Winter Blossoms And The Art Of Penjing

"The flowers of late winter and early spring, occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size."

-Gertrude S. Wister

Mmmmmm... flowers! Alan and I went to the Conservatory of Flowers yesterday, and visited the two new exhibits, "Lunar New Year Floral Display," which included lots and lots of citrus fruits and blossoms, and "The Art Of Penjing." Penjing, features miniature plant displays created in containers and on trays, which depict miniature villages and landscapes. I loved it! I admire art like this so much, the little villages created for the display had some really beautiful, intricate detailing. Lovely. The park itself was nothing short of beautiful yesterday, it was one of our first really warm days of this year, and because of the warm weather there were sunbathers and bikinis all about the park. Happiness.

We had a pretty good day, and as we were exiting, I asked about whether the butterfly display would comeback this year, and got resounding, "YES!" Tuesday, March 18th! I cannot wait. I had an amazing time in 2006, photographing the amazingly beautiful butterflies they had on display, and I know I learned a ton about photography that year. Different butterflies have different and distinct behaviors, and some are much more challenging then others to photograph. They are a beautiful challenge for this amateur shutterbug, and a perfect way to chase away stress and the blues, while getting a little exercise. :)

-OndineMonet
Daffodils In The Mist"
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
February 12th, 2008
Afternoon