Round Robin Challenge: Being Green

"I'll write the blue in green and when I ask you what color it is, the proper response is turquoise."

~Jarod Kintz, A Story That Talks About Talking Is Like Chatter To Chattering Teeth, And Every Set Of Dentures Can Attest To The Fact That No...

RRC: Green

For this Round Robin Challenge outing, Karen has asked us to see the GREEN. So, that's what I did! I thought about St. Patrick's Day, but decided to photograph other green things because it just seemed too easy, and I really wanted to stretch my creative bone. So, here is what I came up with!

The Green Gallery!

The Politics Of Green...

 

The Beautiful Orchid Being Green...

 

The Turtle And The Moss Being Green...



The Early Heirloom Tomatoes Being Green...



The Walton Lighthouse In Santa Cruz, California, Being Green...



As for the photo at the top, well, that is my green eye. My left eye to be exact. I have posted it before, but it's been a while. I didn't actually take the photo, my optometrist did, but it's kind of cool, so I thought I would include it anyway. 

Okay, now that you have seen my gallery of all things green, how about you go and check out what the other Robins have come up with for the challenge. Just click the link above to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog. That's where you will find all the information you need to play along, plus a list of participants! 

Mood: Happy

~ Me :)

Natural vs. Man-Made

"When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God made object like a tree or a flower. If it clashes, it is not art."

~Paul Cezanne

I love Cezanne's work. Don't you?

:)

I have such a passion for photography, I don't know if I can choose between nature, or human created  artistic subjects. I have seen some sunsets that I couldn't look away from because of their intense colors. Sunsets that look like they had to have been painted by the hand of God, but then I have photographed certain architectural works of art that have captivated me just as much! The pyramid building in San Francisco is amazing, it always catches my eye. I look forward to seeing it when I am in the city. But then there are the faces I encounter at random, like the brides that are sometimes posing for pictures in Golden Gate Park. They never fail to make me feel good inside. I have yet to see a bride, that doesn't have the purest look of love on her face, as she poses with her one and only. I have never seen a bride that cares more about herself in the photos, then her husband. That's love! :) No! It's impossible! I can't decided between the natural world, and man-made. But when you think about it, we come by our imaginative, artistic nature... well... naturally.  So, isn't man-made and nature one in the same?

Thoughts?


"Melting Snow On Mt. Hamilton" February 20th, 2013
Inspired By Cezanne's "Melting Snow At Fountainbleau."



"Orchids" July 31st, 2013
Conservatory Of Flowers
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco



TransAmerica Pyramid
July 31st, 2013
San Francisco, California



Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Orchid Gallery Winter 2013

"When two friends understand each other totally, the words are soft like an orchid's perfume."

~Unknown

In yesterday's blog post I mentioned that Alan and I spent the day, earlier this week, at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The conservatory is one of my favorite places to spend time, no matter what time of year we are experiencing, but I think visiting during winter is the best time. Just when all the trees, and gardens of sticks, start getting to me, I know the conservatory will be bursting with color from the gorgeous orchids they have on display. The orchids on this past visit were stunning! I couldn't possibly choose a favorite, but I do admit, the vanilla orchids inspire me to come home and whip up a little homemade vanilla ice cream. Yum. :)

Conservatory OF Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
February 5th 2013



Ahhh... all that color is so beautiful! Spring will be here soon, and that is when Golden Gate Park really comes alive with color. Its beautiful everywhere you look! :) I have some photos of different types of flowers from different parts of the conservatory, but I will share them in a future post.

Stay Tuned!

~Mood: Happy :)

~Me :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From For Ellipsis

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
And my trouble avoid you, wherever you go!

-Irish Blessing

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am making a big Irish feast for dinner tonight, and I will post the photos tomorrow! :) Hope your St. Patty's day is filled with luck and love! Don't forget to wear green today! I have a beautiful green skirt and white sweater all picked out for the day. :) How about you? Do you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Tell me how you celebrate! Better yet, why not participate in this week's Monday Photo Shoot assignment... "St. Patrick's Day!" You have until next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM to upload your photos, and leave me the link in the comment thread. Hope you can join us! Love for my entry tomorrow!!!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #81: St. Patrick's Day!



-Carly

Round Robin Challenge: The Color Purple!

"I think it pisses off God off it you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."

-Alice Walker

RRC: The Color Purple
Suggested by Vicki, of the blog, Maraca

Ahh yes... the color purple. I LOVE purple. I just bought myself a new purple sweater, it is a great color for spring. :) I thought about painting my living room purple a couple years ago because of how calming it is to be around. Alan won that argument, and since he has to live with it too, we compromised on egg shell colored walls, but I got to put some purple accents here and there. Some dark purple shades for our funky lamps, and some big comfy pillows... purple of course. :) We are going to redo the decor in the bathroom this spring, and I have had my eye on a gorgeous purple bath rug and a fabric shower curtain with purple butterflies and dragonflies. Purple is the color of my moment.

