Fourteen years of blogging. . . .

. . . . and recalling some awesome travel.

 

No, not a new trip or any wild travel soon, sadly!  At this time, three years back, I was busy packing for the road yet again, leaving in early March for another visit to South America, focusing on the Chilean Fjords. I was doubly excited as Bob was going to be with me. Although he'd sailed on many ships, he'd never taken part in an expedition trip, riding in Zodiac boats to access amazing places large cruise ships were unable to visit. This was a new adventure for him. . . . . . and he really enjoyed it. 

These days I'm still traveling, though much differently. Virtually. Without my blog posts available to do this I feel I would not have such a quick/easy way to pull up old travel posts and photos. Sitting down with a mug of coffee, or a cup of tea, opening up the laptop and choosing a country to visit, takes my mind off being 'imprisoned' here at home. . . . . . . . . . . . for such a long time.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile - March 2018

The three huge granite 'Torres' (towers) which reach over 10,000 ft., are just

 visible between the 'Cuernos' (horns) on the right side of this photo above.

To read about and see more photos from our visit, go HERE and HERE.

For a laugh go HERE to see Bob on his initial Zodiac ride!

 Meeting you and sharing many aspects of our lives in this ever changing world has been a wonderful gift. Thanks so much for being here, some of you for 14 years! Please know you are all special to me, today and every day.

Cheers! Here's to our travels yet to come

Keep on blogging, and stay well.

Magdalena Island and Penguins. . . . . . . .

Punta Arenas, Chile

March 11, 2018

57F Cloudy skies

Located in the Magallanes Region, we anchored off the capital Punta Arenas

 for the morning excursion to the Magdalena Island Penguin Reserve. 

The uninhabited island, with just the lighthouse, was declared a national
 monument in 1982 - Los Pinguinos Natural Monument - and is a breeding
 location for several species of seabirds, most notably the Magellanic penguin. 
The colony on the island has been monitored since 1998 and was estimated to
 hold 63,000 breeding pairs in 2007.

Following a smooth overnight sail, we had an early arrival and the ship anchored off shore. 
By 7:30 am we were on Zodiacs heading for a dry landing at Pratt Pier where
 buses were waiting and took us on a short drive to the ferry pier. 
Our chartered ferry, above, then headed north into the Strait of Magellan for an
 easy landing onto Magdalena Island. It was a comfortable walk up the hillside - scattered
 with penguins and their burrows - toward the lighthouse which contained some interesting
historical displays about the area.

We followed a well-formed trail, the usual 'Penguin Highway' where these adorable 
birds always have the right of way. They are curious and will approach if you walk quietly
 and calmly, but will retreat to their burrows, or try to reach the water, if they feel threatened.

The 'lookout' penguin perhaps - keeping an eye out for visitors from

 Punta Arenas across the water.

MAGELLANIC PENGUIN CHARACTERISTICS

The Magellanic penguin is the largest of the warm-weather penguins. This penguin was named after Ferdinand Magellan who first saw them in 1519 on his first voyage around the tip of South America. Like its three other closely related relatives in the Spheniscus genus, the Magellanic penguin has black-to-brown shading on its back and white colouring on its breast and trunk. The Magellanic penguins chests have scattered black spots.

The Magellanic penguin can be distinguished from Humboldt and African penguins by the two bands crossing its front. One band is a wide black strip under the chin and another is in the shape of an upside down horseshoe on the stomach. In Humboldt penguins, this band is somewhat incomplete and in African penguins it is absent. Magellanic Penguins have very dense feathers: more than 70 per square inch. Their feathers have oil on them, for waterproofing.

Their ‘tuxedo’ attire not only gives them a somewhat comical air, but it also helps hide them from predators. Their white belly blends in with the bright sun on land, while their black back blends in with the dark ocean waves. Magellanic Penguins stand about 27 inches (70 centimetres) tall and weigh about 9 pounds (4 kilograms). During the warmer weather of the breeding season Magellanic penguins lose the feathers around their eyes. When it starts to get cold again the feathers grow back.

Unlike the species of penguins I saw in Antarctica and on South Georgia Island, these 

little guys pair up, lay two eggs, and then raise their young in land burrows - several of

 which contained their growing babies. A lot of moulting of the adults was going on

 whereas the youngsters had already shed their baby fluff and had smooth new

 feathers, soon ready for swimming.

