I know what two of my greatest passions in life are…photography and travel! So, it’s no surprise that I couldn’t help but stop to take photographs of the sunset while on the way to photography class…
Trees are so cool…even in winter and I love Churches!
 
We are swimming in beauty and don’t always see it!
Everyone is complaining about the snow…but I still think it is so beautiful! Here are some photographs I’ve taken in the last few days in my yard with a variety of light. Let’s replace the complaints with gratitude…
Shortly after sunrise this morning…
An hour later…
I pray that homeless people find shelter during this extreme cold! Make it a great day!
I awoke this morning to a vision of white all around me…glorious snow! My kitty Katie was even in awe!
The kind of snow that clings to every branch and creates a magical world of silence, surrounding you with nature’s calm beauty.
Traipsing outside in my house slippers, with my camera and tripod, Katie followed me everywhere I went. My husband nicknamed me Doctor Doolittle because our dog and kitty follow me everywhere.
“When snow falls, nature listens.” ~Antoinette van Kleeff
“Snow flakes are kisses from heaven.” ~Author Unknown
Upon arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam from Vientiane, Laos, it seemed I had entered an alien land! A city of concrete…jumbled wires…a sea of motor scooters blind to the traffic lights…mass chaos with purpose…face masks creating a barrier from the dusty city…an assault on the senses with smells and colors. Pure insanity!!
The seven of us, on this tour through GAP Adventures, were instructed on how to cross the street. To walk–not run–to keep walking–that the drivers would go around us. I felt like a duck on a shooting range. Luckily, I have a spiritual grounding and realize that there are some things I have very little control over.
After being separated from the group while shopping that evening, there was a moment of sheer panic!  I didn’t know the name of our hotel. The Tour Guide had given the information to everyone–when I was in the restroom–so I didn’t receive it. But I found my way to the meetup spot…whew!!
I made arrangements to spend the night on a boat on Halong Bay in the China Sea and said my “goodbyes” to the group!
At $68 for the entire excursion–it was a small price for such serenity and beauty!
I went kayaking…
 
Had a nice glass of vino!
Although I had a six hour layover in Nagoya, Japan‘s airport, on my way home to Cincinnati, I had plenty to keep myself occupied with there. It was a destination onto itself, with over 60 shops and restaurants and a spa!
Upon arrival at the airport, I met a girl named Andrea who had been teaching English in Hanoi for four months and was so fearful of crossing the street that she decided to move back home to Canada.
We went to the Spa together. The women had their own hot tub, cold dip, sauna, and steam room area with a view of planes landing and taking off. We didn’t have our bathing suits, but the other women were naked so…when in Rome. It makes for a great story…”Naked in the Airport”!
This is Andrea and I at the Airport in Japan.
I returned home on Christmas Eve. I hope you had fun following my adventure!
Last night I went to an event in Cincinnati at Mirror Lake in Eden Park…called Balluminaria. It was beautiful! There was one balloon in with the crowd…
Across the small man-made “Mirror Lake” were the other balloons. In preparation for nightfall…
It was a bit breezy, so you couldn’t see the balloon reflections very well, but it was still really lovely!
I forgot to take my tripod…but they turned out pretty well anyway…I think!
After researching “things to do in Lexington” for our yearly “girls’ weekend”, I decided having a tour of a private horse farm would fit in nicely with our schedule and would be a unique experience with a personal touch! I chose Taylor Made and our guide was “Emily”, the young lady in the next photo. She was knowledgeable, professional and sweet!
The 1500 acre farm specialized in breeding and has received up to $8 million dollars for one conceived “baby”! Usually, it’s more like $100,000…but still, that’s a lot!
While we were there for the hour tour, two gentlemen had arrived for their appointment to check out a couple of stallions for possible breeding, so we were allowed to watch them being brought out for show!
The farm was beautiful…even though it was an overcast day!
It was breathtaking to watch these horses race up the fence line!
They even had a small horse “cemetery”…
Here are the girls…from left to right….Gina, Cindy, Me, Sherry, and Michele. Dee came the following day for the second night.
We learned quite a bit…this is the breeding room. It usually takes about 45 minutes and they have someone restraining the stallion, so he doesn’t get too rough with the mare…such as biting her. They videotape it for proof!
Here is the Mare‘s compound…
The tour is free…but you tip the guide. We really enjoyed it!
