02-26-13 Japanese Garden

Here is the chain of consciousness that led me to post this photo:

1. I'm not impressed with the options available on TV
2. I check my DVR for possibilities
3. I find that I have recorded 9 episodes of "Lonely Planet," a travel show
4. I start watching the first one, which is set in London
5. Half-way through, the travel guide takes us to Kew Gardens
6. I remember that I have some Kew Gardens photos
7. I stop watching the TV show
8. I find this photo and work on it
9. I post it here

That sounds like a disciplined mind hard at work, doesn't it?

Japanese Garden

My photo students and I are learning about "Blending Options" in Photoshop so I'm experimenting. These beautiful, smooth stones were part of the landscape at the Japanese Garden on the campus of Cal State in Long Beach, CA.

A Beautiful Place

In light of current events in Japan, I went back to my collection of photos. I hadn't really looked closely at this one before but I like it because the place conveys the kind of beauty and peace I found in many locations while visiting Japan. The images of destruction in Japan are wrenching. We might find comfort in the beauty of the Japanese landscape and character, but where do the Japanese go? Memory and photos will hardly suffice in the days and weeks to come.