Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
2019 Transatlantic Cruise – TAC 3 – Cork, Ireland
Let’s continue our journey, shall we?
After two full days at sea, we arrived in County Cork, Ireland! It has always been a dream of mine to see Ireland…..I came close to being sent to one of our sister facilities in Ireland to provide some training when I was still a member of the workforce, but it never happened! Bummer! But, now, I’ve spent real quality time there – more than I would have on a work trip! We docked in two different ports and spent two days in the Cork area of Ireland. And, it was all so very wonderful! This area of Ireland is exactly what you picture in your head when you think of Ireland……lots of lush green country side and quaint little villages and castles – lots of castles!
Due to some changes in our itinerary and other ship traffic, we had to first dock at Ringaskiddy Port in County Cork. It was a temporary stop till we could get into the port of Cobh (pronounced Cove – in the traditional Irish language, when you see a “bh” together, it sounds like a “v”, so Cobh is Cove!). So, anyway……we docked in Ringaskiddy about sunrise and buses met us to take us on our booked shore excursions and for those who wanted to spend time on their own in the city of Cork. We had to be back by 6:00 pm in time for the ship to move to Cobh or find our own transportation to the next port (which is only a mile away by water, but quite a ride by taxi).
Pulling into Ringaskiddy — this is a very industrial port
Surprise – what do I see out my veranda when we finish docking? A Pfizer plant!!! So – I got to see one of our sister plants in Ireland, after all — albeit from a distance, but I saw it!!! LOL
Some of the SEVERAL buses waiting to take us on our adventures of the day!
My daily veranda selfie in Ringaskiddy – with the Pfizer plant over my shoulder!
Exploring Tipperary Shore Excursion
This was one of the BEST shore excursions I’ve ever been on…….the sites we saw were incredible……the tour guide and driver were awesome…….together it was UNBELIEVABLE!!! There was a LOT of walking, stairs, inclines, and standing……my knee, back, legs….well, actually every bone and muscle in my body…..was screaming at me by the time we were done, but it was soooooo worth it!!! I WAS IN IRELAND!!!
This tour was a last minute change for me. I had originally booked the Best of Ireland Tour that went to several points around the Cork area. But, I found out that the tour I booked on the second day was pretty much the same thing in a shorter tour and was all the touristy stuff. The Shore Excursion Director put together 2 or 3 smaller more intimate groups and this one caught my eye — I got all excited when I saw we were going to Tipperary and seeing two castles (actually ended up being three, cause we got to see one from the outside at a rest stop we made mid morning). The other one only went to Blarney Castle and I was going to see it, again, the next day! So, I cancelled the one I had booked and got in on the other one — it had a limit of 20 people and actually ended up with only about 12……so, we got a lot of personalized attention from the tour guides and it was a lot easier to hear and see things with a smaller group! It ended up only costing me about $20 more than the original excursion and was something like 2 more hours and lots more amazing things!
Waiting in the theater for my group # to be called to head out to the buses…….so very excited!!!
I’M IN IRELAND!!!!
The Irish Country Side – County Cork and Tipperary Areas
It was very common to see sheep wandering on hillsides and even in the middle of the road. Farmers allow their sheep to run free and mingle with other farmer’s sheep — to distinguish ownership, the farmers paint their “color” on the sheep’s wool – these have the color blue painted on the,. It was so cool to see fields full of sheep with all different colors painted on their backs! 🙂
Farm property borders are generally defined by planting hawthorn, blackthorn, and these gorse bushes – a yellow bush with very strong, sharp spikes.
Also – rhododendrons grow wild on the hillsides — they weren’t in season, yet, but from the looks of the size of the bushes and the leaves, I can imagine it is STUNNING when they are all in bloom!!!
Lismore Castle – next to where we had a short rest stop break
Rock of Cashel – castle built in the early 1200’s was originally a castle of the King’s of Munster. It was later gifted to the church in an effort to protect it from being taken over during war time and became a cathedral. It is also known as St. Patrick’s Rock. Two of the most famous people of Irish legend and history are associated with the Rock of Cashel. They are St. Patrick whom according to legend, arrived in Cashel in AD 432 and baptized King Aengus who became Ireland’s first Christian ruler. The second was Brian Boru, he was crowned High King here in 990. He is the only king who was able to unite all of Ireland under one ruler for any significant period of time and is known as the Lion of Ireland.
