It’s here! It’s finally HERE! Spring is done with its tantrums of warm and cold and I can finally enjoy time on the Tiki Deck! Sundays are my fav for enjoying coffee al fresco with the sights and sounds of our little oasis. Read the rest of this entry
December 21, 2013 marks the winter solstice for the northern hemisphere. Here, just outside of Chicago it’s gray. The sky…. and the dingy snow pushed aside by plow and shovel. Gray. There is a chill in the air as we wait for a cold front to decide if the sky will deliver freezing rain or snow, and just a few minutes more than 9 hours of daylight. (sunrise 7:16, sunset 4:25)
But since I’m a glass-half-full kinda gal, I’m happy to realize the days will start to get longer now too. Before you know it, it will be summer.
Let’s find the sun…. Read the rest of this entry
Like offerings at a palm alter, remnants of sea life that have washed ashore hug the base of each tree in a perfect decorative way. Salty and sandy and sun baked, they were placed there by the owner of this Cayman Island rental villa to be explored and admired just as much as they are for decoration. The color and textures really captured my interest. My macro lens begged me to look closer at the intricate details. Amazing! Take a look…. Read the rest of this entry
You must get to the Cayman Islands. We easily chose to go back for our fifth visit to this great Caribbean destination for a handful of reasons. Coming up I’ll share some of our favorite things about Cayman… the beaches, the sites, the great people and more.
For now, enjoy a few images to put you in a Cayman Island state of mind. Read the rest of this entry
One evening on our Mexican Riviera vacation, after the rain stopped, we took a walk around the Iberostar Playa Paraiso Resort. Just wandered. Here is what we saw.
The buildings of the Maya are colorful. At every turn through the courtyards there are little Mayan themed details; intricately patterned stones in the walkways, statues, fountains and gardens.
Hola! This post is overdue. I admit it. I told you we were going here.… and now it’s been more than two months since we’ve been home from Mexico… It took me for. ev. er. to get through vacation withdrawal. I only recently put the luggage away (I know… “slacker.”). And the little bag of souvenir sand from Tulum had been sitting on the table… waiting. Patiently. Read the rest of this entry
I’m getting excited for an upcoming trip back to Mexico and thought I’d share a couple of pictures from prior trips. There are many popular destinations along the eastern Mexican Caribbean coast…. in Riviera Maya the water can be just as warm and turquoise blue along the shore as the heart of the Caribbean.
Accommodations abound! The lovely Iberostar Playa Paraiso Resort has several hotel options, we enjoy staying in the Paraiso Maya… so much, that this return trip will mark our fourth visit to this property.
Why go back? Let me show you!
I recently told you about my trip to Oahu in 2009. At the time of that trip I was newly on a fitness regimen. Let me also tell you that by nature I just am not one of those that works out on vacation. So it’s anyone’s guess why I opted to pack sneakers and my Sigg bottle for this trip.
But, I did.
I’m so glad I did.
I had a terrific opportunity to go to Hawaii in April 2009 to visit my friend. Somehow agreeable to sending me off to paradise on my own, my dear husband chauffeured me to the airport… and off I went. After a weekend stopover in San Francisco, I headed for the island of Oahu. Read the rest of this entry
Have you ever been paged at the airport? In a foreign coutry? It’s odd. It takes you much longer to recognize your own name. My husband left me in the food court while he popped over to the gate to answer the page.
…. Wait, before I go on, let me back up two years before then….
Sand On The Brain 