Tag Archive for 'flowers'
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Here’s a quick shot of some “snow flowers” I noticed as I was wrapping presents. The contrast between the red flowers and the snow outside really caught my eye.
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Leaving the rustic Warminster we arrived in London on the second day of our journey to rest in The Cavendish Hotel. A sharp contrast to the Bishopstrow House Hotel, The Cavendish is ultra modern and sophisticated with a very bright and colorful atmosphere. The two hotels are indeed polar opposites each having their own distinct mood. That’s not to say that one hotel was better than the other, just that they are different.
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Here you can see an example of the extreme colors used in the hotel lobby which give it an almost heavenly feel. I’ve never seen such a colorful lobby, but I definitely like it. To complement the colors there are pictures of clouds hanging up on the wall making for a perfectly engineered utopia.
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No hotel lobby would be complete without Christmas decorations this time of year. The Cavendish is no exception and they chose to celebrate with a contemporary tree which takes after their unique urban style. Not a hint of green can be found on their tree. It stands black and almost bare save for one string of white lights. When bathed in the magenta light from the ceiling the dark tree stands out beautifully.
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Retiring to the rooms one will be greeted by a sleek hallway with minimalist appointments along the way - A nice reprieve from the color fiesta found in the lobby. My favorite part is the entry system. The keys are simple plastic rods that are coded to open the doors much like an electronic card. Sliding the key into the keyhole turns the red light green. Upon entering the room, the key is placed into another keyhole which glows blue and subsequently turns on all the boring white lights in the room. The whole process is quite colorful. If that’s not your thing, don’t worry, the flat screen TV should do the trick.
That concludes the hotel portion of my trip to London. I don’t normally photograph hotels, but the two I stayed in on this trip were quite exceptional and their differences were so astounding that I found it interesting that I could enjoy both. The next photos you see will be of the actual city. I was lucky enough to have a night free of rain and just enough energy to keep me out untill 1:00 AM taking photos.
iPods are everywhere these days: The gym, the streets, the mall, the supermarket, at work, in line, the car, in bed (no, not like that), the shower (or like that), and now announcing… the roof! Billboards are familiar company to those living on Boston’s Beacon Hill, and far too familiar for those seeking refuge upon its roofs. The fortunate few who frequent these roofs to enjoy the sunset are assailed by glowing rectangular abominations in the guise of this season’s hottest items. And as if that wasn’t bad enough the latest advertisements now mimic the roof goers in hopes that they will succumb to the power of consumerism. Witness our beloved iPod. Once our friend, it has now invaded every aspect of our life, including the roof. While we once took pleasure in reclining peacefully on our favorite rooftop chair to watch the sunset, we are now joined by the iPod. But maybe what we’re seeing isn’t an iPod… maybe it’s the new iRecline from Apple. Not only will the iRecline allow us to listen to the latest music, but it will actually morph into a reclining chair so that we can fall back into a splash of colorful magic and light to match our music. Brilliant! I will be first in line, will you?
Fall betrayed me this past weekend by raising temperatures into the 80s with around 100% humidity. My friends called me crazy for wishing for cooler weather, but I’m a firm believer that fall should be fall. Interestingly enough, they’re not the only ones still wishing for warmer weather. Some of the flower patches around Boston, once white, pink and red, have been replaced with new flowers of the fall variety. I have nothing against flowers and I definitely think they look nice, but flowers should not look this spectacular this time of year. So for today’s post I’ve written a little something about letting go… I extrapolated the subject matter quite a bit, so don’t think that it’s all about flowers 
Patchwork
Why do people hold on so dearly to things meant to pass? Is it fear? Is it love? Or is it some jigsaw puzzle of both that we arrange piece by piece so that we may bring order into our lives? Does this order even buy us happiness, or does it preoccupy us with its quest as we incessantly mash our puzzle pieces together until they are dull and frayed? We hold on to so many things in life - habits, people, objects, seasons, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, pleasures, desires… and the list goes on. Some of these things are indeed conducive to happiness, but holding on to any one of them leads to pain and suffering. Is it any surprise, then, that when we try to put them all together the resultant product is a hodgepodge of ill-formed logic and emotional distress? Most of us today would agree that knowledge is power, yet with the advent of knowledge and technology, depression and unhappiness have run rife.
Where, then, should we look for the answers? Should we turn to God? No, for by now we are all well aware of the dangers of preaching the validity of one man’s God over another. Should we abandon knowledge and technology altogether in a grand revival of the dark ages? Should we let go of everything to the detriment of ourselves and our neighbors? Surely we have evolved out of such practices for a reason, but we have also evolved into other practices which were never meant to be. When we are not holding on, trying desperately to construct our life, we worry that we may lose it completely. We compare and cross-reference everything to ensure we have the best car, house, spouse, etc. But in doing so many of us have lost track of who we are.
I propose a different solution. Letting go - not of responsibility and accountability, but of self. Our egos have grown with our knowledge and pushed us further away from each other. While we were once dependent on our neighbors for survival, today we put up fences to keep them out. Why? Do we love our privacy, or fear our neighbors? Too much energy is focused on the “right” thing to do and the attainment of the “perfect” life. But perfection is an illusion that has grown with the ego of man. Let it go, let it all go. Be spontaneous, be unpredictable, be the moment, and for God’s sake, throw your puzzle pieces on the floor so you can play twister… it’s way more fun.
