Jeannie's Travel Addiction

Backyard Birding Fall 2015

07 Dec 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: finch, flicker, nuthatch, tufted tit mouse

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Finch in her muted winter colors.

December 2015

As winter approaches the backyard buffet changes to black oiled sunflowers seeds and suet for energy and added fat for warmth. Water is always is needed but it is time to put the heater in it so my feathered friends can enjoy their “hot tub” once again.

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Always love this House Finches with the little hint of pink near their bottom.

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The Nuthatch comes to dine daily now as the days are cooler. I discovered the nuthatch loves peanuts and will keep making continuous trips to the feeder until she has taken them all!

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The Tufted Titmouse bath time.

chickadee at take off

The Black Capped Chickadee is so fast that it is difficult to photograph. This was a lucky shot as she gracefully flees with her snack.

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This Flicker Woodpecker enjoyed a hearty meal of suet….

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So much so that……

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with his full belly, the need for a nap came creeping in…..

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and he fell asleep for a good 10 minutes before he was interrupted.

Backyard birding is always free entertainment just outside my window!

Thanks for reading, please feed the birds, if you can, as food and water become scarce this winter.

LEAF PEEPING and PUMPKINS in ASHEVILLE, N.C.

06 Nov 2015 4 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

October 26, 2015

An end of October visit to Asheville, North Carolina proved to be peak peeping time for the fall colored leaves. The beautiful mix of colors was beautiful every direction I looked.

The Grove Park Inn was an enjoyable place to explore, have a tasty dessert and enjoy the scenery. It opened in 1913 after taking 3 years to build with 400 men working 10 hour shifts, 6 days a week. They used mules, wagons and ropes to haul in and place granite boulders to build the hotel. An impressive list of famous people have stayed here since it opened. The Grove Park Inn also hosts the biggest and best Gingerbread House competition every year in November/December which I have seen in the past and highly recommend.

The hotel also has a wonderful expansion patio to relax and enjoy the colorful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Biltmore Mansion , built in 1889, is also located in Asheville and well worth the ticket price to tour.

View from the back terrace of the Biltmore Mansion.

Pumpkins in prison.

Gotta love this Tennessee Smoky Mountain rest stop.

Hope you enjoyed your arm chair visit to Asheville and thanks for reading!!

YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER VISITS MY BIRDBATH TODAY

04 Nov 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: myrtle yellow rumped warbler

Wednesday November 4, 2015 / St. Louis, MO

Just yesterday I was whining to my neighbor that I hadn’t seen many birds in my backyard recently. Then, this morning, I was blessed with this new visitor ! At first glance my thought was this poor bird had been spattered with yellow paint! But recalling Mother Nature’s unique sense of humor, my research, paired with my best guess, tells me this is a Myrtle Yellowed Rump Warbler. Evidently these birds rarely come to feeders, so the need for a dip in my bird bath was the attraction.

Hope you enjoy her bathing photos and just a reminder you can double click on the photo to enlarge it …….

Thanks for reading!

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY Girls Weekend Getaway

30 Aug 2015 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Bourbon Trail, Cave Hill Cemetery, Colonal Sanders, Kentucky, lamp lighter carving, Louisville, Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, Mega Caverns, Old Louisville Victorian Homes

August 7, 2015

Recently my daughter and I enjoyed a weekend in Louisville, Ky. Louisville is a pretty city with friendly Louisvillians and a wide choice of things to see and do for entertainment. But, the first thing you should know is that Louisville is not pronounced “”Louisville”. The proper pronunciation is LOO-A-VUL.

Looavul is probably best known for the Churchill Downs/ Kentucky Derby and the Bourbon Trail which consists of 10 distilleries. We visited neither.

We chose instead to see the Kentucky Slugger Museum and Factory for our 1st Looavul adventure.

In 1884, J. F. Hellerich’s woodworking shop made the first Louisville Slugger . Originally it would take 30 minutes for a bat to be crafted. With today’s automation it only takes about 3 minutes. The impressive 120 foot bat that leans outside of the Museum and Factory was placed there in 1995. It’s made of carbon steel and hand painted. Weighing 68,000 pounds, it is hollow and is the exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth’s bat.

We learned everything we needed to know how a bat is crafted from the tree to the final finish. Very enjoyable tour.

