Rocky Shores of Maine

Maine is all about the rocky shore! I had hours of fun climbing (and stumbling) on the shorelines. The tide goes through some huge changes, so different times of the day provided a large variations of the shore. It was beautiful, the water was an exceptionally dark blue and the rocks were about 1,000 shades of gray, gold and brown. Every rock tells a story.

Peaks Island, Maine

Peaks Island is a lovely spot to visit. It's off the coast of Portland, accessible by ferry. It's quiet (well, except when the ferry docks and dumps a ton of people off - even then, though, not so bad) and picturesque. I even found this blue car pleasing to the eye - nice with the red garage door! I came across this walking around and across the island - plenty to explore and enjoy.

The Flowers of Delft

Nothing says the Netherlands more than flowers, flowers and more flowers! These were captured at an open market in Delft. The colors were amazing! Dazzling, really.

Delft is a great town for exploring. The Market can keep you occupied for quite a while, then there are the endless alleyways with small shops and pot bars - that was VERY different from the United States! I loved the friendliness of everyone we met, the quaint outdoor cafes, the canals, and the bikes. I've never seen so many bikes in use as I saw in the Netherlands! It was really great.

The Netherlands

When I visited the Netherlands, it was hard to miss the vibrant colors - usually red doors! I found this one to be particularly beautiful, especially in contrast to the gray stone of the church itself.

Harbin Delivery

Here is someone in Harbin, China delivering a pallet full of....peanuts? It is hard to fathom how those walking and on bikes aren't run down by speeding cars every second. I pretty much just kept my eyes on the scenary and not the speedometer while there. And I love the big toilet ad in the background!!!

China

China was big fun! It was a whirlwind 4-1/2 days, but fun nevertheless. I was in Harbin, in the upper Northeast of China. Harbin - home of Harbin beer! And yes, we drank it everywhere, all the time. My first semi-formal lunch there we had Harbin beer AND red wine. Makes for a long day.

This is one of the many street vendors. He was outside St. Sophia Church - it was very old. Right across the street was the modern shopping mall.

India

I went to India a few years ago. The marketplace was really terrific - crowded, pushy, loud and sweaty hot! I had a great time "negotiating" for wonderful Indian crafts!

I was in the Northwest area of India - no alcohol. In 115 degrees, let me tell you I never wanted an ice cold beer so bad. And, of course, really no ice either.

But it was a great 5 days! I met lots of interesting people and saw many different things. At one point, at an intersection with 5 zillion honking cars stopped and 2 bazillion people walking through the street and 30 kids grabbing at my legs in the 3 wheeled taxi - well, I just had to laugh. It was too much fun!!!