Tropical flowers

Hoya cinnamomifolia is a vine that comes from the island of Java. This is its flower. I seem to recall owning one of these once, but not that particular variety, as a houseplant.



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Sick leave

Sorry, I've been too sick to blog for the last few days. All I want to do is sleep. Going to break down and go out and buy some medicine today, so maybe that will help. I will be back.

Let it snow, art

These snow paintings made by foot are incredible. By Simon Beck creates snow drawings by walking in pristine snow for hours. They're huge. No idea how he figures out the grids. The images change according to the light of the sun. More photos at the link.



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Deep in the heart of Texas

My friend RC McKee lives in Texas and takes some beautiful photos. It's been a such a cold winter there even the bluebonnets are frosted.



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Happy holiday

I found a bunch of antique Christmas cards in my stuff but didn't have time to scan any of them, so here's one I stole off the internets.



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Christmas Eve

A joyous holiday to all of you who still wander by to see what I'm posting. This is a Christmas display in Gapyeong, South Korea. [Via New York Post, more photos at link.]



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Twists and turns

Another one for the bucket list. This . I've always loved mazes, but I've never walked through one. I would love to make this beautiful Maze at Longleat, England my first.



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Snow Queen

I don't miss the cold now that I live in warmer climates, but I do sometimes miss the snow. It can be so beautiful in so many ways. And fun. As in snow sculptures. I used to make a lot of them when I lived in the north, but never anything like this, one of the largest snow sculptures in the world, measuring a whopping 35m high and 200m long.



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For my sister

If I had won that big Megabucks lottery a few days ago, I would have funded this project myself. Brilliant. And how cool is it that you can make a living at origami?



Backstory:

Now the 33-year-old artist is appealing to Indiegogo’s crowdfunding angels to help him realize his ambition of folding a life-size elephant out of a single sheet of 50 x 50 meter (164 x 164 foot) paper. (So far he’s raised $13,843 of his $24,000 goal with 3 weeks to go.) Mabona says his aim is to show what a single sheet of paper can do by using it to create a replica of one of the world’s most imposing land-dwelling creatures.

[via anne Laurie]

Joyous Solstice

My favorite day of the year. Starting tomorrow the sun begins to win against the darkness for the next six months. Stonehenge looks like this on every solstice.



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It came upon a midnight clear

Sorry I've been remiss. Really busy with real life. And it's almost Christmas. Just found this in my internets. My friend Mike Finnigan.


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Castles made of sand

I'm kind of a Luddite but sometimes I love advanced technology. Couldn't make a sand castle that lights up like this when I was a kid. [Illuminated Sand Castle, Santa Cruz, California photo via]



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More Northern Lights

I never get tired of these. Nature's Christmas lights.  Aurora Borealis over Iceland. [NASA photo]



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Winter at the Fenway

I'm getting a little old for slides but this looks like a great place to take a kid in the winter in Boston. [photo via RedSox]


Check out the "Monster Sled" to rock @FrozenFenway starting 12/28! Email events@redsox.com for group rental info.

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Oh the places I'd go

Here's another place I've never been that looks prime for the travel bucket list. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia. [via Google Earth Pics]



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Nature's Christmas lights

I didn't know you could see the Northern Lights as far south as Maine. Granted it's still pretty cold, but not as cold as farther north. So maybe I'll get to see in person after all. Aurora over Maine farmhouse. [photo via]



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First snow is the best

Don't have any here but I remember well the magic and joy of the first snow in New England. By now everything is brown and dead outside so the pure white landscape is refreshingly pristine. This from a facebook friend, Bethel, CT yesterday.



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Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I'm ready to try to get into the Christmas spirit, so here's one of the traditional starts: Lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center. [More photos here]



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Lady and the Tramp

I've been to Epcot but there wasn't a flower show when I went there. As I recall the big thing there at the time was the Michael Jackson 3D movie. But I might be making that up. I'm sure there were wonderful dancing fountains though. Anyway, I would have liked to have seen a flower show like this though. [photo from a Facebook friend]



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Northern Lights

In honor of my brother and his family who live too far away to spend Thanksgiving with, Aurora Borealis in Alaska. [photo via Tamitha Skov and Watergate Summer]



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