breathtakebyways

About breathtakebyways

Ann Williams’ travel articles have appeared in publications all over the country including The Washington Post, Roads to Adventure, and Jack and Jill. Between researching and writing books, she specializes in creative lectures.

Mile High Dive

 in Colorado / Wildlife/animals  tagged Denver Colorado / Landry's Aquarium / mermaid / moray eels / Scuba diving / sharks / snorkeling / sting rays / travel / volunteer by

Dry-landers take heart.  If you’re yearning to snorkel with sea creatures a thousand plus miles from the nearest seashore, Landry’s Denver aquarium will have you swimming with more sting rays, eels, fish, and skates than sea snorkelers can hope to glimpse.  You may even spot some mermaids.   Too calm for you?  In another exhibit, you can scuba dive with the largest sharks in Colorado either as a guest or volunteer.   It’s a great way for divers to keep in practice when a trips to the coast are such a strain.   After a year of driving to Denver to work as a guide, I can attest that Landry’s is a breathtaking place to […]

Reading Between the Lines

 in Maryland  tagged Baltimore Maryland / Green Mount Cemetery / inscription / tombstone / travel by

Stately adjoining tombstones with g!owing inscriptions.  Mrs. was saintly beyond belief.  Mr. descended from Mayflower stock to marry that saint.  Did her sainthood come from living with a Mr. whose only good attribute was his family? This elaborate monument also piqued my curiosity.  Mrs. R’s loving daughter credited herself as the stone’s sponsor.  Did she want to share in the glory, or did her sibling(s) fail to contribute?

Solstice New Year

 in Gratitude by

New Year is celebrated on the first day of spring along the Silk Road from Persia to Mongolia and such parts.  The holiday is called Norooz, and it’s the biggest, brightest, eatingest day on that culture’s calendar.  Traditional foods symbolize wishes for the coming year.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could make life go our way by feasting? I spent the day with my Silk Road son-in-law, greeting spring along a Chesapeake Bay shoreline.  Daughter and granddaughter joined us for an evening feast as we wait for spring to bring a second sweet granddaughter to this much-blessed family.  I […]

St Patrick’s Mardi Gras

 in Louisiana / Snowbirding  tagged beads / cabbages / Mardi Gras / New Orleans / St Patrick's Day Parade / travel by

Mardi Gras is one of those can’t/must miss experiences.  Crowds aren’t my thing, but I’d watch from a balcony if Steve weren’t horrified at the very idea.  So I knew the New Orleans St. Patrick’s Day parade we saw with friends last year was the closest I’d ever get to doing Mardi Gras, and I was charged.  The parade was rated ‘family friendly’ so who would have thought I’d end up trading kisses for flowers?  I expected to see paraders tossing cabbages. I’d even brought a grocery bag to haul the veggies home.  Instead, I filled the bag with beads and watched revelers squirt drinks […]

What’s it Mean?

 in Gratitude / Texas  tagged first responders / police / South Padre Island / Texas / Thin Blue Line Flag / travel by

This flag on South Padre Island, Texas kept me puzzling for some time. I came up with several ideas, none of which were correct. Thanks to the Historical Flags of Our Ancestors website for providing an explanation: “Thin Blue Line Flag…a testament to the valor of police officers across the country. The courage exhibited by officers in the line of duty is represented by the Thin Blue Line in the center of the flag. The solemn black background acts as a memorial to the lives lost while shielding citizens from danger.” I’m glad I asked.

Springtime in West Texas

 in Snowbirding / Texas  tagged blossoms / lambs / springtime / Texas mountain laurel / travel / West Texas / wildflowers by

From a distance it looked like a lilac bush amongst the mesquite, but no, it’s Texas mountain laurel, rumored to smell like grape Kool-Aid.  I wish I could ID the rest of these blossoms–maybe someone out there can help?  I also wish I could have included a picture of cavorting lambs, but Steve scared them away.

Wireless Bird Call

 in Peru / Snowbirding / Wildlife/animals  tagged Amazon rainforest / bird call / cell phone / Peru / toucan / travel / travel guide by

On a rickety, hundred foot tower in the Peruvian rain forest, our guide couldn’t spot the toucans he’d hoped to show us. “I’ll call them,” he said, and pulled out his cell phone. We all laughed and watched as he pushed an icon and…played a toucan recording. The toucans came. I recognized their beak shape, but they weren’t Fruit Loops toucans–just dark colored birds we might see anywhere except for their profiles…that and answering phone calls.

Universal Sign

 in Colorado / Signs  tagged gondola ride / Monarch Crest / Monarch Pass / Signs / travel / view by

NO PLACE IN AMERICA HAS THE VIEW YOU WILL SEE FROM THE TOP… At first reading, this sign on Colorado’s Monarch Pass, seems to claim the most outstanding view in the U.S.  The view is wonderful, but not the best, even in the West. Then I realized that almost any fast food parking lot can make the same claim, or better.  You won’t see exactly the same view anywhere in the world, the universe, or even whatever’s bigger than that.