Category: Travel

Photography, Photos, TravelLeave a comment

To and from and about

Tim May
Palm silhouetted near sunset

It was a round trip of 730 miles to go to the Texas ASLA State Conference this past week. That can be a long adventure for a landscape architect, especially when driving by yourself – do you know how many cool detours are considered “scenic” and “on the way’…not to mention the seven “Exit Dairy Queens” spotted along IH45. Camera at the ready!

It’s always good to get to the coast even if you have to travel through tornado warnings and dread the lousy Houston traffic is between you and the coast (and then you and home). In Galveston, the effort was made to hit Gaido’s for lunch – a long, long time restaurant beacon of the Island. The Pelican Club (a private club behind the public restaurant) was closed so I didn’t get to see its remodel – the wait staff told me about it however. Sadly, the Club’s Maitre d’ Bruce and Julio have both died since the last time visited, probably some 10 years ago…they were pleasant fellows for sure.

Hurricane Ike can still be seen and felt around the Island 2 1/2 years later. But Galveston is bouncing back – good times through bad times!

Continue reading “To and from and about”

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In conference

Tim May

The past three days were spent on the Gulf Coast (Galveston). A wonderful time despite the island losing power several times throughout the day on Wednesday, the wind blowing like nobody’s business, the hotel’s satellite TV was scrambled on occasion, and a 42″ waterline in need of repair kept water restrictions in force until today. We were told the electricity and TV were intermittent because of the sea salt buildup on lines and electronics (normally, rainfall would wash the salt off but the island was in a 4-month drought).  Don’t take it wrong, a grand time was had in the 50°-60° -70° weather with a cool ocean breeze! Oooooo, ahhhhhh.  Continue reading “In conference”

Fun, nature, Photography, Photos, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge1 Comment

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines

Tim May

Too many pictures to choose from for this week’s Photo Challenge. So guess what? I’ll just put a bunch up here. Sorry gang, the dreaded “family slide show” shall commence now. BTW, I made the pictures smaller to make it seem like you’re scrolling through them faster. Grab your popcorn and beer…please silence your cell phones during the show :)

I’m kind of partial to lines, whether they’re formal or natural (it’s what I’ve done with myself for the past 29 years)….

Lining up the putt (Relay For Life Golf Tourney, Hays Kansas - just so happens to be both my OFBs)

Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines”

Photos, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge5 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Ocean

Tim May

And here I thought the Weekly Photo Challenge was “Beach”….

When you say “beach”, I’m not thinking of the local beach down by the lake. “Beach” = Ocean, and it has been since August of 2007 when the last time I step foot in one (ocean). I am of the recent opinion that that fact in itself qualifies for a much needed “beach” vacation…I’ll be in Galveston for nearly a week next month! Maybe that will count as long as I avoid the jellyfish and tar balls.

In the mean time these photos will have to do: Our trip to New England. What a blast this was. FD took the train from NYC to Providence, FS flew with us. The four of us – most likely our last foursome vacation – was very special.  Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Ocean”

Family, Fun, Travel1 Comment

FD call reminded me of our trip

Tim May


We did that trip last August. Deb & I drove to Philadelphia – she had a work conference – I went on into Brooklyn to deliver furniture and see FD and FSIL.

The FD took me to a way cool historic cemetery – Green-Wood – that she knew I would really like. She was right.

500,000 visitors a year; 7,000 trees; gardens; ponds; fountains; population is a non-complaining 560,000 folks founded in 1838.

This place even has a map!

Go if you can!  Continue reading “FD call reminded me of our trip”

Entertainment, Fun, Humor, Kansas, Life, Photography, Photos, TravelLeave a comment

My Best Shot(s) of 2010

Tim May

I took a whole bunch of pictures…I’m talking a big ol’ bunch of pictures last year (and the year before had around 15,000 snapped for that matter).

Somewhere  in the neighborhood of 19,000 pictures are stored on my computer (and backed up on two different portable hard drives) that have a 2010 date. So what the heck, I took took a stab at a Top 50 list. Let me know what you think.

Continue reading “My Best Shot(s) of 2010”

Entertainment, Family, Friendship, Life, Religion, Travel3 Comments

A Christmas Made More Difficult, but We Celebrate

Tim May

Tis the season of Christmas…it has always stirred emotions in me. Not just for the religious joy it brings, but also for family traditions, memories, anticipations, sadness, and pride; they all swell from my withins and give a unique reflection on Christmas each year.  It was some 12 years ago – December 14, 1997 – when this family lost a daughter, sister, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, and friend – Mom was all one in the same person, our life-long Santa Claus that brought joy to us all. Christmas will forever be her time in my heart.

