Bill's Blog

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Ferries

Getting from Ocracoke to Hatteras and the Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina is by a free ferry that takes about 1 1/2 hours.  

The Hatteras Ferry is the little red line in the middle

The Ocracoke terminal is located at the very northern tip of the island in a desolate, windy area.

The road to the ferry... no wait, don't go here. Storms wiped out the staging area and the road just ends.

Instead turn left before the road ends and you'll see a ferry coming in.

Getting closer.

The ferry service actually consists of a number of different boats working the route at the same time, approximately 1/2 hour apart.

Different sizes and shapes

One last image of a ferry. Cars, campers and retail vehicles, including semis, use the ferry.

Looking forward and back, with a semi-self portrait.

Moving away from Hatteras on a return trip

Water and clouds from the ferry. A storm a bit away from us.

Sun reflected on the water

Hatteras from a distance

Wind surfing. A popular pastime.

Lighthouses

The famous Hatteras Light. The light is still active. 198.5 feet tall and can be seen 51 miles out to sea in ideal conditions. 

Entrance. In 1999, the Cape Hatteras Light Station, which consists of seven historic structures, was successfully relocated 2,900 feet from the spot on which it had stood since 1870. Erosion was endangering the lighthouse. The lighthouse was not disassembled; it was moved as one piece.

The stones in the foreground were part of the original foundation and now have the names of all the lighthouse keepers carved in them.

Bodie Lighthouse. The "other" Hatteras Seashore lighthouse. Still operational. Jodi and Mike added to give a sense of scale. 

Very popular area to stop. Yes, that's Mike taking a picture.

Bodie Lighthouse

Full size images are here: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/2021-and-Featured-Images/2022-Hither-and-Yon/

September 9-11, 2022

Walking the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills, NC

The first three powered flights were launched on the flat, not from the hill.

Walking to the Memorial

Side view from below

Jodi celebrates the two brothers

Museum in the round

First flights and museum

Looking off to the ocean

Full size images are here: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/2021-and-Featured-Images/2022-Hither-and-Yon/

September 9, 2022

Ocracoke Island

Howard's Pub in the light of a full moon.

at the very edge of the Village. Last visit was 30+ years ago when it was my favorite off-season stop (one of the few places open off-season). 

It has expanded and some of the rough edges have been smoothed, but it still maintains the Ocracoke atmosphere.

Full size images are here: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/2021-and-Featured-Images/2022-Hither-and-Yon/

September 9, 2022

Bordeaux, France

Out-of-business in anticipation of building renovation

No eating here

No more chainsaws here

Notice of closing with reflected clouds

Green door

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

For all our trip stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html

June 9, 2022

It has been a lot of years since we have been to Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Back for a family trip...

Ocracoke and the moon

Clouds from the ferry

Ruth looking at the Island

Cars (we are on the left side, two cars from the front)

Rusty lock, crooked pipe

Wake

 Full size images are here: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/2021-and-Featured-Images/2022-Hither-and-Yon/

September 4, 2022

Bordeaux, France

Peace, Harmony and Happiness

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

For all our trip stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html

June 9, 2022

Finally Wineries!

Fitting for a Wine Quest...

Two Bordeaux- region wineries

Winery #1

New way and old way!

Random couple not in our group. I liked the framing.

Winery #2

Wilson makes an appearance with Kelly and our guides

Happy to be here!

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

For all our trip stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html

June 8, 2022

Interpretations onboard ship during our recent June trip:

Moving at sunset

Hazy sunset with a small sailboat

Front moving in

Shoreline village at sunset

Classic sunset at sea

Moon over the ocean

 For all of our Western Europe Wine Quest stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html 

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

June 9-11, 2022

Bordeaux, France

Morning walk to a church

Sirena with Bordeaux in the background

Narrow streets!

Flower Shop at the end of a street

Saint- Louis des Chartrons Roman Catholic Church (built in 1895)

Guide explaining how part of the sides of the church had been restored.

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

For all our trip stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html

June 8, 2022

Saint-Malo, France

It dawned gray and cloudy at the walled port city in northwestern France on the British Channel.

Seagull on guard

  Unfortunately, our scheduled shore excursion once again did not occur. Fortunately, Kelly stepped up and, on the fly, led a great day in Saint-Malo. An excellent starter of Crepes de Froment (sweet crepes) at a local restaurant was followed by a walking tour of the city. Lunch at the Cafe de L'Quest led to a guided tour of the walls and city. 

City Map

One of many entrances

Another entrance

View from atop the wall

Wilson posing for his fandom

Narrow crowded streets within the walls

  Some apartment and wall images

"Wall art"

High tide in the morning

See the object in the lower part of the image? We spent a while trying to figure out why there is a staircase out in the water. See the answer later.

LUNCH!!!

Saint-Malo is known for its seafood!

Flambé!

