Today was my last day here, so I did one of my favorite things, cycling. The bike path along Navarre Beach is very nice. There are lots of cool and colorful homes along the way. I love architecture! I cycled … Continue reading
I began my day today with an hour long walk along Navarre Beach. There were lots of fishermen out. Next, I drove almost 40 minutes to Pensacola, and had lunch at Flounders Chowder House. I had their special, crab stuffed … Continue reading
Early this morning, I drove a couple of miles from my Airbnb to Navarre Beach. After setting up my site, I got into a conversation with a nearby gentleman. We spoke for a good hour. He’s my age. We mainly … Continue reading
I was able to fit in two hikes yesterday, totaling 3 miles, in Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia, and DeSoto State Park, Alabama. There were some scenic stops along the way, as I drove through Georgia and Alabama. I made … Continue reading
Time to go back home to Northern Kentucky, it’s supposed to be in the 30s, time for snow skiing ⛷️
A friend joined me for five nights of my 10 night stay in St. Petersburg, Florida. We rented bicycles for 2 days and took the complimentary bus from our Airbnb to downtown St. Petersburg. There are some slots for bicycles to be stored while riding on the bus.
These are some of the sites we saw while cycling.
I love areas like this where you can cycle along the water front.
I took the complimentary shuttle from my Airbnb near St. Petersburg Beach, Florida to downtown St. Petersburg and then walked about a half a mile to the Salvador Dali museum.
Salvador Dali was from Figueres, Spain. Major themes in his work include dreams, the subconscious, sexuality, religion, science and his closest personal relationships.
The admission price is normally $30, but on Thursday evenings from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. it’s half price.
These are a few of the sites I saw while bicycling at St. Petersburg Beach. I cycled about 8 mi round trip.
Bicycling is a great way to get some exercise and see things at a slower pace.
I’ve seen Chihuly glass sculptures in various places but this collection was exceptional!
If you’re ever in St. Petersburg, Florida, try to make a stop at this museum.
I’ve been to the beach a few times since I arrived here in St. Petersburg, Florida. My favorite things to do at the beach are to walk and people watch.
I left home on December 5th for 10 days in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since my family has died, there’s not much for me to do around the holidays so I decided to get away for some fun in the sun.
The Airbnb I picked out is less than 2 mi from the beach and there’s a complimentary shuttle that stops a few blocks away that transports you to the beach and also to downtown St. Petersburg.
A girlfriend joined me for 5 days which was nice. I go home on Thursday.
The year started with three weeks in Miami, Florida in February on a solo trip. Most of my time was spent bicycling, walking on the beach, photographing, and exploring.
I was gearing up for a big year with my business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures when the pandemic hit. Suddenly, I was alone with my grief – no travel – no business – no boyfriend. I went to a local shelter and brought home Grayson, who has been a comfort.
I had two trips previously planned before the pandemic hit – one in May to Utah and Idaho, and the other in August to various destinations in Oregon. I ended up cancelling the flights for both and drove 4400 miles round-trip out west to Utah and Idaho.
I’d already explored Bryce and Zion Nat’l Parks in Utah years past, so this time I went to Arches and Canyonlands.
On the drive to Idaho, I spent a couple of nights in Salt Lake City for hiking and also had a masseuse come to my Airbnb for a 1 ½ hr. massage to treat myself on my birthday. I hiked a 6 mile roundtrip, 3,000 ft. elevation change trail while there. This was at the top…
Next was Idaho. This is the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls, Idaho (where Evil Knievel attempted jumping the mile wide chasm with his rocket, but failed).
I visited Sun Valley, Idaho, which I found to be gorgeous. I rented an e-bike and explored for miles. I also hiked a lot. I stayed away from people because of the pandemic.
Then I drove up to Stanley, Idaho in the Sawtooth Mountains and stayed in this cabin on a small river.
There was time spent with friends throughout the remainder of 2020, doing mostly outdoor activities (because of the pandemic). Lots of hiking and also get-togethers at our homes for patio dinner/cocktails.
Rough River Lake, Kentucky for our annual ladies long weekend. I reserved a 5 bedroom/3 bath home on the lake. We rented a pontoon boat and had fun!
A visit to my cousin’s place in central Ohio. He has built quite the mansion/castle – it has hidden rooms, so many things to look at – very eccentric!
Birds in my backyard…
An outdoor Thanksgiving with family…
My dear friend helped me put up my Christmas tree. Holidays are rough when you’ve lost your parents, spouse, and only child.
Christmas with my brother and sister-in-law…
All things considered, I was doing pretty well with everything I was going through. I tried to be grateful for what I had.
2019 was a tragic and heart shattering year. It began with a trip to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. I was gone for 18 days with people I didn’t know, on an adventure tour through Intrepid Travel. After a short introduction to Santiago, Chile…
We took a bus across the Andes
And spent a couple of days at a ranch in Argentina. I took this time to recuperate from the worst intestinal bug I’d ever experienced. I had a doctor come to my hotel room because I was so ill and dehydrated. When you go through the loss of a loved one, it manifests itself physically in addition to emotionally.
