Mount Holyoke College/ Weathervanes

What a beautiful College this is, around every corner  there is a photo op.

I love this one.

There are no words to describe this one.

Look at the beautiful scroll work on this one!  Amazing!

The bird was an added bonus!

One of the entrances to Mount Holyoke College

My search for the best weathervane is on.......I dragged my husband out one day to help me find the best weathervane and I was blown away by what we found in such a short amount of time.  We ventured out to Mount Holyoke College....I had no idea that there were so many beautiful weathervanes there and how original they are.  The detail in some of them are totally amazing.  We will have to go back sometime and finish walking the grounds, I'm sure there are many more at the college to be discovered.  I hate rushing, but the short amount of time we spent there was not disappointing, I can't wait to go back!

SO If you have time....venture out in your neighborhood, or if your traveling, look up and see if you can find the perfect weathervane.

I look forward to hearing from you, and please if you have a favorite weathervane let me know, I would love to see it.  

Until next time....Happy Travels, and look up!  You may be surprised at what you see.

Life on Applewood Lane

Before Picture of the guest bath

This wall paper boarder was very difficult to remove.  It was put on flat paint with no primer...grrrrrrr, But we did it!  We had to use a heat gun to get it off.  Nothing else seemed to work.

My New Bathroom Mirror!!!!  I love it!

I wish we had of put the lights up a little higher, but I think they'll be ok.

New Sink, and faucet!   (love the color gray that we picked out too) 

The bottom of the sink...with the new baskets, what do you think?

Faucet love........

Our new friends on Applewood Lane

My husband and I are getting used to our new "little" place.   I forgot what it was like to go out shopping for all new curtains and new furniture.......a little overwhelming, but fun.  My taste used to be Primitive/Country, but now I'm really leaning towards Cottagey/Beachy....if there is such a thing?  So here are just some of the things going on in our new home.....


It's been quite a journey.    

Time is ticking and it's off to work I go....I hope you have enjoyed seeing the pics and maybe have gotten some ideas for your home.

Happy decorating from Applewood Lane.

Oprah's House on St. Lucia........

Ohhhhh so close, yet so far away......wish we could have stopped in to say hi!

The small inlet where we took pics of Oprah's  House

One of the buildings on the island

 Oprah's House

Who doesn't love a beautiful sunset?

Sunset at St. Lucia

















I wish I had more pictures to post of St. Lucia.  They are in my other camera and I'm going to make it a priority to post them soon!  I have some great shots of the Piton's!  If you are at all familiar with St Lucia you  know that just to see the Piton's sticking out of the water is so majestic.  It does not seem real.  We went on a boat ride around the island and couldn't stop taking pictures of ourselves in front of these huge mountains.  Everyone on the boat were ohhhhing and ahhhhhhhing.  The cameras were going crazy!

We arrived at a little inlet that had a small restaurant where all of the locals went to.  It was a cute little place.  So caribbean......All of us from the boat took a little break and sat on the beach and enjoyed looking at all of the yachts that were anchored there.  All of us wondering WHO owned them.  Our imaginations went wild.  We were told that one of the houses on the cliff belonged to Oprah, well, there went all of the cameras again........SNAP.....SNAP.....SNAP!  

On the way back from the little excursion we were treated to this spectacular sunset.......What a great way to end the day.   I hope if you have a chance to go to St. Lucia you're able to go see the Pitons.  I promise you will not be disappointed.

More pics coming soon......until then, Happy Travels.

If you would like to know more about St. Lucia......the water falls, the Sulphur Volcano, please let me know.  I have some great tips on where to stay and what else there is to do on the island.  Thanks.

Iberostar, Paraiso Del Mar----Riviera Maya----Mexico

How beautiful is this?

Looking out of one of the rooms that were Ocean View.

Feeding frenzy with the fish.  My husband brought a roll into the water , and poof, gone!

On our way to breakfast, this is what you see....

Thursday is PAYAEA day!

This is just one section of the pool, it goes all they way around the complex....




I just had to do another post on The Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar, Riveria Maya.

This place made such an impression on me that I just can't wait to go again. Every where you walk you can hear the birds singing, and the lawns are so lush, AND, did I mention they have PEACOCKS walking around!  It is by far one of the most tropical places we have ever stayed at.  If your lucky enough to be able to get an ocean view (which I recommend) you will  love seeing the sun come up and the sun setting.  The way it is laid out makes for such a great view of the sunset!

There is a swim up bar and a hot tub in the middle of the pool.....what more could you ask for...oh yes, someone to bring me my drink!

I would love to hear any comments if you have gone to this Iberostar......

As I sit and write this post I can't help but get excited thinking about the next time we go here.  Oh and don't forget to take a trip into town, Playa Del Carmen.  There are so many cute little shops there and not once did I ever feel unsafe.

This is a must do vacation.

Well, until next time, Happy Travels.

Hawaii.....Picture Perfect!

CHINAMAN"S HAT

A hide away place we found off the beaten path.
This is one of the prettiest places to take pictures on all of OAHU

Rabbit Island  

Rabbit Island again.  A great spot for Kite Surfing and swimming.

There was something about this guy painting a picture that I love.  It is the same spot as the first picture I showed you above.

