Savannah, the first of these posts, I have way too many pictures of the city to try to get them all in one post. Just not possible. Let’s get started with the arrival.
I have to add that for years I have wanted to go to South Carolina and Georgia, after reading books by Pat Conroy and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. And finally we are here! It’s only an hour drive from Hilton Head, but it was already dark when we got to Savannah. Driving along Highway D, crossing the 486-foot-tall Sidney Lanier Bridge from Brunswick, Georgia, on US Route 17 at sunset.
Once again we drove towards beautiful sunset, just have to show these beautiful colorful sky’s.
Finding the hotel parking was really hard because of some road work. The hotel had sent us an advance warning and instructions, but they were of no help. Finally, I was able to navigate to the River Street below the hotel and walked to the reception. Luckily the parking was right next to the hotel and we didn’t need the car for two days.
We were really pleasantly surprised by hotel, Olde Habour Inn. It was originally built for Tidewater Oil Company 1892. Set between River Street and Factors Walk, this storied hotel is housed on the shores of the Savannah River in a former (and allegedly haunted) warehouse. Our 1-bedroom suite had a nice sized living room, hardwood floors, old logs and iron works were partly visible. Turn-down service included ice cream. Included in the room price was nightly cocktail hour from 5.30 pm to 7 pm with wine and tasty snacks. Breakfast included coffee, orange juice and muffins in the lobby. I have to add that front dest clerk Martin and the bell man/waiter Kevin were really friendly and helpful with everything. We also inquired about possible extra night, but the hotel was fully booked for the upcoming MKL-day long weekend. Only one 2-bedroom suite was available for the price of $400. If you are visiting the city and need to book a room, I can recommend this one.
I am ending this post with two more sunset pictures taken also from a moving car.
Carol King and “You’ve Got a Friend”. This is appropriate for the week of Valentine’s Day!
It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide.
It received four Grammy Awards in 1972, including Album of the Year. In 2003, “Tapestry” was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
King wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, several of which had already been hits for other artists such as Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (in 1960). James Taylor, who encouraged King to sing her own songs and who also played on “Tapestry”, would later have a number one hit with “You’ve Got a Friend”.
When you’re down and troubled And you need some lovin’ care And nothin’, nothin’ is goin’ right Close your eyes and think of me And soon I will be there To brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name And you know, wherever I am I’ll come runnin’ To see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall All you have to do is call And I’ll be there You’ve got a friend
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
I had a plan to get all my trip posts done last week, but flu got in the way. It totally left me tired, sneezing, coughing and drinking tea, that’s is what I have been doing past week and watching television. I took a lot of effort to get the previous post done.
I had comfort while laying in bed, Tinka kept me company.
Amy’s topic for this weeks Lens Artists Challenge #236: East Meets West, This week we are exploring the different cardinal points East – West or South – North
I thought about this, as I live in North, in Finland. Arctic Circle is about 850 km from my home – so I live in the south of Finland.That could be one way to look at this challenge, or even more extreme could be Finland versus Australia down under. Or I could think about it as just the directions seen from my summer house as I sit in the yard and watch the sun move around it. … still thinking about about this:-)
First is the difference between light in the north and south of Finland during winter and well also in the summer.
There are four distinctly different seasons as far up north . However, locals think the conditions are in a constant state of change and say there are up to eight seasons in the year: midwinter, snowy spring, spring, summer, harvest season, autumn leaf colour, first snowfall, and Christmas. The photo is from Santa’s village.
The blue twilight of the Polar Nights last from mid November to Mid January. the light is this blue hues. Not black. This is Midwinter. This period takes place in January-February and is also known as the heart of winter. With only a few hours of daylight, a rather mysterious air of silence and peacefulness shrouds the natural surroundings.
The Midnight Sun is a natural phenomenon that takes place on and above the Arctic Circle in the summer months. On the Arctic Circle, the sun officially stays above the horizon for a full 24 hours on summer solstice, 21st or 22nd June. However, the Midnight Sun period in Rovaniemi lasts for a month, from 6th June to 7th July; this is due to the Earth’s slightly tilted axis and refraction of sunlight. The nights are white throughout the summer from late May until early August
So below you can see the blues of the day on North of Finland during the day. Also the landscape of southern Lapland is quite flat. There are few lakes, but forests, swamps, rivers and streams form diverse ecosystems. In Western Lapland, the flat and same level coast changes as you go further north: there are more and moreforested hills, the highest or northernmost exceed the tree line, and are therefore already actic hills.
