A couple of years ago I was in Colonial Williamsburg to see the autumn foliage. I didn’t expect to see so much greenery in November, but it was a delightful day and many people were out walking wearing t-shirts, shorts and sandals. I didn’t think it was that warm but I ended up carrying my jacket after walking for a couple of hours. Here are some of the sights.
With everything still so green I wondered if I’d see any fall foliage. I did find this tree on one of the streets and the colors were lovely.
I’ve been admiring autumn leaves for a long time. When I looked back I found these pictures from some of my blog posts between 2014 and 2016 that show many of the times that I photographed colorful leaves.
I’ve been looking for a pumpkin to put on my front porch. It was fun and interesting taking a walk on a sunny October day and seeing all these possibilities. But with this many choices it was difficult making a decision!
I’ve been thinking about souvenirs and how to stop bringing so many back from trips. I have decided that the following are even better than souvenirs because they don’t last (at least for me) and therefore won’t require packing!
For me the fun of travel begins with research and the library is a great place to find travel books as well as history books about cities and countries. I also like using apps to listen and practice words and phrases in the language I’m learning. I know I’ve made progress when I can read signs and billboards while on my travels. But then I’ll hear children speaking to their parents and realize that they already know more words than I ever will in their language.Â
I also like to leave extra room in my suitcase for the souvenirs I want to bring home, although I’m trying to limit my souvenir buying. This is especially true since I have brought back some purchases that I haven’t used and have no place to keep them.Â
Luckily there are things you can’t take with you (like gelato), so you have to eat them right away!
So now I have more than one drawer stuffed with travel souvenirs like key chains, postcards, ticket stubs and refrigerator magnets. Are they valuable memories or just clutter? I did find a use for some of my key chains by displaying them on an earring holder:
Sometime soon I will look at these souvenirs and decide whether or not to keep them. At least in the future I can focus on enjoying the experience of travel through photos and memories and let them replace the clutter. I will really try to do this!
When I visited Prince Edward Island I was interested in seeing all the places that I remembered from reading the Anne of Green Gables series. But I also wanted to see the island and find out if it was as beautiful as I thought it might be. It turned out to be one of the most memorable places I’ve seen! There were charming lighthouses and red cliffs and I enjoyed visiting Charlottetown and learning the history of Prince Edward Island. There were also lovely scenes like this away from the towns.
Although it was summer I needed a light jacket more than once, especially in the evening…
Last fall I was on a family visit to Massachusetts (my hometown is Lexington), and one afternoon I went to Rockport for a walk. It was a bright sunny day and perfect for seeing both the water and many of the interesting shops there. Since it was autumn the flowers looked like this:
I found some unique shops too – the candy store was one of my favorites!
But looking at the water provided some of the most charming views.
I’m really looking forward to visiting there again as soon as possible!
This is the first time that I’ve gone to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. and it was beautiful! The cherry blossoms were simply spectacular, and walking around the Tidal Basin was quite an adventure. There were enchanting views of tree after tree in full bloom. Lots of other people were walking on the paths but there were plenty of opportunities to see the blossoms and take as many pictures as you wanted. It was a cloudy day and chilly as well, but since snow had been predicted it was a relief to just have cloudy skies with no precipitation. I bought a wool hat at Union Station to wear for the day and it helped me stay warm. Too bad I didn’t buy some gloves as well! I couldn’t help but take hundreds of pictures and my hands were cold, but it was worth it.
I’m not sure how far I walked but this was one of the views from the path:
Some of the trees were quite old and had interesting trunks.
It was a day I’ll always remember. I’d like to go back next year, preferably on a warm, sunny day!
