5th Place: Discover Prompt 16 : Slow Day at Kiawah

It seems a lot of you agree with us on this one: There’s no better way to spend a day than leisurely soaking up beachy vibes under a big blue umbrella at Kiawah.

4th Place: Discover Prompt 27: Team

Near and dear to our hearts and popular with our readers is this post that reflects on work with a dedicated team of Habitat Global Village volunteers building affordable homes in Nepal and Lesotho and renovating a school in Bucharest. Good work for a great cause!

3rd Place: Discover Prompt 24: Elixir

Many of you were charmed by the elixir of sunrise on one of America’s most beautiful beaches, the beach at Kiawah Island. And who wouldn’t be?

2nd Place: Discover Prompt 17: No Distance Running in Boston this April

It’s not just collegiate spring sports we’re missing right now. The shelter-in-place mandates related to the coronavirus pandemic also cancelled one of America’s favorite races in 2020: the Boston Marathon.

1st Place: Discover Prompt 15: The scent of lavender in Provence

Well, of course you clicked on this one. Provence in springtime is one of the most popular destinations in the world — and it all has to do with the heavenly sight and smell of row after row of lavender. Well done, readers. You picked a winner!

Thanks again to those who helped us get through the pandemic in April by clicking and reading posts on Oh, the Places We See! And thanks to WordPress for providing prompts that were open to interpretation in a variety of ways. It’s been an interesting April 2020, to say the least!

Stay safe out there.

Rusha & Bert

So, I’ve saved my Joke post ’til last. And then a No Joke for the end.

Whenever we travel, we try to find children’s toys, something simple and fun to bring back to our granddaughter and other kids as “gifts from afar.” So, in Morocco, we were intrigued by some plain little boxes sitting in a bowl in Chefchouen, the blue town.

The proprietor of the shop noted my interest and immediately stepped in to play a joke on me. Because when you open the box yourself — as he let me do — a black snake quickly — and unexpectedly — pops out and taps you on your finger– much to your surprise. After all, who expects a snake to reach out and bite you from an unassuming wooden box?!!!!

And so I opened the box, jumped back a bit, squealed and laughed — and then I had to have one. Or a dozen as it turns out . . . because I got a deal!

And so it was that all the kids we invited over on Christmas Day that year got Moroccan snake boxes — and they couldn’t wait to surprise their parents. So, jokes all around — all from unassuming little boxes.

No Joke

And now for the second part: I completed one post each day during the month of April 2020 — one each morning right after I mulled over the word for the day, searched through old photos, and commenced the writing process. Looking back on the exercise, it was fun — rigorous to keep up, but fun. So NO JOKE — 30 posts in April — and a great way to spend my time in quarantine!

So, here’s what I’m asking you. I want to share the “most-clicked-on” posts from those 30 this coming Monday, May 4th. If you haven’t had a chance to check ’em out, now’s the time. I’ll look at the “number of views” stats and share which prompts and posts were most popular.

As of today, April 30, here are the 10 most-clicked posts on Oh, the Places We See listed by date. Hope you’ll take a look at any you’ve missed.

April 2: Open — Just as the Dogwood Arts Festival opens in Knoxville, so do the buds of beautiful flowers.

April 4: Street — Oh, those beautiful painted streets on the Greek island of Mykonos!

April 9: Pairs — A mother-daughter pair stroll the beach at dawn on Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

April 12: Light — The magic of morning light from Castine, Maine, to Morocco!

April 15: Scent — A smell to remember: lavender in bloom in Provence.

April 16: Slow — Watching a slow day on Kiawah Island unfold from sunrise to sundown.

April 17: Distance — Remembering when Boston Marathoners ran the distance in 2016.

April 21: Music — Hoping to hear music to my ears by UT’s Pride of the Southland Band this fall.

April 24: Elixer — Drinking in the elixer of a sunrise at Kiawah Island.

April 27: Team — Remembering the joys of working with a team to build homes around the world with Habitat Global Village.

As always, thanks for visiting our site.

It’s great to hear from you — No Joke!!

Rusha & Bert

Today’s word is Grateful, so here goes.

I’m grateful that . . .

• Elton John has rescheduled his Knoxville concert originally set for June 6, 2020 to some time in 2021. (Thanks, Rocketman!)
• none of my favorite grocery stores ran out of coffee during the quarantine.
• we’re retired and don’t have to work from home in cramped quarters, don’t have to home school our kids, and don’t have to barricade ourselves in a closet to squeeze in some “me time.” We’re good.
• I have enough ball caps that I can wear to hide my shaggy locks and silver roots.
• I didn’t weigh myself on the first day of the quarantine, so I’ll never know how much poundage I’ve put on!

