Sunday Post: Surroundings~ “The Woods”

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.” ~George Byron

My surroundings~the pathless woods.
Never more beautiful than in fall…

 

 

Click images for a larger view.

Thanks for visiting my surroundings!
If you’d like to join Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post, click here to go to his site and read all about it.  There’s a great challenge every week for photographers, writers and more!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

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WaterDragon Sunday Post: City~ “Siena, Italy”

Siena, Italy,  is the capital of the region called Tuscany.  The Province of Siena consists of 36 comuni (comunes), which we would call municipalities or townships.
Siena is not a large city, compared to Rome or Florence.  However, the city’s population is 54,000.  It remains a walled city since the 12th-15th centuries, when the first Gothic buildings and wall were built.  The Cathedral of Siena was started in 1284 on the lower section, a stunning showpiece with its black and white striped interior and exterior marble walls.

…..

I was able to get this particular shot of Siena’s Basilica, Bell Tower and Duomo, as I was standing on top of the wall of the first cathedral, which was never finished,  The first cathedral was intended to be the largest in the world. Then the plague hit Siena, cutting their population nearly in half.  With fewer people, they could no longer support a cathedral that large, and they began to build the smaller present cathedral. ( Although we think it’s still very large!) The original nave with arched door, 3 walls and stone floor still remain.  The wall above the nave is available as a viewpoint for looking at the rest of the city and the surrounding countryside.

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Water Dragon Sunday Post: Black & White/ Paris

I got lost but look what I found. ~Irving Berlin

Did you ever lose something?  Something BIG?
My daughter and I lost the EIFFEL TOWER on our first visit to Paris. 😉

We had just arrived at our hotel, dumped our suitcases in the room, and took off looking for the famous monument.
We knew it was close.  After all, we were in the 7th arrondissement, and it was only two blocks away.

After 45 minutes of walking, we sat on a bench to check out a map and rest.
I decided to take a picture of my daughter studying the map.

As I looked in the viewfinder I yelled to her……..”Oh no!  Look behind you!”

OH NO! LOOK BEHIND YOU!

 

The lost is now found!  

PS. We did much better finding our way around Paris for the next two weeks!

Thanks for viewing this Sunday Post.

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Water Dragon Sunday Post: Close-Up ~ Zion National Park

  “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.  It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
~Charles Darwin

Close-up…..Zion National Park…..”Garden Wall”

 

In Zion National Park, there is a short hike of a mile alongside the Virgin River.  The name of the hike is “Riverside Walk”.
Good things come in small packages.  There are plenty of wonderful sights to see on this short hike, on mostly level ground.
Every time you turn a corner, you open up a new vista between the massive canyon walls.
One of the sights to behold is the “Garden Wall”.  It is so named because constant dripping water down the rock face has created an environment for plants to grow.
One is able to gaze at the colorful rock facade and see various plants growing in niches all the way to the top.

Thanks for visiting!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Water Dragon Weekly Sunday Post: Silence

The Sound of Silence

“Hello darkness, my old friend

I’ve come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

 Still remains

 Within the sound of silence.”

(*”The Sound of Silence”, written by Paul Simon, recorded by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel in 1964)  

Silence, quiet and stillness, seep slowly from our busy bright day into night,

as light leaves our environment and darkness covers everything we see.  

Darkness, our old friend.  Not to fear, but to delight in the enveloping cocoon of silence and rest; a quiet time of day.  

A time for renewal of spirit, refreshing the senses and resting the muscles from the day’s work.  Silence.  

A chance to think, speak, a time to listen to others.

The sound of silence…..

*”The Sound of Silence” was written in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

**for the entire “The Sound of Silence” lyrics, click here.

***for interesting facts about  The Sound of Silence, click here.

Thank you to my friend, Bob, for inspiring me for this post. 
Thanks to all my  blog friends for hanging in here with me as I celebrate 200 posts! yay! 

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

Water Dragon Weekly Sunday Post: Valuable

~A Hybrid Automobile is Valuable~

A fuel efficient car is a valuable resource.  We need to curtail our dependency on fossil fuels to protect our environment,
because our environment is also a valuable resource.

