Nelson County Rocks

A lovely visit in July to my cousin Fred and his wife Kathy in Raleigh and then down at their place along the water in Belhaven.  Oh yes, and Kathy’s seeing-eye dog in the their boat.

Left: our official portrait on board the Celebrity Equinox.

Well, we’d pulled out all the stops for our wedding on May 21st, so we did the same for our honeymoon, which consisted of two back-to-back week-long cruises in the Mediterranean.  We started in Athens, sailing through the Aegean Sea with stops at Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes, then going east to Kusadasi and Ephesus in Turkey.  Then back to Athens and on to Malta, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii, and finally to Rome, where we spent several  additional days exploring the city.

Holly and I had a wonderful time, despite security issues in Turkey and a last-minute cancelled flight in Rome.  But we did get in and out of Turkey for a day, and we ended up being switched to Air France for the flight home, which was a major step up from United.  A great trip.

Below: click on the subheadings for pages of pictures.

 

Athens: a tour of the major classical sights

Santorini, Greece: Views of the caldera from below and above; exploring the towns clinging to the cliffs

Rhodes, Greece: the medieval citadel of the Knights of St. John; a ride through the countryside to the acropolis of Lindos, beautifully situated above the Aegean Sea

Mykonos, Greece: a labrynth of picturesque streets and walkways from the bay up the hillsides

Turkey: from the port of Kusadasi to the ancient Roman city of Ephesus, along with a family visit in an upland village

  

 Malta: medieval and modern Valetta and a tour around the circumference of the island

 

Sicily: A street-food eating tour of Catania

Italy: the Amalfi Coast by boat and foot

Italy: Pompeii in the shadow of Vesuvius

(note: the large human sculptures spread across the landscape of Pompeii are not from antiquity, but were created by the late Polish sculptor, Igor Mitoraj.  The display ends in January 2017.)

   

Italy: Rome–a romantic final stop on our honeymoon

 

 

    

To celebrate the complete cure of Holly’s hepatitis-c, which she has battled for twenty five years, Holly and I took a two-week Caribbean cruise between January 2nd and 14th.  It was on the Celebrity Summit, partly chosen because it is an older ship that still looks like one, but also because Celebrity has a reputation for particularly fine food, which it definitely lived up to.  Over the two weeks, we visited ten different Southern Caribbean islands.  And along the way we became engaged!  (And Holly, temporarily at least, got dreadlocks!)

In such beautiful settings, we couldn’t resist taking lots of pictures, which I’ve culled and organized mostly island by island.  Click on the links to see pages of relevant pictures (which in turn can be clicked on to see a larger image).

Old San Juan pictures (our departure point and final destination

Tortola (British Virgin Islands): gorgeous mountains and sea

Dominica: rain forests, waterfalls, raging rivers, terrible roads

Martinique: France in the Caribbean, historic buildings, a fabulous botanical garden

St. Kitts: touring the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts , climbing a Volcano, Brimstone Hill Fortress,

Barbados: remnants of sugar barons and slavery, a tour along two coasts

St. Lucia: the famous Pitons, spectacular scenery where the mountains meet the oceans, an excellent nature walk

Antigua: an ecotour via boat: outlying islands, rock formations, vegetation and wild life, swimming and snorkeling

St. Maarten: Dutch and French influences, a nice cafe, strolling and shopping

Days and Nights at Sea on the Celebrity Summit

 

We stayed relatively close to home over the summer, but did take short trips to West Virginia (for Holly’s annual family reunion), to Richmond for three days, and to the relatively nearby James River State Park.  We were both impressed by how much Richmond has been changing (though celebrations of its confederate past remain very much in evidence, most notably along Monument Boulevard).  We enjoyed meeting a friend of Holly’s from early college days, walking the suspension foot bridge to Belle Isle, where Union prisoners were kept and where many died.  Earlier Holly and I toured the American Civil War Center which, quite correctly in my view, underlines the central role of slavery in virtually all the conflicts that led to the Civil War.  We walked and enjoyed the relatively new Canal Walk along the James River waterfront, with both historical signs and contemporary popular art, having a nice lunch on the patio of an old warehouse along the way.  We visited St. John’s Episcopal Church, where Patrick Henry made his famous speech and which is currently undergoing extensive renovation, looking quite like, apart from size, our local Grace Episcopal Church.  And we had a nice riverside dinner at the recently-developed area known as Rocketts Landing, down the River away.

click here for more Richmond pictures

In early August Holly and I drove over to the James River State Park, where we rented a canoe and drifted and paddled down the James River, to be picked up and returned from a landing aways down.  We also took a short hike to the Tye River Overlook, which faces out to the point where the Tye River comes down to the James.  It’s a bucolic scene, but a sign reminds one that during the 1969 Hurricane Camille and the subsequently flooding, the tremendous volume of water pouring down the Tye River resulted in the James River flowing back upward for eight miles or so.

click here for more James River State Park Pictures

Earlier in the summer Holly and I drove up to the area where Holly’s mother’s family (the Molers) came from in West Virginia, where each summer Moler descendents gather to renew acquaintances and share lots of Southern food.  A welcoming experience, including the one Holly, Constance and I received sitting in the traditional Moler pew in church the next morning.