We got off the bus a ways before this photo was taken – it is a LONG, very steep incline up and around to the front of the castle — I wasn’t the only one who was out of breath and thought I was going to have a heart attack by the time I got up there! But, I was glad I pushed myself……later on, after I got back to my room – after this and another difficult castle to maneuver around, I had my doubts it was worth it, but looked over the photos and reminded myself it most definitely WAS!!!
We asked if this section was rebuilt or built much later — the guide said, no – it had recently gone through an extensive cleaning and re-pointing effort to repair decay and now is back to the original coloring. The rest of the building may go through a similar process at some point.
Whoever set this stone must have had a bit too much of the Guinness or Jameson while on the job! hehehe
They are still allowing limited burials there — but, likely not much longer.
We, then, walked back down the hill (here is the view of the castle from the bottom of the hill) where we had lunch at a wonderful little local restaurant.
I met, Lucy — she is here with her owner and she is a true lover of all people — such a sweetheart!!!
Our lunch included a 1/2 pint of Guinness or a glass of wine……of course, I had to have the Guinness! We were told that the Guinness in Ireland is so much better than what is served elsewhere in the world because it doesn’t travel well – if you don’t typically like Guinness, try it there and you likely will —– that is so true —- I usually find Guinness to be heavy and bitter and this had an amazing flavor and went down really easy! 🙂
This is a thick puree’d veggie soup —- it was soooooo good! I wish I could have had a second bowl!
Main course was Voloauvents – a puff pastry filled with chicken and mushrooms with a chicken and mushroom gravy over the top and roasted potatoes with veggies. Delicious!
And, it was topped off with a slice of apple pie!
Cahir Castle – Built in 1142, it was believed to be impenetrable until it fell under an intense attack – but it remains one of Ireland’s largest and best preserved castles and is located on an island of lime stone in the River Suir predominantly situated in the middle of town. The most interesting part of the tour described how the occupants (the Butler family) defended themselves from attempts to gain access to the fortress by their enemies…….first, they would first they would pour vats of boiling oil on the intruders from the roof landings above the giant doors – the boiling oil would seep into the cracks of the armor worn by the attackers and they couldn’t escape the burning of their skin……then, if they made it through that door, they were trapped in a small circular room where they were sitting ducks for guns and arrows with nowhere to take cover. There was a lot more about the castle, the inhabitants, and how they lived, but it would take way too much time to tell you……and some of it is pretty gross!!! LOL
Port of Cobh and Blarney Village – when we returned to the ship, it moved one mile to the docking spot that came available for us later that evening. Cobh was a lovely port — much nicer than the industrial port of Ringaskiddy. I wanted to get off and wander around, but I was so sore and exhausted from the day’s exploration of Tipperary that I decided to wait till the next day. We were in Cobh that night and the next day until after dinner.
Cobh is the last port of the Titanic before it began its journey across the ocean to America. There is a wonderful museum and tribute to the Titanic and its passengers at the dock – I didn’t get a chance to go through it – I hope to return someday and will be sure to do that!
My veranda selfie in Cobh
The view of the Port of Cobh was beautiful!
At the end of the pier is a memorial to Annie Moore — she was just 15 when she got on a ship in Cobh to America with her two younger brothers in 1892 and became the very first person to be processed through Ellis Island!
What a brave young lady she was……
Here she is with the Celebrity Reflection (our ship) docked where the ship she boarded all those years ago was docked…….what a different experience crossing the Atlantic she must have had and what she would have thought of today’s cruise ships!
Blarney Village was a quaint little village — very touristy!!! I found out when I got there that there wasn’t a way from where I was to view Blarney Castle without paying to get inside for the tour and I didn’t want to do that. I had no interest in climbing to the top up the extremely narrow, winding staircase to stand in line and then be held while lying backwards practically upside down to kiss the filthy stone —- the legend is that kissing the Blarney Stone will grant you the gift of eloquence —- I think I’m eloquent enough!!! LOL So, I took the tour so I could see Blarney Castle and didn’t see it……but, all was not lost — it was a beautiful day and wandering around the quaint Blarney Village was a very pleasant experience! I got a hand made wool scarf that I love, a stuff lamb for Megan, and some other trinkets. I also sat and had tea and a scone that was quite delightful!
