I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA this week where I was transformed into Spring in the warm conservatory. Few signs of Spring were visible in the cold outdoors, but in another month the landscape will be full of color. I hope you enjoy my cell phone photos.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. – Unknown
Sunset Beach, Cape May Point, NJ
Copyright 2014 Shirley Sorbello
I returned a few days ago from a relaxing, refreshing week in Cape May, NJ. Holding on to that sense of inner peace I’ve felt since I returned becomes more difficult with each passing day, but I’m determined this time to wait a bit longer before I allow it to slip through the cracks of everyday life.
I spent a lot of time sitting on Sunset Beach at Cape May Point staring at the Delaware Bay watching the dolphins doing their spins. The sand there is filled with bits of quartzite which are polished to a brilliant shine and sold as Cape May diamonds. Off shore lies the remains of the SS Atlantis, a concrete ship from World War I that was towed to Cape May to be used as a ferry dock in 1926. In June of that year, the ship broke free of her moorings in a storm and ran aground here.
SS Atlantus, Cape May Point, NJ
Copyright 2014 Shirley Sorbello
On the cloudiest day of the week, I was enjoying the refreshing salt air on Sunset Beach when I began to see a band of sparking light along the horizon. A few minutes later the entire bay before me was covered in sparking sunlight. Several more dolphins were frolicking. Soon the sunlight faded completely and minutes later the band of light appeared again on the horizon and stretched again across the bay as the sun and clouds did their dance. This repeated a couple of more times. The picture at the top doesn’t do it justice. It looked like nature’s beauty at it’s best and felt like God had the paintbrush in His hand.
Sunset Beach, Cape May Point, NJ
Copyright 2014 Shirley Sorbello
I had always believed that Sunset Beach was a special place because the energy there felt so positive and relaxing. Now it’s even a bit magical for me; I can’t wait to return.
How about you? Magical moments are gifts for the soul. Have you experienced any lately?
Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore, Italy
Copyright Shirley Sorbello 2006
My favorite place on earth is the island of Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore, near Stresa, Italy. I wrote about it HERE on this blog a couple of years ago. The gardens are lovely, and the beauty of the mountain views is undeniable.
View from Isola Bella
Copyright Shirley Sorbello 2007
However, it’s more than beauty that draws me here…it’s the way it makes me feel when I’m there—joyful, loving, peaceful—a place that brings me contentment unlike anywhere else on earth.
What about you? Do you have a place nearby or at a distance that calls to you to visit because it makes you happy and stress-free to be there?
Cathedral and Tower of Pisa
Copyright 2006 Sherri L. Sorbello
These photos of the Cathedral and Bell Tower of Pisa were taken by my daughter, Sherri, on June 30, 2006. I still remember how uncomfortable the heat and humidity were that day as we walked through the tiny town of Pisa, Italy to get to the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) where the cathedral and bell tower are located.
And yes, it really does lean, although apparently not as much as it did previously. According to the resources listed below, the tower began to lean during its over two hundred years of construction from 1173 to 1399. Various method of compensation and reinforcement continued over the centuries without much success until the late twentieth century.
Tower of Pisa
Copyright 2006 Sherri L. Sorbello
When the tower was in danger of collapse in 1990, it was closed to visitors while engineers took on a major straightening project. This was completed in May 2001 after correcting the lean 19 inches (it leans about 13 feet at the top) and more importantly, stopping it from continuing.
Pisa got its name in 600 BC from a Greek word meaning “marshy land.” Apparently this is the reason for the problem with the tower and the fact that other structures in Pisa, including the cathedral, are sinking.
Resources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/333926/Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_tower_of_pisa
http://www.towerofpisa.info/Tower-of-Pisa-facts.html
Today’s peaceful photo was taken in Ascona, Switzerland. Ascona lies near Locarno along my favorite body of water, Lake Maggiore. It is a small town that attracts tourists and artists and has lots of unique shops and outdoor restaurants. I would love to be sitting on that bench right now.
Ascona, Switzerland
Copyright 2007 Shirley Sorbello
This Friday’s photo is of Lake Maggiore near Ascona, Switzerland. It was taken from a ferry that sails down the lake from Locarno, Switzerland several miles into Italy.
Lake Maggiore, Switzerland
Copyright 2007 Shirley Sorbello
So many shades of blue, and yes, the water really was that color.
I’m starting a new feature on my blog which I’m calling “Photo Friday.” Each Friday, at least for the next few weeks, I will publish a photo. Perhaps a photo that speaks to the heart will help us all to begin to unwind from the week’s busy activities. For those of us who are writers, an inspirational photo can inspire creativity. I know that when I look at something beautiful, I become more expressive and imaginative. Of course, what speaks to my heart, and what speaks to yours, may be very different, but we’ll see how it goes. Enjoy your weekend!