But seriously, folks. Bert and I are fortunate — all the time, really, but especially during this pandemic.

We’re grateful for . . .

• family and friends who have checked on us by phone, FaceTime, text and email (and who love us no matter how shaggy we look).
• professionals who go above and beyond to provide services — not because they’re paid to do so, but because they love what they do and the people they serve. (I’m thinking educators, health care professionals, day care workers, service industry folks, news gatherers and reporters, grocery store employees, and the list goes on.)
• good health so we can continue to travel, see the sites we love to photograph, and meet people around the world as well as in our own hometown
• strong faith and the people who help us stay grounded by providing internet church services and religious music on Sundays.
• and the someone who loves us unconditionally even when we’re stir crazy, sleep deprived, and wanting to stream something we’re just not into.

Thank, WordPress, for the April Discover Prompts and the opportunity to connect with many creative, interested bloggers and readers.

We’re grateful!

Rusha Sams

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.

Are you a list-maker? A list-follower? Or a little bit of both?

During this time of sheltering in place, we’re slowly but surely (well, sort of) checking off a list of things to do. To complete. To put to rights, if you will. Mind you, there will always be chores around our place, but for two people who love to travel there is also a list of places we would love to see — whether we write them down or not. But instead of clipping pictures from the internet of where we want to go, we’re showing you four places we’ve loved in case you want to add them to your bucket list. Here are four places with the Sams Stamp of Approval — places we’d love to see again.

Nepal

In Nepal, take a bus out to the mountainous regions near Dhulikhel where you most likely will see people working and living productively but simply as they build homes of mud and rock and gather branches of greenery to feed their animals.

But also take a tour of a shrine where you can observe people in worship, hike to a monastery, or add your prayers as your move your hands across the prayer wheels.

Viet Nam

Drive out to the country to see rice fields in various stages — from planting to harvesting — by the most dedicated people happy to share their craft with visitors.

Then board a cruise ship and sail into Ha Long Bay where you get swallowed up by the hauntingly dark limestone karsts of various sizes and dimensions. We’ve found no better place in the world to watch morning unfold.

Morocco

Visit Marrakesh during Ramadan, if you can, to see Koutoubia Mosque laid out with prayer mats and to listen to the five-times-daily prayers emanating from the speakers overhead.

But don’t miss any of the medinas in the cities you visit, be it Fes or Marrakesh or Tangier. In the narrowest of quarters as well as in open markets, you’ll find spices and dried veggies lined up ready for purchase and for creating true Moroccan cuisine back home.

Romania

Of course, Bran Castle is on your must-see list, but not just because it’s known as Dracula’s Castle. In fact, Drac may not have even been there. Go see it for its beauty and history, winding passageways and secret rooms. You may even find that the story of Vlad the Impaler is just enough horror to fill the day!

But if you get the chance, put Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, on your sightseeing list. Celebration days feature young ones in native dress and all the music and beer you could ask for.

If the coronavirus quarantine has given you even more time to dream of in terms of destinations yet to see, share them with us.

We’re writing in pencil these days, not sure where to go next or what will move up to the top. Lists can be fun, but tentative!

Rusha & Bert

This post is part of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!

Instead of focusing on circumstances that you cannot change – focus strongly and powerfully on the circumstances that you can.”

When I heard we’d be sheltering in place in Knoxville for a couple of weeks (or more), I remembered a project, stored in a back bedroom closet, that needed attention: a hand-painted needlepoint canvas purchased almost 15 years ago depicting five females sitting side by side in swimsuits, posing coyly for a picture.

Well, as of April 25, 2020, I can report that something good really did come of my stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic: I successfully, with laser-like focus, working at least one hour each day . . . completed that canvas! Ya-hoo! And drum roll, please!!!

As the oldest of five daughters, I’ve seen plaques, painted pictures, and renderings suitable for summer rentals of four ladies on beaches plenty of times. But never five. I mean, that’s a lot of ladies to pack into one picture! So when I spotted this painted canvas (Heaven knows I didn’t need another project!) in a shop called Flying Fuzzies in Cambria, California, I knew I, the oldest of five girls, had to have it. And so, the ladies came home with me, nearly 15 years ago!

I chose to render the piece in pearl cotton rather than Persian wool, possibly a mistake because pearl cotton tangles easily, as I can attest. But stitching the piece “sparked joy” for me, as the ladies came to life with their painted nails, one-piece suits, mysterious smiles, and pinned up hair!

