Turks and Caicos T …

back from our visit to the British West Indies Islands of Turks and Caicos

feeling relaxed and rejuvenated with so many special memories…

we stayed at a beautiful resort right on the beach…

with a heated salt water pool and beautifully manicured grounds…

if you are curious to learn a bit more about the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) you can visit here for some facts…

all of the staff were so cordial and gracious they really made everyone feel pampered and quite at home…

they went out of their way to learn the guests names which we found to be quite impressive…

this trip goes down as one of our all time best beach vacations…

we are already dreaming of a return visit someday…

the photo above was taken from our balcony looking through a sun glass lens which gave it an interesting look (good sun glasses were a must)…

even though the sky would darken sometimes off in the distance we never had any rain…

 we brought the traveling tea cup along…

our balcony had a very nice view and it was a good respite from the strong midday sun…

 we never got tired of the sound of the water that was so crystalline clear and  impossibly blue…

here’s wishing you a happy T day along with everyone over at Elizabeth’s Altered Book Lover…

sweet memories T …

greetings and salutations…

how quickly time flies…

hope you’ve been well…

we are home again after our travels…

grateful for the chance to enjoy new sights and sounds…

all such a treat…

being able to hug special family members again…

and visit with sweet friends…

so much to be grateful for…

here’s wishing you a happy T day along with everyone over at Elizabeth and Bleubeard’s

Rinda’s 2013 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt: Part 1

thanks to Jo Murray in Australia last year I was introduced to Rinda and her Photography Scavenger Hunt…

Mr Magpie and I had a great time playing along on the 2012 hunt here and were very excited to take this year’s list on our trip to the UK and Ireland in June…

here is Part 1 of what will be 3 parts…

1. Open air market

our local farmers market is a colorful and lively place to visit…

2.  Theater for performing arts (not a movie theater)

we took this theater photo in Dublin, Ireland…

3.  City Hall, Capitol or other similar civic building

this is the Nottingham Council House on a damp day in June as we enjoyed each minute spent with special friends Linda and Brian…

our zoom lens let us enjoy some of the finer details of the 1920’s Neo-Baroque city hall building (meet me by the lions)…

4.   Airplane

we flew with Virgin Atlantic Airlines…

and enjoyed it very much…

5.  A sunset

there are times in the year that we get to see some of the most beautiful sunsets right outside our front door here in northern Virginia...

later the same day my husband took this amazing photograph of the full August moon…

6.  Someone or something taking a nap

grateful for a nice zoom lens on my camera I could not believe my eyes one morning when I spied this handsome fox resting under our neighbor’s tree…

7. A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny

this shop in Dublin, Ireland made us giggle…

just because…

and we puzzled a bit over this sign in London until we looked down a stairwell and saw that it was directing people to put their trash cans in a special spot…

 we learned so many interesting things and saw so many wonderful sights during our travels…

8.  A tower

or more at the very colorful Cardiff Castle in Wales…

the first tower photo was taken from this medieval castle keep…

Parts 2 and 3 will be coming soon to complete my scavenger list…

you can visit Rinda here and see the complete list on her sidebar…

everyone is most welcome to play along… 

Mandala Monday: Make Mine a Double …

double Tiger Lily that is…

Hibiscus leaves, tiny Thyme blossoms and Campanula blooms from a plant that jumped into my shopping basket at Trader Joe’s recently…

no matter how many lilies I give away they always make a reappearance…

joining Dawn for Mandala Monday again this week…

“And now you’ll be telling stories
of my coming back
and they won’t be false, and they won’t be true
but they’ll be real” 
― Mary Oliver, A Thousand Mornings

lastly I wanted to share this beautiful sunset with you from over the weekend ♥

Wordless Wednesday: relaxed ‘black friday’

September days…

“We are like the spider

We weave our life

and then move along in it

We are like the dreamer

who dreams 

and then lives in the dream

This is true for the entire universe.” ~The Upanishads

OXO see you in October OXO

Simply Splendid Sunset Celebration

summer unofficially begins in these parts … end of May …  on the Memorial Day weekend …

it certainly feels like summer with a bit of relief  in the shade … still 80+ degrees (27 celsius) at dusk

we have wanted to visit George and Martha Washington’s home for some time now (it so happens it is open seven days a week, each and every day of the year … even on Christmas Day)

… coming for one of the special sunset events was a great idea …

imagine our delight to discover “Martha” … with a lovely view of the Potomac River …  chatting and stitching away on the porch … the hammer dulcimer and harp lilting lightly in the background

not sure where America’s first hero was

amazing really that it has taken us this long to get ourselves to  Mount Vernon

with its lovely gardens

music and frolicking

wagon rides and lots of out buildings

a perfect place for lingering on the lawn

I told Mr Magpie we need never return as this visit was idyllic from beginning to end

seeing the estate by candle lit lantern light certainly was magical

here is a quote from the proud home owner himself:

“No estate in America is more pleasantly situated than this …” George Washington (1732 – 1799), speaking of his eight-thousand acre home. Mount Vernon has changed little over the last 200 years, although now it has been reduced to five hundred acres.