My Tour Director class stayed at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge for one night in October. It’s located in the Sequoia National Park, California. That evening we had a bonfire and it was magical! First, one of our classmates’ topics was Sasquatch aka Big Foot, so having her present at night by the campfire was a perfect setting. She did a great job and then another classmate who is also a singer, sang O Danny Boy. She’s Irish and has a lovely voice! I cried (trying not to let others see me)! To top off the evening, a man named Frank gave a talk about John Muir, playing the character of John Muir. He spoke for at least 30 minutes and I was amazed at how he could recite and remember so much!
The next morning, I woke as usual before dawn and watched the sun rise. It was gorgeous!
The lake on the property was perfect for taking reflection shots of the trees and as the sun came out, I was able to capture some breathtaking colors…
We had a hearty breakfast before embarking on our tour of Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nat’l Parks!
Since returning from my whirlwind trips through Washington, British Columbia, Colorado and New Mexico, I’ve been thinking more about finding beauty in your own backyard. Many people from Cincinnati usually feel that there are much better places to live than here, but because of work or family, continue to reside in this area. I’m beginning to embrace living here and realize there are wonderful places for enjoying the “great outdoors”. I have been a member of Meetup.com for four years and joined a hiking club at that time. My friend Dee, my husband Randy and I decided to take a day trip to Hocking Hills State Park, which is located 2 1/2 hours from Cincinnati in Logan Ohio, to hike 5-6 miles with the club. These are photos from the day…
This is a “Hickory Horned Devil” and then it becomes a “Royal Walnut Moth” or “Regal Moth”. Later that day when I showed my friend Dee a photo of it, she thought it was a fake photo because it looks like it has sunglasses on. It was about 4 inches long by 1 inch wide.
Since I was taking quite a few photos…I was usually lagging behind and had to run to catch up…but sometimes it’s better to be by yourself. It’s quieter, no people in your photos and the timing was good for getting this photo. I was told that this guy just dropped out of a tree a minute earlier.
I love the “gnarled” look of these roots…
Everything seemed to have a green hue…lots of moss-covered rocks and even trees.
Since today was a record 100 degrees…I had to take a dip in the ice-cold water!
This is Dee…
I usually try to turn around frequently when I’m taking photos so that I can see things from a different vantage point or observe when the light changes or is really nice…like this photo!
Hope you’re finding beauty in your day!
We got a late start today…left the rental at 9:45am…had breakfast in Santa Fe at the Zia Diner…nice place…good food! We parked in the free public parking lot situated about 4 blocks away from the “plaza”. The native Indians sell their jewelry/pottery under the portal of the Palace of the Governors Museum. Since I’ve adopted the mind-set of “Collect Experiences…Not Things”, I was a good girl and only bought a shirt and some essential oil lotion on the trip!
This is the oldest house in Santa Fe…we took about 5 minutes and walked through it.
I went into this Cathedral…
There are some outdoor statutes and galleries around the plaza area…
This is the work of Bill Worrell…
a local artist that my traveling companion, Kathy, is friends with. They are his signature “Shamans”!
We were invited to John Farnsworth’s house/studio. We met online through my blog, which I think is pretty cool! He’s also a local artist, who has a great spirit and personality! His home was located only about 5 minutes from where we were staying.
That evening we went dancing at La Fonda…I wasn’t feeling great…probably the drinks in Durango the night before…and the altitude!
We left our rental near Durango, Colorado about 9:30am to drive to Santa Fe. Along the way we saw some stunning scenery…
The route we took was through Pagosa Springs…Chama…Abiquiu and the photo below is of Chimney Rock.
We stopped at “Ghost Ranch“…
We arrived at our VRBO…which was another great deal…$59.00 per night with great views…
This was in the backyard…
I understand why so many artists live in Santa Fe now…
Today was our lay low…chill at the house…do laundry…drink Pina Coladas and watch boat traffic day. While walking on the beach at low tide, I was able to get within 50 feet from this eagle.
The house is the one above the beach house on stilts.
This was the sitting area below the house.
Another wonderful day!
Although we hadn’t planned on going to Olympic National Park, it turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip for me. It was another 13 hour day. We drove 40 minutes from Seattle to catch the Edmonds/Kingston ferry, where we drove our car on. The ferry ride over took about 20 minutes. After driving a couple of hours, our first stop was the beautiful Crescent Lake, where we had lunch at the Lodge. The blues are so brilliant!
From there we made our way to the Hurricane Ridge Road entrance to Olympic National Park. It was a windy road with scary cliff drop offs, but so worth it! We hiked the 3 mile round trip, Hurricane Hill trail. I have hiked at some amazing places, but this is my favorite hike.
I felt like I was in the Alps. The fresh pine scent intermingled with the fragrant wild flowers, along with the truly spectacular views was amazing!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 