HALLIE EPHRON: I’m writing this from my hotel room in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been: Moab, Utah. Rugged vistas, red rocks, and a gazillion one time hippies.
It was on Jerry and my “bucket list.”
Here’s a picture to give you a sense of the place and me in it.
What’s a happy place for you?
Wow . . . so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteA happy place for me is wherever my family is . . . .
So true! I have great company here but it’s a place I yearn to share with Jerry.
DeleteFor a long time I had a picture up in my office from a narrowboat trip in Wales. The scene of lush green banks, calm water of the canal, red narrowboat, and stone bridge was my ideal happy place.
ReplyDeleteLast year we were in Tuscany, and the view over the valley from the villa we rented created a soothing environment.
Looks like my happy places are all outdoors.
As long as the weather cooperates… and we’ve had perfect weather
DeleteLisa, are you currently traveling or have relocated? — Pat S.
DeleteThat is majestic, but I feel peace by the water, particularly an ocean.
ReplyDeleteHallie
DeleteOops this is hallie again - Lucy is an ocean person too. Ocean views in Maine are also one of my happy places.
DeleteAnywhere where the sun shines or the moon glistens, where there are gentle breezes or soft rains, or where the wind blows so hard the rain strikes my face horizontally, where birds sing or fly, where animals frolic or just go about their daily business, where there are good books and good music, good friends or interesting strangers, where decency and respect matter, where family gathers in laughter. I think the only place this description does not apply is at a MAGA rally and, while I may not be happy there, I might be slightly amused.
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: beautiful description, I'm with you Jerry.
DeleteAgree, Celia!
DeleteWow, Jerry House - your description is gorgeous. Wow. It’s a happy place all by itself.
DeleteOh, that is a nice picture of you, Hallie. The scenery is fabulous. Are you dressed for a birdwatching adventure? Is that a great place to be during migration or is that a lanyard with your conference ID? Whichever, have a great time!
ReplyDeleteNot much by way of birds here in Moab. Ravens. Flying together in pairs. Magpies In Little flocks. Sparrows scavenging in the parking lot. I imagine if I were up at five and walking around I’d see more.
DeleteThat's beautiful, Hallie. I love the west. My friend took me to see the Red Rocks amphitheater outside Denver when I was there for Left Coast Crime in the spring, and it looked like where you are. One happy place for me is our historic Friends Meetinghouse, where I'll be later this morning. It's simple and light-filled, with high ceilings and tall old windows, and the walls feel imbued with Spirit. I'm always calm and happy there.
ReplyDeleteEDITH: I received your author newsletter this morning. Lots of wonderful news.
DeleteRed Rocks! I went to summer camp when I was little in red rock country in Arizona and my memories of it are a happy place all by themselves
DeleteI love Carmel-by-the-Sea, Aspen and NYC for so many lovely reasons but mostly I love being right here at home. Tucked among the lofty pine trees and 3 miles from the ocean in America's hometown. Emotionally and visually this tree hugger could not ask for a better combination. When I am most at peace I am starting my day in our small courtyard with my freshly-perked cup of coffee listening to the first sounds of early morning ~ silence ~ looking up at the sky and the rising sun. Feeling grateful and thankful for another day as well as emptying my head of negative clutter. Starting my day and ending my day in this little piece of paradise makes me very happy. As Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz...."There's no place like home."
ReplyDeleteThat’s lovely, Evelyn. I feel the same way about Home though I do like to get out occasionally.
DeleteHallie ~ I reread the comment I wrote and I sound like a bit of a hermit...LOL. Your response was perfect and your photo reminded me of how overwhelmed I was when I first visited the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and Monument Valley. Mother Nature's beautiful "artistry" is meant to be seen and enjoyed. As comforting and cozy as my home makes me feel memories of past travels reminds me that there is still plenty of "happy places" to visit beyond my courtyard. :-)
DeleteMy happy place is a trailhead opening to woodland. Whether on foot or crosscountry skis, there I will find peace.
ReplyDeleteI’ll be right there with you, carrying my binoculars
DeleteFor many years I have considered Trail Ridge Road, in Rocky Mountain National Park, the epitome of a happy place. It takes one up to the highest easily available hiking, giving access to tundra at some points, and a great view of the mountain scape. Since our visit in 2023, I have added the area around Galway, Ireland to the list for its sheer lushness and the beauty of the people as well.
ReplyDeleteOh, those water views in Ireland! We drove back roads from B&B to B&B and it was breathtaking.
DeleteThe islands in Roaringwater Bay, West Cork, Ireland. I spent a few days there in 2022, beautiful water and fun kayaking. I’d love to go back.
ReplyDeleteFirst place is anywhere in the countryside of England. Second is Key West in February. Both places calm my soul!
ReplyDeleteEmily - I love the English countryside too! Not just for the natural beauty but the history. My hub and I were toddling along on our mopeds and he stopped and pointed to a tree off in the distance. He said that's were the Magna Carta was signed. No roadway bright lights, no fanfare.
