Happy Monday!

Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Smile, breathe and go slowly."

"Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful."

Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio road trip 2018

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Happy Monday!

Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

" If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."

Road trip May 2018, Cumberland Falls Resort State Park, Kentucky

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Our World, My World

 Hello and Happy Monday.

 Hubby and I are celebrating our ❤️ 30th anniversary today May 4th. It is amazing how fast 30 years go by.  Usually we celebrate our anniversary by going on a trip somewhere. Some of our trips had to be planned before or after our actual anniversary date.  Traveling anywhere now has been put off, so we will celebrate when things are normal again. Happy Anniversary to my hubby, my shadow and my love.




" We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."
  

For now, I am remembering past trips hubby and I took for our anniversary.  Our honeymoon in 1990 was in Hawaii, we visited the Big Island, Maui and Kauai..below are some scenes from places we visited, we took a helicopter ride in Kauai, the road to Hana was a done a few times, we saw so many waterfalls, a hike through a bamboo forest, visited the Hawaii Volcano National Park, Kauai's Grand Canyon, black sand beaches and more.

I am skipping ahead to 2010, our 20th Anniversary and one of my favorite places, Chincoteague Island Va..  In late March 2010 we went to Costa Rica  and in Sept 2010 we drove a loop around the Cascades Washington State.

 In 2011, a short anniversary trip was to Cape May NJ and Atlantic City NJ.  This trip included beach walks and lots of birding at Cape May and Edwin Forsythe NWR. In Nov 2011 we went on a week long trip to Panama

 In 2012,  our trip was to the island of Curacao. You can click on the Curacao link to see more trip photos. In July 2012 we vacationed in Oregon and we went to hubby sisters wedding in Bainbridge Island Washington.

 In 2013, we were in Florida, traveling around from Tampa down to Key West Florida. 
In Nov 2013 hubby and I visited New Mexico/Texas.

 In 2014, our 24th Anniversary  another favorite place to visit was Belize. We spent part of the week at a jungle resort and the other part of the week was at a beach resort.

 In 2015, our 25th Anniversary,  below another visit to Chincoteague Island Virginia.  Longer trips in 2015 were to Florida 2015   and Washington State 2015.

 In 2016, our trip was to Virginia Beach, Va.. another trip in March 2016 a road trip to Tennessee to see the Sandhill Cranes migrating and Falls Creek Falls . July 2016, we bought a 2nd home in Lakeland Fl.  In October 2016 we lived part time in Lakeland Florida till March 2017.  Every day during that time was like a vacation.  We sold that Lakeland Fl home in March 2017.

 

In 2017, Our 27th anniversary trip was 2 weeks in May traveling around Washington State.  One of my favorite places was Sequim and the Dungeness NWR. In Sept 2017 we took a road trip to Erie, Pa.

In 2018, our 28th Anniversary trip, was a road trip through Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Below our hike to Old Man's Cave in the Hocking Hills SP, Ohio

In 2019, our 29th Anniversary trip was in June to the Finger Lakes NY. Below is the Watkins Glen State Park. In Jan 2019 we drove to Florida again.

We have many happy memories from trips, these are from the past 10 years and our honeymoon shown in the mosaics above. Older photos and trips are in my archives.  Now we are looking forward to more trips and years ❤️ together. 

What's happening in your corner of the world? Please check out and visit the following memes and links. I hope to see you there.


 
Thanks to Angie the host of  Mosaic Monday

Thanks to LadyFi  the host of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks for visiting and commenting, have a happy day and a great new week!

More West Virginia

Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!


I wanted to share some more from our road trip May 2018 taken in West Virginia, New River Gorge and the Babcock State Park and the Glade Creek Grist Mill. These are all beautiful places to visit, I highly recommend a visit.  

The Grandview at the New River Gorge.

The forest and mountains are a lovely sight. This is a spot for a birding festival in the spring. Lots of Warblers migrating through this area. 

This is a beautiful of the New River Gorge. 

I zoomed in on this train from the Grandview overlook. Looks like a lot of coal loaded on those train cars. 

Glade Creek Grist Mill is fairly new built in 1976. It is a re-creation of the mill known as Cooper's Mill. The mill provides for purchase homemade cornmeal to visitors depending on availability. 

A pretty view of the creek!

Thanks for your visit today!  I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

I hope to see you there. Thanks to the host today. Enjoy your day and new week.

As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!