Madeira Beach, Florida
Copyright 2010 Shirley Sorbello
Endings can be beautiful, too. What do you think?
The walkway at Riverwinds
It’s where I go to think things over and sometimes to write. For me, it’s a nearby place of inspiration and gentle breezes that stir the soul. Located in Thorofare, New Jersey, Riverwinds Community is bordered by the mighty Delaware River.
Behaving as a writer and not a photographer, I grabbed my writing pad rather than my camera, when my daughter unexpectedly suggested a visit during a recent day of Indian summer. I would have preferred that these photos came from a camera, but I have to admit that my cell phone did a half-decent job.
Early signs of Fall
On a clear, warm day like this, I was reminded how good it felt to be alive as I glanced out over the river. At times, the soft sounds of the waves lapping at the shore were lost int the roar of the planes landing across the river at Philadelphia International Airport. Nonetheless, there seemed a strange sense of harmony between the solitude of nature and the intrusive sounds of a busy world.
Plane landing across the Deleware River at Philadelphia International Airport
Maybe harmony is the key here. Perhaps those times in the past when I came here for confirmation of an important decision or comfort for a troubling situation, it was harmony I sought and received.
A powerhouse of humanity – the Philadelphia Skyline seen faintly in the distance to the right.
Of course, some people still throw trash into the river. I was reminded of my post, Sad Signs of Spring from early 2012 as I looked down at the bottles on the beach.
Trash on the shores of the Delaware River
So how about you? What do you do or where do you go when you want to think things over or need to relax and get away from the everyday hassles of life?
Sonogno Church and Bell Tower
Simplicity can be thought-provoking and uplifting especially if you are in a foreign country. Journey with me as I relive a trip to the small, quaint town of Sonogno in Southern Switzerland.
Edge of town
In 2007, my daughter, Sherri, and I traveled to Ticino, which is the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Yes, Italian-speaking, and, of course, we did venture into Italy a couple of times. Logical questions for those of you who know of my passion for Italy!
Street in Sonogno
Sonogno lies about twenty-five miles north of Locarno, at the end of the paved road through the Valley Verzasca. Since no outside traffic is allowed into the town, our tour bus dropped us off at the edge of the village along a fertile green pasture. A chorus of cow bells filled the air along with an occasional moo as we walked along. The church and bell tower were nestled by mountains so high that parts of the town were heavily shaded.
Cottage in Sonogno
Who are the people who live up here? Surprisingly, I found a few interesting facts on Wikipedia.
The number of residents in 2008 was 95, with an equal distribution of males and females; 7 were children. Ninety-five percent of the population are Swiss and the remainder are legal residents from other countries. The village has a dying language which is a mixture of Latin and Celtic although 93% speak Italian. The village population was at its highest in 1850 at 334 after which residents began leaving to seek better job opportunities in more urban areas, including overseas. The highest age bracket is in the 40 to 49 range. Surprisingly, two-thirds of the population have completed the non-mandatory secondary education or advanced or additional higher education. As of 2005, 46 of the residents were employed in some capacity of which 37% were women.
Town Oven
When you visit a place totally unlike anything you have ever seen, it’s almost a rebirth into a new world of sight and feeling. It feels like leaving the present and traveling back a century to a totally unfamiliar place with a few tiny shops, some gray stone cottages, a small hotel and a town oven. A town oven? Yes, used heavily in the middle ages, no doubt. It seems a simple place to live without many of the complexities of modern life. No doubt the rural conditions here create some dilemmas most of us are unaccustomed to. Regardless, there was an unmistakable sense of peace and tranquility in this quaint village…the kind that generates thoughts about what it would be like to live here and what really matters in life.
To me, a butterfly has always been a symbol of rebirth. Maybe it’s even another way of saying that we save the best for last. When we awaken from our cocoons, our life struggles have transformed us into all we can be, hopefully all we’ve ever wanted to be. Perhaps no one noticed all the work and life changes wrestled with in the earlier stages, but everyone will see the beauty of a spirit that has finally allowed itself to be set free.
All this butterfly talk was prompted by a recent visit to the “Butterflies of Morocco” exhibit at Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, Ohio. The exhibit runs from April 20th to June 30th. If you love butterflies, and live anywhere near Cincinnati, you will not want to miss it. There are even special times for photographers to visit when excited children are not chasing the butterflies. Obviously I was not there during one of those times, but I did manage to grab a few photos to share. Hope you enjoy them.
“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” ~Richard Buckminster Fuller
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” ~Richard Bach
“The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough.” ~Rabindranath Tagore
For all you’ve ever wanted to know about butterflies, and then some, visit The Butterfly Site.
And lastly:
“May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.” ~Irish Blessing