Water reflections – obviously easiest to do.
In terms of topography, Southern Finland is a low plain. On top of the bedrock there are fine-grained soils. The climate is favorable for cultivation, so agriculture is productive, especially in the areas of the clay fields in Eastern Uusimaa.
Considering the large population, nature can be close to people even in Southern Finland. The most difficult and rugged areas can have natural areas.
There are rocks and small lakes in the Nuuksio National Park. There is a forest area of several thousand hectares in Sipoonkorpi, with rocks, groves, natural streams and traditional meadows. The Repove National Park has steep rock cliffs and the Valkmusa National Park has an oasis nature. Porkkala, which I have written about before. Porkkalanniemi is in Kirkkonummi, that is where I live.. The area consists of rocky shores, pine forest, and beautiful outlooks onto the sea. The Porkkala cape stretches far out to the sea and is one of the best places to watch arctic birds migrating. Seabirds thrive in the area due to its rich and diverse habitat. Porkkala has a considerable population of common eiders and is also an important resting area for long-tailed ducks. Lucky visitors may even spot moose or white-tailed deer in Porkkala.
The light is different in south, the sunrises here in the winter even if for a short time. Less snow for sure. In the Summer, the sun sets even if for a short time, but it does not get really dark. More humidity as we are closer to the sea.
Porkkalanniemi – Kirkkonummi in Southern Finland
As I’ve stated before I am not a very technical photographer, more into composition, mood. I do my magic on the edit table mostly, if you can call it magic, more like my interpretation of places and people. I am also not one to write all that much, let the photos speack for themselves.
I have two cameras an old reliable SONY SLT-A65V, and I have two lences I use with it one for Macro Sony Macro 2.8/50 and portraits. The other for nearly everything a Sony 18-200mm.
The Sony has been in less use since I bought a new lighter one to carry around, its a Olympus E-M10 Mark II with a 14-150mm lense and I have a OM-D M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8 for street and portrait photography
This Guy’s In Love With You,” by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. The song became the first #1 hit single for the performer (Alpert), the writers (Burt Bacharach and Hal David), and the label (A&M Records).This video first appeared as a segment of the 1968 television special The Beat of the Brass.
You see this guy, this guy’s in love with you Yes I’m in love who looks at you the way I do When you smile I can tell we know each other very
Well How can I show you I’m glad I got to know you ’cause I’ve heard some talk they say you think I’m fine
This guy’s in love and what I’d do to make you mine Tell me now is it so don’t let me be the last to Know
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
Driving from Charleston to Hilton Head Islandille took us couple of hours. We set the navigator to Coligny Beach. We barely got out the car when a trolley driver, Zanden, offered a ride to the beach, which happened to be only 200 meters from the parking lot. We hopped on and right away Zenden started asking if we would be interested in having a vacation costing only like 20 dollars per night. I smelled time-sharing and told him that we are not interested. Then he asked where were headed and hearing Savannah he offered free city tour and Ghosts & Graves tour for two, if we were willing to hear Palmeras Resorts sales pitch. So, we ended up going, knowing full well what was ahead of us.
So we went to see a condo close by with the sales person Taquian once she had done the surveys of us and told us the rates – $29,900 for 60 months. After the tour of the condo, she asked if we were interested, and we said – no. Then she had to ask for her boss to come and ask the same question. And the answer was still the same but only the boss could sign for our Savannah Tour vouchers. They claimed that about 20 percent of the people that listen the sales pitch sign up. I very much doubt it.
Anyway, after about waisting 90 minutes of our time we got the tour vouchers in a envelope that read Mr. Sillauwaki. I guess it’s understandable to turn letters n and m upside down if you have dyslexia or something?
