Year of the Dragon and the Hobbit

2012-the year of the Dragon and the Hobbit.


This year is the year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac.  It is also the 75th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's classic tale-The Hobbit. Making it a trifecta it is also the year Peter Jackson will release his movie The Hobbit (at least the first part).  


All this thought of dragons and hobbits got me to thinking of traveling and Middle Earth.  So I picked up my copy of the Hobbit to make a good winter read.


Following the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin, and company got me to looking at some of my images in a new way.  Places that remind me of Middle Earth.

Here are a couple of those images that make me want to wander far a-field.


One that could be someplace in the Lost Realm of Arnor, where Rangers walk across an empty land.


Another that could be Rivendell and almost to the house of Elrond.


Both make me ready for more travels and stepping out the front door onto the road that goes ever on and on.