I almost missed the Washington D.C. Mall sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Art. I happened along it after visiting the National Archives and was headed at near the end of the day to the Metro station that pops out in the Mall. As I walked by I was immediately drawn in wondering how on Earth I had always missed this fantastic stroll! This tree sculpture is called “Graft” and it is by the artist Roxy Paine. It’s always interesting to see artists other works when they are this iconic. I noticed on my first visit, another of Paine’s sculptures adorns the entry to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. This D.C. trip I found the skeletal tree at just the right time of evening for a fun shot, playing off the sunset.
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When we arrived at our rather palatial hotel in Urubamba, Peru we felt a bit guilty. The place is ultra modern and designed for a extremely low carbon footprint. We decided to try and take it easy on ourselves because of the altitude and because we had an extremely early start, boarding a train to Machu Picchu. When we got to the rear perimeter of the properly we heard the babbling of the Urubamba River and smelled the most wonderful fragrance. We soon found the source, these towering Eucalyptus trees gently bathed the trail around the hotel campus in yet another bit of natural luxurious aromatherapy.
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I get why the Japanese have a word specifically for cherry blossoms and another for the viewing of these wonderful flowers. My visit to Japan this last April was toward the end of the blossoming season, just at the start of the fall. There is an otherworldly beauty, not unlike snow, but different all the same, as the still cool breeze blows and petals fall, gently invade all your senses. I think for me Hanami is a perfect explosion of color after the desolateness of Winter. Wrapped, surviving in the cold, then one day the beautiful promise of Spring.
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I have wanted to visit Japan in late March or early April some time for the Sakura. There are numerous places in the world that have flowering trees. Our own state is gorgeous with dogwood, redbud and apricot trees, but getting to experience Hanami (flower viewing) in person is something a bit otherworldly. This location is in Ueno Park, a part of Tokyo I had not yet visited. Lanterns had been strung to keep the viewing going even after dark and there are hundreds of people and groups having a picnic under the falling petals.
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Merry Christmas Eve to be exact. I just visited NYC a few weeks ago for business and I had never been at Christmas time. I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and walked down the east side of the Park by Bergdorf Goodman’s Window Displays, but one stop was really in my head…The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! I of course have mixed feelings about this New York tradition. I hate to see such an old being killed, but perhaps as my wife said, its purpose is to bring millions of people joy this season.
The crowd was maddening, but not as bad as I had expected, and truth be told…you can’t help but smile. It’s raw size makes you feel like a tiny child staring up in awe of perhaps the biggest and brightest tree you will ever in your life see. Not because of its size, but because of your smallness in a crazy big world. You are again a child standing under an enormous beautiful and bright beacon of hope, brought to life by sacrifice. Merry Christmas everyone!
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In my short time in Kyoto, I saw SO many gardens. You literally run into them everywhere. I am one who has no patience for gardening, but I love the artistry OF gardening. This latest trip to Japan gave me a appreciation for imperfection. You can make something perfect, but in some things, say a handcrafted tea cup…the Japanese prize the imperfect. These leave are as I found them…imperfect. The pebbles in the karesansui are not uniform in color. My control of depth of field in the photograph was not how I saw it.
These imperfections are, but an illusion for all are perfection.
Title: Red Japanese Maple Leaves Over a Zen Garden
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People have stated to notice the frequency of my visits to Hawaii. I go maybe two or three times a year. It’s an easy trip that I often get upgraded on, but there is something more than the 8000 or so miles I earn. Hawaii pulls me back. The Hawaiian islands are paradise, but not for the reason’s people are sold. I was talking with an old friend this weekend and I think we felt similarly. Its not the sun, or the beaches, or the joy of temporary vacation. It is the ease at which everything operates in Hawaii. There is a calm there that is infectious and calm is perhaps the thing we need the most these days.
Speaking to Trees
This is one of my favorite trees in the world. It, for now, sits alone on a beach in Kauai. It can’t speak any longer. It is dead. But it still stands as a monument to itself. A beacon on a cliff that will likely fall into the ocean soon as well. This tree seems to me to encapsulate the spirit of this place. All around is life and death, air, earth, fire and water all in their rawest forms, constantly battling for supremacy. Somehow even in death, this tree speaks to me. I need to go back to hear more of its message, before it vanishes, returning to the sea.
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I expected The Grand Canyon to be less the exciting. I pictured that scene from Guilt Trip…”How long are we supposed to look at it?”. In reality I was blown away! I love hiking and one day would love to hike all the way down and spend the night, though I would NOT relish hiking back up with a pack. Even the fit hikers looked tired that were headed up from the bottom of the canyon! This was one of the many scenes from our hike down…we made it to the first rest stop before making the trek back up.
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I am not sure I will get enough of the Supertrees. From early in my travels, my friend David said…I want to see an HDR picture of the SUPERTREES! It took over two years to make it to Singapore. I ended up loving the country! There seems to be a LOT happening there!
Marina Bay Sands
The hotel looks like a giant cruise ship was delicately placed on top of three skyscrapers. I really wanted to get to the upper decks of the hotel. I understand there is an amazing cheese and chocolate buffet that happens nightly…I am not sure how I kept myself away honestly!
Title: Supertrees and The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
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Since I started traveling I have wanted to visit the Supertrees in Singapore. Last month I too the very long journey to see them. The area is part of the Garden by the Bay, a park that melds into the overall Marina Bay area. The entire area is a architectural biological and technological wonderland! The Supertrees are solar powered, but that only scratches the surface of this amazing place.
Friendly Faces
All the stories I recall from the news had me a bit worried about my visit to Singapore. I take a medicine that is not allowed to enter the country and generally I don’t worry about my prescriptions (my doctor gave them to me after all), but I worried in Singapore. The thing is, as has always been my experience with travel, I found something completely different than I expected. The people in Singapore and very friendly (almost too much so) and from ALL over the world. It seemed like everywhere I went I met someone from a different country. I met people from India, China, England, Vietnam, Germany, and many more places. It truly is a melting pot!
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