Butchart the Beautiful

As I'm starting to think about where I might visit in 2017, I realize that I never wrote about summer 2014.  Oops!

... and that's a really big "oops" because we visited an incredible garden in Victoria, British Columbia: Butchart Gardens.

While staying in Port Angeles, WA, we took the ferry across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  I love being on a boat -- pretty much any boat -- and the weather on the way to Canada was perfect, so the trip across the water was pretty much bliss for me!

Upon arrival, we explored the harbor area, had a delicious lunch at Sam's Deli (Delish!!), and then walked to Craigdarroch Castle.

I was somewhat disappointed with the walk: although the brochures promised cute, unique shops, the shopping district was instead filled with the same old stores and the same old items found anywhere.

Craigdarroch Castle was pretty cool, though.  We could see a garden filled with lavender as we approached, and the bees were super-busy!

 

Inside, the castle -- really a house -- is a four-story structure with some interesting things, like this ...

After leaving, as we headed back to the harbor area, we detoured through the Rockland Woodland Garden.  This garden, a narrow strip along a little street, is filled with interesting flowers!

Upon arrival at the harbor, we had to decide: go back to Port Angeles ... or something else.  We decided on something else, and that something was Butchart Gardens.  So we booked tickets on the tour bus and headed inland.

I wasn't expecting much.  I didn't know what to expect, but not much.  And boy, was I surprised and impressed by what I saw!  We walked into a life-sized chess game, and then moved onto the gardens.

 The Sunken Garden, the Japanese Garden, and Butchart Cove ... I couldn't pick a favorite.

But, as always, it was the roses that stole my heart!   

If I ever make it back to Victoria, I won't make the mistake of wondering what to do with my time. No, I'm sure of it: Butchart Gardens will be at the top of my "must visit" list!

Rome 2015: a Photobook America photo book

Rome 2015 (Photobook America)
(Click on the link to see the book.)

I take a ton of pictures on every trip.  And after each trip, I like to make a photo book to capture the memories.  I love looking back on these books over the years, remembering details of a trip I might have forgotten.  I used to keep photo albums, and then scrapbooks, but this is my currently preferred method of storing pictures for my future reminiscence and to share with friends.

This is the photo book from our trip to Rome this summer.  Sure, not *every*thing we did on our trip is in the book, but it's a pretty good overview.  And more importantly, as the years pass, this book will help me remember a fantastic trip with my son.

I can't wait to receive this in the mail to add to my collection!

October in Louisiana

South Louisiana is hot during the summer.  I mean, hot.  And humid.  Miserable.

But then October arrives and brings blue skies, cooler temps, and lower humidity: perfect weather for taking Choco hiking!

Saturday, we went to Mary Ann Brown Nature Preserve.  We met a couple of other friendly dogs with their people, and we saw birds, spiders, squirrels, and chipmunks!

 

And, to my surprise, there were still many flowers in various stages of bloom!

 

 

   

Choco wasn't sure about these stairs, and she (literally) belly-crawled up the steps without a rail on the side.  She didn't balk, though, and she didn't require any coercion.

   

Choco loved her day out, crying on Sunday morning to go hiking again!

On Sunday, we went to the Port Hudson State Historic Site, which was the site of a siege during the Civil War.

   

Long after the Civil War ended, in 1990, the Port Hudson Peace Monument was created. The remains of one Confederate Soldier and one Federal Soldier were re-interred on the grounds, a constant reminder of the past and the present.

   

When this historic site was created, about six miles of trails were created, too. Some go through, over, and around the earthworks created during the Civil War, and some go to important sites in the area. The trails and the important sites are well marked and include relevant information about what happened at each site.

   

Choco and I enjoyed being outside again today, seeing more bugs and flowers.

 


 

There were more spiders at Port Hudson than at Mary Ann Brown.

... and way more caterpillars.

At the end of the day, I felt something crawling on my leg ... and yes, it was a caterpillar! Thankfully, I didn't dance through any spider webs today.

But I did take a couple of selfies.

 

 

And of course, I took more pictures of Choco!

   

"I thought a wolf got loose in these woods!" 

Ummm, no ... she's on a leash, and she's not a wolf.  I promise!

All in all, this was a pretty good weekend, and I'm looking forward to a few more nice weekends to enjoy the outdoors before the long, hot summer returns.

Mt. Vesuvius

After spending the morning at Pompeii, we had pizza in Naples, then headed to Mt. Vesuvius.  Lunch included a drink: water, soda, beer, or wine!

 

The road up Mt. Vesuvius is narrow and twisty with steep dropoffs, and riding in a bus ... well, maybe it's best not to look out the windows too much!  Just before each hairpin curve, the bus driver would *HONK*HONK* the horn to warn any oncoming cars that we were approaching. Finally, after a terrifying drive, we arrived at the parking lot for trailhead and began the hike up Vesuvius.

Vesuvius is still an active volcano.  There have been many eruptions since 79 A.D., when Pompeii was destroyed, and another like that one will (some day) likely destroy Naples, the city at its base.  And the current activity in Vesuvius, which continues to release gases that affect breathing, leads tour guides to warn people not to hike too fast.

The hike is fairly strenuous, but not very long.  And definitely worth the work!  It was a little hazy the day we were there, but the view of the Naples and the nearby bay was pretty awesome.

The flowers along the trail are interesting, beautiful...

 

...and plentiful!

Even the flying creatures are beautiful!

And a peek into the caldera makes a hiker forget the steep and gravelly path he (or she) just climbed.

And after the long, hard walk up the volcano, the walk back down is a welcome change.

The views on the way down are equally as good as on the way up!

Of course, there's still the terrifying maneuvering of the tour bus through the teensy-tiny parking lot (I only wish I had video of this!) and then the drive back down the mountain (*HONK*HONK*), followed by a long drive back to Rome.

(Did I mention the wine and limoncello tasting on the way back to the city?  Delicious!)

By the end of this day, we'd walked approximately 14 miles and climbed the equivalent of something like 63 flights of stairs. Thankfully, we had nothing planned the next morning, and we were able to sleep late before the next adventure.