Bella in The Highlands

Ever since I found out about The Highlands of Scotland, I've longed to go. Bella beat me to it. In going through allllllllllll the photos and videos on my cell and trying to delete dupes and what not, I came across a few of the mini movies she recorded on her trip in April of 2024. Here's a little patchwork clip I came up with of the best ofs.

The Breakers

One of the most gorgeous Newport mansions that Bella and I toured in December of 2022 was this stunning Vanderbilt palace. It was all done up for the holidays but here are some snaps of the non-Christmasy corners.

Night Forms: Infinite Waves

On January 6th of 2023 I took myself to Grounds for Sculpture after work to arrive at 8:30 PM for Night Forms: Infinite Waves. It was such fun that I went back the next night with Lucy and then later with her and Jackson. Each time was a great experience, but wandering the grounds on my own, in the dark, was something truly memorable. I'm so glad I felt confident enough to snap so many photos and record so many moments, even if just for me to look back on one day.

Return to the Farmhouse

The last week of October I spent it in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. I wanted to be close by to Maureen for pop-over visits, and Autumn is only a two hour drive away. Plus, I had such a nice stay the last time I booked The Farmhouse that I decided to return. To be in a safe and quiet space was genuinely rejuvenating. My home has asshole neighbours and I'm constantly on edge, even with quieter-ish people living upstairs. There's a lingering anxiety when I'm home and frankly, it's draining. Being alone and in a place without noise, aside from what I provide, was bliss and I found myself laughing raucously at reruns of Derry Girls or silly vids on Instagram and even just old memories of things would make me LOL for real. It's been so long since I heard myself laugh and I felt like the me that I used to be before things got so overwhelming. Anyway, the apartment I rented at The Farmhouse was fab and I will hopefully return on my next trek out there!

Machu Picchu

This afternoon Wayne and I got together for lunch and he gifted me a Canon digital camera that he no longer needed. Woohoo! I haven't tried it out yet, but I found a goldmine of travel photos on the SD card left in the camera. I had no idea he'd been to Peru and the photos he took were absolutely breathtaking. These are some of my favourites.

POST SCRIPT - 23 Sept 2025 - Saw Wayne today and mentioned his trip to Peru and he said, "I've never been to Machu Picchu. Wish I had, though." What the hell?! Apparently the photo of him that preceded the Peruvia trips was him in Tennessee with his father's old flame. So I think it was Norma that took the above photos. Still, I prefer to think it was Wayne.