Tag Archives: Color

Lovely St. Lucia

View of the Pitons from La Villa de Piton Restaurant near Palmiste, St. Lucia

After our visit to Martinique, we traveled about 50 miles south to the island of St. Lucia. St. Lucia also has a bit of French influence, although not to the extent of Martinique.

Boat on the beach in Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia
Boat on the beach in Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia
Fishing nets hung to dry. Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia

St. Lucia is a beautiful, tropical island, featuring The Pitons, the twin mountains that are actually two parts of a huge, now-extinct volcano. The biggest issue with seeing St. Lucia is the continuously winding and undulating roads.

Town of Soufriere on the island of St. Lucia
Town of Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia
Town of Castries on the island of St. Lucia

We started our tour sitting in the very back of the bus, and while I don’t usually have trouble with motion sickness, I got so woozy that I asked to sit in the front of the bus. I joked with the driver that if he needed me to help him with the driving I would (although I would be terrified!). 😉  The good part was that I was able to take some photos through the windshield, which was fun and a nice distraction.

Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia
Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia
Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia
Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia
Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia
Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia
Morne Coubaril Estate, Saint Lucia

We had a nice tour, however. Our stop in Anse La Raye reminded me of our first visit, back in 2000. The beach there always has some colorful boats, which make for nice photographs. The downside is the residents that pester you for money, offering to pose for photos. One guy was really annoying, until I told him I didn’t have any money. He walked away and didn’t bother me any more.

Toraille Waterfall, Saint Lucia

We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant with a great view of The Pitons. After lunch we visited a waterfall and a cocoa plantation, where we tasted some roasted cocoa beans and fresh coconut. Yum! On the way back to the ship we passed a parade celebrating St. Lucias 44th year of independence.

Parade celebrating St. Lucias 44th year of independence. Near Castries, St. Lucia
Parade celebrating St. Lucias 44th year of independence. Near Castries, St. Lucia
Go. Road construction on St. Lucia near Castries

St. Lucia is a beautiful island, but I was reminded that the next visit we should take a boat, instead of a van on those winding roads! 🙂

Bus tour on the island of St. Lucia
Cruise port in Canaries, St. Lucia

 

Fall At Biltmore

Trails around Bass Lake on the Biltmore Estate.

My pictures may not prove it, but we were at Biltmore about a week early for peak fall color. I had to “help” the color a bit in processing to make them look as fallish as they do, but they still give a pretty good idea of what things looked like.

Trails around Bass Lake on the Biltmore Estate.
Trails around Bass Lake on the Biltmore Estate.

Last week’s blast of cold air and accompanying winds discouraged any thoughts I had of getting out early and took care of our bold plans for a picnic or two. But we still managed to find some nice color on a couple of days.

Fields of the Biltmore Estate
View from the verandah of Biltmore House

I’ve got more photos to share and will work on them over the next few days.

Farmyard in Antler Hill Village at Biltmore
Fields of the Biltmore Estate

Happy Forty Twos-Day!

Biltmore House from The Lagoon. Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina

Kathy & I are at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC celebrating our 42nd anniversary. I’ve been joking that this is quite an upgrade from our honeymoon in Gatlinburg, TN. 😉

We did an early morning guided house tour on Monday and have a few days of exploring planned, including taking in their Leonardo Davinci exhibit on Wednesday. I’ve taken a few photos so far, including this one of the Biltmore House from The Lagoon, a spot along the French Broad River.

Patchwork. The Gardens at Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina
Stonework on the exterior of Biltmore House

A Few More Fuzzy Photos

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Monte enjoyed my motion blur photo from a couple of days ago so I thought I would serve up a few more. Sometimes the camera moves, sometimes the subject moves.

Lots of motion blur here today as we await Ian’s arrival. It’s been rainy, breezy and chilly – a good day to work on photos and watch Formula 1 practice! Ian keeps angling further east of us, which is good for us but unfortunately not so good for someone else. Should be by us by morning, hopefully!

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Another Morning On The Beach

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

I turned the alarm off this morning and went back to sleep, but woke up 15 minutes later and knew what I had to do. 😉

Once more it was worth the effort.

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Something In Red

Siena, Italy

These aren’t all “decor” photos, but they are RED!

Tom’s Mustang at the Davis General Store in Croft, North Carolina
Karman GhiaCars & Coffee in Charlotte, NC August 3, 2013
Ferrari
Red Corvette
National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky
St. Petersburg, Florida
John Hippley gardens and public park in Columbiana, Ohio
Videographer aboard Sea Princess departing from San Francisco, California
Ship’s photographer in Victoria British Columbia
Skagway, Alaska
Neil’s Harbour, Nova Scotia
Motif #1 at Rockport Harbor, Rockport, Massachusetts
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Loch Katrine, Scotland
Tabasco Factory in Avery Island, Louisiana
“Big Red Lighthouse” at Holland State Park in Holland, Michigan
Fall Colors near Linville Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Hollywood Beach, Florida
Golden Rock Plantation Inn in Nevis, West Indies

It’s Not Easy Being Green

Magic Wings Butterfly House, Durham, North Carolina

Going with the green theme on a Friday!

Golden Rock Plantation Inn in Nevis, West Indies
Little Glade Mill Pond Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway MP 230
Romney Manor, home of Caribelle Batik on the island of St Kitts
Key West, Florida
Romney Manor on St Kitts, home of Caribelle Batik
Jungle Gardens in Avery Island, Louisiana
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Limberlost Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Morris Childers’ 1938 Chevy
John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, Waterloo, Iowa
Green Giant Statue, Blue Earth, Minnesota

Dale Chihuly: A Master Of Glass

Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida

One of the highlights of our visit to St. Petersburg was The Chihuly Collection, part of the Morean Arts Center.  I’ve been familiar with Chihuly’s works for years, of course, having seen pieces in several locations throughout the country.  There was an exhibit in Asheville some time ago, but we didn’t make it to that one.  Our most familiar example is the ceiling in the visitor center at Makers Mark Distillery in Kentucky.

Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida

I suppose all of Chihuly’s works are portable in some way, although the large chandeliers and huge static pieces would require a bit of planning, effort and logistics.  It was nice to see such a nice selection all in one place.

Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida

One tip I learned at the Dali’ museum (which we visited before this but I’m going out of order) was to be sure and watch the video presentations.  Although the video room at The Chihuly Collection comes near the end of the exhibit, it is still worth taking the time to learn more about the person and the process, both the artistic process as well as the actual making of the art.  Quite the place!

Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Glass works by Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida