Every Day is a Gift!
This weeks challenge is to choose photos that illustrate different ways of framing images.
When shooting landscapes I like to use trees, flowers, and other foliage as a frame.
Doors, windows and arches provide frames for some of my photos.
Thanks to Amy at The World is a book for the Lens Artists Challenge – Framing the Shot this week
This weeks challenge is to find photos that represent something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. For this challenge I decided to use some photos from our recent trip to Ireland.
For something old, I chose the oldest man made thing we saw. The Fahan Beehive Huts on the Dingle Peninsula are from around 2000 BC.
For something new, I chose this lamb. As we drove around Ireland and Scotland, there were many fields filled with sheep. I loved seeing the new little lambs.
Our rental car in Ireland is the closest thing to something borrowed I could think of. This blue Nissan Qashqai, similar to the Nissan Rogue in the U.S., got us everywhere we wanted to go.
For something blue, I liked the blue buildings on this street in Dingle.
Thanks to Patti at Pilot Fish Blog for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue this week
As a retired senior, I’m lucky that I don’t have to go through the daily grind of a 40 hour work week any more. Even so, there are still times when even retired people need to take a break . Sometimes, reading a book, calling a friend, or watching an old movie is just what I need.
Other times, I need to get out in nature in order to soothe my soul. Whether it’s walking out into my back yard, taking a walk through the neighborhood, or getting in the car to do something new , there are plenty of things I can do outside to take a break.
When I’m busy at home, if I need a short break I can go outside to see what’s happening in my own back yard.
In the evening, I love to stop whatever I’m doing to watch a beautiful sunset.
The beach is my happy place, and any time I can get my toes in the sand makes me happy.
Getting out and exploring somewhere close to home is a great way to take a break.
When we’re traveling in the RV, there’s no better way to take a break from driving, sightseeing, or hiking than relaxing right in our own campsite.
For longer breaks, taking a trip and experiencing new places is the answer.
Thanks to Tina at Travels and Trifles for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Taking a Break this week
Thanks to Amy for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge Seascapes and/or Landscapes this week
The beach is my happy place and we have traveled to many different beaches over the years.
Thanks to Amy for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week
You can see responses from other bloggers here: https://wordpress.com/tag/lens-artists
When a friend of mine asked me if I’d like to join the Tybee Island Garden Club on an outing to Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia to learn about camellias I didn’t have to think twice about saying yes. They couldn’t have picked a more perfect day to go. It was cool but not too cold on the sunny Saturday morning in January we spent going through the cemetery.
Bonaventure Cemetery is located on a beautiful bluff above the Wilmington River. Once a plantation, the land became a private cemetery in 1846. In 1907 the cemetery was made public. The cemetery covers about 100 acres of land with many interesting gravestones, monuments and tombs in a gorgeous setting with stately live oak trees, dogwoods, azaleas, camellias and other beautifully maintained vegetation. Today many visitors to Savannah make Bonaventure a must see stop during their stay.
Our guide was Doug Webb of the Bonaventure Historical Society. We learned that many of the camellias in the cemetery are historic, older varieties that are not easily found in nurseries these days. Doug is very knowledgeable about the camellias and spends one day a week at the cemetery with other volunteers planting, fertilizing, watering, and propagating the camellias.
As we went through the cemetery he pointed out the different varieties of camellias, talked about how they air layer the plants, and kept us entertained us with stories about the history of the property. We are very grateful to Doug for sharing his expertise with us.
One of the most visited graves in Bonaventure Cemetery is that of little Gracie Watson. Gracie was born in New England in 1883. Her family moved to Savannah when her father became manager of the Pulaski Hotel in downtown Savannah. Sadly, in 1889, when she was six years old, Gracie developed pneumonia and died. Her parents hired sculptor John Walz to carve a monument of their daughter. Her parents moved back to New England and are both buried there. Little Gracie is all alone in Bonaventure.
There are stories that Gracie’s spirit is still around. There have even been sightings of Gracie’s ghost.
There is so much to see in Bonaventure it’s hard to capture it all. We went there to learn about camellias but we saw so much more.
More information about the cemetery can be found at Bonaventure Cemetery. There are tour companies that offer guided tours or you can pick up a map at the visitor’s center and explore on your own. A good time of year to visit is in the spring when the azaleas and dogwoods are blooming.
