Enjoy!

This was taken on the Yukon/White Pass railroad trip in Skagway, Alaska.

This one is a tree lighted to the music in Garvan Gardens, in Hot Springs, AR. The music would play and the different layers of the tree would light up.

The second photo is of a gingerbread house Santa. This was in the lobby of The Arlington hotel. It was a huge house and this was one of the many windows with characters and candy!

This second photo is from our visit to Garvan Gardens where they had an impressive Christmas lights presentation throughout the gardens. This was an unexpected find that came out of a conversation with a Park Ranger – we just happened to drive where we weren’t supposed to be … What was really cool about this train was that if a child walked thru it you could see their shadow. I wasn’t able to capture this neatness because the child was called back by their parent.

Part of Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Reds & Greens

Enjoy!

For Jakesprinters Sunday Post: Concept

Hubby and I both love the area. We had a conversation this weekend as to why we liked it so much. Neither of us could pinpoint exactly what the draw was to us. But after talking we did decide that it was the simple things, such as the history, the laid back feel to the town, and the infusion of nature.  Each time we visit we see some of the same things that we love and we usually wander across other activities that we didn’t know were going on but truly enjoyed.

So here are some of the photos specifically from the WinterTide exhibit. I’ll be sharing more of the weekend trip a bit later!

The first is of a railroad sign found at Multnomah Falls in Oregon.

This second photo was taken in Portland, Oregon outside of a shopping area. It was the chilly, wet kind of day.

The third photo was taken in Vancouver. I purposely took the photo at an angle because of the lines on the rooftop.

So if you haven’t been to Hot Springs or haven’t read one of my posts, like the Quick Weekend in Hot Springs, then here is a little info for you.

Part of the city of Hot Springs is actually the Hot Springs National Park. Hot Springs and the area called Bathhouse Row have a rich history. I have commented to my Hubby that when we stay down on Central Avenue at the Arlington Hotel I feel as if I am walking, sitting, moving about in another era. One evening, I remember, sitting on the wide front veranda (or porch) of the hotel and drinking a nice rum punch recommended by the waitress and it felt as if I were there with my short flapper dress and he in his Al Capone hat and suit. We watched the people go by and the horse-drawn carriage as it made its rounds on Central Ave.

Ok, back to the topic I really wanted to share. If you go to Hot Springs you MUST go to the Buckstaff Bathhouse! Well, maybe first you should go to the visitor center at the Fordyce Bathhouse and tour it to get a wonderful idea of how the bathhouses looked and operated. Walking around even with a crowd surrounding you it was truly a feeling of stepping back in time. I could almost see the ladies wrapped in their towels gossiping and laughing with perhaps a shy lady at the end reading a book or magazine.

So here is where I get to the being HOT in Hot Springs! Imagine (from the point of a female) – being taken to your own floor separate from the men. You are wrapped in a sheet (down to your naked self  or swimsuit if you are really shy) and led to a steaming hot bath that is larger than most people’s’ tubs. The water is from a true hot mineral spring. There is a little motor at the foot of the tub. An attendant is there to make sure you are happy and relaxing. She loofahs your back. You relax in the steamy water. Then as you finish your time in the tub the attendant comes back and wraps you in the towel. From there you go to a sitz bath. You submerge your hinny in a hot bath just long enough to be healthy – after all the waters were healing! Then on to the enclosed steam bath – just the window open for the “fresh” air. And after that, off to the table where you are wrapped head to toe in warm, relaxing towels. Then off to your shower where hot jets stimulate your skin. Last, but not least, the Swedish massage. Heaven, I tell you!

So here are some photos from the Fordyce that give you a little bit of an idea of the experience. Of course, I didn’t take photos inside the Buckstaff in respecting the privacy of the other bathers.

This first one is from our honeymoon in Alaska. I love the tones in the photo. And, of course, the scenery was magnificent!

This second one is from our early anniversary cruise to the Caribbean. It is in St. Kitts and is where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic!

And the last of the three is from a trip to Hot Springs, AR. It is a town that has captured my husband and I for some reason unknown to us. I think it has something to do with the history and the feel of the area around the springs – specifically Bathhouse Row. It seems as if you are just on the edge of being back in the 1920′s with all the people who came from around the world to the bathhouses back in their heyday.

Just for fun and a bit of a play on the word liquid, here is a photo of a beer sampler we had while in Seattle at the Pike Brewery!

The second photo is of one of the wooden bridges on the path that help you to cross over the stream to continue on the beautiful path!

This first one is from a favorite spot in the middle of America. Hot Springs, Arkansas. The springs to me are very mystical. The history of the town and the springs is even more mystical and interesting. Hubby and I go back when we have any excuse to though it isn’t a place that screams “visit me”. (and we’re headed back for a weekend in December for another art show I was selected for!)

The next photos are from the Columbia Gorge area – around Multnomah Falls and Wakheena Falls. The first one is new to you – just a passing small waterfall along the pass.

This last one I’ve shown before and I am still in love with it. I call it my pixy home. Siggghhhh….

I wanted to find some photos that spoke to where my little beating heart wanted to be rather than here.

Well, not so much luck in that – none of the ones I selected seemed to really speak to how I felt. Instead, I am sharing a photo of how I feel today. I call it “Thru The Vines”.  The good part is that the paid-for-work-day is almost to a close and I can go play with Hubby and the rest of the little ones running around.

What exciting news!

The two photos are “Glenna’s Dogwood In The Snow” and “Snowy Seat”. Here they are: