Sea Glass Christmas

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season from Florida! 

Blue Sea Glass Christmas Tree at Sebastian Beach, Florida

Joshua Tree National Park in May

We celebrated our anniversary in May with a trip to Palm Springs, California.  A favorite place we always visit there is Joshua Tree National Park – the landscape, plants, and flowers in spring are spectacular!

Trio Pink Hedgehog Cactus Flowers

Teddybear Cholla Cactus

Single Pink Hedgehog Cactus Flower

Silver Cholla Greenish Yellow Cactus Flowers

Red Racer Snake (Coachwhip)

Pinyon Pine Tree Growing Between Rocks

Cottonwood Springs Fan Palm Oasis

Extraordinarily Tall Joshua Tree Nicknamed the Telephone Pole or Barber Pole

Joshua Tree and Rocky Landscape

Orange Desert Mariposa Wildflower

Orange Hedgehog Cactus Flowers

Clearwater Florida Fun

Clearwater is a beautiful place to visit on the Gulf of Mexico near St. Petersburg, Florida.  Favorites were the sugar sand beaches, plentiful dolphins, botanical gardens, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets.  Can’t wait to see it again!

Spectacular Orange Sunrise!

Snowy Egret Walking by Beach Shell Pile

Clearwater Seashells Collected

Clearwater Shell Beach at Hotel

Clearwater Hotel Looking Towards Sand Key Park

Clearwater’s Sand Key Park Beach Waves

Sand Key Sailboat – Pastels of White Sugar Sand and Blue Gulf of Mexico

Pelican at Marina

Dolphin Jumping Seen on Clearwater Fun Boat Ice Cream Tour

Florida Botanical Gardens Entrance and Travelers Palms

Nature in the New Year

Best wishes for the New Year – hope it brings magical moments in time!  Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, and drink the wild air!”

Get out and enjoy nature – it’s good for your health!

Royal Terns and Skimmers at Sebastian Beach, Florida

Ocean Wave Curl at Sebastian Beach, Florida

Sunset at Melbourne Beach, Florida

Ice on Diamond Beach, Jokulsarlon Lagoon, South Coast, Iceland

Wave Splash at Blowing Rocks Preserve, Jupiter, Florida

Pink Sand at Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California

Calm Waves at Sebastian Beach, Florida

Florida “Snowman” on Beach

Warm wishes to you for the holidays from our Florida “Snowman”!

Florida “Snowman” at Sebastian Beach on Central Atlantic Coast

Tersa Sphinx Moth Surprise!

In late November we rescued this Tersa sphinx moth caterpillar from the top of our trash can.  How it got there I’ll never know.  We placed it in a safe big aquarium with lots of leaves and sticks.  It turned into a pupa shortly thereafter and emerged last week.  We released it into the garden and it flew away at dusk. This moth (Xylophanes tersa) is a kind of hawk or hummingbird moth that drinks nectar at night.  What a beauty!

Tersa Sphinx Moth Caterpillar on Hand (front view with eye spots) on November 20, 2021 (Xylophanes tersa)

Tersa Sphinx Moth Caterpillar on Hand (side view) on November 20, 2021 (Xylophanes tersa)

Tersa Sphinx Moth Emerged from Pupa (side view) on February 19, 2022 side view (Xylophanes tersa)

Tersa Sphinx Moth Pupa on December 5, 2021 (Xylophanes tersa)

Tersa Sphinx Moth Emerged from Pupa (front head view) on February 19, 2022 side view (Xylophanes tersa)

Flying Over an Iceland Volcano!

In late July 2021 we managed to squeak in a summer trip to Iceland when it was safe between waves of COVID‑19.  We had the thrill of a lifetime when we flew in a helicopter over the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano!  It was incredible seeing bubbling lava and the creation of new Earth right before our eyes.  It was our first helicopter ride and was so smooth.  The volcano was only a short 15-minute trip from Reykjavik.  We were surprised when our pilot said she had gotten her training near our home in Florida.  Every night we watched volcanic lava fountains from our AirBnB (15 miles away).  Sometimes the fountains shot up to 30 stories tall!  The eruption stopped just 6 weeks after our visit, so we feel fortunate that we had that experience when we could.  Incredible landscape and scenery!  Click on the pictures if you wish to enlarge.  For a nature lover, Iceland is the best!

