travel
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Where to Eat in Greenville, SC
Ten days ago, 2 of the boys and I spent a couple of days exploring Greenville, SC while my 15 year old participated in a singing barbershop workshop camp. With 2 and a half days to explore and staying in a hotel with free breakfast (we used points for a 2 nights free stay), I was okay with splurging a little on food. I did tell the boys that we would drink water at restaurants which also allowed us to order an appetizer here and there and dessert once. I wanted to somewhat stay within a certain budget. Keipi’s When I realized there was a Georgian restaurant in Greenville, I…
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Colorado Wildlife
One of the really fun things about our trip to Colorado was the ability to see some wildlife especially animals that we had not seen anywhere than a zoo before. We definitely had some favorites like the prairie dogs at the Arsenal Wildlife refuge in Denver (which we visited on our way from Colorado Springs to the Rocky Mountains). This refuge is located 10 minutes from downtown Denver and the animals roam free in their natural habitat. It is about a 45 min to an hour slow drive through the refuge and we listened to the self guided tour to learn more about each section as we drove. Wildlife Refuge…
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Bear Lake Hikes, Rocky Mountain National Park
Bear Lake! When we planned this hike, we didn’t realize how far the drive was from our rental and how the timed entry at RMNP would affect it. So, our first day (we were staying 5 min away from one of the entrance of the parkway), we spoke to the park attendant and were informed that because we were entering at that entrance, we could arrive at the park 1 hour earlier than our time entry so we could make it to the Bear Lake timed entry point on time. It is about 1h45 min drive and your timed entrance is for a two hour window, so we did not…
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Pike’s Peak, CO
Pike’s Peak was another must-see on our list for the Colorado Springs area. We rented a mini van from the airport since we needed transportation during our vacation and with 4 boys, we have found that it fits us and our luggage best. When visiting Pike’s Peak, you have the choice of driving up or taking a train up. It was much more cost effective for our family to drive up (at around $70 for our family) than taking the cog railway up for around $80 per person. Driving up also allowed us to stop for pictures and snacks on the way up: we wanted to acclimate to the elevation…
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Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
We spent a week in Colorado the first week of June. This was our big vacation for the year (the second being our week at the beach at Thanksgiving) and we have a few smaller trips plans including an anniversary trip that I need to brainstorm about. For this trip, I had my 19 year old plan the whole vacation from plane tickets, lodging and activities. He did a great job! We had to make a few adjustments, but all in all we did most of what was on our list. After spending the afternoon in Manitou Springs the day of our arrival, we got ready the next day for…
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Atlanta Botanical Gardens: Niki in the Garden
Since I bought a family membership to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this spring, I am hoping to visit once or twice every season. When we last came, we missed the tulips by a day, but I made sure to look up when the new exhibit was scheduled and planned our visit the first week after school ended. The new exhibit was fun and colorful and I found that I liked most of the pieces. Niki in the Garden is an exhibition of large sculpture by a French artist named Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) and was famous for her sculptures that expored themes of f”eminism, mythology, politics and personal trauma”.…
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SCAD Fashion Museum, Atlanta
A few weeks ago, Kathrine (from Kathrine Eldridge blog) and I met up when she came to Atlanta to visit her son who is studying here for his Master’s degree. We met earlier in the fall and when I saw an ad for the SCAD Fashion Museum, I thought it would be a fun outing for us since it was near where she was staying. SCAD stands for the Savannah College of Art and Design and they have a campus in downtown Atlanta. The museum is located at the top of the building and the admission fee was $10 with free parking (which is a definite plus in downtown Atlanta!).…
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Be a Joy Seeker: A Picnic a Week
A few weeks ago, Charlotte from Vivi and Margot (here is her IG) shared the word joy seeker in one of her posts, talking about the small joys in life. I promptly adopted that word to describe those moments during the day when I try to pause and just soak up the joy of the small things that bring me pleasure. One of those things is having a weekly (or almost weekly) picnic. I enjoy being outdoors and eating outdoors and having a beautiful scene to look at while I eat is a bonus. It helps me relax and recharge. One of the places I like to go to is…
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Bonnin’s Bakery, Kennesaw, GA, a Delightful French Bakery
I’ve been meaning to share this little piece of France for a little bit, but I wanted to take some pictures before I did. So, I am finally sharing Bonnin’s Bakery, a French bakery owned and run by a young French couple just a little over 20 min from my house. Bonnin’s Bakery started at farmer’s markets in the area (Acworth, Marietta, Cartersville and Canton) until they were able to open a brick and mortar storefront about a year and a half ago. From the start, I enjoyed conversing in French with the young wife and found their viennoiserie to be authentic. Papa-tissier as they call her husband and baker…
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Atlanta Botanical Gardens: Pink Color Search
Last week, I shared the yellow plants and flowers I saw at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The other color I searched for was pink and it sure was there in abundance too. I hope you enjoy these beautiful pictures: while I love plants, I do not have a green thumb, so there are not often any to admire at home. That is one of the reasons I love the botanical gardens: someone else does the hard work and I get to enjoy the beauty! Of course, there were many gorgeous orchids in the pink and purple family since they were at their peek bloom. The gardens calls this time period…