Archive for the ‘Travels’ Category

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Garvan Woodland Gardens

April 11, 2009

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I’m beginning to feel as if I’m moving backward with my to-do lists.  I’m now spending more time out in the yard.  That’s something I thoroughly enjoy, but it means I’m getting further and further behind on working on my  pictures.  I still haven’t gotten through all the pictures we took when we went to Arkansas .  Hopefully I can get them done before Christmas!

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that we went to Garvan Woodland Gardens near Hotsprings, Arkansas.  We went there because our Arkansas waterfall book had a listing for a waterfall in the garden.  The gardens are the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas and are well worth a visit if you are in the area.

The collage above is made up of the waterfall and several of the other streams and cascades in the gardens.  The streams were almost as pretty as the flowers.

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I May Have Jinked Us

March 26, 2009
Cabin at the base of Serenity Falls, Great Smoky Mountains. November 10, 2008.

Cabin at the base of Serenity Falls, Great Smoky Mountains. November 10, 2008.

Last November Betsy and I spent a couple of days on the eastern side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  While searching for waterfalls we came across the cabin in the picture above, which is located at the base of Serenity Falls.  In November there wasn’t much water going over the falls, but the setting was so nice that we decided we would like to go back when there was more water.

Well, we made reservations a couple of weeks ago and are going back there later today.  But then Tuesday night I posted a picture of Betsy in the rain at a waterfall.  It started raining early Wednesday morning and has been raining fairly steadily ever since.  The weather forecast says that it will rain through Saturday.  I might come back home with several more pictures of Betsy in the rain.

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On a more serious note, today is Purple Day, a day to increase awareness of Epilepsy.  The writer of one of my favorite blogs, Michele at Rocky Mountain Retreat, has to live with this disease.  She recently suffered from a series of seizures which left her hospitalized.  Fortunately Michele is doing much better now.  Michele is a very talented photographer who posts marvelous pictures on her blog.  Stop by her site — you’ll be glad you did.

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Betsy’s ‘Dream’ Cabin

March 22, 2009

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Shortly after Betsy and I got married we started talking about finding our retirement home.  At first we talked about finding a log cabin.  Betsy really liked the idea of a cabin on the top of a hill with lots of trees around it.

It didn’t take us long to discover that our ‘dream’ house was way beyond our wallet.  We finally found our house in the Glade.  It’s not a log cabin, but it does have wooden siding.  It’s on a hill, but not at the top.  But it does have lots of trees around it.  And we thoroughly love it.

But that doesn’t keep us from keeping an eye out for a cabin that would fit into our dreams.  Last summer we went to Virginia for a reunion of a branch of Betsy’s family.  While driving through the country side near Big Stone Gap, we spotted the cabin in the picture above.  All Betsy said was ‘Ohhhh….’.

It’s not on top of a hill, but hey, we can’t have everything.

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St. Michael’s Church

February 26, 2009
The pulpit in St. Michael's Church, Charleston, South Carolina. June 22, 2008.

The pulpit in St. Michael's Church, Charleston, South Carolina. June 22, 2008.

The picture above was taken in June, 2007, of the pulpit in St. Michaels Church, Charleston, South Carolina.  Betsy and I attended Sunday services at the church and toured the sanctuary after the service.

St. Michael’s Church is the oldest church building in the City of Charleston, standing on the site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia.  The cornerstone for St. Michael’s was laid in 1752 and in 1761 the church was opened for services.  The only change to the structure of the building was the addition of a sacristy in 1883.  St. Michael’s is one of the few city churches in America that has retained its original design.

The pulpit is the original one, remarkable for both its height and the sounding board supported by two Corinthian columns.  The panel on the front of the pulpit was taken as war booty after the War Between the States and then later voluntarily returned and replaced on the pulpit.  The base of the pulpit still shows the scar caused by a shell which exploded in the church during the Federal bombardment of the city in 1865.

The pews in the church are very much as they have always been.  There is a large, long double-pew in the center of the church, No. 43, originally known as “The Governor’s Pew”.  George Washington sat in that pew during worship on May 8, 1791, and General Robert E. Lee worshipped in this same pew during the first year of the Civil War.

St. Michael’s is a beautiful church.  If you are interested, more pictures of St. Michael’s Church can be found HERE.

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St. Lucia’s Drive-In Volacano

February 9, 2009
Volcano on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

Volcano on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in a post that Betsy and I had taken a catamaran to Soufriere, St. Lucia, and had seen a drive-in volcano.  Several people commented on that, so I thought I would share some more information about the volcano.  The picture above is one I took of the volcano when we were there.

The St. Lucia volcano, also called the St. Lucia sulphur springs, last erupted in the late 1700s.  That eruption was only a steam eruption and did not involve magma and ash.  Although there are signs of activity, such as boiling mud, and water and steam emerging from the crater, the volcano is dormant.

The caldera of the volcano is believed to be connected to the ocean because there tends to be an increase in activity during a full moon, which causes high tides.

Walking in the crater is now prohibited after a guide fell into a pool of boiling water when he was jumping up and down on the surface crust.  Fortunately the pool was only waist deep, so he was rescued, although he did suffer severe burns.  Visitors are now confined to a boardwalk behind a guardrail.  You can still smell the sulphur from the boardwalk, however.

St. Lucia’s volcano is just one more attraction on an island that is full of them.  I would certainly like to go back there.  If Betsy needs an additional reason to go back, I’ve even found a waterfall we could visit!