We then moved onto Mendoza, Argentina (wine country), which was gorgeous.
Buenos Aires was next on the agenda. Very vibrant and busy!
Next, we visited the amazing Iguazu Falls, from both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides.
Finally, we arrived in Rio de Janerio, Brazil…
It was an interesting trip, but I didn’t feel like myself. A week after arriving home, I flew to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the annual Urban Adventures conference, and was ill there also.
In May, I moved to my lovely condo with a beautiful view of the skyline of Cincinnati from the Clubhouse/pool.
I began online dating and was beginning to feel more settled, when my only child, my beautiful boy, Justin passed in July. If you’re a parent, it’s your worst nightmare. This is the last photo of he and I taken 3 weeks before his passing.
Unless you’ve lost a child, you can’t fathom the suffering, pain, and grief you go through. He was my universe, my heart. Eleven days later I went on a solo 1,000-mile road trip to Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. I was trying to distract myself from the horrific grief.
I continued with the travels…next was Three Oaks, Michigan with my girlfriend for a long weekend, where we explored Indiana Dunes State Park.
I climbed Mt. Leconte (3,000 ft. elevation change – 11 miles roundtrip) with a friend
And on the way home, met another friend at Red River Gorge, where I spread my son’s ashes at Whittleton Arch Trail. He used to love going hiking/camping there.
I led a group on a hike nearby my condo. I found some solace in the woods.
My next trip was to Palm Springs, Joshua Tree Nat’l Park, and Death Valley Nat’l Park, California with a friend.
I finished the year with a trip to Cape Coral/Ft. Myers, Florida
I discovered the travel was a temporary shallow distraction, but I continued searching for beauty.
In between the travel, I was working hard continuing to build my company, Cincinnati Urban Adventures. We were having a great year – 2,500 passengers and I now had 7 freelance Tour Guides.
I grieved for my son and sometimes I would feel guilty that I wasn’t grieving for my husband as much. It’s odd that there’s a name for someone who has lost their spouse “widow” and lost their parents “orphan”, but the grief is so heavy and heart-wrenching, there is no word for a parent who has lost their child (only child for me – with no hopes of being a biological Grandmother).
2018 began with a photo shoot for Cincinnati Refined. This is called Broomball. Players wear gym shoes instead of skates and use a broom-shaped stick to slap the ball into the opposing goal.
Here are additional shoots I did for them. This annual event was called the Polar Plunge…burr.
The Benison Event Center in Hamilton, Ohio. At one time, it was a bank.
The Monkey Bar & Grille in Maineville, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati)
Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, Ohio
Wine Over Water, held on the Purple People Bridge (a pedestrian only bridge), featuring wine merchants from around the area, live music, and general mingling fun in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The UniverSoul Circus was a quite spectacular!
The annual Flying Pig Marathon. This was the women’s champion. I got a little emotional while taking this photo.
The Camargo Hunter Trials in Indian Hill, Ohio was a great event for action shots!
I was very busy growing my business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures. I had hired two freelance Tour Guides in 2017 and together we took 1000 people on tours (anywhere from 1-12 people per tour unless it was a private tour). By the end of 2018, I had hired an additional 3 guides and we took 1700 people on tour. We moved into first place on Trip Advisor!
I did a handful of photo shoots for my business Sherry Lachelle Photography…
A senior photo shoot
For a friend’s new business website…
On June 2nd, my husband of 22 years, passed away from Cardiac Arrest. I gave him CPR until the medics arrived. This is the last photo I took of he and our dog, just a few weeks previously.
We lived on 5 acres in the country (only 40 minutes from downtown Cincinnati) and for the following 11 months before selling our home, I had the huge task of selling most everything he/we had accumulated through the years. Some of the big items were a boat, Harley, hot tub, jeep, truck, car, tractor, log splitter, and so much more…4 bicycles, 3 chain saws, 3 lawn mowers, 3 ladders, snow blower, power washer, welder, hunting, fishing, golfing stuff, so many tools.
I was devastated. My son was devastated. He was closer to Randy (his step-dad) than his own father.
Later that year, my son and his girlfriend announced their engagement.
I went to an outdoor concert with friends and it poured rain the entire time.
Went boating with a girlfriend…
I visited a friend in Dunedin, Florida for a week in December…
I was so happy my son joined me at my brother’s house Christmas Day. His fiance chose to stay at her family’s.
After Randy’s passing, so many things reminded me of him, coming across food items he liked while at the grocery, hearing a Harley’s rumble, and of course Face book gives you reminders.
There were other family and friends get-togethers throughout the year. I tried my best to cope with the grief and have a happy and full life.
For the past few years, I’ve looked back through my photographs and selected a few (this year many) that tell my story for the year. It’s a great way to document some of the joys and beauty that fill your life. My 2016 began with a trip in January to visit friends in Grand Cayman Islands. For such a small island, there are lots of unique wildlife. This Iguana was out by the pool…
We went for a hike and this blue-throated Anole’s vibrant colors caught my eye!
