Beautiful Places - Part 2

I'm all agog with how beautiful this country is!  No matter how many times I see some of these places, I'm still awestruck!

They make me want to quit my job and use all my time just watching the light play on them.  All things considered, I don't imagine I could really just live off the land.

I mean, I really like eating, and showering regularly, sleeping in a bed . . . with a roof over my head.  So, I would have to continue working.

And, I don't imagine I would make a great tour leader to take people on backcountry hikes.  

Nor lead them down whitewater rafting corridors.

Nor lead them straight up cliff walls.

So, I'm afraid I'll have to just try to capture the beauty with my lens as best I can on my little point and shoot and visit in person when I can.  

Perhaps one day, I'll be able to visit more than once every 15 years or so!  ;)

Anyway, these are a few more pics of our beautiful land!  I do hope you get a chance to visit the beautiful places in your area often!

See you later!

Beautiful Places - Part 1

There are sooooo many beautiful places out there to explore.  I thought I'd share some pics taken along highway 167 running along the west/north side of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Late afternoon sun.

So many pretty spots, and not nearly enough time or places to pull over to take pictures!

There was one place called Redstone that was simply gorgeous, I got some pics of the back side of it, but there was a vehicle that pulled in there just ahead of me.  They were rude and scary drivers, and I didn't want to get too close to them so I had to drive on.  *pouty face*

There were so many colors in the rock and the golden rays of the sun were bathing them in such beautiful velvety shadows.  

It just makes you want to stay and take pic after pic!  Gorgeous!  If you haven't already been there, I hope you get a chance to visit!  If you have been, perhaps it's time to go back!

I never did see any of the wild horses that the ranger said roam around there.  But, maybe next time!  However, as I was driving through Riverside, UT, I did a double take.  I saw a big dark shape moving in the weeds on the side of the road.  A bird.  A LARGE bird.  A large, dark colored bird . . . with . . . things sticking out of the top of it's head.  I couldn't get stopped to take a pic, but wish I could have, because it's not every day you see a peacock foraging along the side of the road around here!  I did turn around and go back, but . . .  I guess he was camera shy, I couldn't find him again!  Well, that's it for now!  See you later! ! ! 

Garden Update

Well, it's been a while since I have given a garden update, so I thought I'd do just a quick one for now!

I had an unexpected visitor with some very unusual dress!  Look at the fancy, velvety-looking saddlebags!  I had never seen a dragonfly with markings like this!  He was pretty big!  He stayed there motionless for quite a while!  In fact, when I first spotted him, I thought he might be dead, but I went in to grab my camera hoping he would still be there when I got back, and as you can see, he was still waiting for his close up.  I think he must be a ham, because he stayed there long after the camera was put away.  I think he was secretly hoping I'd snap a few more pics.  But, he finally gave up and eventually flew off.  I'm pretty sure I heard a faint, but distinct sniff of annoyance as he swept by me.

I harvested my dragon fruit this evening, but these pics were taken last weekend.  It was getting close then, as you can see!  It is now mostly a dark pink, almost red.  I plan on taking it to work tomorrow to share it with my friend who gave me the plant!  If you want to see what they look like when they are cut open, you can go to this previous post.

Charentais - pronounced Share-en-TAY

But, by far the cutest things in my garden right now are these little Charentais melons!  They are about 6-7" across and I don't think they are going to get any bigger.  They will be the perfect individual size serving.  They are described as a favorite of the French and are supposed to be very sweet and succulent.  An extreme cantaloupe.  I am hoping I will get to find out how they taste, but, I may miss their debut!  From what I have read, they do not ripen after they are picked, and need to be eaten soon after being harvested.  It is said that you can tell when they are ripe just by the smell wafting through the air when walking by the plant.  Apparently they get very fragrant, but the skin also turns from a light green to a creamy pale yellow color. 

