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Back to the ship for our second night at sea,
on our way to Nassau.
No worries, there's lots to do on board.
Dancing, gambling, drinking, eating, sauna, swimming...
Not enough time for it all.
And always a new friend in our room at the end of the day...
Can you guess what this next shot is?
(Hint, it's not ice!)
The ship was the Fascination, of the Carnival Cruise Line. Small by some people's standards, huge by others!
On a mission to find fried lobster in Freeport,
we piled into a crowded van and headed to Port La Caya.
We asked anyone who would listen,
Fried lobster?
No...
No?
No...
We stumbled on a couple of local beers
and some conch fritters and lobster fritters
before we realized that the little shack on the harbor
was the place for the heavily advertised (by friends),
fried lobster.
Complete with a bona fide character,
Daddy Brown.
So greedy for the beautiful golden lobster,
the photographer neglected to take a photo!!
You'll just have to go yourself!!
Port La Caya, Freeport, The Bahamas.
Sailing into Freeport Harbor in the Bahamas on a breezy day,
for my first ever trip to the Caribbean.
Yes, it's a genuine tropical paradise,
with lots of friendly people
who want to sell you stuff!
Cool Stuff too!
The Tourist,
having a very good time,
on her very first cruise!
Freeport, The Bahamas. Photo of Laine by Vicki Johnston.
A voyage begins...
If the sun keeps his promise,
there will be turquoise water on these pages soon...
(Are we excited?)
(Oh Yeah!)
Stay tuned!
The turquoise water of Alexander Springs, Florida.
Vulnerable we are, like an infant.
We need each other's care
or we will
suffer.
Poem by St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).
From the Penguin publication, Love Poems From God, Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West.
Copyright © 2002 Daniel Ladinsky and used with his permission and my gratitude.
Reprinted from Laine's Blog, May 2013.
Clouds over the Danube River, in Szentendres, Hungary.
The rain falls on everyone, sooner or later!
It's knowing it will pass,
and in the meantime,
sing or dance or sit by a window,
as the rain falls.
Same with the cloudy weather in our heads.
It will pass!
Don't worry too much!
This pelican and cormorant were a familiar sight at the Budapest Zoo.
Not exactly like our pelicans, but very familiar,
like the people were familiar.
They may have spoken a very different language,
but they looked just like us!
There's a line from a U2 song:
There is no them,
there's only us.
You and me.
There's only us.
And the pelicans and cormorants and all the other creatures that call this planet home.
There is no them!
Budapest Zoo, and lyrics by U2, the song Invisible (RED).
Folks have been missing the sun around here,
and they say there's a comet hiding behind the clouds too.
Soon we'll have our sunny sky, blue sky, clear night sky,
back again,
soon.
St. Augustine Beach, sunrise, November 22, 2013.
Isn't it good,
Hungarian wood?
A little green for a winter's day.
The park on the way to the castle in Godollo, Hungary.
(Sounds like a fairy tale...into the woods...a castle...talking trees!)
The fog comes and goes,
and there is always cold air in it.
Of course that is what is causing the fog,
but it's collar up and hands in your pockets,
when you see it rolling in,
but the feet are still in the water!
What can you do?
It's irresistible and not too cold!
St. Augustine Beach, still gray and misty, January 13, 2015.
A peaceful sunset a few January's ago.
A place to rest your eyes,
and your mind,
for a little while.
Matanzas inlet, January 2012.
You've heard of armchair gardeners?
I am an armchair winter person.
I love snow!
Photograph shot from the old Dusty Miller Inn, looking down Bradford Street, in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
This shot is from my old stupid phone,
and it was transferred onto my new smart phone,
and finally onto my computer
yesterday!
Just the one shot that day,
around sunset,
with the almost full moon rising
and two surfers walking along.
It was November, 2011.
Last night the moon was similar,
except waning,
not waxing,
and so bright in the night sky.
Looking up...
Looking down...
Either way,
it's a beuatiful world!
"Looking Up" shot in St. Augustine on my phone out the car window last month,(yes I pulled over).
"Looking Down" shot from the plane window as it descended through the clouds on the way to Budapest via Vienna as the sun was rising.
While in Budapest on a rainy Saturday,
we ran into at least three wedding parties!
Rain or shine,
in Florida,
everyone is free to marry the spouse of their choice!
Who would've thunk?!
Kudoos to all who made that happen!
Budapest, Hungary, September 2014.
Freedom to Marry is released by the Court in Talahassee, Florida, January 6th, 2015.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING, ANY ROAD WILL TAKE YOU THERE
Any road!
The Hideaway Tiki Bar in Cedar Key, Florida, the best place in Cedar Key on land to watch the sunset.
Rest...
Fly...
Repeat!
Black Skimmers travelling through St. Augustine at Vilano Beach, New Year's Day, 2015.
What if you are here on this beautiful, physical, gravity based planet,
simply because you want to be here?
You like a challenge!
In our smallest moments and our largest,
and everywhere in between,
this is it,
the stuff of our lives.
Are you having fun yet?
To be just a wet stone,
or to reflect the sky above?
Changing your focus can conjure up magic,
like this reflection in a very shallow pool of rainwater.
I'm fine really...
Happy New Year, Everyone!!!
Some samplings of photos and sayings from 2014!
Bring on the New Year!