 

Pam and Richard by Helicopter

View of Reykjavik Suburbs from Helicopter

Fagradalsfjall Volcanic Landscape, July 27, 2021

Fagradalsfjall Volcano with Lava Flow

Iceland Volcanic Landscape Looks Like Mars

Fagradalsfjall Volcano Lava Rocks

Fagradalsfjall Volcano Fountains and Moon

Our Nightly View of Volcano (Church in Foreground on Right)

Florida Beaches are Gorgeous in Fall!

Here in Florida the beach looks different every day.  My favorite of all is when the water turns this stunning aqua blue.  Makes for a great beach walk on our Space Coast!

Space Coast Beaches – Surf Fishing

Space Coast Beaches Shoreline

Space Coast Beaches – Waves Coming In

SpaceX Launch – BEST Launch Ever!

What a spectacular launch tonight!  SpaceX launched their first all-civilian crew into space at 8:02 pm Eastern Daylight Time this evening.  The Inspiration4 mission is part of a fundraising effort to raise over $200 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (they provide care to children at no cost to families).   Everything about this mission is great.  If that wasn’t enough – it was a perfect evening here in Florida and the view was AMAZING!!! 

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Florida: Sebastian Beach in August

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, is a favorite of ours year round. In summer we especially enjoy walking out on the pier. It’s a great way to see the wildlife and enjoy the breeze. Great birds we’ve seen include royal terns, osprey carrying a black sea bass, and a rare black tern.

Sebastian Beach and Sky

Sebastian Inlet Bridge View

Rare Black Tern

Royal Tern in Flight

Osprey with Sea Bass

Spectacular SpaceX Crew-2 Launch!

SpaceX launched four astronauts of the Crew-2 mission into space at 5:49 am this morning (April 23, 2021).  It was a spectacular sight here on the Space Coast of Florida – a magical moment of wonder!  As I watched the rocket arc into the sky, I could hear the predawn birds calling and an alligator bellowing. A short time later the roar of the engines reached me at our backyard in Palm Bay.  The crew will dock at the International Space Station on early Saturday morning for a six month stay.  Learn more at:  https://www.spacex.com/launches/

Liftoff of SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

Rocket Arc of SpaceX Crew-2 Launch

Misty Rocket Trail “Ball” of SpaceX Crew-2 Launch

Rocket Trail Mist Covering Sky of SpaceX Crew-2 Launch

SpaceX Crew-2 Rocket Trail Dips Below Horizon

Seashell Valentine

Valentine Seashell Heart formed by Atlantic Giant Cockle Shells, Sebastian Beach, Florida

Warm wishes for a Happy Valentine’s Day from Florida!

Florida: Protected Malabar Scrub Sanctuary

One of Several Ponds at Sanctuary

Moorhen (Common Gallinule) on Pond

Trail Lined with Scrub Oaks

Christmas Lichen (Cryptothecia rubrocincta) on Scrub Oak

Powder Puff Lichen (Cladina evansii)

Author Pam Photographing Sandy Goldenaster-Lined Trail

Coastalplain Goldenaster (Chrysopsis scabrella)

Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida) Pink Bell Flower

Rusty Staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea)

Florida Paintbrush (Carphephorus corymbosus) (member of sunflower family)

Rare Rosemary Scrub (look closely and you will see a crab spider in middle)

Sandhill Crane

Florida Scrub Jay (vulnerable species)

Gopher Tortoise at Underground Burrow (vulnerable species)

Malabar Scrub Sanctuary is a protected rare scrub habitat in Brevard County, Florida.  It is part of the Space Coast’s Environmentally Endangered Lands program.  Visitors come to see rare plants and animals in a beautiful setting.  It’s a great place to hike!

LEGOS at McKee Gardens Holidays 2020

LEGO Polar Bear and Cubs

LEGO Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed

LEGO Jeweled Chameleon

LEGO Baby Sea Turtle Hatching

LEGO Snow Leopard

LEGO Coral Reef

LEGO Coral Reef – Close-up of Seahorse

LEGO Whooping Crane on Nest of Eggs

LEGO Zebra

LEGO Hummingbird Feeding from Trumpet Flower

Bushes as Elves in Garden

Holiday Angel Display

Maroon and Yellow Cattleya Orchid in Bloom

Purple Waterlily Blooming in December

We especially enjoyed the LEGO art on display at McKee Gardens over the holidays.  It was great to see such creative sculptures by talented artist Sean Kenney in “Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks”. 

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge and see details about how many LEGO bricks are in the sculpture and how many hours it took to create it.  For example, the Polar Bear with Cubs sculpture is the most complex – it is composed of 133,263 LEGO bricks and took 1,048.5 hours to build.