When my granddaughter saw the finished piece, she asked which “beach lady” I was. And which of my sisters were the others. I told her I had no idea. It was just the fact that there were five of them, and I loved the needlepoint canvas, so I stitched it. Not knowing the identity of the ladies just adds to the mystique.

I wish I could hug the artist, Maggie, whose name appears in the far right corner of the canvas and tell her how happy I’ve been all these years to own the piece she created and also, finally, the time to focus on bringing it to life.

And I’d also like to show her the shiny fibers in the sunglasses, a suggestion of the owner of a needlepoint shop in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

Overall, the Joy Page quote at the top of this post rings true: “Instead of focusing on circumstances that you cannot change – focus strongly and powerfully on the circumstances that you can.”

And since I couldn’t change the quarantine we’re under, I do feel I’ve made the most of my time at home focusing on finishing, sitting back and admiring, and planning what to do next with it.

Focus feels good! (And yes, I’m the one smiling.)

Rusha

Note on Flying Fuzzies: I looked for Flying Fuzzies on the internet, but a Yelp post noted that it is permanently closed. Any information you may have to the contrary would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This post is part of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.

For more than fifteen years, we’ve been part of a team — a Habitat Global Village team — that builds houses in international locations. It’s work, of course, but it’s also a rush — working together with people from the U. S. and Canada, problem solving on location, falling in love with families who need and deserve a good home, and bonding while traveling and immersing ourselves in another culture, another time.

One of Bert’s earliest team experiences came together as a part of Habitat International‘s build in Hanoi with former President Jimmy Carter, a strong advocate of Habitat for Humanity and the continuing work of the Carter Work Project to provide affordable housing around the world.

Since then, we’ve expanded our tours — and our builds — to include homes in Belfast, Northern Island; Nepal; and Lesotho. And we worked for a week in Bucharest, Romania, to renovate a school.

In Nepal, we were greeted royally with firm handshakes, a few hugs and leis made of marigolds hung around our necks.

Our team worked on two houses, one in a community setting where extended family also had houses and one on the side of a steep mountain. Each had its challenges. Each had its rewards.

On some days, all we accomplished was hauling heavy rocks from a quarry below up the mountainside for the build.

Although we didn’t complete the build while we were there, our closing ceremony included the presentation of the key to the door and hugs with the homeowners.

The Lesotho build lasted only one day since there was a coup against the country’s leader, and all Americans had to be evacuated.

But the work went on, even without our team, and three lovely children (whose parents died of AIDS) and their uncle stood proudly for a picture in front of the house they were leaving for the house we were building of concrete block, mud, and love.

In Bucharest, we learned new skills — from how to tear out paneling while avoiding mold to how to re-plaster classroom walls. But through it all, we learned to trouble shoot and communicate with project managers who mostly spoke Romani. (In addition: they loved the Big Orange UT hats we brought from home!)

The team’s last build went on without us, since we felt we couldn’t haul rock or wheelbarrow loads of dirt anymore. We missed the work, but joined the group afterwards to tour Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples.

The team has stayed intact, even through sicknesses, personal trials, and our inability to do what we could do twenty years ago. And, if the coronavirus hadn’t caused upheaval in travel all over the world, we would have re-assembled for a home build in Amman, Jordan, in March 2020.

What keeps this team together besides friendship and a love of international travel? Dedication to a worthy cause benefiting worthy people.

Home is the nicest word there is.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

And so it is: our love of providing homes for people all over the world keeps this team going — hopefully, for many years to come.

Rusha & Bert

Check out how you can be a part of a Habitat Global Village team and build homes for deserving people. We guarantee you’ll fall in love!

This post is one of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!

It is hidden but always present.

On display for all to see at The Archeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete, are objects that were once hidden but now found and available to the public. Even so, the origin and meaning are still not fully understood by international scholars, residents of the area, and plain ol’ tourists like us who are still learning the secrets of ancient lands.

One of these objects was actually something we had seen in a tourist shop in downtown Heraklion before going to the museum: a Festus, it was called. And when we asked what that meant, we had a hard time understanding its importance or hidden history . . . until we saw the original on display in its own glass case.

“Festus” is a sort of made-up, shortened, altered word based upon where this object was found: Phaistos, on the island of Crete, one of the Minoan trading posts around the second century B.C.

