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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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Scenic Sunday 27

January 17, 2009
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. September, 2001.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. September, 2001.

The picture above, which can be enlarged by clicking on it,  was taken in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in September, 2001.  It was taken on the first morning of our Caribbean cruise.  The ship had docked fairly early in the morning, and this is the scene Betsy and I saw as we had our breakfast.

St. Thomas was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, but the first permanent European settlement didn’t come until nearly 200 years later when the Danish West India Company received its charter from King Christian V to occupy and take possession of St. Thomas and other nearby islands in 1671.

St. Thomas remained under Danish control (with a couple of short exceptions) until March 31, 1917, when it, St. Johns and St. Croix islands were purchased by the United States.

While eating our breakfast both Betsy and I were impressed by the blue of the sky and the deeper emerald blue of the waters of the sea.  We were also fascinated by the small boats in the harbor and the white houses dotting the mountain sides.

To see more beautiful scenes from around the world click HERE or on the logo below.

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Skywatch Friday 27

January 15, 2009
Little River Neck, South Carolina. June, 2001.

Little River Neck, South Carolina. June, 2001.

The picture above was taken in the early afternoon in June, 2001, on Little River Inlet in South Carolina.  The trees are on Little River Neck, a narrow strip of land between the inlet (part of the Intracoastal Waterway) and the Atlantic Ocean.  The clouds are forming over the ocean.  You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

I lived in the town of Little River, South Carolina, from 1998 – 2000.  Beautiful clear skies in the morning and early afternoon were often followed by clouds and a sea breeze in the afternoon, making for a very pleasant environment.

Betsy and I were on a cruise from Little River out into the Atlantic Ocean when this picture was taken.

If you would like to join the fun of Skywatch Friday or to see more pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the logo below.

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Watery Wednesday 18

January 13, 2009
The Ohio River, Madison, Indiana. August, 2008.

The Ohio River, Madison, Indiana. August, 2008.

The picture above was taken along the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana, in August, 2002.

Betsy and I were on a waterfalling vacation that would take us  to Niagara Falls and  other waterfalls in New York.  We had gone to Madison to visit Clifty Falls State Park, which contains several waterfalls.  We found the park to be very nice and we did some hiking, but there was very little water going over the falls.

Madison is a pretty historic town founded in 1809.  It became quite wealthy from the riverboat trade on the Ohio and many of the early homes built in the town are still standing.  Betsy and I explored the historic downtown area in the early evening, and then found a floating restaurant along the river front.  This picture was taken as we were leaving the restaurant after dinner.  I like this picture because of the way the colors in the sky are reflected in the river.  The picture can be enlarged to see more detail.

To see more of our watery world click HERE or on the logo below.

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Scenic Sunday 26

January 11, 2009
Dunes on Sunset Beach, North Carolina. June, 2001.

Dunes on Sunset Beach, North Carolina. June, 2001.

I came upon this meme fairly late in the day, but I thought I would try to make a contribution anyway.

The picture above was taken on Sunset Beach, North Carolina, in June, 2001.  Betsy and I were on our honeymoon and we spent the day on Sunset Beach.  The picture, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, shows the dunes behind the beach proper.

Sunset Beach is the smallest and quietest of the three barrier islands which make up the South Brunswick Islands.  Sunset Beach, which is about three miles long,  has a white sand backed by sand dunes.  One reason Sunset Beach is so quiet is that the only road access to the island is across a one-lane pontoon swing bridge.  All traffic had to stop when the bridge swung open to allow boats to pass along the Intracoastal Waterway.  A new bridge is being built, so it will be interesting to see if the island remains fairly quiet.

I had been to Sunset Beach several times, but this was Betsy’s first visit.  When this picture was taken I still had a home in Little River, South Carolina, which is about twelve miles south of Sunset Beach.

To see more scenes from around the world click HERE or on the logo below.

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A Visit to Black Mountain

January 10, 2009
Betsy at the North Overlook on Black Mountainnn. January 9, 2008.

Betsy at the North Overlook on Black Mountainnn. January 9, 2008.

Yesterday, since we had gone out for the previous two days, Betsy and I decided we would stay home.  It was laundry day for Betsy and I had wood to bring up to the garage and Christmas decorations to put away in the attic.

We did quite well until the early afternoon, but the day was entirely too nice to stay in.  So we drove to Black Mountain Recreation Area near the town of Crab Orchard, which is only about seven miles from the house.  The recreation area is atop Black Mountain (I guess that makes sense) and features a 1.7 mile loop trail that connects two overlooks.  There is also a connection with the Cumberland Trail, which, when completed, will be a north-south hiking trail across Tennessee.

