The Top 20 + 10 Viewer's Choice of 2010

Thanks to all who have visited Mira Terra Images this year! In this post I present the Top 20 and 10 (Top 30) images of 2010, based on visits and views by YOU, the internet public! What's interesting about this list is that it doesn't reflect the most licensed, sold, or published images; and perhaps it more accurately reflects a list of images which ranked highest in Google search results. Regardless, however it was viewers got here, these were the favorites of 2010, starting at #30:


30 -Husky Kiss


29 - Brazilian Dance Performers - Rio de Janiero, BRAZIL


28 - Roxy Surf Girls - San Diego, California USA


27 - Penguin Kiss - Simons Town, SOUTH AFRICA


26 - Girl with Hat - Bathsheba, BARBADOS


25 - Portofino Coast - Portofino, ITALY


24 - Misty Machu Picchu - PERU


23 - Native American Pueblo - Santa Fe, New Mexico USA


22 - Home on the Amazon - BRAZIL


21 - Dia de los Muertos Skeleton Party - MEXICO


20 - Kinkajou - Golfo Dulce, COSTA RICA


19 - Maasai Boys - Ngorongoro, TANZANIA


18 - Ecuadorian Dolls - Otavalo, ECUADOR


17 - Architectural Detail - Brasilia, BRAZIL


16 - Cheetah Mealtime - Kwandwe, SOUTH AFRICA


15 - Samba Dancer - Rio de Janiero, BRAZIL


14 - Adobe Home - Santa Fe, New Mexico USA


13 - Daily Life on the Amazon - BRAZIL


12 - Mayan Calendar - Antigua, GUATEMALA


11 - Cathedral - Brasilia, BRAZIL


TOP TEN VIEWER'S CHOICE

10 - Namaste - Kitipur, NEPAL


9 - Itamaraty Palace Interior - Brasilia, BRAZIL


8 - Snow Bicycle - Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS


7 - Peruvian Textiles - Pisaq, PERU


6 - Samba Carnival Dancer - Rio de Janiero, BRAZIL


5 - Fu Dog, Forbidden City - Beijing, CHINA


4 - Lucky Bamboo Christmas Tree - Chonqing, CHINA
(this soared into the Top 10 just this past month - apparently Google's search term "Bamboo Christmas Tree" didn't get many image results)


3 - Itamaraty Palace Staircase - Brasilia BRAZIL


2 - Fu Dog at Forbidden Palace - Beijing, CHINA


and the NUMBER ONE VIEWER'S CHOICE IMAGE OF 2010:

1 - Mexican Gray Wolves Mating - Sonora, Arizona USA


Which is your favorite? Please share and comment below! Thanks and have a Happy New Year!

Around the Tree and Around the World

This is such an exciting post for me to share for many reasons. First and foremost, I absolutely LOVE the holidays....almost as much as I love traveling! Second, this collection has taken years to accumulate, and I'm thrilled now to have so many regions of the world represented, with many more to go! And being highly sentimental, each ornament has a story and brings a memory.

I have posted previously about my favorite souvenirs to collect while traveling. Well, truth be told, I collect more than textiles. I collect ornaments, too. NO WAIT! Before you imagine a tree covered in tacky plastic Eiffel Towers, Pyramids and snowglobes, hang on. One of the reasons I love textiles is that they are made of natural materials and often by hand in the country of origin. I have the same criteria for my ornament purchases, pretty much. I'll consider anything that is not mass-produced or made of plastic. Ideally, hand-made, hand-painted, ceramic, glass, wood, metal....but most importantly, representative of and made in the country where purchased!

Where to start when you're covering the world? I've decided to break it out by continental regions, and here I've created mini slideshows for each one. I hope you enjoy your trip around my tree...and around the world!

AFRICA


(includes ornaments from Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Morocco)


Africa Christmas Ornaments - Images by Kymri Wilt

ASIA


(includes ornaments from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand)


Asia Christmas Ornaments - Images by Kymri Wilt

EUROPE


(includes ornaments from Italy, Russia, Spain, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic)


Europe Christmas Ornaments - Images by Kymri Wilt

SOUTH AMERICA



(includes ornaments from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil)


South America Christmas Ornaments - Images by Kymri Wilt

CENTRAL AMERICA/MEXICO/CARIBBEAN


(includes ornaments from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, St. Martin, Netherland Antilles, St. James, USVI)


Mexico/Central America/Caribbean Christmas Ornaments - Images by Kymri Wilt

NORTH AMERICA


(includes Christmas ornaments from Canada and the United States)


North American Christmas Ornaments - Images by Kymri Wilt

The Twelve Lights of Christmas

This is a re-post from last December, back by popular demand! I wanted to share the fun and enjoyment of a visit to Walt Disney World in December. It would have been too easy to post a bunch of pretty holiday light pictures, so I gave myself a challenge. Featuring the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in photos, I present here...

THE TWELVE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS (verse 12)

On the 12th Day of Christmas, the Osbornes lit for me...

12 Angels Spinning


11 Red Lights Blinking


10 Pretty Windows


9 Toy Soldiers


8 Reindeers Flying


7 Angels Flapping


6 Golden Arches (no, not those ones)


5 Car-o-lers


4 Halos'n'Wings


3 Shooting Stars


2 Mischievious Elves


And a PEACE ON EARTH message to ALL!


Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Muharram, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Whatever-it-is-ious to all of you, all over our beautiful planet, from Mira Terra Images!