It’s difficult to choose the “best of the best” photos from my cruise but I did it! The sea is ever-changing from daybreak to sunset, at sea and in ports. It’s magical.
Caribbean Cruise 2026 part one
Tag: travel
Wizard of Oz at The Sphere
When The Sphere was built in Vegas, it instantly became iconic, visible from many vantage points around the strip and beyond. The exterior is ever-changing and the creativity is remarkable. This trip, we went to see The Wizard of Oz there and it did not disappoint.
There were several special things I knew to expect as the movie began. During the tornado, it became windy with debris flying through the air, all around us. When Dorothy picks an apple from the tree and the tree throws apples back, I knew what would happen next. Lots of apples dropped from above – hundreds? thousands? I’m not sure but I got one! When they fell asleep in the poppy field and the snow started, the air got very cold and “snow” fell over the audience. I’m including a few photos followed by some video clips of what we were experiencing.
If you get to Vegas any time soon, this is so worth your time.
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Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden
While in Vegas I had the opportunity to go to the festive 32nd Annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lights. I’ve been to the cactus garden during daytime on a prior visit to Ethel M Chocolates and a few years ago, tried to attend this event only to arrive during a power outage.
This year, no power outage and an unseasonably mild December evening allowing us to stroll through the lovely, lighted cactus garden with Christmas music playing…..
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Luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise
There are more than a few options in Kauai to attend a Luau – no surprise. That said, my sister Lisa deserves kudos for always finding the best and most fun things to do and see when we travel. For Luau’s she compared reviews, details of what’s included, location, viewing websites and knew Smith’s was the hands down the choice for our Luau experience.
Started fifty years ago and spanning four generations, the Smith family has curated more than a Luau experience for guests.
At 5 p.m. we boarded a tram for a narrated tour of their 30 acre botanical and cultural garden in the heart of the historic Wailua River Valley. We learned about the many types of trees, plants, flowers, fruits, and nuts growing in abundance on the property. After that, we were free to wander the meandering paths surrounded by tropical splendor, a small lake with mountains as a backdrop and peacocks, chickens, roosters and other birds roaming about adding to the atmosphere.
At 6:00, the Imu Ceremony was held explaining the cooking method called Kalua. Photos are courtesy of my sister.
At 6:30 began the Luau feast and remarkably for someone who photographs her food, (particularly whilst traveling) I literally took not one photo. I can only attribute this to my overwhelming appetite and anticipation. It was DELICIOUS.
At 8:00 we moved to the spacious open-air, torch-lit Lagoon Amphitheater for the Rhythm of Aloha Show which incorporated music and dance performances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Philippines, New Zealand, and Japan.
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Evenings in Kauai
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Natural Beauty of Kauai
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The Beauty of Kauai
Around this time last year, my sister and brother in law were planning to visit Hawaii again and asked if I’d like to join them. And just like that the plans were set in motion.
Known as the Garden Island, Kauai is lush with vegetation and flowers, mountainous with waterfalls, beaches and the ocean….in short, stunning. This will be the first of several posts as I will share the best of many photos taken along the way.
These aren’t flowers but they are just as pretty!
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Blooming now in Palm Desert
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The Aviary at JW Marriott
The JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort has an Aviary where I got to visit these stunning birds.
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Moorten Botanical Garden
Always up for anything garden-related, my visit to this Palm Springs botanical garden was an opportunity to see more Cacti varieties than I knew existed.
Established in Palm Springs since 1938, this privately-owned arboretum was created to share the beauty and extraordinary varieties of desert plants with everyone who visits. The featured desert trees, plants, and cacti come from around the world and range in size from miniature to giants!
The Moortens are desert plant specialists and invite you to their residence estate. Moorten Botanical Garden is a living museum of desert lore and has something of interest for everyone with glistening crystals, colorful rocks, ancient fossils, and pioneer and gold mining relics.
The classic collections on display are comprised of more than 3000 varieties of plants designed in concentrated habitats along a nature trail. In the world’s first Cactarium (a word coined by The Moortens), visitors will discover a special exhibition of rare plants seen nowhere else.
This content is courtesy of: http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com
