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.

SANDY STEPS

The dunes in Death Valley are famous for several reasons; they form a sandy island in an otherwise "empty" desert landscape, and they move all the time as the wind pushes the sand around.

Mesquite Flat Dunes
These dunes are the best known and easiest to visit in the national park. Located in central Death Valley near Stovepipe Wells, access is from Hwy. 190 or from the unpaved Sand Dunes Road. Although the highest dune rises only about 100 feet, the dunes actually cover a vast area. This dune field includes three types of dunes: crescent, linear, and star shaped. Polygon-cracked clay of an ancient lakebed forms the floor. Mesquite trees have created large hummocks that provide stable habitats for wildlife.

The climb to the summit of the dunes is not an easy walk. All the slopes are steep and the loose sand gives way beneath your feet. At the top, the sweeping view seems reward enough for your efforts, yet if the sand is completely dry, you may experience one of the strangest phenomena to be found in the desert, singing sand. When the sand avalanches down the steepest face of the highest dune, a sound like a bass note of a pipe organ or the distant drone of an airplane can be heard emanating from the sand. If the dune is at all damp (even though it may not feel so to the touch), no sound will be made. Why this occurs is not fully understood, but it may have something to do with the smooth texture of the sand grains and the friction of those grains sliding against each other.

COOL POOL

We are so lucky with the 16.4 inches of snow that came our way last Saturday! I love the "white silence" this layer creates, the air is crisp, I only hear the weird "WROMP, WROMP" under my snow boots...LOVE IT!