 One day my husband an I decided to go for a ride around the island and see what was off the beaten path.  We saw a little path that led into this inlet (you couldn't see it from the road) SO we went exploring, and am I glad we did.  It is one of the nicest spots on the island to take pictures.  There were also 10- or so people there painting pictures.  The haze that comes up off the water and the spray just made it spectacular!  I can see why they came so early in the morning to paint. The first picture that I posted is the spot that we were at.  If you have time on island, just pull the car over and venture into the woods, just stop and explore.  You never know what is off on the side of the road.  


One of my favorite stops is the small park where the Chinaman's  Hat is located.  I have a sweet obsession with the place!  A must see!

Please, if you have gone to Hawaii and have a different little spot off the beaten path that you love,let me know.  Until next time........Happy Travels.

CRUISING!

Early Morning

Getting ready for the day at sea.

If you love to be treated like a queen, a cruise is for you!  
Things I have learned about cruising.

Don't worry when you go in to your room the first night and you can't find your pajamas.......your  cabin steward put them under your pillow!

Don't get scared when you come in from going to the shows on ship and you see something hanging from your ceiling.....it's your towel that your cabin steward made into a monkey..lol

Start at the salad bar first and load up your plate....go eat it, and then go up and see all of the other stuff.  Your scale will love you when you get home.

Don't do freestyle eating.  It wasn't for us....it got to be to confusing if you couldn't make it and wanted to do another time.  We won't be doing that again.

Get your towel out first thing in the morning if you want to sit at the pool with all of the activities.  Everyone else is thinking the same thing.  It fills up fast.

Ask for extra pillows.  Unless you like sleeping with a flat pillow.

Buy the soda card, even if it's just for your self.  The drinks get pretty expensive and sometimes you just want something cold to drink.   I thought they were worth the money, some may disagree.

When you go on the island and are looking for a guide, make sure you tell him you want to go see different sites then the regular tourists, otherwise you are going to be with a crowd the whole day.  Some islands you may not want to do this because of safety reasons.  I can give you a list of safe ones if you would like.

If your getting a drink somewhere, other than alcohol, get your driver one too!  They really appreciate it.

Even though you may do a tips included package, if you have someone that really takes care of you, tip a little more.  I bring little things with me too from where I live. (small maple syrup, maple syrup candies, something local.  We have gotten so many compliments on that.  It is something that your cabin stewards would never have a chance to try after spending so much time on the ships.

I could go on and on.   If you want more tips on cruising, please send a comment and I'm sure I can help you with most of your questions.

AND,   Happy travels.   now go book a cruise!









.

Punch Bowl Cemetery of Hawaii

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Inside the small chapel located at the top of the hill

Lady of Liberty/Justice

One of the many tribute plaques located at Punch Bowl

Also known as The National Memorial Cemetery Of The Pacific.

I have to say when my daughter (who serves in the US NAVY ) suggested we go to a cemetery when we were in Hawaii was a little bit of a surprise.  It is located in Honolulu so my husband I felt we had a few hours to kill before supper so we took a ride up there.  I am so glad that we went.  It was one of the most moving places I have ever been to.  Tears were always at the ready.

An hour was not long enough to spend there.  The memorials that were there for all who served in World War 1, World War 11, Korean War and Vietnam War was amazing.   All who died in Guam, Wake Island and Japanese pow camps were transported here.

As you enter the memorial you will see Lady Liberty/Justice.   She represents all grieving mothers. If you have the chance to visit this place with someone who is serving or has served be prepared for a very moving moment including tears.

It overlooks the whole city of Honolulu and a great shot of Diamond Head.

Happy Travels......

White Wash Floors/Applewood Lane

This is what it looked like before my husband decided to give the bushes a  "little trim".  Oh , and there is my new light for the lamp post.

Our little sun room with pink linoleum on the floor. (but not now!)

If you look past the window there is something  at the bird feeder....do you know what it is?  It's my morning visitor!

These are the lights I want in the kitchen.   Thank you IKEA.

The light that was hanging over the dining table.

My new light!  I love it. (Ballard Designs)

How do you like my new floors with the white wash?  It had pink carpet on it before.

Here it is done!  It's a beauty!

This should have been first......oops.  Here are the rough pine boards

Here is the trim job my husband did.....he took out all of the bushes.

This is a cabinet I had at the other house that held our TV.  It was much to big for the new house...so I had a bright idea, Let's make it into a bar!

This will be my new bathroom vanity.  Thank you Pottery Barn.

Oh, did I mention the kitchen cabinets are pink too.  :)

oh yes, the pink linoleum again.

Here's the bar!  I love it! (you can't see the hanging glasses, but it came out great.

Well, today I am taking a break from traveling the caribbean!

Here are a few pictures from our new home.  It has been a challenge to get rid of the "sea of pink" as I call it.  Everything in the house was pink, pink bath tub, pink grout on the floors, pink carpet, pink boarders.....pink pink pink   EEEEEK!

Thanks to the great husband I have, we have slowly begun to make it our home.
Here are some of the things that we have done in the short period of 3 months....I still can't believe we did so much..

I'll keep you posted on what else happens here on Applewood Lane.  Any ideas on what to do with my pink cabinets?      Well, until next time....happy decorating!