Friday, October 30, 2009

Boots Party, Pink Flowers Blooming and Istanbul, Turkey


This just now became a quad post, lol. I almost forgot about promising to join the Boots party hosted by http://ladybugfromtexas.blogspot.com/. I just got reminded by Dixie's comment so I went to my shoes closet in the garage to dig them out. They do need some dusting anyway to get them ready for I will be needing them soon. Please visit Deb and join in on the fun.
Do I have boots! But don't I have a lot of everything? LOL! I have knee highs, short boots, water proof boots and hiking boots. I also have cowboy boots but they are still in Florida.
But my very favorites are my brown Coach boots and the brown leather boots next to it for a more dressy look.
This post started with a double post but ended up to be a quad one.
I cannot believe how fast this week went by. I must have been having so much fun, or was I just doing so much work? Anyway, I find fun in work too so I was really having fun. Weekend is here again so we can show some pinks and go traveling. And I think I will link with Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday since I am showing plants, so this is actually a triple post. No wonder, the days go by so fast and I am having so much fun :-) Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Glenda. Please visit her at http://www.tootsietime.com/ and you will be amazed at her gardening abilities.I will have to post my Saturday posts today also because I will be out on an estate auction all day tomorrow. We are going today just to view what is being auctioned. I can't wait!! Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly. Go visit her at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/, enjoy her pink and then visit her participants and enjoy their pinks also.
I walked around the deck and backyard to check what pink blooms I am still having. It has been raining everyday so the plants are thriving. I cannot remember having this much rain in the fall in past years. I thought it rained a lot only in the spring but I am not complaining.

First is our hanging periwinkle. See how healthy it still is?

I think this a gaura. Please correct me if I am mistaken because somehow I have a hard time remembering names of different plants. I just buy and plant them when I like the look. Next to it is a heather, kinda pinkish but more of purple.
Now, this has been in the property before we even moved. I have no idea what it is and I just noticed it blooming.
It has pretty pink flowers. Can somebody tell me what it is please? Thanks.

I thought it was some kind of camelia at first cause we have a lot of camelias where it is located but it does not look like the others.
I planted these pink caladiums around the gazebo.
Sorry, I don't know what this is.
I have 2 of them and placed them on each side of the pool entrance. See the leaves in the pool? The polaris is working overtime but still cannot keep up. The wind has been blowing hard making the leaves fall from trees. I guess it's really Fall, even in the south. Do you see the pink mandevalias in the background? I also have Asian orchids next to them
More periwinkle in the gazebo.
Now, it's time for fun. Let's go sightseeing!
Turkey day is coming soon so let's go visit Istanbul in Turkey. I took my granddaughter, AJ and daughter, Tina with her hubby, Scott to go on a cruise with me and one of the port stops was Istanbul. Unfortunately, Tina, who was 5 months pregnant had cabin fever, literally, so she had to stay in bed. Actually she was so sick, running a high temp. Poor baby! AJ just wanted to stay and play at Camp Carnival so I took my son in law, Scott to tour the city with me.

We took a taxi and we were fortunate to get a driver who spoke English well and was able to tell us about the history of the city. Of course, you already know that Istanbul used to be called Constantinople, right? Do you remember the song "Istanbul, Constantinople....." ? Of course, you don't, cause you are not as old as I am, lol!

Below you will see the aqueduct. And look at the fish in the market. Can you believe how fresh and huge they are?

This is the Bosphorus. It was too cloudy, otherwise, you will see the Asian side, which is across the sea. The Bosphorus is 20-miles long and it joins the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea in Istanbul, and separates the continents of Europe and Asia.
This is where a vendor kept pushing to sell us a fake Izod jacket for $20. By the time it was ready for us to leave, the price went down to $5. Darn! I should have bought it at the price, LOL, but I was being stubborn because he was so pushy.
They had lots of monuments such as this. Sorry for the picture quality. The taxi was moving fast while I was taking it.
Look at the bird's eye view! Breathtaking!


Agia Sofia was a former orthodox basilica, now a mosque and a museum in Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years. There were so many mosques everywhere.
Gorgeous flowers!