Fall Roots
Welcome to the Intercontinental Boston - Hotel and Luxury Residences. This is one of the newest and most beautiful buildings in the city as well as the most reflective building I have ever seen. It provides blinding reflections of the surrounding buildings during the day, and fills the sky with it’s blue lighting at night. I’m not sure what those blue pillars are, but they look damn cool.
As summer falls into its quiet retreat lingering remnants of its glory still remain: The sound of children laughing and ice cream trucks driving through the neighborhood, the smell of barbecue and fresh squeezed lemonade, the plentiful sunshine flooding gardens, sun decks, beaches, and lawn chairs. All of these things come to a slow and almost imperceptible end as fall takes its place. For some it is a time to worry about the impending doom of winter, while for others it is a time to turn to the mountains where leaves mix with cool wind to form flowing shapes of color and beauty.
But no matter how one decides to perceive this inevitable transition there are a number of things that will happen regardless, just as they have for thousands of years. Hot chocolate will slowly replace lemonade and the plentiful sun will begin reflecting off of the morning frost and onto increasingly bare trees. The sound of children playing will be muted somewhat by fall jackets and hats, joined by the occasional rustle of leaves as piles of them are scattered to bits by various land based dives. Lawn chairs, beaches, and sun decks will become empty as the temperature drops and people take cover under the warmth of light blankets and cozy reclining chairs, perhaps with a loved one or book. The smell of barbecue will be replaced by burning wood and crisp cool air that slightly worries people when they realize they can see their own breath for the first time in months.
While all of these things are surely indicative of the approaching doom of winter and the decline of treasured summer treats, they also usher in a necessary appreciation for what was so well enjoyed. This is not to say that joy cannot be had in all of the seasons, just that it is amplified by their transition. So as summer fades and its remnants are writ to memory, take pleasure in knowing that they will come again.
Here are a few more shots from the same day as the Boston Public Garden photos taken on Beacon Hill. I could take photos of this damn hill all day it is so picturesque and I’m certainly not the only one as the streets are crawling with tourists and other photographers like myself this time of year.
The Joys of Boston Parking
This first shot is a tribute to all that is the wonderful experience of parking in Boston. Those who have ever driven through Beacon Hill know that finding a free parking spot is about as likely as lightning striking the same spot… five times. And even if you do find one it has likely been vacated because it will be turning into a tow zone the next day due to some very, very cryptic street cleaning schedules (first and third *insert day of the week here* of every month, second and fourth *insert day of the week here* of every month). I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve found parking on this hill, and I’ve been living here for a year now. Most of the time I just give up and drive to my parent’s house (not even in Boston btw) or I find a meter… or if it’s after 4 PM I can park in my garage (full time parking in the garage would cost me a whopping $450 per month). It seems as though the owner of this sign had a few run-ins with parking-spot-seekers like myself. My guess is that one too many people parked in front of this guy’s driveway. And apparently one parking-spot-seeker thought the sign a tad too elitist and decided to write profanities over said sign (if you must see what it says you can look at the full sized version, but it’s quite offensive so I don’t encourage anyone to do so). I post it here only for comic relief.
Flowery Alcove
This particular street on Beacon Hill is undoubtedly the most gorgeous, as flowery trees like these ones pretty much engulf the buildings. I setup my tripod in the middle of the road to take this shot, but that’s ok because the streets are so narrow that it is impossible for cars to drive any faster than 3 miles per hour and so I would have had time to pack up my tripod, put away my camera, and fly to Paris well before a car would have ever come close to hitting me. Anyway, I digress - The owner of this alcove is a very lucky person. Imagine waking up to the sight and smell of these flowers every morning then walking down this street to go to work…
Flower Sills & Car Grills
Flowers on the right, cars on the left (notice no free spots) and a completely uneven brick sidewalk absolutely rife with the imperfection that makes it so beautiful. If there is a place that looks any more like Europe in the US, I’d be hard pressed to find it. I am convinced that there are some sort of chemicals emanating from the streets of Beacon Hill because it is nearly impossible to walk through them without smiling at every person you see. People are just friendlier on the hill, I love it. Dog owners even pick up their dog’s “dirt” and put it in a plastic bag. You won’t see that in Europe!
For my Boston readers out there, I recently discovered a Boston based blog / fun news site of sorts that has been linking to my site occasionally. Upon perusing the site a bit more it turns out that it contains some very interesting content. I can relate to a lot of the topics being posted and if you live in the Boston area I’m sure you can too. Check it out HERE.
Yesterday was another incredible day in Boston. Spring here just keeps getting nicer. The most interesting part about the Boston Public Garden is the number of different people who are seen walking around. They range from business men, to mothers, to lovers, to musicians, to painters, to photographers. Here are a few shots from this beautiful place.
Spring Trophy
Draped Island
Swan’s Home
Colorful Bunch
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