Lavender Fields Forever

Love lavender. It makes my clothes smell heavenly. It has a soothing effect. It also has culinary uses. Have you ever tried lavender flavored muffins or cakes? Yum!

Mid-June is a good time to visit a lavender field. The color of the lavender flowers are just turning a deep purple. The varying hues of the lavender field also depends on sunlight. If you’re taking photographs, it’s best to take them from different directions and perspectives to catch the best light.

Pageo Farms is on 11573 Golf Link Road in Turlock, California. It’s off of Highway 99 between Modesto and Merced in the Central Valley. They have a shop full of everything lavender including scented soaps, essential oil, lotion, body gel, sachets, spices and knick knacks. Check their website for more information: pageolavenderfarm.com

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Images by TravelswithCharie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and...

The Mystic Rose in Leshë

Trëndafili Mistik or Mystic Rose is one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve visited recently. To get there you have to enter the Kulë-Vain-Tale nature reserve (there’s an entrance fee) and drive a few miles into the park before arriving at the restaurant. It is right beside a lagoon with a view of the mountains in the distance. It can’t get any sweeter than this. We were there in early May and it was warm outside. We sat at the outdoor terrace and this was our view. This is the entrance to the wood and stone house on the premises. This is the living room with photos of famous people who came to dine at the restaurant including the former U.S. Ambassador to Albania. There’s a dining room upstairs. These photos are of Diella Loshi who started serving food in her own house in the early days. You can’t go wrong ordering fish or seafood as these are their specialties and served fresh. My grilled sea bass was moist and tender. Make sure to ask how large the fish is because you may no...

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