The view of a sunrise from my hotel window in Virginia Beach, VA in November, 2015. So peaceful, isn’t it?
photography
There’s Still Magic at Cape May Point
Recently I spent a week in Cape May Point, New Jersey hoping to find the magic that I wrote about last year in Magical Moments. Although this trip with my daughter was just as fun and relaxing, I still hadn’t experienced that deep sense of inner peace and connection with “all there is” that I had found there previously…until the night before we left.
I love when the sun or moon sparkles on the water. It speaks to the innermost part of me in ways I can’t describe. Frolicking dolphins are a sure sign that there’s magic in the air. This is when it began for me, about an hour before sunset on Sunset Beach.
Frolicking Dolphin
I looked at the water through the lens of my camera and the magic began (at least for me).
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach
It’s exciting to catch a wave crashing on the shore.
Sunset Beach
Just before I left I had to capture this from the parking lot.
Sunset Beach
I hope you enjoyed sharing my special memories of Sunset Beach! Have you been to a beach lately? Any special moments you’d like to share?
Florida Beaches
I recently spent some time in Florida and want to share some of my beach photos with you. To me, there is nothing more relaxing than watching the waves come into shore and feeling the breeze blow through my hair.
Broward County, FL
Broward County. FL
Nothing frames a beach scene better than palm trees…
Punta Gorda, FL
Punta Gorda, FL
A beach is where serenity seems obtainable…
Causeway Beach, Sanibel, Island, FL
Causeway Beach, Sanibel Island, FL
The sound of the waves crashing upon the shore is the best kind of therapy…
Cocoa Beach, FL
Cocoa Beach, FL
This is where I get lost in another world…
Ponce de Leon Beach, Punta Gorda, FL
What beach do you go to when you want to relax?
A Taste of Spring
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.
Friday’s Photos – Isola Bella
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?
Friday’s Photos – Tower of Pisa
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
Photo Friday – First Day Out of the Nest
I was delighted to find two baby robins in my front yard earlier this week. I watched as the mother hunted worms while the father kept an eye on the family. One baby hopped around a little, and the other one sat waiting for food about fifteen feet away. I had suspected there was a nest in my yard for the past few weeks as frequently robins sat out front just looking around. They did a good job at hiding it because I never saw it when I was gardening.
Baby Robin
Off to Find Another Worm
Mother Hunting
Mother and Baby
Sad note: before this post was completed, my daughter saw a crow swoop down, grab one of the babies and fly off as the parents frantically followed him to a high tree across the street. I ran out to the front porch, and in a couple of minutes the robins returned squawking. I didn’t see the other baby. Soon the mother began looking for worms and suddenly flew over to the edge of my patch of lilies of the valley. Much to my relief, she dropped a worm into a little mouth. I didn’t know how or when the other baby was moved to this location, but it was an excellent spot to hide her treasure. I only hoped that the crow wouldn’t come back and watch what she was doing.
Lilies of the Valley
Photo Friday – Ascona, Switzerland
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
Photo Friday – Venice
A typical photo of lovely Venice. I literally had to pinch myself here to make sure I was totally aware of being in this famous, magnificent city…to know that this truly was the place that poets describe in such eloquent terms and where the dust of the ages hangs so heavily in the alleyways that I could literally feel the energy of the past.
Venice, Italy
Copyright 2006 Shirley Sorbello
Photo Friday – Lake Maggiore
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.