Q: When is a lighthouse not a lighthouse? Is it still a lighthouse if it’s not on Google? (This is along the lines of, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it still make a sound?”)
A: (according to Kernut’s logic): If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck – even if Google doesn’t know it’s a duck.
One of these Mississippi lighthouses is in Biloxi and I thought the other was in Gulfport…. But when I Googleddid my extensive research, there is no light listed in that area – at least as far a Google knows.
I know. It’s been along time since I posted something.
I’m sorry. I have missed you all, and missed sharing my goofy adventures with you.
My life has been a whirlwind of activity this year. Mostly good, I’m happy to say. There’s so much to catch you all up on: I’ve traveled to several states (MN, NY, MS), started a full-time job (entirely virtual, I’m happy and blessed to day), and dodged a couple hurricanes. (Like a good panicky blond lemming, I headed for the hills when Irma and Nate came near the Florida panhandle. As I’ve said before, I prefer earthquakes to hurricanes and tornadoes.)
I took pictures of my travels and will share them with you all in (somewhat) chronological order. So you don’t fell like you missed out on anything, I’ll pickup where I left off…
Gulf Shores, Alabama – by helicopter.
O. M. G. I went on a helicopter ride over Gulf Shores, Alabama! It was awesome!! And beautiful!!
I already knew this area was beautiful, but I didn’t realize it until I saw the Gulf Coast by helicopter.
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, from the air. (and me playing with my camera phone options)
Pensacola, Florida, is the home of the Blue Angels. Everything is named “Blue Angel This” and “Blue Angel That.” They frequently fly overhead when practicing. On the weekends they’re usually out of town delighting some other city with their aerobatics.
In addition to watching the Blue Angels, there are many cool things to see and do, not the least of which is the National Naval Aviation Museum. The museum is massive and takes two to three hours to complete – and it’s free! Got to love the free.
I don’t know enough about the specifics types of aircraft on display, so I’ll dazzle you with a slideshow of my excellent slowly improving photography skills. *grins*
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Despite the large number of photos above, there is much more to see in the museum. Twice a week the Blue Angels do a practice and autograph session. I highly recommend it to all who venture to Pensacola. Visit the Blue Angels and the museum daily, 9am to 5pm, at 1750 Radford Blvd.
We now return to our regularly scheduled travel posts…
I’ve been in the Florida panhandle for several months. I love it here and hope to stay for a long time. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in the U.S. Yes, California and Pennsylvania are both lovely, but this area has several things those two don’t: lots of greenery, trees and beaches all together, wide-open country farms, and polite Southerners. There’s also a nice little airport, and a couple big shopping malls.
The sugar-white sand beaches are loaded with amazing sea shells, some as large as your palm, others the size of your thumb, the kind of shells you see for sale in souvenir shops. On the beach, they’re free for the digging. I recently got to dig for shells with a couple friends. I felt like a kid again, looking for perfect shell treasures, and running to my friends to show them my find.
Florida panhandle beaches.
Florida panhandle beach panorama.
There are also millions of very small shells all over the shore.
As I’m sure I mentioned before, the sunsets are amazing. The place has an overall sense of peace and calm I haven’t often found, and certainly not in a long time. But, wait! There’s more…
Maryland’s Elk Neck State Point and Turkey Point Lighthouse
Shortly before I left Pennsylvania, I took a day trip to Elk Neck State Park in Maryland to meet some fellow campers. It’s on a long peninsula, across Chesapeake Bay from Havre De Grace, home of the world’s largest duck decoy museum. The campground at Elk Neck State Park is heavily wooded, the sites a tad rustic.
The beach a short drive from the Elk Neck State Park campground.
At the end of the peninsula is the historic Turkey Point Light, built in 1833. Although only a 35-foot tower, the 100-foot height of the bluffs on which the lighthouse stands makes it the third highest lighthouse off the water in the bay. But, wait! There’s more…
I’m still in the Florida panhandle, but catching up on some earlier sightseeing adventures. There is a lot to see here in the Florida panhandle, but I haven’t yet seen anything other than the sunsets, and a few sunrises before the time change. However, I did get to meet the famous memory expert and motivational speaker Bob Kittell. It was an amazing experience – as fantastic as are his memory tips, his motivational stories about his life are inspirational and moving. He’s one of the better motivational speakers I’ve heard. If you get the chance, go see him.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue the long-overdue chronicling of my visit with BluzDude at Darwinfish and his tour of Baltimore Harbor. The first post about our meeting and the tour of Baltimore Harbor can be found by clicking here.
