Winter Walk Off Wrap Up

Last month I invited fellow bloggers to participate in my Winter Walk Off.  The rules were fairly simple (at least I thought so).  I asked participants to go out the front door and away from their own home and garden, taking their camera along to see what could be seen.  I was glad to see such a diversity of entries, and was especially pleased with the geographic reach of the project.  I was treated to views of two oceans and three continents, plus two of the entries were from the other side of the equator making them Summer Walk Offs.  Below is a list of all the participants, where they live and a quick sentence or two about their post.  I hope you take a moment and visit each of them.

David of Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Sometimes buried treasure comes to the surface, and you don't always need to be on a deserted island to find it.  Occasionally it can be found right next door.

Janet of South Carolina, USA
Dogs and a good friend accompany Janet on a walk through her neighborhood on a clear crisp day, and yes the skies are Carolina blue.

Janet of Wickwar, England
Janet takes us on a stroll through her charming Cotswold village, though she does not think it is Cotswold proper.  Be on the lookout for a dirty cow with blue eyeshadow.

Donna of Niagara Falls, New York, USA
Most tourist head to Niagara Falls for the falls, but there is also some wonderful architecture, both old and new.  Donna shares these with us and is not afraid to show some of the city's less glamorous areas as well.

Marguerite of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
I am not sure why, but I did not expect to see so many grand Victorian houses on an island in the north Atlantic.

Hanni of Indiana, USA
Hanni bundles the children and takes us along on her bleak winter walk, but we know bleak is only a temporary condition, and I am sure things have already begun to change.

Nell Jean of Georgia, USA
Live Oaks and Pines grow on the edges of this broad land where spring has already crossed the threshold and where it reminds me of my home.

Beth of McFarland, Wisconsin, USA
Even with snow on the ground and ice on the lakes, the woods in Wisconsin are waking up.  Many of the trees are getting their "peach fuzz" in anticipation of spring.

Ronnie of West Sussex, England
Another walk in England, and this time to the sea (I'm a sucker for a good seascape) with an Olive Tree and yellow buried treasure.

Christine of Capetown, South Africa
The homes shown on this walk are hidden behind high walls.  With all the color and exotic plants (to me at least) that you can see from the street, it makes you wonder what beauty exists on the other side.

anjacouto of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
Canada again, but this time the other coast, and with views of the sea.  Did I mention how much I love seascapes?

Lynn of New York, USA
The landscape may look dormant, but the water in the lake is alive with bird life, including swans.

Gene of Hampton, Virginia, USA
I was glad to get this entry from a fellow local blogger.  Colorful scenes of spring unfolding are juxtaposed with horrendous local pruning practices.

Jennifer of Huttonville, Ontario, Canada
The big thaw begins in a historic mill village on the edge of Toronto, with beautiful photography and dogs.

Barbara of Philadelphia, Capetown, South Africa
This entry contains scenes of a quaint, picturesque village about as far from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (or Mississippi) as you can get.

Update: The following two posts were held up by my mail hander and I did not see them until after the Wrap Up was published.  I am very sorry.

Andrea of College Station, Texas, USA
I was glad to see lots of newly planted trees in this suburban neighborhood.  You can also see a few older trees as well as a flat snake.

Georgia of New York City
Street scenes from Manhattan (my favorite playground) are shown in the only post to mention cupcakes and Barak Obama.

Now on to the prizes.  I put the names of each participant in one of two hats, either for those living in the States or for out of the country.   I then had a surly, thoroughly disinterested 13 year-old and his not so surly (but equally disinterested) friend draw the names.  And the winners are:

Gene of Hampton, Virginia who won an assortment of Dahlia bulbs and

Ronnie of West Sussex, England who won an assortment of my wife's handmade cards.

Congratulations to Gene and Ronnie, and a big thank you to all the others who participated.  I think we will consder this again next year.

(The photos in this post didn't make the cut for my original Winter Walk Off post.)