I was on a mission to buy an authentic hand knotted Turkish rug for our formal dining room so I asked the taxi driver to take us to a store that sells good quality hand made rugs and this is where he took us. I felt sorry for my son in law after a while cause we were there for hours, while the store owner kept ordering his laborers to bring more rugs and spread them for me to see.
And I wanted a big one so these poor guys had to lift these heavy rolls of rugs through the stairs from another floor.
After looking at a lot of them, I was down to my best 2 choices but I still could not decide, so I took pictures and I asked the store owner if he has a computer so I could email them to my husband who can help me decide. Luckily, he had a computer and although it was very slow, I was able to send pictures to John who I had to get out of bed to get to his computer. It was in the middle of the night in US at the time but he was glad to hear from me. We decided on the one below. The colors are much better in person cause the light was reflecting on the rug. We opted for a lighter colored one because we have a dark wall paper in the dining room and I did not want the room to get any darker. The rug arrived at home even before I got home. And here it is now in our dining room. Do you think we made the right choice?
We also went shopping at Grand Bazaar. Grand is an understatement. It was REALLY, REALLY huge and was so crowded. It was an indoor shopping area with alleys of shops going in all directions. We kept losing our guide but we had a lot of fun shopping.

And you think I look too short standing next to Scott? My daughter who is married to him is even shorter, LOL! He was a basketball player in school and she was a gymnast.
I hope you enjoyed touring with us today. I would love to see some of your travel pictures too.

If you have any sightseeing pictures you want to share with us, please come and join me by adding your name and permalink below. Please copy the Sightseeing logo on your post to let other bloggers know that you are participating and to spread the word about the meme. Thanks!






Thanks also to Deb, Beverly and Tootsie for another fun pink and fertilizing event and for the boots party..

37 comments:

Deb said...

Christine...wow quad post...thanks for joining in on my 1st party....love your boots....

Regina said...

Hi Christine. Happy Pink Saturday. Such a beautiful blooms and gorgeous photos. Nice boots.
Great post.

Enjoy the weekend.
Regina

Dawn said...

Great boots! Those Coach boots look so warm and comfy and dressy at the same time.

What a busy girl you are today! Hope you have your tennis shoes on, you'll have a lot of running around to do!
Hugs,
Dawn

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Christine, So nice to meet you and visit your lovely blog. I enjoyed seeing your wonderful variety of boots, your garden flowers and the great site seeing trip. You are a delight. Thank you for stopping by my boot party too.

Have a great weekend,
Hugs, Celestina Marie

Dixie said...

Christine... I just knew you'd have great boots! I especially "heart" those Coach boots... great choice!

have a beautiful weekend... thanks for sharing all your wonderful photos today!

Tanna said...

Wow! What a post! Boots, flowers and site seeing all in one! Amazing! I had a delightful visit. Thank you!

SmilingSally said...

By the end of the post, I've forgotten the beginning! You have bunches of boots, pretty blooms, and I hope you found the perfect rug.

deb said...

Your flowers are simply gorgeous!
*hugs*deb

bj said...

O, I DID FORGET !!
I have my boot posting up now..a shade late but...better late than never.
I think I am involved in too many parties...may have to drop a few for awhile and catch my breath..

bj said...

O, I DID FORGET !!
I have my boot posting up now..a shade late but...better late than never.
I think I am involved in too many parties...may have to drop a few for awhile and catch my breath..

Anonymous said...

What a great post. I'm lovin all of your boots. Your pictures are amazing. The flowers so beautiful. I especially loved seeing the pictures of your trip. what a beautiful place! That rug is gorgous!

Unknown said...

WOW - so many boots!! I've only got 2 pairs and sometimes I forget I have them.
Your periwinkle basket is beautiful; so are your other plants.
I love the pics taken in Istanbul... looks like a nice place to visit.

Have a nice weekend

Tara said...

Your trip looked amazing. The colors of the buildings are so beautiful, the big soccer field made me smile too, it's so green! I envy you your pretty flowers, they have all died here gosh darn it. Happy Pink and have a Happy Halloween Christine!

