John of Journeys with JohnBo asks us to share the places we go when we are feeling down and need to take a break.
My favorite go-to place is at home. When I am home I like to see the sky at sunrise or just sit on my back porch overlooking my back yard and the salt marsh.
My day gets off to a beautiful start when I catch the sunrise from my own backyard.
My go-to place for porch sitting.
Sometimes I see birds like this Great Egret
I like to take a walk in my neighborhood which is surrounded by salt marsh and salt water creeks with palm trees, palmettos, and Spanish Moss draped live oak trees creating a peaceful landscape.
Early morning in my neighborhood
The beach is my happy place. If I want to go to the beach there are four barrier islands in coastal Georgia that can be reached by car. There are numerous uninhabited small barrier islands that can be reached by small boats and others that can be reached by ferry.
Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean on Tybee Island, Georgia, the closest beach to my home.
In January we spent two nights on Jekyll Island where we enjoyed the quiet beaches.
Sapelo Island is one of the Georgia islands that can be reached by ferry.
We no longer have a boat but I have fond memories of how peaceful it was to ride through the nearby creeks and rivers.
Slow boat ride through the coastal Georgia salt water marsh
For this challenge Tina is challenging us to show no more than five of our all time personal favorite images representing special moments or memories.
This is a really hard challenge for me. I have thousands of pictures in my archives. Most of them remind me of a special time, place or event. The sunrise in the header image was taken in my own back yard. It reminds me of how grateful I am for the gift of another day.
One of the most memorable events from our very first long RV trip occurred in Arches National Park in Utah. We wanted to take the hike for a close up view of Delicate Arch. The hike involved walking up slick red rock and included walking along a narrow ledge before getting to the Arch. I am terrified of heights and the idea of the ledge terrified me but I managed to get all the way to the top to take this picture. This picture reminds me of how I overcame my fears to see this beautiful sight.
Henry standing underneath Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
This silhouette of Henry at sunset reminds me of all the wonderful memories we have from our RV trip traveling south from Washington to California on Highway 101.
Henry watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Washington
I have literally thousands of images from our 2013 RV trip to Alaska. We saw amazing landscapes and wildlife and visited many unique places. I chose this image because it brings back happy memories of our fun filled week in Haines. We took the time at the end of each day to enjoy this spectacular view from our campsite.
Watching for whales at the end of the day in Haines, Alaska
The last image reminds me to take the time to stop and enjoy a sunset when I get a chance. I call this tree the bird tree because I often see herons, egrets, wood storks, roseate spoonbills, and other birds perched on the dead limbs. The tree is located on the road to our neighborhood. I’ve driven past it many times over the years and have captured many beautiful sunsets here but this one is my all time favorite.
Feeding and watching the birds is a favorite pastime of mine. I have many bird pictures in my archives but I chose a few recent ones for Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge.
Great Egret
House Sparrow at the feederNorthern CardinalRed-Bellied WoodpeckerSnowy Egret, Cormorant, and Seagull
Our year was filled a little wandering, a Caribbean Cruise, a high school graduation, a hurricane, and many quiet days. Health issues for both of us kept us close to home most of the year.
January
Our plans for January were to spend a quiet month at home. It’s a good thing we didn’t have any plans because in early January two major things happened. My 16 year old car died and we had to replace it.
I also tripped going up the stairs to our house and broke my left arm. I was happy to hear I wouldn’t need surgery. I wore a brace on my arm for weeks. It took a while before I could use my left had so I learned how to do many things with one hand. That’s a skill I hope I never have to use again. The good news is I am right handed!
February
We were scheduled to go on a two week Caribbean cruise in February. My doctor gave me the go ahead to go with my broken arm so off we went. It was a challenge getting through the airports with our luggage but we made it to Puerto Rico for a two night stay before boarding our ship. The ship, the crew, the islands, the sunrises and sunsets, and the food were amazing! It was a great getaway.
I couldn’t have gotten through the trip without Henry! I’m grateful for Henry and the staff at the hotel, the crew on the ship, and the drivers and guides who helped me get on and off of boats and buses.
March
March was filled with St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations.
Wandering Dawgs celebrated 11 years of blogging in March. Thank you to everyone who follows the blog and reads the posts. I appreciate all of your kind comments.
April
The spring flowers in our garden were beautiful this year.
May
May began with a day at the Savannah Scottish Games. Later in the month we had a great visit with our daughter’s family when we traveled to attend our granddaughter’s graduation.
June
We stayed at home all of June. I enjoyed a few walks on the beach.
July
July was another quiet month at home with more walks on the beach.
August
August was hot but the heat didn’t keep the hummingbirds away.
September
Butterflies were feeding on the nectar of our garden flowers before Hurricane Helene came roaring through in September. We lost power for two days and had to get a new roof after the storm. We were very fortunate and our hearts go out to those who are still suffering because of this powerful storm.
October
My Meyer Lemon tree lost most of it’s leave in the hurricane but over 30 lemons survived. On a beautiful October afternoon we spent the afternoon at Ft. Pulaski.
November
Instead of a turkey this year we celebrated Thanksgiving by making our family’s secret recipe Brunswick Stew. Making the stew brought back many happy memories of family gatherings when we all took turns Stirring the Stew.
December
In December I harvested over 30 Meyer Lemons just before we were expecting a freeze. We took a road trip and stopped for a picture of the UGA Football Barn Sign along the way. If you are not familiar with American college football, we are huge fans of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Our Grand Dog Jack enjoyed his new bed on Christmas Eve.
I learned a long time ago that no one knows what tomorrow will bring. When health issues and doctor’s appointments slowed us down this year we cancelled a couple of trips we had planned and made the best of the time we spent at home. I’m grateful for all of the places we have been over the years and hope to be able to make some more trips close to home in the future.
Don’t put off doing the things you dream of. Cross off those bucket list items while you can. Every day is a gift!
Wishing you good health, happiness and much joy in 2025!
Tina’s challenge is to examine the habitats of both humans/and or animals.
A quote from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources tells us that “Georgia’s coastal marshlands encompass approximately 368,000 acres in a four to six mile band behind the barrier islands. Thriving in the waters of the estuaries, these marshes have been identified as one of the most extensive and productive marshland systems in the United States. There are nearly 400,000 acres of coastal marshlands in Georgia which represent a considerable portion of all remaining marshlands along the entire eastern coast of the United States.”
I chose to feature images of some of the birds that feed on the fish, shrimp, snails, and other small creatures that live in the salt marsh. Sometimes I see the birds perched in a tree or on a dock above the marsh as they search for food. It’s fun to watch them wade through the marsh or a creek as they feed.
Great egret wades through the salt marsh searching for foodIbis feeding in the salt marshWood StorkRoseate Spoonbills and Great Egrets share a tree Roseate Spoonbill fishing in a tidal creekGreat Blue Heron perched on a rail above the marshOsprey searching for fish
Wandering Dawgs 