Friday 5 for May 12: Guestimation

Time for another Friday 5. This week the theme is Guestimation, all about traveling and being away from home.

1. How well do you adjust to sleeping in an unfamiliar place?
   Depends. I'm usually OK in hotel rooms. And when we're on the road, I'm generally so exhausted by the end of the day, it's not hard to just crash. But if I'm staying in someone's home, I can have trouble getting settled down.
   
   ......
2. When were you recently someone’s guest, and when were you recently someone’s host?
   Actually, it's been a really long time since I stayed with anyone. In all the traveling I've done recently, I've stayed in hotels. Most recently, I was a guest of the Sheraton folks. (They were lovely hosts.) Our most recent hosting job was last summer when we had a bunch of old friends staying with us for a group reunion/birthday bash. (We were lovely hosts.) Spent most of one day trying to take a group photo to commemorate the occasion. Old people are so adorable, aren't they?
   
   ......
3. What’s the ickiest place where you’ve ever showered or bathed?
   Gee, I don't want to step on any toes here. And the hotels we stay in always have clean baths or we don't stay there. But many years ago, the Hubs and I were staying in one of the Oxford University colleges (long story — Hubby had a summer teaching gig at the University), and the (shared) bathrooms were pretty grubby. Had to do a thorough cleaning on the tub before using it. Can't really remember any other icky places. If it's disturbingly icky, I just stay unwashed. Ooh, that sounds pretty icky, too!
   
   .....
4. What’s something you don’t need but insist on taking when you travel?
   My travel doll, Kayla. Here she is on a train from Chicago to Washington DC:
   
   
   
   
   And enjoying the view from a high spot in Shenandoah National Park:
   
   
   
   
   
   ......
5. Who’s got a comfy couch?
   Me, me, me! In fact my couch is so comfy I frequently fall asleep on it at night and then wake up in the wee hours wondering what the heck happened. Bad habits are very hard to break.

So long for this week!

Wordless Wednesday: Here Comes Cinco de Mayo!

Cheers!

For more Wordless Wednesday offerings,

please visit the website here.

Saturday Snapshot: A Day at the Park

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books, and as she says: "To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online."

The Hubby and I are getting ready to spend the Fourth at Shenandoah National Park. Just driving over for a couple of days R&R, and hoping for good weather and not too much heat (those cabins aren't air conditioned). These are a couple of snaps from past visits, showing my little travel doll Kayla enjoying some of the Park's outdoor scenes.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Alphabe-Thursday: "M" is For...

Margarita!

That's my little travel doll, Kayla, waving. But the margarita was for me!

Alphabe-Thursday is hosted by Jenny Matlock at Off On My Tangent.
To see more entries, or to participate yourself, please visit her blog.

Outdoor Wednesday: Mountain Time

Over the weekend, M and I spent some time in Shenandoah National Park. The weather was beautiful, with cool clear nights, and days that started out chilly but warmed up to almost summer-like temperatures in the afternoons. Perfect for being out and about, doing a little light hiking and just enjoying a gorgeous early autumn break. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The views along Skyline Drive were really wonderful - much less hazy than usual. You could see for miles and miles (literally).


The only clouds were small, white, and puffy. So perfect, it was almost boring!


Even Kayla, my little travel doll, got to enjoy the views.


The park was crowded for the Columbus Day weekend; in fact, there were more people there than I've ever seen on any of our other visits.
And, naturally, they were all busy doing just what I was doing!

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. To see many, many more outdoor photos or to post some of your own, please visit her blog.

ABC Wednesday: "K" Is For...

KAYLA!!!

I've written before about my doll collecting mania, and also about my travel doll. Kayla is a member of the Barbie family and as she's a rather tiny doll (about 3 inches tall), she fits nicely inside a purse or a pocket or a suitcase – so she's perfect for taking along on excursions. She never changes outfits, so she acquires a sort of "Where's Waldo" effect in all her photos. But she's game for just about anything. She's been to the beach and the mountains, and to big cities like New York and Chicago. Since she came to live with me, she's never been out of the USA; although I suspect she originated in China or Japan. Generally, she lives in a display case in our dining room, but she does love an occasional outdoor romp. Here she is at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, enjoying some chips and salsa on a sidewalk table.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

If you'd like to see more ABC Wednesday offerings or participate yourself, please visit the website here:


Cross-posted @ Joy's Doll Talk.

Blue Monday: Blues at the Beach

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself,
please head on over to her blog.

The hubby and I recently spent a few days in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, relaxing and reading and soaking up the sun. And trying to avoid heat stroke in the nearly 100-degree temperatures. We had a great time, and I'm already wishing we could go back and do it all over again (but maybe without the crowded beach this time).

These are a few of the blue-ish sights I found there. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Lots of blue here, even though it wasn't as spectacularly sunny as it's been during past visits.

Blue bicycles on the boardwalk.

Blue dolphins on a rooftop.

Blue water in a wall fountain. Actually pretty icky, isn't it?

Blue fishy banks in a souvenir shop.

And even my travel doll, Kayla, found a spot of blue to recline against. She really needs some beach wear, doesn't she?

Outdoor Wednesday: Travels With Kayla

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. To see many, many more outdoor photos or to post some of your own, please head on over to her blog.

This is Outdoor Wednesday #27, but for me it's actually #1. And for my first offering, I'm posting a few doll shots. I've written before about my doll collecting mania, and also about my travel doll. Kayla is a member of the Barbie family and as she's a rather tiny doll (about 3 inches tall), she fits nicely inside a purse or a pocket or a suitcase – so she's perfect for taking along on excursions. She never changes outfits, so she acquires a sort of "Where's Waldo" effect in all her photos. But she's game for just about anything. She's been to the beach and the mountains, and to big cities like New York and Chicago. Since she came to live with me, she's never been out of the USA; although I suspect she originated in China or Japan. Generally, she lives in a display case in our dining room, but she does love an occasional outdoor romp. Here are a few shots from some of her adventures.

Here she is enjoying the view from a peak in Shenandoah National Park.

Cooling off in a friend's rock garden, near a bubbling water spout.

Hiding out in a leggy plant on our balcony.

Making a new friend in the forest.

On a visit to Blackwater Falls WV, a few years ago.

Checking out some views at Blackwater Falls.

And finally, relaxing in a Texas garden.
Looks like a creepy-crawly is just about to attack from the other side of that leaf!

Wordless Wednesday: Earth Day Greetings from Kayla and Friends

For more Wordless Wednesday offerings, please visit the website here.

Random Photo Monday: Bear With Me

Well, we spent July 4th in Shenandoah National Park this year. Just a couple of days, but it was fun. Lots of hiking and climbing and dodging the thunderstorms. I'll get a few more pix up in a day or so, but just a couple for now.

After thirty years of visits to Shenandoah, I saw my first real live bear this time. So I'm putting up one of the shots I took, to commemorate the occasion. And also a photo of my travel doll, Kayla, with a couple of friends she made on the trip.

Related posts:
Random Photo Monday: Kayla
Random Photo Monday: More from Shenandoah