This is a wild rhododendron arch that must be incredible when in bloom!
My scone, jam, and clotted cream
It was a BIG scone
I made friends with a curious raven and some of his friends and I shared some of my huge scone with him!
He was very appreciative!
These photos were NOT zoomed in (well, just a tiny bit, but not much at all) — he was sitting on the back of the chair across from me at a small bistro table —- he was quite bold and fearless
More of the Irish Country Side
And, scenes as we pulled away to leave Cobh…..
the pilot guiding us out of the harbor
So…..goodbye to Cobh, Tipperary, and County Cork……but, not goodbye to Ireland – I will be returning to Ireland later in the cruise……but, first, we head to Liverpool, England – the absolute highlight of the cruise! I can’t wait to share that port with you all…..perhaps tomorrow!
2019 Transatlantic Cruise – TAC 2 – Azores
Hello, again……Let’s move on to the second in the Transatlantic Cruise series and visit the Azores!
Before I booked this cruise, I had heard of the Azores, but had no idea where they were! I thought they were islands in the Caribbean!!! But, when I looked it up to get more info about the port I would be visiting, I discovered they are off the coast of Portugal! The Azores are actually an archipelago – a group of islands made up of inactive volcanoes that are part of Portugal. The island that we docked at is Sao Miguel and Sao Miguel’s capital is Ponta Delgada – the port we spent two days in. I really enjoyed exploring this island — it was beautiful and I learned a lot!
The wildest animal on the island is the rabbit — nothing poisonous and no snakes!!! Dairy is a huge industry for them – lots of cows and they told us that they adapted to be able to climb the steep hills like goats do! Since the islands consist of inactive volcanoes, there was really nothing growing on the island when it was first discovered and began to be inhabited……all the flora was brought in from other places, there is very little, if any, native plants – mostly just mosses. Winter is the azalea season and summer is hydrangea season — we saw LOTS of azaleas in full bloom just ending their season growing wild all over! I wish we could have seen the hydrangea, too – I’ll have to go back during their season to see them!
Our tour guide said, “The Azores is a place where you remember to breathe.” What a beautiful way to describe her island!!!
We arrived in Ponta Delgada about sunrise and spent one entire day, over night, and most of the second day – till I think about 6:00 pm – there. The following photos are my first views of Ponta Delgada.
As we were approaching……still a bit in the distance!
My daily veranda selfie…….dressed and ready to go ashore for my day one shore excursion!
The first day was foggy and rained off and on and was quite chilly. My shore excursion was a Whale Watching Tour, so I knew I’d be out on a boat. I put my hair up in a pony tail and wore my ball cap. I had a warm, water proof jacket laid out to pack, but somehow it didn’t make it into the suitcase! The day before we arrived in Ponta Delgada, the forecast looked like I was going to be really sorry I didn’t bring it, so I went to the on-board shops and found one to purchase at a very reasonable price! Score! And, boy, was I glad I did!!! It was not only about 55 degrees and rainy, it was very windy, too……I would have froze with the lighter jackets I had with me! But, the one I bought was perfect! (when I got home, there was the jacket I planned to take with me laying on the top of the “changed my mind – not taking” pile!!! UGH!!!)
I was a bit disappointed in the Whale Watching Tour…….I was so excited to get to say that I have been whale watching in Hawaii, Alaska, and now Portugal……but, it wasn’t to be! The fog was so dense that they couldn’t find whales with their instruments or the spotters on the shore……they sailed around the bay for the full 4 hours and we never saw a single one……saw LOTS of dolphins (which actually are much more fun than whales, anyway), but no whales! AND…..because of the high winds and rain, the water was VERY rough — we spent the whole time hanging on for dear life to keep from falling. So, I wasn’t even able to get any good photos of the dolphins we saw! But, it wasn’t a total loss — I did enjoy the dolphins!
