Day Trip: Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg, FL

A dear friend and I spent the day together driving over to St. Petersburg to see this lovely (but small) collection of Chihuly art glass.  The art glass was beautiful and the time together talking and having lunch was an added bonus.  It's a very small collection, so don't make a special trip, but if you are in the Tampa area, it would be a nice outing for an hour or so. There are other museums in the area for a field trip as well.

Here are a few photos...

Tonya Travelstead / Chihuly

For my Sweet Shot Tuesday, Week #23 photo I chose one of these I took while on a recent visit to  St. Augustine.    These were taken at La Nombre de Dios mission.  We had seen the cross while on a scenic boat cruise on the Intercoastal Waterway that week and as we were leaving town, thought we'd try to find it.   A very interesting and lovely campus the the heart of the city.

Unbelievably, I only had my iPhone with me for these photos.  Not too bad...  :)

This one is what I visualize the evening of Jesus' crucifixion may have looked like with the storm clouds in the distance...

Weight Watchers Sabotaged on a Trip

Ugh.  Three steps forward, two steps back.  We had our 26th anniversary trip last week--had a wonderful time--but it included too many restaurants and desserts!  Gained 2 lbs., so a net loss of one pound in 3 weeks now.

Basically starting over but keeping on, keeping on!  Using that tracker online and measuring portions for awhile.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos from our anniversary getaway to St. Augustine ...

A sunset 2-hour cruise (hearing the Gilligan's Theme song?) on the Intercoastal Waterway...

Our Bed & Breakfast... we stayed here on the first night of our honeymoon 26 years ago.  :)

St. Francis Inn St. Augustine FL

Delicious homemade breakfasts each morning...

Aboard the Galleon, a replica of a Spanish merchant ship...

Another sabotage... homemade desserts at the B&B each night...

La Nombre de Dios Mission

Old Marineland...

Washington Oaks State Park...

It was a lovely, fun trip. 

Giving Thanks, Thanksgiving, Family Travel

Updated Nov. 16. 2012:  

No big trips this year but from 2011...

While my husband was in Europe (England, Scotland, France) for a  10-day architectural/history tour with Reformed Theological Seminary, my two sons and I took a short trip to Washington, DC together.  I love DC...so many things to do and many are free, and how exciting when you watch the news to realize that everything is happening right there!  And the bonus is I got to spend some special, fun times with our two sons.   My older son was only 8 and the younger, age 3, when our family last visited DC.  This time, at 21 and 16, there were many more memories to add to our previous visit.   The Lord has miraculously provided the funding for both trips (my husband can even count his as a class for continuing education and a consequent tax write-off) so the family budget has not even taken a hit on these travels.   We were hit hard (literally--fallen trees, property damage, etc.) by some tropical storms the previous two years so we didn't go far from home due to the expenses we incurred.  I am so thankful to be able to have taken this special trip  with my children.  This picture below says it all...  :)    

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I came across this blog post from 2009...

My 26 days of Thanksgiving continues:

12. I am thankful that I have been able to travel to other countries and to have visited about half of the United States.

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When I was growing up, our family traveled primarily to Daytona Beach in the summer from Augusta, Georgia. Once we visited my grandmother in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. That was the extent of our travels as a family to other states. When I graduated from college my parents gave me a 3-piece set of red Samsonite luggage. Believe me, it really was this red (see below). It was certainly very easy to find in the airport baggage claim areas. I finally donated all of it to Goodwill last year--32 years later!  It was still in good condition!  :)

In the fall of 1977 (after graduation) I began traveling regularly to a different place I have never been each year. While I was single (age 18 - 30) I would usually travel alone and meet friends in other states and countries. Some of my favorite places were New York City and the Adirondacks, Pasadena, Los Angeles  and Santa Barbara, CA, Washington, DC/Virginia, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Salt Lake City, Utah, Venezuela, Italy and Germany.

After my husband and I were married we took a two-week honeymoon and drove up the eastern coast of the United States to New England, stopping at bed and breakfasts all along the way for at least a couple of days in each location--St. Augustine, Savannah, Charleston, Washington DC, Boston, Rockport, Newport, Williamsburg... What a wonderful trip that was. 

Since we have had children most of our trips have been in and throughout the South, mainly Florida (for economic reasons)--St. Augustine, Palm Beach, Tampa, State Parks, Atlanta & North Georgia-- and of course, the beaches. Disney World exposes us to the "look" of faraway places as well and we have been regulars there ever since our sons were small. We have taken two "big" trips with them to Charleston, SC, Washington, DC and also to Washington State and British Columbia, Canada. Butchart Gardens and Botany Bay on Vancouver Island in Canada are probably two of the most beautiful, peaceful places I have ever visited.

A very generous family that my husband met at a Super Bowl party (that my son dragged him to) provided us with a free place to stay in a beautiful expansive log "cabin" in the mountains of Tennessee for four years in a row. It was a blessing beyond belief to be there (it was really a 3-story lodge, not what we would call a cabin) and we are so thankful for their graciousness to us. We traveled with another family each time so that there was someone for everyone to play with, talk to, adventure with...and had wonderful family trips together there.

I/We indeed have been blessed to be able to see different parts of the country and the world. My older son has had the travel bug since college and took a 5-week mission/arts trip to New York City in 2009.  He's also been to New Orleans, Atlanta and Nashville on spring and winter break trips.  I am happy for my children to be able to see places that I was not able to when I was their ages. Some places show the wonder of man's designs and ideas; others show the wonder of God's. I am thankful that I have been able to experience both-- alone, as well as with my family and dear friends.