Eventually we made it to white sands of Coligny Beach. The beach was very easy to walk because close by the water the sand was quite hard. By the beach there was a bar that had an excellent three-piece band. At first, I thought they had a female singer because one of the voices was so high tuned.
Beach Band
Please do not walk on the dunes
Sand fencing collects windblown sand to create new dunes and the beach plants help hold the new dune in place with their roots.Stay seaward of the fences and don’t store or leave anything in the sand fence area.
Dunes provide important storm barriers that protect upland property from the effects of wave energy, and can store storm water in the troughs between the dune peaks to minimize flooding. For these reasons, we need to protect our beach-dune system and encourage the formation of new dunes.
Many of our native species have habitat which is only found in dune fields including dwarf live oak, prickly pear cactus, sea oats, six-lined racerunner lizards and Spanish bayonet.
Our beach and dunes provide important wildlife corridors that can get animals from one end of the island to the other without crossing roadways.
Harbour Town with its light house
Next stop on the island was the Sea Pines area. It was sort of a gated community and you had to pay $9/car to get in. It was worth the visit because the area included Harbour Town with its light house and the Heritage Links Golf course. I not a golfer, so the world-famous 18th hole of the links meant nothing to me but the view from light house to the 18 th hole was nice.
Last pit stop in the island was at Salty Dog Cafe in Sea Pines Beach.
The lovely Shem Rock in town of Mt. Pleasant. Had a late lunch at Tavern & Table by the creek and prepared ourselves for the sunset. We walked along the Shem Creek Boardwalk, the boardwalk is a total of 2,200 feet long, it offers panoramic views of the marsh and Charleston Harbor to catch the glorious sunset.
The sunset was lovely changing colors depending were you looked, from warm tones to cooler ones the later it got from the sunset.
Later in the afternoon we drove over another spectacular bridge, Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, to Shem Rock in town of Mt. Pleasant. Had a late lunch at Tavern & Table by the creek and prepared ourselves for the sunset. We walked along the Shem Creek Boardwalk to catch the glorious sunset. I will post these photos in the nexrt post as this is already an overload of images.
The Arthur Ravenel Jnr Bridge was opened in 2005. The bridge, which stretches gracefully across the Cooper River. The bridge is the tallest structure in South Carolina and the longest stayed bridge in the area. It, connects the Mount Pleasant Towns to Charleston and was designed to withstand natural disasters like earthquakes, and hurricane winds, as well as incorporating two diamond-like concrete towers. With the sunset as a background the bridge looked great as did the sunset.
Because we only had one full day in Charleston, we had to get busy in the morning. Having booked a sightseeing tour the previous night, we had couple hours in the morning to cruise the city. First stop was Philadelphia Alley in the French Quarter, one of the beautiful historic alleys in Charleston. According to legend the alley was a popular place for duels, and it was once known as Duelers Alley. Legend has it that that at least one dueling victim still haunts the alley. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any ghosts or anything paranormal. We saw a tranquil and beautiful alleyway with nice yards, cobblestone and old brick warehouses.
Our tour started at 11 am and what a wealth of information that was. I tried to jot down few notes of the most memorable things I heard but I must confess I missed most of it. Somehow, only interesting stories stick to my mind and not facts itself.
Charleston has over 400 churches, the most of any city in the USA, of quite few different denominations. Reason for the multitude is that early on if you rounded up seven or more people, you could start your own church and build on the land the city gave you. Charleston is full of iron gates, fences, etc. Iron works on your house were the marks of wealth. They don’t let you forget the bricks made in Boone Hall Plantation that a lot of old houses are made of. Four million bricks were made at Boone Hall yearly during slavery. One of the saddest places was Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where Dylan Roof committed his heinous mass murder few years back. Roof killed nine people after the service but left one person alive, so the person could tell others that this sick person wanted to start a race war. He was given the death penalty and because of the forgiveness of the church and the city, no race war was started, or any violence was instigated.
Luckily for all of us the city of Charleston is very well preserved, and the Preservation Society of Charleston will keep it that way. If the house is 75 years old or older it can not be torn down or as they like to say here: Cannot be taken down by hand of people, only by hand of god. And not just houses are preserved but cobblestones, sidewalks, lamppost and old stepping-stones to help you to cling on carriages. And you can’t renovate your old house by yourself. You have to have it inspected by the Society, that will also decide who can do the renovations. Also, tall buildings are not allowed. A certain church steeple sets the height limit. Because of the aforementioned rules historic Charleston is and will stay a very beautiful place to visit.