During our one night two day visit to the New River Gorge Bridge and National Park we visited the Sandstone Falls and the visitor center. They were working on the road back to the Sandstone Falls so it took a while to drive there. It was worth putting up with the road work to see this pretty spot of the park. Sandstone Falls is 1500 feet wide and is made up of a network of boardwalks and little islands.

Early morning fog was hanging around the mountains near the New River.

The Sandstone Falls at the New River Gorge Park. It was a pretty day for a hike at the park and waterfalls.

Sitting in the car waiting our turn for the road to open back up, I noticed a few Baltimore Orioles in the trees in from the car.

Some of the birds seen on the Sandstone Falls island walk. Great-crested Flycatcher, Chickadee, Cardinal and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

I watched two Yellow-billed Cuckoos in a tree top. I was only able to capture one in my photos. 

The beautiful Indigo Bunting. 

The boardwalk trail leads to several islands at the Sandstone Falls. 

Swallowtail butterflies were hanging about.

The Great-crested Flycatcher posed for a photo. 

Sandstone Falls is part of the New River Gorge National Park, we stopped at the visitor center for a quick visit. There was this pretty Trumpet Honeysuckle outside the visitor center. I like the display of stones with the message:

"Our Parks, our watersheds, they belong to us all. Each one of us must help to protect the watershed we live in."

I am thankful to all the people who keep their parks, towns and neighborhood clean. 

I am thankful to visit our National Parks, our country is beautiful. 

I am thankful for the road crews, they have a hard job. 

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 




Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday


Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

9th Blog Anniversary

Happy Thankful Thursday!

It is not only Thankful Thursday, but my 9th blog anniversary.  I started blogging July 13th 2009.
It has been great meeting bloggers both in person and virtually from around the world. A couple of bloggers  I have been able to meet in person,  Linda in Pennsylvania , her blog is  The Beauty Around Us and Mary in Kentucky and her blog is  Red Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove.  I may slow down occasionally but I could never stop blogging. I love  reading other blogs and  seeing photos from around the world. .

I am sharing some of my favorite images, hikes and birds from the past year.

July 2017, I am sharing a Veery off the local fire road near our home. 

Aug 9th 2017, we went on a hike to Maryland Heights overlooking Harper's Ferry. A hard hike but worth the view.

Sept 28th, a trip to Western Pennsylvania and  Erie Pa. We met blogger Linda at the  Kinzua Bridge State Park.

Oct 14th was my 200th  Saturday Critter party and post. A cute Field Sparrow seen at the Big Meadows Shenandoah Nat'l Park. I do not see the Field Sparrows often so this one was a treat.

From Nov 13 2017 a look at the moon from my sister's place in Ocean Isle Beach, NC

On Dec 4th 2017, I posted this cute Carolina Chickadee mid air. 

On Jan 4th I posted one of my favorite winter visitors the Pine Warbler.

Feb 18th, during my Great Backyard Bird Count I had a pair of Bluebirds checking out one of my birdhouses. 

March 2018, we visited Assateague Island National Seashore. Always wonderful to see the wild ponies. 

April 2018, Hubby and I enjoyed an overnight trip to Shenandoah NP. We stayed at the Skyland Resort. It was nice to be the later in the day to see the sunset.

May 2018,  We went on a road trip to Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. I met blogger Mary in Kentucky.

June 2018, I saw a Summer Tanager off the local fire road. 

I am thankful to meet some bloggers in person and all the bloggers from around the world I have met virtually thru the internet. 

I am thankful to go on our getaways and road trips.

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 

Thank you Michelle for hostingHappy Monday, enjoy your day and new week! Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

New River Gorge

Happy Monday, wishing everyone a great day and new week!

May 9th-10,  our Road Trip continued to the New River Gorge in West Virginia. We stayed one night and two days checking out the river, gorge and bridge trails. 

On October 20, 2018 is the 40th anniversary of the New River Bridge Day! They will close the New River Gorge bridge for Bridge Day. You can walk across the bridge, bungee jump, skydive or rappel or just enjoy the festival. There will be food and music. 

A view from the overlook at the New River. The New River has many rafting companies if you are interested in  going on a raft trip on the river. 

We took the road tour down to the river below the bridge. 

Various flowers and a Cardinal seen during our visit to the New River Gorge. 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies.

Stairs down to the New River Gorge overlook.  We stopped at one of the landings on the stair and a Hooded Warbler landed on the railing right next to me. I am not sure who was surprised more me or the bird. It happened too fast I could not get a photo. 

 

Thanks for your visit today!  I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

I hope to see you there. Thanks to the host today. Enjoy your day.

As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.