Sisters together! to June 4, 2026

 

Air travel ain't what it used to be!  Expensive, cramped (even if you pay for extra room) and not much fun these days.  But I do enjoy looking down on puffy white clouds -- they're far more interesting seen from above than craning your neck looking up at them!  Like rounded piles of soapsuds, fragile and cushiony, these same clouds can create mighty bumpy conditions when the plane plows through them.  Anyhoot, Nannie picked me up in one piece at Baltimore's (BWI) airport Tuesday evening, and we'll commence a week's worth of fun, games, and happy memories!  Oh boy!

Wednesday was catch-up day, walking the North Beach boardwalk/pier, cooking Nannie's famous spinach quiche, and watching Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix that evening.  A sweet day for us.

It was decided to drive down to Point Lookout St Pk on Thursday -- where the Potomac River meets Chesapeake Bay, roughly 60 miles south of her house -- new territory for both of us.

The peninsula is surrounded by water, of course.

Photo of Lake Conoy.

Every lighthouse is different.  No need for this one to be TALL, just visible in this area with a long maritime history and many recorded shipwrecks.

Built in 1830, and expanded in 1883,

with the light raised to 41 ft above sea level.

In 1965 an automated light was built on a sandbar, dead center of the pic (enlarge to see it), and Point Lookout St Pk was established.  The lighthouse light was extinguished for the last time on Jan 11, 1966, and the Light Station was turned over to the US Navy.

The cost to get in the state park was three bucks and we could tour the grounds and lighthouse, including up into the "tower."  You just know we had to climb up there, crawling through that tiny opening.

Did it!  You see the opening at my feet.

It was hot inside; we didn't linger.

And back down!

We walked and walked and walked, including looking for sea glass and shells on the Chesapeake side of the grounds (Nannie found a piece).  The sun was hot and there was no shade to be had.

I was surprised to see Prickly Pear cacti here, in bloom, no less!

Not easy to see much detail, but if you enlarge the pic, maybe you can make sense of it.  In 1862, the grounds served as a port, hospital, garrison, and prisoner of war camp for the Union Army during the Civil War. Thousands of soldiers perished due to harsh conditions in the marshes and swamps of the peninsula.  We didn't tour the cemetery.

Civil war barracks, redoubts, etc.

This area offered shade, for which we were grateful, as the day was full-on heat.  Above and below, we walked the Civil War era grounds.  Now, hungry and our water bottles emptied, we headed for the park entrance and ranger station.

We refilled those water bottles and met the cutest, most personable Diamondback Terrapin, below.

No, he's not looking for food, he just wants to interact with people.  He followed our hands/fingers all around his tank.  He's been lovingly cared for by the rangers for over eight years.  His name is Seamus, and isn't he pretty?  Or I guess I should say handsome.  The beloved Diamondback Terrapin is Maryland's official state reptile.  Now, you, too, know. 

I like taking pics of these old barns in the area.  Nannie and I left the park, trying to find a picnic table in the shade where we could eat our lunch, but no go, so we ate in the car -- in the shade of a fine old tree.  We both enjoyed our excursion to the lighthouse and didn't get home till 4:30!  We have a tendency to go check out various side roads, also. 😊

Back at the house, here's a shot of one of North Beach's Osprey's atop a nest near the pier.  We hear the couple has two chicks in the nest, hallelujah!

Tomorrow we'll do something different.  Stay tuned.

Lycian Way -- 9/26/25

 

Another gorgeous sunny, hot day on the Turquoise Coast.  Today our boat would drop anchor in a different sheltered cove, and we'd transfer by dingy to the shore.  Our aim was to hike part of the Lycian Trail that stretches some 320 miles along Turkey's Mediterranean coast.  While not as famous as the Camino, this trail, nevertheless, has plenty of through-hikers.  We'd tackle a small section, with a shepherd's house as our destination.

Our two-mast ship, anchored second from right.

The terrain was challenging, yes, but uphill -- and it was uphill most of the way -- in the heat (and humidity) was a real slog.  I thought about turning back at the halfway point, but I endured.  One of our group did say, "enough," and she returned to the boat.

Sometimes trees provided shade on the trail, which was heavenly.  Above is an old goat-herder's hut -- over many, many years, goat herders have frequented this area.

This is a new one!  I spotted lots of these:  Sea Squill.

Aren't they cool?

The route is part hiking trail, donkey trail, and ancient Roman roads.  We had to step carefully.  Ulaş forgot his hat and his face is already red from heat and exertion.  Glad we had our hiking poles. Hey, I'm in this photo!

The trail is named for Lycia, an ancient region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC.  I just know that every step we take on this Turkey trip of ours is rife with historical significance.  Above are building remnants from which period exactly, I don't know, but there isn't much left.  In short:  they're old.

I put a red x between a corral (by the three trees) and a cistern, both of which you can barely make out from this distance.

Heading down to the cistern, at right.

I'm sorry I do not remember when this cistern was built, but I can tell you it was long, long ago, like one or two thousand years ago.  And ... it had fresh water inside!  We didn't touch it (and definitely didn't taste it), but it looked cool and plentiful.  Mark has stepped into the entrance (look closely) and you might also notice an old bucket nearby.

Just to confirm we were in the middle of nowhere, this sign appeared at a junction of foot paths.  Amazing.  Everyone marveled at this!

We arrived at the shepherd's place, which wasn't too far from the cistern.  He had homemade wares for sale in this wisteria-shaded pavilion.  He was kind enough to serve mini glasses of sage tea.  Though we were hot and not really interested in a hot drink, the tea hit the spot.  It's custom in this country to serve a welcome drink to visitors.  A nice custom.  Several of us bought small things.