Not sure if this is an egret, a stork, or something else?
One of the highlights was swimming with the Stingrays.
I learned how to stand up (and paddle a little) on an inflatable paddle board…
After returning to Ohio, we had a beautiful snow. That’s our small shed.
I didn’t have to endure the cold for too long because I took a small group (three people) to Central America for two weeks in February, through my Travel Spirit Meetup. We visited Antigua, Guatemala.
and Lake Atitlan, Guatemala…
We then flew to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and that’s me horseback riding on the beach. I wanted to gallop and that I did!
and we watched the surfers…
We then moved on to Granada, Nicaragua for three nights…
Next, we flew to Panama City, Panama…
As a freelance photographer for Cincinnati Refined, I had 30 photo shoots this year. The cool thing about working for them is that I can pitch ideas and if they like it, I’m given the assignment. Here are a few of the shoots…
View of Northern Kentucky from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati…
The Asian Food Fest at Washington Park in Cincinnati…
Jazz in the Garden at the Taft Museum of Art…
Top of the Park restaurant/bar overlooking the Ohio River from Cincinnati…
84.51 building in downtown Cincinnati…
One of the dishes served at The Golden Lamb Restaurant in Lebanon, Ohio
Kellie Pickler from American Idol at the Pink Ribbon Luncheon held at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
Calysta Bevier (from America’s Got Talent)
A welder (a somewhat unusual assignment for me, but fun)…
Indoor water park at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio
The Cincinnati Dinner Train experience. One of the perks…my husband was able to join me for a free dinner/ride.
Cincinnati Prime Restaurant Grand Re-Opening…
Shawnee Lookout Park, North Bend, Ohio
Horseback riding at Salt Creek Ranch in Metamora, Indiana (there’s the hubby on the right)
Metamora, Indiana
Shawnee State Park, West Portsmouth, Ohio
Thanksgiving Day Race, Cincinnati, Ohio
Lights on the Hill at Pyramid Sculpture Park, Hamilton, Ohio
Through my own business, Sherry Lachelle Photography, I had quite a few real estate photos (here are three of them)…
My third wedding reception for friends…
A family photo shoot…
Another family photo shoot, but the little boy stole the show…
Senior Photos for my beautiful second cousin
One of the most time-consuming and important accomplishments this year was starting a business in partnership with Urban Adventures, called “Cincinnati Urban Adventures“. I give tours of Cincinnati. This group of guys (most from the UK) were loads of fun!
This is a wine tasting/foodie tour and I have a beer/tasting foodie tour also.
My longest trip this year and a truly amazing experience was taking two people through eight countries back in June for a month. We began in Bulgaria (three Cities)…
Rila Monastery, Bulgaria
We then headed to a variety of Cities in Romania. Peles Castle was amazing!
Bran Castle aka Count Dracula’s Castle in Romania
These next photos are also in various Romanian cities…
I took photos of at least three brides in different cities throughout Europe on this trip…
Sibiu, Romania has its eyes on you!
We then flew to Helsinki, Finland
Temppeliaukio Church aka Rock Church
We took an over-night cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia and had 72 hours to see what we could. The Hermitage Museum was amazing!
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Peterhof Park and Palace
We took a bus to Tallinn, Estonia…
A bus to Riga, Latvia…
Another bus to Vilnius, Lithuania and one of the highlights was Trakai Castle…
Next up, a bus to Warsaw, Poland…
And then a train to Krakow, Poland…
Where of course we went to Auschwitz. Unbelievably sad and horrific…
I took a long weekend /solo trip to Cleveland and Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio and got paid for my photographs.
The Rock n Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Cuyahoga National Park
Later in the summer, just for fun, at Serpentine Wall along the Ohio River in Cincinnati…
Fountain Square at night, Cincinnati
A car show
Canoeing at Green Acres Canoe in Harrison, Ohio (and got paid for this one)
A Bengals football game. We had nose bleed seats, but I had my zoom lens…
Of course there were family get-togethers. My son and his girlfriend at our home for a Bengals watching party/bon-fire etc.
and at a holiday party…
Jake trying to catch frogs in the Koi Pond…
Kate walking the tight-rope…
My husband and I spent a week in the Cape Coral/Ft. Myers, Florida area in mid-December…
I read or listened to almost 50 books. A few of my favorites, in no particular order, were: Flowers for Algernon, A tree grows in Brooklyn, The invisible bridge, The red umbrella, My name is Lucy Barton, The Shoemaker’s Wife, These is my words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, Lilac Girls, Me talk pretty one day, Salt to the Sea, Someone knows my name, and Plainsong.
In between, I prepared new and old recipes, hiked, biked, ran a 5-K fundraiser, went motorcycling, lots of girls’ nights out, and dinners/parties with my husband. The older you get, the more you want to squeeze in!
I hope next year is as good as this one was!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 