summer finally arrived

The farmers in our area have had a really tough time this spring/summer. We have received unprecedented amounts of rain over the past 4 months! They have not been able to plant, and the yield this year is going to be very light. Normally, these fields are filled with tall corn, and beautiful, deep green, soybean plants. Still, love the beauty of the Midwest, and love riding!

sweeeeeeeet!

Some candy shop sweetness in Delray Beach, FL!

back to delray beach

Delray Beach has an amazing “downtown” filled with shops, hotels and great eats all along, and around Atlantic Avenue.

The image above and below were taken at Deck 84. Great food, great location!

Thanks for stopping by.

Wynwood Walls

One of the greatest delights on our recent trip to Florida was a visit to Wynwood Walls. You can read all about Wynwood Walls here. This urban street art gallery is an absolute must see if you are ever in or near Miami! Some of you will recognize the work of Eduardo Kobra. My only regret is that I did not take the time to note all of the artists that appear in this post. Bravo to all the artists and this amazing art district in Miami!

blue

We leave the east coast of Long Island for the east coast of Florida. Specifically the next few posts will be from another trip we took in May to the sunshine state. First stop, Delray Beach.

It’s hard not to make blue your favorite color in Florida.

the unexpected

This was taken near the end of my walk around the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Along the right edge of the image you can make out the “road” that was made when these giant boulders were laid along the shore to protect it from erosion.

What I didn’t expect to see at the end of my walk were these stone markers along the edge of the sea. Suddenly I felt like I was in some kind of sacred space where each of these represented a story or some kind of memorial.

I was alone in this field of small stone towers…

i don’t see any signs

Back to Long Island and Montauk Point Lighthouse for today’s post. On the north and south side of the lighthouse you can walk down to the shore, as you can see in the image above. When I turned to take this image I noticed the large rocks in front of the lighthouse featured a shelf – like a path – in between the two sloping sections of rock. I thought to myself, “I don’t see any signs… so…”

So, I started walking around the lighthouse. It was low tide, so I was grateful to stay dry while at the same time wondering what it would be like to walk around the lighthouse at high tide!

It was a short, but beautiful walk with the mighty Atlantic Ocean filling my view. Thanks for stopping by.

lake worth morning

A Memorial Day sunrise in Lake Worth, Florida.

top of the light

At the end of the spiral staircase inside Montauk Lighthouse you step into a small chamber directly beneath the panels of glass (the lantern) that surround the guiding light that shines across the waters. A state park employee greeted my entrance into the chamber by informing me that I am not permitted to stand in the glass enclosed area above us. I can only take 4 or 5 steps and peer into the very top of the lighthouse. In the black and white image above you can see the small Fresnel lens (beneath the triangle plate) that currently sends light to signal ships and sailors. Compare that lens to this one! – https://rutakintome.com/2019/05/17/fresnel-art/

I was SO tempted to step into that lantern area, but, I chose to behave. The exit into the lantern wasn’t the only way out of the chamber. There was a small archway that faced north outside to a small space large enough for one person to stand and lookout. Here is what I saw:

Turning around and walking east across the chamber I was surprised to see this:

Just another day at the office. Thanks for stopping by.

leu gardens

Taking a break from Long Island to post a few images of the amazing Leu Gardens, Orlando, FL. (Click on the images to see a larger view.) We enjoyed a stunning display of color and beauty! A must see if you are ever in the Orlando area.