Travel

Versatile Blogger Award

| Verónica

What a joy it was to launch my email and find a note from Anastasia from For the Knit of It telling me she had nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award! This is the best possible honor because it comes from a fellow blogger and knitter. So, first and foremost, thank you Anastasia.

According to the VBA Rules, here are the next steps:

  1. Add the award to your blog ✓
  2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you ✓
  3. Mention 7 random things about yourself ✓ (see below)
  4. List the rules ✓
  5. Pass on the award to 15 bloggers ✓ (the fun part; see further below)
  6. Inform the 15 bloggers by commenting on their blogs ✓ (even more fun)

7 Random Things About Me:

  1. I can not sing. (Well, I can, but you wouldn’t want to listen).
  2. I can twirl a baton.
  3. I peek at the answers when solving crossword puzzles.
  4. I’ve read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas at least a dozen times. The plot has romance, intrigue, politics, religion, heroes & villains, kings & queens, honor, friendship and sword fights – what more could one want?
  5. When I was in grade school, I had a goat as a pet. My aunt killed it and cooked it for dinner (cabrito). I don’t like cabrito.
  6. I really dig Kurt Russell’s hat in “The Thing.”
  7. I am learning Mandarin.

I am now pleased to pass on this award to some of my favorite bloggers:

Fiber Arts
Travel & Adventure
Photography

Roadside Blooms

| Verónica

There are long stretches of road in Texas.

You see the occasional armadillo (dead or alive) by the highway. Even tumbleweed has been known to roll across as if being swept aside by the dusty wind. And in the driest parts of the state, you can find an abundance of the prickly pear cactus, our state plant.

The plant is a source of food. It produces a red fruit – the tuna – about the size of a fig. The green pads of the plant are stripped of their thorns, cleaned, peeled and cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes – nopalitos!

And not to be outdone, the resilient cactus casually displays her bright blooms to the hot sun. On a recent drive home to see family, we pulled over to admire these roadside beauties.

I ❤ NY

| Verónica

I bravely spent 5 days of Spring Break in New York City with two teenagers. We saw the typical touristy sights, but oh, what sights to see! These are some of the images I was able to capture.

Manhattan skyline from the top of the Rockefeller Center. I touched up the photograph a bit to better see the outlines of the buildings in the Financial District (in the background).
The top of the Empire State Building looks mysterious. Of course, it's just hidden behind the smog.
View of the Manhattan Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge.
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan.
Spire of the Manhattan Municipal Building as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge.
One of the reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial.
Construction in progress at 1 World Trade Center.
One of the spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The iconic bronze statue of Atlas in front of the Rockefeller Center.
View of the city lights at night. Taken from the top of the Empire State Building.

I ❤ NY.

A Visit to Medieval Maastricht

| Verónica
The Saint Servatius Basilica located in Vrijthof, Maastricht's city square. It is flanked by St. John's Church (with the red spire).
Market Square where you can find City Hall. The bronze statue is of Jan Pieter Minckeleers, a Dutch scientist who invented gas lighting. The statue has an eternal flame.
An ancient guard tower on the east bank of the Meuse River.
View across the Meuse River.
13th Century Helpoort or "Hell's Gate," remains of the city's medieval fortifications.
Look-out tower along the medieval walls.
View from within the city's fortified walls.
Maastricht's cobblestoned streets.
Bread and cheese shop.
Homes with narrow watery alleyways from the Jeker River which runs through town.
Water wheel.
Outdoor cafes along the ruins of the medieval walls.