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Back in 1993 I visited my daughter who was studying in London for a semester and took advantage of the opportunity to do some sight-seeing.
One of the places I visited was Leeds Castle in Kent between London and Dover. Leeds Castle has been called “the loveliest castle in the world” and is situated on two islands on a lake.
It is definitely beautiful.
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Betsy and I enjoy the beach at Ocean Isle, North Carolina, for many reasons, but the sunrises we can enjoy from our room definitely ranks high on the list. I captured this image on our most recent trip to Ocean Isle Beach in early December. Upon seeing sights like this the most appropriate response is “The heavens declare the glory of God”.
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I’m of a generation that had to read Canterbury Tales in high school, and I must confess that it was not my favorite reading assignment. But I had a chance to visit Canterbury Cathedral many years ago while visiting London. I recently came across this picture that I took of the cathedral interior and was once again impressed with the beauty of the place. The original image was a slide taken in 1993.
There are many reasons we keep going back to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas, but one of main reasons is the magnificent sunsets we can enjoy from ‘our’ cabin on top of the mountain. Although this picture was taken several years ago, I hope you’ll agree it makes going back very worthwhile.
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Sometimes I’m in the right place at the right time to get what I think Is a good photograph. One such time occurred when I was in London way back in 1993. I was walking along the river Thames toward the new London Bridge as the sun was beginning to set. This is what I saw.
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I’ve often talked about how much Betsy and I love watching the sunsets when we visit Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas. But we also enjoy catching the sunrises from Sunrise Point in the park.
A few years ago we were greeted by a blanket of fog in the valley below Sunrise Point. As you can see from the photo above, it was almost hard to tell that there was a valley and city below us.
As the sky got lighter we began seeing the trees and the tops of hills in the valley below. In the distance we could make out the mountains on the other side of the valley.
Fields and buildings began coming into view
Finally parts of the Arkansas River came into view, reflecting the red of the sky above it.
What a gorgeous way to begin a day!
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One of the main reasons My Beautiful Bride and I like going to Mt. Nebo in February is that the cabin we rent offers some gorgeous views of the setting sun that time of year. Often, when there are relatively few clouds, the sky is streaked with gorgeous color.
But even a very cloudy day can provide dramatic sunsets, as this picture taken a few Februarys ago shows.
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The poinsettia has long been associated with Christmas — we have a red poinsettia like the one above on a coffee table in our living room.
I think I knew there were many varieties of poinsettias, but I didn’t realize that there were so many different colors until Betsy and I visited the Conservatory at Biltmore when we were there for the Christmas at Biltmore event. There were plants of different colors, such as this yellow-green poinsettia which was one of the first we saw as we entered the Conservatory. There were poinsettias of different hues and shades through out the building.
But I think I was most impressed with the multi-colored poinsettias that we saw. This red and white beauty was definitely eye-catching.
Some plants were more subdued than others, but still very pretty. I did like this point and white poinsettia very much.
It would be hard for me to pick a favorite, although these yellow and red plants that we saw near the end of our visit to the Conservatory definitely caught my eye.
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One of the joys for Betsy and I when we visit Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas is the sunsets we can enjoy from ‘our’ cabin when we visit in February or March. All the pictures in this post were taken on February 12, 2013.
Regardless of what we do during the day, we try to get back to the cabin before sunset. Sometimes, as in the picture above, the late afternoon gives a hint of the glorious sunset to come.
As the sun drops lower, a look to the south across the valley shows the reds, oranges and pinks of the clouds above.
For a moment the sun seems to pause just as it touches the mountains to the west and baths everything in a golden glow.
Then the sun is gone, but it leaves a reminder of the beauty of God’s creation in the sky.
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My Beautiful Bride and I have season passes to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and we try to visit the estate several times a year. Although we have gone into the house several times, we usually go to visit the conservatory and the gardens.
The Walled Garden is the centerpiece of the gardens at Biltmore. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, as were all the gardens at Biltmore. Frederick Law Olmsted is often considered America’s foremost landscape architect.
The Walled Garden is usually the second area we visit (after the Conservatory) on each trip to Biltmore. This post show a typical Spring visit to the Walled Garden. All these photos were taken in April, 2013.
The Walled Garden features a seasonal rotation of blossoms. A long arbor covered with grape vines runs down the center of the garden.
Openings in the arbor provide a pretty frame for the tulips.
Over 50,000 tulips (and 14,000) daffodils are planted in the garden each Spring, making a beautiful display.
I was fortunate to find another type of beauty in a different section of the garden.
To see these and other images from our visit, click HERE.
Senior Moments 