Last week, when I visited the Conservatory of Flowers, the color purple was everywhere...

There... that's my experience with the color purple! How about you? Did you play the Round Robin challenges this time around?

Look who did play....


1. Vicki... Maraca
Posted!

2. Monica... Click Shots
Posted!

3. Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

4. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

5. Jessica... QuickSilver Dreams
Posted!

6. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

7. Jama Hameed... Sweet Dreams
Posted!

8. Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix
Posted!

9. Sherrie... Sherrie's Stuff
Posted!

10. Sandra... Strong Chemistry


11. Gwenlyn... GreenChair


12. Robinella... Robinella's
Posted!

13. Molly Mavis... Visual Dialogues
Posted!

14. TJ...TJ's Photo Expression
Posted!

15. Suzanne R... Suzy Q421's Photo Blog
Posted!

16. Mary... Work of the Poet
Posted!

17. Connie... Far Side Of Fifty Photos
Posted!

18. Marina... Milepebbles


19. Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati
Posted!

20. Terri... Ways I See The World
Posted!

21. Julie... Julie's Web Journal
Posted!

22. Linda... Mommy's Treasures
Posted!

23. Marina... Visual Chronicle
**Welcome New Member** - Posted!

24. Teena... It's all about me!
Posted!

25. Valerie... Rosemary's Other Baby


26. Liz... Colour Contrast Continuity
Posted!

27. Ellen b... The Happy Wonderer
Posted!




Thanks Vicki... this challenge was purplicous!

There is still time to play along! Just pay a visit to the official Round Robin blog, and leave us all the pertinent information. You know... those three little things we ask for each time you play! If you can't make it today, you can post your entry anytime between now and next Saturday. Come on and join us, won't you?

- Carly
Shades Of Purple
Conservatory Of Flowers
Winter 2009

A Night Safari For Two

"I cannot walk through the suburbs in the solitude of the night without thinking that the night pleases us because it suppresses idle details, just as our memory does."

-Jorge Luis Borges

Alan and I went on another date the other night, we decided to visit the Conservatory of Flowers in the evening, rather in the daytime when we usually do. The conservatory introduced something new this year, that goes along with it's display of butterflies. The Night Safari. For the same admission price, you come to the conservatory on the first and third Thursday of the month, with flashlight in hand, to view the large Luna, and Cecropia moths, which usually reside in the rafters.

The Night Safari's have been running since last April when the exhibit opened, but this was the first chance we had to get over to the city on a night. It was the second to last night safari that they have scheduled, so there wasn't many of the big moths to be seen, but it was also rather fun to hunt the usual suspects of Monarchs, Buckeye, Gulf Fritillary, and Crimson Longwing butterflies.

I wasn't too disappointed that there wasn't a glowing Luna moth fluttering about, and neither was Alan, we have just resigned ourselves to be more on top of things if the conservatory decides to bring the night safari's back. Hopefully they will stick to the schedule, of offering this exhibit every two years. My fingers are crossed! It was a delightful way to spend an evening, and wandering around in the conservatory at night was both spooky, and romantic at the same time! Alan is a fun date.

Afterwards we drove across town to Ghiradelli Square, for an ice cream. We took it to go, and ate it outside under the big Ghiradelli sign. Vanilla with warm caramel sauce for me, Java chip, with hot fudge for Alan. I don't indulge in ice cream very often, so it was a nice little treat. Somehow ice cream just tastes better when you haven't had it for a while. Still, I think we will be going back there soon. It was just too good to stay away! And besides, how many really good dates can you have for under $20.00!? :)



Buckeye



Crimson Longwing



Yellow Orchid

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-OndineMonet
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
September 18th 2008
Evening

Happy Easter

And spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
Rose from the dreams of it's wintry rest.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

It's a quiet day today in our house. Alan has to work two shifts at work, so it is just me and Elvis. Alan will be home from work in an hour or so, and we will have a couple hours together before he goes to sleep for the night shift. I made him an Easter Basket, which isn't an easy feat considering he considers "Peeps" instruments of the devil. LOL. What's a girl to do? She comes up with a "Man Friendly" Easter basket. LOL. I will post more on that next week, so stay tuned.

HAPPY EASTER :)

-Carly

A Winter Carnival Of Colors

"The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life."

-Jean Giraudoux

This past Tuesday, I visited a special exhibit at the Conservatory Of Flowers, in Golden Gate Park, called, Color: A Winter Carnival. Any visit to the conservatory will probably leave you in a better mood then when you walked in, but this visit was something special. It is a lovely, gentle, beautiful place all on it's own, but this special exhibit was nothing short of spectatular! It is truly one of their very best of recent years.

