Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

The Great Wall

May 9, 2023

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I captured this image as a slide when I visited the Great Wall for the first time in 1987. I had climbed along the wall above the gate at Badaling (near Beijing), and was rewarded with the sight of the wall winding along the ridges and mountain tops. It was truly an amazing sight!

Down Memory Lane: Leeds Castle

January 31, 2023

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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.

Sunrise

December 20, 2022

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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”.

A Canterbury Cathedral Tale

October 18, 2022

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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.

Mt. Nebo Sunset

September 6, 2022

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.

London Bridge

December 17, 2021

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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.

A Foggy Morning Sunrise

April 6, 2021

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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!

Cumberland Falls Moonbow

March 9, 2021

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March is a wonderful time to visit waterfalls. The flow of water is usually very good, and the leaves aren’t out enough to block the view. Since my birthday is in March, we have often used the occasion to visit waterfalls.

We celebrated my birthday a few years ago at Cumberland Falls State Park in Kentucky. The waterfall was as gorgeous as ever, but on this visit we got to enjoy a bonus — a moonbow!

Cumberland Falls is one of the few places in the world where a full moon on a clear night can produce a ‘rainbow’ at night. I was fortunate enough to get this shot on our visit. What a neat birthday present!

A Mountain-Top Sunset

February 9, 2021

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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.

Poinsettias

December 29, 2020

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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.