Category: Place

Place – Sanibel Island, Florida

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We recently spent five days on Sanibel Island, Florida. It was our fourth time down, and the devastation from Hurricane Ian is still visible. Yet, the islanders and businesses are booming back. There were still shuttered areas, but many businesses have reopened. We were saddened to see that the hotel we always stayed in, The West Wind, has been torn down, but we are hoping they will rebuild it. The place we chose to stay in, Periwinkle Cottages, was terrific and a perfect substitute for The West Wind.

Sanibel is known for seashells, and the beach did not disappoint us. Fighting conchs, enormous cockleshells, and pristinely pink scallops, the photograph does not show the beauty of the shells. We also found a few olive shells, whelks, and many small shells with holes for stringing into projects or jewelry. I also found an intact angel wing seashell and managed to get it home in the same condition. If you have a chance to visit Sanibel Island, I can promise you will find shells.

I have to limit myself on how many I bring home before I even step on the airplane. I packed a large plastic container inside my suitcase to be filled with seashells. Doing so keeps me from bringing home too many. There were mountains of shells on the beach while we were there. I highly recommend wearing water shoes if you plan to go. Seashells are beautiful, but walking on them can feel like sharp gravel under your feet.

Place – Longwood Reimagined Part I/Christmas Trees

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Today, we visited Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The Christmas display was still in place and looked as fresh as if it was only the day after Thanksgiving. The building and reconstruction of Longwood Reimagined are nearly complete, and the new West Conservatory was open. The trees were gorgeous; photographs do not do them justice. The first was my favorite, between the East Conservatory and Exhibition Hall. If you are in the Philadelphia area, try to find time to visit Longwood Gardens.

WEST CONSERVATORY

MAIN CONSERVATORY/ORANGERY

SILVER GARDEN

Place – Longwood Gardens/The Fountain Show

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I visited Longwood Gardens on Friday afternoon. The weather in our area was perfect: Autumn coolness and bright sunshine combined with glorious, colorful foliage. We decided to sit down and enjoy the fountain show. The time came when the music and fountains began to soar simultaneously. I was glad I had sunglasses on because I began to weep. The beauty of the classical music combined with the spectacular fountain show reminded me of heaven. I imagined how marvelous heaven will be. The sights, the sound of millions of souls singing praises to the Father, the Lamb, and the Holy Spirit. If earthly man can create such beauty, can you only imagine what God can do?

Longwood Gardens Fountain Show

Here is a clip of a great song. I have this CD and I just love to listen to this song.

Place – Meadow Walk/Longwood Gardens

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We went to Longwood this week. The walk alongside the Meadow was golden and glorious. Spectacular wildflowers called Common Cup-Flowers lined the path. Goldfinches, butterflies, bumble and honeybees, gathered nectar and seeds.

Common cup-plant is a native wildflower in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It may self-seed. It typically grows to around 6′, however, can grow to reach 9′ tall. ~North Carolina Extension Gardener.

The Common Cup-plant is my choice for Cee’s Flower of the Day.

The yellow daisy-like flowers were spectacular against the bluest of skies.

The child in me wanted to wade through the tall grasses and flowers and climb this perfect branching tree.

Even a photograph that went askew seemed pretty as it gave me a good glimpse of the underside of the flowers.

If you visit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, take a trip to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square.

These photographs are part of Garden Ruminations/Six on Saturday.

Place – Longwood Gardens Orchid Room

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Looking up in the Orchid Room at Longwood to the sky beyond the glass panels.

Longwood Gardens has a lot of construction going on. I hope I am able to one day visit more of the new greenhouse sections. When we visited this week, we saw that they are beginning to reconstruct the water lily gardens.

Pages, Philm & Place – Chester Zoo/England

On By TimelessladyIn Pages, Philm, Place16 Comments

I’m reading Our Zoo by June Mottershead. The book tells the story of how the Chester Zoo in England came into existence. Goodreads has some interesting comments from readers who enjoyed the book.

I found the book by watching the six-episode series Our Zoo. The series can be found on Paramount, Hoopla (available free through some libraries), and other streaming services. I enjoyed this adaptation of the true story.

The Chester Zoo is still open in Upton-by-Chester, Chester, England. The website has excellent photographs of the zoo through the decades.

Here’s a short video that looks behind the scenes of the series.

Place – Small Business Saturday

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Today is Small Business Saturday. Many of us have a town within driving or walking distance of our homes. It’s a perfect opportunity to stroll the sidewalks, visit small businesses, window shop, and have a cup of coffee and pastries in a cute cafe.