The special events room, which is located to the far left inside the conservatory, was transformed into a scene reminescent of a Victorian carnival of flowers, complete with a working "Wheel of Fortune" that children can spin, to learn more about plants and flowers featured in the exhibit. As you walk among the fabulous assortment of plants, flowers and citus fruits, you are treated to some old fashioned carnival music! "Let Me Call You Sweetheart, I'm In Love With You."

Beautiful. A truly perfect day for the amateur photographer who is currently winter logged. LOL. Orchids of every color combination you can think of from, creamy white to vivid red! Citrus trees, potted plants, and large silk lanterns make a splash of vibrant color at every turn. Among the natural plants are whimsical touches such as the silk lanturns, colored crystal teardrop trees that refract the ample lighting that comes through the conservatories many windows, and the special feature of some amazing carousel animals, crafted by a local artist.

I can easily see both small children and adults enjoying this special exhibit. The entry into the conservatory is a mere $5.00, which includes the carnival exhibit. The Conservatory Of Flowers is one of San Francisco's great buys for your spending dollar. If it's a sunny day, consider bringing a picnic lunch like Alan and I always do. You can't beat the grounds around the conservatory as a place to eat a leisurely lunch. while enjoying the natural beauty of the park!

Here are a few photos from my visit. But I have to admit, I really didn't do it's beauty justice...

Wheel Of Fortune

Pincushion Plant (Coffee family)

The special exhibits section of the conservatory

Conservatory Of Flowers ( from 2006)

-OndineMonet
"Color: A Winter Carnival"
Conservatory Of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
Tuesday, January 15th, 2007
Afternoon

Flirting With Kinda Cute Guys In The Park Burns 11 Calories :)

"There are times not to flirt. When you are sick. When you are with children. When you are on the witness stand."

-Joyce Jillson

It was a good day yesterday. I finally got out of the house, with my trusty camera by my side, and I did a ton of photos. Like I said in my previous post, there are a lot of different micro climates in the Bay Area, and yesterday pretty much covered them all. I started out the day a little disappointed, there was a very dense layer of fog covering everything, both across the bay, and here in the East Bay. My first instinct was to forget about shooting yesterday, but soon changed my mind and decided to go anyway, hey, sometimes you can find super lighting opportunities in the fog. Overall I was pretty happy with what I came up with. It was a nice mix of colors and mist. I long for that kind of day in autumn, but we rarely get that where I live, and when we do, it burns off really fast. Winter, however, does bring the kind of long-lasting fog I look forward to.

The fog finally burned off a bit by late morning, so around noon or so, we went across the bridge and up the coast into San Francisco. It was a beautiful drive. The sky was crystal clear, and I felt excited to be out with the camera. I stopped at Starbucks for a little treat, and was very pleased to find a new drink, well, new to me anyway, that was fantastically delicious, and was perfectly acceptable to have with diabetes. A 16 0z., (Grande) Green Tea Light Blended Cream Frappuccino. 187 delicious calories, without whipped cream, 295 with! OH MY GOD! It is delicious, light tasting, and doesn't give you that icky heavy feeling that regular milk shakes do. It actually put a little pep in my step. :) My usual drink of choice at Starbucks is the Passion Ice Tea, and I will still be ordering that more often then not, because this new drink could just become an obsession with me. Really... it's that good. You must give it a try. :)




Another thing that put a that made me smile yesterday, was the fact that I got flirted with! Very mild flirting. Innocent really, but flirting all the same. :) I was taking a picture in Golden Gate Park, when I looked up away from my camera to see a kinda cute guy with a very cute smile, waiting patiently for me to be finished with my picture taking. :) I smiled back, and then offered to pose for me. I laughed, and took his photo and then he said it was my turn. What the heck. I smiled and waved back and before you know it I was in FULL flirt mode. LOL. Alan puts up with a lot from me. LOL. But he also understands how nice it feels to still be getting a little attention at the old age of 45. :) And hey, look at that, flirting actually burns 11 calories! I had just attached that pedometer to my hip, and when our interaction was done, that is what my reading was! So, a case could be made for flirting for scientific reasons. Right? ;)

After the flirting, came the Conservatory of Flowers. I am saving most of that for another entry, because I visited a special exhibit yesterday, and it will have to be it's own entry. It was gorgeous, so be sure to tune in for that. But here is a peek at what I will be showing you. Orchids... fabulously beautiful orchids. :) It was just what I needed. Lots and lots of warmth and color, and a little music as a bonus. There is always music in Golden Gate Park. There are several jazz players right outside the conservatory. Street performers really. And it always sets a relaxing mood. I look forward to that. Yesterday was a good day. :)

-OndineMonet
"Beautiful Orchid"
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
January 15th, 2008
Afternoon