I’ve been on a break and during that time, my husband and I visited our son in VA . He was able to dust off his ‘tour guide’ and ‘host’ hats again, and of course, he did a fabulous job. Just spending time with him in his apartment, catching up about life and enjoying wine and good food, is something special we’ll never take for granted. But he did have fun playing tour guide, so a few places we visited were Arlington National Cemetery, Harper’s Ferry, Shenandoah National Park, and the Teddy Roosevelt Island. Some sights were simply breathtaking while others such as the Cemetery were somber. We couldn’t help but get teary-eyed. It was relaxing driving around the area too, reveling in the sights of acres and acres of lush green grass. Just gorgeous! Here are a few photos that I hope you enjoy;
Arlington National Cemetery – The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Iwo Jima
Harper’s Ferry, W.V. – Potomac River
The Appalachian Trail runs through Harper’s Ferry, and I am proud to say we walked a few miles on this iconic trail! It was fun and inspiring to talk to some hikers who were just beginning their 1000-mile trek up to Maine!
Harper’s Ferry, W.V. – Potomac River
Shenandoah National Park
Tunnel on Skyline Drive (105 miles long) in Shenandoah National Park
Another vista inShenandoah National Park
Walking from our son’s apt. to our hotel – a 5-minute walk.
Teddy Roosevelt Island Memorial – an 88.5-acre island and national memorial located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The land is generally maintained as a natural park, with various trails and a memorial plaza featuring a statue of Roosevelt. No cars or bicycles are permitted on the island, which is reached by a footbridge from Arlington, VA on the western bank of the Potomac.
Teddy Roosevelt Island
And to top off this post, today is my father-in-law’s 100th BIRTHDAY!! He suffers with pain but walks with a walker, and his mind is as sharp as ever. It’s beyond amazing! He didn’t want a big party, so we had a small gathering with family and friends, and he was very appreciative. When the celebration was over, we took him home so he could take a nap!!! 🎉🎉
He doesn’t eat cake often, but he indulged in this delicious cake for his 100th!!
Thank you for stopping by! Work continues on my upcoming book, and the release month is now June for ‘summer reading.’ I’m also working on reviews for some wonderful books I’ve read this year. I hope you are doing well, and I wish you a bright start to this new month of May.
On March 4th, I shared the adventure in San Francisco my husband and I went on for his birthday in February. If you missed it and would like to check it out, here is the link: https://baydreamerwrites.com/2023/03/04/sun-on-the-city/ I’m sharing our fun and educational experience to give you insight into the fabulous museums in the iconic city and to focus on appreciating fine art. Not so much on our birthdays. I know some people would rather skip their birthdays altogether. But not me. I love to celebrate with family, friends, good wine and food, and once a year, yes, cake!
Life is so full of tragedy these days with yet another school shooting yesterday that we should truly live each day with every ounce of energy and joy because the fragility of tomorrow is no surprise. So, the good news is that we are alive to celebrate another year of life. That doesn’t mean our bodies won’t change as the years pass, but we can still “stop and smell the flowers” even with aches, pains, a few more wrinkles (laugh lines), and gray hairs. Sure beats the alternative, right??? So, here we go!
San Francisco sits “in our backyard” but we tend to venture west or north more often than south. Lately, we have changed our compass to relive some of the adventures from years ago. The de Young Museum was our next destination. Below is a brief description from Wikipedia:
The de Young showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles, and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific and Africa. The deYoung Museum Collections include: American Art, African Art, Oceanic Art, Arts of the Americas, Costume and Textile Arts, Graphic Arts, Photography and Sculpture. Some of the collection is accessible online on the museum website and Google Arts and Culture.
As I mentioned on the 4th, time won’t allow me to caption each photo. So, I hope you enjoy the slideshow below of only a small amount of the art. My cell battery was beginning to conk out, so I had to give it a rest. Some pieces were awe-inspiring, some very moving, others fascinating. I was in awe of the tiny details in paintings and sculptures and the incredible talent and skill needed to achieve such fantastic artwork. The photos don’t do justice, but I hope you can see what a fabulous collection this museum offers:
Photos I took throughout the day…
“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh
The first photo above was taken from inside the museum, the three following were taken from the observatory on the 9th floor. This was another stunning day in the big city, sunny, cold, a bit windy, but with the umbrella of a clear, blue sky. The view from the observatory was spectacular!