The tour took us through the famous Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. My first sight was two cadets halfway running. It looked funny. At some point they were almost walking and then they speeded up once again. I just thought that they we in a hurry to get to the class. Then our guide told us that the freshman cadets or so-called gutter rats are not allowed to walk on the sidewalk, and they were not allowed to walk at all, but they have to do double time. Citadel was all male college until 1995 when Shannon Faulkner was able to enroll after a successful lawsuit. The suit alleged that the Citadel, which received state money, was “denying her equal protection under the Constitution”. The reception for her was not the best when she entered and she had to be escorted to Citadel by United States Marshals. During the so called “hell week” Faulkner suffered a heat stroke and eventually dropped out citing emotional and psychological abuse and physical exhaustion. However, she won the lawsuit and now women comprise approximately 9% of the Corps.
Another historical tidbit that stuck to my mind was the story of single houses in Charleston. During colonial times the inhabitants found out that traditional rowhouses did not work out because they were storing heat and the summers in South Carolina coastline and hot and humid. The idea for single houses was copied from the Caribbeans. Single houses were constructed to according to direction of the southernly winds that are blowing in the area. The houses are well-suited to long, narrow lots which were laid out in early Charleston. Although not a part of the earliest single houses, later buildings had two- and three-story porches, known locally as piazzas, added. Houses had hospitality doors. They were social signs for neighbors and friends. If the porch door was propped open, it meant that the family inside was ready for you. If the door was shut – stay away.
In front of the Museum of Charleston we saw the replica of submarine H.L Hunley, that the South used in the Civil War. Hunley looked very small, but guide told us that the replica is, surprisingly enough, actually too tall. The replica was made before they found the actual submarine in 1995 and the boat was not lifted up from the sea until 2000. I know people were shorter and smaller in those days, but it was amazing they were able to fit eight men into it. And the boat only had oxygen for 2 hours. What is more amazing how they were able to find men to go into that death trap in the first place. And not only one crew. During two test rides 13 out of 16 men perished and during the only actual war mission all 8 died. During the only mission they were able to sink USS Housatonic with its crew of 155 men. Only 5 of those 155 died, so H.L. Hunley killed 21 of they own and only 5 of Northern troops.
Charleston was famous for its slave trade. 48 per cent of the slaves came through and was sold in Charleston and that comes to total of 250 000 slaves. The biggest slave plantation was Magnolia. Nine of the wealthiest persons of the colonies lived in Charleston area. The first shot of the American Civil War was shot by and cannon from Fort Johnson to Fort Sumter in 1861.
The bus tour lasted only 90 minutes we had plenty of time to drive around the historic downtown. First stop was Waterfront Park and the famous Pineapple Fountain. Afterwards we learnt that the Pineapple Fountain was only built in 1990 but to us it looked like it belonged and had been there for ages. Pineapple represents hospitality. American sailors would place the pineapple outside of their door to show that they had safely returned. In Charleston the woman hung the pineapple from the door to show that her husband had returned. Maybe to show the other gentlemen callers not to bother for the time being?
After Pineapple Fountain we took a nice break in the White Point Garden in The Battery and droveby the Rainbow Row.
Later in the afternoon we drove over another spectacular bridge, Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, to Shem Rock in town of Mt. Pleasant. Had a late lunch at Tavern & Table by the creek and prepared ourselves for the sunset. We walked along the Shem Creek Boardwalk to catch the glorious sunset. I will post these photos in the nexrt post as this is already an overload of images.
The Palmer Home (Pink House) in historic Charleston is one of the Holy City’s most iconic mansions, frequently photographed and often depicted in paintings of the grand homes along the Battery. Built between 1847 and 1849 by John Ravenel, a wealthy merchant and president of the South Carolina Railroad Company, the home remained in the Ravenel family until 1953.
