We returned home from a fun trip where we chased a bunch of waterfalls, rode e-bikes, and hiked and hiked and hiked! So, I need to update my Waterfalls Bucket List. I believe I’ve found my NEW favorite waterfall. Burney Falls in Shasta County, California was amazing! Here are some more views from the trees as we walked down to it, and then hiked up the other side of the creek.
And here’s a longer shot of the area.
We hiked to 7 different waterfalls on our trip. I’ll try to show the other photos in upcoming posts. I debated counting more than 7 because a few had lower falls, then we hiked to the middle falls and then to upper falls, but I guess I’ll just count one falls per creek. I’m at 56 out of my bucket list of 100! Many more to go!
Have a great day. I hope you do or learn something NEW today!
Happy Saturday. Here’s my bubble for peace (see Tom’s post HERE).
My bubble was created via AI MidJourney. (It’s so fun, but my son thinks I must be really bored to spend my time using AI to make pretty things haha!) But it’s NEW to me, so that’s a good thing.
Have a great day and I hope you do or learn something NEW too!
The NEW image above, taken recently in Amsterdam is my entry for Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge. The image below is for Cee’s CWWC challenge. As I was trying to capture the storm on the mountain this week, I was a bit perturbed with the ski lift right smack in my way, but I guess it works for this challenge. There’s always a bright side to everything eh?!
Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!
I finally went out for a short photo walk this week. My favorite capture from that walk is of all these white pumpkins. I like the lighting, I like the fall theme, and I like that I got a photo I like. Cuz that doesn’t always happen. haha! I wish I had more time to go on photo walks more often. I’ll just have to make that time, right?!
Well, that’s my NEWness for today. I hope you do or learn something NEW today too!
Isn’t this a gorgeous sunset?! I’m in debt to my sister-in-law for snapping this photo because I was too busy playing pickleball to stop and grab my phone to capture this beauty!
That’s me…right there (above). I really was playing, not just standing there, haha!
And, that’s NOT me (below). I tried something NEW this week. I tried Float Therapy. It was an interesting experience.
This Tedx Talks explains the benefits of Float Therapy; but in case you don’t want to watch the TEdx Talk, I’ll list a few benefits too.
Here is a list of the benefits of float therapy, based on scientific evidence:
Reduces stress and anxiety: Float therapy can help to reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, while also increasing the levels of the mood-boosting hormone endorphins. This can lead to a reduction in stress levels, anxiety, and depression.
Improves sleep quality: Float therapy can help to improve sleep quality by reducing stress and anxiety, and by promoting deep relaxation.
Relieves pain and muscle tension: The weightless environment of a float tank can help to relieve pain and muscle tension by reducing the pressure on the joints and spine.
Boosts mood and creativity: The deep relaxation and sensory deprivation experienced during float therapy can help to boost mood, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
Accelerates muscle recovery: The Epsom salt solution used in float tanks can help to accelerate muscle recovery after exercise or injury.
Improves skin health: The Epsom salt solution can also help to improve skin health by reducing inflammation and promoting cell regeneration.
Reduces inflammation: Float therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation throughout the body. This can be beneficial for people with chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s disease.
Boosts the immune system: The reduction in stress and inflammation caused by float therapy can also help to boost the immune system.
Improves cardiovascular health: Float therapy has been shown to improve cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure and improving heart rate variability.
Reduces migraine headaches: Float therapy can help to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches.
Improves cognitive function: Float therapy has been shown to improve cognitive function, including memory, attention, and processing speed.
Reduces chronic pain: Float therapy can help to reduce chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis, back pain, and fibromyalgia.
Improves mental health: Float therapy can help to improve mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Lastly, I’m making NEW plans to do a “30 Days of Culture” challenge – similar to Gretchen Rubin. The trick is to figure out the best month (or just 30 days) to do such a challenge! I want to do this because I love culture and want more of it in my life! Here’s a quote from Gretchen:
One reason that I love it is that it gives me a nudge to do things that I wouldn’t ordinarily do, exposes me to culture that I might miss, and takes me places that I love.
