Beautiful places from your past

Recently Taffy stated that this is one of the beautiful places from his past (presumably in the UK):

. . . which got me reminiscing about beautiful places from my past. I lived for many years on the Northern California coast, where the scenery looks like this (Mendo County):

And here’s a beautiful little, sheltered, secluded nude beach that I used to frequent (Humboldt County). Both of these photos look a little cool, but often the weather was warm and still, I’d ride my bike up there with a lunch, a towel to lie on, some suncreen and a book and just lie there enjoying the total peace and quiet. Often it’s so quiet there one can’t hear anything but the waves, the birds and the wind. :slight_smile:

Anyone else have pictures of beautiful places from your past?

I was born here.

Grew up here.

Under a bridge? Are you a troll?

I’m serious. I was born not more than 1 minute’s drive from there.

Iceland?

Iceland?[/quote]

Drakensberg, South Africa.
Are you married? Your avatar is making me like you more and more by the day.

I lived on this family property for a few years when I was a kid. I wish I had it now but when it was being considered for sale I had different priorities.

This is the beach on our cottage in PEI. It’s not Thailand for sure but their is no better way to ensure a quick wake up in the morning than a walk with coffee in hand through the cold water of the Atlantic.

Clearwater Bay, Lake of the Woods, Ontario. Click on the pics if you want to see the video! :sunglasses:

Aside from the picture posted by MT in the first post (which is the Devon coastline, southern England), there are a few more places I’d like to share:

Dartmoor - mostly National Trust land, it’s bleak, empty and magnificent. Unprepared hikers can die up there because the weather changes so quickly, but I love the place.

Totnes - the little market town in Devon where I spent years 10-18 of my life.

The main highway into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with some of the most imposing rock formations I’ve ever seen. The old city of Jeddah is really beautiful too.

The Tegernsee on the border between Bavaria and Austria. I came out here from Munich whenever I got the chance.

Rock outcrop on a mountain in the Adirondack Park, NY State.

Sat on many a spot like this.


Manus Island (Papua New Guinea), pictured is Margaret Mead author of “Growing up in New Guinea”, a little before my time.

I spent many of my summers growing up here:

Avalon, Catalina Island.

Er, a painting of a womb.

Cut me some slack. The wife’s about to pop and sometimes I envy the little fella.

Erh, somewhere you want to be?

Great thread, great places.

When I was a teenager, my mates and I used to regularly hitch (hitchike) or codge a lift of an older mate with a licence to surf Margaret River, Cowarumup and Yalingup. We used to camp on all the vacant land down by a river, near a fire and occasionally hit the bush dances with all the farm-grown, hippies and cheap wine from the nascent wineries Always an amazing time.

Surf:

A very powerful ride, still, we used to leave the boogie boarding to the surfiechicks . . .

. . . and go for the tube . . . but that meant heading into the reef.

Campsite:

What we caught within minutes at our campsite - (edit) I called it a yabby, that’s an east coast thing. We called them djilgies, an aboriginal word. In English they were marron, much like an eastern yabby. or freshwater crayfish. Heavenly when boiled and slapped on bread with lemon, black pepper and a beer after a day surfing in summer. But at the same time, they were what you had when you had fuck all money. If you had coin, you’d grab fish and chips!

I recall talking to a mate while siitting in a perfect 12 foot left hand barrelling break all to ourselves . . .easterly wind spraying back into our faces as we took off, perfect blue sky, no wetsuit . . . "but Australia is the world’s biggest fucking island, Perth’s the world’s most isolated fucking city and we’re five fucking hours from there, why the fuck would you buy a place out here? It’s worth shit now and it’ll be worth shit when you’re dead. Anyway,they’re cutting all the karri, they’re not afraid of our tree spikes and the place will be a freakin’ desert before you know it . . . "

A karri forest. Apparently the word “karri”, the name of the tree, meant “whispering death” in the local aboriginal language. That’s because the upper branches would die, become water logged and drop in winter. These trees are enormous (Karri - Eucalyptus diversicolor - is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south western Australia. The tree grows to 90 metres, making it one of the tallest species in the world).

He bought fifty acres backing the beach and national park one year later and never moved. I don’t see him anymore, but I know he’s still there and in land value he’s a seriously rich man. And for what? He hung out surfing the whole time while I worked like a freaking dog . . . follow your dreams . . . always.

HG

Far from beautiful, I spent a number of years living in the Dufferin/St.Clair area of Toronto. I miss the shots of dble. expresso and the all night Portuguese chicken.

During this time I worked regularly with an Elvis impersonator who took us on extended tours of Central and Northern Ontario. Many nights in the summer would be spent drinking and sleeping on the edge of lakes in out tuxedos- it was beautiful but I preferred the supplied hotel room.

Cool! Ciao bello! You know they’re going to put a dedicated streetcar line along St. Clair like they did for Spadina, apparently it’s the busiest line in the whole city.

more exhumation…

memorable travel experiences as a kid (1970s):
Great Smoky Mountains
Nova Scotia
Quaint villages along the coast of Maine
Afternoon tea at the Empress in Victoria in the 70s (yeah, before the crowds and prices)
Banff/Lake Louise
International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie
Fishing in Thousand Islands area of NY
Roanoke Island/Wright Brothers’ first flight in Kitty Hawk
Backpacking/camping in hills of West Virginia
Pikes Peak
Black Hills of SD
[and many more…]

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Grandpa lived in Scotland, was a keen golfer. Used to golf with him when I was very young, it was bloody freezing and i hated it at the time. Things you take for granted!

Anyway, Scotland can be the ugliest place in the world, and the most beautiful.

Walking along the coast near Crail Golf Society, between Anstruther and St Andrews. Mint

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Saimaa Lake in Finland , summertime and wintertime

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