A curious Baby Magellanic penguin.

Parents guarding their burrow.

MAGELLANIC PENGUIN REPRODUCTION

Breeding season for the Magellanic penguins is from late September to early February when adults come to shore to establish nesting sites within loose colonies. Naturally shy and seclusive on land, mated pairs nest in deep burrows (often hiding there when disturbed) where the female lays two eggs. Both the male and female share in the responsibility of caring for the chicks, often taking shifts lasting ten to fifteen days while the other hunts for food. The eggs take five to six weeks to hatch and the chicks will stay in the burrow for another month when they will molt into their adult feathers. At 60 to 70 days old the chicks are ready to head out to sea.

How can one not love these marvelous birds.

Just the fact that they can't fly off makes one take far too many photos!

True love! I'm sure this pair are thinking about taking their offspring swimming soon!

Next post on the expedition will be a rainy day through the extremely narrow
 Kirke Passage as we headed to Puerto Natales.

Garibaldi Glacier, Chilean Fjords. . . . . . . . .

Garibaldi Fjord, Chile

March 10, 2018

58F Cloudy skies with scattered showers 

One of Chile's newest and largest national parks, Parque Nacional

 Alberto de Agostini (5,600 sq. miles), is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

 because of its swathes of distinct ecosystems and special landscapes. 

Centerpiece of the park is the Cordillera Darwin, whose slopes drop precipitously

 into the sea. Valleys not filled by the sea are covered by glaciers which also

 occupy small high plateaus.

The Garibaldi Fjord is a narrow passage in the Chilean Fjord system strewn

 with floating ice of all shapes and sizes. Ribbons of waterfalls snake down

 the steep mountainsides and a rich ecosystem of plants and wildlife has evolved. 

Early mornings on board an expedition ship usually mean late nights are

 out of the question! One needs to be up, preferably at dawn, on deck to

 experience the exciting arrival to a place where you'll soon be experiencing

 nature from water level once the Zodiac boats start loading.  

This Zodiac cruise was Bob's first ever! He was a little nervous but soon got the

 routine down pat and, like everyone who experiences these amazing boats, 

enjoyed being able to get to special places otherwise unapproachable from larger

 cruise ships.

 Here the Garibaldi Glacier tumbles into the sea. . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . Bob with our dear friends Kim and Rob and one of the larger icebergs we passed,

 and by then the weather had taken a turn for the worse, sea began to get a bit choppy.

Sea ice and kelp.

 

Bob braving the elements on his first Zodiac ride. . . . . . . just another 700 miles

 south and he would have made Antarctica!!!

Returning to the Hebridean Sky after an hour long cruise. . . . . . the always 

waiting hot drink and warm towel was welcome.

Next time: those adorable birds we all seem to love so much, penguins.

You don't have to go all the way to Antarctica to see them!

Where am I going next?

Time for another travel inspired guessing game. . . . . . . and I hope so

 much you will take part.

Those who have a passion for wilder places on the planet may 

already have been here, or at least know of it.

Shaped by fire and ice, this is a hauntingly beautiful, rugged land, and

I'm so excited to be heading there in March.

I'm sharing this one photo from our travel itinerary brochure. . . . . . . . and

 hopefully I'll have opportunities to be taking such photos myself when on 
the expedition.

Leave a comment on this post with your guess
 by January 22 - I'll check back here each day. 

I'll be in two countries, please try to name both.

I'll save the correct answers and draw a winning name. 

After the draw, and naming the winner, I'll add more
 details about the planned trip.

I'm hoping to find a little memento during this exciting
 trip to send to the winner after I return in April.

Come on, give it a go!

Travel anywhere, everywhere . . . . . . . . .

As of May this year I have visited 40 of the 195 countries in the world on six continents.
 This of course means I have a lot more to visit if the opportunity ever arrives!

Antarctica, the seventh continent, is not owned by any country and, as
most of you know, I have traveled to that distant outpost also.
So, 40 countries and all seven continents has involved a lot of travel,
much of it during the past 10 years.

