Cordoba Spain ~ Flower Festival and the Mezquita

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Mezquita

Mezquita

With walking the Camino – 500 miles across Spain – heavily on my mind, I thought I would take a look back at a few places we have already seen in Southern Spain, specifically in the Andalucía and Costa del Sol area back in 2009.

Cordoba was really only an unexpected side trip for us.  Tim and I had taken a bus to Granada the day before and our guide had raved about seeing the annual flower festival in Cordoba.  It is held once a year and lasts only 10 days in early May.  Our timing was perfect, so early the next morning we drove the two hours from where we were staying in Estepona (not far from Malaga) to check it out. Continue reading →

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Picture of the day ~ Pumpkin at the beach

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

“I’ll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween” ~ Author unknown

“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls” ~ George Carlin

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion”  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Happy Halloween Everyone!

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Picture of the day ~ West Lake, Hangzhou China

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Huxin Pavilion on West Lake, Hangzhou China

Huxin Pavilion on West Lake, Hangzhou China

Located 110 miles (180 kilometres) southwest of Shanghai, this thriving metropolis of over 6 million inhabitants has been a powerhouse for over 1000 years.

West Lake is the jewel, located in the historic area of Hangzhou.  Known for its natural beauty, it has influenced garden designs all over China as well as in Japan and Korea.

West Lake was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011.

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Children’s Forest Walking Trail and Exploration Hiking Trail

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Children's Forest Walking Trail

Children’s Forest Walking Trail

If you are looking for a feel good easy walk in the mountains, check out the Children’s Forest Trail.

Located in the San Bernardino Mountains, off Highway 18 just East of Running Springs, this is perfect for an afternoon stroll.  Just 3/4 of a mile long, the mostly level walk will get you some high mountain clean fresh air.

The park itself is a looming 3400 acres of some of the most beautiful backcountry which includes massive boulders, chaparral, oak and a regenerating pine forest. Part of the area was badly damaged in the 1970 Bear Fire, but the local children were the hero’s in this story. Continue reading →

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Walking the Camino – I may have lost my mind…

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
The Camino

The Camino

Over the weekend Tim and I attended the Film Festival near San Diego. We went especially to see a 90 minute documentary movie about walking the Camino. In case you are not familiar with this “walk”, the most popular route entails walking 500 miles across Northern Spain.

On average it takes around 35 days to complete the journey.

Call me crazy, but for the past several weeks I have been researching, reading and considering doing just that! Continue reading →

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Picture of the day ~ Red Flower

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Red Hibiscus

Red Hibiscus

I think that this is a double Hibiscus, but I’m not sure.  I took this last February at the Thousand Oaks Botanical Gardens.  That is one of the amazing things about living in Southern California – we have flowers all year-long.

I’m currently in the mountains, but the diversity of this area is staggering.  I could literally start out the morning in the desert in Palm Springs, drive 1.5 hours to the mountains to snow ski and then drive around two hours and be at the beach to go surfing.

Sunshine, blue skies, an endless variety of things to do – YES, feeling lucky to live in this paradise.

And yet I am counting down the days to hit the road.  We leave for Thailand on November 10th and I can’t wait!

Oh, if I am wrong about what kind of flower this is, please leave me a comment below – thanks!

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LIMA, PERU ~ a Love Park, Medieval Library, Labor Party Protest and Hanging Chickens

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Lima

We were down to our final time in Peru with an overnight spent in Lima.  Our hotel was in a lovely section of Miraflores, but within a few blocks the area quickly became seedy.  Still we felt safe to walk the streets freely during the daytime.

A pre-arranged city tour to see some of the highlighted buildings and parks started the day. Continue reading →

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Picture of the day ~ Lost in Green

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Lost in Green

Lost in Green

“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.” ~ Martin Luther

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist  sees only the red stoplight… the truly wise person is colorblind.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green  thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and  some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature  is imagination itself.” ~ William Blake

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LAKE TITICACA: Puno, Uros Floating Islands and Taquile

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Lake Titicaca

Uros Floating Islands ~ Lake Titicaca

High up in the Andes mountains of South America, situated between Peru and Bolivia is the largest commercially navigable lake in the world – Lake Titicaca.  By volume of water, it is also the largest lake in South America.

We have come to see the floating islands.  There are around 40 of them clustered together about a two-hour boat ride from Puno.  I had never heard of the floating islands until shortly before we booked this trip, but I am so glad that they got included in our itinerary. Continue reading →

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Picture of the day ~ Layered

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
Layered

Layered

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