This week Ann-Christine encourages us to think back on 2018 and show pictures recapping some memorable moments. What a challenging assignment! With so many images to choose from, it is difficult to narrowed them down and pick only eight.
Probably one of my personal highlights in 2018 is the inception of this photography blog. This became a reality when an old friend (and great photographer, I must also add) encouraged me to participate in the newly organized weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge Group. And of course, I said “yes”! Taking pictures and writing is easy enough although creating the website was a different story. Fortunately with her ongoing encouragement and support, My Colorful Expressions.com was launched in July! I love posting this blog and publishing each week is very rewarding, most importantly it has allowed me to mentally stretch my visions and become more creative.
“Blogging is to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud.” – Andrew Sullivan
Another series of highlights in 2018 were the times my husband and I traveled to visited family and friends in Maryland, Florida and also abroad. International traveling began in May with a wonderful ocean cruise exploring six countries along the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, later we visited good friends in Toronto, Canada and spent a wonderful time seeing the sights there in addition to spending a day at Niagara-On-The-Lake. A few days ago we returned home from spending a week in Saint Kitts, a popular island in the Western Indies. Naturally, my camera is with me practically all of the time so selecting a few favorite pictures became overwhelming!
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain
Two of the countries we visited on our ocean cruise along the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea were Italy and France. Venice is delightful, looks like a fairy tale city. Gondolas are everywhere in the canals transporting people and conducting city tours. They glide through the canals so effortlessly and the elaborately decorated ones create a beautiful sight. Can you imagine how relaxing an evening ride is listening to your gondolier sing romantic songs?
Marseilles, France is another beautiful country and part of the French Riviera. It has the largest port in France and is known for it’s Petroleum refining and shipbuilding. This picture was taken at the Vieux-Port (Old Port) as fishmongers sell their catch along the boat-lined piers. Notre-Dame de la Garde, a Romanesque-Byzantine Catholic basilica is on the distant hill top and it is the city’s best-known symbol.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”― Mark Twain
We concluded 2018 in St Kitts, surrounded by wonderful Island people at the resort and explored the many of the Island’s national treasures with the assistance of our excellent guide. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Romney Manor Estate and sites where the country’s industries once relied on the sugar cane crops are a few of the interesting place visited.
This image, taken from the top of Timothy Hill, towards the northeast as the sun begins setting over the Atlantic Ocean.
An even more spectacular view atop Timothy Hill is where the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans border the St Kitts peninsular. Atlantic Ocean is on the left and the Caribbean Sea on the right hand side. Further down this peninsular one can actually see where the two oceans meet.
This is the image one sees as they walk through the front door of the The Pavilion Restaurant at Christophe Harbour, located on the Southeast Peninsula of the Island. It was so easy getting caught up in this mesmerizing scene by the Caribbean Sea although once it began to get dark we were ready for dinner!
We also traveled to Toronto, Canada to visit good friends, tour Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake to take in a play at the Shaw Theater. When in Toronto we had a wonderful dinner at the 360 Restaurant, atop the CN Revolving Tower. The view was spectacular and couldn’t help taking a few pictures of the landscape below, actually 1,151 feet (351 m) below! Since all of us are baseball fans it was only natural to capture the beginning of the Toronto Blue Jay’s evening game!
Views at Niagara Falls from the Canadian side are spectacular and humbling with majestic water falls, misty air, gorgeous landscapes and beautiful colors.
Also, this week Ann-Christine suggested showing a final photo which represented the entire year to us. After some thought, my second choice was the beautiful, relaxing view of beach chairs facing the Caribbean Sea as the sunsets on Christophe Harbour in St Kitts (image above). First choice is this magnificent live southern oak tree named Angel Oak. The reason this was chosen is that throughout history, oak trees have acquired many symbolic meanings; to me this tree symbolizes power, survival, perseverance, strength, wisdom and beauty.
“An Oak tree is a daily reminder that great things often have small beginnings.” ∼ Matshona Dhliwayo
This tree (Quercus virginiana) located on Johns Island, near Charleston, SC, is estimated to be 400 to 500 years old, stands 66.5 ft (20 m) tall, circumference of the trunk measures 28 ft (8.5 m) and length of its longest branch is 187 ft (57 m). It’s life expectancy is around nine hundred years and it is registered with the Live Oak Society, Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
As the New Year is beginning, I would like to wish everyone a healthy, prosperous and happy year in 2019 and Godspeed where ever you travel!!