It has not always been easy going - adventure and expedition travel should
 probably be done early in life when the body is in peak condition - but it has
 been rewarding, a lot of fun, and more than educational in so many ways.
  I'm always encouraging young people to travel and see this amazing world 
while they are in their prime. Sadly, the way life is planned for most of us, 
spare time and money are not always available to the young for that type
 of travel. When I see their eyes light up as I expound on places where I've
 ventured, such as Africa, Western Australia, sub-Antarctic Islands of New
 Zealand, and Antarctica, I tell them to be patient in their youth. . . . . . . start 
making plans, save money in a separate travel account, hold on to their
 dreams of seeing the world, but don't leave it too late! 
Their world map may be blank right now. . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . but it will be waiting for them to mark the countries and continents

 they visit, and they should go as soon as they can. 

I'll be traveling in the coming days - not on an expedition or overseas adventure - just
  a short domestic trip this time. 

Hoping for a lot of fun whilst celebrating our granddaughter Jasmin's 21st Birthday

 in one of America's favorite cities. . . . . . . . think great jazz, breakfast beignets, 

trolley cars, antiques, riverboats, humidity, unusual cemeteries, and even voodoo!!!
I know you'll guess this destination easily.

Hope to have some good photos to share with you later.

Sicilian Odyssey. . . . . . . .

Can't keep it under wraps any longer. . . . . . . . we are off in a few weeks

 on another beautiful ship, and I'm getting excited.

The MS Island Sky is one of the finest small ships in the world. Her sister ship,

 the MS Caledonian Sky, took me on that amazing expedition to Japan and the

 Russian Far East with my friend Paula in 2013.

You know how I love expedition ships with a small complement of passengers. 

You get to meet new people and have time to chat, and the always friendly

 crew members remember who you are and call you by name. This time there will

 be about 114 passengers with a crew of 75. Our group will number 10 so we'll be

 taking up much of the ship, we'll try to behave, haha!  We sail again with lovely

 friends from the UK, California, and perhaps a couple of new surprise travelers,

 plus of course Paula our wonderful friend and our group's great hostess.

This class of cruise ship is casual dress for the most part, no fancy evening

clothes required - always so much easier to pack for!

Also, there will also be at least one landing ashore by Zodiac boats, at the small

 Italian port of Agropoli, to visit Paestum founded by the Greeks in 600 BC, and

 to view the Temple of Poseidon.

The itinerary for this cruise sounds awesome. We'll meet up at Gatwick (UK) airport
 and fly to Naples, Italy where we transfer to the ship that afternoon and set sail
 in the evening for a nine day circumnavigation of Sicily, with a final disembarkation
 on the island of Malta. 

Although we've visited much of Italy, we've never been to Sicily, or Malta,

 so are really excited at what this trip will encompass. . . . . .from archaeological
 treasures to the recently erupting volcano, Mt. Etna.

More on the trip later as time to fly/sail away gets closer.

Recalling the past ------ special travel stories remembered.

On this day just two years ago I embarked the 

M/S Expedition and sailed away from Ushuaia, Argentina,

southernmost city in the world, on my exciting journey and trip

of a lifetime, to Antarctica.

Never did I expect to travel to all seven continents.

All have provided special memories . . . . . . this one 

was the most amazing. 

If you were following me back then you might recall the awesome

beauty I was able to photograph in the Southern Ocean. With landings 

including the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, and on the Antarctic 

Peninsula, we followed the great British explorer Sir. Ernest Shackleton's 

incredible January 1915 journey on his doomed ship Endurance and, as I write, 

the 100th anniversary is probably being celebrated at the bottom of the world.

If you missed those posts, are interested in this area, would like to see more 

of the incredible wildlife, or are planning to visit Antarctica some day - you won't 

be sorry I assure you - take a look.

If you need tips/info for an expedition trip I'll be happy to assist if I can. 

You can visit those old posts by starting here. 

Blog tour 2014~~~~~~~~~

I've been invited by my dear friend Jane, well known in the blogosphere as "Blondie"

at Blondie's Journals, to be a part of the current blog tour……known as 

Touring Through Blogland.

I've met Jane, and her charming husband in person - in Asheville, NC and here in 

Raleigh, NC, and we had so much fun each time.

Jane's blog is awesome and enjoyed by a lot of gals who are into decorating their homes, 

enjoying time with their families, spending time lakeside in Summer, gardening, cooking etc.  

She always writes candidly and has a great sense of humor. Jane is the perfect blogger and if 

you don't already visit her I suggest you head on over soon.