Anonymous said...

Girl you have the boots!!! And I love your rug from Turkey and the pics of your travels there!! You are so blessed to be able to see so many different places!

Erin said...

Oh my goodness, where to begin? Okay, yes, you do have a LOT of boots, but you're right, there all different kinds represented in the pictures, so you're just well - prepared! Love the pictures of Istanbul...I studied the Agia Sofia in an art class...truly awe-inspiring, especially when you think that we think we're so superior with our modern technology! Oh, and I love the rug you chose...it is absolutely stunning.

And, the reason I'm here? Your garden. It is beautiful. You have so many different flowers and they all look so healthy. I'm a bit envious!

Anonymous said...

Holy Boots!!! You sure do have a lot of them.

Love all the pink flowers. Now that fall is here, we will have to wait until next year to see more prettys.

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

What a fun post Christine, boots for traveling and beautiful flowers when you are home. Ours have long since been gone..very cold and wet our way. We're in desperate need of drying out and some sunshine. My Bailey will be here on Sunday and I can hardly wait.. Happy Halloween..hugs ~lynne~

Tootsie said...

wow..this post was a mouthful! I love your gardens...very very pretty! enjoy them for me K? thanks for linking in with me and
thanks for taking us on a tour with you!

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Looks like your boots were "made for walking" all the way around the world...love the travel pix and that hanging periwinkle...

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Love the boots. Great pictures of your trip. You have traveled allot.
That must be wonderful. Love the pink flowers!

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hey Girlfriend...

Wow...my friend...a quad post!!! You're good!!! Hehe!

I really enjoyed it though! Girl, you have some beautiful boots...are you getting to wear any of them yet? I'm telling ya...if you had been at my place, you would have needed your boots! The tallest ones that you own! Hehe! We really had a snow storm...in fact, we're buried in! Russell couldn't even get out of the driveway to get to work this morning!

Anyway...after seeing all of your beautiful pink flowers...I'm thinking that your weather must still be really nice! They are all just gorgeous!!! I love the periwinkles...such a pretty shaped flower and a beautiful shade of pink too!!!

Thank you for taking us with you to Istanbul! What a trip! It really is a beautiful place...I would love to go there someday! Ohhh...and I would just love to bring back one of those gorgeous turkish rugs! I love the one that you got...it's perfect for your fabulous dining room!!!

Well Darlin'...you have a wonderful weekend and I'll talk with you later! I'm heading on down to your tablescape that I missed!

Love ya,
Chari

Kat said...

Wow Christine, I'm so impressed with your quad post! You have the most gorgeous pink flowers. Sorry I can't help you with the names of any of them, I'm just not much of a gardner. I really love your periwinkles, they are so lush and full. And the trip to Istanbul was a treat! That rug store was amazing. And I think you definitely made the right choice for your dining room, it's perfect. Have a wonderful weekend at the estate sale, can't wait to see what you bring back. Because I KNOW you'll be bringing something back lol. Kathy

Char said...

Christine, your pinks are beautiful and a breath of fresh air. It looks like spring. I have to say Turkey looks very cold right now. I have been there and loved it. I was able to buy some carpets and it's amazing how they are all piled up and the salesmen just pull them off, one right after the other. Now having seen these wonderful pictures, the memories come flooding back, I wish I had bought more. When does it ever end!!?? Happy Pink Saturday and have fun my friend, it looks like a great time. Char

Mary Bergfeld said...

You covered all the bases with this lovely post. It was so nice to see those lovely pink blossoms. I hope you are having a wonderful Pink Saturday.

caren said...

So many wonderful things to look at! I came for Pink Saturday but was treated to so much more - thank you! I too posted a travel post for Pink Saturday. Come visit!

Anonymous said...

Turkey - - - the places you share are just beautiful. The view, the structures, . . . Very enjoyable to look at.

I love the periwinkle plant. I like how it cascades and bloom with pink flowers! And what a surprise, a nice surprise it must be to see that mini tree bloom too :-) I also don't know the name.

