We have a variety of plans that include food, laughs and revisiting old haunts. Twenty-eight years ago, David and I worked on a long-term project that had us living in Chicago for two and a half years. We loved every minute of it.
If everything works out as planned, photos will follow. Stay tuned.
No matter what mode of transportation you choose, get out there and see the world. Travel plays an important role in my life and I know it does for many of you too. Travel is the September 1st theme for City Daily Photo Bloggers and I chose this set of different forms of transportation to emphasize the subject. Go by plane....
...train...
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...or automobile! Don't worry, it doesn't have to be a Rolls Royce. Any car ready for the open road will do.
And let's not forget travel by sea. A favorite option for many people.
To see other City Daily Photo Blogger's travel expressions, click here.
My good friends Julie and Dave have spent the last two weeks on a cruise around Greenland stopping in some incredibly beautiful locations. They have sent messages along the way with lots and lots of breathtaking photos. I decided to share a few. I had no idea that Greenland was such a beautiful place! The city above is Ittoqqortoormiit.
They had the opportunity to hike in several locations and sent photos of arctic wildflowers along with some pretty fabulous views.
That is their National Geographic cruise ship in the background along with some colorful icebergs in the foreground.
Here's a closer view of the ship taken as they were taking a zodiac to the shore for another hike.
I expected to see lots of snow and ice but I didn't expect such a diverse landscape. The scene above looks almost desert-like.
They got to see icebergs up close.
They also got to see the eclipse last week from a "totality" vantage point.
Judging from their messages full of exciting adventures, I'd say they enjoyed this trip very much.
Julie and Dave can now say that they've covered the globe from top to bottom!
Late this afternoon, I'll be heading to the airport to leave for another adventure. I'm going once again to my favorite city to visit, London. I'm looking forward to exploring the city one more time. I'm traveling by myself but my friends Julie and Dave will join me for a few days in the middle before they head off on another one of their many adventures.
I'm taking my laptop and will post from London while I'm there. I have posted something for tomorrow since the time change will delay my regular posting time.
I'm back home but, I thought I'd show you a few outtakes from those last few minutes in Chicago. First up, this was shot through the window of the Uber at the beginning of the long ride to the airport. I snapped it because I recognized that building all the way to the left. It's the same one that is in the photo I posted on Tuesday shot through the restaurant window. It's just from the other side this time.
Here is another one I shot out the Uber window. I was mesmerized by the size of that graffiti on that building. Painting those letters (or whatever they are) that big must have taken some ingenuity.
This one I shot out the plane window as I waited for everyone to board. I was wondering what that guy was doing leaning over the engine on the jumbo jet.
When the plane was on the landing path last Sunday, I spotted some familiar territory in the city of Mesa. I was shocked to see that the old Fiesta Mall had been totally scraped away leaving nothing but a big plot of bare land.
The tall building to the left was once a bank building. I featured the beautiful fountain in front of the building here.
Back in 2016, I did two posts about Fiesta Mall with outside photos here and inside photos here. It's all gone now.
I flew home yesterday evening and was buffeted a bit by heavy skies and lots of wind. My flight was delayed because of a ground hold in Phoenix due to a dust storm that later turned into a thunderstorm.
I know this sounds crazy but I really enjoy flying above and through storms. The clouds from above are always spectacular and there is so much swirling activity as you fly through the clouds.
I captured this cloudy sunset as we approached the airport. The last 5 minutes were a little bumpy but I've experienced way worse. The best part was that it was only 92 degrees when we landed in Phoenix. That's cool for July!
I flew home to Phoenix yesterday afternoon and have been sorting photos ever since. The funny thing is that I took way more photos with the good old iPhone than I did with my Nikon, 38 versus 237.
One last look at the great Santa Fe architecture with a full lilac bush in front.
I mentioned earlier this week that while I was in California, I took a couple of art classes at the Laguna Beach Art Festival. The first class I took was for glazing raku pottery. I chose a pot from their small collection and then they taught me how to paint it with different glazes. The before pot is to the right and at the top is how it turned out after firing. I think I did a pretty good job with this one.