Our ship from the shore……we were one of four cruise ships in port while we were there!
Later in the evening, I went ashore, again, for another group excursion — we walked across the inlet to a local restaurant for a Portuguese dinner and traditional folk song/dance show. It was amazing!!! We had such a good time and the food was delicious!
The menu……
Yam Cream Soup with Crispy Shrimp and Coriander Sauce —- YUM!!!!
Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Mousse, greens, and an amazing sauce —- sooooooo good!!!
Fresh Cream with Sweet Egg and Toasted Almonds – awesome!!!
Our very sweet and handsome waiter
We had a private room just for those from our cruise ship that chose to attend — we had a wonderful view of our ship from the dining room across the inlet
The singers and dancers were wonderful — they explained the various traditional clothing and the meaning behind the dances and songs — very nice!
This guitar contains several traditional symbols that tell the story of their ancestors
Our ship from across the inlet at night after the dinner
The restaurant was in the Grand Hotel – the windows on the second floor is the dining room we had our dinner in
Luckily – this was our only yucky weather day for the entire trip. The next day the sun came out and it warmed up enough to just wear my jean jacket. AND…..I made the best decision on which shore excursion to do on which day!!! Maybe I missed out on seeing the whales and had a bit of a rough ride searching for them, but the people who did the country side tours on that first day didn’t get to see any of the beauty of the island because of the fog — they got up on the crater rim and couldn’t see any of the crater lakes or anything……that was sad!!! I, however, did the scenic tour on the second day when there was no fog, no rain, and LOTS of wonderful visibility!!! SCORE – AGAIN!!! LOL
Day two in Ponta Delgada – Daily Veranda Selfie…..
The shore excursion I booked for day two was a scenic country side tour. We toured the city of Ponta Delgada, stopped at a beautiful botanical garden (one of several city parks with botanical gardens on the island), visited a pineapple plantation, and stopped at the upper rim of one of the inactive volcanoes – inside are what is known as “twin lakes” – it is two small lakes separated by a narrow strait – one lake is blue one and one is green — more on that later!
The Botanical Gardens – although this was a very large and beautiful park, it is actually the SMALLEST of its kind on the island!!!
This was my best photo of the entire trip……I was attempting to take a photo of this amazing stone staircase and this young girl ran down the steps into my shot before I noticed her! I thought it ruined the shot and took another one without her…….but, this one was the keeper!!! Looks like something you’d see on a Harry Potter book cover, doesn’t it? 🙂
This is an ancient ficus tree…….when I think of ficus, I think of those trees we used to have as house plants back in the 70s and 80s – sometimes with white Christmas lights on them! LOL How’d you like one like this one in the corner of your living room???
The ficus from the other side
More of the country side from the bus window
The Pineapple Plantation – pineapples first came to the Azores as a decorative house plant – people loved the beautiful flower that blooms on the pineapple. Then, they realized they could grow them and export them. But, the climate isn’t right for growing pineapples in the ground, so they grow them in green houses! It takes 18-24 months to grow one fruit!
This is a pineapple root ready to plant in the green house
They need a lot of water, so there are large pools in the center of the green houses to use for watering the plants
The buckets are used to smoke the plants at certain stages of growth – they believe this helps them grow
A big product for them is Pineapple Liqueur — they gave out sample tastings – I tried it – it was VERY potent, but surprisingly tasty and mild going down!
One of many fields of cows we saw along the tour…….dairy is a major industry for them!
Sete Cidades – Crater Lakes – This is the second largest crater on the island and is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal! We drove to the rim of the crater to view the Sete Cidades Crater Lakes. Inside the crater are twin lakes separated by a narrow strait. When the weather conditions are right, you can see the “two” lakes take on different colors – one is blue and one is green. There is a legend explaining this phenomenon – I couldn’t remember what the legend was, so I looked it up — according to Wikipedia:
The ancient story recounts the tale of a bad-tempered widower King and his daughter in a Kingdom in the Western Sea. He was a King, Lord of Alchemy and sorcerer, who lived exclusively for his daughter, Antília, and who would not let the Princess speak to anyone. Apart from the King, the Princess was raised by an old nurse, after the Queen had died. As the years progressed, the princess grew up to be a beautiful young woman and able to attract the attentions of any boy in the kingdom. However, the King restricted her movements to the castle and garden, and few ever saw her. But, unintimidated by her father, and with the help of the nurse, she escaped to the local hills and valleys, as her father slept after his lunch. During one of her escape adventures, she heard a song: the music was beautiful and enchanted her to follow it to its origins. Hiding from view, the princess found a young shepherd playing a flute, sitting on top of a hill. For weeks she returned, listening to the young shepherd, until she was discovered behind some bushes. The shepherd boy fell in love with the princess, and they continued to meet afterwards, talking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, until the boy decided to ask the princess in marriage.
