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San Francisco Area
Oct. 2nd, 2025 06:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yourlibrarian
Our trip had ended in San Francisco because I was there to attend the memorial of a friend's mother. The cemetery was a beautiful place.
( Read more... )
yourlibrarian Our trip had ended in San Francisco because I was there to attend the memorial of a friend's mother. The cemetery was a beautiful place.
( Read more... )
The Devil's Punchbowl
Aug. 11th, 2025 10:56 amyourlibrarian
Not far from our hotel was a rock feature that had an interesting look to it. What was especially interesting to me were its walls.
( Read more... )
Agate Beach
Aug. 2nd, 2025 01:45 pmyourlibrarian
Our next travel stop was the Newport area and our hotel at Agate Beach. There was some fog the day we arrived but the next day dawned completely clear, giving us great views of the nearby lighthouse.
( Read more... )
Starvation Falls
Jul. 25th, 2025 05:36 pmyourlibrarian
Our last waterfall of the trip, Starvation Falls. Smaller than the others with a little creek running down near the parking lot.
( Read more... )
Buddha statue and surrounding garden.
Jul. 6th, 2025 05:28 amfull_metal_oxTaken on 28 May 2024 at 21:00 US Eastern Daylight Time:
(Warning for flashing lights and shaky camera.)
( Cut. )
(Not included: the sound of passing sirens.)
Taken on 9 June 2024 at 07:21 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:46 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:47 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 2 July 2025 at 19:43 US Eastern Daylight Time:
This gradually took shape across the parking lot from a local Asian fusion restaurant over 2024; between recovering from Hurricane Ian and the COVID quarantine, changing hands, and changing formats (from the mid-century Cantonese-American the original owners had served for forty years to a pan-Asian combination of sushi, ramen, and Chinese), they’d spent the previous couple years uneasily gaining their bearings.
The garden’s proximity to the street, along with the lack of any obvious receptacle for offerings, makes it clear that this is a more ornamental than devotional site. (A Web search indicates the presence of a local Buddhist temple, but the address is a private residence, and home worship services are for who they’re for, which does not include curiosity-gawking spiritual tourists.)
My guess is that the white-flowering shrubs are Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), aka Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Star Jessamine, and Trader’s Compass, native to warm regions in South and East Asia, and widely planted in the Southeastern U.S. The flowers’ heady indolic fragrance is prized in perfumery, but I’m afraid I haven’t the right sensory range to enjoy them.
(Warning for flashing lights and shaky camera.)
( Cut. )
(Not included: the sound of passing sirens.)
Taken on 9 June 2024 at 07:21 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:46 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:47 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 2 July 2025 at 19:43 US Eastern Daylight Time:
This gradually took shape across the parking lot from a local Asian fusion restaurant over 2024; between recovering from Hurricane Ian and the COVID quarantine, changing hands, and changing formats (from the mid-century Cantonese-American the original owners had served for forty years to a pan-Asian combination of sushi, ramen, and Chinese), they’d spent the previous couple years uneasily gaining their bearings.
The garden’s proximity to the street, along with the lack of any obvious receptacle for offerings, makes it clear that this is a more ornamental than devotional site. (A Web search indicates the presence of a local Buddhist temple, but the address is a private residence, and home worship services are for who they’re for, which does not include curiosity-gawking spiritual tourists.)
My guess is that the white-flowering shrubs are Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), aka Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Star Jessamine, and Trader’s Compass, native to warm regions in South and East Asia, and widely planted in the Southeastern U.S. The flowers’ heady indolic fragrance is prized in perfumery, but I’m afraid I haven’t the right sensory range to enjoy them.
Oneonta Gorge
Jun. 30th, 2025 11:14 amyourlibrarian
Our next stop on the trip that day was Oneonia Gorge. It has a tunnel through the rock in between the trees, though we didn't go through it. Instead, we stopped just before it to take pictures of the creek and gorge.( Read more... )
Crown Point Vista House
Jun. 8th, 2025 01:38 pmyourlibrarian
Just returned from a road trip through Oregon and part of Northern California. On leaving Portland we followed the route of a tourist trolley and started out at Crown Point Vista House. The views of the Colombia River were indeed impressive and well worth the twisty drive up to its height. The structure itself with its stone and stained glass was also interesting to see. The bathrooms on the basement level were all marbled -- not the usual for tourist stops!
Above is the overall view east. ( Read more... )
Photos: New Rocks
Mar. 15th, 2025 09:28 pmysabetwordsmithToday I planted most of my new rocks! \o/ I'm waiting to sink the pink mica rock until I get a second one to point the other direction along the road, to catch headlights from both ways.
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
On the Way to Grand Marais
Dec. 2nd, 2024 07:39 pmyourlibrarian
There are a bunch of rivers leading out to Lake Superior. This one made a pretty view.
( Read more... )
Ashland and Gooseberry Falls
Nov. 15th, 2024 06:39 pmyourlibrarian
After our stop at the Wisconsin Dells my friends and I drove up to Ashland. We were supposed to go out on a boat tour during our day there but the weather prevented it. However our hotel was on the water and we had some good views the day we left when it cleared up.
( Read more... )
Wisconsin Dells Pt 1
Nov. 7th, 2024 06:53 pmyourlibrarian
I took a road trip with friends last month to see fall foliage. Our first stop was the Wisconsin Dells where we took a boat trip to the upper dells.
( Read more... )
Photos from the Harz Mountains, Germany
May. 10th, 2017 10:00 pmsylvaineI recently was in the Harz Mountains for a weekend hiking trip, and goodness, the scenery was gorgeous.
