Everyday Living

A Walk On Martha’s Vineyard

~ Home Tours, Travel

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding”
Proverbs 3:5

Hello friends…from the New England states!  For the last 12 days, Butch and I have been enjoying an autumn road trip to this beautiful part of the US that we have never seen until now!  We began with three days in Boston, then on to Martha’s Vineyard for three days, then we moseyed on over to Cape Cod for a couple of days, followed by a day in Nantucket, and we ended with a day in Newport, RI!  Whew!  Are you tired yet?  We sure are…we drove the entire way!  I have taken hundreds of photos that I must wade through, but I thought that I would share a little walking tour on Martha’s Vineyard with you today…and we are visiting two little towns!  You better lace up your most comfortable shoes because we have lots of ground to cover! 

We began our walking tour in Edgartown which was founded in 1642 and is one of New England’s most elegant communities. Stately white Greek Revival houses built by whaling captains have been carefully maintained.  To really appreciate and view Edgartown, you must walk its streets! 

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The Hermitage {The Winter Palace}

~ Travel

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:33

In all of my dreams of traveling the world, Russia never crossed my mind…it seemed so distant and unattainable!  But in 2013, we found ourselves on a Baltic Sea cruise that would take us to eight different ports of call in eight different countries…something this small town girl never saw coming!  Three of these ports were in the former Soviet Union, and I, being the history buff that I am, found it extremely fascinating!  St. Petersburg was our only port in Russia and it is the second largest city and the most westernized.
(You may remember when we visited the Catherine Palace)

On our first morning, I was so excited that we had landed an early tour of The Hermitage Museum which meant that we would start one hour prior to the general public and not be bombarded by the crowds!  But due to unexpected hassles of immigration and visa issues, our group did not arrive on time, so we got the full experience…including the hordes of visitors! But we were determined not to let that spoil the tour, and were immediately swept into the intriguing history and opulent lifestyle of the Romanov dynasty!  The Hermitage consists of five historic interconnected buildings with the most impressive being the Winter Palace. With just one morning to take in this vast museum, we were only able to hit the highlights…but trust me, you could spend weeks exploring!  Let’s take a look!


The Winter Palace was the main residence of the Romanov Tsars from 1732 until the revolution in 1917.  This Baroque-style palace is also the main building of the Hermitage Museum and is located on the bank of the Neva River.  It is St. Petersburg’s most impressive and visited attraction with more than three million visitors per year.

(via)

The Hermitage is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great.  Its collections comprise over three million items including the largest collection of paintings in the world.


The Jordan Staircase of white marble divides at the statue to meet again on the second floor.

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The World’s Longest Yard Sale

~ Everyday Living, Travel

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭

Every year when the first weekend in August rolls around, people travel from all over to my neck of the woods with one thing in mind: a good bargain!  If you love  antiquing or vintage items, then you probably know about the World’s Longest Yard Sale that starts here in Gadsden, Alabama and goes all the way to Addison, Michigan.  Imagine miles and miles (690 to be exact) of treasures…it’s a true junker’s paradise!


You can find everything from galvanized washtubs to vintage Pyrex dishes to old furniture just waiting on that coat of chalk paint!  Of course it wouldn’t be a real yard sale if there weren’t knick-knacks from a McDonald’s Happy Meal, old shoes with the soles barely intact, and junk that absolutely no one on earth would want, but hey! I figured it would be a little more fun for you, my readers, to see it through the lens of a camera than to actually have to brave the heat and the traffic…so come on folks, let’s go yardsalin’!


Have you been looking for that architectural statement for your front yard?  Look no further!


The World’s Longest Yard Sale is on top of the latest decorating trends!

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