Early in the morning, the couple knocked on the door of the Castle, and asked the servants to speak to the King. Very nervous but determined, the shepherd asked the King for his daughter in marriage. Reacting angrily, the King refused and expelled him from the Castle, and forbade his daughter from seeing the young boy. Not wishing more ill feelings, she followed the orders of her father, but met secretly with the shepherd that afternoon in order to tell him that she would never see him again. Antília and the shepherd boy cried all afternoon, embracing, and their tears formed two beautiful lakes, one green, for the Princess’s eyes were green, and the other blue, for the shepherd’s eyes were likewise colored.
In reality……there is an ecological reason that has more to do with how the water reflects its surroundings…..but, it is really cool to see the two different colored lakes side by side and the romantic side of me wants to believe the legend!!!!
A lake leading up to the rim of the crater
The conditions were perfect — we could see the two colors……but, unfortunately, they didn’t come out well in the photos I took!
This photo is the closest to showing what we saw…….it doesn’t do it justice at all, but it gives you an idea……it was so much more vivid and breathtaking in person!
It was an awesome day…….again, I am so very glad that I did the tours in the order I did — as much as I was disappointed I didn’t see a whale, I was so happy I got to see all the beautiful views on day two — missing THAT would have been a tragedy……the folks from the ship that did it the other way around did see several whales, but missed all this beauty!!! I was very blessed!!!
Pulling out of port……good bye, Sao Miguel…..I hope to return some day!!!
So — that’s the end of our first port of call…….after leaving the Azores, we had two full days at sea before we docked in Cork, Ireland! My next post will show you all the wonders of the amazing land of the Irish!
2019 Transatlantic Cruise – TAC 1 – Overview
I had the trip of a lifetime a few weeks ago……April 22 – May 7th, I took a Transatlantic Cruise from Fort Lauderdale, FL across the Atlantic Ocean with stops at the Azores in Portugul, Cork in Ireland, Liverpool in England, and finally Dublin in Ireland before flying back home! This knocked three major items off my big adventure bucket list — sail across the ocean, see Ireland, and see where it all started for the Beatles!!! And, it was so amazing — I’m still not fully over the thrills and emotional highs that overwhelmed me for sixteen wonderful days!!! It was a DREAM vacation – one I never thought I would ever actually get to do!
This first post will be an overview — mostly focusing on the cruise, itself, and the trip in general. I’ll write separate posts for the specific adventures at each of the stops along the way.
It took SEVEN full days to get across the ocean to our first stop at the Azores. I wasn’t worried – I love being on the water and not seeing land for multiple days doesn’t bother me, but it still gave me a bit of a queasy feeling when the Captain came on the loud speaker every day and told us how deep the water below us was in nautical miles…….unimaginable! In the days leading up to the cruise, friends kept asking me “what in the world will you do on a boat in the middle of the ocean for seven days???” — my response was “anything I want to do……or absolutely nothing at all!” LOL And, I did just that – a lot of absolutely nothing at all! Oh, I did take in most of the entertainment available every afternoon and evening, ate a lot, and did a few activities here and there……but, mostly, I just thoroughly enjoyed sitting out on the deck or on my private veranda soaking up the sun, reading, relaxing, napping, watching the water go by……you get the picture! I slept the best I’ve slept in years and was the most completely relaxed I think I’ve EVER been! I loved every single second of it!
Then……there was another TWO full days at sea between the Azores and Cork, Ireland.