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Scenic Sunday # 30

February 7, 2009
The Palmer House, Charleston, South Carolina. June 22, 2008.

The Palmer House, Charleston, South Carolina. June 22, 2008.

The picture above, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, is of the Palmer Home located near the Battery (5 East Battery) in Charleston, South Carolina.  For fairly obvious reasons, the Palmer Home is commonly known as ‘The Pink Palace’.  This picture was taken in June, 2008, when Betsy and I visited Charleston while on a trip to celebrate our anniversary.

The Palmer Home was built in 1848 by John Ravenel, but has been in the Palmer family for three generations.  The house is furnished with antiques dating back two hundred years.

The Palmer Home is now a bed and breakfast.  All the guest rooms are on the third floor and offer views of Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter.  The room rates range from $165 to $375 per night, double occupancy.  In addition the carriage house, which can be glimpsed to the left in the picture, is available starting at $400 per night double occupancy.  Betsy and I did NOT stay here when we visited Charleston!

To see more beautiful scenes from around the world, or to join and post your own scenes, click HERE for Scenic Sunday.

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A Covered Bridge

February 2, 2009
The Covered Bridge at Lake County Fairgrounds. July, 2002.

The Covered Bridge at Lake County Fairgrounds. July, 2002.

My blogging friend Tarolino gave me the challenge of opening my fourth picture folder and displaying the fourth picture.  This is a tag that many of you have played, but I have never played this particular version.

The picture above is the covered bridge in the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown  Point, Indiana.  The picture was taken in July, 2002, when I took Betsy to visit my hometown.  The bridge, which was built in 1878, was constructed in southern Indiana, but moved to northern Indiana in 1933.  It’s been in the fairgrounds ever since.

When I was growing up I was in 4-H and exhibited livestock at the fair for several years.  I often crossed the bridge when I was exhibiting.  The pavilions in the background are more recent additions and were not there when I exhibits at the fair.

The Lake County Fairgrounds covered bridge. July, 2002.

The Lake County Fairgrounds covered bridge. July, 2002.

The bridge was (and is) in a wooded setting and is quite pretty.  This second picture (which was number 5 in the folder) gives a better perspective of the bridge’s setting in the fairgrounds.

I’m not going to tag any one.  If you would like to participate please do so.

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Scenic Sunday # 29

January 31, 2009
A beach scene on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

A beach scene on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

I mentioned in my last Scenic Sunday post that Betsy and I took a catamaran cruise down the west coast of St. Lucia to Soufriere when our cruise ship stopped at Castries, the capital.

The picture above, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, was taken on our way back up the coast to Castries.  As we came up the coast we passed a resort (I’m sorry I don’t know the name) and the catamaran moved closer to the shore so we could get a better look.

As we came along this narrow palm-covered point of land I got this picture.  It has always looked to me what I thought a tropical paradise should look like.  And I don’t  mind telling you that I wouldn’t mind going back there.  Betsy likes the beach — do you think I could talk her into it?

To see more beautiful scenery from around the world, or to join us and post your own picture on Scenic Sunday, click HERE.

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Tall Ships

January 26, 2009
The Americo Vespucci, Norfolk, Virginia. June, 2000.

The Amerigo Vespucci, Norfolk, Virginia. June, 2000.

Sunday seemed rather chilly here in the Glade, so I spent a good part of the afternoon trying to organize some of my BB (Before Betsy) pictures.  That’s when I came across the picture above.

I have always enjoyed ships, especially sailing ships.  In my younger days I made ship models and I had one of Old Ironsides that took me seven years to complete.  In the spring of 2000 I went to Norfolk,  Virginia, with my daughter Kelly and her husband, Chuck, to see the tall ships.

The tall ships are large sailing ships from around the world.  Although the designs of the tall ships go back to the Age of Sail, most of the ships are relatively modern.  There are periodic races between the tall ships which bring the ships to many ports around the world.  In 2000 they stopped at Norfolk while on their way to New York.

Although there were nearly fifty ships in Norfolk, one that I especially enjoyed visiting was the Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian full-rigged three masted ship about 330 feet long.  The Vespucci is modeled after 18th century 74-cannon ships of the line, although it doesn’t carry any cannon.  The hull is painted black with two white stripes to designate what would be the two gun decks.

The Amerigo Vespucci is still used to train junior officers of the Italian navy, and is a beautiful ship.  If you enlarge the picture you can see some of the ornamentation on her stern.

With luck I can get Betsy to go with me to see the tall ships some time in the future.

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Scenic Sunday # 28

January 24, 2009
The Twin Pitons, St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

The Twin Pitons, St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

The picture above (which can be enlarged by clicking on it) was taken from the deck of a catamaran off the coast of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.  The twin peaks shown are The Pitons (Les Pitons), St. Lucia’s most famous landmark.  The Pitons top 2,000 feet in height and flank the entrance to the town of Soufriere on the west coast of the island.

Our cruise ship had docked in the capital of St. Lucia, Castries, early in the morning and Betsy and I took a catamaran along the coast to Soufriere.  This picture was taken as the catamaran approached The Pitons.  After docking in the town we were taken to The Sulphur Springs, the world’s only drive-in volcano, and to a working plantation.  We then took the catamaran back to the cruise ship.

St. Lucia is a beautiful island and if you get the chance to visit I encourage you to do so.

To see more beautiful scenery from around the world, check Scenic Sunday by clicking HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 34 Comments »

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