The Honda CR-Z Hybrid, very valuable to my husband & the environment.

~Our Environment is Valuable~ 

We need to work to protect our world in every way possible.  Here are some tips for Going Green: recycle, lower use of fossil fuels,
reuse/repurpose, go paperless,unplug small appliances, 
support green products or make your own, check your water connection regularly, plant trees,
take used clothes/furniture to a “store”,
turn off lights when not using,
send extra vegetables from your garden to neighbors, 
local churches or Hospice.  There are more ways to help.  Check out the web for ways to Go Green.

Sheep graze on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan.

A clean, healthy, safe environment is valuable to everyone.

My blog friends are valuable to me! ❤ 

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Water Dragon Weekly Sunday Post: Village

Village: definition~”#1: A group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area.  #2: A self-contained district or community within a town or city, regarded as having features characteristic of village life.”  (wikipedia)

“I think when you’ve travelled around a lot in Africa, you understand something that many people here don’t recognize: the extraordinary power that is Africa at village level – at community level.”
~Stephen Lewis 

Whether we live in a section of a larger city, or in a small village, we can experience that sense of community that Stephen Lewis speaks about in his quote.  A sense of community means the feeling of  belonging, a group of people with common interests, and interacting together in a common location.  Being a part of a village or community means gathering together; coming out of our homes, greeting our neighbors, organizing a block party, sending a casserole to the widow next door, having a neighborhood garage sale, helping the man across the street fix his plumbing and more.  If we stay behind closed doors, we will never get to experience the benefits of village/community relationships, and the powerful feeling of having a group of people who care about us.  

a section of a small city gets ready to sleep…..

Does your neighborhood have a comfortable feeling of community?

Good night….

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

WaterDragon Weekly Sunday Post: Water (H2O)

A wave crashes toward the shore on Hutchison Island, Florida.

Water is beautiful.  It’s beautiful to watch, especially when you’re at the ocean and the waves are “high rollers”~ huge monster waves, one after another, crashing onto the beach.
It brings the board surfers and the kite surfers out to play.  The ocean sparkles in the sunshine, beckoning people into the water to cool off.   But water can be dangerous, as well as beautiful.

When you are at the beach it’s good to keep safety first in your mind.  It’s best to choose a beach with a lifeguard.  If you can’t, beware of tides, by carrying a copy of the local tide chart with you.  When tides come in, and if the waves are rough, a dangerous rip current/undertow can pull you back, making it hard to get to shore.   If you are caught in a rip current, always swim parallel to the shore, until you can get help, or until you can work your way to the shore.  Areas that say: “Swim at your own Risk”…mean just that.  There can be a severe drop-off,  unseen rocks or other debris,  and undertows.   Always keep watch over your children and employ the Buddy system.  Never swim alone.  Teach your children to look for the signs/flags on the beach.

Flag warnings: Green flag: All clear for swimming, but keep an eye on the color, situations can change quickly.    Yellow flag: Caution.  There may be potential for strong undertows, high waves, etc.  Only swim where lifeguards are present.
Red flag: Strongest, most serious warning.  One red flag means the water is very rough, there are strong undercurrents, and you should only swim if you are a strong swimmer.
Once again.., keep close to a lifeguard.  Two Red flags means the beach is closed and no one should be swimming.
Many people perish in our beautiful seas because they either ignore the signs or they do not understand the coming and going of the tides.  Be safe!  Swim smart…and enjoy our beautiful ocean water.

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

 

WaterDragon Sunday Post: Sunrise

SUNRISE (definition): The colors and light visible in the sky on an occasion of the sun’s first appearance in the morning, considered as a view or spectacle.

6:15 A.M. sunrise in Ocean City, Maryland.

“We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise, if we have waited in the darkness.” ~Unknown

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

WaterDragon Weekly Sunday Post: Door(s)

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.  ~Walt Disney

Got Paint?

Green doors.

All these Parisienne doors need is a little TLC.  A can of paint and some brass hardware, perhaps?

Thanks for stopping by.

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.