That sounds like a wonderful way to Explore NEWness, yes?! I’ll keep you updated on the when, and the what (you already know the why!). :o)
My opinion of TicTok: Spend hours and hours watching hundreds of really stupid videos then you’ll be rewarded with one clever or funny video! Then repeat. HaHa! But the hide-the-duck TicTok idea has been kind of a fun activity!
While we were in Scandinavia, my daughter-in-law gathered some other family members together and basically recreated this TicTok video at our house (Link to video here).
We got home and after being gone 2+ weeks we immediately started some laundry. My husband found a small plastic duck in the Downey UnStoppables jar. He thought that was a bit weird but thought the company added it for some reason. Then…we found another duck in the cookie jar…just sitting there alone at the bottom. Then we knew something was up! We texted our family and asked what was going on. They played dumb!…”What?”, they said!
We’ve found about 85 of the 110 ducks so far. One son says we probably won’t find all of them until we move out of this house! Goodness! I keep trying to have one son play “Hot & Cold” with me for a few of the remaining ones, but he refuses. Too funny!
Have a fun Friday. I hope you do or learn something NEW!
It’s been a while since I’ve participated in Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness photo challenge. I thought I’d try these bikes that were parked on a bridge over a canal in Amsterdam. Passing under the bridge on a boat and being almost under the bridge gave me the vantage point of not getting other buildings and whatnot in the shot. Now I want to go dig out my bike and go for a spin!
Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!
I’ve noticed a few #WOYBS What’s On Your BookShelf posts lately, so I thought I’d write an update on my quest to read a book from every genre listed on GoodReads (original blog HERE). I started this challenge/quest around the first of July.
Unfortunately, I haven’t read anything that has overwhelmingly WOWED me (yet!). Here’s hoping that book is right around the corner! Here’s what I’ve read/listened to so far, plus my GoodReads star rating (looks like A LOT of very average 3 stars!).
Art: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon (3 stars).
Biography: Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman (3 stars)
Business: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance (3 stars)
Chick Lit: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks (3 stars)
Children’s: TBR
Christian: Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again (2 stars)
Classics: TBR
Comics: TBR
Contemporary: Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 stars)
Cookbooks: TBR
Crime: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (3 stars)
Ebooks: TBR (although I’ve read multiple books via Ebooks!)
Fantasy: Six of Crows (currently listening to)
Fiction: Homecoming by Kate Morton (3 stars)
Gay and Lesbian: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 stars)
Graphic Novels: TBR
Historical Fiction: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill (3 stars)
History: The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s Ten-Year Road Trip by Jeff Guinn (3 stars)
Horror: TBR
Humor and Comedy: How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur (3 stars)
Manga: TBR
Memoir: TBR
Music: TBR
Mystery: Little Big Lies by Liane Moriarty (3 stars)
Nonfiction: The Tale-Tell Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human by V.S. Ramachandran (3 stars)
Paranormal: TBR
Philosophy: TBR
Poetry: Three Stories and Ten Poems by Ernest Hemingway (3 stars)
Psychology: TBR
Religion: A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women’s Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (3 stars)
Romance: TBR
Science: This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin (3 stars)
Science Fiction: TBR
Self Help: Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown (3 stars)
Suspense: TBR
Spirituality: TBR
Sports: TBR
Thriller: The Whistler by John Grisham (3 stars)
Travel: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts (3 stars)
Young Adult: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (3 stars)
And that’s it! Feel free to recommend any great books in the genres I still need to read.
Have a great day and do or learn…or READ something NEW!
We’ve been back home from our 16-day trip to Scandinavia for a week now. This will be a short post because I’m still very busy trying to catch up with work etc., but I wanted to upload a few photos {but how do I choose!?!).
I guess that’s “a few” haha! These are all SOOC (straight out of camera), so when I get time, I’ll grab more that need a bit of editing and post those.
It was fun to visit somewhere NEW to me. Have a great day and do or learn something NEW to you!
I thought these clouds were so interesting. I managed to crop out my house, but I couldn’t quite get rid of the top of the tree without deleting some of the nice clouds. I guess I could have played around with Photoshop’s “content aware fill” tool, but I have things to do and places to go, and people to see today! Plus, I hope my comment about the tree doesn’t make you focus on it instead of the clouds…{Focus on the clouds….focus on the clouds!!! Haha!}
Have a great day! Go and do or learn something NEW!
Explore Newness 