The seas were so calm — I think the calmest of any cruise I’ve ever been on! For the most part, you hardly knew you were on a ship in the middle of the ocean – there was one or two nights that there was an ever so slight rocking and rolling, but I usually welcome that while I’m sleeping, anyway! And, the weather couldn’t have been better! It was in the 80’s leaving Ft. Lauderdale and for the first few days until we got further north and closer to the Azores. The rest of the trip was still very nice – a few chilly days / nights, but mostly in the mid-high 60s and low 70s – enough to need a sweater or light jacket, for the most part, and a heavier jacket on one day in particular. We had one quite chilly, rainy, foggy day, but mostly the sun was shining and Mother Nature cooperated with us! Absolutely nothing to complain about, for sure!
My Cabin and First Day At Sea:
Leaving the Port of Fort Lauderdale
On deck as we were leaving Fort Lauderdale
I had a lovely cabin with a veranda —- which I got a LOT of use out of!!!
Selfie on the couch in the cabin
Our first sunset – from my veranda
A Sampling of the Food On Board
The food was, of course, amazing……and always available somewhere on board!
For some reason, their hot dogs tasted so good, I enjoyed one with a salad 2 or 3 days in the afternoon up on deck!
Ice Cream…….whenever I wanted it!!!
The nightly chocolate on my pillow was a guilty pleasure I definitely enjoyed!
I bought the non-alcoholic drink package, so I also enjoyed specialty teas and hot chocolates, smoothies, and more!
On LOBSTER NIGHT, I made a pig out of myself with a second portion!!!
Around The Ship
I walked by this poster – an advertisement for one of the jewelry stores on board – every day and drooled!!! LOL
Yes! That’s REAL grass on a cruise ship!!! Deck 15 had LOTS of it to enjoy!
I spent a LOT of time on lounge chairs and other various seating options on deck!
I wanted to try the hammocks, but was afraid I wouldn’t get back out!!! LOL
Some people decorated their doors —- these are a few of the more interesting ones! LOL
The Sunsets
OK, this isn’t a sunset, but wanted to include it because of the story behind it……I was sitting in my cabin reading and this HUGE bird (I believe it is an albatross) caught my eye — he was flying along side of us and kept right up with the speed of the ship and stayed (even though he was constantly flying) right outside my veranda door for several minutes before he veered off and I lost sight of him! It made me laugh and smile for quite a while!
The Entertainment
The nightly shows were spectacular!!! Broadway shows, musical revues, singers, comedians, jugglers, magicians, aerial and acrobatic acts, and even a hypnotist! And, then there were the musicians, singers, dancers, and bands that played all around the ship at all hours — wherever you were, whatever time you were there, there was some form of entertainment!
The was a Q&A session with the Captain (center) and the head officers of all the departments
This was the head chef at one of the specialty restaurants demonstrating how to make the PERFECT steak!
Daily Veranda Selfies, Navigation Map, and Calm Sea Photos
Every day, I took a Daily Veranda Selfie and photo of the Navigation Map on the TV to post to Facebook…….some were taken in port, so will be on those specific posts!
So……there’s the overview……next up: Ponta Delgada, Azores – the island of Sao Miguel! See you there!
May Daily Photos – Part Two
Man, oh Man……May sure FLEW by! Yeah, I know – I still owe you posts from my Transatlantic Cruise……I’ll get them up – I promise…..I’m just not promising WHEN I’ll get them up!!! Life sure has a way of getting crazy on us! Between being away and then catching up after being away and all the usual stuff that gets in the way……and, then, my brother and sister-in-law’s home caught on fire on May 29th – they are OK and the dogs are OK, but the house is a total loss and it has been an overwhelming whirlwind ever since – especially for them, of course, but also for all of us in one way or another! So, I’m a bit behind on posts……I know I sound like a broken record when I say I’m going to try to get better about posting more regularly……I really do want to…….and I hope that some changes I’m making in my day-to-day life will help me do that! We’ll see!
