Autumn at the Arboretum 2024

 Oooooh, my favorite time of the year also means a trip to Autumn at the Arboretum.  Come along with me and just enjoy the eye candy - it's so beautiful.

Bermuda Trip - Days 8-9 - Sea Days

 Waking today, I have a bit more energy and get up and dressed to walk the ship a bit.  This is the overlook onto Lido.

Bermuda Trip - Day 7 - Bermuda Day 3

 It is our last day in Bermuda and we have chosen to explore the area around King's Wharf and the Royal Navy Dockyard.  A unique place I read about is Glass Beach.  It is within walking distance, but kind of hidden and neither of us really is feeling top notch.  Yep, getting sick - so sad.  We still have our scooter and it takes us there in less than 10 minutes.  Check this out - so cool.  Once you "think" you are on the right path, these little signs help a bit.

Bermuda Trip - Day 6 - Bermuda Day 2

 Good Morning!  It's a bit stiff and sore around here today due to yesterdays snafu, but we are raring to go and explore some more.  As we leave the ship, our guy sees us off.

Bermuda Trip - Day 5 - Bermuda Day 1

 Good Morning --- beautiful sunrise happening even with clouds.

Bermuda Trip - Day 4 - Sea Day

 It's a Sea Day and I love that we just get to relax a bit.  Out on the balcony and loving life next to the beautiful ocean waters.

Bermuda Trip - Day 3 New York City and Board Carnival Venezia

Good Morning!  It is another change venue day for us and an errand has to happen before we check out of our hotel.   Hello Empire State Building - perhaps next visit we'll make our second journey up to your lookout.

Bermuda Trip - Day 2 New York City - Statue of Liberty Crown Visit

 Good Morning!!!  We have looked forward to today since I bought tickets last March.  However, they have to be picked up at Will Call early this morning.  We hit the subway early and have arrived at Castle Clinton for retrieval of said items.

Bermuda Trip - Day 1 New York City - Back We Go

 Vacation Day is here!  We have a SUPER early flight and are thankful that a Lyft person wanted to pick us up at 4:30 a.m.  Whew.  We made it in plenty of time and are now up, up, and away.

Road Trip - Days 39 - 40 - Road Trip Home

We are officially on the road back home, but . . . coffee.  Yes, coffee.  Mister found this place earlier in the week and wanted to share it with me.  Come along for a step back in time.

The Road Trip Begins - Days 1 and 2

 It is the first of June and we are hitting the road.  This one is a LONG trip.  We will be back sometime in July and then I will leave again the very next day for the rest of that month.  Let's get on the road.  See ya around the states.

Ducks and a Gorgeous Sunset at White Rock Lake

 It is time to get out of the house.  A trip down to White Rock Lake always calms the soul and allows nature to permeate and relax us.  As we approach the Pelican viewing point, a Mama Duck and her little ducklings catch our eye.  Do you see them?

Still Birthday Season

 My birthday weekend continues.  Today Mister has started out with a brand new coffee/pastry shop and it is sooooo yummy.  I guess calling it a bakery is more apt and they are working to enlarge their offerings.  

A Weekend in the Life With Rain

 There are just some times when ya gotta get out no matter what.  We are having rain, rain, and more rain, but every so often it lets up enough to make a dash someplace.  This morning we are off to breakfast at a new-to-us coffee shop, Middle Ground.  We spotted it last night while at dinner in the same shopping center and want to check it out.  Along the way - ya just never know what you will encounter.

Artscape at the Arboretum and a Beautiful Sunset

 We have tickets to the Member Preview of Artscape at the Arboretum this evening and the weather has given us a small window with which to enjoy it.  Come along for some fun and an evening walk.  Century plant preparing to bloom.

The Impressionist Revolution - Monet to Matisse at DMA

 For those who follow this blog and my quilt blog, you will know that I LOVE Monet.  When this new exhibit was announced, I instantly wanted to see it and cannot believe it has taken me two months to do so.  At any rate, today is the day and you know the drill - I'm going to educate you against your will as this is how I remember and learn.  If you only wish to look at the pics - go for it - they are amazing and these are some of the greatest artists in my humble opinion.  It is the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition and this is a fitting celebration for it.  The core members of the Impressionist movement included Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Berthe Morisot.  They set the foundation which following generations of avant-garde artists reacted, from Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh to Piet Mondrian and Henri Matisse.  Come along with me today and see how many you recognize BEFORE reading to see.  I'll place the pictures first this time.

So - how did it all get started?  In 1874 an artist's collective that called itself the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, Etc. opened the first of what became eight group shows held over the course of twelve years.  The participants in each exhibition varied, and, beyond a shared rejection of artistic tradition, so did their subjects and approaches.  What unified these independent artists we now call the Impressionists was the desire to publicly exhibit their work.  Read that again --- all they wanted to do was exhibit.  Seems innocuous enough.  However, the only public exhibition venue for living artists in 19th-century Paris was the annual Salon organized and juried by the state-run Academy of Fine Arts.  Artists who diverged from Academic tradition (the styles and subject matter favored by the Academy) frequently experienced rejection and were left with no other avenues to garner critical and financial success.  By organizing their own exhibitions, the Impressionists bypassed the official system, an act that was as rebellious as it was entrepreneurial.  Despite the artists' efforts, the Impressionist exhibitions scandalized the Parisian public and were generally considered a failure.  Apart from a few forward-thinking critics and collectors, there was little appreciation or market for this subversive artwork until well after the last show in 1886.  Read that again --- Subversive.  Oh how I laugh when you think of what is subversive today.  Okay - here we go and I love this first one.

A Day in the Life of Mister and Lady - Beauty and Destruction

 Life is so interesting sometimes.  Our day started out like many weekend ones do.  An early morning walk around the Arboretum.  Time together just appreciating the beauty around us.  I am so thankful to have this incredible garden to just roam whenever we wish.  Sooooooo glad we don't have to reserve to attend anymore.  Spur of the moment is just fine.  At any rate, off we go.

Member Morning Walk at Dallas Zoo

 Taking time for each other never gets old.  With our membership to the zoo, we are blessed to enjoy the early morning member days.  Today the special presentation is in the aviary and it's wonderful.  So much to constantly learn about the animal kingdom that surrounds us daily.  Take a peek at a few pics from today -- not too many today.

Sunset at White Rock Lake

 Evening walks need to come back.  Here we go - off to the lake tonight to check on the birds and watch the sunset.  By the time we get there, we are bit too late for the sunset, but it's still dang pretty.  As we walk up to the dock, a nutria is nearby having his/her dinner.

Dallas Blooms w/Mister

 This year has been challenging to find time to thoroughly enjoy Dallas Blooms.  Some years we manage weekly visits and, yet, this year, not.  I went with my niece last week and have finally made it here with my sweetie.  The tulips are about gone, but the azaleas are FABULOUS.  Enjoy the eye candy and I'll share some fun along the way.  Upon our arrival, we were sent through a different gate for the early morning walk.  At the front gate, people were lining up for an Easter event that included breakfast, pictures, and an egg hunt.  This was our first view.