Life is a patchwork of experiences
The centerpiece and most visited attraction of the Nikko UNESCO World Heritage site is the Toshogu shrine. This final resting place for Tokugawa Ieyasu is like a peacock among the pigeons, an extravagant and elaborately colorful showpiece dedicated to the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for almost 300 years.
Continue reading “Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, Japan – A Kaleidoscope of Colors and Shapes”
Original Quilt Design – This design takes it’s inspiration from the many beautiful Kimonos I have seen on my trips to Japan.
Continue reading ““I’m Turning Japanese” – Original Japanese Kimono Quilt Design”
The setting sun glows off the gold leaf on Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, aptly named the Golden Pavilion.
Continue reading “PhotoPOSTcard: Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion – Kinkaku-Ji Temple”
The Island of Miyajima is best known for the large floating tori gate in its harbor and for the Itsikushima shrine which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the buildings that make up the Itsikushima compels is the Toyokuni Shrine which has the nick name “Hall of One Thousand Tatami Mats” because of its large size.
Continue reading “Photo POSTcard: Toyokuni Shrine – The Hall of One Thousand Tatami Mats”
Most photos of Mt. Fuji in Japan show clear blue skies and cherry blossoms or autumn leaves in the foreground. This photo is probably more realistic though.
Continue reading “PhotoPOSTcard: Not Your Typical Mt. Fuji View”
Food stalls, craft vendors selling their wares in tents and American country music blaring over a loudspeaker – It’s a fall foliage festival. But this one is in Kawaguchico Japan, within sight of Mount Fuji.
Continue reading “PhotoPOSTcard: A Foliage Festival Food Stall In Japan”
The Japanese love their varied festivals and holidays. For a visitor, the festival with the highest adorable factor has to be Shichi-Go-San, or the 3-5-7 festival which refers to the ages of the children that participate.
Continue reading “Photo POSTcard: Shichi-Go-San – Japan’s Cutest Festival”
This past summer, a good friend and I went on a girls weekend away in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We found an abundance of activities in the town that calls itself “The Sweetest Place on Earth” (along with a great quilt show to boot).
Continue reading “A Sweet Girls Weekend Away in Hershey, PA”
The Great Pumpkin Carve is a fun Halloween tradition in the Brandywine Valley
The Great Pumpkin Carve is THE anticipated event of the fall season in the Brandywine Valley of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Set aside any preconceived notion you may have of jack-o-lanterns with triangle eyes and a saw tooth smile. The 400 pound vegetable specimens serve as a canvas for artists, sculptors, and anyone up for the challenge of creating an artistic pumpkin masterpiece.
Continue reading ““It’s the Great Pumpkin Carve, Charlie Brown””
If you love waterfalls like I do, then Pennsylvania’s Ricketts Glen State Park should be at the top of your hiking list. With 21 named waterfalls along Kitchen Creek, you won’t find a more gratifying hike in the state, especially in the fall when the leaves start changing color. Hiking Ricketts Glen is my choice for the best state park in PA experience.
Continue reading “Hiking Ricketts Glen in Pennsylvania’s Prettiest State Park”
