FALL?!

My favorite season, well, for photography that is. And it came faster than anticipated! I realized I didn't post here for a while and I wonder how I can better plan for the 4 blogs that I have. Or maybe I should consolidate it into one? I'll keep you posted!

For now I'll just share some Fall foliage, I hope you enjoy your Fall when ever possible!

LOOKING IN AND OUT OF THEIR WINDOWS

These people live again in print as intensely as when their images were captured on old dry plates of sixty years ago... I am walking in their alleys, standing in their rooms and sheds and workshops, looking in and out of their windows. Any they in turn seem to be aware of me. Ansel Adams

Bull Run Battle Field, Virginia.

WOODNOTES

Who leaves the pine-tree, leaves his friend
Unnerves his strength, invites his end.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Woodnotes"

Manassas Battle Field

UNCUT CURTAIN

The 4th of July we were invited at a friends farm here in Fauquier County. The oldest part is from 1760, that's where I discovered these beautiful curtains from India.

LAVENDER LOVE

OK I admit that I had to be weaned of the lavender once the blooming season was over. I am blessed to live on a lavender farm!!

TIME FLIES?

I recently moved to the country, a dear friend invited me to stay at her lavender farm until I can move to my own place. Packed and stored most of my household and was warmly welcomed to this new and pretty environment. This picture is at a friend of my friends house, it is in what he calls "the plant room". The house was built in 1760 on this beautiful 200 acres hill side in Virginia.

Each flower is a soul opening out to nature

Each flower is a soul opening out to nature.
- Gerald De Nerval

What do a Western Santa and Gnome have in common?

Tokyo is a city full of surprises. Every day I would encounter the most awkward scenes in the most unexpected places. Like this arrangement on a wall near an AC in a back alley. I was unable to read the sign on the back of this Santa, so I don't understand why he is wearing a cowboy hat while facing a wall.

The gnome doesn't care, or does he? He has been cemented to the wall, yet his little friend is missing. People in Japan seem to like statues in any form or shape. They decorate their gardens, sidewalks, and any available empty spot with creatures that make no sense being there in the first place...

Snow Buddha

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Buddha

THE TEACHER FORGOT HER HAT

I've posted another image from Bodie a while ago. The town of Bodie in California used to be a flourishing mining community, until the last person left 50 years ago. It seems like they left with the intention to return one day, many buildings contain furniture and personal items. It is a pretty setting high on a plateau in the mountains, and when we visited it was covered with a dusting of snow...

This used to be the Bodie school. Like many of the buildings in Bodie that still have personal belongings scattered around, this class room looks like the children have just left for recess. Only a small part of the town survived, preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Interiors remain as they were left and stores are still stocked with goods.

MOST BEAUTIFUL FEET I'VE EVER SEEN!

The 32-meter (100-foot) tall standing Buddha of Wat Indrawiharn used to be visible from just about any high vantage point around the old city. Now its hidden behind the new buildings from Thailand's boom years.

The ubosot of Wat Indrawiharn with its unusual sema stones in front.
Not that its any great loss. The giant Buddha statue is a rare example of Thai religious art failing to live up the the graceful lines its known for. The statue is flattened and thus very unrealistic. Its still an impressive work, and popular as a place of homage for some Thais.

Although the statue may fail to completely impress, the ubosot is beautifully decorated. Of particular interest are the intricately carved pink sema stones. Also of note is the wall enclosing the ubosot on three sides. The inside of the wall is lined with glass-fronted shelves holding benjarong funerary urns.

The temple was founded by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century. The giant statue was built to house relics from Sri Lanka. The stairway up the side of the supporting structure is sometimes open, so that you can ascend to the Buddha's shoulders to get an interesting view of this somewhat sleepy part of Bangkok.