I started my first blog, Across The Pond, in 2007, this current one in 2010, so have been 

blogging over seven years. In the early years it was a lot different of course, fewer 

bloggers and limited editing programs for posting great photos - and let's face it, we all 

want to share our photos don't we?

I'm to answer four questions………so here goes. 

All photos are my own.

My cottage home.

1.  What are you working on right now?
To be quite honest, not much!  In the oppressive heat of Summer here in the southeast,
being lazy seems to be the best thing, and having recently returned from a busy trip to the
Baltic and Russia, I'm just catching up on regular things around the cottage, while sipping
chilled beverages on the side!  Being British I do not like hot weather one bit. If it wasn't for
the humidity, bad evening storms bringing an overabundance of rain, followed by clouds of
mosquitoes, I would be outside gardening, perhaps painting some bits of furniture I see waiting
out in the potting shed, and of course walking much more. I am cooking a lot lately - easy hot
weather dishes - after buying a really great new vegetarian cookbook - will share that with you
another time.

2. How does my work differ from others in this genre?
I travel often and love taking photos of amazing places around this awesome planet.
Besides the usual vacation venues, I have been fortunate to do a lot of expedition travel via
small ships, not something enjoyed by the majority perhaps, but a special way of seeing areas
of other countries usually off the radar for regular travelers. Having now visited all seven
continents, Antarctica last year being the 'jewel in the crown', I have so loved sharing these
wild and wondrous places with blogging friends.

There are several thumbnails in the right column of my blog page which open up to many of the
places I've visited.  If you've not read those posts and would like to see my photos from around 
the world, please click on them.

My Garden over the past few Summers.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?
I am a creative person, born and bred, sharing my late talented mother's genes I suppose.

She was an amazing dressmaker who actually made clothes for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the mother of our present Queen, in the mid-1900's, then taught me to sew and acquire a great interest in textiles and fashion.

She let me redecorate my bedroom, over and over again, helping me choose wild
wallpaper designs of the '50's - hence perhaps my love of interior design.

She was a great 'from scratch' cook - doing it professionally for a while, and yes I love to cook too.

In my childhood garden she showed me how to raise and care for beautiful flowers,
from climbing sweet peas to dinner plate sized dahlias, fuchsia bushes the size of small trees,
and always gorgeous roses. Gardening, a very creative pastime and, as they say,
"A thing of beauty but a job forever",  I certainly agree.

Having worked in several professions, my most-loved were the years spent in the art and advertising business. My blog, though started as a way to journal and hopefully share aspects of my life for my children/grandchildren in the future, has really become my personal creative outlet. I love words and therefore try my best to write interesting content on my blog. As for photography skills, those I've had to teach myself. I was a lousy photographer with a basic camera when I started blogging, now with better equipment and fabulous places, wild animals, flora and fauna appearing in my lens, I'm doing much better but still have a long way to go. I am also prepared to spend hours editing my photos - this alone is probably the most creative time for me these days - I love playing with my photos!

Places I've been around the world.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?
I confess I spend perhaps too much time on blogging! Each morning when at home I'm here raring to go - to bring something cheerful to my readers' day. I don't post every day, sometimes writing one and then leaving it in draft for a later date. I could post daily as I'm never without something niggling at my brain, some subject to expound on, or a photo about which I can tell a little story. I do understand though that we bloggers already have a hard time keeping up with each other……there's just so much to read and comment on, right? When traveling I always carry my trusty MacBook Air, using it to post when Internet is available, and also downloading the photos I take each day so they are backed up in a second safe location. Although I have no further 'big trips' lined up for 2014, next year appears to be another busy travel period and I'm hoping to share many more interesting places with you here.

Thanks as always for stopping by - I love it when you have time to leave a comment but understand if you're too busy, then I just hope you enjoy peeking at something I've enjoyed sharing with you.

I now have to pass the baton to two more bloggers who hopefully will share their stories with you.
How about these two lovely ladies who lead interesting lives and take us along to special places~~~

My wonderful 'keeps me young' friend……whom I've spent so much creative time with 

over the past several years……Vanessa of Dreaming Shabby

My 'hope to meet in person' some day……long time, very kind Southern California blog friend
Sara of Come Away With Me 

Happy weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by.