The first one that ripened up, split and ended up full of ants and roly-polys!  I didn't even know it was there under all the leaves until it was too late!  :(   I do remember smelling the cantaloupe before I actually found it under there!

I currently have four, but one is under the watermelon!  The vine grew under the little decorative fence I had laid down to keep the cats from using the dirt as a litterbox.  The watermelon decided to use it as a support, and I just discovered the other melon growing below it when I tried to move the vine out of the way.  It just wouldn't budge and when I looked closer, discovered the reason was because of a very heavy fruit at the end!  But, from what I can see, it looks like the roly-polys have pretty much destroyed the rind, but  . . . we'll see . . . maybe I'll be able to salvage it!

Moon and Stars Watermelon - mine looks like a Stars Watermelon!
Maybe there is a moon on the other side!

And, here is the one lone watermelon my vine produced!  I think I should have planted at least another vine so there would have been better pollination, but it's a learning process!  I am anxious to try this one!  Another variety I haven't tried before!  It is about 12" long and doesn't seem to be getting any bigger, so I am just waiting for it to ripen!  I hope I get it right!  I've never grown watermelon before, so . . I'll have to let you know how it goes!  (If you look closely to the left of the melon, you can see the Charentais melon trapped below the fencing.  You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them, if you click on the enlarged photo, it will enlarge again.  The dragonfly has lots of interesting detail if you want to check it out more closely, also!)

I wanted to also share some photos of the pumpkins I harvested, but haven't been able to get good pics of them yet.  Maybe I'll be able to get that done before they begin to deteriorate too much!  I got 2 Luminas (the white ones) and over a dozen of the Sugar Pie pumpkins. I have eaten a few, given away a few and have a couple left.  I originally had hoped to get a few pics for a first day of fall post, but unfortunately am going to miss getting that done in time!  hee hee . . . maybe I'll get some before it is time to post winter pics!  ;)

Well that's it for now!  Just a quick little post today!  I plan on having lots more to share in the coming weeks!  Lots of photos of some pretty places is on the agenda!  So, I hope you'll come back to take a peek!  I look forward to sharing another cup of coffee with you soon!

Trojan Women after Euripides

Cover of the program by The Getty

(Before I get started, I want to welcome my newest follower, my dear sister, Julie, who is about to become a mother-in-law!  Congratulations and welcome! ! !)

The program cast and credit page by The Getty

Last week I went to ancient Troy to witness the aftermath of the end of the Trojan war on the women of Troy.  I first drove to Pacific Palisades to the Getty Villa and then very patiently awaited the transport back in time.  

The back cover of the program - The Getty

They have a small, intimate amphitheater and they use very few props and backdrops.  In this case, the Villa was the backdrop, and their props consisted of an apple, a few simple chairs, a bench and a length of fabric.  But, their performances pack a powerful punch even without complex props and backdrops.  I saw Tyne Daly there in Agamemnon a few years ago and it became my new favorite spot for play watching.  It is the perfect setting for those written by the ancient Greek and Roman playwrights: Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophicles, etc.  

The Getty Villa amphitheater - from The Getty website

The Villa was built by J. Paul Getty to house his growing art collection, and the design was inspired by the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum.  The buildings are decorated with tile mosaics in themes that are based on those found in Herculaneum and other ancient villas.  They are surrounded by gardens based on those that would have been found around those ancient villas.  Since photography is not allowed during performances, I hope you'll enjoy these photos I took of the villa during a previous visit.  

It was a gorgeous evening, not too warm, not too cool (but I had my blanket ready . . . just in case - as it can get a mite chilly that close to the ocean's edge in the evenings).  I got there early, got my glass of wine, got seated (I snagged a center seat in the 4th row - first come, first choice seating) and waited for the play to begin.  The moon was anxiously waiting for the show to begin, peering over the Villa down to the little stage area.  People began streaming in, bits of conversation were overheard . . . "he said it was like watching a still life" . . . "he can't hear you" . . . "we will be leaving for Italy tomorrow".  And as they settle in, they bring all their peculiar odors with them.  The gentleman to my right must have been in an overly warm room for quite a while and, it would seem, had very recently enjoyed a meal consisting mainly of garlic, and the gentleman in front of him, a member of the press, had apparently just come from a long visit to a cigar club.  I was worried these things would prove too distracting and detract from the enjoyment of the evening.  

