Done for the day: Portland Pier, Portland, Maine

Even the seagulls may have been surprised at the sunset calm on the waters.  Portland Pier buzzes with activity during the day, but when rays lengthen and urban waterside buildings glow with late-day light, a sense of calm falls over everyone.

Do boats parallel park? Maybe so: Portland Pier, Portland, Maine

Even boats stand ready  —  and calm — while diners at J’s Oyster peer out the windows and enjoy the view.

Sundown and late-day calm: Portland Pier.

It’s Maine on hold — at least for a while — at Portland Pier.

For more calmness, check out Ailsa’s blog “Where’s My Backpack” for this week’s Travel theme: Calm.

If you live in Varenna, you probably have to get accustomed to steep, but lovely, climbs.

This week’s Travel Theme: Steps from Ailsa who writes the blog Where’s My Backback? reminded us of the many steps we took in Varenna, Italy.  Walking there can be a challenge, if all you’re accustomed to is your fitness routine on even pavement in your neighborhood.  Walks in Varenna are definitely a step up, but when you’re in a beautiful town on Lake Como, you probably don’t mind at all.  Here are some of the steps we took.

After heaving luggage up steep steps, we paused at the doorway of our rental apartment from VRBO to admire this sweet greenhouse nestled above the stone walkway.

Pretty as a picture: a backyard greenhouse and stone steps in Varenna.

In town, we walked along water’s edge, following the signature red railing along Lake Como.

Stepping out in Varenna

The gardens of Villa Monastero offered even more steps with some leading directly to water’s edge . . .

Steps and statues: the gardens of Villa Monastero.

and others lined with artfully planted urns.

Concrete urns lining a walkway at Villa Monastero

If you plan a trip to Lake Como, know that you’ll be walking up and down.  But you won’t mind.  You’ll think you’re on stairways to heaven.

More photos are just a step away:  Travel theme: Steps.

First, how ’bout a little Big Orange pre-game competition? With a cake shaped like a corn hole board (complete with little white pillows of edible frosting), eating this cake might be more fun than playing the game.

This is one fun UT cake shaped like a corn hole game!

Second,  there’s nothing more iconic in Big Orange Country than Neyland Stadium.  And, for a loyal fan, sitting in the upper deck on a crisp fall afternoon cheering on the Vols — su-weet!

Neyland Stadium cake — perfect for Big Orange country!

Finally, Ailsa’s challenge this week coincides with a much-anticipated game with one of the Vols’ biggest rivalries: the Florida gators.

What UT fan wouldn’t want this football cake?!

So, what would it be like for UT to win the game against Florida today (September 16)?  Pure sugar!

For more entries in Ailsa’s Travel theme: Sugar, click here.

Rain-soaked purple clematis

We didn’t have to travel far to accept the challenge posed on Ailsa’s blog, Where’s My Backpack.  In fact, it was a treat to combine our usual morning walk with this week’s rain theme and a reason to stop and look closely at flowers along the way.

From Southern magnolias in all their splendor . . .

Magnolia with raindrops on stamen and carpel

Magnolia Grandiflora kissed by the rain

to broad-leafed hosta catching raindrops . . .

Hosta leaves welcome the moisture

and sunny daisies seeking nourishment.

Shasta daisy standing welcoming the elements

Rain-soaked purple clematis sporting royal color caught our eyes . . .

Purple clematis in the rain

as well as the one lone hollyhock left in our garden.  (Neighborhood rabbits dined on the rest!)

Hollyhock — left by the rabbits!

All part of nature’s plan, I suppose . . .

Tennessee iris

and the beauty of flowers in the rain.

Almost spent, a magnolia holds onto its beauty for one more day.

For more on this week’s Travel theme: Rain, click here.

Turquoise pottery bowl with turtle found in Beaufort, South Carolina.

We were traveling on the coast of South Carolina when Ailsa of Where’s My Backpack posted her travel theme for the week:  Turquoise.  Beach towns are filled with this cheery color, so finding photo-worthy shots posed no problem.

At Harbor Town in Hilton Head’s Sea Pines Plantation stands this bust of Charles E. Fraser who transformed undeveloped shoreline property into the tasteful development we now know as Hilton Head.  With his guidance and advanced planning, the island became a centerpiece of lovely gardens, tasteful homes in muted colors, and bike trails, golf courses, and elegant shorelines. So powerful was his influence that the Hilton Head harbor was reconfigured to save the lovely live oak under which Fraser is now buried.

Bust of Charles E. Fraser, developer of Hilton Head Island, under live oak he preserved.

Turquoise clothing caught our eyes in the front window of S.M. Bradford Co. in Harbor Town.

Colorful island wear at S. M. Bradford Co., Hilton Head.

At Dufuskie Island, you can rent tiny houses near the landing.  And if you’re gonna have fun, why not in a turquoise tiny house?

Turquoise rental house on Daufuskie Island, SC

Businessman and boat captain (who willingly shares tales of the area), Wick Scurry, purchased the old Daufuskie Island lighthouse so that visitors could finally tour it.  (Go here for more info on how Scurry is revitalizing Daufuskie.) Beside the lighthouse, turquoise stakes hold up wires where scuppernong vines will hopefully grow and prosper.