On the way back to the hotel we visited the city center once again. The center was very easy to navigate even in the dark without the navigator because it has been built into a grid. Naturally because it was off-season the traffic wasn’t bad either. Sometimes the one-way streets caught us off-guard but the clear grid saved us.
LAPC #235: Shadows and Reflections in Monochrome, Patti’s looking for shadows a/o reflections but in monochrome.
Patti from P.A. Moed CREATIVE EXPLORATION IN WORDS AND PICTURES Wrote;
This week, we’re challenging you to show us photos with reflections and/or shadows captured or processed in monochrome. Feel free to process your image in different shades of blue, green, brown, or gray. You can also shoot your image in a setting that’s predominantly one color–like a blue sea and sky, for example. I’ve checked quite a few experts who agree that black and white photos are not two colors, but varying shades of one color–gray. Purists will refer to black and white images as grayscale. So, for our challenge, black and white images fall under the category of monochrome.
The photos below are from our recent trip to the southern states, South Carolina and Georgia.
Water reflections – obviously easiest to do.
Birds and reflection from Florida, and lake reflection from Nastola, Finland
Under the bridge in Kivenlahti, Finland on a February afternoon. Below also one from a pier in Savannah.
As I’ve stated before I am not a very technical photographer, more into composition, mood. I do my magic on the edit table mostly, if you can call it magic, more like my interpretation of places and people. I am also not one to write all that much, let the photos speack for themselves.
I have two cameras an old reliable SONY SLT-A65V, and I have two lences I use with it one for Macro Sony Macro 2.8/50 and portraits. The other for nearly everything a Sony 18-200mm.
The Sony has been in less use since I bought a new lighter one to carry around, its a Olympus E-M10 Mark II with a 14-150mm lense and I have a OM-D M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8 for street and portrait photography
This weeks choice was selecteg because of my recent trip to Georgia.
Otis Redding, (born September 9, 1941, Dawson, Georgia, U.S.—died December 10, 1967, near Madison, Wisconsin), American singer-songwriter, one of the great soul stylists of the 1960s.
Redding’s open-throated singing became the measure of the decade’s great soul artists. Unabashedly emotional, he sang with overwhelming power and irresistible sincerity. “Otis wore his heart on his sleeve,” said Jerry Wexler
Ironically, the across-the-board success Redding had sought was realized only after his death. His most-haunting composition, cowritten with Cropper, shot to the top of the charts and became his only number one hit: “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968), a bittersweet lament of indolence and love.
Watch the official video for (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding. The video features video clips and photos of Otis Redding in the prime of his musical career. (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay was released posthumously on Stax Records’ Volt label in 1968 becoming the first posthumous single to be #1 on the charts in the US.
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
Boone Hall Plantation in Mt Pleasant was founded in 1681 when Englishman Major John Boone came to Charleston area. Major Boone was quite respected and he was elected to the colonial Grand Council during the 1680s, but was removed twice because he illegally trafficked enslaved Native Americans, became associated with pirates, and concealed stolen goods. However, having slaves in general was no problem, as we have learnt from history books.
The Grand Avenue of Oaks that was first planted in 1743
The house on the plantation the third of its kind, built in 1935 and not your typical antebellum house. But the plantation is one of the oldest plantations still in operation having produced agricultural crops for over 320 years. Much older are the brick slave cabins located along Slave Street which date between 1790 and 1810. Only nine cabins are left. Some of the bricks from cabins that have not been saved were used to build a serpentine wall for the main house.
Talking about the bricks! By year 1850 the slave laborers were able to produce 4 million bricks on a yearly basis. Most of the historic buildings in the historic downtown of Charleston were built from the bricks of Boone Hall and Fort Sumter, as well. Not that we saw any, but the fingerprints of these workers are still visible in the bricks of many of these historic sites. The agricultural tour didn’t go too much into slavery or anything unpleasant but some anecdotes made you wonder how hard living for the slaves must have been and the life expectancy must have not been too high. Times have changed but it still makes you wonder how that was even possible and did the owners ever think this is not right?
Unfortunately photographing was not allowed inside the house and the second floor was completely off-limits, as well. However, the stories presented by the guide were very colorful and entertaining. John Stone the man who had the latest house built liked to entertain he had many famous visitors to his big parties, like the composer George Gershwin, if my memory serves me right?
