About Me (Barbara Weibel)

Barbara Weibel After years of working 70 hours a week at jobs I detested, I felt like the proverbial "hole in the donut" - solid on the outside, but empty on the inside. Searching for meaning in my life, I abandoned my successful but unsatisfying career and set out on a six-month solo backpacking trip around the world to pursue my true passions of travel, writing, and photography. My blog features stories about the destinations I visit, people I meet, the crazy things...Read more here....


Monthly Archives: November 2007

My laundry is done. My bills are paid. The house is clean. I’m up to date on my blogging and the first chapter of my book is all but complete, so I decided to take today off and have “just plain fun” all day long. I started early, walking the six blocks to the weekly downtown Farmer’s Market at 7 AM, wearing my jeans and a jacket for the first time this season, since the temperatures were in the chilly 50′s. Aside from the fact that I can get all my fruits and vegetables direct from local organic farmers at this market, I also love it because it’s a great venue for people-watching. Continue reading

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I rarely watch TV in the morning, but this morning I was waiting for laundry to dry and turned on The Today Show, just in time to see a feature about a new dessert that’s been created by the popular New York eatery, Serendipity 3. I’m always up for a good dessert and this one looked delicious – mounds of ice cream laced with gourmet cocoas from 14 different countries, truffles, whipped cream, and gold leaf. The price tag? A whopping $25,000!

Apparently, the five grams of gold that decorate the overpriced sundae are edible, not to mention that the price includes a diamond and gold bracelet that is wrapped around the base of the dessert goblet and a gold-plated spoon that is encrusted with chocolate colored diamonds. When asked whether anyone has actually purchased the dessert, the restaurant’s owner responded, Continue reading

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There’s always something going on in this town. Today, for instance, I went for one of my long walks and set out in the direction of the beach. I never made it – I got waylaid by by a Dance. Yep, a Dance, with a capital “D.” This particular “Dance” is part of a collection of more than two dozen sculptures by artists from all over the world that will be on display in Bayfront Park for the next six months, and it is anything but a traditional dance. Continue reading

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I will be the first to admit that I am a person of extremes. My pendulum swings wide, so my challenge in life is to strive for moderation, balance. Since returning to Sarasota I’ve been slowly sinking into a mire of my own making. It started when I had to tackle the mountain of work waiting for me – that took slightly more than three weeks and for most of that time I was glued to the desk in my bedroom, slaving away at the computer. Just as I’d finished the last of that work, the weather turned rainy and gray, trapping me in the house for another week or so. By yesterday I was feeling truly terrible – lethargic and lacking an iota of ambition, my butt sunk into the recliner and my eyes glued to the laptop. I’ve known for years that I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition where lack of adequate exposure to sunlight causes mood swings. If I don’t get enough sun I begin to suffer mild symptoms of depression. I’d been stuck in a gloomy apartment with gloomier weather and my SAD was acting up.

Fortunately, the sun came out this morning and I knew that a day at the beach would be my best medicine. I drove the two short miles across Sarasota Bay, through St. Armand’s Circle, and on to Continue reading

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A few weeks ago a friend of a friend suggested I look at the blog of a photographer named Raul Gutierrez. I finally had some spare time to check it out, and this guy’s work is so stunning I just had to share it with all my readers. Over the past 15 years, Gutierrez has traveled the world in search of great images, focusing on the deserts and mountains of China’s Western borders.

Of his work, Gutierrez says, “In these dusty forgotten places I found way stations between cultures where one can see the past and future simultaneously. One year a road is made of dirt. A year later it is gravel. Three years later it is a four lane highway. Ancient cities are razed and rebuilt with breathtaking disregard for history. Land which was open for nomads is fenced and mined. Seeing these changes over such a short time is a perspective that is at once disorienting and tragic. I try to make images that show these things or at least some of the emotional truths behind them, because I know that by the time I return everything will be almost unrecognizable.”

Gutierrez refers to his pilgrimages as Travels Without Maps – it’s not hard to figure out why he’s my kinda guy. Through November 28th, his work is being showcased at Continue reading

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The season has kicked off with a bang in Sarasota. There’s always a lot going on here, but when the snowbirds start flocking back there are so many events scheduled that you have to pick and choose which to attend. This past week was the downtown Halloween celebration, where I captured these photos of kids (and adults) who had gone all out in the costume department:




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