By the way, if you don’t need a bat, perhaps you need an Official Louisville Slugger Rocker or Louisville Slugger bike? Don’t forget to also check out the museum ‘s display regarding Topps baseball ( and more) collectible cards. Then say hello to a few of the great baseball legends who are available for photos.

That’s me and Bath Ruth after he slammed one of the building.

The beautiful and historic Cave Hill cemetery also welcome tourists. We took a brief drive through Cave Hill to pay respects to Coronal Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants.

Then onward for a tram tour through Mega Caverns. It was a chilly and unusually interesting limestone cave that was mined from 1930 – 1970’s with a dual purpose to be used as a fall out shelter, if needed, during the days of the Cold War. The cave is about 100 acres in size and is now classified as the largest building in Kenucky. The underground is privately owned. It is used for business, storage, recycling, tourism with a zip line, ropes course, mountain bike park, and an annual holiday light display.

Uniquely, there is a company in Louisville called Cuddle Clones. Their web sight is most intriguing, explaining how they can make a stuffed replica or figurine of your pet. Cuddle Clones has made look-a-likes for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds and a horse, just to name a few. Plus the owner donates a portion of each sale to pet causes all over the world. Please check out her web sight: http://www.cuddleclones.com/about-cuddle-clones.html

You have to love the ingenuity!

Lastly, we enjoyed a stroll through ” Old Louisville” – a beautiful neighborhood known for its historical and stately Victorian homes. There are several walking and driving tours to help guide the way. The first house pictured is the Conrad-Caldwell House that was built in 1893. Tours are available.

The wonderful carving is of the local lamp lighter from days gone by.

Hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Looavul !

Thanks for traveling with us!

A SHOWDOWN at the BIRD BATH and SHOW OFFS

27 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: blue jay, gold finch, Hummingbird, juvenile cardinal, Monarch butterfly, red bellied woodpecker, red tailed hawk

August 2015

My backyard has built in entertainment. Such as the morning I witnessed the showdown between the bossy Blue Jay and the stubborn Grackle. Then reinforcements had to be called in……

And success ! The Grackle moved on to neutral territory to await his turn for bath time.

Juvenile Cardinal in all her glory.

Juvenile Eurasian Sparrow needs a napkin.

This Red-Bellied Woodpecker visits my suet cage every morning.

Breakfast captured!

Offspring of the Red Tailed Hawks that nested in my pine this summer. At this stage they were as big as their parents but would still cry to be fed.

Always love the little Hummingbirds. This is the male wearing his finest red scarf.

The beauty of summer

Time to fly…

Thanks for reading!

LANTERN FESTIVAL 2015 at Missouri Botanical Gardens

18 Aug 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Lantern Festival 2015, Missouri Botanical Gardens

August 1, 2015

The Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens ends this August 30, 2015 so time is running out if you have been procrastinating! Twenty-two beautiful and colorfully lit displays crafted with silk, wire and porcelain are featured. A few samplings are:

The elephants are incredible, especially when you take a moment and imagine just how many pieces of porcelain make up the display. The close up photo ( double click on it for a real close up ) shows off the cups , saucers, spoons, etc crafted to create the elephant’s bodies.

A path way of cherry blossoms and dandelions.

Lovable Panda Bears

Modeled after a Stupas Pagoda in China, this display is built with over 300,000 pieces of plates, bowls, spoons, tea cups, ladles and wine cups.

Lastly, my favorite, Bird Land.

Thanks for reading!

A Whimsical Pair of Killdeer

01 Aug 2015 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Killdeer, killdeer egs

July 9, 2015

On my recent trip to Indiana, late one afternoon, I pulled into an empty parking lot to look at my map. Immediately I was distracted by 2 killdeer that began running all around my car in a seemingly frantic state. Killdeer usually display a “broken wing” act to keep an intruder away from their nest. But the broken wing act never happened – they just kept circling my car and watching me.

As I pulled out my camera and started snapping photos, one of the birds came and briefly say down under a very small bush in the rocks:

I was amazed how quickly the bird became camouflaged with the scenery.

While the second killdeer is still circling me, the first bird got back up off the rocks to, again, join the pacing.

That’s when I finally saw what all of the commotion was about:

I happened to have parked right beside their nest of 4 speckled eggs.

Not the most comfortable place for a nest, nor private , as I imagine this parking lot is busy during the day. But curiously I Googled ” Killdeer” and discovered this location choice is somewhat typical of these birds and they seem to tolerate the busy locations and the humans in them as well. I also learned their babies take twice as long to hatch, but are born with feathers and their eyes open and can run about almost immediately.