Driving into the plantation couldn’t be more beautiful with the grand Avenue of Oaks that was first planted in 1743 and completed by the in 1843. The avenue consists of 88 live oak trees and one magnolia.
When we arrived the the sky was still blue and the avenue was in totally different shade than when we left, the sun had already started to set and the avenue turned into beautiful yellow and orange tones. I took so many photos and trying to choose the ones I liked best was hard as you can see from the amount of photos I have here.
January probably wasn’t the best time to visit when you think about the surroundings. The Avenue of the Oaks might have been even more beautiful if the Resurrection Fern would have been in bloom. But you can’t do anything else but to love the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees. It gives the plantation or any surroundings such a lovely and eerie backdrop.
Even though arriving late afternoon we were able to manage to take part of house tour and the “agricultural tour”, meaning the tour of the grounds. Boone Hall Plantation consists of 738 acres. The landscape includes areas of cultivated, seasonal crop fields, preserved wetlands, creeks, and ponds. Boone Hall is still very active operator in the area in not only caters to tourists, but they organize many events to locals as well, for example, Halloween events. In the beginning the main products of Boone Hall were indigo (used for coloring the uniforms of British troops), rice and cotton. The production of cotton was discontinued in 1880 because the plantation could not compete with other plantations that were using machinery.
The cotton dock on the river had been rebuild lately.
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively who were married at Boone Hall Plantation in 2012. Ryan Reynolds have regretted having the wedding there because of the historical reasons.
Driving from Boone Hall towards Charleston during sunset was treat. We hit a traffic jam but on the other hand taking pictures of Wando River and Don N. Holt Bridges became much easier. Especially Don N. Holt Bridge provided a nice back drop for the orange sunset. Driving across the bridge we experienced very familiar smel,l to us Finns, like rotten eggs. And sure enough we saw a paper mill. Later on, I read from online news that the mill has become one of the dirtiest polluters in the United States since being acquired by an investment group led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots football team. Go team!
Unfortunately we got to the town center after 5PM so we did not have much light time to take photos of the buildings, also there were so many people around that getting a shot was a challege. This is clearly a tourist area with lots of shops and restaurants and bars in these old buildings.
The 29th Annual Nights of Lights was still going on so the there were plenty of lights. Our stop in was quick, one night only so we did not see all that much of the city. We ended the evening looking at the moot at Castillo de San Marcos
You can’t stay in in St. Augustine without visiting the Castillo de San Marcos, “St. Mark’s Castle”. It is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. The construction started in 1672 and finished in 1695. The fortress is made of coquina stones. The fort was declared a National Monument in 1924, and it was deactivated in 1933 after 251 years of continuous military possession.
Hardly a day goes by without checking out a lighthouse. So, before going into the historic city of St.Augustine we hit the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The climb to the top was exactly 219 steps. The view was spectacular.
The first lighthouse or should we call it a watchtower was built in 1589 by the Spanish colonials. Sturdier structure replaced the wooden tower in 1737 and it was made or coquina (shell rock) and wood. The current lighthouse was finished in 1874.
Lighthouse Keepers house was worth visiting, also, with its historic displays. It was early January so the Christmas decorations were still there, not really my thing, so they limited a bit of what I photographing as I did not want seasonal photos.
We were told that you could get the best shot of the lighthouse from the pier, unfortunately due to the backlite the shots from the pier did not turnout the best, but I understand that during an other time of the day that would have been the case.
The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach garden, Florida. Such a lovely spot to take a break, I don’t think a really appreciated all the different gardens- or to be honest noticed them, but it was a lovely spot to visit. See some art. There were several people there reading, stretching and drawing and just sitting in the shadows of the pergolas
.Originally designed in 1938, the Botanical Gardens are demonstration gardens that educate residents and visitors about the diversity of plants that thrive in South Florida’s climate. The gardens are divided into themed spaces that reflect popular architectural and planting styles in the area: Chinese Garden, Fragrant Moonlight Garden, Palm Garden, Bromeliad Garden, Jungle Garden, Spanish Facade Garden, Formal Garden, Tropical Garden, and Madonna Garden.