More wandering:

Robert Surcouf (12 December 1773 – 8 July 1827) was a French privateer and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean between 1789 and 1801, and again from 1807 to 1808, capturing over 40 prizes. He later amassed a large fortune as a ship-owner, from privateering, commercial activities,the illegal slave trade,and as a landowner. Buried in Saint-Malo. He is pointing towards England, his favorite hunting grounds.

Stained glass

Low tide in the afternoon

Look at the lower right, the staircase at hightide reveals itself and a diving platform for a saltwater pool at low tide.

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

June 5, 2022

Western Europe Wine Quest
Day One, La Havre and Honfleur, France

On the first day of our ten-day wine cruise, the scheduled shore excursion never got started because the bus never arrived. We had been told that lasting effects of the Pandemic could wreak havoc on scheduled events. 

Kelly, our intrepid leader (the one with no red hat), took over, organizing an off-the-cuff wandering. First, a ship-sponsored shuttle bus into La Havre, followed by a tram to the downtown bus station. We got bus tickets to the small city of Honfleur. It was about an hour or so before the bus left, so some of us took a cab to the scenic Hanging Gardens in La Havre, a mid-19th-century fortress with manicured gardens.

La Havre

City of La Havre from atop the Hanging Gardens

War Memorial downtown. La Havre was decimated during WWII, suffering terrible civilian casualties.

Big Birds guarding City Hall (Hotel de Ville translates to City Hall)

Big Bird up close

Red Plant at the Gardens

Another view of La Havre

Honfleur

A crowded intra- city bus took us to the picturesque city of Honfleur. Known for its Vieux-Bassin (old harbor), lined with 16th- to 18th-century townhouses, the city was hosting a giant farmers market with booths lining the major streets. An outdoor lunch at an excellent small local restaurant, where no one spoke English, and wandering the streets filled the day. 

Vieux-Bassin

The Market

Lunch!

Wandering

Cook's window

Artist's window

Old Harbor patrolled by a Duck

 A return bus, tram ride and a 45 minute walk through beautiful La Havre got us back to the ship. Wonderful day. 

See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/

June 4, 2022 

Wandering around London on the 2nd level of a Big Red Bus. We spent our last day in London playing tourist on the top deck of one of London's omnipresent double-decker tour busses. 

Trafalgar Square 

Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte, KB

I'm not sure I completely get British humor. At a corner of Trafalgar Square

At another corner of Trafalgar Square... shouldn't it be named the Vice- Admiralty?

A lasting memory of London- very crowded and lots of slow moving traffic

Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the tower

The Tower is the Elizabeth Tower

From London Bridges

Lots of strange creatures on big pedestals
 

Two guys hangin' out... holding Earths?

A homage, not to the Colonel, to "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (it is on Fleet Street)

The Hung Drawn and Quartered. Pleasant name for a big pub.
 

A small construction. 'Drove by it at one of the times the bus actually moved quickly, so I really don't know what it is for.

End with another pass by Big Ben

Full-size images are at my Gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/London-2022/

June 14, 2022

We were in London for a few days earlier this month before and after a cruise. Ruth's first time and my last visit was in the 70's.  A lot of the time was walking around the Paddington and Kensington areas, including the two big parks, Hyde and Kensington.

The week of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee...

where Ruth had an audience with someone special. 

Adjacent to our hotel, Paddington Station is a huge train station, more crowded than most US airports.  

Paddington is associated with a rather famous bear, who Ruth got to sit next to. 

Two bucket list items...

British ale/ beer (the one on the left is mine)

Wilson... and Ruth in a traditional Brisitsh phone booth (they are only there to impress tourists like us... everyone uses cell phones)

We stayed at the Hilton Paddington, which was originally the Great Western Railway Hotel.

Walking the streets of London...

Wall art

Amidst all the beautiful old buildings, this was a bit of a shock.  

Loved the view inside this old church

Lots of Beatles things in London

How does he get in there?

Sign outside a Barber Shoppe

Kensington Gardens- a Royal park

Local Inhabitant. He didn't quack so I don't know if he had a British accent. 

Visiting inhabitant

One of the anomalies of London parks, amidst beautifully kept grounds are little patches left to grow wild.

Bees

Hyde Park

The largest of four Royal parks in the center of London

One of the huge number of inhabitants of the same breed.

Kensington Castle framed by art

Kensington Castle

Wild Parakeets??

Even the broken fences are protected

A beautiful gardens in Hyde Park

One of many statues: Arthur, Duke of Wellington

Another area left alone to grow slightly wild

The closing image is not really London. It is a view of the traditional English countryside on the road from London to Southampton. 

Full-size images are at my Gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/London-2022/

June 2, 3, 13, 14, 2022

Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg, FL

revisited

More Chihuly from May, 2021

March, 2022

On Saturday, March 13 a 200-yard wide EF1 tornado with winds of 110MPH ripped through Ocala, Florida. Trees, fences, and some structures were damaged. A recent foggy sunrise created an eerie damaged landscape. 

The white pieces are wall insulation blown off a nearby construction project.

Click here for full-size, high-def images on my Gallery site.

March 17, 2022