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This was taken a few years ago from the back porch of a house I rented in the Villas, a town located on the bay side of the Cape May peninsula in New Jersey. The view from the house, which sat right on the bay, was gorgeous. The house itself, however, was another matter, but that’s a story for another day.
I was armed only with my pocket point-and-shoot, but even with limited zoom and resolution I was surprised at how well it captured the dragonfly.
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Italy is such a beautiful country, and Tuscany in particular. This was my daily view from the front yard of the villa I called home for two weeks outside Florence in 2011.
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Thinking of warmer days as I wait for spring to finally vanquish this brutal winter…
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Here’s another photo from my first Eurotrip back in 2007: King Ludwig II’s fairy-tale castle, Neuschwanstein. Located in Bavaria, Germany, the castle was designed as an homage to the composer Richard Wagner, which becomes readily apparent as you tour the inside of the castle (unfortunately, they don’t allow you to take photos). It was also an inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland.
This photo was taken from the MarienbrĂĽcke bridge a short hike away. The bridge, which crosses a huge gorge, provides a perfect postcard photo-op for the castle. I was fortunate to see the castle in all its glory because when I returned two years later, the entire side was covered in scaffolding.
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Cape May, New Jersey is a great place to view Monarch butterflies in the midst of their fall migration. In 2012 we were fortunate enough to catch them.
Although this was taken on my very first Eurotrip back in 2007, Salzburg still sits atop the list of favorite cities I’ve visited. The magnificent fortress, which looms large over the entire city, is reason enough to visit, but Salzburg has so much more to offer, from the river to the quaint pedestrian streets to the Mirabell Gardens, and everywhere in between.
I wish I had been equipped with a better camera back then, as my pocket camera wasn’t great at handling the overcast conditions, but this is definitely one city to which I plan to return . . . along with my Nikon. 🙂
Here’s a shot taken near the end of my Mexico trip this past fall.
Lizards are ubiquitous among the ruins in Mexico; I saw many climbing up and down the walls of the pyramids. And they apparently have no fear of humans because this one didn’t flinch when I came across it while climbing up to a small Mayan ruin along the beach in Cancun, standing still while I snapped multiple photos.
In April of 2010 we headed up to the Poconos in Pennsylvania for a long weekend. We stayed near Hickory Run State Park, primarily to see its famous boulder field. However, the highlight of the trip was our hike of the Hawk Falls trail. We arrived too early in the year to see the rhododendrons in bloom, but at the end of the trail we were treated to this gorgeous 25-foot waterfall, seemingly hidden away from humanity, as if it was our own private discovery. We stayed there for a good while just enjoying the serenity, nary another soul in sight.
So it’s not really a secret waterfall, but it felt that way.
I’m going to try sharing these photos of the day more often to keep my blog active on days I’m not writing.
This was taken on the grounds of a villa in the hills of Tuscany outside Florence in 2011. It was my second day in Italy and, still out of whack from not sleeping on the flight, I awoke before dawn, which is an extreme rarity for me (I’m frequently just going to bed before dawn). Determined not to let this fortuitous turn of events go to waste, I headed outside on a chilly fall morning to catch the sunrise.
The quality of this photo is not the best since it was taken with a point-and-shoot camera, but I like the imagery of peering over the potted plant at the Tuscan countryside under the early morning sky.
I’m a big fan of haunted house stories. The Shining, in particular, is both my favorite book and movie of the genre, and when I’m in an old building I like walking around and looking for creepy photo ops that might evoke some of my favorite Shining moments. During my recent visit to Cape May I took the opportunity to meander the halls of the most recognizable hotel in town, the historic Congress Hall.
A regular stop on one of Cape May’s ghosts tours, the hotel even has an Overlook-ish history. Built in 1816, destroyed by fire in 1878, and rebuilt the following year, the hotel fell into disrepair and closed for over a dozen years in the early 1900’s before reopening in the 20’s. Famous guests at Congress Hall have included U.S. presidents and famed band leader John Philip Sousa, so it would seem to be a ripe place for shining-like activity. I don’t necessarily believe in that stuff (though ask me again in the middle of the night when it’s dark and I’m alone), but I still enjoy letting my imagination run wild.
Here are some of the photos I took during a couple of brief visits (one during the day and one at night). You can click on any image for a larger version.
Some additional stairwells, perhaps stalked by a specter brandishing a roque mallet.
And one final photo without comment (I ran out of Shining references :-)).
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Michael Rappa 