In May, Holly, John and I joined Holly’s sisters Constance and Pat and Holly’s daughter Lyara in visiting Kansas relatives and celebrating Elizabeth’s graduation from high school.  It was a lovely time, despite the (happily unfufilled) tornado warnings!

 click here for more pictures

Holly and I recently returned from an eight-day nature tour of Costa Rica.  We had a great time!  The landscapes, flora and fauna were all incredible in their diversity, complexity, and beauty.  With expert guides, our eyes were opened and directed to some of the most amazing things we’ve ever seen.  Needless to say, we took lots of pictures–so many that it seems best to divide them into the categories below.  For each set, click on the indicated link.

Poas and Arenal Volcanoes

Virtually all mountains in Costa Rica are of volcanic origin, and are either active, dormant, or extinct.  We were able to hike to the rim of Poas Volcano (8,885 feet), about an hour from San Jose, and to view over the course of several days, the classically-sculpted Arenal Volcano ( 5479  ft) near the town of La Fortuna.  Both are often hidden by clouds, but we were extremely fortunate to see both in beautiful weather (we were visiting towards the end of the Costa Rican dry season, which helped).

click here for more pictures of the Poas and Arenal Volcanoes

Wildlife River Cruises

 

We took two river cruises, one on Rio Frio up to the Nicaraguan border, the other on the Tarcoles River.  Both were great for birds, monkeys, and reptiles, including caimans and crocodiles.  We did not have high-powered cameras, but considering everything we feel we did pretty well.

click here for more pictures of Wildlife River Cruises

Tropical Forests: Rain, Cloud, Transitional

We learned that Costa Rica has a variety of types of forests.  We hiked the Escalonia Cloud Forest Trail on the side of the Poas Volcano; hiked and crossed many hanging bridges in the tropical rain forest in the Arenal Volcano and Manuel Antonio National Parks, and rode an aerial tram through and above a dry transitional forest (albeit with a beautiful waterfall).  Due to climate change, the famous Monteverdi cloud forest is becoming a rain forest, as the clouds and moisture move higher up the mountains.

click here for more pictures of tropical forests

Specialty Stops Along the Way

   

A few of the stops along the way: an animal rescue “zoo”; the Doka water-powered coffee plantation; an oxcart factory (also water-powered); a regional church and its topiary; a large-scale hot springs resort in La Fortuna, heated by the Arenal volcano.

click here for more pictures of specialty stops along the way

Where We Stayed: Beautiful Hotels, Pools, and Gardens

 

On most trips, this wouldn’t rate a mention, but the hotels we stayed at (with the exception of the Quality Inn the last night) were incredible: beautiful facilities, views, and tropical gardens.  Much more than a place to sleep after a busy day, they were an important part of our Costa Rica experience.

click here for pictures of hotel facilities and gardens

The tour is offered by Caravan Tours.  Our excellent tour director was Fiorella Matarrita. (more…)

In late January, Holly and I took Amtrak to New York City to spend five days visiting Eleanor and exploring the city.  Highlights included the Museum of Natural History/Hayden Planetarium, Ellis Island, the views from the “Top of the Rock,” exploring various city neighborhoods, eating well at neat restaurants, stocking up at Zabar’s, and getting to see Justin and Katherine along with Eleanor.  We left on the day the “snowstorm of the century” was expected to arrive, but the storm veered out to sea and New York City got less than a foot of snow.

click here for pictures of our trip
(courtesy of Holly and her cellphone)

 

In mid-July, Holly took me up to the Eastern Shore of Delaware to meet her longstanding close friends, Robert and Barbara.  We spent several days talking, eating, walking, and sunbathing and had a delightful time.  Eleanor came down in mid-August, and one place we took her to was Woodson’s Mill, the fascinating water-powered mill that produces stone-ground grits and flours.  We had a great tour from Dave Woodson.  Nic and Alison visited for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly and I spent two nights in Luray, staying at the stately Mimslyn Inn.  We visited Luray Caverns and the quite interesting historical museum and buildings associated with it, and explored the relatively new Hawksbill Greenway, a walking and biking trail that weaves around the town, with impressive wildlife, resting and viewing places, a gathering space for music and performances, and beautiful murals on old farm and industrial buildings.  (Query: can you find me in one?)  Very nicely done; the town is clearly and understandably proud of its creation.  We returned on the third day via Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  There were many beautiful sights, but we were particularly taken with the flowering Turks Caps along the way.

 

 

This past spring I attended a fund-raising event for the Blue Ridge Medical Center, and quite impetuously ended up bidding on a seven-night condo stay near Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas.  I “won” by offering the highest bid, and so this past week Holly and I spent a week at an extremely nice and well-situated condo overlooking the marina and looking beyond to the sea and many islands.  We had a wonderful time swimming and snorkeling at Sapphire Beach, taking the ferry twice to nearby and beautiful St. John, and one day joining a power boat excursion to the British Virgin Islands.  The weather, and just about everything about our trip, was perfect.  We had a great time!

click here for more pictures