I’m so honored to have been nominated for One Lovely Blog Award and the Sunshine Blog Award by Hot Rod Cowgirl.  Hot Rod Cowgirl is a high-spirited blogger with an uplifting blog that includes beautiful photos of God’s country and amusing heart-felt narratives.  Thank you, Hot Rod Cowgirl, for my nominations!

I was also honored to be nominated for One Lovely Blog Award by Debbie Billets of The Thoughtful Life: Random Thoughts on Life and Everyday Inspiration.  Thank you Debbie!

Here are the rules for One Lovely Blog Award:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and provide a link.
2. List seven things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire.
4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know.

Seven things about me:

1.  I have traveled in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Mexico–and lived in the Middle East.

2.  I’ve always loved travel and writing but photography is a new interest for me.  I enjoy working at it.  Nothing else in the world would get me up at 4:00 a.m.

3.  My love of the outdoors began when I was a child.  My parents built a teeny cottage on the Maine coast and there we spent our summers,  Every day I went for long walks and talked with God.

4.  My husband, Jeff, and I are grateful for every opportunity we get to retreat to the desert and commune with God.  We also value fellowship and have attended the same church for about 10 years.

5.  If I am adventurous in the Nevada desert, I credit my husband for making me feel safe enough to want to take calculated risks.  In the desert, it’s all about team work.  Jeff is carefully attentive to our vehicle maintenance needs and has lots of wheeling experience.  His dependability in those areas allows me to concentrate fully on the challenge of desert navigation.  No two maps are alike so I synthesize information from a compass, a visual read, maps, mileage, and records I keep along the way.  As we progress in our travels, my husband sets waypoints on our GPS so that we can backtrack if necessary.  Frequently a trip to a new destination involves at least one wrong or missed turn.  There are so many trails and roads in the desert that aren’t mapped or are inaccurately mapped that it makes it difficult to confidently identify a road at first sight.

6.  Jeff and I are frugal travelers.  Over the years we have collected virtually all of our expedition gear from flea markets and surplus stores but in no way does that compromise our comfort or safety.  One of the best finds we’ve made, for example, is our Swedish army pants.  The pants are made of high-quality, very dense wool and are extremely warm.  We paid $37.50 per pair for them and they were by far two of our most expensive purchases.  Yet they are a bargain and even moreso when compared to what’s being offered in new and outlandishly expensive lines of outdoor clothing.  When you apply this thinking to all forms of outdoor gear, the savings is radical.  Most items of outdoor clothing or other gear we’ve purchased cost in the $2-$5 range.  (Once in a while we do shop at REI for a purchase which is not available from our other sources, such as high-quality hiking boots which fit perfectly.  We like REI because their staff is reasonably knowledgable, the store is gracious if we have to return a produce which doesn’t perform in accordance with our expectations, and we enjoy the dividends)

7.  When I am traveling in the Nevada desert, I love to chat with neighbors and townspeople and hear from them the local news.  During our recent trip to Nevada, I learned from an acquaintance that this year, due to the drought, there have been more rattlesnake sightings than usual.  As a result, a man in Reno is offering a class teaching dogs to avoid the perils of rattlesnakes.  He actually has a waiting list for the class–or so it is said.

Here are my nominations for the One Lovely Blog Award:

photobobo: photographs by chuck a stetson — rustic rural scenes and poetic musings

Cornwall: A Photographic Journey  — exquisite photographs of the coast and its villages

Tracie Louise Photography: Seeing the Beauty in All Things  — beautiful photos of Australia and its sights

Random Sights and Diversions: Photography Media Reviews Commentary — beautiful southwest desert scenes

Looking at the West — photos that capture the magnificence of the Utah desert

Becoming is Superior to Being — Arizona desert through the lens of an avid hiker and photographer

khamneithang…a bit of inspiration — a Christian blog devoted to inspiring well-crafted anecdotes

Hearing with the Eye: Books, Music and Travel… The Three Pillers of my Life —  lively travel writing and a most charming author

belgradestreets: photographs by andy townend capture the life and soul of belgrade, serbia — stylish and gritty photos–just announced  book deal as I’m going to press!  Congratulations!

Arignagardener — gentle musings on sustainable farming at lovely Prospect Cottage in Ireland

gardenpath: life around a small garden in Maine — charming photoblog of coastal Maine’s flora and fauna

The Lantern Room: Enlightenment Through Photography  — lovely scenic and floral photography

The nomination by Hot Rod Cowgirl for the Sunshine Blog Award is deeply appreciated.  Forgive me if I forego the ritual and simply profer a gracious thanks?!

Previous nomination for this award was also an honor, from Arignagardener.