See Sean Kenney’s tour schedule by Imagine Exhibitions at:  https://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/nature_connects/  See more of his work at:  https://www.seankenney.com/exhibits/

Bok Tower Gardens Holidays 2020

Lying on the Ground Looking Up at Bok Tower

Bok’s December Entrance with Holiday Flowers (red impatiens and poinsettias, and white Snow Flake Bush (Euphorbia leucocephala)

Flowers in Bloom Display (Make of it the most beautiful spot on earth where the bird and human can rest and find themselves)

Origami Decorated Christmas Trees in Lobby

Christmas Presents with Origami Bows

Creamy White and Red Poinsettias with Raindrops

Alligator Statue with Christmas Holiday Bow

Tiled Bench in Front of Historic Pinewood Estate

Tree Covered with Resurrection Ferns

Round Outdoor Pot Covered with Colorful Lichens

Balloon Plant Milkweed (Asclepias physocarpa) Host Plant for Monarchs

Monarch Caterpillar Eating Balloon Plant Milkweed Leaves

Apricot Sun Bromeliad (Aechmea blanchetiana Orange) by Saw Palmetto Frond

Stunning Purple Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

Gorgeous Dark Pink Camellia with Yellow Center

We visited Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, in December 2020.  Lucky for us it is only a day trip from home and it was easy to walk around in isolation.  It felt oh-so-good to visit such a beautiful place during the Christmas holidays.  https://boktowergardens.org/

California: Carmel Mission Church

Carmel Mission Basilica (note Moorish-style dome on left)

Entrance Door. The Star of Bethleham window is oriented so the sun streams into the sanctuary during the summer solstice.

Historic Carmel Mission Altar

Carmel Mission Pipe Organ

Original Cross of 1797 that was on Church Tower Dome

Carmel Mission Bell Tower

Carmel Mission Bell

Bougainvillea by Mission’s Thick Stone Walls

Red Hot Pokers in Garden

Mission Flower Garden

Saint Francis of Assisi Statue in Garden

Statue of St. Francis Holding Crucifix with Jesus

Statue of Mary Outside Church (damaged by earthquakes and held together with giant staples)

Abalone Shells Mark Gravesites in Mission Cemetary

Spectacular Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) in Garden

Carmel Mission Fountain

Daytime Carmel Mission Painting

Nighttime Carmel Mission Painting

Mission Carmel is one of our favorite California missions!  Father Junipero Serra founded Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in 1770 in Monterey.  It was moved to a better location in nearby Carmel on August 24, 1771.  The church was dedicated on Christmas Day, 1797. 

It is a National Historic Landmark, the second of 21 California missions, and is still an active Catholic parish.  It is one of only three missions made of stone (the others are San Juan Capistrano and Santa Barbara).

The mission’s buildings deteriorated over time and were also damaged by earthquakes.  It has undergone extensive renovation and restoration.  The Carmel Mission has been visited by people from around the world and is a jewel on the central California coast.  Planning is now underway for the 250^th anniversary celebration in Fall 2021!  Read more at:  https://missiontour.org/wp/carmel/mission-carmel-basilica.html    

If you visit the Carmel Mission, pair it with a stunning coastal walk at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve – only a short distance away:  https://www.pointlobos.org/

Astronauts Launched to Space!

SpaceX Astronauts Launched to ISS

A full SpaceX crew launched tonight at 7:27 pm EDT here in Florida.  Four astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station!  WOW – what a spectacular view and achievement!!!  Such a beautiful warm evening – the rocket lit up the whole sky.  This was the view from our backyard pond in Palm Bay, Florida.  Watch full coverage of the Crew-1 mission on NASA TV at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg&feature=emb_logo OR on SpaceX at https://www.spacex.com/

Atlas Launch at Dusk

Atlas Rocket Takeoff at Dusk

Atlas Rocket Trail in Sky

Atlas Booster Rockets Dropping Back to Earth

ULA Atlas Mascots

Gorgeous Atlas rocket launch by United Launch Alliance at dusk last night!  The last rays of sunset lit up the rocket’s exhaust trail in the sky.   The satellite was delivered safely into orbit.  Next up is the SpaceX full crew flight to the International Space Station!

California: Monterey Bay Aquarium

Author Photographing Sardines at Open Seas. “The sea is as near as we come to another world.”

