I feel like the months are flying by. In the past I have done 3 blogs in a month and now it seems like I have just finished the one and Share Six is back around again. Tomorrow we are halfway through the year. And on that cheerful note, let me switch thoughts to our theme for the month of July. {Fences} is what was picked and so I went to Google for the definition of Fences. According to the Oxford Dictionary. it is a

a barrier, railing, or other upright structure, typically of wood or wire, enclosing an area of ground to mark a boundary, control access, or prevent escape.

For this theme, I decided to head to my travel images and look for the various fences I have taken over the years. We have traveled a fair bit in the USA. Sometimes the destinations are okay, sometimes they are amazing. Below are some of the fences we have encountered along the way.

For this trip my brother had flown in from South Africa to Florida for a conference. Perfect time to see family. He loved catching up with the kids. We then did a road trip via Lake Placid (and the wonderful wall murals) and on up to Lake Wales, where it was recommended that we go to Bok Gardens. They were definitely worth a trip and since it was Christmas time, it was all decorated. The gardens are fairly large and we enjoyed walking around them.

Again, my brother was in town for a conference. This time we were off to San Antonio to meet up with him. This river walk fencing stretched along the restaurant area and we ate in this vicinity a number of times since our hotel was just across the river walk. We got to explore San Antonio, catching buses to various monastery and exploring them. We also got to explore the Alamo, which was interesting as well.

St Augustine was always our go to holiday vacation spot. Just getting out of Florida is 5-6 hours and so this was a good stopping point for us. Besides we loved the campgrounds at St Augustine and the beautiful beaches. This fence was found along the sand dunes. I had a habit of dragging Richard down to the beach for sunset each evening, even though the sunset was in the west and we could not see the final descent of the sun. Just being in the moment is what I love.

Denver Colorado in March. Again my brother was at a conference and since we had never been to Denver, it was a good time to meet up again. Actually anytime is a good time to meet up. I loved Denver, even though it snowed and it was cold. It was good to get out and walk the city. Richard gave up, it was too cold for him, but I plodded along through the university area and just really enjoy the snow. That vacation led to a trip to the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Estes Park and the National Park as well. One I fully recommend.

Who hasn’t come across a lock fence at some point in time. I feel like I saw one on a different trip but could not find the image. Portland, Maine was our day to go whale watching. Looked like a beautiful day to be out on the water, and I really wanted to see whales. 2 miles out and the fog rolled in and fog was all I got to see that day. It was so disappointing. Maybe one day I will get luck. In the meantime I just keep on hoping.

We met up with my brother in Seattle for a fantastic time. This time my sister in law joined him on his trip and so while he was in conference we walked the city. I have to say I loved Seattle and would love to go back again. We did a day trip to Bainbridge Island. We walked to China Town. We met up with an old friend of mine for dinner and tips on exploring Seattle. That was special. Once the conference was over we drove to the ferry point to head over to the Orca Islands. I spent the entire time out on the deck of the ferry looking for whales. Zip, nothing, nada. Did I mention it was March and it was cold. But Seattle and the Island trip was one of my best holidays.

Niagara Falls was next on the list. I never thought I would get there anytime soon, but it so happened that as part of a training session, my 2 colleague’s and I had to go to Rochester, New York. So of course, yours truly looks at the map, calculates the distances, looks at flights and advises them that we are catching the 5am flight to Rochester so that we can go to Niagara Falls. None of us had been there. I was willing to drive and so I did. It was amazing. We also took the opportunity to catch the ferry down at the bottom of the falls, and honestly I think I got moisture in my camera but it was so worth it. It made the next two days of training worthwhile.

Epcot at Flower time is always fun and again we were meeting up with my brother. The flower show is always spectacular and well worth the visit. Epcot is probably my favorite of the Disney parks to visit and this event is no exception. All of the characters are dressed up in flora and it is a fun experience if you have not done it before. The downside of Disney for me is that it is always hot and crowded with people and it’s not something that I do too often. But the chance to spend sometime with my brother again makes it worth while.

Sometimes holidays are so impromptu. Maine was one of those. I was talking to my direct supervisor about where to take vacation and she offered me the use of her Cabin in Wells Beach. That was a fantastic trip. We flew into Boston and then drove via Salem and Manchester by the Sea (I needed to see it after watching the movie), up to Wells Beach. The town is beautiful and there are some gorgeous day drives around the area. I got to visit Portland as well with a friend who had moved up there. Then we did a trip up to the Bar Harbor and in particular Acadia National Park. We also did a day drive into New Hampshire to the White Mountain National Forest. Then it was back to Boston for 2 days of intense exploring before heading home. Boston is a such a cool town.

For this trip my Ozzie in-laws were in town. Kevin had a conference up that way so we flew up to San Francisco to meet them, and immediately headed up to Napa Valley to do some wine tasting and explore the area. On our way back down to San Francisco we passed through the Redwoods in the Bodega Bay area. These incredible giants are a sight to behold.

Another fence that reminded me that the San Francisco trip had it’s downside despite being a great day out. We caught the ferry to Alcatraz and did the tour of the facility. It’s hind of eerie going through the facility and I can only imagine what it was like for the people incarcerated within those walls. Alcatraz makes me think of the South African version of Robin Island where Nelson Mandela spent many years of his life locked up inside 4 walls. The downside of this trip was that it was raining and I somehow slipped on a metal grid and ended up tearing my ligaments in my dominant leg, which still worries me today. After Alcatraz getting around was a lot harder and painful. The interesting part of this trip that we stayed on a houseboat that was featured in a 60’s Hippie style movie.

Richard and I decided we wanted to get away and so we headed up into the panhandle for a week of camping. It was pretty isolated and not a big campsite so not a lot of neighbors. The beaches were stunning and the sunsets were gorgeous. The fun memory about this trip was that Richard had been out kayaking and I was suntanning and I suddenly saw birds diving into the water as though there was a pod of fish in the water. He came back and we went out towards where all the diving birds were. Always curious and normally very agile he wiggled his way so that he was lying over the kayak with googles on his face looking into the water. What he saw was enough to make me want to walk on water. The birds were diving for the fish, but under the water there was a bigger predator chasing down the fish as well. Two sharks bigger than our kayak. Super carefully he got back into a seated position and we made haste for land. I just had visions of being shark bait for a while.

How interesting that something as simple as {Fences} can bring back so many good memories of trips that we have taken. Of time with family, or just by ourselves. Times where we have met up with friends, or made new friends. We have traveled a lot and sometimes it is just good to be able to stop and rest and for me this was in the Rocky Mountain National Park, where we had walked out into the snow that just seemed to get deeper and deeper. I was glad to be able to take a rest for a while.

Just a reminder: The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, the grass is greenest where it is watered ~ Robert Fulghum

I’d love to hear what memories fences bring up for you.

This is a circle blog and as I mentioned, we have some very talented artists in the group. Take some time to follow the links and see what they have for you this month. My incredibly talented friend Lupji of  Lupji Photography is up next. I can’t wait to see what he has to share.

Until next time..

Stay well