MIzpah,
Li

Its So Very Cheri said...

Wow-girl you are the Queen of boots. Always fun to visit your blog and see what you are posting from your bountifu life.

Cheri

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Christine! First of all, girl, I think you cornered the market on shoes! WOW!

And secondly, I adore the rug. It is perfect. You picked the right one for sure! :-)

Love all of your pretty flowers, too, and how your patio looks with all of them blooming.

Sending you big hugs today and always...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Fifi Flowers said...

Happy belated Pink Saturday... LOVE all the flowers!

sunnymama said...

The pink flowers are all lovely! You do have a lot of boots ;)

Hope you are well. I've had such a busy summer and haven't been able to keep up with my blog reading but I hope to get here more often to visit now. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, my beautiful little one! What do you not have or where have you not been? Christine, you truly live an amazing life! How very blessed you are.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia;)

❀~Myrna~❀ said...

Awesome pics,you are a world traveler. Thanks for taking us along via blogland on your travels.The rug looks wonderful in your dining room.Great Post.8~)
~Myrna

EJ said...

Oh my I have enjoyed the tour and the flowers, the shoes. Very good combination of post.

Thanks for the kind words Christine, don't worry you can cast your vote for my son next month hehehe.. Thanks again..

claudie said...

Christine, isn't that a coincidence that you were taught by "Soeur de Charite"? You just never know who is reading our blogs & have memories to share.
LOVE YOUR BOOTS. The pink flower that is hanging, not sure what it is either, I'm soooo bad at names for plants and flowers, it's terrible.
Your pics of your sight seeing trip, awesome!
Happy Belated PS and Happy Blue Monday and what ever else you have going on there lol
Love Claudie
xoxox

jeanne said...

Hi Christine, I love your post and really enjoyed each segment. The boots are awesome. Do really wear that many boots??? smiling.

I have one pair, dressy for church in the winter. I do love them and feel pretty hip for an old girl. HA!

Your flowers are gorgeous as is your pool and outdoor area. the pink unknown ones remind me of wild roses. I am like you I buy what I like and do not know the names.

I laughed about your trip to Istanbul part of your post. Just today my 12 year old grandson had to do a history lesson on Turkey. I sang him that very song. Laughing here. He said what kind of song is that grandma? I said it is a true one. He wasn't impressed.

Your rug purchase is wonderful. How lucky to have such a beautiful rug. Your son-in-law is so handsome and yes, TALL.

I will keep your meme in mind. I have done Pink Sat. forever and something new would be fun.

Thank you for your visit and sweet comment.

Hugs, Jeanne

Blondie's Journal said...

Christine~~

All of yor pink flowers are gorgeous! I wish I could help you with some of the names but I am pretty bad with that. Plus, you are in a different region, so you have many different plants than we do. I do like the periwinkle a lot, it has trailed so long.

Now for your boots...you have a beautiful collection. Do you wear them only in the winter months? How cold does it have to be? I thought people in the South just wore sandals! lol!! I too, love the Coach boots. Emily has a purse that would match perfectly.

Instanbul sure looks fun and I never would have thought that! You are a wonderful tour guide and Scott is a wonderful sport to do all that shopping with you!! He is very tall!! I love your story about the rug and waking John. He is a good sport too!!! I love the rug and think it looks fabulous in your dining room. Are the prices okay in Instanbul as opposed if you bought it here? Well, a Turkish rug comes from Turkey, but probably not the selection you saw there. And the shipping. That must have been a lot. But you seem to do a lot of shopping and shipping so you must know if it is a savings or not.

I so enjoyed this post, Christine!

xoxo
Janie

maureen said...

Better late than never, I suppose. I just came across this post, looking for the silverware cloche...lol...I am a gardener, and know for sure that the pink flowers in the picture below the hanging basket of periwinkle is called cleome. They are an old grandmother's favorite, and are very prolific in blooming and giving hundreds of seeds. The new ones only sprout up when the temperature is at LEAST 10 degrees cooler in the morning than later in the day. I have had them in pink, purple and white.
Good choice on the rug!

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