The second class I took was a painting class and this one wasn't quite as successful. The above photo shows the finished painting. The small painting to the side was the sample we were trying to duplicate. The photo to the left shows how it looked before I added those white streaks. My fish look a bit sad but I like the way the deep water turned out.
The flight home to Phoenix went smoothly with no hitches like I described yesterday. I love looking out the window to see what places I can recognize and I snapped this shot as we passed downtown Phoenix.
My friend Dave got an even better view of downtown when he flew home at a different time. He was seated closer to the front of the plane so there was no wing in the way. He got a great view of downtown Phoenix.
Looking out the airplane window, this sight was my first hint that something was wrong. When I flew to California last week, my plane took off on time and as we were gaining altitude, it appeared to me that we were swinging north when our destination was straight west. That's when I spotted this scene looking down on Sun City which is recognizable by its distinctive circle pattern. My first thought was that I might have gotten on the wrong flight. The flight path to Orange County California, does not go anywhere near Sun City. Shortly after I noticed this, there was an announcement from the flight deck that we were headed back to Phoenix because of a mechanical issue. Once we landed, the maintenance crew came aboard and determined that we shouldn't fly in that plane so, everyone got off the plane and we were directed to another gate where we waited to board a different plane. All in all, it took 6 hours to get to California when it should have taken about 55 minutes. The good thing is that we finally got to our destination safe and sound. The other good thing is that there were no complaints from any of the passengers. Everyone took it in their stride with a mixture of laughter and smiles.
I had a bit of break from the desert heat and monsoon storms and spent 3 wonderful days in California. I did lots of walking along the paths above the coast.
I never get tired of the view from Heisler Park in Laguna Beach California. It's the best place to walk and watch the the ocean, the surfers and the wildlife.
I enjoyed the art show at the Laguna Beach Art Festival and I even took two short classes. Those classes are a great way to get the creative juices flowing.
I also enjoyed some beachfront dining. What a pleasant setting for a relaxing meal.
It was a refreshing three days!
I'm leaving early this morning and flying northward to Portland Oregon. And, after a short drive I'll be in the Willamette Valley, Oregon's renowned wine country.
I'm looking forward to views like the one to left for several days. I was hoping it would also be a break from the heat but it sounds like a bit of a heat wave is headed for Oregon too.
It will be a busy week, so I may not have time to post from the road. Just in case I can't get to the blog, I've posted ahead so I won't miss any days.
I know I said yesterday's post was the last of the New York photos but, I decided to post one more of a few odd shots I took while exploring the city. Above is a window display in a shop at Rockefeller Center. I loved all those toy taxis lined up so neatly.
Above is a couple of dog walkers taking their charges out for their daily walk in the park.
To the right is a Central Park squirrel who wasn't the least bit intimidated by the crazy women who got close enough to snap this photo with her iPhone. He probably knew he could out run me.
On our first night in New York, we left the hotel to head to dinner when we spotted a full moon glowing between the buildings.
This last shot was taken through a shop window. It appeared as though a vacant store front had been converted into an art space for a community of artists. This piece was facing the window. I have no idea who the artist is but it is a striking image.
There, that is the last of the New York photos for now. I'm sure some others will show up on my Sharon's Sojourns site sometime in the future.
As you can see from the left, we spent some time at the Guggenheim Museum on Sunday. They had a fabulous Kandinsky exhibit on display.
Then we did a very touristy thing and took a carriage ride through Central Park. I've never done that before but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The trees in Central Park we only beginning to turn but we saw a few great colors anyway.
Then we ended the day with another Broadway show. This time it was SIX, a new musical all about the six wives of Henry VIII. Only these six wives were a lot more liberated and modern. It was fun!
As I write this, I'm not sure what we will be up to Monday morning before we leave for the airport. I'll report on that later.
