Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

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Watery Wednesay # 25

March 3, 2009
Marigot Bay, St. Martin. September 11, 2001.

Marigot Bay, St. Martin. September 11, 2001.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our watery world, or to post your own watery pictures , click HERE.

The picture above, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, was taken from the ruins of Fort St. Louis on the island of St. Martin.  Our cruise ship had docked on the Dutch side of the island (St. Maarten) and we took a bus tour which took us to Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island.

St. Maarten – St. Martin is the smallest land mass in the world shared by two different nations.  The island is only 37 square miles and is owned by France and the Netherlands Antilles.  The French territory covers about two thirds of the island and is technically a part of Europe and the European Community.  The Dutch side is a member island of the Neterlands Antilles and is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but is not considered European territory.  There is no real border between the two parts of the island.

Fort St. Louis, built in 1767, overlooks Marigot Bay, and is the largest historical monument in St. Martin.  The plans for the fort were sent to the island from Versailles at the order of King Louis XVI.  After the French Revolution the fort was temporarily occupied by the Dutch to prevent the spread of revolutionary democracy.

The fort no longer serves any military purpose, but the steep climb we made to the summit of the peak did provide this panoramic view of the island and the sea.  I would say the hike was definitely worth the effort.

Just a reminder that you are invited to visit my photo blog, Photos by Senior Hiker, by clicking HERE

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday, Watery Wednesday | 28 Comments »

Riding With Us Can Be An Adventure

March 2, 2009
Dunn's Falls, Enterprise, Mississippi. April, 2008.

Dunn's Falls, Enterprise, Mississippi. April, 2008.

Traveling with Betsy and me can be an exciting adventure.  We like to take back roads whenever possible, but even when we drive the interstate unexpected adventures can occur.

Last April Betsy and I drove to Texas to visit her two sons who lived near Houston and Galveston at the time.  We invited Betsy’s third son, Jeff, who lives in Chattanooga to go along with us so he could visit his brothers.

Because of the length of the trip we decided to take the fastest route, which meant we were on the interstate from Chattanooga to Houston.  The ride was very uneventful until we got near Enterprise, Mississippi.  We were tooling along (at the speed limit) when we saw one of those brown attraction signs that said ‘Dunns Falls.

We looked at each other and wondered aloud if Dunns Falls could be a waterfall — we didn’t have any Mississippi waterfalls in our collection.  We didn’t have much time to make a decision, but deciding that a town with that name would be on a green sign, we turned off the interstate and began following the signs.

I’m not sure what Jeff thought, but after about ten minutes we arrived at Dunns Falls Water Park.  From the road all we could see was a large pond and what appeared to be a grist mill.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained.  We paid the small entrance fee, entered the park and found the waterfall pictured above.  Another beauty for our collection.

If you would like to see more pictures of Dunns Falls, click HERE.

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Just a reminder that you are invited to visit my photo blog, Photos by Senior Hiker, by clicking HERE.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 23 Comments »

Skywatch Friday # 33

February 26, 2009
30 Mile Point, New York. October, 2008.

30 Mile Point, New York. October, 2008.

Back in October, Betsy and I went to Buffalo, New York, to visit my daughter Kelly and her husband, Chuck.  On Friday they took us on a ride out in the country around Buffalo.  It wasn’t an ideal day for sight-seeing because there were showers off and on for much of the day.

One of the places we visited was 30 Mile Point on Lake Ontario.  There was a park there, and a lighthouse, which we enjoyed seeing.  While on the lighthouse grounds I took this picture of the lake.  It wasn’t raining at that particular moment, but you can see the clouds scurrying across the lake.

This is my entry for Skywatch Friday, a weekly meme of sky pictures from around the world.  To see more pictures, or to post your own, click HERE.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 36 Comments »

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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Posted in Travels | 19 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 22

February 10, 2009
Rain moving off shore, St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

Rain moving off shore, St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

At the risk of boring you, I’m going to post another picture from St. Lucia.  I think it is especially appropriate for Watery Wednesday, although you may need to enlarge it to see all the details.

This picture was taken on our catamaran cruise down the west coast of St. Lucia.  In the distance, behind the catamaran, there is a sailing ship — a replica of a pirate ship.  To the left of the photo you can see the coast of the island, blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  To the right of the sailing ship the coast is almost completely obscured by a rain storm that is moving off shore.  A few moments later the ‘pirate’ ship completely disappeared in the rain.  Fortunately our catamaran avoided the rain, except for a few stray drops.

To see more of our watery world, or to post your own pictures, click HERE for Watery Wednesday.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 32 Comments »

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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Posted in Travels | 25 Comments »

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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Posted in Travels | 33 Comments »

Skywatch Friday # 30

February 5, 2009
Sunset off St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

Sunset off St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

I’ve posted a couple of pictures from our visit to St. Lucia on a cruise in 2001 and I would now like to share one on Skywatch Friday.

Betsy and I took a belated honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean in September, 2001.  There were many things we enjoyed about the cruise, but the sunrises and sunsets we saw from the ship were definitely high points.

The picture above was taken while watching the sunset off St. Lucia.  There was a heavy cloud bank off to the west of the ship and the sun has dropped behind it.  If you looked at the enlarged picture you can just make out a sliver of the sun between the ocean and the clouds.

I think what I like most about this picture is the color behind the dark clouds on the horizon.  This was one of the last pictures I got that day before the light disappeared completely.

Last week over 300 people shared pictures of the sky on Skywatch.  You can join in the fun or see more pictures from around our beautiful world by clicking HERE.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 40 Comments »

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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Posted in Travels | 31 Comments »

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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Posted in Travels | 41 Comments »

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