After this long-hidden Phaistos Disc was found in 1908, scholars developed the theory that its inscription, written in a spiral on both sides of the disc was a prayer to a mother goddess. But so valuable was the interpretation of the words formed by its 45 individual signs, the discovery of the Phaistos Disc (and the resulting translation) was compared to the value of the Rosetta Stone in opening up languages previously unknown until its discovery. The translations of the Phaistos Disc enabled scholars to interpret much of what was previously written and “hidden” in the discoveries in Mycenae and Crete.

So, of course, when offered jewelry copied from this Festus, as it was called, I seized the moment. After all, what was hidden is now found (and copied and mimicked and sold) in shops all over Heraklion.

And our memory of seeing this actual ancient find is just another reason why we love to travel!

Rusha & Bert

This post is one of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!

There is magic, but you have to be the magician. You have to make the magic happen.

Nothing was more evident to us as we watched heavy, bulky loads of just about anything get transported on bicycles and motorcycles throughout Vietnam. How in the world could mere mortals stack, pack, and tie down so much STUFF and then skillfully ride it along to its destination?

“Magic,” we said, as it seemed to be the only explanation.

One man’s magic is another man’s engineering.

Robert Heinlein

And coupled with the magic, a little skillful engineering moved mountains: food, bedding, people, potted plants. You name it. Someone — well, someone living in Hanoi at least — could fit just about anything onto a bike and peddle away.

We marveled at the skills of heavily laden drivers, and noted that not even one seemed to be smiling. They were focused. And determined. And on their way to somewhere. Not willing to let anyone get in the way of making magic happen.

So when you think of magic, pulling a rabbit out of a hat or performing a little sleight of hand with a deck of cards might come to mind.

But the real stuff magic is made of is how you handle real life!

A little magic can take you a long way.

Roald Dahl

Stay safe out there.

Rusha & Bert

This post is one of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!

There are moments when the elixir of life rises to such over−brimming splendor that the soul spills over.

I used to sleep in on our vacations to the beach, a luxury for a working mother of two. But that was before I discovered what really happens on beaches before dawn.

Nowadays, I need no prompting to hop up early. I throw on anything that goes with flip-flops and head out with coffee in hand, camera slung over my shoulder. And I wait as the drama begins.

First, that beautiful glow from below the horizon that washes houses and sand dunes in soft pinks and pale oranges.

Then — quick before I almost miss it — the first peek of wash-over orange lights up the sky.

And suddenly, full-on light bathes the world in crimson with a tiny, brilliant yellow focal point barely, just barely, peeking out to start the day.

But quick before I might miss the ta-dah moment, the sun’s up. Just like that. And on the move.

It’s my last chance to capture the main event as full-on light floods the camera, blinding me with the elixir of dawn at the beach.

And almost with the let-down you feel when a concert has ended, I turn the other way, check out who’s out there with me, and head back inside. Smiling, of course.

That’s the way morning plays out at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Rusha

The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.

We’ve traveled alone, we’ve traveled with groups, and we’ve traveled with guides. And we can truthfully say that all means of seeing a new place are what you make of it, but of special note is what a native of an area, a guide, can bring to your experience.

Over the past 10 years or so of retirement with travel as a special focus for us, we’ve been led through new-to-us cities and countries with some very special guides. Some of these knowledgeable people were assigned to us by travel agents. Some were guides we engaged through recommendations of others. But all have been genuinely helpful, going out of their way to show us their part of the world and to add to our understanding of the history and culture of the area.

Notably, our guides have shown us details. Things we didn’t expect to see. Like Fes from one of the highest points in the city.

Or how a place was situated in the landscape to take advantage of protection or cooling breezes or views of the world beyond.

Our guides have noted details of cities, buildings, regimes that impacted history.

They’ve shared foods of the area and even answered our questions about how things grow, how and when they’re harvested, how they’re preserved, and what else native foods can mean to a society or a religious group.

Sometimes, though, they just note things of the region by being themselves. They may wear native dress. They may caution you about how to act during a certain time — like Ramadan — or what foods to order before you even leave the hotel for a day of touring.

It’s notes like these that we never even knew existed, but rich information from guides has increased our understanding and love of the people of the world and brought to light the customs we should respect and follow.

So, here’s to tour guides and drivers everywhere. You may not be working as hard or as frequently as you would like right now during the coronavirus pandemic, but as we all get back to the joy of travel, we hope you’ll be with us as we note our commonalities and celebrate our differences . . . together.

Rusha & Bert

Top photo: A guide in flowing white robes leads our little caravan through the Sahara Desert.

This post is one of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!