Cusco

"I know what you are up to, and I will have none of your bullshit, young lady!"
(Dog seen in Cusco)

Our first night in Cusco was really crappy (pardon the pun; you'll understand in a moment.)

Machu Picchu

View of the Andes from Machu Picchu.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the post you've all been waiting for: Machu Picchu!

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo, pronounced oll-hyan-tay-tam-bo. Say it three times, fast! This picturesque little village was a pleasant surprise on this trip. We stayed for two nights, and I would gladly have stayed longer.

Heading for the Hills

A woman "harvests" salt at the salineras de Maras.

[Please forgive me for the photos in this post. As I intimated in my first post about Peru, I bought a new camera the night before we left Ottawa. Somehow, I set the camera to "Portrait" mode which blurs the image. Intentionally! I've used Photoshop to recover some of the details, but it was extremely frustrating to deal with at the time.]

When I was planning our trip, the travel agent suggested many things — and I accepted them without much thought, really. We ensured a leisurely pace (at least two nights in each location, occasional free mornings or afternoons), but ensured that we made the most of our trip.

Consequently, there were many pleasant surprises for us, including the salineras de Maras  (the Maras salt mines), which was our first stop after flying to Cusco from Lima.

Lima!

Mother and child, Plaza de armas, Lima, Peru.

Travel Tips:

1. Do not buy a new camera to take on a major vacation the day before you leave.
   You will take bad pictures while you learn the new tool.
   You will accidentally take videos instead of photos.
   You will drain the battery at inopportune moments (like in the middle of the jungle).
   

La retraite

Sunset at Apache Pier, Myrtle Beach

In French, the noun "la retraite" can mean both retreat and retirement. To retire is to "prendre la retraite" or to take a retreat, step away. I give this little linguistic lesson as a prelude to explaining why my husband and I have begun thinking about selling our suburban house and looking at rural properties.

California Dreamin'

"Saddle up, pilgrims."
This bronze statue is at the eponymous John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA

So, yah. I'm not dead, and I haven't stopped blogging. I'm just . . . not blogging as much as I used to. I just haven't had the urge to write so much. We'll see where that goes. For now, I have some pretty pictures from our recent trip to California.

Back to Reality

View across a lake toward Mont Tremblant, Quebec.
This panoramic picture is actually made up of about 14 vertical photographs combined.

Earlier in October, Steve and I took a mid-week break and went to Mont-Tremblant. We had some serious stuff on our itinerary, but we also wanted to get in some really good (and easy) hiking with Kane.

Oh, Interwebs!

Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, Scotland
More reasons why Scotland needs to be on our vacation bucket list on EarthPorm

Welcome to my periodic round-up of things I've found online that make me smile, cry, laugh, think, shout, or drop my jaw. 

Apprentice Classics

Most of the group at the 2015 Providence Bay Writers' Camp:
Mark, Wynn Anne, Gail, Dianne, Sonal, and Rosanna. Missing: Meg and Chantal 

Shortly after I retired in December 2013, I looked for ways to nurture my interest in writing fiction. At that time, Gail Anderson-Dargatz was offering novel mentorships -- something for which I was not ready (I'm still not). In February 2015, however, she announced a one-week writers' camp to take place in August on Manitoulin Island. This was right up my alley: immersion in writing and a great vacation all in one. I'll write about the vacation part in another post; for now, I'll tell you about the writing class.

California: Flora

The appropriately named "powderpuff" flower.

Canadian winters are long and, in our region of Ontario, completely kill any and all flowers. By March, my eyes are hungry for those splashes of colour and vibrant life. On our trip to California, I was treated to a banquet of glorious flowers.

California: Fauna

A whimbrel, a shore bird found on the beaches in Southern California.

I'm kind of funny about wild animals: I get excited about them, so long as they aren't close enough to touch me. I like to think they appreciate that.

California: Beachy

Sign at the Crystal Cove historic district

For me, water has a magnetic pull: my eyes are drawn to it, I want to touch it. I am fascinated by its mercurial nature: one minute calm, another roiling with destructive power. I love how it catches the light and doubles the magic.

California

Sunset at Crystal Cove Beach, October 7, 2011

Once upon a time, I snapped up a "free" weekend at a resort in exchange for a 90-minute sales pitch that I had every intention of resisting.

Stop laughing.

New York!

Central Park on a calm wintry day. 

What's that? I forgot to share my New York pics with you? Let's address that omission right now!

The Douchebag Genius

Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago, Illinois

If you've watched the Steve Jobs movie, then you know that brilliant people can be total assholes. The obsessive drive that leads to innovation doesn't always come with great social skills. Frank Lloyd Wright, architect extraordinaire was one of those douchebag geniuses.

Take-aways from My Trip to Europe

Winkie, me, Pat at le Château de Gruyères, Switzerland

It's been almost two months since I returned from my big European adventure with my Aunt Winkie, and three things that I discovered on that trip have become part of my everyday life.

A-glamping we did go!

Almost immediately after my return from two weeks in Europe, my husband Steve and I took off for a little retreat together. Earlier in the fall, I had stumbled upon a Groupon deal for "glamping" (a portmanteau word for glamour + camping).

On further investigation, it turned out that this experience was for a stay at les Refuges Perchés, which literally translates to "perched shelter."

A Traveller in Her Own Land

Captivating skies over highway 407, heading east.

Although I've written about my last full day in Switzerland, I still haven't brought you up to speed on our (relatively) local travels since then. There's something about visiting another country or region that casts a real contrast with what you're used to.

The Last Day

Swiss countryside as seen from a moving train.

On our last full day in Switzerland, we spent a lot of time in moving vehicles. We took a train from Nyon to Lucerne (and back) and a ferry around Lake Lucerne. It was foggy and sometimes rainy, and I took a lot of pictures through the windows of moving vehicles.

I really need to stop doing that. Although the human eye can ignore specks, drops, and reflections on windows and adapt for some of the movement and actually see the magical scene, the camera cannot. But it's so hard to resist!