Let's Take A Road Trip

Take a little road trip along a beautiful Arizona Highway - a lovely Etsy Treasury featuring a Borrowed Camera Studio image entitled "Catchment". Enjoy!

I'd like to extend a big Texas thanks to BloomingtailsDogDuds on Etsy for the honor of taking up space in this very special treasury.

Mile after mile of magnificent scenery: desert rock formations, cacti and weathered buildings. A truly unique state, as these pics show. Enjoy your armchair journey!

16x24 Fine Art Photo of Monu... MARSHAMOHR $39.95	Pink Flower and Cactus (Mamm... BeckyTylerArt $15.00	DUO SAGUAROS - Photo Print 8... DesertLifePhot... $40.00	Cath - 8x12 Horse black and ... FourTreesPhoto... $22.00
Nature Photography - Silvery... BorrowedCamera $30.00	Southwestern Indian Lapel Pi... cowboysindians $12.00	8x10 Photo...Ready To Ride T... RitaWattersPho... $20.00	Pueblo Homes - 8x10 Art Phot... StudioAprilRos... $22.00
Greeting Cards, Desert Sunse... DaveDilliPhoto... $14.00	Retro American Road Sign - A... KeriBevan $30.00	Vintage Pink Southwest Navaj... SECONDREVIVAL $425.00	Recycled Arizona license pla... tagliatela $30.00
Grand Canyon Sunrise, 8x12 F... PaulsPics $19.95	Antique Indian Basket issue ... chemindesmugue... $10.00	Self Portrait Desert Art Pho... MurrayBolesta $65.00	Route 66 Pow Wow Trading Pos... RetroRoadsideP... $50.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

 

Beauty Is In The Eye

I wonder? If I am the Only one who thinks that Okra blossoms are beautiful? I love the creamy petals and the deep maroon center-where the colors are then repeated. So beautiful with the sun coming through the petals and look at those glorious leaves with maroon veins.

Many people do not realize that Okra,Cotton,Cocoa and Hibiscus are related.

Beauty Break

Just dropping by to leave you with something beautiful today. 

"The most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller~

And The Summer Sun-An Etsy Treasury

How exciting! My "Summer Breeze" image is featured in this perfectly "summery" treasury, and really is there anything more "summery" than wild Sunflowers? A special "Thanks" to bestknitting

'and the summer sun' by bestknitting

Summer Sun Soap Bar, blue, y... Scentcosmetics $3.75	Vintage 1970's Halter Dr... VintageJewelry... $20.00	KNIT summer SUN SWEATER for ... KIDthingsbyMon... $42.00	Custom Rag Quilt Purse "... AuntieBsQuilts... $43.00
ORIGINAL Oil Painting The Be... decorpro $249.00	Coiled Rope Tote - Summer Su... SallyManke $75.00	Summer Sun Sparkle Pin JenniferSumner $8.00	Fine Art Photography -Yellow... BorrowedCamera $30.00
Strapless Floral Dress // 80... TheVintageStud... $68.00	Smiling Summer Sun finished ... chunkeemonkeeb... $3.00	Summer Sun Cuddle Blanket BlueSkyMagnoli... $14.00	Sweet Felt Rose Flowers- Sum... KindrasCreatio... $3.39
Summer Sun Sundress littlebeecloth... $20.00	Summer Sun Necklace & Earrin... nomeicequeene $204.00	50's Full Skirt // Vinta... TheVintageStud... $42.00	Buttercream Yellow Crocheted... babahepziba $49.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

 

The Color Purple

Purple Coneflower-(Echinacea) probably my next favorite after the Sunflower boasts the most perfect lavender petals with the characteristic orange cone in the center. Echinacea is derived from the Greek word (echino) meaning "sea urchin" due to the spiny orange center cone.

Sun and Sunflowers

Last night we drove out to check on the status of the Sunflowers, as we got close I could see the glorious yellow fields tucked in amongst the beautiful green of the cotton fields-the sight just made my heart sing.

While I have a few close favorites to the Sunflower-I have to say that no other flower is as glorious as the Sunflower. The evening light seems to be the perfect accessory as it streams through the beautiful yellow petals-in a warm yellow halo.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."Helen Keller~

The Scoop On My Whirlwind Vacation

Entrance to Texas State Aquarium

The beautiful and amazingly warm Gulf of Mexico

Shrimp boats-what pier would be complete without them?

Laughing Gull taking a break from his mockery

Brown Pelican

Harbor Bridge puts on a colorful show-randomly changing colors and patterns.

I took a little whirlwind vacation-just a wee little break, but as it turns out even a small break can be so cathartic and for me this trip was about accomplishing a few firsts and ticking some items off my "bucket list."

I've been married for over 20 years and I can count on one hand the number of times I have driven anywhere out of town by myself, as a rule- my husband always drives when we go out of town whether it's 2 hours or 10 it's just a given that he will drive(I think he's afraid for me to drive.) This time a few special circumstances came into play that caused me to have to step up to the plate and drive 10 hours to the Texas coast. Ummm, I have never driven farther than the 6 hours to Dallas, and after my Dallas experience I have been a little less than enthusiastic about navigating about in busy metro areas, but this time it was about 1) a daughter who desperately wanted to see the ocean 2) a  husband already at the coast waiting for us 3) desperately needing to get out of town at least for a short break.....so off we went. I am happy to inform you that with the aid of my daughter,Google maps and a Garmin we made it thru San Antonio and on to Corpus Christi without a hitch. Bravo!! A huge accomplishment for me-it made me wonder why I had been afraid of venturing out on my own- gah, all the time wasted.

Let's see, there were also a few other "firsts" with some being "bucket list" items. Upon arriving in Corpus Christi we ventured out to find not just the Bay, but an actual ocean and ended up at the Gulf of Mexico,and not to travel all that way and never get my feet wet-  I immediately waded in clothes and all. You CAN NOT go to the Gulf of Mexico and not get in-so I did. I didn't really realize this was a "bucket list" item at the time, but in fact it most certainly was.The Gulf of Mexico is incredibly beautiful and amazingly warm-perfect!

On the first full day of our trip to Corpus Christi my daughter and I went the Texas State Aquarium where my daughter goaded my into touching a Stingray and a Shark, and well you can't let the 12 year old out do you. So, for the first time ever I touched a Stingray and a Shark. What do they feel like you ask? Because Stingrays are scavengers and feast on dead things they are covered in mucous-so you can just guess how that feels-right? Sharks are very different they are slightly bumpy like used sandpaper. Very interesting!

The evening of the first full day we allowed ourselves one very nice meal-of course at a restaurant where seafood was the fare as I was very excited to try my first " oyster on the half shell." Yes, I know it's hard to believe I have reached "midlife" and had never had a raw oyster-it's absolutely sinful. However, living in Lubbock,Tx. we aren't exactly privy to fresh seafood, and so I refused to try them until I was somewhere coastal.Oddly enough,trying a raw oyster was an item on my "bucket list" and so I was determined to make this happen. I am happy to report that I did try them and found they do in fact "taste like the ocean"-you always hear that, and it's true-they taste just like the Gulf of Mexico smells-briny and fresh.

Needless to say, we packed as many experiences into the few days we were there-we made another trek out to the Gulf of Mexico where once again I played in the ocean in my clothes (I don't own a bathing suit). I left soaking wet and satisfied even though I had to travel back to the hotel in soaking wet clothes-I wouldn't have missed it-for me this was a trip about accomplishing goals and experiencing firsts.