The photos below were taken when we walked around the grounds. We wanted to ride the ferris wheel, but the line was a mile long. No patience to wait. The observatory is in the tall brown building on the 9th floor. That’s where you could hear everyone ooh and ahh at the stunning views of San Francisco and the museum surroundings.
The trees in the photo above are mostly London Plane and Scotch Elm, which are heavily cut back to give a very regular and formal appearance to the plaza.
I couldn’t leave out the pretty and unique flowers…
Selfie time and a bit windy. When we left the museum later in the afternoon, we drove to The Presidio in San Francisco and walked on the tunnel tops: The Presidio Tunnel Tops project creates San Francisco’s great escape – a 14-acre oasis at the center of the Presidio featuring views, nature, and play.
This was our first time on these tunnel tops and what an amazing oasis!You’ll see the playground for kids, the view of San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, the highway beneath, and red Adirondack chairs that we parked ourselves on to enjoy the view. It was fun to see sailboats, yachts, wind surfers, and other water sports aficionados on the bay.
It was a “hair in face” day, but beautiful indeed! At the end of the day,who doesn’t like to go out for dinner? But we decided that after being out from morning until early evening and indulging in a great lunch on the cafe patio, staying in sounded nice and cozy. My hubby who is not a baker, made me my most favorite dessert, a homemade carrot cake (albeit with my supervision). And it was (still is) delicious! Although, most went into the freezer yesterday morning. Can’t eat it all week. 😁
I closed my eyes and thought of a wish before blowing out the candles, but honestly, I am so grateful for my life: for my husband, daughter and son, sisters, and friends for making this a special birthday. And for you in this wonderful blogging community! ❤️🙏🏻
Thanks for popping in and I hope you enjoyed the art, nature, and the importance of celebrating life!Keep celebrating! Live Life!
Last week, we spent the day in San Francisco celebrating my husband’s birthday. The weather has been very wet and cold, but we were blessed with a stunning day in the city. Yes, the temperature was crisp, but the sun shined, warming us like a blanket and creating lovely photos. Even though we’ve visited this iconic city numerous times, I can’t help but take more pictures, especially of the Golden Gate Bridgeand the bay.
Our destination was The Legion of Honor (above top) which stands prominently above the Lincoln Park Golf Course. If you’re interested in learning about this fine art museum, I pulled the information below from Wikipedia:
The Legion of Honor displays a collection spanning more than 6,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts.
The Hall of Antiquities displays ancient works from Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome, including sculptures, figurines, vessels, jewelry, and carved reliefs. Notable works include a 4,000-year-old carved wood figure of Seneb, an Egyptian royal scribe. The collection is supported in part by the Ancient Art Council, which offers a speakers program focusing on the ancient world.[7][8]
The museum’s collection of European Decorative Arts includes a gilded Spanish ceiling from c. 1500; numerous items of furniture, including Horace Walpole’s commode of 1763 from Strawberry Hill House, west of London; and three period rooms, including the Salon Doré from the Hôtel de La Trémoille, Paris, said to be the only complete example of a pre-Revolutionary Parisian salon to be displayed anywhere.[11][12]
The Bowles Porcelain Gallery displays an array of porcelain and pottery from England and continental Europe with a strong emphasis on the eighteenth century. Adjacent to the gallery is the Ceramic Study Center.[13]
The Contemporary Arts Program, which brings the work of living artists into dialogue with the building and the collections, was inaugurated in 2017 with an exhibition of more than 30 works by Urs Fischer installed throughout the museum.[14] Subsequent exhibitions have featured works and interventions by artists including Lynn Hershman Leeson,[15]Julian Schnabel,[16]Alexandre Singh,[17] and Wangechi Mutu.[18]
Situated off the northwest corner of the Legion grounds is the Holocaust Memorial, a sculptural group of white-painted bronze by George Segal installed in 1984. Although not part of the Legion’s collection, the sculpture is often seen by visitors to the museum.
