Fotografaire - Blog and Photography

Garden Growth

Garden growth is becoming very difficult due to the drought. We had some rain recently, but not enough to really help the situation, and we are still behind 13 inches in rainfall so far.

One minute a rose will look as if it is blooming beautifully, and within an hour it is beginning to dry up.

Bougainvillea blooms for about one day, and literally overnight, it dries up, whereas it normally would be in bloom for several days.

They are predicting a very sparse autumn, with colors being dull, and in some areas non-existent.

~~Notes From the Garden

It’s Not Fun

Getting food poisoning is not fun. I had a terrible bout of it last night, about two hours after eating dinner out at a new Italian restaurant in town.

Having extreme cramping and pain is the understatement…I was in agony. From chills to nausea, actually throwing up and having intestinal spasms and cramps, it was an awful ordeal.

When I finally went into bed, after spending hours back and forth to the bathroom, I piled the blankets on top of me, and I still had the chills. I was freezing. I had a low grade body temperature of 96 degrees. It took me two hours to get warm. When I last looked at the clock, it was 4:55 a.m. I had about three hours sleep.

I haven’t been able to eat much today, my body is telling me not to eat anything heavy. I have been drinking a lot of water, though, so I don’t get dehydrated.

I actually enjoyed the food at the restaurant, too, but don’t think I will return there.

I am off to bed now, and it is only 10:15 p.m. I’m exhausted.

Memorials and Monuments

I went on a weekend getaway to Washington D.C. over the long Labor Day weekend. It wasn’t the first trip I had taken there, but it was the first time that I had seen the National World War II Memorial during the daytime.

As I walked towards the Atlantic Pavilion side of the Memorial (There is a Pacific side, also), I had a profound sense of realization, and I was overcome with emotions regarding the fact my father served in the U.S. Army during WW II, along with hundreds of thousands of other men and women. This Memorial (which was offically dedicated on Memorial Day 2004) is a long overdue tribute to the U.S. men and women who served abroad and at the homefront, whether in the military or in another capacity. There are very few veterans still living who served during that time period.

I spent hours walking around the Memorial, and I stopped in front of the section that had the New York Pillar (my birthplace, and the state where my father enlisted) to reflect and say a prayer. There is a pillar for each of the 50 states.

In the center of the Memorial is a Reflecting Pond, with fountains along the perimeter of the pond. It is a serene area to meditate, to remember those who served, and to reflect on the past, the present and the future, and how war affects us all, no matter the generation we are in.

I walked over to the Pacific Pavilion, and took a few photographs of the Atlantic Pavilion from that side of the Memorial.

I also took a photo from the grassy area of The Mall, with the National World War II Memorial in front of the long and expansive lawn, and in the background, one can see the white columns and Greek architecture of the beautiful Lincoln Memorial. In between the two Memorials is a long Reflecting Pool…separating both Memorials by about one mile.

I took a photo of the Washington Memorial from in front of five of the Pillars of the World War II Memorial. Although the Washington Memorial looks close, it isn’t. It is extremely tall, and is about one mile, along the grassy area from the World War II Memorial.

For me to articulate and describe the World War II Memorial is basically impossible. Words such as beautiful, poignant, serene, emotional, etc., all seem so inadequate. The Memorial encompasses all of those words and so much more, and the experience was extremely profound, for me.

While you look at these photos, also reflect on the fact that today is the sixth anniversary of September 11th, a tragic time for the U.S., and a time of loss of life of people from all over the world, from different cultures and spiritual beliefs. It was a time fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, children, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, etc., left us unexpectedly. May those who are no longer with us rest in peace.

Power of Red

The power of red can be interpreted in various ways, including its association with barns.  I love red barns, old ones, newer ones, and barns that have white fences in front of them.

I like driving through the countryside, enjoy the scenic and rural landscape, and how it shows itself off, how it almost demands that I stop and take a photo.

What I especially like are barns that have a silo or two alongside them.  There is something serene, tranquil about those silos.  I can’t really articulate why the affect me that way, but I find a sense of calm, looking at them.

Bee Virus - Colony Collapse Disorder

Scientists believe a virus has been destroying bee colonies.  Colony Collapse Disorder is being linked to the problem which has affected honey bee colonies across the nation, and even worldwide.  In this disorder, the bee colonies lose all of their worker bees due to the virus.