The small town near my home is in Pitman, New Jersey. When you visit ‘uptown’ you will find barbershop poles, a sign in the town center that says, ‘Keep Christ in Christmas,’ and hair salons, specialty shops, antiques, and cafes of all sorts. There is also a pizzeria with amazing pizza cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, one of my favorites in the area.

The shops are prepared for Christmas, with seasonal items on display. If you look closely you will see a sign in the window that says, ‘Fly Eagles Fly.’ We live near Philadelphia and everyone, well at least almost everyone, roots for the Philadelphia Eagles as our home team.

As we walked, a choir of Grackles sang to us from the trees in the town square.

The bird choir is part of Skywatch Friday.

I left behind a ‘Jersey Shore Shell‘ and hope it will bring a smile to someone’s face.

Place & People – Habitat/Pollinator Garden

On By TimelessladyIn People, Place2 Comments

Autumn is here, and winter approaches; I find this time of year ideal for planning out the next growing season’s projects. Here is a good one to consider, perfect for individuals or clubs, a good service task for those in 4H, the Boy/Girl Scouts, and various Youth Groups.

Our pet service provider is a person who, besides giving excellent care to our cat, does good for our community too. The Tall Pines State Preserve Pollinator Habitat, planted by Barbara and other volunteers, does what the sign says: provides food, water, cover, and places to raise young. The place is a perfect environment for birds, butterflies, animals and insects.

At one time this land was sunburnt grass and weeds. Now you will find hundreds of flowering plants in the area. Many desolate pieces of ground have the capacity to be turned into a pollinator paradise. This is another way to help nature along in this age of urban sprawl and the diminishing habitats of so many of God’s creatures.

Tall Pines State Preserve

Place – Woodland Trails

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The day is typical of a Southern New Jersey July; the woodland near me called, the well-trod trails beckoning me to walk within their cool borders.

I’m so glad I did. I have never seen these small red mushrooms in the past. I’m sure they have grown every summer, but I only spotted them when I bent down to take a macro photo of the moss. Oh my! What a wondrous thing to find.

Smaller than a dime, they are purest red, sprinkled along the path. Maybe they’ve appeared due to all the downpours of rain we have had in the past few days. They look so bright against the green of the moss. Almost a Christmas-in-July combination of colors. I tried to identify them but had too many choices and could not narrow it down.

The woodland showers you with unexpected presents, you only have to look closely.

I find moss so beautiful. It is available to uplift the senses all the year through. Even in winter, if I brush aside the gathered fallen leaves, there I will find the glint of green moss.

Even in the throes of the hottest summer days, you will find a serene coolness in the shadowed canopy of trees. It bewilders me that the woodland trails are not ringing with the sound of children playing. Technology is great, I enjoy my computer and blogging, but if I had to choose…give me the outdoor life.

Photographs, Perspective & Place – Cedar Lake or Missing the Window

On By TimelessladyIn Perspective, Photographs, Place6 Comments

We revisited Cedar Lake over the weekend. I posted about this place in February 2022, and meant to showcase it again on the blog in its Springtime glory and spectacular Summer abundance, but somehow, missed my window of time and once again am writing a piece when all the growth has fallen away. Whatever the season, it is a perfect place to revisit and blog on Jo’s Monday Walk and Skywatch.

If I had visited when undergrowth was growing wild and lush, I would have missed this sight. “Look, through these trees,” my husband said, pointing the way. I didn’t see much at first, but then saw the gleam of sun on a living creature.

I zoomed in with my camera, and since the doe was resting, and unafraid, I was able to take a good photograph through the twiggy protection around her. She must live in the park, accustomed no doubt to many people walking by her on the criss-crossing paths. Can you see her eye?

Further along the path we saw some robins, hanging around long after the first frosts. They never leave our area to fly south; they Winter over here, finding berries and other fruits. I need to remember to place a bit of fruit on the platform birdfeeder and maybe draw them in.

A few mallards swam within a small pond hidden in the woods. There are creeks, small ponds, and larger bodies of water every hundred feet or so in the park surrounding the lake. A perfect spot for a ‘Water, Water, Everywhere‘ post.

Cedar Lake and Washington Lake Park, Sewell, NJ, is the setting for this post.

Place – Six on Saturday – Cedar Lake

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Twenty-five years ago, on hot summer days, I took my pre-teen sons to a beautiful swimming pond called Washington Lake. The place closed, was vacant for years, but recently was repurposed into a walking park. The day was warm, but there was plenty of ice on the water to remind us it was still February. It was a perfect opportunity to visit a beloved place I hadn’t seen in decades.

The beach, once dotted with lawn chairs and umbrellas, is still wide and inviting. New docks now stand where once my boys jumped from diving boards and slid down slides.

The water is so clear it reminded us of the Caribbean. It is pristine, almost like looking through glass.

