Do you yearn for a special place to escape with a good book or simply to enjoy the outdoors? Finding that quiet corner of the world is often the perfect elixir for happiness and contentment. I’ll share a few special places that just may call to you. The bench above is at beautiful Icart Point on the Island of Guernsey.

The perfect hammock for a nap…or to enjoy watching a wonderful Big Island sunset.

A blissful moment on the hammock with my granddaughters!

A picnic table beckons at Mount Falcon Park, southwest of Denver.

Ah, a perfect table by the sea, north of Bodega Bay.

While walking on Via Tragara on the island of Capri I spied this inviting swing chair.

Grab your sunscreen, a great novel, and settle in for a nice break from the summer crowds of Positano. Maybe an Apirol Spritz would be nice! This is at the Buca di Bacco Hotel.

A shady spot at La Striscia Wine Resort in Arezzo, Italy.

A wooden swing in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

An amazing view awaits you as you totally relax at the La Scalinatella Hotel on Capri. You may have difficulty concentrating on your book with all your people-watching!

Pick a table,…any table… at the Villa Cimbrone gardens in Ravello. Some have amazing views of the azure Tyrrhenian Sea far below.

This could be a very nice spot to just mellow while you dive into a favorite read at the Tuilleries Gardens in Paris.

Just you and the blue Pacific Ocean north of Bodega Bay.

A few empty benches in the Square Laurent-Prache, behind the 12th Abbey Saint-Germain-Des-Pres in Paris. The statue by Picasso honoring the poet Guillaume Apollinaire is actually Dora Maar, a Picasso muse and lover. Click on the link for a story few know about!

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.