I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of sunsets at the beach. Each one is so different and so beautiful. What’s struck me recently is how the sky changes just a few feet in another direction:
Facing west.
Looking towards the southwest.
Great weekend, everyone, and Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there.
{carole}
After our land tour in Alaska, we took a train to Whittier, where we boarded the cruise ship. The scenery from the train was so beautiful. I took this one somewhere between Wasilla (home of Sarah Palin) and Whittier.
Thanks again, everyone, for the get well wishes. I’m doing a little better each day, thankfully. I hope to get back to commenting on blogs soon.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
Hello there…just one photo for a while, as I’ve wrenched my back somehow and can only sit for short amounts of time. Such a pain! Doing better each day, though.
In the meantime, here’s one of my all-time favorite flowers, the peony.
Shot at Seneca Creek State Park in Maryland.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
I thought a beach photo would be appropriate for Memorial Day weekend, since it heralds the beginning of summer. Yes, I know it’s not official until June, but in the U.S. this weekend really starts things off.
I have a lot of projects going on right now, so will be away from the blog next week.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
I was walking to the produce section of the grocery store the other day, and stopped when I saw these:
They kinda’ made my day.
Hope yours is going well so far.
{carole}
On our way to Les Baux, we stopped briefly in the town of Saintes Maries de la Mer. It’s the capital of the Camargue in the south of France and quite lovely. I had just enough time to take a few photos.
The village was called “Ra” in the 4th century AD by the Romans. In the sixth century, the archbishopric of Arles established a church by the name of St. Mary. The village was then known as Notre-Dame-de-Ratis (Our Lady of the Boat) in reference to the three Marys who arrived by boat. The name was later changed to Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer (Our Lady of the Sea, a synonym for the Virgin Mary). In 1838, the town was renamed Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
The current Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer was built from the 9th to the 12th century.
It is said that after the Crucifixion of Jesus, Mary Salome, Mary Jacobe, and Mary Magdalene set sail from Alexandria, Egypt with their uncle Joseph of Arimathea. They were somehow able to reach the shores of France. While other exiled disciples went elsewhere, the Saints Mary Jacobe and Mary Salome remained in the place that was later named after them.
Saintes Maries de la Mer is also a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies) who come to honor Saint Sarah. She was supposedly the Egyptian servant of the three Marys. A statue of Saint Sara is in the crypt of the church.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
I caught this little guy on our bed the other day and was struck by how the colors in the comforter and pillows matched Yuri’s eyes perfectly. Sometimes they look gold and other times, green.
I took these shots with my iPad. Still haven’t gotten around to showing Yuri the big camera yet. Soon.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
I’ve always meant to go to the Pannikin Coffee and Tea in Encinitas, but never got there somehow. The one in Del Mar is where I used to go before it closed down. Now I think I’ll be hitting this place more often.
What I liked most about this place is that it’s located in the historic Santa Fe Railroad Station, built in 1888. I am drawn to old places with squeaky wooden floors, tall windows and doors and tons of character. I think it’s the perfect setting for what you can buy there:
Delicious-looking tea breads
All kinds of pastries that make it so hard to decide.
Awesome pies.
Sweets. I used to eat those Manner wafers in Germany. They’ve been around since 1898! The ones filled with hazelnut cream are the best.
Then there are teas…
and tees.
Teapots
and teacups.
I got this pumpkin walnut muffin which was huge. So good. Everything I’ve had at a Pannikin tasted like it was just baked that morning. The muffins were still in their tins too. My husband’s bagel wasn’t real photogenic, so I skipped that.
The interior is decorated with antiques.
Is that an antique fire hose?
And speaking of antiques, surely this bike rack is one too?
When we got there, I was a little worried we wouldn’t have a place to sit (it was pretty crowded) but later realized there are all kids of seats:
That’s either an old church pew or one of the original station benches with a vintage sewing table.
Outdoor seating on the terrace and side,
Counters that look like they’ve been there forever,
and a long nice bench outside. It was beautiful that morning, as you can see.
Love the colors in this place.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
Every time I look at this photo, I’m reminded of a toy boat. But this watercraft is real. See the orange and navy blue dots at the front of the boat? Those are people. Glacier Bay is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. All those shades of blue in the glacier, the water, the mountains and the sky….heavenly.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
I think I may have mentioned that I love the architecture in San Francisco. So much character, so much elegance. We don’t have a lot of that in San Diego and it’s one thing I really miss about the East Coast. We were pretty busy in San Francisco, but I did manage to shoot these buildings when we were running to catch a cable car.
Probably my favorite.
Those details. Check out that clam shell decoration on the base of the window.
Yes, those are Christmas wreaths and a Santa hat. We were there in December, but I’m getting seriously behind. Writing the memoir isn’t going to help, but there it is.
I’m just now noticing all the rounded roof lines. Makes everything more interesting, huh?
Not a pastel, but I like the lines a lot. It’s probably more art deco?
You can see more San Francisco architecture here.
Great weekend, everyone!
Pearls & Prose 