Lighthouse at Daufuskie Island with stakes set out for scuppernong vines.

Turquoise doors lay open to reveal barrels of scuppernong wine in the old Silver Dew Winery house on Daufuskie. (Free tastings were available at the lighthouse!)

Old Silver Dew Winery building on Daufuskie Island

For more examples of turquoise, head to Travel theme: Turquoise on Where’s My Backpack.

A grand entrance welcomed us to Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London.

Dear Readers,

Here’s a Postcard from England: Christmas 2016 from Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London, a hotel that shimmered with gold and silver all through the house. From the elegantly shiny trees outside to glittery table arrangements in the foyer, Grosvenor House exuded tastefulness and luxury.  But even with all that shimmer, what really stood out was service — from the doormen in tails and top hats to the women in the lobby ready to assist you even if you talk with a Southern U.S. accent.  (Wait.  Do I have an accent?)  Grosvenor House was a sparkly reminder that we were in a world class hotel, and we had arrived — for a night or two, at least — in one of the world’s finest cities, all dressed up for the holidays. Bring on the shimmer.

–Rusha

For more photos from Ailsa’s Travel theme: Shimmer, click here.

For more Postcards from England: Christmas 2016, click below.

Markets at Bath

Windows at Selfridges

Boots by the Door

Hamleys Toy Store

The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa

Yellow Door at Royal Crescent

Admiring the charm of a lighted downtown mall in Salt Lake City after dark

We moved in closer and stood awhile.  Happy to be traveling.  At dusk.  In a new city.

Standing closer to watch the dancing waters in Salt Lake City’s downtown area.

For more of Ailsa’s theme — Travel theme: Dark — on her blog Where’s My Backpack? click here.

A view of the “hillside” behind Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley — ski slopes that are dormant now, but will soon be ready for winter action.

View of ski slopes from deck at Stein Eriksen Lodge

Two cyclists pedal hard up this rocky hillside near the Visitor Center at Capitol Reef. 

Cycling the hillside near Capitol Reef

Two weeks too late to see aspens in bloom on this hillside near Grand Staircase-Escalante, but we can only imagine the majesty.

Passing the hillsides of aspen trees near Grand Staircase Escalante

A lone barn tucked away on a hillside near the base of Grand Staircase-Escalante

Hillside residence near Grand Staircase Escalante

Watch for our new travel series We Saw Utah coming soon!

And for more entries in Ailsa’s Travel theme: Hills, click here.

Dried bricks covered in mud form the basis for this church at Pueblo of Acoma.

Pueblo of Acoma is a mesa community that may have been inhabitated even before the time of Christ. It’s a place where adobe homes are inhabited by strong people, who have managed to live without running water or electricity even during modern times. The word acoma, you come to find out, means “a place always prepared.”

Most dwellings at Acoma began with mud and a mixture of pebbles, rocks, sticks, and stumps.  And it’s the simplicity of construction that draws you in to appreciate the work and craftmanship that began centuries ago.  As you can imagine, repairs are ongoing, requiring constant rebuilding and refurbishing with earthy elements found on site.

We were drawn to the plainness, the stark exteriors with minimal, if any, ornamentation.

Tourists are welcome but only if they respect the working village and those who call Acoma home.  You can take photos, but not of the residents.

Earthy details invite a closer look at the construction and simplistic beauty of homes at Acoma.

In late afternoon, the sun casts long shadows on this monochrome mesa.  And etched in our memory of our tour of Acoma was the stark yet beautiful architecture of this land and its sturdy, proud people.

Afternoon shadows at pueblo of Acoma

For more of Ailsa’s Travel theme: Dried, go to her website Where’s My Backpack? or click here.  

Travel tip:  Begin your tour of Pueblo of Acoma at Sky City Cultural Center located near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Because we travel randomly at times, we stumble onto some of the most interesting sites just by accident. And so it was with great pleasure that we found a library filled with history in many ways.

Historic Rice Public Library in Kittery, Maine

The Rice Public Library in Kittery, Maine, is one of those quaint little buildings that begs to be seen.  We parked our car, headed into this sweet little 1889 Romanesque Revival building and proceeded to be charmed. (Immediately, our Southern accents gave us away as “foreigners,” but staff welcomed us warmly with an invitation to look around.)

Floor-to-ceiling shelves offer plenty of space for books in the Rice Public Library.

For two people who love to read and travel, this was quite the find.  Beautiful woodwork, wide-plank floors, and nooks and crannies everywhere for reading, research and reflection.

Once Bert goes into a library, it’s hard to get him out!

And here’s one more shameless promotion tied to this post.  September has been designated by the American Library Association (ALA) as Library Card Sign-up Month with Snoopy as the national spokesperson!

So, get a library card, search out a library of your choice, and let history come to life!

See you in the stacks!

For more information: 

Rice Public Library, 8 Wentworth Street, Kittery, Maine 03904; (207) 439-1553; http://www.rice.lib.me.us/

American Library Association’s Library Card Sign-up Month: http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card

For more entries into Travel theme: History, click here.