My favorite was the Chinese garden and I found the statues and art to be lovely.
The different areas of the garden were lovely also even if it was winter.
There were several statues in the garden I took photos of some of them.
Donna Wrote; To some, photography is formal, with clear and concise messages. Others want you to feel the photos, and take away impressions from what you see. At the end of the day, it is always our story, driven by our character and passions, that we showcase.
As I’ve stated before I am not a very technical photographer, more into composition, mood. I do my magic on the edit table mostly, if you can call it magic, more like my interpretation of places and people. I am also not one to write all that much, let the photos speack for themselves.
I think some of these speaks, relates a story. Hope you agree 🙂 I find monochrome images are great way to showcase messages of emotions and action as all unnecessary is taken away
In colors also – obviously.
Nature in all its forms speaks volumes
Signs….
I have two cameras an old reliable SONY SLT-A65V, and I have two lences I use with it one for Macro Sony Macro 2.8/50 and portraits. The other for nearly everything a Sony 18-200mm.
The Sony has been in less use since I bought a new lighter one to carry around, its a Olympus E-M10 Mark II with a 14-150mm lense and I have a OM-D M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8 for street and portrait photography
I have two cameras an old reliable SONY SLT-A65V, and I have two lences I use with it one for Macro Sony Macro 2.8/50 and portraits. The other for nearly everything a Sony 18-200mm.
The Sony has been in less use since I bought a new lighter one to carry around, its a Olympus E-M10 Mark II with a 14-150mm lense and I have a OM-D M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8 for street and portrait photography
water ripples
I am not a very technical photographer, more into composition, mood. I do my magic on the edit table mostly, if you can call it magic, more like my interpretation of places and people. I am also not one to write all that much, let the photos speack for themselves.
These are shot with the Olympus and the with a 14-150mm lense
Natures green always inspires me
Details from nature are often important things to photograph to me at least as they are found near and are beautiful, the birds had been leaving lots of feathers.
The first day of out holiday to US we were in Florida and went to visit Wakodahatchee wetland park.
We were already at the Wakodahatchee Wetland (Delray Beach) just after 10am. We toured the Boardwalk and saw e.g. four alligators enjoying the sunshine, great blue heron, egret, wood stork and double crested cormorant, and tricolored heron and a turtle. The birds were reportedly preparing for mating and nesting, the woodstocks were very active making the nest but otherwise it was a pretty lazy day for the animals.
We ran into a few people who said they go to the wetlands every day for a walk. I can say I was not the only one thre with a camera. Here are some of the shots that I got.
Here is some background info about the he park, it was created on 50 acres (20 ha) of unused utility land and transformed into a recreation wetlands open to the public with a three-quarter mile boardwalk that crosses between open water pond areas, emergent marsh areas, shallow shelves, and islands with shrubs and snags to foster nesting and roosting.
Over 150 species of birds have been spotted inside the park, including wood stork, pied-billed grebe, snowy egrets, and black-bellied whistling ducks. The park is also home to turtles, alligators, rabbits, frogs, and raccoons.
Each day, the Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated wastewater into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, which in turn acts as a percolation pond, returning billions of gallons of fresh water back into the water table.
This weeks choice is a classic to me at least, it was part of our wedding ceremony.
Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting. The award-winning singer-songwriter is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions.
Judy Collins’ first few albums consisted entirely of traditional tunes and contemporary folk songs. By 1966’s In My Life, she was branching out, bringing attention to songs written by The Beatles, Donovan and Leonard Cohen.With her 1967 album Wildflowers, Collins started laying down her own compositions. “Since You’ve Asked” was the first song she recorded that she wrote herself.
Judy Collins explained the story of the song to Mojo magazine.”When Leonard (Cohen) asked me why I didn’t write songs, I kind of didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know how you even started writing a song. So I called Bruce Langhorne, who played guitar and tambourine on Carolyn Hester records and Bob Dylan records and was living up in White Plains (north of the Bronx) and I said, ‘Can I come and see you?’ I had all these notebooks of depression and darkness and desperation, really random, nothing finished. I’d been writing my dreams down for years because I’d been in therapy already, three years I guess.He read my dreary little notebook and said, ‘OK, you’re going to go home and you’re going to write five songs about a relationship, the beginning, the middle and so on end-to-end.’ I said, ‘Oh good, that’s simple.’ ‘Since You’ve Asked’ was the first. It took me about 40 minutes.”
