Egypt: Part 2

These will be the last I share. Too many to keep curating...

1. Our breakfast room in the Mena House. 2. Boat ride on the Nile. 3. Shopping. 4. The view from our hotel room. 5. One of the major Mosques.

Egypt: Part 1

Apparently I never got around to posting pictures of our trip to Egypt.

1. The golden interior of the Oberoi's lobby where they serve Hibiscus juice upon arrival. 2. The largest heads of cauliflower I've ever seen. 3. I could just post another well framed shot of the Sphinx but thought you might like to see how crowded the sites really are. 4. The ten dollar camel ride. 5. A morning view.

Mazatlan Part 4: Grab Bag

Mazatlan Part 3: More Color

Mazatlan Part 2: Facades

Clearly I'm a sucker for worn paint and exposed brick:

Mazatlan Part 1: Tile

Just returned from my honeymoon in Mexico and figured this would be a great time to resume blogging. My camera is loaded with shots of gorgeous buildings, sunsets, and cityscapes... but instead of boring you with the catalogue, today I'm going to focus on tile. Beautiful tile. On floors, around doors, climbing walls, and around just about every corner:

Such a creative way to dress up space.

Reasons to miss Virginia

Buoy this was fun!

Recent Travels

Went to Vegas and Miami last week- both cities I had never visited before.  One highlight was seeing Tom Jones in concert.  The other was being a guest at an elegant wedding in the St. Bernard de Clairvaux monastery.  It is allegedly the oldest building in the United States- built in Spain during the 11th century and brought to the US by William Randolph Hearst.  It is so gorgeous, I just had to share photos from the event.

Union Level

Recently had BBQ and hush puppies at Wilson's (vinegary bbq sauce has no equal) and then spent the afternoon at the farm.  Below, you can see the dogs are ready for a ride across the road in the Ranger.  

The beaver pond (all inhabitants seem to be hibernating):

The neighbor's cows:
Brynn waiting for someone to catch a fish:

Raining Cats...

Despite the drizzly, grey weather, I went for a long drive this morning to soak up rural Virginia. Lost myself on the country roads and saw this sweet dog playing King of the Mountain.  He even had a friend (just out of frame) looking up admiringly.The farms around Charlottesville are beautiful and varied: from horses to apples and everything in between.Grabbed lunch at a gourmet gas station (yes, I know that makes no sense but you just have to believe me) and returned to my sweet friend's house.  Came across her succulents enjoying the spritz in a pair of loved and repurposed boots.

AND Just the other week, I was reading about conserving water with rainwater reservoirs. Was so pleasantly surprised that my friend installed these water tanks under her gutters.  Although they aren't the most attractive addition to a house, they certainly would help save water and money.

Wish I had been able to take more photos of the countryside... but one really must be in the country to appreciate it.  Was glad I didn't let a little rain keep me inside today.  Off to watch "MILK" then have dinner with a wonderful old friend.