Weekend Glance

Santa Maria Sunset

After a few more stops this afternoon, we will be heading back to Jacksonville.
Our time in Saint Augustine has been magnificent. We really lucked out with the weather.
Although, the day we got here I began to feel a tickle or scratchiness in my throat, we
immediately went to Walgreens for a remedy - I didn't want a repeat of Big Sur.
I hate that I am prone to getting sick while on vacation! Thankfully, it didn't get too bad.
The coughing did keep me up some last night, but for the most part, I feel okay.

I have done my best not adhere to a specific itinerary while here is Saint Augustine,
instead, I just let the day proceed where it may. I've been to St. Augustine many times, but
I haven't seen it in the way I have this time around. The camera always sharpens my senses
when I am in a "new" place. It's not new, but it's new - know what I mean!?!?

Anyhow, we have a big day ahead of us......
I better get downstairs to the breakfast part of the Bed and Breakfast!!

FYI:

• Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for the magazine subscription to Popular Photography (10 people have entered so far).
• Click here for details. PROJECT INSPIRATION
• The photo is of a restaurant near our B&B, we were warned that the food wasn't very good, but it was pretty :o)
• Posted in Wordful Wednesday

Splendor of the Sun

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May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
~Irish Blessing~



Today, I took it easy....under doctor's orders,
well, the people who administer my Acupuncture treatments.
I have gotten into a very bad habit where I stay up to late, so I've been exhausted lately.
Although I made up for that by sleeping in until 11!
Initially, I felt like we wasted half the day, but since we just sat
around anyways, it didn't so much matter.
Tomorrow I think we'll go on a good long hike,
and I'll take some, or a lot of photos.

This is going to be a BIG week....
It is is nearing my blog anniversary,
and I am also getting ready to take a new step.
During this transition I plan to do some giveaways,
please stay tuned during the week to see what's in store!

Hope you're all having a great weekend so far.

Jade Cove

California : Big Sur : Jade Cove

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We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.
~Mary Dunbar~

Upon sorting through, what seems like a never ending supply of California photos, I came upon my Jade Cove folder, and decided that this would be the next CA vacation post that I would do. The number one reason why I chose them was because of the overwhelming wave of emotion that hit my like a ton of bricks as I scrolled through each one. The ones above in particular nearly brought tears to my eyes as I gazed upon the warm sunlight illuminating the photos.

Instantly, I was transported back in time to the day that we visited the cove. I could hear the waves, and smell the air........




As I sat perched upon a rock here, and a rock there taking in the beautiful view, Cody was rock hounding. I tried it, but I got bored, and didn't really know what it was I was looking for, so I did what I know best. After close inspection, Cody is pretty sure that we did find a couple pieces of jade. Although we have yet to get a professional opinion. Rock hounding was something that Cody could have done all.day.long! I basically had to tear him away after a couple hours at the cove. It was pretty entertaining to watch him in action, moving these huge boulders to get to the stuff hiding underneath. It takes a mighty patient person to do such a thing, and as I've said before, patience really wasn't a virtue that I was blessed with - but I'm getting better.




It looks like I had a really close call in the shot above, doesn't it? haha But my camera made it out dry, thankfully. It was only later in the trip that I nearly dropped it on a rock, where it would have then plopped into a small pool of ocean water! Now that was a close call.....I can't save my camera from all incidents, but maybe that's because I haven't spent enough money on one yet! haha My motto is that it's meant to be used, not babied! We'll see if that changes once I actually upgrade though!?!?!



More splashing!



If you check out the other photo of the same scene, you'll notice the trail winding down the side of the cliff on the bottom right hand corner of the photo. It looks somewhat treacherous, but it wasn't too bad, it was a very short trail.

After we climbed back out, we had the most beautiful sunset parading before our eyes. So many views that I will never forget made their way back with me from California. And being able to look back, and have a visual along with the memory that I carry, is truly priceless.