However, once the play began, the actors were so good, they immediately grabbed your attention and pulled you into their world so completely, your neighbors nearly all but disappeared.  You became a silent witness to the stark tragedy unfolding before you.  Quite frankly, I was completely mesmerized and brought to tears.  It is a heart-wrenching story about the queen, Hecuba, and her daughters facing the destruction of their city, the deaths of their husbands, father and brothers and the prospect of being divided up and becoming slaves to the victors.  And, let's not forget the infamous Helen, she counts among the Women of Troy as she was the reason for the war.  It is the morning after the Greeks had hidden in the Trojan Horse and while the Trojans were celebrating what they thought was their victory, the Greeks snuck out of the horse and sacked the city.  Ten years of fighting, thousands of lives lost, one of the world's greatest cities completely destroyed; all to rescue and bring home the infamous, beautiful Helen.  All Hecuba's hopes are pinned on her infant grandson, whom she envisions growing up and seeking retribution for them and restoring Troy to her former glory.  But, unbeknownst to her, Andromache had killed her son (Hecuba's grandson) to keep him from suffering a lifetime of slavery or a painful death.

Put yourself on their mailing list so you receive notification of their performances and make sure you go online to order your tickets as soon as they go on sale.  They sell out very quickly!  Once you go, you'll see why!  I, for one, can't wait until the next play!

Well, that's it for now!  I have a long road trip coming up soon, so hopefully I'll have some nice pics to share from my travels!  Hope you have a spectacular day!  See you later!

9/11

Photo: From The Sun in the UK

Where was I that terrible morning?  Getting ready for work.  Just a normal day.  At the time, my usual routine was to get up, turn on The Early Show, fix and eat my breakfast and then get ready to leave for work.  That morning, when I turned on the TV, I thought I was watching a commercial for some high budget action film.  It took a moment to sink in that this was not just some trailer for a movie, it was really happening.  It was real.  It was happening right that very moment, as I was preparing to eat the breakfast that ended up being forgotten.

Photo: Borrowed from Gary Palamara's blog.  These were fine American
heroes who showed what everyday Americans can and will do to save
their country.  They sacrificed their lives to save countless others.

How could anyone do this to all those innocent men, women and children who were not doing anything other than going about living their lives?  These people were not holding guns, charging into someone's homes, invading their land, threatening their lives.  They were just going to day care, to their jobs, taking care of their daily business, flying to be with their families, going on vacation.  How could any of that possibly be a threat to someone else half a world away whom those people didn't even know?  How could you possibly have that much hate for people you don't know that you could so brutally take their lives like that?

Photo: Twin Towers - NASA

Photo: The Pentagon - CBS News

What kind of coward attacks like this?  Cowards who are afraid to do battle with soldiers, so they go after those who have never been trained in the art of defense.  Cowards who prey upon those least suspecting, because they are the only ones they think they can defeat.  This, THIS! is what their "religion" tells them is right? ? ? ?  I mean, they are saying it is their holy war, their Jihad, right?  I have nothing but contempt for them.  What a truly, truly pathetic lot.

Photo: Daily Mail - Memorial Pool in the 1 acre footprint of one of the
towers.  The names of all the victims that day are engraved
in a bronze border that surround the pools.

For the victims and their families and friends, I have no words . . . only tears . . .

Photo: DNA - In the tower footprints

Photo: KPBS - Tribute in Light

So, these pictures and this video will have to speak for me.

We. Will. Never. Never. Forget. 

A sea of flags, an ocean of red, white and blue tears. (Photo: Syracuse.com)