For more interesting information on killdeer and darling photos of baby killdeer :

http://www.birdwatching.com/stories/killdeer.html

Thanks for reading!

RV Hall of FAME MUSEUM in Elkhart, Indiana

20 Jul 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Elkhart, Indiana, RV Hall of Fame Museum

July 9, 2015

Highlights from the RV Hall of Fame Museum is the last of 4 postings of my trip to Elkhart County, Indiana. Even though I have no long term interests in RV life, I thoroughly enjoyed this museum. The units on display ranged from brand new to the first of it’s kind from 1913, from wonderfully vintage to I-wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in-that. It’s all part of the adventure! Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face are my favorites for various reasons:

Road Best Traveled to the history of RV’s

Only permanent residents of the RV Museum.

Mae West was given this 1931 Chevrolet Housecar by Paramount Studios.

1931 Ford Model AA Camp Truck with luxury driver seating and interior.

1954 Holiday Rambler

1955 Ranger Fiberglass Pop Up with a side under rear bed.

1937 Hunt Housecar (resembles a rolly poly bug )

Only 3 made before the Crash of 1929, this is a 1928 Pierce Arrow Housecar

1935 Covered Wagon 17 Foot Travel Trailer with a leatherette exterior and a canvas covered roof.

Can’t miss this coming down the road – 1974 GMC Motor Home

1954 Spartan Mobile Home – 8 feet wide and 48 feet long

Ugly award has to go to this 1988 Star Streak II

Just a couple random interiors for a step back in time.

Lastly, this Westwood Coronado was bought in 1947 ( for $3200.) by John Culp after he came home from WWII. He used it for 65 years traveling the USA, living in it full time ( from 1947 until 1957 when he married) or part time as a snow bird. John was a charter member of the “Tin Can Tourist ” vintage trailer club. His trailer was in several TV documentaries about vintage trailer life.

Hope you enjoyed your condensed trip to the RV Hall of Fame Museum!

Thanks for reading!

ENJOYING AMISH COUNTRY in Elkhart County, Indiana – Random Moments in Time

16 Jul 2015 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Amish Buggy, amish buggy dining, Apple Art, Nappanee Apple Art, Painted Rain Barrell, Round Barn Theater, Shipshewana shopping, Tootsie

July 9, 2015

As I explored Elkhart County I saw so many wonderful “Kodak Moments”. Here are some of my favorites:

Nappanee has ” Apple Picking ” – ” An A-Peeling Art” in front of many of the businesses as a means to “dress up the streets” and also as a means of identification. I believe there are 24 now but the number keeps growing.

The Round Barn Theater at Amish Acres in Nappanee

Beautiful and fragrant flowers are everywhere in Elkhart County – always a sign to me of love for home and community. This wagonful was sitting outside the Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewana – an absolute MUST place to eat – the food was delicious!

Speaking of restaurants, a couple had special ” Amish Buggy” seating!

I just happened to drive by and fall in love with this relax-and-sit-a-spell porch !

Shops of all kinds in Shipshewana !

What a wonderful place for a treasure hunt !

The prettiest rain barrel I have ever seen!

This was my traveling companion, Tootsie.

She enjoyed window shopping in Elkhart County too !

Gotta love those Amish Buggies and the sound of the horse’s clattering hoofs as they passed by.

Thanks for reading !

Please stay tuned – the next posting to come is of the RV Museum in the town of Elkhart.

LINTON’S ENCHANTED GARDEN in Elkhart, Indiana

15 Jul 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Area 51, Elkhart, Indiana, Linton's Enchated Garden, topiary

Enjoyably unique sights to be seen….

July 8, 2015

Linton’s Enchanted Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana was a must-see while I was exploring the Amish Community of Elkhart County. It was like nothing I had ever seen before and vastly exceeded my expectations! Entrance to Linton’s is free for, in reality, it is a home and garden center. They have flowers, plants, bushes, trees, statuary, gifts, chocolates, jewelry and that’s only the beginning. There is also a cafe, petting zoo, train rides, paddle boat rides , kids play area and gem stone mining. Plus the greatest stroll ever through their incredible and imaginative grounds. I easily whiled away a couple of hours as I had to be sure I didn’t miss anything. Be ready to smile and feel the kid in you come to the surface as you meander through the gardens….