I can't wait until I get everything sorted so that I can finally get started on a book of vacation photos. It's taking a lot longer to do than I thought it would. A number of different things are going on right now, and staying on top of everything is just not possible - unless I want to pop my top! The house is a wreck because of the improvements we are in the process of wrapping up, like painting the kitchen trim, and the dining room ceiling/walls. Cody has done most of the work since he's been home during the day, and for that, thank you! I'll be glad when we can get things back in order and reorganize. Heck I'll even settle for some walking room at this point!! haha I'm so happy that tomorrow is Friday......it's been a loooooong week!





I know I got off subject, but Jade Cove was incredible.......I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!!

*Fiery Finish*

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May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!

~Irish Blessing~

...:::Taking the Sun from the Day:::...

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Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.
~Benjamin Disraeli~

I am in the most severe state of yearning to feel the way I did - I felt so free.

This photo gives me such a sense of peace. I remember that tranquil breeze. And how we were supplied with a colorful conclusion to a flawlessly spectacular day.

We caught this scene at the tail-end of an action packed day. It was so serene, and windy, but still magnificent. It makes my heart ache and smile all at the same time.

More to come......

Sunset Saunter

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
~Lin Yutang~

Aaaahhhh.......it's so nice to be fully immersed into my o so familiar surroundings that I missed a whole lot more than I thought I would. We had a very tough time making it back home, which in the end, made the reunion that much sweeter. I'll go ahead and get all of the ghastly details out of the way before I begin to chronicle our vacation.

The most adverse obstacle to overcome was the sad fact that I became sick on Monday.......and it's still with me! It started with a sore throat, then proceeded with a stuffy, and runny nose, but worst of all has been the congestion, and coughing (especially when it is non-stop at night). It's been such a long time since I have been sick, all for it to happen when we're on our vacation - I was a trooper though.

Tuesday was one long rest day, I couldn't really cope and just wanted to sleep it off since I was feeling so drained. That was the only "wasted" day; from that day on we didn't let it stop us from seeing and doing the fabulous activities originally planned. However, we didn't get to do everything, but that was to be expected.

We were supposed to get home last night, but good ole' American Airlines dropped the ball on that desire. Our flight from San Jose, CA was running late to begin with, which made for a really tight connection when we landed in Fort Worth, TX. As fast as we could get off the plane, we were ready to run since we only had about 10 minutes to make it to the other terminal.......as soon as we deplaned a lady with a list advised us that our plane was already GONE!! For once a plane actually leaves ON TIME!!

We went up to the desk to determine what options were available, but the snide and unhelpful counter person wasn't very congenial. We were dumbfounded to be told that, "There were no more flights going to Greensboro, NC until tomorrow morning.", TOMORROW MORNING!! But they could get us to Charlotte, NC?!?!? Um, our car is in Greensboro......how the heck is that going to help anybody?! Cody said, "I bet they could also get us to Albuquerque too, but that wouldn't help us out either!" Mr. Comedy Relief at your service - he's too funny.

The only thing she offered us was a voucher for a discounted rate of $45.00 at the La Quinta Inn, or a cot if we wanted to sleep in the terminal.....WOW.....way to go American Airlines lady, thanks a bunch!? After the unpleasant encounter, we trudged on, mad, and unsatisfied to the new terminal in which we would be leaving from the next morning. Once there, Cody, being the exceptionally remarkable partner he is, took it upon himself to do some damage control. Long story short, he came back about 15 minutes later with a smile on his face. What he accomplished was truly extraordinary, in his persistence he found a more compassionate American Airlines employee who actually helped us! And believe it or not, he was toting even better vouchers that the other lady said wasn't possible to get, and wasn't willing to let go of. Cody singlehandedly got us a FREE hotel room, and a $20.00 food voucher!!!! Isn't he AWESOME......thanks babe :o)

Before this gets too long, I'll wrap it up. The flight home was not that great for me, flying when you're sick is the WORST! Oh, and I hate to leave it on a gross note, but I blew chunks on our descent because of the congestion and pressure and whatever else was contributing to my nausea; thankfully it was a really small plane, and there were some really nice people sitting around me. Cody came through yet again with a barf bag, and cool, wet cloth for my forehead - I'm such a lucky girl. I even got to sleep on the car ride home.....

Boy am I glad to be home!!!

The Long Way Home......................

