edward B. Lee (Harvard Class of 1899) was commissioned to transform the space into a private club, and after extensive renovation was re-opened in 1930.  The courtyard reminded us of one that might be found in New Orleans, and had a quaint feel in the middle of the big city.

IMG_9249

The Buhl Building is a historic commercial building in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. Built in 1913, the building is faced with multi-colored terra cotta tiles.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.  The yellow honey locust trees look even better against those blue and cream tiles, don’t they?

_MG_9138

Isn’t this pedestrian walk way, with water feature and lovely purple lights, wonderful?  We came across this as we were walking near the Rachel Carson bridge (I think), but I was not able to find any information online about it.

IMG_9273

One PNC Plaza is a high-rise office building located in the Central Business District.  Constructed in 1972, and 30 stories high, it currently features the world’s largest green wall.

_MG_9136

I sure hope you enjoyed this walking tour of downtown Pittsburgh.  The information for this post was taken from Wikipedia and from a variety of Pittsburgh websites.

 Next and final Pittsburgh post:  Inclines and other sites in this fun city.