Camo-bugs
May25
Fishy meal
February16
If we didn’t see a lady taking pictures at the tree, we never would’ve noticed this hawk-type bird.
hawk eating fish from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Rainbow lightning
October19
It’s stormy here in SoCal and there are some great shots being captured of this weather, courtesy ABC7′s photo gallery.
This is my favorite - not only do you have a landmark and two seemingly contradictory weather indicators, there's also that one random helo in the middle of it all.
Wow, that is one intense bolt.
I call it rainbow birthing lightning.
Reminds me of those globes that create this effect.
Hungry bull
September24
It’s been a long 3 1/2 days, so here’s a quick video post. When I went up to Ngong Ping Village in Hong Kong, I was walking over to the temple when I came across this bull grazing. He was SO close – the video doesn’t do it justice. I was intimidated and very watchful of him, in case he decided to run one of us over. But hey, it seems he’s really into his food.
grazing bull from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Huntington Gardens: Shakespeare Garden & greenhouse
September6
Part 1 of a 3-part series from pictures taken at the Huntington Library & Gardens. Click to see the whole image.
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- Teeny little strawberry growing under the protection of the leaves.
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- You don’t often see flowers so blue/purple.
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- A huge bush with lots of flowers.
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- Among those flowers was a giant black bee buzzing around.
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- The bush was also teeming with bees pollinating.
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- I spot two pomegranates in a tree!
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- It’s a fuzzy plant that looks like it belongs in the lettuce or cabbage family.
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- Hidden amongst all that fuzz was a grasshopper perfectly camouflaged.
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- We went into the greenhouse and immediately came across these bean pods.
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- Do the leaves turn this dark red when they get old?
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- Funny how they dangle, yet their petals grow up and expose the stems (versus most plants where the petals protect them).
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- I’m thinking these are plantains? Or do bananas grow upwards as well?
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- These are for you to see how certain plants have seeds that will float along with the wind.
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- Our friend Opti spun too hard and blew it all the way to the top, where it got stuck.
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- I pose with these huge highlighter yellow flowers.
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- I think this is a root of some sort.
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- Well, now I’m not so sure it’s a root. What are they??
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- In the kid’s garden, there was this sculpture of a tortoise that I decided to get a ride on.
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- Trying to maintain my balance while being told by Panda to smile.
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- It looks more like a vegetable than a fruit to me.
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- The baby versions of that vegetable-looking plant.
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- I love plants like these that eat bugs!
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- It’s a quite a long way to the bottom. I think I see some bugs in there.
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- These have quite the design on them.
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- Now these are my favorite plants! The one and only Venus flytrap.
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- Check out those little claws. So delicate yet so menacing.
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- Here’s a magnified look.
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- A little camera was available for taking a closer look.
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- And here’s that plant with my camera’s zoom.
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- Looking up to see what there is.
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- This flower hadn’t opened yet, but I could get a peek inside.
Click here for the next part.
Themed gardens
July26
Last night I was describing the Huntington Gardens (at the Huntington Library) to a friend and realized that I’ve never heard of a German garden, or a French garden, or a Spanish garden. Why is that? Instead, there are Japanese gardens abound, and a fair amount of Chinese gardens as well. Other than that, there are themes based on plant type or ecosystem – rain forest, desert, wetland… I find that Japanese gardens tend to focus more on the features – zen gardens, bonsai trees, and bamboo – whereas Chinese gardens have a slightly stronger focus on architecture – pagodas, stylized gateways, and small buildings. Both definitely have a water element present (particularly a lake), which isn’t always the case in other gardens.
Western gardens seem to be more about flowers, an open field of grass, and greenhouses. But in terms of a country or culture having a particular type, I can’t say that I’ve heard of any. Is it just me or do Asian cultures have greater cultural identities than Western cultures?
The Valley
July24
Nice view, huh? The San Fernando Valley at dusk.
Blossoming garden
June10
My mom is quite the gardener, and as spring came over the southland, our whole yard was abloom!
(Click photos for full size.)
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- The peach was just about to blossom.
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- Flowers for the apple tree had already blossomed!
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- And the pear tree had flowered too.
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- This yellow lily looks like the kind I like to eat when dried.
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- The birds of paradise were drying out a bit.
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- The rose bush was teeming with color.
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- These little flowers are so fragrant! We have a couple of bushes of them and they fill our backyard with scent in the spring.
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- This white rose was tinted with pink. My mom thinks the acidity of the soil affects it, since all our flowers come out pink.
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- I wonder if this one will open to look like the one above?
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- These flowers are a beautiful shade of blue/purple.
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- A purple “sunburst” of a flower!
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- Yeah, no idea what there are called. We need image search where I upload a picture and it gets matched!
College Night at the Getty
June6
Every year, the Getty invites college students to come hang out and check out their exhibits. Panda and I went to enjoy the views, the art, and the free food! They had delicious garlic fries and sweet potato fries, along with a myriad of other tasty items.
Click through for the full picture!
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- Looking up at the Getty from the tram station.
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- On the Getty tram going up and you get a wonderful view of the 405.
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- In the background, the city of LA sprawls behind the 405.
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- Just a lonely palm tree standing there! And check out the pair of birds flying by.
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- Oh yes, gotta love that layer of smog that envelopes downtown LA in the distance…
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- And we have arrived, up on the hill where the Getty sits.
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- It looks kind of like a racket or a beaver tail.
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- And down there, the party! Lots of free food and mingling people.
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- Overlooking the landscape of LA.
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- You can see all the way to the ocean and beyond!
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- There was a lovely garden at the Getty.
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- The College Night sign projected onto a wall.
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- As the night sky darkened, the city brightened with lights.
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- They used a lot of “quieter” lighting.
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- They had an artistic maze in the garden. I don’t think it’s functional.
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- I’ve never been to that part of the Getty.
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- Apparently the Getty has a library over there.
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- It looks like an over-sized morning glory, doesn’t it? Maybe it is.
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- I tried various ISOs and this produced brighter lights, but a much grainer quality.
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- And now those same lights without the graininess and much darker.
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- Returning back down to the tram station to go home.
Rainbow
May13
It came and went fast! After all the rains this season, it was the only rainbow I’ve seen.
laelene
My philosophy is simple: things change. Therefore, we are all on a lifelong journey of discovery. We should be flexible, questioning, learning, adapting, and growing. Always.
little fat notebook pays homage to Mead's "fat lil' notebooks" that I use to write down any thoughts that strike me throughout the day. I keep one by my side at all times. After all, inspiration waits for no one.
