Happily married 55 years, retired baby boomer, mother of 2, grandmother of 4, traveler, Georgia Bulldog fan, Air Force Brat, avid reader, amateur photographer, gardener, ovarian cancer survivor, blogger. Every day is a gift!
This week, Ann-Christine has challenged us to capture candid shots of people and/or animals.
This challenge was a difficult one for me because it’s hard for me to get good photos of people. Usually my candid shots are epic fails, either blurred or someone has a funny look on their face. As I searched through my photos I found some candid shots from our trip to Ireland and Scotland earlier this year.
On that trip we visited more than a few pubs. I couldn’t help but capture a few candid shots as we enjoyed a pint and dinner after a busy day of taking in the sights.
Bartender pouring our first Guinness pint at the Gravity Bar at the Guinness BreweryBartender at the beautiful Crown in Belfast, Northern IrelandDecisions, Decisions… in Edinburgh, Scotland
I loved hearing the music in the pubs and seeing the street performers.
Musicians in DublinMusicians at a pub in Dingle, IrelandIn the shopping district in GalwayBagpiper in Edinburgh, Scotland
I managed to capture a few people doing everyday things.
Waterville, IrelandDingle Boat Harbor, IrelandSurfers at Inch Beach, Dingle Peninsula, IrelandGiant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
I can’t end this post without including some candid animal shots.
A shepherd tending to his flock during a sheep dog demonstration in IrHighland Cow at Fernie Castle, Scotland
This week, Patti has challenged us to bring attention to the subject in our photo by filling the frame with that subject. I chose a selection of photos from this year’s butterfly garden.
Summer Sunflower
Zinnia in the butterfly garden
Mexican sunflower in the butterfly garden
Bee in the Butterfly GardenGulf Fritillary on Zinnia
Although several varieties of butterflies visited the garden this summer, the Monarchs have been few and far between until today. Early this morning, there were about eight different Monarchs feasting on the flowers.
Monarch ButterflyMonarch on milkweed in early OctoberMonarch on Mexican Sunflower in early October
This week, Tina has challenged us to capture the spirit of a place that is vivid in you memory.
My husband and I have been fortunate to be able to travel to most of the United States, parts of Canada, and a few other foreign countries. The one place that I think of most often is the state of Alaska.
It’s been six years since we towed our fifth wheel over 14,000 miles to Alaska and back. There are so many things that make Alaska memorable. The people are friendly and proud of their state. The mountains and glaciers took my breath away every where we went. I was constantly on the lookout for wildlife and often saw bears or moose beside the road. Sometimes we would be the only vehicle on the road for miles.
One of our favorite towns was Haines. We loved all the great people, the Hammer Museum, eagles and bears, and fresh Dungeness Crab for dinner. Probably best of all was the waterfront view from the campground. We enjoyed our cocktail hour searching for whales and watching the ships go by.
View from our campground in Haines
As we traveled around Alaska we would sometimes drive for miles without seeing another car. I was constantly on the looking for bears and moose.
Gorgeous scenery every where we wentMoose cow and calf crossing the road
One of our most memorable days was the day we left the fifth wheel in the RV park in North Pole and drove north on the Dalton Highway. After stopping at the Arctic Circle we continued on to Coldfoot, the farthest north we have ever traveled. At Coldfoot we turned around and arrived back at the camper after 10:00 pm and it was still daylight.
Behind a motorcycle on the Dalton Highway
On a wildlife cruise from Seward, the captain turned off the engines so we could hear the ice calving at Aialik Glacier.
Ice calving on Aialik Glacier on the Kenai Fjords trip from Seward
One of my favorite things in Alaska was seeing wildlife.
I’ll never forget the Orcas cruising close by our boat on a wildlife cruise from Valdez.
A pair of Orcas on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez
The mama bear was too busy finding fish for her cub to pay attention to us.
Mama bear looking for more fish near ValdezBlack Bear Cub
There were more bald eagles in Alaska than anywhere else I’ve ever been. As we rode close to the shoreline on one of the wildlife cruises there were too many eagles perched in the trees to count.
We spotted this pair of Bald Eagles as we cruised by on a wildlife and glacier cruise from ValdezEagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church in Ninilchik
Riding on a train and a taking a plane ride to land on a glacier after seeing Mount Denali up close were two of our favorite excursions.
A ride on the Alaska Railroad to the Hurricane TurnMount Denali from the air
It’s been over six years since we were there. One day we will return…
We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.
Flash back to twelve years ago, October 3, 2007. We were camping in Cherokee, North Carolina, our home base for visiting the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was foggy and drizzling for most of our stay but we managed to get in some sightseeing and scenic drives while we were there.
We started the day with a three mile hike along the Oconaluftee River inside Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
Oconaluftee River in Great Smokey Mountain National, ParkBeaver evidence next to the river
Next up was a scenic drive starting at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The farther north we got, the thicker the fog. After a while it drizzling. I was able to get a few photos before before the weather got too bad.
Old homestead on Blue Ridge Parkway, NCOld homestead on Blue Ridge Parkway, NCBlue Ridge Mountains, NC
It was a wonderful fall getaway with camping in Cherokee, visiting the national park, and taking drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in the United States. Even though today is the end of September, there are many hard working people who won’t stop advocating for ovarian cancer awareness all year long. During the month of September there were many fundraisers, runs, and walks all around the country to raise money for research, to provide support and assistance for ovarian cancer patients, and to bring awareness to ovarian cancer.
As an ovarian cancer survivor, this cause is near and dear to my heart. I am one of the lucky ones whose cancer was diagnosed at an early stage. Most women are not so lucky.
Early detection is very important in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Most patients are diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. When detected early, the five year survivor rate is over 92%. Ladies, please learn the symptoms and listen to your body. Do not ignore the symptoms! Talk to your doctor if any of the symptoms persist for more than two weeks.
There is no diagnostic test for Ovarian Cancer.
A pap smear does NOT detect Ovarian Cancer.
Symptoms include bloating, pelvic/abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, fatigue, urinary urgency and/or frequency, bowel changes, menstrual irregularities.
The highest occurrence of ovarian cancer is in women over 50 (I was 59). Other risk factors are:
Family history of ovarian, breast, endometrial, or colon cancer.
Women who have never had children are at higher risk.
Having gene mutations of BRCA 1, BRCA2, or Lynch syndrome.
Tell Every Amazing Lady (T.E.A.L) About Ovarian Cancer is one of the organizations supporting ovarian cancer awareness.
One of the ways they do this is by organizing and putting on walks in several cities around the United States. Several years ago, a patient from Savannah, Georgia reached out to them for help and the idea of a TEAL walk in Savannah was born. This weekend I participated in the 6th annual Savannah walk.
With Teal Wonder Woman
Starting the walk
Survivors
It was a very emotional day being with other survivors and their supporters. So glad to see so many turn out to support this worthy cause.
Wandering Dawgs 