Ernstopia

Follow along on our road trip through small eastern Oregon towns to the top of a Steens Mountain and back down to the Alvord Desert with stunning scenery the entire way.

A Closer Look at Steens Mountain - Ernstopia Follow on our trip through small eastern Oregon towns and get a close up look at Steens Mountain with stunning scenery the entire way.

A couple weeks ago, a group of friends toured historic homes around the Portland area. Built in 1914, the Pittock Mansion is beautiful any time of year, but is especially stunning all decked out for Christmas. You can see the holiday decor at the Pittock Mansion until New Years.

Today is: DÍA DE LA CALIFORNIDAD

The first place in the world to be named CALIFORNIA was Cabo California, actually Cabo San Lucas between 1533 and 1536, by expeditionary men of Hernan Cortes and registered in a map by Diego Gutierrez. This new feature went up today in Cabo to establish every November 14th as California Day with the purpose of uniting towns and people (Baja California Sur, Baja California and the US California)

The Sheep Rock Unit is about an hours drive from the Painted Hills and is named after the bighorn sheep that once lived here. This post features photos from the visitor's center as well as the nearby Cant Ranch.

The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a part of the National Parks System and features three distinct units: The Painted Hills Unit, The Sheep Rock Unit and the Clarno Unit. Here's a look at the Painted Hills Unit.

My first time in Palm Beach was a quick one, so I had to be extra picky choosing which places made the final cut. The famous blue door is easily one of the most Instagrammable places in Palm Beach and was at the top of my list. This Insta-famous blue door is actually a pair of aqua colored doors located next to each other. They are pretty much a matching set with the exception of the mail slot. From the moment we pulled up it was obvious why this is such a popular spot. The most perfect aqua color contrasted with the bright fuchsia bougainvillea is just dreamy in person.

Photography Tips:
What you may not be able to tell from these photos is what a tight spot it is to photograph in. Several cars were parked along the narrow sidewalk, so a wide angle lens was used (along with some creative angling to get these shots)

Another thing to keep in mind is the lighting. These doors are located in the direct sunlight for most of the day, so depending on the time of day, you may battle harsh lighting or unflattering shadows. Because of this I chose to visit towards the end of the day when the sun wasn't as high. Something else to keep in mind when you see all the cute photos taken at this location is how amazingly sweaty everyone is while simultaneously trying to look as cute as humanly possible. The humidity is no joke and you can bet my hair went up in a ponytail as soon as we were done!

You can find this location across from Renato's Restaurant on Peruvian Avenue. (*This is actually a home, so be respectful of the residents when you visit.)

Window shopping at Love Shack Fancy in Palm Beach, FL.

A trip to the Lilly Pulitzer flagship store in Palm Beach is a must. It's the only store you can create your own custom shift dress.
The shift dress was developed by Lilly in the late 50s when she worked at a juice stand and wanted to wear something colorful that would hide the stains. Soon she was selling more dresses than juice and the rest is history.

Her popular resort wear has been loved by fashion icons such as Jackie Kennedy since the 1960's and right now they are having a 50% off sale through tomorrow.
https://www.lillypulitzer.com/sale/?sz=48

(FYI I always ask permission before shooting inside any store.)

Fred Rogers AKA Mister Rogers graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL in 1951 with a degree in Music Composition. Seventy years later, in 2021 a statue called "Beautiful Day for a Neighbor" was dedicated at the college to honor his legacy.

Have you ever ordered your coffee with a Ripple design? Not very many coffee shops offer them, but I order them whenever they're available. They're like cute little stickers for your coffee! Joffrey's coffee in Disney Springs offers Ripples, so you know I had to right?

Sorry Tim…..rules are rules. You might want to sit this season out.

Here are some suggestions based on everything we did on our busy day in St Augustine.

How to Spend a Day in St Augustine - Ernstopia On your next trip to Florida, take a step back in history and spend a day in St Augustine, the oldest city in the US.

St George Street in St Augustine has some great places to eat. Check out my recommendations here:

Quick Bites in St Augustine - Ernstopia You will find lots of delicious quick bites to enjoy as you stroll down St Augustine's historic Colonial Quarter.

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite architecture in St Augustine. It's no coincidence that Henry Flagler had his hand in all of them. Henry Flagler was one of the main developers of Florida's Atlantic coast and was the founder of the Florida East Coast Railway. He also founded the cities of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida...so he's kind of a big deal.

Be sure to click through and read up on the history details in the captions.

Our St Augustine itinerary was packed full, so rather than using valuable time sitting down for a meal, we opted to try several popular stops for quick bites all around the downtown historic district. Luckily everything was within a 10 minute walk from each other. (I've included some historical information in the captions.)

One of the most interesting things I learned while in St Augustine is that much of the city's original structures were build from a material called Coquina (crushed shells). As we toured around, you could see it in the walls of Castillo de San Marcos, in the fences and even in some of the pavement we walked over contained these crushed shells. Here is an article that describes why it has stood the test of time.

Coquina - The Rock that Saved St Augustine - Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) Who would think that a fort made of seashells would last 300 years? Who would think that a fort made out of seashells would last three days under cannon fire? But the Castillo de San Marcos, made of local coquina stone, did just that. What exactly is this strange rock? How was it formed, and where d...

Here's a look into our day at Castillo de San Marcos

Five Great Reasons to Visit Castillo de San Marcos - Ernstopia Castillo de San Marcos is filled with history and is one of the top places to visit in St Augustine, Florida. Here are 5 reasons to visit.