travel
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Another visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Last week, I went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with two of my running friends. I really wanted to see the Alice in Wonderland exhibition before they took it down (mid-September) and wanted to plan one fun outing a week till my birthday. We stopped by the French bakery for some breakfast and then decided to get some sandwiches to go too! We took advantage of a Groupon for our admission to the gardens which saved us $10. One of the things that I enjoy at the botanical gardens is that you see something different each time you go. Tulips and roses in the spring, there is usually an amazing…
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An Afternoon in Dahlonega, GA
The week before school started, I decided it would be fun to have an afternoon outing away from the house. We have visited Dahlonega at least once a year, but always enjoy returning. There are different restaurant options, antique shops to visit and it is less than a 2 hour drive from home. This afternoon, we were on a bit of a time constraint and I will have to remember to not plan that way next time. I think we would have enjoyed spending a little more time there. This time we decided to visit the Gold Museum which is housed in the building behind me. I wore a thrifted…
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Old Town Scottdale
I stayed in Scottsdale a few years ago for my brother’s wedding, but we didn’t had time to do much sightseeing, and only had hiked near where we stayed. So when Jodie mentioned the possibility of spending some time in Old Town Scottsdale, I jumped at the opportunity. I was surprised at how picturesque and fun it was, and there is more to explore for another time! I am thinking that if the hubby and I make an anniversary trip there in the fall of 2026, that a couple days in Scottsdale followed by a stay in Flagstaff or somewhere within an hour’s drive would be really cool. This horse…
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Arizona Cactus: Morning Walks
I cannot help myself: each time I have visited Arizona (now 3 times in 5 years I think), I have to take pictures of cacti! I am not sure what it is about them that I find so cool and interesting. Maybe it is just the newness, the originality: when you live where there are only hardwoods and pine trees, a cactus is exotic! I enjoy my morning walks at home, but morning walks in Arizona are even more fun. Apart from all of the cool cacti, yard decorations are unique and then my favorite, bunnies and quails abound! We even saw some coyotes on our last walk! This year…
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Heard Museum: American Indian Art
The two highlights of this summer have been my family trip to New York and my solo trip to Arizona to visit Jodie and her husband. I have know Jodie for years through her blog, we met once at the airport before my visit last year, and this was my second visit to her home. Jodie and her husband are great hosts, and we had a great time visiting, eating and exploring the area! My flight arrived in Phoenix around 9 am and we headed to the Heard Museum from the airport! We first took a set of blog pictures (coming on the blog soon!) before waiting for a museum…
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A Day in NYC with Kids
I typically have our vacations pretty well planned out, but for this vacation, I had a list of possibilities and chose and adapted our schedule with visiting with my father in law and wake up time of the rest of the family. So while I really wanted to leave for NYC earlier, we didn’t get to the train station till 10 AM which put us in the city around 12:30 since we took the train from Port Jefferson and took a subway from Penn Station to Central Park. In the past, I had a great fold out map of the city and I really wished I had it this time:…
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Port Jefferson, Long Island, NY
My father in law has lived on Long Island as a monk in an Orthodox Monastery for probably the last 18 years or so. We used to visit frequently when our oldest was younger, but actually had not gone back to NY in the past 13 years. This year was the year and I am already thinking a short trip at Christmas might be nice! We visited with him, but also visited Long Island showing the boys some of the places we had visited in the past and discovering new spots. We’ve visited Port Jefferson before, but we had never taken the ferry there. It goes to Connecticut and back…
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Port Jefferson: Long Island Museum
Even though we have visited Long Island a few times, we actually have never visited the LI Museum. As it turned out, they were between exhibits in the main museum areas and doing some renovating, so only the Carriage museum was open to the public. Because the whole museum was not available, the entrance fee was waived. The carriage museum shares the history of transportation before the automobile. The carriages are house in a large building which has 3 floors. Most if not all are real carriages and vehicles that were donated to the museums. They are not replicas. I found that to be really neat as often items, larger…
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A Day In Montauk, NY
Our first full day outing took us to Montauk, a small town at East end of Long Island. It is know for fishing and its state parks as well as this 1796 lighthouse which houses a museum that includes documents signed by George Washington who commissioned the light house in 1792. Since it was foggy, you could not see far, but I loved how everything was shrouded in the fog. It was very windy at the top of the lighthouse which is a short 137 steps. The lighthouse was the first in NY and is the 4th oldest working lighthouse in the country. The light flashes every 5 seconds and…
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Beauty in Spring
While I do not like pollen and how it takes over our lives for a few weeks mid to late March here in Georgia, I do love the beauty that springs brings as well as the days with mild temperatures and blue skies. I took some time last month to take pictures of the beauty around us because the blooms do not last long. I learned something new this year, there are 2 types of wisteria. One is native to Georgia and one is an invasive species. I am not sure which this one is, but I was so glad to be able to take a picture of some blooms…