It's probably a good thing that the blog I was previously typing up froze and subsequently was lost somewhere in cyberspace, since I was only releasing some pent up aggression that I'm currently dealing with. Well, it was more of a tirade, and I'm trying desperately to gain control over these emotions right now. This particular time of year takes a lot of getting used to and truth be told I'm not there yet, not even close. The days continue to get shorter which I hate, I mean almost instantly after I get off work it's dark outside?! Now, today I was introduced to the most splendid sight when I stepped out of the office.............the colors painting the sky were so brilliantly amazing I just stood there for a second trying to take it all in.

I decided that since I would get a better view of the sunset and all it's glory I would "Take the Long Way Home", a portion of our road is now closed due to the construction for the new high school coming so the road you're diverted to takes you up a hill through I neighborhood I never really knew existed before the closure. The whole way home I struggled to keep my eyes on both the road and the sky so that I wouldn't miss the transition of colors dancing across the clouds. I decided that I would pull up in my driveway, hop out and grab my camera, then ascend the hill where I had the best view, while on my way home. I basically had to pull over on the side of the road and jump out to get a decent angle...........the wind was brutal as I attempted to compose a shot, by the time I was through my fingers were numb and frozen, when I gripped the steering wheel I could feeling NOTHING!! Even though the shots weren't all that great what's most important is that I at least made the effort. It's hard to get motivated these days when you get home and cannot move around freely since all the other rooms in the house will chill you to the bone. Week after week we talk about buying wood but it just hasn't happened after a month of chilly weather, it's sort of miserable and discouraging at times. Maybe I should just stop whining and get on with it..................

Burning Day

Racing to reach a spot so that we could capture this amazing sunset I was worried that it would become another surpassed interchange to the evening. I love sunsets like nothing else in this world, they are so stunning and marvelous words can't even begin to describe the shear beauty they represent. On our way home from the cemetery we watched the sky morph from one color to the next and were intent on finding a spot that would allow us to capture the essence of an end to a great day. Sometimes I miss being by the water..........

Tonight Cody and I went to one of the last showings at the $2.00 theater, cheap as I am we may never see a movie on the big screen again! 3:10 to Yuma is a movie I've been wanting to see since if first debuted, a) because Christian Bale is my most favorite male actor EVER and b) Because it was a western style flick. If there is one thing you would never guess about me, it would be my affinity for John Wayne films, hence my partiality to westerns in general! I heard someone saying that they thought 3:10 to Yuma was on the same level as Tombstone, and to a certain degree I concur. This movie doesn't have the star studded cast that Tombstone was given but the story was what did it for me. The ending wasn't such a surprise but it was very different from the norm - I liked it a lot! I highly recommend seeing this movie for yourself; action packed from beginning to end. Unfortunately we did miss the first 5 minutes or so.................................

Captivating Encounter

“I didn't ask for it to be over, but then again, I never asked for it to begin. For that's the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance. But even the most beautiful days eventually have their sunsets.”

Cerulean Dream

This picture bellows that which is almost ineffable to me;
the sky, silhouettes, and gently rippling waters are all so calming.
This week my personal goal is to get photos everyday of the brilliant fall colors, although today I fell short. It's been rainy all day today, thankfully because we needed it desperately. I knew I would have some sort of excuse not to fulfill my end of the bargain - even with Cody being a great motivator.
After a long weekend I think I can justify enjoying a nice relaxing evening with little to no excitement or obligation. If you didn't know already I was in Atlanta to attend a wedding that Cody was a participant in this past weekend. I have a few pictures I'll be posting which will give more detail at that time.
Just right around the corner is Thanksgiving. My plan this year is to spend Thanksgiving in Jacksonville since it's been since LAST Thanksgiving that I was there. I suppose that it would only be fair, huh?! Now that drive will add a few more hours than it took for us to get to and from Atlanta; meaning a little more strain on my delicate neck and shoulders. But I hope to begin Acupuncture sometime soon and I pray that it will offer some much needed relief.

Whisperings of a Sunset...............

My Happy Birthday message from Tawny:

May you always find beauty in all that you are
May the wind always follow you
May the fire within always burn
May your heart always be pure
May you always grow
May you always seek the balance
and, may you always "Walk in Beauty"




*Now tell me how wonderful is that.

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever.

-Horace Mann