Friday, July 29, 2016

Paint Party Friday





Dragon Fantasy

My FH and I have been watching all six seasons of Game of Thrones ... and yes, it can be dark and yes ,there are dragons.  

Andrea

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Good Fences



Alley Fence
I spotted this fence while cutting through an alley in Winnetka ... I thought it was pretty enough to be in the front of the house (but it isn't) ... hmmmm  :)

Andrea 

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Wild Bird Wednesday



Black Bulbul






Found in the mountain areas these birds were parked outside out window in Chiang Doa and were quite noisy, as opposed to musical :) He has a very regimental (military) look about him.

Andrea

NF Trees and Bushes



Thailand

A garden outside of Suvarmabhumi (Bangkok) Airport

Andrea

Monday, July 25, 2016

Through My Lens



Strawberry Picking at Stade's Farm

 This is an awesome place and it is only 10 minutes from my house.  


A popular place, needless to say, in the summer and fall. They have fruit and vegetable picking all through the growing season ... a great way to get fresh, organic food :)

 We pay for our baskets and head out to the fields ...

 There are many pickers, but there is plenty for everyone ...







 Mint got her moneys worth ... I think she ate more than she put in her basket ...

But in the end, our baskets were full and so were we :)

Andrea




Saturday, July 23, 2016

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Good Fences


On our drive through Bangkok, we learned how a fence could be art ... this is just one of the many :)


Andrea

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Wild Bird Wednesday


Baltimore Orioles 
(Odd Couple)
Our usual Oriole visit has long passed, but these two characters showed up looking for the Oriole feeders that have long since been retired for the summer.  It is a male and what appears to be a yearling.  It might be that they are nesting in a nearby area or maybe they are just late comers ... they are certainly welcome anytime (sorry I had nothing to their liking to eat).

 


'Andrea

NF Trees and Bushes



Blue Spruce

A reminder that Christmas is only 158 days away :)

Andrea





Monday, July 18, 2016

Through My Eyes


Bits and Pieces of Bangkok

We didn't really see much of Bangkok except to drive through it to see the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo, but some of what we saw from the taxi, Tuk Tuk and Train was well worth sharing.  It just begins to give you a sense of the pride the Thai people take in their city and in their King.
We arrived at night and went immediately to our hotel ...

Our hotel, The Nasa Vegas, was pretty and clean, but not the greatest ... we stayed there because it is right next to the train station that both took us into the city and, that night, took us to the airport.

A lighted street by the hotel ...

The next morning Barb and the girls and I checked out and left out luggage in my sons room to pick up later when we left for the airport.  Then off to the train station ...

The trains were modern, fast and comfortable ...

View of city through the train through the train window ...


I am not sure where we were when we got off ... The kids knew of a few good restaurants in one of the neighborhoods so that is where we were headed for Brunch :)

This Memorial was for the Thai Military.  We didn't get close enough to read the details, but it was impressive from a distance.



The street looking out of the window of the restaurant ...

And really good food ...



From the restaurant we took two taxies (the taxi could only hold three people) and drove through the city to the Temple.  We were quickly in the Governmental Center (their version of Washington DC) which was very impressive.

There are pictures of the King everywhere ...



















Thailand is the land of the Fence ... they have fences of every size and shape ... in fact, some are so beautiful, they become art.

Our destination ... The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo ( to see the temple post click here)

Our next stop was to go to a shopping mall in the center of Bangkok ...





Before we shopped, we saw one of our girls off to a retreat on another Thai Island.

Shopping Mall ... Believe it or not, I didn't take any pictures in the mall.  Hmmm ... I must have been busy shopping :)

This was the beginning of the end of our trip to Thailand.  This is the Train station from the outside.  Bangkok was an impressive city and I know we only scratched the surface.  I look forward to experiencing more when I return.

We went back to our hotel, grabbed a bite to eat and then off to Suvarnabhumi Air Port (Bangkok Airport) for our long flight home.  Thailand, if it is in the cards, I will be back ...

Andrea

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