Golden-tailed Woodpecker
A BABY SNAKE
A surprise found just outside town today. A baby snake. My mother had a complete meltdown. “You are not keeping that!” Uh no way!
Cee’s FOTD Challenge: September 14, 2019
#Beautiful Barcelona, Spain by da-AL
This is the first of several posts on my a-w-e-s-o-m-e vacation to Spain and France. It’s no wonder that my upcoming novel is called, “Flamenco & the Sitting Cat”!
Barcelona is wonderful off-season. In October, the weather was mild and the densely populated ancient city offered my husband and me a great start to a Spain/France adventure. We arrived a Friday evening, bleary-eyed from an overnight flight. Once at our rented room in a centuries-old flat, we stepped outdoors for a quick unexpectedly gourmet dinner. Upon return, we tumbled into bed where stupor overtook us. Fourteen hours later, we woke at two the next afternoon. Our self-imposed itinerary, not to mention our equilibriums, was already thrown off kilter. After sandwiches across the street, we set off for Barri Gòtic, (the Gothic Quarter).
The Plaça de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) was the first of the gorgeous sites we enjoyed over the next few days…
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Part 2: Marvelous Madrid, Spain — Parks, Prado, and Sofia by da-AL
Madrid is such a jam-packed marvel that it deserves more than one post. Spacious parks abound. Here I posed at one that displayed Don Quixote and his devoted Sancho Panza…
Thank goodness these aren’t the kinds of horses that need to be swept up after.We could have spent way more than just a day at the Prado Museum, regarded as among world’s finest art museums. Outside in front of it, a bronze statue of painter Diego Velázquez made by Aniceto Marinas in 1899 greets visitors…
Even the gardens surrounding the Prado are amazing — my eyes were too busy taking it all in for my brain to remind me to take photos. No worries, dear readers. This short video offers a sampling of the collection …
We also visited the National Museum Art Centre Queen Sofia, which is best for housing Picasso’s Guernica painting…
Such is my…
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Paradise, Fantasy, Productive: Hamilton Gardens, NZ by da-AL
Chinoise Garden at Hamilton Gardens, NZ: How non-Chinese people think of Chinese design is not altogether authentic.Without Vicky Apps’ (more about her here) recommendation that we visit New Zealand’s Hamilton Gardens and had we not followed it, I’d have missed what’s my new fascination: Chinoiserie, namely the idea of it. The term has to do with European imitation of Chinese design during the 1600s and 1700s, and then again in the 1930s.
Replication isn’t what fascinates me, however — it’s the revelation that I’m so accustomed to seeing European-ized versions of Chinese art — that the non-real stuff looks more real than what’s authentic!
In addition, thanks to the park’s Katherine Mansfield garden, I’ve discovered that she was a pivotal New Zealand short story writer, feminist, and activist for Māori rights.
Khashayar at Katherine Mansfield’s garden.Vacationing from Auckland to Rotorua, from New Zealand’s Redwoods to Huka Falls,
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Beauty of Brisbane, Australia by da-AL
Up, down, inside and out, Brisbane is an arty city!
Note: Here in the U.S., ‘museums’ can have art, science, and sometimes both. In the States, ‘galleries’ are just for buying art. However, in Australia, science goes into a museum and art goes into a gallery that maybe sells, maybe doesn’t.
Brisbane, Australia, dazzles the senses indoors and out. Though we only had a day there, several sights were a short walk apart. After meeting some beasts, we strolled to the Queensland Art Gallery (QAGOMA), where there’s sooo much wonderful art!…
“Albert and Vincent” 2014, by Vincent Namatjira is from the north of S. Australia, here with his artist grandfather.
“Dingo Dreaming” 1978, by Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Pintupi people of Australia.
“Triptych: Requiem, Of Grandeur, Empire” 1989, by Gordon Bennett of Queensland, Australia.
“Untitled (HNDFWMIAFN) 2017, by Daniel Boyd, Dudjla/Gangalu people, Australia.
“Stucco Home” 1991, by Howard…
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Front Porch Sitting
Porch Sitting – that’s what I do
Friday, I Porch Sit
Send prayers up to God
I’m thankful for my AWESOME WEEK!
I was Porch sitting on the back porch
Till the reflection on the clouds told me
I needed to be Front Porch Sitting
Wow, I think I should have started
Porch Sitting here tonight
Angel, my sweet dog, is sick 15+
She’s usually excited when I get out the BIG CAMERA
Except for tonight look
Angel is standing in the middle of my Prayer Garden on the Front Porch
Come on back to the Front Porch
Put your camera down friend; this sunset will set regardless whether you capture it or not.
I love how our Best Friends Center Us~ღ
I always take the long way looking for a short cut- only to find out that this place is the best stuff,
Front Porch Sitting with MichelleMarie~ღ~
Islay: day trip to Jura
Although we’d visited Islay before, we’d never been to its neighbour, Jura. It’s a short hop on the ferry from Port Askaig to Feolin – there’s a timetable, but no booking. However, if there are too many cars for one trip, as there were the day we travelled, the boat will make the five minute crossing several times to clear the queue.
While we were watching our own ferry depart, we also saw the big ferry coming in to Port Askaig from the mainland, and were sad to think that in a couple of days we’d have to get on it at the end of our holiday. There was a good view too of Caol Ila distillery, one we hadn’t had time to visit.
Jura is 28 miles long and about 8 miles wide, but most of it is mountainous, bare and infertile, and thus very sparsely populated (196 inhabitants…
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LIVING THE DREAM 