( 9 resized photos under the cut, so they're not ridiculous MB-eating monsters )
( 9 resized photos under the cut, so they're not ridiculous MB-eating monsters )
spiralsheepI was out walking when I saw a wide variety of colourful but broken snail shells, which were probably evidence of a serial-killing thrush. A bird either dropped snails onto the hard surfaces from a height or, more likely in this case, held a snail in their beak and bashed it, before extracting the snail from the broken shell and eating it or feeding it to a nearby baby bird.
Link to a larger image on flickr.
Link to a larger image on flickr.
A belated September mini-picspam
Nov. 1st, 2014 01:49 pmspiralsheepBlackberry bramble, Rubus fruticosa, Herefordshire 09-14
False ladybird, Endomychus coccineus, on pink granite, Herefordshire 09-14
Enjoy!
False ladybird, Endomychus coccineus, on pink granite, Herefordshire 09-14
Enjoy!
Some rocks near Sheffield
Jan. 30th, 2012 05:44 pmrydra_wongOn Saturday, I got up at 6 and jumped on a train to Sheffield, and by 11 I was in the Burbage valley bouldering in the snow (finding the bits of rock that had stayed dry or already been dried by the sun).
( Cut for lots of photos of boulders in snow )
( Cut for lots of photos of boulders in snow )
A bus ride from the centre of Sheffield
Jun. 14th, 2011 03:30 pmrydra_wongLast week, I spent five days bouldering on the gritstone in the Peak District. Here are some photos taken on my crappy little phone camera.
They have a lot of sky up there.
[Boulder against bright blue sky with fluffy clouds.]
( Cut for photos )
They have a lot of sky up there.
[Boulder against bright blue sky with fluffy clouds.]
( Cut for photos )
Kata Tjuta, Northern Territory, Australia
Dec. 19th, 2010 01:43 pmlark_ascends17th March 2007.
Back in 2007, I visited Alice Springs in the Northern Territory for an astronomy conference. It was hot, even though it wasn't summer any more. On the day when we visited the wildlife park in Alice it was around 42-45 C (107-113 F) and I ended up with what was probably a mild case of heat stroke (although that was more than enough!). After the conference ended, I went on a day trip (leave before 6 am, got back after midnight) to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It was a somewhat cloudy day, with some rain at Uluru and Kata Tjuta, which was nice, actually, as it meant it was around 25 C (77 F) compared to the 45-50 C (113-122 F) it had been earlier in the week. While we were down there, Alice Springs got a lot of rain and by the time we came back that night the completely empty river that ran through the town had burst its banks in places.
I cannot describe the majesty of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. They were phenomenally huge and...it was awe inspiring. It was also amazing seeing how much life there was, even though it was desert. There were birds, there were water holes, there were tadpoles in puddles when we did a walk at Kata Tjuta. Seeing the local Aboriginal peoples' perspective on it all was also fascinating (even though I'd had not intention of walking on Uluru, that confirmed it) and it was also horrifying to see the beautiful rock art that had lost so much of its colour because people used to throw water on it in the past to make the colours stand out more to take photos.
Below the cut is a panorama of Kata Tjuta made from 9 photos that I took.
( 800 pixel wide and 5500 pixel wide, 800 kB, panorama below the cut )
Back in 2007, I visited Alice Springs in the Northern Territory for an astronomy conference. It was hot, even though it wasn't summer any more. On the day when we visited the wildlife park in Alice it was around 42-45 C (107-113 F) and I ended up with what was probably a mild case of heat stroke (although that was more than enough!). After the conference ended, I went on a day trip (leave before 6 am, got back after midnight) to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It was a somewhat cloudy day, with some rain at Uluru and Kata Tjuta, which was nice, actually, as it meant it was around 25 C (77 F) compared to the 45-50 C (113-122 F) it had been earlier in the week. While we were down there, Alice Springs got a lot of rain and by the time we came back that night the completely empty river that ran through the town had burst its banks in places.
I cannot describe the majesty of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. They were phenomenally huge and...it was awe inspiring. It was also amazing seeing how much life there was, even though it was desert. There were birds, there were water holes, there were tadpoles in puddles when we did a walk at Kata Tjuta. Seeing the local Aboriginal peoples' perspective on it all was also fascinating (even though I'd had not intention of walking on Uluru, that confirmed it) and it was also horrifying to see the beautiful rock art that had lost so much of its colour because people used to throw water on it in the past to make the colours stand out more to take photos.
Below the cut is a panorama of Kata Tjuta made from 9 photos that I took.
( 800 pixel wide and 5500 pixel wide, 800 kB, panorama below the cut )
Lava, 'ohi'a, and sea turtles, oh my!
Oct. 17th, 2010 12:56 pmholyschistI have been using a very narrow definition of "common", but after chatting with our awesome moderator, I'm going to start broadening that so I can post more! Currently I am in Hawai'i, and on Friday I went on a hike at 'Anaeho'omalu. Now, I do not live in Hawai'i, so this is not "common" for me, but it is a readily available hike for most Big Island residents--free, unrestricted access, and not too long (although it does go along a sandy beach and over a lot of rough cobbles, so is not very accessible for people with mobility issues).
The very best thing, in my opinion, is the abundance of Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas), who not only feed along the shoreline, but lie on the beach in the sun for hours, generally uncaring of people staring at them a lot and taking photos (you can tell the locals because they are not so fascinated by the turtles; I cannot imagine not being fascinated by the turtles):
( Read more... )
The very best thing, in my opinion, is the abundance of Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas), who not only feed along the shoreline, but lie on the beach in the sun for hours, generally uncaring of people staring at them a lot and taking photos (you can tell the locals because they are not so fascinated by the turtles; I cannot imagine not being fascinated by the turtles):
( Read more... )
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