What Did You Do On Your Summer Vacation?

Remember those first weeks of a new school year growing up? 

Being asked to write an essay of what you did or where you vacationed during the summer?

It seemed each year we were asked this question.

Each year we wrote of the fun activities we enjoyed near home or afar.

???are we there yet???

I've come to realize over the years, that the best vacations

can be right in my own backyard.

Oh I love to travel far away no question, but there are times when staying near by

can bring the best memories.

This year we did just that.

We vacationed in Texas.

Right here at the GayLord Texan  Resort in Grapevine, Texas.

A beautiful 1500 room resort under a glass dome ceiling

with the blue skies and sunshine right over head in every area.

Blue skies over head and comfortable temperatures to enjoy lots of walking.

Some of the gardens and water features I shared in my last post

are throughout the inside grounds and all along a river walk that runs right through the hotel.

Outdoors without the blazing heat of Texas.

I love this sculpture of the girl planting flowers.

The only hotel in the world with an indoor vineyard.

Wonderful restaurants, boutiques, shops, spas, pools, living rooms, entertainment and more

under one roof forming a city all it's own.

Here is the view of the Riverwalk Cantina.

Our room was beautiful with a living room, bedroom, bath and small dining room

along with a balcony overlooking the indoor river walk.

 The day of our anniversary was celebrated at the indoor Italian Restaurant,

Zeppole Coastal Italian

The food was excellent and you can see in the upper right corner the grilled salmon and veggies
that I enjoyed. They even had gluten free breads and pastas. Perfect!!


We even met Hank the Texas Longhorn who greets people from all over the world.

~that's my hubby in the top left corner~

We truly relaxed and enjoyed  leaving the on line world behind  for a little while.

Sometimes we need to do that don't we?

Vacation un-pluged!!

A time to free ourselves from technology.

Really enjoy the world in person and not on a screen.

Oh it was a wonderful time and not far away.
We really can take vacations close by.

Have you ever vacationed close to home?
Do you prefer to travel far away?

I'll be back to share when we went into town
to visit the historic town of Grapevine.

Till next time~
Enjoy the last days of summer.

Hugs
Celestina Marie

Late Summer Anniversary Vacation~ Making Memories

This years vacation found us hitting the road before the sun came up.
Traveling along in the calm of the early morning to our destination on our 38th wedding anniversary.
Each year we plan a little getaway on our special day. It has become a tradition for us to celebrate a new year of marriage with a little R&R.


Our travels to Hot Springs, Arkansas was beautiful and relaxing as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way. Many trees looked like they were turning rust with Fall colors, but we quickly realized they were fading fast due to the terribly hot temperatures we have and still have this summer. Just six hours away the heat was less intense and for that we were very happy to have a break even with a few degrees.

Hot Springs is a beautiful city surrounded by Pine Tree covered mountain tops. The countryside is beautiful and standing at the top of West Mountain over looking the city was breathtaking.






Walking around the old Victorian style city was so much fun. Beautiful buildings, vintage landmarks, special boutiques and of course a few hot springs were among the interesting sights. One of the cities oldest hotels is The Arlington. We did not stay here, but we did walk through the lobby and browsed the gift shops. The building is old and showing age.
The main street is lined with Southern Magnolia Trees and give such a sense of nostalgia as we walked all around.




Beautiful city fountains that continually stream a steady flow of HOT water. You can see steam coming right out of the fountain. I touched the water, and yes, it is hot.




The downtown area also has situated on the sidewalk, a tribute called The Walk Of Fame. The following pics are just a few of the many famous people included.




One side of the street flourishes the famous Bath House Row. These are establishments from the early 1900's when it was all the rage to be pampered in a hot bath. Beautiful large porches on the bath houses with relaxing chairs to over look the downtown area. Sculptures beautifully situated on the front lawns of the bath houses line the fronts where Magnolia trees scatter their ever dropping leaves. These bath houses are still operating today.





Lots of boutique and antique shopping all along the main and side streets. My "Best Guy" is a dear to carry my packages.

We found some great antique malls off the beaten path too. They were so large it took several hours to go through each one.



We enjoyed more beautiful mountain views in the pines and relaxing lake scenes.










As our stay continued we traveled about 7 minutes from Hot Springs to The Garvan Woodland Gardens where the Anthony Glass Chapel is situated in the wooded pines overlooking the beautiful gardens. We have visited here several years ago and was inside the chapel. It is beautiful to sit in a pew and look out over the nature all around. The bell tower rings out a hymn in chimes that echos across the pines. This year a wedding was taking place and no visitors could go inside until the wedding was over. So we walked around the gardens, took pics and enjoyed the restful peace of this gorgeous spot.












Another Anniversary vacation comes to a finish, but we will remember the peaceful and relaxing time shared in a beautiful part of our America. As the cows said goodbye, we take the road home thankful for a wonderful time.


Thank you for stopping by to share in our little trip. We always love to get away for a restful break, but even more thankful to return home.

Me and my "Best Guy" 38 years ~~ together forever in love and life!

Blessings always!