December 2019

The world’s largest curtain of synchronized light and sound was the event highlight as the lights changed to music from famous symphonies

Few plants were on display but this poinsettia Christmas tree lived inside the rainforest greenhouse; most botanical gardens in the US now have holiday themed displays similar to the one here

At almost $40 per ticket and another $10 for parking, it's not a cheap experience; we were surprised at the lack of holiday music (a DJ was spinning dance music outside the rainforest greenhouse)

We felt the event was crowded despite thousands staying away due to the rain and cold; the parking garage was more than half empty and off-site parking wasn't even being used tonight

There was very little botanical in the Garden Nights exhibit, it was mostly about the lights; the gift shop was stocked with plenty of holiday items and was doing a brisk business

The shaggy dog was one of my favorites from our summer visit; to me, Garden Lights thrives because there are lots of people in Atlanta in search of something fun to do during the holiday season

Readers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution have again voted Garden Lights, Holiday Nights Atlanta’s Best Holiday Event for the third year in a row

Having seen the Garden in both summer and winter, I would definitely recommend the warm weather visit; the prices are cheaper and there is much more to see

Having just seen the Garden this summer, my Dad decided to skip Garden Lights in the rain and cold temperatures; my Mom and I had expected more given the high price and hype

Garden Nights runs from early November until mid January annually; we were just stopping for the night on our drive from Crystal River to Greensboro and I'd always wanted to see the exhibit

Garden Nights is perfect for this age of Instagram with lots of excellent photo spots; there were large groups and families capturing the evening for posterity

Having just seen the Chihuly exhibit in St. Petersburg, it was hard to miss this chandelier; you have to purchase tickets well in advance for Garden Nights, Holiday Lights since they sell out

The woolly mammoth didn't seem to mind the cold temperatures; we wondered why people would visit the gardens during the day this time of year since there wasn't much to see

The sound and light curtain was the most unique feature of the evening; a video would do it more justice but this blog platform doesn't handle video well

After a long day of driving in the rain, it was good just to get some walking in; the challenge was to avoid getting an eye poked out from the many large golf umbrellas!

These creatures are much more impressive when built from thousands of colorful plants rather than adorned with lights; with temperatures in the low 40's, I was the only person there in shorts

St. James Church is one of the finest churches in the Cotswalds and an excellent example of the Perpendicular Gothic style; the church was built in the 15th century and has well-preserved 15th century altar hangings inside

A rich wool trading center in the Middle Ages, Chipping Campden enjoyed the patronage of wealthy wool merchants; this Market Hall was built in 1627 for the wool traders

Rick Steve's says Chipping Campden has the finest High Street (like Main Street) in all of England; the consistency of building materials and architectural style do make it unique

This cope at St. James Church dates from around 1400; it is said to be the oldest cope still in its original church in England

The town was laid out in regular plots of land called burgages to be occupied for a fee by craftsmen, traders and others providing services to the community

Chipping Campden was full of small bed and breakfasts and Airbnb's in the old homes; driving around the area we didn't pass any fast food places, grocery stores or big box retailers

This Tibetan cherry tree in the Ernest Wilson Memorial Garden had the smoothest trunk; Wilson, from Chipping Campden, was a Victorian botanist who traveled extensively and brought species back here

Lee is photobombing the tombs of the husband and wife who provided most of the funding for St. James Church; the town was the center of the wool trade in the 15th century with many wealthy residents

Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors with her series, set in a Canadian village, centered around the head of homicide in Quebec; the characters are diverse, charming and have a great rapport

Chipping Campden is one of the pretty villages in the Cotswalds; the area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat rare in the UK and that is quarried for the golden-colored Cotswold stone

This is the Hicks Gate, adjacent to St. James Church, which is all that remains from the estate of Baptist Hicks; the mansion was burned by royalists in 1645 during the Civil War

Chipping Campden is a very early example of town planning; the main street follows level ground by the River Cam, a curve that helps to make the High Street so attractive

This window at St. James Church is a memorial of World War I and each element of the window depicts some aspect of the war and its impact

30+ buildings were moved from different parts of the Hida region to preserve traditional houses and lifestyles as well as the cultural heritage

Takumi Shrine; the village opened in 1971 so visitors could see what daily life used to be like in rural Japan

Tomita's House, dating from the mid-1700s, was a successful way station on the main road through the region; transportation was primarily with oxen and horses (and on foot)

Since most people didn't have watches, monks would strike this bell to indicate the time; 6am and 6pm would signify the opening and closing of business for the day

It's great that these old buildings could be preserved; by moving them to a central location, they make it easy for visitors and school kids to learn the regional history