But, for now……here are my Daily Photos from May that were not already posted – the theme for May was “colors” and a couple other topics in the last few days. I will put the topic under each photo:
PURPLE
AQUA
PINK
GRAY
BROWN
SILVER
GOLD
POP OF COLOR
MATCHING
PASTEL
BRIGHT
NATURAL
ONE COLOR
TWO COLORS
PATTERN
BLACK AND WHITE
RAINBOW
FAVE COLOR
CLASH
LIGHT
DARK
WHAT I WORE TODAY
(A smile……..but, also a lot of tears……this was the day of the fire)
ON MY FEET
ON MY HEAD
So that’s May…….colorful and interesting and gone in the speed of light!!!
May Daily Photos – Part One
The first week in May was spent on vacation……still not spilling the beans, totally……you’ll have to wait till I start posting my vacation posts for more deets! So, let’s start out May’s Photos of the Day Challenge pics with just those first seven days! May’s theme for the PAD Challenge is “Colors”, so here goes……the daily color is posted under each photo (in case it isn’t obvious – LOL)!
White
Black
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
That’s all for now…….I’ll pick up with my faves for May as we go……but, first, I promise to get to my vacation posts soon……maybe I’ll start with the first one later today! 🙂
April Showers of Photos – Part Two
The second half of April’s Photos of the Day Challenge pictures were mostly taken during my recent vacation……more on that in other posts coming soon! Here are my favorites from April Part Two……the daily topic is noted under each photo!
PJ’s
Lunch
Pink
Someone I Love
Eggs
High
Apple
Grass
(thought this one would be difficult on a cruise ship…..turns out, there is a whole grassy part with real grass on Deck 15)
Low
Blue
Green Food
Dirty
Freedom
And, now…..on to May!
April Showers of Photos…..Part One
April Showers Bring May Flowers……well, we should have a LOT of flowers coming our way! Here’s some showers of a different kind – showers of photos! hehehe I bring you the first half of April’s Daily Photos (the topic of each will be noted):
FUN
(I titled this one Drunken Flamingo)
THIS IS ME
ENVIRONMENT
FLAT LAY
WALK
IN BED
BROKEN
SOMETHING WEIRD
YELLOW
YELLOW – ALTERNATE
I DID THIS TODAY
FOUR
CHEESE
LETTERS
MAKES ME LAUGH
MAKES ME LAUGH – ANOTHER VIEW
(I couldn’t have posed this better if I had tried!)
NIGHT SKY
There you go……
Joy, Smiles, and Blessings
Yep…..it was a weekend of joys and blessings and lots of smiles!
Saturday night, I attended an Easter Cantata put on by several churches in the area – 60 people from 17 churches performed in “Come Walk With Me”, telling the story of Jesus from Palm Sunday through the Last Supper, his death, and his resurrection. It was very well done – I hope it becomes an annual tradition. I didn’t get any photos, but click here for the link from the coverage on The Orleans Hub.
Sunday morning, we kicked off Holy Week at our church with an amazing Palm Sunday Service. Our Pastor Aleka is truly a blessing for us!
Then, Sunday afternoon I attended an Old Time Fiddle Concert at the Cobblestone Church on the Ridge in Childs. WOW!!! I almost didn’t go because it was a rainy, cold day and I thought I would be happier wrapped up in my blanket on the couch watching Hallmark movies! hahaha But, I had my usual Sunday lunch with a friend after church and she convinced me to go by telling me I’d be sorry if I didn’t! So, I did……and I am soooooo glad I did!!! The group call themselves Elderberry Jam – they are musicians who get together to play music they love in jam sessions and occasionally get together for events like this. They are part of a larger group called Fiddlers of the Genesee. They were WONDERFUL! They played 25 songs over an hour and a half – including waltzes, rags, polkas, and bluegrass….traditional songs from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the US and more dating from the mid 1700’s thru the 1990’s. The standing room only crowd was bouncing, tapping our feet, and smiling to tunes like Aunt Mary’s Canadian Jig, Whiskey Before Breakfast, East Tennessee Blues, Lover’s Waltz, Pig Ankle Rag, and Turkey in the Straw……and, my favorite of the afternoon: Tennessee Waltz – I LOVE that song and it didn’t fail to bring the usual tear to my eye to hear it (I used to dance to it with my Dad, so it is even more beautiful and sentimental to me than it used to be). They promised to return for another concert maybe later in the spring – I can’t wait!!!