Sea Pen Display

Chambered Nautilus (cousin of the octopus)

Green Moray Eels

Bigfin Reef Squid

Lookdown Fish

Stone Scorpionfish (looking left)

Orange Cup Coral

Southern Sea Otter

Avocet (at least 26 years old)

Marbled Godwit (at least 21 years old)

Black Oystercatcher ( at least 24 years old)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (at least 20 years old)

Beautiful California Coast South of Monterey

We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium at the end of February.  It is always a delight – one of the best aquariums we’ve ever seen!  It is extra special because of its beautiful location on the central California coast.  Although temporarily closed now because of the pandemic, you can visit virtually through these live cams:  https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams. 

Some of the birds at the aquarium are quite old  (https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/stories/the-aviarys-amazing-senior-citizens).  Each one was found injured and unable to be released back into the wild.  They have been happily living their lives in the aviary ever since.  I read that birdwatching and nature is good for the soul and health – agreed!  https://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-of-bird-watching/

California: Filoli Gardens in Early Spring

White Flowering Fruit Tree and Daffodils

Cherub and Daffodils

Yellow Daffodils Blooming

White and Orange Daffodil Blooming

Pink Star Tulips

White Narcissus Flowers and Bird Bath

Majestic Tulip Tree in Bloom

Tulip Tree Flower Close-up

Red and White Camellia

Red Velvet Camellia

It seems like ages ago, but in February we enjoyed a trip to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, California (south of San Francisco).  It is one of the most beautiful gardens in the United States!  It is well worth a visit.  More info is at:  https://filoli.org/

SpaceX Rocket Launch – WOW!!!

Spectacular Sky Show of SpaceX Launch (star sapphire effect!)

SpaceX Booster Return Rocket Trail

On Saturday morning in the predawn hour of 5:21 am SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here on Florida’s east coast.  The sight was spectacular – WOW!!!  The rocket trail was illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon. The glow in the bottom picture is from the booster return landing on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” offshore, which at that point was 350 miles away!  Fifty-eight Starlink satellites and 3 Planet SkySats were sent into orbit.  Read about it at:  https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-8-planet-satellite-launch-rocket-landing-success.html  and https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-8-launch-amazing-twitter-photos.html

California: Pink Beach!

Short Walk to Pfeiffer Beach through Monterey Cypress Trees

Walk North on Beach

Pink Diamond Patterns in Sand

Pink Sand Around Rocks

Seaweed at Water’s Edge

Sea Stack with Keyhole Arch

Pfeiffer Beach is a real gem tucked away at the end of Sycamore Canyon Road at Big Sur, California (south of Monterey).  This spectacular beach is famous for its pink sand, formed by manganese garnet crystals that have washed down from the cliffs above. Look for ever-changing patterns of increasing pink sand as you walk north along the beach.  A bonus to your walk is the rocky sea arch offshore – watch for the waves to come roaring through its keyhole arch.  Don’t miss this hidden secret!  Learn more at:   https://www.hikespeak.com/trails/pfeiffer-beach-big-sur/  

A previous post about Pfeiffer Beach is at:  https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/big-sur-stunning-pink-sand-beach/

Florida in Spring: Nesting Herons and Other Dark Birds

Great Blue Heron Pair on Nest

Great Blue Heron Nest Building on Tree Tops

Male Anhinga’s Beautiful Green and Blue Eye Colors in Spring

Fuzzy Anhinga Babies in Nest

Double Crested Cormorants Have Turquoise Blue Mouths During Breeding Season

Beautiful Iridescent Colors of Glossy Ibis

Green Backed Heron in Marsh

Yellow Crowned Night Heron in Tree with Spanish Moss

Juvenile White Phase of Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron Transition from White Phase to Adulthood Plumage

Adult Little Blue Heron’s Dark Feather Colors

Tricolored Heron’s Crest Feathers

Adult Tricolored Heron’s Beautiful Blue Color During Breeding Season

Juvenile Tricolored Heron’s Funny Face

Tricolored Heron Baby Hello!

Paired with my other post about Florida’s egrets and other white birds in spring, this post is about herons and dark feathered birds during nesting season.  These colorful birds and their babies make me smile! 

Scenic Golden Gate Bridge is the Best!