The Legion of Honor has played a big part in films:
The museum plays a major part in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo (1958) when Scottie (played by James Stewart) follows Madeleine Elster (played by Kim Novak) to the museum, where she stares at one painting for a considerable time. The painting, a portrait of the fictitious Carlotta Valdes, was a prop created specifically for the production by artist John Ferren and is not housed at the museum.[23]
As much as I’d love to detail each photo, time won’t allow, so I hope you enjoy these visuals. The slideshow below presents only a fraction of the paintings, sculptures, furniture, architecture, porcelain, and silver.
We spent most of the day at the museum, but when we finished perusing each room, we walked around the grounds, enjoying the greenery of the Lincoln Park Golf Course (above photos). After leaving The Legion of Honor, we drove through Ocean Beach, pulled over to look at the view, and between the soothing colors of the ocean and that bright blue sky, we were in awe. More photos! And of course, a selfie was necessary, especially one of me sneaking in a kiss for the birthday boy.
As we were leaving and since I was driving, my hubby took some photos of the bridge (again, we can’t have too many). Then we took a slow drive through a picturesque coastal town and stopped at a cool bar on the bay and enjoyed the serenity from the stunning viewsof the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.Before we left this beautiful spot, we walked out on the pier for more photos.Because fog and wind pay frequent visits to San Francisco, we truly lucked out with the weather on this celebratory February day. So, when I think of an adjective to describe this Saturday in the city, the word that comes to mindis Glorious!Cheers!
I hope you enjoyed this little slice of San Francisco. Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely weekend ahead. ❤️
I remember our conversation, effort to calm emotions, phone glued to ear like a natural extension. Her voice, exhausted… “When will this be over?” She asked Dad days later, more like a plea. He could be gentle or travel the path of honesty. I don’t know the words he pulled from his language of a sixty-seven-year love…how he tiptoed through the reply,though tenderly,I imagine, since his heart was shattering into millions of minute fragments. Her time was close. Our awareness vigilant. Each day, another breath held until the hands of timewould pause. Then as quickly as the sun fades behind rolling hills, raindrops splash upon us. She had ascended. Moments of memories to follow. But not one day passes without celebratingher life. Not one day slips by without her knowing how much she is loved and missed.
Lauren Scott (c) Mom would be 101 today, and since she loved her roses, we dedicate this beauty for her. ❤️
I stroll in the yard, dry as an arid desert. Drought drains most of life, but they persevere, soaking up occasional showers.
Follow their guidance, no surrendering, joy imparts effortlessly. Even through difficulties cause to celebrate sweeps in.
So much is happening in the world to feed anxiety. But there is also cause to feel the joy that nature offers and to learn from her messages. And the desire to celebrate always sweeps its way into our lives to help keep our minds balanced in order to move forward. For my husband and I, today we celebrate our beautiful daughter’s 30th birthday. 💞 Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and one filled with joy and Cause to Celebrate!
Our furry family member turns 10 today! He’s a big baby and he still thinks he’s a lap dog even though he weighs about 78 lbs. If we sit on the floor, he’ll back his butt into the circle of our legs and park himself. “Oh, Copper. You filled a void when we adopted you eight years ago, welcoming you into our family. And in turn, you give us unconditional love and kisses, and let us rub your belly as often as we want. Look how generous you are! You continue to melt our hearts with your golden eyes and make us smile with your funny faces. We love you!!“
Welcome to the 3rd and final day of my 3-Day Quote Challenge, which I was happy to have been nominated by Annika at annikaperry.com. Thanks again, Annika! This has been fun, but it’s also lead me to some great new quotes. Please visit Annika’s blog if you haven’t already. She’s a fabulous writer of fiction – an amazing story teller!
To the challenge…The rules are as follows:
Thank the person who nominated you. Post a quote on 3 consecutive days. Share why this quote appeals so much to you. Nominate 3 different bloggers for each day.