Today’s post is about my favorite site in the tour of Baltimore Harbor:the Seven-foot Knoll Lighthouse. I LOVE lighthouses – and a little, squat, red lighthouse is a bit of double awesomeness. The lighthouse was constructed in 1856, marking the entrance to the Patabsco River and Baltimore Harbor.
The Seven-foot Knoll Lighthouse in Baltimore Harbor.
They must be counting the seven feet from the floor, up. Or, I’m really much shorter than I thought. I look oddly short and squat next to the lighthouse… It must have a “short and squat” force field.
I’ve always loved all things miniature: miniature decks of cards, little glass bottles, little Christmas villages under the tree. Even stamps are little miniature pieces of artwork to me. Of course this includes miniature villages – they are the best! It’s no wonder I love making gnome doors, and creating miniature gnome homes “in the wild”.
Because of the lighting, or my phone camera, or a sun flare, the photos of the miniature village at Roadside America were not turning out good – they were all fairly dark so I did not take that many. The colors of the exhibit are much more natural and realistic than my photos would indicate.
After visiting The Cadillac Ranch, I drove to the top of the Texas panhandle.
Perryton, Texas, the Wheatheart of the Nation.
There isn’t much to see or do around the top of the Texas panhandle, at least that I saw. (Note the landscape in the background of the above photo – it’s like that as far as the eye can see.) But, tucked away in Perryton, Texas, on the side of the highway shortly before entering Oklahoma, is one of the better museums I’ve seen in a long time.
From the outside, The Museum of the Plains in Perryton, Texas, looks small and nondescript. I had passed it a couple of times on my way somewhere else, before I noticed it. Mainly for lack of anything else to see or do in the area, one day I decided to check it out.
Holy Tardis, Batman! It’s bigger on the inside!
Much like Doctor Who’s Tardis, the museum is deceptively small-looking on the outside. However, But, wait! There’s more…
The cat is out of the bag: BluzDude is the fellow blogger who invited me for crab cakes a long time ago. Bluz used to live in Pennsylvania but has called Baltimore home for many years. Those of you who follow his blog know he is eloquent and possesses an enviable wit. If you don’t already follow him, check out Darwinfish.
A hearty Welcome! to any fans of Bluz who’ve ventured this way from his blog.
Here’s how Kernut and BluzDude Doing Baltimore got started: In a simple comment on one of my posts, he offered to buy me crab cakes if I ever made it to his neck of the woods. I was in Texas when he made the offer a few years ago. I don’t forget offers of food, especially from good-looking bloggers.
But here’s the odd part – I can not find the email or comment. Anywhere. Now, we all know I have a memory like a goldfish… once around the bowl and I’m thinking, “Oooh, that rock’s new!” But, I forget things – I never make them up. At this point, I can only assume Bluz was gentlemanly enough to agree he had once promised me crab cakes.
I digress. (To those of you who are new, if you stick around you will come to find that this is a common occurrence.)
The area of Baltimore Harbor done by Kernut and BluzDude.
BluzDude and Kernut doing the Stad Amsterdam in Baltimore Harbor.
The Tour of Baltimore Harbor
I spent a day in Baltimore and got The Official BluzDude Tour of Baltimore Harbor. It was great – he could charge tourists for that tour! We did But, wait! There’s more…
Today’s post is short, and mostly pictures. Have you noticed that as my photography skills improve, I’m writing less? And I’m sure you all can guess why… “A picture says a thousand words.” Which is awesome because I’m going to use the extra time to clean my house and paint my nails.
High atop a hill in north Texas Hill Country and visible from Interstate 10, a giant cross watches over the town below.
The view from above.
Kerrville, Texas, is home to The Empty Cross, a 77′ 7″-tall, 70-ton steel tribute to Christianity. It is the largest cross I’ve ever visited, but it isn’t the largest in the world, nor the largest in the US.
The cross tops a hill, the side of which is a sculpture and scripture garden. As you enter the park, you are greeted by this sculpture of three nails. The cross is seen in the background.
Three nails sculpture at entrance to park. The Empty Cross is seen in the background.