We’ve been to Black Mountain several times.  Betsy especially wanted to go back in the winter to see if it was possible to spot Fairfield Glade from the North Overlook when there were no leaves on the trees.  The North Overlook provides a view of Crab Orchard Valley which lies between Black Mountain and the Glade.  The picture above shows Betsy at the North Overlook, but we still couldn’t see much because of all the tree branches in the way.

We continued on around the loop to the South Overlook, which probably has the best view of the Cumberland Plateau and the Tennessee Ridge and Valley beyond.  The South Overlook is our favorite place on Black Mountain, but we couldn’t stay long yesterday.  It was getting late and I definitely did not want to drive down the narrow, one-lane road after dark!

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Watery Wednesday 17

January 6, 2009
Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park. July 5, 2002.

Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park. July 5, 2002.

We’ve had several days of rain and gray clouds here on the Plateau.  I’m not complaining — we need the rain — but I do need to see some blue skies and sunshine.  So I did what I often do — looked through some old pictures.

This picture was taken in July, 2002, at the Indiana Dunes State Park.  I had taken Betsy to northern Indiana to see my brother and his wife and to see my hometown of Crown Point, Indiana.  One day while we were up there I took her to the Dunes on Lake Michigan.

When I was a kid my parents would sometimes take us up to the Dunes in the summer to enjoy a day at the beach.  We really enjoyed playing in the water, but the most interesting part of the park were the dunes themselves.

The state park is now surrounded on three sides by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, but the state park is much as I remembered it.  The park contains hiking trails, which Betsy and I enjoyed.  This particular picture was taken as Betsy and I were hiking down from the top of Mt. Tom, the tallest dune in the park at 195 feet.  It was a hot July day and the lake sure looked inviting at the foot of that dune!

To see more of our watery world click HERE or on the logo below.
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A Caribbean Sunrise

January 4, 2009
Sunrise off Antigua. September 12, 2001.

Sunrise off Antigua. September 12, 2001.

I was going through some old pictures when I found the picture above.  It was taken on our Caribbean cruise back in 2001.

We flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we boarded the ship.  The ship left San Juan on a Sunday night and we slept fairly late on Monday.  But we got up early enough every other morning to see the sunrise.  Of course, we usually went back to bed after the sun was up, but after all it was a vacation!

This particular picture was taken on Wednesday morning as we approached Antigua.  I like it because the light reflected on the sea seems to be beckoning us to follow it into the sun.  Unfortunately the ship was headed in a slightly different direction.

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Bali Ha’i

December 27, 2008
Sunset on Bali, June, 1987.

Sunset on Bali, June, 1987.

I was a junior member on the faculty of Heidelberg College in 1987 when I was selected to be part of an exchange program with a Chinese university in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China.  A team from Heidelberg would go to Tianjin to teach English as a Second Language and a Chinese professor would come to Heidelberg for the academic year to teach Chinese.

Part of our arrangement with the Chinese included a tour of parts of China, but because of differing calendars the tour was to be held before our teaching session rather than afterward.  The Chinese also invited spouses to come along for this part of the trip.

Although we had two children getting close to college age, I really wanted Elizabeth (my late wife) to go.  So we counted our pennies and signed Elizabeth up for the trip.

It was at this point that two of the senior faculty members decided it would be nice to leave the States a week early so we could visit Bali.  That really stretched our finances since the Chinese weren’t covering that part of the trip, but we scrapped up the money for the extra week and went.

The picture above was taken on Bali at sunset on an evening late in June.  It was like living a scene from a movie.

To see more sunrise and sunset pictures from around the world click HERE or on the logo below.

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Christmas in a Far-off Land

December 22, 2008

The manger scene in the picture below may seem a little unusual.  (You can click on it for a larger version if you like.)  It’s obviously a manger scene — the three men on the right are paying homage to the baby held aloft by the woman in the center.  On the left is a shepherd with one of his animals.

chinachristmas01

But the scene does look unusual.  The animal on the left looks more like a long-necked rabbit than a sheep, and the three men on the right are unlike any wise men I had seen before.

The most unusual thing about this manger however, is its location.  The picture was taken in December, 1994, on the shopping floor of a hotel in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China.

I spent the academic year 1994 – 95 teaching in Tianjin, and I was frankly quite surprised to see this manger on public display.  The hotel catered to Chinese visitiors, not foreigners.  I was the only westerner in the place when this picture was taken!  At a time when public displays of Christmas symbols is under attack in some places here at home, I find it more than interesting that this public display could be found in communist China over ten years ago.

There were more secular displays of Christmas as well.  The picture below was taken in front of a store front restaurant in Tianjin.  It looks as if the reindeer have left Santa stranded, but that is definitely Santa in his sleigh.

chinachristmas02

I find it amazing and comforting that Christmas has spread to even the most likely parts of the globe.  I had a wonderful Christmas in 1994, and I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas this year and for many years to come.

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