Travel Theme: Bark

Ailsa has another good challenge this week at her ‘Where’s My Backpack’ blog. This week’s theme is “bark“.

Here’s my take…

I took these photos at the Houston Arboretum last week (click on a photo if you want to see it bigger). I stopped in for a little relaxation after work while I was waiting to go to a meeting of the Sail la Vie sailing club. I always enjoy wandering around in nature and don’t get to do it enough. Even tho the Arboretum is in Houston, once you get to wandering around there, you can’t really hear much of the city noise.

It’s a nice quiet place to chill out, relax, have a picnic, walk the trails, etc. I saw a few people jogging around with headsets on. I prefer to walk and listen to the sound of the wind in the trees, birds, turtles plopping off their logs or poking their heads up out of the water.

I wandered around for a couple of hours. Taking pictures of everything and looking for interesting shapes, patterns and colors. I enjoyed watching the turtles in the pond and a small snake that was crossing the boardwalk with me. 🙂

Anybody know what kind it is? We had a ranger from the Brazoria County Parks & Wildlife department come to tell us all about our local snakes at last weeks Campaign for Liberty meeting. He even brought some to show us. It was really pretty interesting. I wish I could have gotten better pictures, but he was moving around pretty quickly (and the snakes were not sitting still either). I am guessing this one is some sort of garter snake.

 

Travel Theme: Turquoise

I found a new photography challenge. This week I’m joining in with Ailsa on her Where’s My Backpack Blog. Everyone’s free to join in, click the link here for the details. This week’s travel theme is: turquoise. One of my favorite colors, especially when I see it on the water.

Here are a few of my recent photos with turquoise…

This first batch is from Turkey. I spent a couple of weeks between Istanbul and Cappadocia. They make beautiful pottery (and carpets).

 

This next batch is from Zanzibar. After Istanbul, I flew to Tanzania for a photography safari and then on to Zanzibar to relax. It was so beautiful there, I could have stayed there forever. 🙂

But, I had to come home. These last few are from closer to home. If you click on the snapshot, you can see more about it.

Do you like turquoise too? See any on your travels? Check out the challenge. 🙂

Travel Theme: Fabric

I found another challenge in my Reader tonight. It’s from Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack? She does a Travel Theme challenge every week. This weeks travel theme is: fabric. So, here is my entry for the challenge.

I took these photos on my last big trip abroad (the last trip I have any photos for, the actual last trip was to Nicaragua but somebody stole -hacked the computer and encrypted- all my photos and wants $1000 to give them back! So sickening, but I don’t have the money, so they’re all gone forever- lesson learned: BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS in at least 3 places!!!)

The first photo was taken in the museum of the last palace of the rulers of Malacca, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. The cloth is woven from real silver and gold thread. Indonesia is well known for its beautiful fabrics. They do a lot of intricate patterns and batiks.

The second photo is from Northern Thailand. I took a day trip from Chiang Mai to see the hill tribes. This was taken at the village of the “Long Necks”. The ladies were busy weaving these fabrics, the little girls would watch the stalls and hope to sell you something. They all seemed quite shy and quiet.

I love beautiful things like this, it’s funny, but it’s only when I’m traveling that I ever think to look at anything like this. I never think about my usual simple shorts and t-shirts. Who made them and what it took. I assume they’re made in some big factory by machines. What a different way of doing something. Making fabrics, clothes. Handmade, local, careful, beautiful. Nice. 🙂

Travel Theme: Doorways

I stumbled upon the “Where’s My Backpack?” blog and Travel Theme: Doorways challenge while I was checking my reader today. I figured I’d join in…

Thai woman in doorwayThai man in doorway

Those first couple (of neighbors, sitting in their doorways) were from Thailand, up in the hills North of Chiang Mai. The next bunch are from Aberdeen, Scotland. I had to go take the course for Freefall Lifeboat before they would let me go out on my new job.

King's College, AberdeenAberdeen, Scotland 

And I just had to throw something nautical in the mix. 🙂 This is a photo of the interior of the boat we were practicing with all week.

door into freefall lifeboat

door into freefall lifeboat