OK, it’s five days or so short of six months, but close enough!
In July, this was our view on the Isle of Palms in Charleston, SC.
And today, our driveway in Belleville, IL.
Sand and snow…but they’re both pretty in their own way!
Isle of Palms
The Top Five–Photos of 2015
I have been working hard on improving my skills as a photographer this year, mainly using our Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR, and I’m pretty pleased with the results. There were five photos taken with that camera that really stood out at me, starting with this view of the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden covered in snow in March:
This water-lily, also photographed in the Japanese Garden, is the best picture I’ve ever taken:
I also love this picture of Bunny at Eckert’s pumpkin patch:
And the gorgeous fall color in Forest Park:
This picture of Chickadee at the Belleville Christkindlmarkt definitely captures her personality!
And because I can never leave a “Top Five” list at just five, here are my favorite photos taken on my iPhone 6, starting with a selfie I took on January 2, after I finally got the courage to dye my hair a wild color(s):
The tulips blooming in Forest Park in April were beautiful!
And my favorite picture from our vacation to Charleston:
Another shot in Forest Park, this time of the Apotheosis of St. Louis, complete with a halo:
And one more from the Missouri Botanical Garden, this time from the Garden Glow in November:
I’ve learned how to use different settings on our main camera, and I’ve learned when it’s better to use my iPhone to get the shot I want. My goal for the coming year is learn more about aperture and exposure, and hopefully next year, I’ll have even better photos to share!
Isle of Palms
I think we’d all agree that the highlight of our vacation was the morning we spent at the beach. After much research, I chose the Isle of Palms as our beach destination, because it looked like it had a good shoreline for playing in the sand, and because there is a county park with bathrooms and showers right there. It was a great choice!
I can’t even describe how I felt finally looking out across the ocean. It was so beautiful, and just what you’d expect, right down to the beachfront homes and, of course, the palm trees!
The children loved everything about their beach day…playing in the sand, looking for seashells (Bunny’s favorite activity), and getting in the water. Moose loved trying to race the waves back to the shore!
I’m not sure that anyone loved it more than Chickadee, who sat at the edge of the water, and dissolved into giggles every time a wave crashed into her!
I had a list of things I had to do while we were at the beach, and I accomplished them all!
- Write our name in the sand.
- Look for seashells.
- Help the children build a sand castle.
- Do a cartwheel on the beach. (Don’t laugh…despite my age and outward appearance, I can still turn a damn fine cartwheel!)
- Wave dive.
- Taste, smell, see, hear, and touch the ocean!
We walked around Ocean Blvd. for a bit while we were trying to dry off…we even got to see surfboards!
I still can’t believe I’ve finally been to the ocean…and now I can’t wait to go back!
Markel Family Summer Vacation–Day Five
Day five of our summer vacation, which was our second full day in Charleston, was also busy. It got off to a much better start, as we found no evidence of bugs in our new hotel room, so we were feeling a little more calm as we headed across the terrifying Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which Moose loved, to the Isle of Palms for our beach morning.
We spent several hours at the beach building sand castles, looking for seashells, and playing in the water. We also saw either a dolphin or a shark…fortunately, it didn’t get close enough to us for us to tell for sure!
We took a walk down Ocean Blvd. on the Isle of Palms after we were done in the water, in a misguided attempt to dry off. It was fun experiencing the laid-back atmosphere of island life along the way, and I discovered that everything they say about island time is true!
After our walk, we headed to the neighboring island, Sullivan’s Island, to visit Fort Moultrie, which served our country from the time of the Revolutionary War through WWII. We got to see a great movie about the history of the fort, and then took a long walk around the fort to see what all the different parts of the installation were.
We then drove back across the scary bridge to visit the Waterfront Park, which is famous for its pineapple fountain. The children loved that they were allowed to wade in it, and I loved seeing it in person!
We had another brief hiccup in our plans when Ryan had to take our car in to have the brakes replaced. It didn’t take too long, though, and the children and I enjoyed watching more cable TV while he was gone. Once he got back, we drove to North Charleston to Holy City Brewing, where I was planning on trying a flight of their beer. The brewery wasn’t as family-friendly as they advertised, however, so we ended up not staying, but it was still fun to see it.
We then drove back downtown, to have the family walk through White Point Garden that we had missed due to the rain the night before. We walked along the harbor and admired the houses on The Battery while we were there. We also saw a Dungeness Crab in the water, which we identified thanks to some kind fishermen who were down there.
We said one last goodbye to downtown Charleston and the ocean before heading back to our hotel to pack up. On the way, we stopped at the grocery store, a Harris Teeter…I enjoyed seeing a new grocery chain, which is weird thing I like to do when I’m in a new place.