What I’ll give you since you asked is all my time together Take the rugged sunny days, the warm and rocky weather Take the roads that I have walked along Looking for tomorrow’s time, peace of mind
As my life spills into yours changing with the hours Filling up the world with time, turning time to flowers I can show you all the songs That I never sang to one man before
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
This weeks choice is a classic… if it makes you happy….
“If It Makes You Happy” is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released as the lead single from her 1996 eponymous album in September 1996.
This song describes a person who seems depressed or upset no matter what happens. According to Crow, the inspiration for the song was her feelings after the massive success of her first album, as her record label and the media put pressure on her to follow it up.
Sheryl Crow (b. 1962) has won nine Grammys and sold more than 50 million albums, but success has not come easily. Crow has had to fight sexism in the music industry as well as her own depression and perfectionism, and she has had breast cancer. His private life has also been exposed in public, so this part of the lyrics make sence
You get down, real low down You listen to Coltrane, derail your own train Well, who hasn’t been there before? I come ’round, around the hard way Bring you comics in bed, scrape the mold off the bread And serve you French toast again
If it makes you happy It can’t be that bad If it makes you happy Then why the hell are you so sad?
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
I will be going on a vacation on Thursday for three weeks, will be enjoying new places, sun and experiencing new foods, hopefullymeeting new people. I will post photos taken with my camera when I get back, I am brave and I am leaving my laptop home. I might post something from my phone, most likely, but who knows.
I bought these tickets two years ago, but all thats been going on has postponed it. But now, so happy to have a break from the winter and the dark season, even if we have snow now. Our plan was to go in February but the fact that we had to postpone also changed the month. Hope the weather is pleasant anyways. last time it was a bit nippy 🙂 in January.
Looking forward to sunny beaches, warm sand under my feet.
Sightseeing is the other part and cooler weather is good for that as long as it doesn’t rain. It will be what it is, but we will be on vacation from the normal life rut. So looking forward to this. We rented a car so we can move from one place to an other, hotels are booked and research done for the places we are going to visit. We are ready.
Almost hits? Classic . Elvis Costello and the attractions , Everyday I write the book from 1983. This is one of his most beloved songs.
The song contains lyrics using writing as a metaphor for sustaining relationships;
Costello’s clever lyrics are the best, He describes himself as “a man with a mission in two or three editions,” then proceeds to summarize a tumultuous relationship
Chapter One we didn’t really get along Chapter Two I think I fell in love with you You said you’d stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four, Five and Six
Then he chronicles the highs and lows of their relationship:
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh In four or five paragraphs All your compliments and your cutting remarks Are captured here in my quotation marks
he ends the song on a bitter but humorous note:
“With my pen and my electric typewriter / Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal / I’d still own the film rights and be working on the sequel.”
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
Wishing you all a peaceful and safe Christmas, with lots of Joy and Love!
This is a classic; Bing Crosby, David Bowie – Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy
Peace on Earth can it be? Years from now, perhaps we’ll see See the day of glory See the day, when men of goodwill Live in peace, live in peace again Peace on Earth Can it be
Every child must be made aware Every child must be made to care Care enough for his fellow man To give all the love that he can
November 2022 marks the 45th anniversary of the Bing Crosby & David Bowie’s duet “Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy” which premiered to a global audience in Bing’s 1977 Christmas special, “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas”.
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
With the winter solstice, and these citylights I am now starting Christmas preparations and I take this opportunity to
I wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.
I want to thank you all who have taken the time to look at my photos, press like and I really appreciate all the encouraging comments I’ve gotten this year.
These I took yesterday when doing my last minute shopping. The cobblestone streets in Helsinki with the rain made it hard to get really great shots of the season lights in the city from a moving car, but I ended up with moody, artistic shots and with a little help from the editing they came out OK.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 