DeleteThis reminds me that the Cotswolds are still on my bucket list. And while I’m at it, I wouldn’t mind a return trip to London. Big cities are also my happy places.
DeleteThe Cotswolds are definitely worth the trip. But go in the off season (but not in the winter). I love London too. It's nice that the Cotswolds are not to far from London.
DeleteBeautiful photo! I was lucky enough to do a road trip with a friend that included a couple of nights in Moab. Arches National Park was so beautiful and so incredibly different from my home landscape.
ReplyDeleteAny hike in the woods makes me happy, as does the sound of a running stream. Another happy place would be a walk in the Yorkshire Dales.
We had a wonderful time in Yorkshire. Fell in love with those sheep.
DeletePaula B here~It would have to be a small town on the mountain outside Denver. Breckenridge CO. I was there in October a decade ago and never forgot the feel of it. Cozy - well at that time. Is it still?. Not sure I want to find out it isn’t. Year long Christmas shop. Cozy coffee shops. Small cozy church. A noisy exciting Octoberfest. Fun food. Flowers. Oh goodness! The flowers! Oh and Butchart Gardens is / was / is heaven on earth for the flowers everywhere. The beach at Carmel California. Hmm, anywhere there’s trees and a stream or river or ocean. Nature.
ReplyDeleteNature! There’s a reason why Disney tries so hard to imitate it
DeleteHallie, would love to hear more about your trip - and the hippies. Do hippies vacation there more often or have they settled there? Did you go to bird watch? Did you do hiking in the area? On a tour?
ReplyDeleteI did a lot of short hikes (I’m a wimpy hiker) … some Jeep tours… Arches. Canyonlands. A tour to see the night sky, which was amazing. We were here for a week.
DeleteMy happy place is Lake Shasta, CA, on a houseboat, tucked into a cove, getting ready for the first ski of the morning on a warm summer day. And then sitting on the back deck in the evening enjoying the view of the still water and the stars appearing.
ReplyDeleteThe night sky is so spectacular!
DeleteHALLIE: My happy places are wherever my family are; idyllic villages in England and Scotland; and clear blue skies in Europe. Rain is good too. When we had the pandemic lockdown here in California and we went out for the first time in weeks, I noticed the sky was clear blue with no smog for the first time in a long time! Rather a meandering answer, right? And like the other comments, I would love to hear more about your trip. You look happy and relaxed.
ReplyDeleteI remember to… The silver lining of the Covid lockdown. And there was much less traffic and plenty of places to park. Still, not worth the misery.
DeleteI love to go to Sedona with its red rocks. I find the desert fascinating which is why we winter in Arizona. But I equally adore beaches !
ReplyDeleteOh, Hallie, what a gorgeous place. Glad to know you are enjoying yourself.
ReplyDeleteMe? I'm a bloom-where-you're-planted kind of optimist, and can find something to love almost everywhere. I've been lucky to be in so many beautiful places, I could never choose just one.
We are going to the Peaks District of England next week, followed by Oxford, followed by Greece. I'll let you know if any of those places change my mind!
Have a great trip, Karen!
DeleteThanks, Debs!
DeleteOne of my happy places is Swaledale in Yorkshire. This summer we were in Wales for the first time (St Davids), and we having been watching mysteries set in Wales, so we are eager to see more (Last episode of Hinterland tonight - sigh). A very happy place is the house I grew up in, in eastern Pennsylvania. My sister and her husband live there now, and returning there is always "coming home" in a special way, surrounded by a fair bit of nature.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite place to be is anywhere near salt water. I live about 3 blocks uphill from Long Island Sound in Connecticut. I love it here. I also love and find peace at Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia. I go with my sister‘s family every August. I go for the birdwatching, and they go for the beach.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t live in a town that’s not near the water.
DebRo
I'm lucky to live near coastal redwood forests, rivers, and the Pacific Ocean. I may not venture out to see them often but the knowledge that they are still there is a comfort. If I could put a bench under a majestic tree so I could read, or crochet, or just stop, I would be be content for a while.
ReplyDeletePhysical places: The fjords in Norway, Plitvice Lakes, a national park in Croatia, The Lakes District in England, anyplace there are flowering gardens such as the Japanese gardens in Portland OR, Keukenhof in Holland, and Butchart Gardens in Canada. The Grand Canyon.
ReplyDeleteThose are some of the physical locations.
There is also being with people I care about and who feel the same about me.
When I am able to make someone else happy.
Attending a live stream service every week through Central Synagogue in NY.
The music and voices there are part of what provides me with a sense of serenity when I watch it.
Concerts in general either listening to from home or in person.
One of my fave places on the planet! Moab is my happy place. Enjoy every second, Hallie!
ReplyDeleteThe beach. Any beach.
ReplyDeleteRight here where I am … steps from the Atlantic Ocean on the SE coast of Florida…sand, waves, breezes, all day and all night. What a blessing. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteAnywhere in London. Just thinking about it lifts my spirits. And you can't beat the Cotswolds on a clear September day with the trees just starting to turn.
ReplyDelete