Without permission, I boldly speak for my family in saying we have learned to cope, heal, and continue our lives over those 12 years. Our loss was made even more difficult in knowing Christmas time was an incredibly special time with our family. We’ve had our share of sadness as we have also reaped blessings of joy since her death. Many times we don’t realize either of those emotions until they confront us, with all the bluntness and suddenness a life changing event can muster. When that happens, we have learned to celebrate a life shared, a life lived, a life blessed, a life remembered. Continue reading “A Christmas Made More Difficult, but We Celebrate”

Family, Fun, Photography, Photos, Travel2 Comments

Return from a Paradise

Tim May

So the Blog has suffered some neglect of late. I’ve missed two weekends of college football – ughhhhhhh; one week’s worth of sarcasm opportunities have escaped these pages; Mackie Queen of Scots still lays across my lap in an effort to not let me go anywhere again without her.

But it was worth enduring all those daily-grind withdrawals. My co-workers, my heart, soul and sanity, and most importantly my family needed me to go away for a while on a trip to Canada…with Dad and OFB Terry.IMG_3951 I’m so glad we did just that.

This vacation was bought and planned for nearly a year by the sons (brothers). It was a combination Christmas, Birthday, and Thanks-for-being-our-Dad gift for a 75th birthday and milestone celebration of 50+ years of fatherhood. So we went fishing, damn it! Continue reading “Return from a Paradise”

Family, Fun, Travel3 Comments

The FD has checked in

Tim May

Who remembered, or knew of FD’s 3 week trip to Ecuador? I did, and it’s about time I heard from her!

FD (aka, T) left out a week ago last Sunday. We had an email from her on that next Monday following, saying she made it to Quito. 

The second email followed on Wednesday expressing concern with the group of noisy, obnoxiously-loud college kids. She was headed up the Andes to a remote community for a week of no outside world communication, teaching English and acting to the village youth, and a noticable lack of personal hygiene luxuries. Don’t we all wish we were with her on this trip :)

From the second FD email: Continue reading “The FD has checked in”

Family, Photos, TravelLeave a comment

History Blogging #1

Tim May

Yup, history blogging for at least the next week. History blogging is simply updates on what has been going on instead of offering up advice and opinions, which in my case demands thought, typing, and editing. And not until after my “test” next week do I want to do any extracurricular thinking. So throw in a few photos, list what happened and when, and call this “Easy Blogging” if you want…. Continue reading “History Blogging #1”

Family, Life, Photography, Photos, Professional, Travel1 Comment

What Say Me

Tim May

Needless to say, I’ve taken several days and stayed away from the ol’ Blog scene (and Facebook too). But I just can’t stay gone for long. So busy was I over the past several weeks, both professionally and personally, I actually slept when I would typically write a thing or two. But now I’ve caught up on some sleep (and work)…let me tell you all about it:

Picture-a-day (aka 365) has continued to “shutter”. Check out my Flickr site – the 2009-365 gallery kind of tells a story of the day-to-day experiences. It gets updated weekly (ususually on the weekend)….

Spent a weekend at Dad’s, along with brothers and family – I wrote about that on 5/22 but it is worthy of a repeat (in my biased opinion): Got in a partial round at least. That was fun but Dad was much too much on the puny side of health, but he’s good now (so he says). The real golf game is next Friday. Pride and beers are on the line….

Continue reading “What Say Me”

Blogs, Family, Humor, Travel1 Comment

On Down the Road(ways)

Tim May

Hey TMay82 Blogsters – when you get a minute, check out FD’s most recent posts from her Philippines trip earlier this year: Urdenata and Manila.  Her adventures can be the envy of the family on occasion.  And her unintentional antics (I think)…well, just watch her “George W. meets the locked door” impression in “Urdenata”…it makes me laugh out loud. Here’s the W “locked door” YouTube refresher just in case you’ve been too Obamulated of late and forgot, then see if you can find FD’s incident: Continue reading On Down the Road(ways)

Entertainment, History, Photography, Photos, Preservation, Travel1 Comment

Touring about town

Tim May

Denton is always full of surprises. I love this town. It’s like this town is themeing photographs for me. WUWT?

Over the past few days it’s been antique automobiles. And it is a handful of automobiles that made me stop on three occassions to photograph. Only one of the stops (the Model T) afforded me the opportunity to actually talk with the automobile owner…and he was as much a character as his car. Continue reading “Touring about town”

Business, Photography, Travel6 Comments

Professional exercise –

Tim May

OK faithfuls, a few minutes taken to finally check the health of the blog and I find myself doing so in an overpriced hotel room in Austin. Sorry for the pregnant pause in postings. Maybe I’m still trying to digest FB Tony and OFNi Dani’s comments on why it’s OK to knock down a piece of history….

image_017In town/out of town for a few days attending our professional society’s (Texas ASLA) state conference. It is also an opportunity to meet up with a few old friends, listen to others express a professional opinion or two in front of their peers, and also catch one’s breath away from the office politics, phones, and interruptions. Meetings like this are always “never a dull moment”. Continue reading “Professional exercise –”