We walked all the way around, something you couldn’t do years ago, now the walking trails give you a 360 degree view.

This little knoll seemed a perfect place to picnic.

The white pine in the surrounding woodland is beautiful. I saw a lot of milkweed pods too, a good place for monarch butterflies to thrive. In about six weeks or so the trees might begin to bud. We will try to visit often in the next few months.

This challenge is part of Six on Saturday and Skywatch.

Place – Wildwood, New Jersey/Small and Large

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We recently spent an ‘off-season’ night in a Jersey Shore hotel right where the North Wildwood Boardwalk begins. It was chilly, but being avid beachcombers, we ventured out near sunset. These photographs are part of Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge/Size Comparison of Objects.

Jersey Shore beaches, especially in Wildwood, are usually low and flat. Beach replenishment is the purpose of these sand dunes, and they will eventually be leveled off. They are huge. You can see how small the people in the distance appear alongside of them.

We can’t wait until the sounds and sights of New Jersey’s boardwalks are back to normal again.

Somewhere in those waves are the porpoises we saw swimming in a pod. It’s the first time I’ve seen them at this time of year, and in such large numbers. By the time I pushed the shutter button on my camera, they were back underwater again.

I’ve visited the Jersey shore for over five decades. I don’t think I’ve missed a summer in all that time. This sand dollar is a first. They are rare to find on our beaches. They are usually broken up by the heavy surf. Could the sand dollar have been scooped up with some of the dune sand and then washed away onto the beach? I don’t know how it happened, but I was blessed to find it. One small sand dollar on a very large beach…a miracle.

Place – Cape May Bunker

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The old World War II Bunker is still standing on the beach at Cape May Point State Park. The history of the bunker can be found on the Atlas Obscura site. This is an interesting site to explore. It’s always fun to find new and unknown history to visit in person or virtually.

This rusty old relic is my choice for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge of Rusty or Decayed.

Place – Richland Tree

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In the town of Richland, New Jersey, between the Delaware River and the Jersey Shore, on Route 40, there stands a tree. Carved into a 235 year old oak tree that died in 2015, are scenes of trains, sawmills, clocks, homes, weathervanes, farms, chickens, people, roadsigns, etc. It’s an amazing sight.

The 235-year-old oak tree, centerpiece of the park, died in 2015. Instead of chopping it down, Richland hired chainsaw artist Brian Ackley to carve the town’s history into the tree’s trunk and branches. He expects to finish later in 2017, in time for Richland to celebrate its 150th birthday. ~Roadside America

We found this place on the return trip from Ocean City. Since Route 55 has been finished, no one travels the ‘old’ way ‘down the shore’ anymore. In the age of the pandemic, leisurely drives are making a comeback. It had been near two decades since we were on this road. We found a few surprises, the most interesting, The Richland Oak.

This post is part of Skywatch.

I’m so glad I found the site Roadside America. Who knew that near this old oak tree are also musical robots. I’m going to have to take a few moments tonight and browse all the interesting places for a drive in my area. Put some towns near you in the search bar, and find things you never knew were near to you.

Place – Ocean City, January 2021

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January 2, 2021 was a good day to visit the Ocean City Boardwalk. Because an early January weekend visit has become a tradition for us we weren’t surprised by the crowds.

Masks are mandated for indoors in our state, but outdoors some wear them, and others do not. This is the line of people waiting in the cold temperatures for…

..what we think is the best pizza ever! Just like their sign says, Manco and Manco pizza is the ‘Best of the Best.’

 

Place – Sanibel Island/Wildlife

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What lies beneath these dark waters?

A hint was the low rumbling bellow we heard. Alligators bellow to communicate their size. The bellows were loud and seemed close.

We stayed only a few minutes, walking across boardwalks right on top of the water, not being able to see what was in the water surrounding us, I’ve got to say, we both found it creepy. I love wildlife, but I am not going to be lured into an area where alligators roam free and might be hungry. I’ll keep my alligator viewing confined to my cable wildlife channel.

The dark water the massive predators dwell in brings to mind deceivers in the Media. Residing in the murky swamp of chicanery they bellow false narratives about the recent election in the United States. Tell me, why would someone concede victory to even one lie before seeking truth first? Even those blindly voting for an apocalyptic agenda know there has been fraud, massive fraud. How can anyone in their right mind promise a dark winter instead of pointing the way to light? My hope is that the truth, at some point in time, will be revealed. Funny isn’t it, people who voted against liberal agendas don’t seem to be burning cities down. The Media Machine, combined with other dark forces, is spreading a red carpet for evil to waltz into every aspect of our lives.