And, finally……for this post, anyway……One morning this weekend – not sure if it was Friday or Saturday – I spotted my first blue bird in my yard! They were checking out the cobblestone bird house in my bird and butterfly friendly island garden in the back yard. I had a blue bird family in that house summer before last and it was fun to watch them come and go throughout the season. Then, last year a family of brown birds took it over and something attacked them and tore out their nest and left feathers all over the ground — I was so upset!!! But – it is a new year, so I am hopeful whoever ends up being this year’s renters find the home to be a safe haven for their family! Alas, I think it will be the brown birds (not sure what they are) will be my renters — just after the blue birds checked it out, the brown birds swooped in and I know that they like to steal blue bird’s homes and they won’t come back after that…..I’ll keep an eye on it to see what happens!
Mrs. Blue Bird checking out the house!
Hard to see, but she’s on the branch in the center of the photo surrounded by buds on my pear tree!
Mr. Blue Bird keeping an eye out near by
The potential home thief……..
And……a feeding frenzy over the tray of meal worms! LOL
So……hopefully, my post brought you some joy, smiles, and blessings, as well…….
March Fave Daily Photos – Second Half
March is done……and, it definitely went out like a lion!!! What was supposed to be a quick cold spell and a bit of snow turned into a VERY snowy afternoon and evening, today! But, we will be back in the 50’s on Tuesday and it is likely the last we’ll see of snow and winter-like temperatures……at least I hope so…….and pray I didn’t just jinx it!
Here are my daily photos for the second half of March – the daily photo prompt is noted below each photo:
A PILE
WALL
CRAVING
OK
BLACK AND WHITE
FASHION
SKY
HOME
STICKS
MIRROR
PARK
FIX
And, now, let’s move on to April and the promise of REAL spring!!!
2019 Maple Syrup Bus Tour
We’re in the middle of Maple Season here in Western NY! And, that means trips to Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn and bus tours and other maple related treats and fun! So, Saturday, I went on a bus tour hosted by the Cobblestone Society here in town. The tour took 27 of us to Angelica, NY where we spent some time in the quaint little downtown area to shop in the antiques and what-not shops and then to Cartwright’s for all we could eat buckwheat pancakes and fresh real maple syrup!!! YUM!!!
We were also supposed to make a stop at the Alton Sylor Memorial Bridge – aka, the Joncy Bridge. It is the longest clear span timber arch in the United States and, from the photos I’ve seen, it looks really awesome! But, we must have ran out of time cause we weren’t able to do it. But, rest assured — I was disappointed enough and am intrigued enough to make the trip to find it and get photos of it…..so, you’ll see it on here eventually – probably once the weather warms up enough to take a nice drive and when things are green enough to make pretty photos!
So — here are photos from this year’s Maple Syrup Bus Tour:
We started out at 10:00 am at the Cobblestone Museum Complex on Ridge Road in Childs.
Our tour-guide, Georgia! She was a walking encyclopedia about maple products and processing!
Angelica – a quiet little town caught in time! We spent about an hour here shopping and browsing in the antiques stores and the sweet shop – where we picked up pre-ordered pies, salt-rising bread, and other treats! I bought myself an egg custard pie — I LOVE egg custard pie and haven’t had it in years! My grandmother used to make it all the time for me! I also got a small apple caramel crunch pie to stick in the freezer for a time after I work off the egg custard and buckwheat pancakes – LOL!
These guys loved watching all the people strolling around their town! 🙂
Brings new meaning to the term “flower bed”………
And, then, on to Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn and all those scrumptious buckwheat pancakes and fresh real maple syrup!
Didn’t know till I got there that my friends Lori and Michelle were on the tour, too!
Me and Lori
Photo courtesy of Lori Laine!
Another photo I stole from Lori – LOL! That’s me and Michele at the end of the table!
And, the lady in the green on the other side of me is my neighbor, Doris, who I also didn’t know was going on the trip, too!
I take a photo of this guy every year…….and one like the one above of all the pancakes on the grill!
Can’t say I’m not consistent!!! LOL
So – that about sums up our fun and delicious day trip to Angelica!!!
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