Golden Gate Bridge Approach Looking North

Golden Gate Bridge and Surfer as seen from Fort Point National Historic Site (also location of famous scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Movie Vertigo)

Golden Gate Bridge in Infrared as seen from Fort Point National Historic Site

Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center Viewpoint

Golden Gate Bridge Walkway Looking North

Golden Gate Bridge Panorama of San Francisco Bay Area (click to enlarge)

Golden Gate Bridge Tower’s Art Deco Style

Golden Gate Bridge Art Deco Lightposts

Close-up of Golden Gate Bridge’s Art Deco Lamp

Golden Gate Bridge Historic Plaque

Golden Gate Bridge Span Cable and Wire Statistics

Close-up of Single Golden Gate Bridge Cable

Golden Gate Bridge as Viewed from the Water Looking North (tours from Pier 39)

Golden Gate Bridge Span as seen from Marin Headlands Looking South (at Battery Spencer)

Golden Gate Bridge Tower as seen from Marin Headlands (at Battery Spencer)

Richard and Pam (author) at Marin Headlands by Foggy Golden Gate Bridge

Whimsical Golden Gate Bridge and Dinosaurs Card

In February this year we made a return visit to San Francisco, California.  We left just before the Pandemic and lockdown occurred.  We look forward to the day when life returns to normal.  Meanwhile we’ll enjoy thinking about the good times we had and more to come (note all pictures can be clicked to enlarge).

The iconic Golden Gate Bridge first opened on May 27, 1937.  This suspension bridge is an engineering marvel that is 1.7 miles long and contains 80,000 miles of steel wire – enough to circle the Earth three times!  Painting the bridge is a never-ending job.  Read a fascinating story about it at:  https://www.citylab.com/life/2015/04/the-fascinating-neverending-job-of-painting-the-golden-gate-bridge/390453/

The U.S. Navy originally wanted to paint the bridge black with yellow stripes.  Others wanted to paint it aluminum grey to evoke the beauty of a dirigible airship.  Architect Irving Morrow decided to keep the bridge the same color (International Orange) as the original red primer on the steel.  He thought it blended well with the nearby hills, ocean, and sky throughout the seasons. 

San Francisco is famous for its fog.  It forms most often in summer when warm air flows over the cool Pacific Ocean.  Some visitors never see the bridge because of the dense fog!  Poets have described the fog as “moving art”.  Our time-lapse video of fog streaming past the Golden Gate Bridge can be viewed at:  https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/our-best-video-of-the-golden-gate-bridge-and-fog-time-lapse-10x-speed/

San Francisco is consistently voted one of the top ten cities in the world by travelers. The “City by the Bay” has inspired the following quotes:

Billy Graham: “The Bay Area is so beautiful that I hesitate to preach about Heaven while I am here.”

Walter Cronkite: “Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. You want to linger as long as possible.”

Julia Child: “It is simply a very romantic place…you couldn’t be anywhere else.”

Larry King: “The ultimate for me would be one perfect day in San Francisco. There’s no city like it anywhere.”

Rudyard Kipling: “San Francisco has only one drawback…it is hard to leave.”

Frank Sinatra: “I left my heart in San Francisco.”

And on a funny note, a famous quote attributed to Mark Twain is: “The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco.”

You can read about the history and features of the Golden Gate Bridge at:  https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/

Huell Howser of California’s Gold has a must-see video about the Golden Gate Bridge and the men who work there – an absolute classic and one of my favorites:  https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1993/12/10/golden-gate-bridge-californias-gold-407/

Iceland: Stunning Blue Ice!

Wonderful Zodiac Tour of Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon

Blue Iceberg at Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon

Black Marbled Iceberg at Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon

Blue Iceberg with Glacial Scrapes at Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon

Towering Iceberg with Holes at Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon

Jokulsarlon Bridge

Glacial Ice Passing Under Jokulsarlon Bridge

Overview of Jokulsaron Ice Lagoon with Calving Glacier in Distance

Glacial Ice on Black Sand of Diamond Beach at Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon

Glacial Ice with Ocean Wave at Diamond Beach

Long Exposure of Diamond Beach

Close-up of Glacial Ice

Seals at Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon

View of Greenland from Airplane

Greenland’s Snow Covered Mountains

Greenland’s Blue Waterways with Ice

Greenland’s South Coast Mountains

Greenland’s South Coast Near Qaqortoq

The glaciers and ice on the south coast of Iceland are stunning!  Some of the icebergs are an incredible blue.  This area is one of our absolute favorites of anywhere we have ever been! When we flew home, we got super lucky and had a spectacular view of Greenland on the return flight.  Gorgeous!   We will definitely return –  nature photography is the best in Iceland!  Our updated Iceland slideshow / travel guide full of pictures, tips, and a custom google map is located at this link (click once, and then click again; wait a minute for it to load and open): ICELANDIC SLIDESHOW 2020

Iceland: Reykjavik Area Sightseeing

Looking up at Hallgrimskirkja Church Tower (tours go to the top)

