“Each flower is a soul opening out to nature.” -Gerard De Nerval
All photos were taken at The National Botanical Garden in Washington DC.
Orchid collection
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Category Archives: United States
A snowy day
The Snowy Day is a 1962 children’s picture book by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. Keats received the 1963 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in the book. It features a boy named Peter exploring his neighborhood after the first snowfall of the season. The inspiration for Peter came from a Life magazine photo article from 1940, and Keats’ desire to have minority children of New York as central characters in his stories. Source: Wikipedia.
The Wreaths of Willaimsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is renown for its beautiful, traditional Christmas decorations and is a perfect place to take a stroll back in time to admire the wonderful wreaths of the past.
Here are some of my favorites.
Living in a Winter Wonderland
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Ok…I said I was done posting but what can I do? Nature has serendipitously dropped a brilliant white wet snowstorm on us and it is magical outside. After gearing up the kids and putting on my snowshoes, I headed to my lovely lake and snapped away. It was utterly breathtaking outside.
We spent the rest of the afternoon reliving my youth by sledding down our neighborhood hill and throwing snowballs. It was a delightful day!
Snow!
I woke up this morning and something felt different. I felt lighter, airer and when I opened my shades there it was….crisp, light, flaky SNOW!!!!
My favorite street in Chicago: Armitage
One of the most quintessential streets in the entire city of Chicago is Armitage Avenue. Located in the historic heart of trendy, urban Lincoln Park, Armitage is most known for its gorgeous tree-lined streets and classic, colorful Victorian row houses. Upscale boutiques and restaurants pepper the avenue making it a must-see place on any visit to Chicago.
A walk down Armitage Avenue is certain to leave you spellbound. The architecture is striking, the street is bustling and the sound of the passing “L” train (short for elevated train) cannot be missed. A leisurely afternoon stroll through the quaint, picturesque street and surrounding neighborhood is a great way to experience one of Chicago’s premier neighborhoods.
Midtown Mania
During my three day trip to New York City for the BlogHer ’12 conference we stayed at the Hilton New York (the largest hotel in NYC) in vibrant, fast-faced Midtown. As a travel blogger, I found it irresistibly hard to be trapped inside the jam-packed hotel in sessions all day long with 5,000 fellow bloggers. My curiosity and desire to explore got the best of me so I snuck out during the live Katie Couric interview and hit Midtown.
Thinking the coffee line at Starbucks would definitely be better across the street of our hotel, I crossed the famous Avenue of the Americas to yet another Starbucks, equally full with a queue of at least 20 deep. Wow, Starbucks must really rake in the money and I don’t even like their coffee (it is bitter, expensive and reminds me of a coffee shop version of McDonalds).
Hike along the Split Rock Lighthouse Coastal trail
The dramatic view of Lake Superior at the end of the Split Rock Lighthouse Costal Hike
Back in early June, my family and I had the pleasure of spending a long weekend along Minnesota’s sensational, untouched North Shore of Lake Superior. I’d written quite a few posts about the gorgeous hikes we did in this area (to read them click here) but never had a chance to write about our final hike along the Split Rock Lighthouse Coastal Trail.
The Arts and Carts of DC
I recently spent five days in our nation’s capital, Washington DC for a conference, and had the interesting experience of staying in nearby Crystal City an “urban village” as it is called on Wikipedia that is located south of Washington DC in Arlington, Virginia.
I had spent some time there at a week-long conference years ago and that trip did not leave me with good impressions of the urban-suburban-feeling place. In fact, I hated it. Fast-forward ten years and I could not believe how much it has changed.
DC and the missed opportunity
I’m here safe and sound in Washington DC and just had an amazing 12-hour day of conferences. I am here attending the RESULTS International Conference (a grassroots advocacy group focused on ending global poverty and hunger) on behalf of my advocacy work for the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign (an initiative to provide life-saving vaccines in poor countries).
May I never miss a sunset because I’m looking down
“May I never miss a sunset or rainbow because I am looking down”. –Sara June Parker
One thing I’ve learned is there is nothing like a gorgeous, undisturbed, peaceful sunset. Sunset has always been a celebrated, magical event. For who doesn’t love a beautiful sunset?
I believe, to witness a sunset in a place where no one else is around makes it even better. To indulge in the beauty of our planet and its inexplicable wonder never ceases to stir a wondering soul.
A Weekend at Rabbit Lake: Day
A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of spending the weekend at one of our friend’s cabins in northern Minnesota on lovely Rabbit Lake. Minnesota, land of over 10,000 lakes, is known for its cabin life, a common way many lucky Minnesotans spend their summers. Many cabins are passed down from generation to generation while some are being torn down and rebuilt into obnoxious “McMansions” on some of the larger, more popular lakes. Our friends were fortunate to find a “fixer-uper” on a nice-sized low occupancy lake awash with loons, birds and a mini island for exploration. I couldn’t think of a better place to spend my summer days!
White powderpuff clouds glide effortlessly above us on Rabbit Lake.