I found my quote online, which ties into this very special day, my son’s 23rd birthday…
Our son came into our world on 5/9/95, at 3:38 pm. We had our little girl so were elated to have a son. Before our children were born, though, we chose not to learn the gender. We loved the element of surprise and would simply be thrilled with healthy babies. With these thoughts going in, I experienced the same “high” I felt after giving birth to my daughter – a wonderful feeling unlike no other.
As to my son’s purpose, he’ll be graduating from college next month and is still working on his path in life. Many have been blessed to have realized their purpose, and for others, the search continues. This is perfectly okay because there is no time limit, although remember to enjoy the journey, also!
Regarding birthdays, some choose to skip theirs for fear of aging. This is one aspect of life out of our control, so as I conveyed in my prior post, let’s live life to its fullest and celebrate our special days. Each birthday is another year of life, and getting to blow out candles on a festive birthday cake is not a guarantee. It’s a privilege that many people don’t experience because their lives end sooner than expected.
So, I wish my son a very Happy 23rd Birthday and am so proud of the young man he’s become. I love him and my daughter to the moon and back! And his family is beyond excited to see where his path leads him post graduation.
(Photo taken in Tokyo 2017)
I hope you are inspired now to celebrate your special days, to not worry about aging, but instead, to enjoy the possibilities and gifts that each day brings…and if you haven’t figured out your purpose, yet, then keep searching…You may learn something wonderful about yourself along the way…
I’ll leave it up to anyone who would like to take on this quote challenge, instead of nominating individuals. Hope you enjoyed! Lauren ❤
Welcome to the 2nd day of my 3-Day Quote Challenge, which I’m happy to be nominated by Annika at annikaperry.com. Thanks so much, Annika!
To the challenge…The rules are as follows:
Thank the person who nominated you. Post a quote on 3 consecutive days. Share why this quote appeals so much to you. Nominate 3 different bloggers for each day.
Following the events at our house this past Saturday provided inspiration for my second quote:
“Life isn’t meant to be lived perfectly…but merely to be LIVED. Boldly, wildly, beautifully, uncertainly, imperfectly, magically LIVED.” ~ Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
This quote is relevant because it ties into our celebration of my father-in-law’s 95th Birthday this past weekend. He is truly a man who has LIVED his life and still does! He’s found love twice in a lifetime, outliving two wives (30-year marriage first then 25-year marriage), has been healthy and active in league bowling and bocce ball. He’s found great satisfaction from delivering meals on wheels, has been a member of SIRS for 30 years, has been an avid walker, and has enjoyed traveling. Not to mention, he’s been active in his church since 1967. He’s also been passionate about classical music and light opera. He loves to socialize and everyone loves him! We finally managed a group photo (above), but only after many guests had already left.
So, it’s quite apparent he’s lived life magically, and may we all do the same!
Instead of nominating individuals, I’ll leave it up to anyone who would like to take on this challenge. 🙂
Sunny California is finally sunny again with warmer temps on their way. Our son flew home on Saturday, following the end of his political science internship in DC. He wanted to be home for my birthday (Sunday), and what better gift than to have both of my children home. My excitement to see him couldn’t be put into words. Then to have the four of us together again was awesome! And the awesomeness continues for the week before he returns to college for his final quarter. Yes, then graduation in June. More celebrating! 🎉
The picture below was taken on the speaker’s balcony of the capitol.
My heart was full from all the birthday wishes from family and friends, but this year, I wanted a celebration with just my husband and children. It was a great family day with lots of surprises and carrot cake (my fave) to top of the day. I made my wish, so we shall see. I’m also not shy about sharing my age. I’m simply grateful to be alive to celebrate each new year.
Thirty-nine again!
And with the seasons changing, I wrote a sequel to my previous poem and post, A Cup of Spring.
Scene Change
Mr. Winter bows as the curtain gently falls His mood is melancholy
yet, he understands Miss Spring adjusts her petals, poised with grace, for the welcoming applause Hats off to her glow and
the warmth she evokes
I hope you’re applauding Miss Spring’s arrival, too, and I’ll end with some wise words that you’ve probably heard before… “Life is full of give and take. Give thanks, and take nothing for granted.“ ❤ 🌻 🌼 ❤
Baydreamer ~ Lauren Scott 