One of the best things we did in Hawaii was take a helicopter ride over the Na Pali Coast. I’ve seen it from a cruise ship and a catamaran, but this was something else. If you’re wary of helicopters, it’s probably not for you.
It’s so green there!
Great weekend, everyone….
{carole}
Picturesque Wai’oli Hui’ia Church in Hanalei is on the main road just past Hanalei town. Built in 1912, the spired church was designed in the American Gothic style.
The often-photographed church was built by Albert, Sam and George Wilcox, descendants of the Kaua’i missionaries Abner and Lucy Wilcox.
A major restoration of Wai’oli Hui’ia Church took place in 1992 after Hurricane Iniki lifted the building off its foundation and caused severe structural damage. This structure is listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
The church was not open when we were there, so we planned to go back, but there was a major mudslide that made traveling to Hanalei nearly impossible. You never know what will happen on vacay!
Great weekend, everyone….
{carole}
Well, I just have to post a photo of our cat on International Cat Day! Here’s Yuri on bird alert:
Great weekend a day early,
{carole}
I took this across the street from our Airbnb in Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Lavender, hydrangeas and beautiful clouds at Sauvie Island Farms, Oregon.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Just outside Portland, Oregon, there’s a place called Jenkins Estate. It’s such a great place to walk…the trees are so tall and beautiful. These remind me of cathedral arches.
I like this little shed in one of the gardens.
The lavender and clematis were doing really well.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Re-posting a photo I took at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware years ago. I think it really exemplifies summer.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
So we went to a lavender festival last weekend. I’d heard of it last year, but missed going for reasons forgotten. It was a two-hour drive, but the scenery was lovely.
This is what greeted us. I liked the vintage atmosphere and the smell of lavender reminded me of Provence.
The festival takes place in Cherry Valley, where the first cherry trees in the area were planted. The venue is the Highland Springs Ranch and Inn. The original Highland Home Hotel, a three-story Victorian house built in 1884, burned to the ground in 1970. Instead of rebuilding it in the same place, a more modern building was constructed.
In 2009, this main lobby building and the majority of the guest rooms were renovated to preserve the historic character.
We arrived at lunchtime, so naturally headed for the food court.
The lavender ice cream was great. The gyros (what were we thinking?) were not.
The lavender lemonade was amazing. Love this vintage sign.
Unfortunately, the only lavender field blooming was this one. Festivals are kind of hit and miss, which I know after attending several cherry blossom events, so we were OK with it. If you look closely you can see mountains with a little bit of snow in the background.
Some blooms close up.
Something I really liked was all the tall trees! They are really old and gave so much shade. The temp was near 90F so we needed it.
When I lived in Virginia I grew lavender and dried it like this. Just bundle it and hang in a dry place. The scent is so nice and supposed to be calming.
Some of the old inn “cabins” were used for different shops, like the doughnut place. I think I tried the honey lavender, which was delicious.
Isn’t this basket beautiful?
The bar in the main building. I do like the flavor of lavender, but not in beer.
The distillation room and shop were next to the bar.
This is another variety of lavender that will bloom later.
Interestingly, Albert Einstein was a regular guest at Highland Springs Ranch in the 1930s. Other famous guests were: Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Ernest Hemingway and Roy Rogers.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
OK, WordPress is letting me upload photos again. Not sure what happened there.
But anyhoo, here’s a shot I took near Donkey Beach after a breathtaking bike ride along the Kauai coast….
A woman told us it’s called Donkey Beach because nearby plantations used donkeys and burros to transport cane to the fields.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
For some reason, I’m suddenly unable to upload photos to the blog. Everything seems to be going fine, then I get this message: “HTTP error.” Have never had this happen before. If anyone can help out, I’d appreciate it very much.
Great weekend, everyone….
{carole}