Inside Hallgrimskirkja Church

Hallgrimskirkja Pipe Organ

View of Reykjavik from Top of Tower

Clock Face from Inside the Church Tower

Looking out Clock Face Window

View from Church Tower of Reykjavik Looking North

Walkway to Harpa Concert Hall

Harpa Glass Patterns on Floor

Harpa Ceiling and Wall Patterns

Harpa Ceiling Cubic Design

National Gallery of Art: Swans 3-D Relief by Hulda Hakon

Reykjavik Street Art with Sun and Duck

Wall of Famous Guitars at Icelandic Museum of Rock and Roll (near airport)

Full Size Viking Ship Islendingur at Viking World

Ship’s Carved Dragon Head Scares Away Sea Monsters

Street Lamp Shaped Like a Person Standing

Street Light Shaped Like a Person Walking

When we visit Iceland, we always spend a few days visiting the Reykjavik area before heading out to the countryside.  We always see something new!  This time downtown we enjoyed a spectacular view from the top of Hallgrimskirkja Church Tower and then went on a walking tour of Harpa Concert Hall.  Near Keflavik International Airport we highly recommend seeing the Icelandic Museum of Rock and Roll (Rokksafn) – the wall of guitars includes those by John Lennon and Wolfman Jack.  Viking World nearby features the full size Viking ship Islendingur –  an exact 9^th century replica that was sailed from Iceland to New York City in the year 2000 to celebrate Leif Erikson’s journey to North America 1,000 years earlier.  An unexpected delight was to see the unique people-shaped street lamps in the same area. 

Merry Christmas from Florida

Warm wishes from the beach here in Florida for a wonderful holiday and happy new year!

Driftwood Tree at Sebastian Beach

Iceland: Magical Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Mount Stapafell (Home of Elves). Rocky Point on Top is called Fellskross – a Viking Sign of Holy Powers

Svodufoss Waterfall

Icelandic Sheep in Meadow

Northern Coast of Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Seagulls on Cliff Overlooking Ocean

Arnarstapi Cliff Nesting Birds

Black-Legged Kittiwake Eggshell Dropped on Land

Ondverdarnes Lighthouse at Western Tip of Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Striking Skardsvik Golden Sand Beach in Black Volcanic Landscape

Snaefellsjokull Volcano and Orange Sky at Midnight in June

Snaefellsjokull with Dramatic Clouds

Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula is an enchanting place.  We find more places to go every time we visit.  The birds – the sky – the coast – and the ever-present Snaefellsjokull volcano make for a magical place.

In the Sjominjasafn Maritime Museum we saw a display with a beautiful quote by Halldor Laxness, World Light:

“Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there anymore, and therefore joy is not necessary; beauty alone reigns there, beyond all demands”.

 

Iceland: Incredibly Scenic Churches

Hofskirkja in Fairy Tale-like Setting (1 of 6 historic turf churches remaining in Iceland)

Magical Hofskirkja in Back

Hofskirkja in Front

Hofskirkja Burial Mounds

Hofskirkja Cross

Vik i Myrdal (Vikurkirkja or Vik Church) and Purple Lupines in June

Colorful Hvalneskirkja (Stone Church)

Olafsvikurkirkja (Olafsvik Church Hofsos) Shaped Like a Ship near a Fishing Village

Olafsvikurkirkja Bell Tower (triangle theme reflects holy trinity)

Budakirkja (Budir Black Church) by Volcanic Cinder Cone

Ingjadlsholskirkja (Independent Church) at End of Lonely Country Lane

The churches in Iceland are incredibly scenic and beautiful.  They often sit on a hill overlooking the ocean.  You can feel the history of the place as you stand in some of these remote locations.  “Kirkja” means church in Icelandic.  An excellent article about Icelandic churches is at:  https://guidetoiceland.is/best-of-iceland/churches-in-iceland  Previous blog posts about Icelandic churches are at:  https://naturetime.wordpress.com/?s=iceland+church

Return to Beautiful Iceland!

Puffin Statue near Skogafoss

Skogafoss Waterfall

Fjadrargljufur Canyon

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Svartifoss Waterfall with Rainbow

Mount Kirkjufell with Cotton Grass

Heath Orchid

Icelandic Horse Portrait

Icelandic Horse Family

Arnarstapi Lava Cliff

Midnight Sunset

In June we visited Iceland again (our third trip) – the photography opportunities are that good!  The weather was great, and the sights were amazing!  Some of our favorite photos are included with this post (click to enlarge).