We are living in a hellish reality where good is called evil, and evil is called good.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ~Isaiah 5:20

It’s akin to saying, “Wade right into that swampy water, that bellow of hatred you’re hearing is only a love call, there’s no danger there.”

I’m praying that an attitude of peace will prevail in the USA. But, I am also praying that anyone who was involved in any election voter fraud, who has not totally turned to evil and chaos, will have such an attack of conscience that they will find no rest until they try to put it right. Prayer changes things.


“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” ~James 5:16

Place – Sanibel Island/The Shells

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Have you heard of the Sanibel Stoop?

The Washington Times describes the Sanibel Stoop as “the bent-at-the-waist posture used to collect seashells on Sanibel Island.” Of course. While other postures and positions of the human form are primarily designed to reap a benefit directly related to health, wholeness or physique building, the Sanibel Stoop takes aims purely at the aesthetic, esoteric and artsy side of our being. ~Sundial Resort

This is my attempt at creating a daisy out of an iridescent array of pen shells. I didn’t bring any of this variety home. The edges are sharp and the shells are fragile, breaking easily into smaller pieces.

I did bring quite a few seashells home though. These are my finds, cleaned in the shell hut, a small open air shed with a sink, built by the West Wind Inn for the purpose of cleaning your shells. (This also keeps their plumbing, in the rooms, from becoming clogged with sand and beach debris.)

I thought ahead and brought some heavy duty zippered plastic bags I had saved from a recent purchase.

By nestling several together, we were able to bring home shells for all the children, grand-children, grand-nieces and nephews, and many for ourselves. I had read great advice in a blog post by another traveler to save plastic containers when you buy food on the island, and these also worked great to pack our shells for the flight home. Almost every shell made it back without breaking packed between layers of clothes in our carry-on bags.

Place – Sanibel Island/The Sea

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Sanibel Island has warm water and strong surf. This helps bring up shells, and also sweeps them back into the sea. We were amazed a few times to find the beach, filled just hours before with thousands, if not millions of shells, swept pristine clean.

The waves are strong. I was knocked backwards once by one that caught me by surprise. Even strong swimmers need to be aware of the strength of the surf. I didn’t see any lifeguards while we visited in October. It’s definitely a swim at your own risk area.

We were able to see sunrise in the mornings from the beach in front of West Wind Inn, and in the evening, beautiful sunsets, featured in the photos above.

Captiva Island is next door to Sanibel. My  husband rented an hour on a sailboat at the Yolo shop located at the far end of the island. Yolo stands for ‘You Only Live Once.’ While my husband was having fun living life to the fullest, I had my only bad hour on the vacation. I watched from the beach in street clothes rather than a bathing suit, and by the time he sailed back to shore, I was about the hottest I have ever been. I will be wiser if we do the same thing in the future and wear a bathing suit and sit in the water to watch.

The Bubble Room, on Captiva Island, is an amazing restaurant filled with all kinds of interesting memorabilia. Despite the pandemic, and wearing masks upon entry, we were able to have a wonderful lunch of prime rib sandwiches.

This post is part of Skywatch Friday.

Place – Sanibel Island/The Land

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I am not exaggerating when I say I have wanted to visit Sanibel Island, Florida, for more than four decades. We tried to drive down once with our seven month old son in his car seat. We only drove for seven hours before realizing the nightmare of a long drive with an active baby was not going to work for us. That son is now over forty, and that’s at least how long I have wanted to see this beautiful island.

You might wonder why. What is the pull? Easy to answer…the lure of the island for me is the seashells. Sanibel beaches are considered some of the best for shelling in the world. After visiting in early October of this year…I can totally support the claim. I have never seen so many shells, or so many beautiful varieties, strewn across a beach.

Beyond the lure of the beaches and warm water of the Gulf of Mexico is the beauty of the plant life. I love flowers and foliage of all types. The island supports many tropical plants and trees. The West Wind Inn, a beautiful place built on the beach, has gardens filled with lovely flowers and trees.

I’m not sure what this tropical beauty is named, but I am using it as part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Another flower I saw in abundance was this tropical version of Black-eyed Susans. The flowers resembled the ones I grow, but the foliage was very different, thick and dense, able to withstand the heat and salt in the air.

We visited two beaches in addition to the beach in front of the West Wind Inn. The Lighthouse Beach has a fishing pier. We saw dolphins in the water there. There is quite a bit of parking, but the restroom facilities were a long hike.

Our favorite beach was Bowman’s Beach. It was a long, long walk from the parking area/restroom facilities to the water, but so worth it. We went here twice, and some of the best shells we gathered were found on this shoreline. I waited a long time to go to Sanibel, I hope I can go back soon, and not have too many years between my visits.