flamboyant flowers
in the colors of sunset
a tree set on fire


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echoing the heat
summer days of may and june
flame tree in full bloom

blooming with flowers
crepe myrtle trees near a lake
pinkish canopies


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a hot summer day
feels like springtime still around
living near a lake

Summertime is when beaches are so crowded with bathers and picnickers. For latecomers, chances are that all huts in a beach resort shall have been taken already.  The exciting option?  Lay down a mat right on the beach under a makeshift shade of tree branches!

On our way back home from our town fiesta, my party of three decided to go to a swimming pool instead. It was still mid morning but the sweltering heat of the summer sun was already on. We had two choices: Roxas Park in Garcia Hernandez and Badiang Spring in Valencia. Since the first one is out of our way home we opted for the latter. What a refreshing option!

As expected, the big swimming pool for adults was not ready yet for swimmers when we arrived. Not ready in the sense that it was only half-full yet. Waiting was no problem for we knew it won’t take long for the pool to be filled to overflowing. With tons of spring water cascading right into the pool, in about thirty minutes  it was almost full.

Swimming in a chlorine-free pool is a real treat. More so if you see where the water comes from and you know that water in the pool is always fresh. This is what Badiang Spring Resort offers - spring water flowing freely in abundance. For a very minimal fee one gets to enjoy a double treat - swimming in the pool and water massage from  the striking waterfalls.

tons of spring water

cascading to the blue pool

bathers watch and wait

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spring-water-filled pool

glistens in its cool freshness

time to beat the sun

A day at the beach is always looked forward to by most people of all ages. It is a good place to unwind and escape from the humdrum of everyday life. The cool sea breeze blowing your face, the sound of waves crashing to shore,  the music of birds merrily chirping on trees around, the sight of children  frolicking in the shallow water or building sand castles along the seashore - all these make one forget, at least for a while, life's day to day concerns and hassles. 

Yesterday, I got another welcome chance to visit  Dumaluan  Beach Resort - one of the resorts in Bolod, Panglao Island of Bohol.  Beside the private resort is a big area open to the public for a very reasonable fee.  A favorite picnic site for many. From early morning till dark people come by car, van, or even by bus if the group is so big. Open cottages, no less than fifty of them, offer shelter to picnickers. Talisay trees spread around the area also give their share of cool shade.

Do you want to enjoy a panoramic view of the blue sea meeting the blue sky - with the added pleasure of seeing scantily clad women, foreigners and locals alike, strolling along the beach?  Dumaluan Beach is one soothing place to be.  

the receding sea

exposes the wide seashore

 white sand like powder

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summer afternoon

bathers enjoy the sea despite

low tide...scorching sun

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sudden summer rain

quenching the bermuda's thirst 

frogs crackle nearby

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in her reverie

memories come with the rain

a knock on her door

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summertime again

water splashing on kids' pool
echoes in my heart

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a blue kiddie pool
much loved by my twin grandsons
deflated...folded 


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