Ulaş stands by the shepherd, Mutlu, and his wife.  They have forty goats, several cows and horses and a donkey or two.  They grow their own herbs and a garden full of veggies and flowers, fruit trees, and so forth.  But, as a pampered American, all I can say is, what a life.  They're pretty isolated. 

They have solar panels, a fridge and TV, and are comfortable enough.  Quail hunting season had begun and some of the hunters were also stopping here, plucking feathers out near the cow pen, where the guy in the blue shirt is headed.

Trekking back down to the boat.  Very carefully.  Slick rocks.

Whoooeee, almost "home!"  Hi Jimmy!

Yessiree, the water is clear.  I spied a fishie!

As the boat motored to our next destination, I stood at the rail watching the scenery.  Seemed as though I saw a number of good-sized caves in the limestone.  It's a beautiful coastline.

Holy Mackerel! Speaking of fishies, Ulaş had a fishing line dragging behind the boat and caught tonight's dinner!

Passing by Dalyan Light (holey island!)

on the way to our mooring near Ekincik Cove.

As soon as we were tied to the shore (and anchored), most of us donned our bathing suits -- we couldn't wait to get in the water.  Jimmy and I tried goggles and masks, too, this day, and saw some small fishies, but not much else to see underwater.  Rocky.  Simply being in the water was FINE!

One fish wouldn't feed this crowd!  So a quick trip was made to a store (somewhere?) and more supplies brought in to supplement the lone mackerel -- chicken thighs and lamb kebabs.  Captain Ali, above, is happily manning the grill.

We ate well, too.  Actually everybody had a taste of the mackerel, and I attest -- it was delish.  The yellow stuff?  We had yogurt every-which-a-way while on board, and this batch had shredded carrots in it.  Some liked it, some not.

Quite a day for us.  Quite a trip for us!

Topkapi, 9/17/25

 

Jimmy and I have swarmed all around Topkapi Palace (see previous posts), as these wondrous sites are all within shouting distance to each other.  But, until today we hadn't gone into the palace.  Of course, this was one more ancient site our group wanted to see.

Ulaş, in the dark blue shirt, is herding his cats!

Briefing the 12 of us beforehand.

Topkapi Palace is a complex of grand pavilions and courtyards, really stunning to see.  I don't remember what the giant building, above, was originally designed for, but for many, many years it was an armory.  Now, after interior renovation, it's used as a concert hall, and I can only imagine how much fun it would be to listen to Pavarotti or Lady Gaga here!  (Lady Gaga?  Why not!)

Follow the leader to enter the second courtyard. (Not our umbrella, not our leader, but we're following the crowd into the entrance.)  The crowd wasn't too bad.

The grounds are well taken care of, and really pretty.  We spied big ol' Gulls, House Crows, Magpies, and bright green squawking Alexandrine parrots flashing through the trees -- all seem to call these grounds home.

As well as some gorgeous medieval Sycamore trees,

with Jimmy posing at one example.

With friendly kitty cats ready to flop onto their backs so they can be petted.

Changing of the guards (I guess), on the left.  One stands on either side of this gate. As you see, they'll let you pose with them.  I smiled up at him and said, "dude!," and got just the hint of a smile!  Ulaş seems to be checking out the guard's shoes.

There's a stupefying collection of priceless treasures in these exhibits.  Jimmy and I only stopped long enough at each window to either gawk or drool and then moved to the next one.  I'll show you just a few photos of the many I took.  The past couple of days we've seen a staggering amount of wealth displayed, as you can imagine.

We saw the jewel-studded dagger made famous by the movie, "Topkapi."  When we go home, we'll see if we can find the movie on Netflix and give it a look.

Our group, in two and threes, wandered through the halls and pavilions.  We had a meeting time and place, so we were free to roam as we chose.  I was right fond of the good-sized bauble, above

Wouldn't this make a toasty addition to Jimmy's Nevada City winter wardrobe, you know, for those cold winter days and nights?  Might need to be resized ....  (It's from the second half of the 15th Century.)

Finally, after leaving the fatih pavillion, library (beautiful inside) and the "kitchen," (indescribable! huge!), we were ready to meet the group and sit down!  But only for a minute.

Next we'd stop for lunch, followed by a visit to the famous spice bazaar (Misir Carsisi) one of the largest bazaars in the city where we'd taste teas and Turkish Delight (yum), free to wander and buy if we wanted.  Jimmy and I didn't go far before turning around to await the bus.

You know we were excited boarding a boat to set off for an hour-and-a-half cruise along the Bosporus Strait -- the body of water that separates Europe and Asia.  And, boy howdy, we were glad we wore our windbreakers as the wind off the water felt chilly!  The City of Istanbul, on both sides of the strait, goes on and on and on, unbelievable.  How many square miles this city must be?  And so beautiful!

Old and New.

Maiden's Tower (lighthouse), at the southern entrance of the Bosporus Strait.  Neat story about it, too.

Fun being on the water and we warmed up after we turned about.  This city is amazing.  When we stepped off the boat, a local fish market was in front of us, with lots of fishies on display. 

Our bus returned us to our hotel where we freshened up for dinner.  Jimmy and I went up to the rooftop terrace and were seated at a small table overlooking the water.  The maître d' wrapped a soft blanket over my shoulders.  We had a light and delicious meal surrounded by an ambiance we loved, but seldom have.  It was magical.  What a full day!  But, wait, there's more!