The trails at Purser-Halsey Park are scenic and relaxing on their own, a series of loops that lets visitors decide if they want to take a short walk or a 3 mile trek. It’s the hand paint rocks hidden Ali g the trails that give it a little extra magic. Adorned with everything from Japanese cherry blossoms to silly dad jokes, they were nestled in tree branches, tucked behind roots, and scattered on the forrest floor.
At the end of the 1.8 mile trail loop at Purser-Hulsey Park is a bonus half loop, the “Enchanted Forest” trail. A narrow, ribbon like trail winds through a grove of slender pines. It was so quiet you could hear the trees creak in the wind. It did feel magical. View this post on Instagram *sound on* At the end of the 1.8 mile trail loop at Purser-Hulsey Park is a bonus half loop “Enchanted Forest” trail. A narrow, ribbon like trail winds through a grove of slender pines. It was so quiet you could hear the trees creak in the wind. It did feel magical. . . . . . #everydaystrangeblog #intj #introvert #darkpoet #horrorwriter #northcarolina #hiking #travel #poetrycommunity #writersofinstagram #poetryofinstagram #charlottenc #nature #socialdistancing #amwriting #latergram A post shared by Everyday Strange (@everydaystrangeblog) on Mar 22, 2020 at 5:12pm PDT
Over ten years ago I spent my final spring break in Hawaii for a two week study tour. The focus of the trip was on religion and culture, the course credits would complete my Asian Studies minor. I got to attend lectures at the University of Hawaii, and visited shrines and temples in the Waikiki area. The one that made the biggest impression on me was the Byodo-In temple in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. Set against the Ko’olau mountains, it is a replica of the original Byodo-In Temple in Japan. I was so entranced by the peaceful grounds, golden Buddha residing inside the temple, and elegant black swans, I still have the pamphlet from my visit.
Operating for over 200 years, Brattle Book Store is one of Boston’s original book shops. The first time I visited was my sophomore year of high school. I had just just finished the full 20 mile loop for Boston’s Walk for Hunger with my friends, and my feet were so swollen, I was limping. I just wanted sit on a bench with the Ben and Jerry’s bar the walk’s organizers bestow on everyone who crosses the finish line. But my friends convinced me to begrudgingly limp a little bit further, to check out a bookstore a few blocks away. It was worth it. I loved the creaky wooden floors, the narrow isles between shelves stuffed full of books, and the quiet of the third floor, reserved for rare and antique books. The best part, however, was the outdoor sale in the alley adjacent to the store. Everything was three dollars or less, and I wound up buying a hefty National Geographic photography book for two dollars. I still own it. I went back again and …
It’s not everyday that you spot a Joshua Tree stamp in the mail stack. I’m tentatively planning a trip to California and Las Vegas this year, Hopefully I’ll see them in person!
A few years ago my husband and I helped our friend Devin move to Rochester, NY. Our plan was to drive Friday, spend the day Saturday with our friend, and return Sunday. Although I was interested in seeing a different part of the state other than New York City, I didn’t know anything about Rochester, and didn’t expect it to be a particularly memorable trip. On Saturday Devin suggested we visit Artisan Works, a self funded non-profit art space housed in a renovated 40,000 square foot factory. All of the artwork displayed is available to buy, rent, or stage offsite. The space itself is crammed inside and out with all kinds of sculptures, installations, paintings, collages, and photography created by local artists. Live music is featured on the weekends, and the space has an amazing eclectic energy with all of the different works of art layered on top of each other. The pictures themselves aren’t the greatest, but I still wanted to share since it is one of the experiences that inspired me to look …
*** A surprise southern snowstorm is blanketing the Charlotte area with an inch of sloppy, slushy snow, so I’m looking back at this old post of my visit to the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. I hoping it will already be melted by the time this posts tomorrow!*** Before I moved to Charlotte, I visited three months beforehand to do some house hunting and go on some job interviews. In between driving around with a real estate agent and prepping interview questions, I tried to do a little sightseeing, dispite the on and off rain. I still wanted the trip to be fun! One of the places I chose was the UNC Botanical Garden. I knew it was at a college and didn’t expect much, I just wanted to go somewhere I hadn’t been before during the trip. I was in for a huge surprise. Although housed in a small greenhouse and outside garden area, it was packed with unusual and exotic plants. Inside the eight greenhouse rooms were 6 different plant collections, including a fascinating …
Oftentimes, locations are named by the person who first discovered them. They may make sense at first, but as time passes, some of the names bestowed on lands and landmarks lose their meaning and no longer make sense. This is definitely the case for Alaska’s Disenchantment Bay. It was originally named by Italian explorer Alessandro Malaspina in 1792, after he traversed the entire length and discovered that it was not the entrance to the northwest passage. For me, sailing past the snow capped mountains lining Alaska bay before turning into the greenery on either side of Disenchantment Bay was fairytale like. And finding the awe inspiring Hubbard Glacier at the end of the journey was a perfect ending, not disappointing at all.
My visit to the Edison Ford Winter Estates was a last minute decision designed to fill time while visiting my in-laws in Florida. Since I hadn’t done any research in advance, all I expected to see was a few historical homes, and maybe an antique car or two. It turns out, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison bought these neighboring homes on the Caloosahatchee River in the late 1920s to work with Henry Firestone on a very specific project. They were concerned with the Unites States’ dependence on foreign rubber, and were determined to find a plant that could be cultivated in the US, allowing for the production of domestic rubber. They constructed a laboratory on the land shared by Edison and Ford, and brought in plants from all over the world to test. Eventually they discovered a plant, goldenrod, that would work. Today the homes on the estate are preserved, along with the laboratory and 21 acre botanical garden created from all of the plants that were tested during the project. There is also a …
