Sri Lanka - The Beaches

We spent half our trip to Sri Lanka at the beach and surrounding areas.

This was our view each morning and the beach below was also our walking path.

The resort was spacious and relaxing.

We had a chance to wear our Pepper Team shirts.

The pool was warm and inviting.

The ladies took advantage of the pool every chance they got.

These ladies enjoyed both the beach and the pool.

Sri Lanka - Galle

Galle () is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District. Galle is the fourth largest city in Sri Lanka after the capital Colombo, Kandyand Jaffna.

Galle  was the main port on the island when the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the Portuguese in South and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between Portuguese architectural styles and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.

The Clock Tower

The Gun Ports.

Ships had to navigate the many rocks that also guarded the harbor.

The old lighthouse helped ships avoid the rocks.

Galle was easy to walk around with a limited number of tourists and many family and friends out for the day.

Kids seem to have the most fun.

Friends along the shore.

Muslims comprise about fifteen percent of the population. Here they are enjoying the sea.

Of course, tourists were well taken care of and there were many Western style restaurants and cafes.

These tourists were in search of a restaurant.

Here we catch a tourist mailing picture post cards home.

Sri Lanka - Elephant Orphanage

We landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Dec.27 and headed for the Elephant Orphanage two days later.  The trip was three hours up and five hours back, longer than usia, made so by rain and road construction seemingly everywhere.

We were fortunate that the only time the rain stopped was when we entered the Elephant Orphanage and stayed that way until we left. The orphanage is officially named the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife.  It was originally set up to protect the many orphaned elephants in that area but it is now also a nursery and captive breeding ground. With 88 elephants,  it has the largest herd in the world.

Although the sign cautions people about getting close to the animals, the handlers make it safe to approach them and to suggest a generous tip for the service provided.

Not just Bella but Medi and Ally joined in. ( The camera man of course did not as he needed to take the pictures)

These elephants enjoyed the downtime away from the crowds.

The sign encourages feedback but I don't understand why it used monkey characters to do so.

At first I didn't understand why people would need internet in the middle of an elephant herd but then realized it enabled them to immediately post their "jungle" photos.

People did not read this sign so I wonder if they read the signs above in this blog. While I was there, I saw a handler go down the road three times to retrieve (save) people who wandered down, oblivious that they were approaching the untamed monsters.

2014 Virginia - Swannanoa

Swannanoa is an Italian Renaissance Revival villa built in 1912 by millionaire and philanthropist James H. Dooley (1841–1922) above Rockfish Gap on the border of northern Nelson County and Augusta County, Virginia, in the USA. It is partially based on buildings in the Villa Medici, Rome.

Rockfish Gap is the southern end of the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park and the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It is located on the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains, overlooking both Shenandoah and Rockfish valleys. It is located on a jurisdictional border, so it is in both Augusta and Nelson counties.^[

(Wikipedia)

Intended to be a "summer place" for Richmond, Virginia, millionaire and philanthropist James H. Dooley and his wife Sally May, it reportedly took over 300 artisans eight years to build the structure, complete with Georgian marble, Tiffany windows, gold plumbing fixtures, and terraced gardens. Built as a token of love from husband to wife, the depth of James and Sally May’s relationship was represented in the 4,000 piece Tiffany stained-glass window and a domed ceiling bearing the likeness of Mrs. Dooley ^[4] Despite the lavish expenditure, it was occupied only for a few years following completion in 1912.^[5]

(Wikipedia)

Major Dooley died in 1924 at the age of 82. He left Swannanoa entirely to his wife, Sally Mae, along with several million dollars. Sally Mae Dooley died in 1926 at the age of 79. She left the estate to Major Dooley's two sisters.

When the property was built it had state-of-the-art fixtures for the time. Electricity and plumbing were installed in the house. It was the first house to have electricity in Nelson Countyand to accomplish this it had its own power plant on the property. There also was a built in elevator. Like Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house 27 miles away, it had a dumbwaiterto bring food up from the basement kitchen to the dining room on the first floor.

This marvelous mantle piece greets guests  as they  enter the house.

The rugs in the front of the house display this design.

There are not a lot of stained glass windows in the house but this one grabs your attention as you first enter. I later learned the figure in the glass is James Dooley's wife  -  Sally May.

Medi stands at the back of the house,  already impressed by her tour of the residence.

I loved the geometric shape the roof tiles displayed.

Here again, the pattern caught my eye.

T
There was  a lot of attention paid to beauty in this enclosed garden path.

The shadows played on the pillars.

The walkway even had  a picture of nature at the end.

This staircase like a good part of the house shows the disrepair that came to the mansion.

Medi climbed up to get a better view of the gardens and trees surrounding the house.

It was worth the climb. Can you see the observation tower behind her?

A splash of Fall .

Utah - The National Parks

We had the trip of a lifetime traveling to national parks in Utah and discovering the beauty of the West and wonders in the USA.

This is the arch rock you see in many brochures - " Delicate Arch".  It will always amaze me how the wind and rain could sculpt such magnificent creations of many different shapes and sizes out of the cliffs.

To get to the Donut Arch, we climbed straight up for two hours and then walked the last 500 yards along a ridge (on the right) that had no barrier - a very long way down.

Nature created these rocks.

For variation, nature created this scene .

And just for good old fun, nature created a hole through the center of the mountain.

My favorite park was Bryce Canyon. The formation of the rocks were unbelievable .Some parts looked like a medieval castle and some parts looked like mosques, like this one.

We went to Bryce twice, once in the afternoon and then the following morning because it was so beautiful .  This was in the afternoon.

This was in the morning.

The Grand Canyon was our last stop on our national parks trip. Truly magnificent.

The park authorities here also made a point to keep the area "natural" : very few railings which meant a very long way down if you fell.

We traveled to the parks with our dear friends Paul and Gertrud Carpenter. They live in Utah and love showing the Utah National parks to their friends.

One last look.