beach Archives - My Plaid Heart

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Special Spot Shots

January 5, 2020March 11, 2020Wendy

Hi, everyone,

For the first photo challenge of 2020, Leya has asked us to share a special spot shot; that is, a place that we, individually, regard as special. I could argue that my entire blog fits that category, haha! Scotland is, after all, my heart and soul. I decided today, though, to step out of the Scottish box and share with you another place that is really meaningful to me. It’s a place that I wish I could visit much more often, but when I do have the chance, I never feel more relaxed or in awe of God’s majesty.

I am speaking of the Florida Panhandle. Specifically, the area dubbed the Emerald Coast, a one-hundred mile stretch of pristine beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. Renowned for its emerald green waters and white-as-snow beaches, I think it is one of the prettiest places on earth.

Cove Bay-A Spectacular Destination on the Moray Coast

August 17, 2019March 11, 2020Wendy

Get your hiking shoes on because today we are going somewhere SPECTACULAR! I am taking you to see Cove Bay along the Scottish coast in Moray.

Large algae covered rocks on the beach at Cove Bay.

Sometimes You Win. Sometimes You Lose.

April 14, 2019March 10, 2020Wendy

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”

∼Henry David Thoreau

Hi friends! Today’s post is a departure from my usual focus on Scotland. Instead, I want to write about my trip to Florida with my sister this past week. So with that said…

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. For me and my dear, long-distance sister S, this past week was a bit of a loss.

S and I started going on “adventures” several years ago. They are not really adventures in the truest sense of the word, they’re really just sister get-a-ways. But that’s what we call them. Our adventures have taken us to the coast of South Carolina, the mountains of Tennessee, to destinations in the Great Appalachian Valley, and this past week, to the Gulf Coast of Florida.

For months we had anticipated our beautiful Emerald Coast vacation. The area is a favorite spot for me and Mr. C and I was so excited to share it with my sister who had never been to Florida. I purchased our flights, reserved our rental car, and booked a stay in a cute townhome that Mr. C and I had rented in the past. Everything was all set. We were excited and anxious for our week of sisterly seaside bliss.

Elie, Scotland-A Picturesque Village in Fife, Scotland

October 14, 2018March 8, 2020Wendy

I have been thinking back on a few of the Scottish villages that Mr. C and I only saw a peek of, but that someday deserve a second look. Elie is one of those places. I can’t help but feel that we somehow missed the boat on this one.

Located on the Firth of Forth in the East Neuk of Fife, Elie is a popular and picturesque seaside village established in the 16th century. It became a Burgh of Barony in 1589 and, as such, was under the control of the Lairds of Ardross – landowners who held their estates directly from The Crown. The Lairds were in control of the town council and court, and therefore, the villagers were dependent upon these men in matters of trade. (Burghs were abolished in 1975.)