New Hanover County Arboretum is a gem of a day trip located in Wilmington North Carolina. These spectacular gardens host educational programs, publications, and events.

My visit was in July of 2019. It was a touch warm that day (lol!) but I enjoyed photographing quite a bit of the gardens, sculptures, Japanese Tea House, water gardens, and Children's Garden. 

Here is a small gallery of flower photography from the flower gardens there. The variety of pollinators, that are very fond of these gardens, are minimally represented here as well.

I do not know the names of the flowers. If you know any of the names feel free to post them in the comments! 

The New Hanover County Arboretum Water Garden's Dragon Sculpture. 

New Hanover County Arboretum Water Garden's koi fish. 

Mr. Robert Gallagher suggested that I go down and see the Veteran’s Memorial Park area of Airport Park in  Matamoras and I finally got down there this winter.  What a truly amazing park they have created!

You can't really see much of the park from outside the gates but when you get in there there is quite a lot to look at. The detailed work on the monuments is well thought out and worthy of much admiration so I was really quite interested in photographing that.  

Here are some photos of just a few of the monuments you can see at this park. 

This gallery includes more close up photographs of some of the detailed work on the monuments. It really is very well planned and thought out. 

Go there. Look and learn about United States history and see the memorials built for the people who lived it. 

Spring is a wonderful time to wander the picture perfect areas of Coastal Maine. Everything you love about this one syllable wonderland is available but without the crowds! 

On this trip I was traveling to Maine in April 2019. On off-season trips I like to stay over in Portland Maine so I can enjoy an easy daylight ride up Coastal Route 1. In the summer the small towns can get congested so if you plan to go far up the coast it is often a better option to travel inland for a bit before going up the coast.  

Regardless of the season, Coastal Route 1 is a delightful route to drive with its scenery, small parks, and all the wonderful hometown seafood to taste. :)

Wandering up the coast it is hard to miss the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. The bridge is a 2,120 feet (646 m) long, 447 foot high, cable-stayed bridge that spans the Penobscot River. There are observation areas on the tops of the towers and plenty of nice parking areas below to enjoy the views. 

​According to Wikipedia The Penobscot Narrows Observatory is the first bridge observation tower in the United States and the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. The tower reaches 420 feet (128 m) into the air and allows visitors to view the bridge, the nearby Fort Knox State Historic Site, the Penobscot River, and Bay. 

The observatory is open May 1 to October 31. 

About half way up the coast we come upon one of the jewels in the Maine crown. Springtime in Acadia National Park is as breathtaking as ever with just a touch of ice still left on Jordan Pond as we enjoy a day exploring and photographing the area.
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​The mountains in the background are called The Bubbles and create a wonderful reflection when the ice is gone and the sky is clear. 

A good example of the sweet little picnic areas along Route 1 is this parking area by Long Cove Maine. 

This area sits right on Route 1 and lies between Hancock and Gouldsboro Maine. The tides statewide are big so always keep an eye on the water movement. We happen to be there at low tide enjoying the granite boulders.  

Destination: Cutler Maine - a classic coastal Maine town with breathtaking views, nature preserves, and hiking trails. 

​Walking through town is as pretty as it gets. It's everything you'd think of in a small, quiet, northern fishing town.

The local trails are beautiful, but also wet in the spring so plan accordingly - which I did not do so my hike on the Eastern Knubble Preserve Trail was limited and I didn't try the Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land.

​I'll get those muck boots next time :)

I had an opportunity to take a couple days and go on a photo adventure trip out to the west coast this past summer and it was simply fantastic!

I spent pretty much all of my time right in Oceanside California and it was one fun little laid back town. 

​One of the first things that caught my attention was all the surfing around the Oceanside Pier so I spent some time photographing the surfers. That was quite a fun time. 

I hope you enjoy my small collection. I'm planning to travel back there and I'll be happy to explore this topic some more!