Playa do Samil, Vigo

11 July 2022

One of my dear friends is visiting from Madrid, so we took advantage of the nice day and went to the beach! It wasn't hot enough to swim, but lovely for just hanging out and putting our feet in the water.

I love to start out my beach days at Il Papero restaurant across from the beach, and end them there with a scoop of house made ice cream before catching the bus home.

Turtle Rock

I like to sit on the rocks and enjoy the views away from the crowds on the beach. 

 We sat for a long time just talking and enjoying the sun.

This hat reminds me of my mom because of the strings. They keep it from blowing away, which is practical even if it looks less than elegant. The older I get the more I'm all about practical.

Parque do Castro, Vigo, Galicia

05 June, 2022

Went with a friend to visit my favorite city park here, which is a hill atop which is the ruins of an old fortress, one of many which were throughout the region. 

This striped butterfly didn't come out so well in the photo, but I have never seen one like this before. Hopefully I will see one again and get another chance. It was missing part of its tail.

Part of the fort, looking toward the inside.

A view of the Ria, or river delta.

Here you can see the river delta, the Islas Cies, and beyond them the Atlantic Ocean.

Me, just being fabulously weird as usual.

This big white building used to be a hospital, then was expanded, and now is both a hospital and a court building (don't ask me why). It was recently inaugurated in its reopening by the King of Spain, causing much traffic.

I always take a picture of this little donkey. I love him.

Playa de Samil during Calima

 21 March 2022

Today I wanted to walk on the beach, and was rewarded with a gorgeous sky that looked like sunset (even though it was well before actual sunset). There has been a massive Saharan dust storm passing through Spain which is what is causing the sky to be darker and redder than usual.

I couldn't decide which photo was the best, so here are all three.

Which one do you prefer and why?

Hawaiian Paradise Park

 17 August 2021

First day in Hawaii, just south of Hilo in a residential area, visiting a dear friend. This was the view from my room at dawn - not a great "view" per se, because it's largely obscured by bushes, but the birdsong and the incredible lush foliage and flowers were so beautiful in my eyes in the moment.

There are sadly no sand beaches nearby, just rocky lava shelves from which I would be afraid to try and swim, but the ocean is absolutely incredible and I walked along the shore for hours.

The lava created so many different shapes and textures here. This reminds me of an elephant's skin.

A little spin around so you can see what was behind me and in front of me.

Testing the panorama feature. What do you think?

The ocean always has some love to give!

The scenery behind, the contrast between lava and lush is so striking.

By this time I had been in the sun for 2-3 hours, so I stepped into the forest to get some shade. At the edge of the lava it was alternating mangrove and pine forests.

Is this a baby coconut? So cute!

That part of the forest got too difficult to navigate, so I went back to the lava.

Tried again to find a shortcut through the forest. It dead ended on someone's private property, but along the way I saw this magnificent tree.

The mangrove forests were muddy and hard to navigate... as someone found out.

Backtracking the way I came, and I was tired but still couldn't stop taking pictures. Look at the pattern showing how the lava flowed.

And a closeup of the little flowering plants in the cracks.

Finally, I can see the place where I started from (the shady area at the top). Nice little 4 hour walk...

I also took far too many videos of the waves crashing against the rocks, but unfortunately, I hadn't figured out how to block the wind from blowing on the camera's microphone, so they look beautiful but sound dreadful.

Here are two videos which have a bit less wind noise.