Nishioka's House belonged to the chief priest of a Buddhist temple; the houses here are characterized by open floor plans and steep roofs to prevent snow from accumulating

Wakayama's House; it's amazing that with the houses made of wood and thatched roofs that the houses didn't burn down all the time

Taguchi's House; the head of the village lived here for several generations; meetings were often held here, so the rooms are designed to make one big room using sliding doors

Artisans were working on traditional arts and crafts in several houses; the artisans were making Hida quilts, straw crafts, wood carvings, weavings, ceramics and roof shingles

Michikami's House dates from the early 1800s; the bottom portion of the roof was cut off to get more sunlight into the house for the silkworm industry on the upper floor

Cherry blossoms and water mill; most of the buildings are open and are filled with artifacts from their respective periods, including spindles, silkworm raising artifacts, cooking utensils, and clothing

Mill; there is a workshop illustrating how many of Japan's famous handicrafts are made, including wood carving, tie-dying, weaving and lacquer work

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea reminded me of old Florida with no high rises; I stayed in a small, 2 story hotel a couple of blocks from the beach and it was much cheaper than places in Ft. Lauderdale

I encountered a school of large (5-6 ft long) greater amberjacks; I'd never seen a school of such huge fish before!

I saw a larger turtle the day before but he bolted when he saw me; one day there were large waves and I lost one of my fins while trying to get it on; I watched a couple of hours and eventually saw it floating in the waves and recaptured it!

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a cute, old-fashioned beach town wedged between the high rises of Ft. Lauderdale to the south and Pompano Beach to the north

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, population 6000, is located on a long, narrow barrier island separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway; many of its older hotels and buildings reflect mid-century modern architecture design

Large porcupinefish; the drawbridge to get from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to Ft. Lauderdale opens every 30 min and causes a huge traffic backlog

Queen Angelfish; 88% of the town in non-Hispanic white although I heard lots of different languages spoken among tourists (Spanish, French, German, Russian, etc)

Lizardfish; the SS Copenhagen sank just offshore in 1900 on a voyage between Pennsylvania and Cuba; it is now a popular dive in 16-31 ft of water 3/4 of a mile offshore

Traffic is horrendous in South Florida and some young people drive as if they're auditioning for Nascar; the income inequality is very noticeable too

The visibility fluctuated a great deal with decent visibility one day while the next day was windy and I couldn't see anything; supposedly there are nurse sharks, rays and eels here but I didn't see them

Parrotfish; I chose to stay in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea since I read they had excellent snorkeling; Jacques Cousteau's son started an artificial reef here decades ago

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea says it's the shore diving capital of Florida; I'm not sure they have much competition but there were divers at the Datura Street Portal

Trunkfish; the beach was very clean with fine sand but still had plenty of plastic trash; you had to watch for pleasure boats while snorkeling with dive flags recommended

Porcupinefish; there wasn't much in the way of coral but there was an occasional sea fan, barrel sponge or brain coral

The Wallace Collection opened to permanent public view in 1900; a condition of the bequest to the nation was that no object should ever leave the collection, even for loan exhibitions

Self-portrait, Rembrandt, 1637; the collection had a very high quality selection of Italian majolica pottery dating from the Renaissance period

1747 cartel clock; gilt-bronze case with figures of Love Triumphing Over Time; only 4 other examples of this type of clock are known to exist

Huge 1779 writing desk; the Wallace Collection is in Hertford House which was the home of Sir Richard Wallace so even the venue is imposing

I think many of the patrons were there to see the collection of Manolo Blahnik shoes on temporary display among the masterpieces of the Wallace Collection

The Laughing Cavalier, Hals, 1624; the museum was free and was an impressive surprise; there was an entire wing devoted to armor and weapons that I skipped

The Wallace Collection contains the richest and most distinguished museum collection of 18th-century Sèvres porcelain in the world; it includes 137 vases, 80 tea wares, 67 useful wares, 3 biscuit figures and 130 plaques

The Village Alchemist, Steen, 1625; there were many great pieces among a strong collection of works by Dutch masters

French filing cabinet and clock, 1766; the detail on this piece (and many others) was just mind-boggling; the hours and skill required were incomprehensible

Titus, the Artist's Son, Rembrandt, 1657; the Wallace Collection is best known for its quality and breadth of magnificent 18th-century French paintings, Sèvres porcelain and French furniture

French wardrobe, 1715, Andre-Charles Boulle; it's hard to imagine how these pieces were shipped to customers without being damaged and then moved more over time

French astronomical clock, 1750; not only are the collection pieces top quality but most were made for specific high profile individuals