It was early November and they were already decorating the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for the Christmas light show.
It was putting me in the holiday spirit even though it was warm while we were there.
Walking through the wooded path, the colors were popping. It felt very different from the color in central Florida (which was still the usual green).
The Atlanta Botanical Gardens still had a lot of color blooming when I was there in early November. Atlanta hadn’t gotten a lot of cold weather yet and it was warm the morning I was there. We were hoping we would get to wear our jackets on this trip but that wasn’t the case.
Beauty in the gardens including the blooming lady statue behind the waterfall.
The trees also had a lot of color. I took a ton of pictures with my phone so more to come on this visit.
It was a little weird standing under Georgia 400 during our trip to Atlanta in early November. We found this small park that runs along the Chattahoochee River as we were heading north to have lunch with a friend. After lunch we stopped by the park and got out and walked around. It was loud standing under the major highway that is at least 4-5 lanes going each direction. I have driven on this highway a million times when I lived here but never thought to stand underneath it.
Most of the trees were in bright colored leaves with just a few still with green leaves. If you follow the trail that leads away from the highway it starts to get quieter. We didn’t go too far since we still had a lot to do that afternoon but it was a nice quick stop.
The next morning I headed out early for a walk around Piedmont Park before going to the Botanical Gardens. I love this spot on the lake in the middle of the park where the buildings reflect off the water. The park was busy and there was a movie being filmed in one corner of the park. I couldn’t get close enough to see what was going on though.
The trees here were just starting to turn colors.
It was time for a road trip. We headed up to Atlanta for a long weekend to visit friends. I was also hoping to see some fall leaves but we may have just missed the peak season.Â
Along the way we passed miles of cotton fields that were ready to be picked. It almost looked like the ground was covered in snow as we whizzed by.Â
As we got closer to Atlanta I could see lots of color. There was still a lot of yellow, orange and red in the trees so we didn’t miss the season completely.
Passing by the iconic Olympic torch tower. This replica was built for the 1996 Summer Olympics that was held here. At the time you were able to climb the stairs and see all around Atlanta but it has since been closed. We were living here at the time and my sister and I spent many nights down at the Olympic park during the games.Â
The parking lot at our hotel was like a fairy tale with all of the bright colors.
An early morning walk before heading out for the day.
We stopped at a friend’s house for lunch and her camellia bushes were still blooming.Â
She also had some little green critters hiding in her garage.Â
More to come on those fall leaves.
The above were all taken at Bok Tower Gardens several years ago. I love the pumpkin spiders that they make.
Halloween at Horsepower For Kids.
We were in Boston in October of 2019. It really felt like fall.
We also spent a day in Salem while on our trip to Boston. I don’t think there’s anything more Halloween than Salem in October.
Fun scarecrows at the Botanical Gardens in Largo.
It’s now the end of August and it’s been a hot summer. Here in central Florida we still have at least 2 more months of heat (although if we are lucky the humidity won’t be so bad in October). I’ve been reliving our trip to Park City in January, dreaming of when it will be cold again, when I found these pictures I took at Shoe Tree Park on our trip. We kept seeing trees full of shoes as we drove around town and while Brett was skiing one day I took a hike over to the park. It’s just one street over from the main drag in Park City so it was easy to find.
There’s no real reason the trees here are full of shoes but it dates back to the 1970’s. Urban legend is that a group of guys were drinking one night and started throwing their shoes in the trees and it became a thing. It’s now part of Park City’s character. The city thins the shoes out of the trees each fall as new shoes are added.
There is an actual park here with a river and picnic tables. It looked like a small winter wonderland the early morning I was there. I was the only one there but I’m sure it’s busy in the warmer months.
Taking a break with a new friend. Man, I never thought I would miss being bundled up but I’m ready for some cold weather.
Check out Friendship Fridays blog hop over at Create With Joy. Thanks for the feature!
In early May it was time for a road trip to south Florida. We hadn’t been down to visit relatives since 2019. Since Brett’s uncle was turning 90, his sister and her husband came with us. Our first night there we had dinner at a little pizza place in Hallendale Beach that had a great water and pool view. We sat outside since there was a nice breeze.
Saturday morning we went for a long walk on the Hollywood Beach broadwalk. There were so many things to see and this is a great spot to “people’ watch as we were walking.
Back at the hotel that afternoon, while everyone else was napping, I drove over to the nearby Hard Rock Hotel to see the finished guitar hotel. When Brett and I were here in 2019 it was halfway built. It’s a huge complex, almost like a theme park. When I was leaving I noticed you could see Fort Lauderdale way off in the distance from the parking lot.
Sitting outside eating dinner, a damselfly landed on my water. Instead of shooing him away I had to pull out my phone and take a picture.
A relaxing lunch by the pool before heading back to Tampa.
I was traveling light so all pictures were taken with my phone.
This is a repost from 2016.
This was way too easy. Â A permanently injured eagle at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. Whoever added the flag on the back fence was a genius.
Mount Rushmore several years ago with my sister who lives in nearby Sioux Falls.
Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg Florida where members of the Armed Forces are buried. Â My parents are here. Â My dad was in WW2.
My cousin and his family are all in the Tampa Bay Water Ski show. This is the opening from their free shows every Saturday afternoon.
Practicing fireworks before dark in the neighborhood.
I found this flag hanging on a wall in a tourist shop in Tarpon Springs. It’s made of shells and starfish.
A very young bald eagle learning to fly.
A bald eagle souring across the sky.
I was looking through some older folders of a flag picture to post for today and came across all of the above. I couldn’t decide which one to post so I added all of them. All reminders of the summer season. From Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.
After leaving Park City in January, we headed over to Salt Lake City to do some tourist stuff. This was our 2nd visit here with the 1st being in October of 2019.
We drove up to the capital, got out and walked around.
There’s a cool church across the street from the capital. The White Memorial Chapel was built in 1883. It’s a non-denominational chapel and you can get married here.
We found a park farther north of the capital, Ensign Peak. We got out and walked about half way up the trail to the lookout area. It was a shame it was so hazy looking into the city.
Later we drove by the University of Utah on the way to the zoo.
On the way to the airport we saw a frozen pond that had ducks walking around on the ice. Something I’ve never seen in person, I had to get out and get pictures. It’s amazing their feet don’t freeze.
I noticed some goldeneye ducks swimming around near the unfrozen part of the pond. I’ve only seen one goldeneye here in the Tampa Bay area and that was years ago.
Heading home. Now it’s late March, warm and humid. I’m really missing that snow.
Thanks for sitting in on my “What I did on my winter vacation” pictures.
Across from Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City is Heritage Park. We stopped by for a quick walk around the park but did not go into the historic village (there was a fee to get in and we didn’t have enough time since we would have to leave for the airport soon).
It was beautiful here and you can go horseback riding in the summer. It’s amazing it’s only 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City.
I found a frozen pond and thought that was cool. Wasn’t sure how far down it was frozen so I wasn’t risking walking across although it was tempting.
The monument tells the story of how the Mormons settled in the area. The view from it was amazing, surrounded by snow covered mountains. Back home we have been in the 80’s since the beginning of March so the cold is only a distant memory.
