I visited Georgia Aquarium when I went to Georgia, USA, in 2016. A very nice aquarium overall.
I’ve shared three pictures this time. I previously shared another picture in the February PotM earlier this year.
Picture of the Month — August 2019
USA
Picture of the Month — June 2019
Three photos of three different waters from three different years and 2–3 different countries.
The first one above is of the Baltic Sea taking in 2003. I was on a sailing vacation with a friend’s family who owned the ship. I think we were mostly in Swedish waters, depending on how far out Swedish waters go, but we visited Bornholm on the trip too, which is part of Denmark. So those waters could belong to Denmark.
Second photo was taking in Boston, USA, in 2017. I was out canoeing with a friend. I had a great time and thought a factory looked pretty for once.
Third photo is from a middle-of-the-week vacation I took in 2015 a little ways outside Stockholm. I wanted to be a bit pampered and to take in some nature. And some nature I found! Really great. Back in April, I shared a photo of a tree from the same vacation.
Picture of the Month — April 2019
Sometimes I just want to look at something pretty, so that is what I’m sharing this time.
Picture of the Month — February 2019
This photo is from a visit to Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I had a great time there, and took some good pictures. More to come later in this series. Look for it in August, 2019 (aka in a few months).
Great Garden: Portland Japanese Garden
This series of posts are about entertainment that I recommend when people ask me for recommendations. It also includes place-specific “entertainment”, such as beautiful gardens; it might be stretching the definition of entertainment, but I enjoy myself in the places I recommend.
They are not universal recommendations. I wouldn’t recommend a dark thriller to someone looking for something nice and happy; I’d recommend a romance.
They aren’t perfect or without mistakes.
Art is never finished, only abandoned. ~ Leonard da Vinci
Portland Japanese Garden
I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Portland Japanese Garden twice.
I still remember the first time.
The feeling I get is like being able to suddenly breathe very deeply. Like there is space in my chest for endless breath and with that feeling comes relaxation.
The second time I visited (May, 2018) I saw the new entrance they’d added and the culture village (as they call it).
They had a bonsai exhibition. Miniature trees that look like full grown ones. I’ve seen some amazing ones, and one of them looked like a small forest (pictured to the right).
The main garden area is divided into several different types of Japanese gardens. The most famous type of Japanese garden being the zen garden with raked gravel and rocks; Portland Japanese Garden has one of those with beautiful Japanese style historical walls closing it off from the rest of the garden and the outside.
Personally I love the wandering type of garden best. It often have a river, perhaps a waterfall; or it has the simulation of those things with pebbles. Wooden bridges to cross the water filled with colorful koi fish.
Mostly Japanese gardens are 50 shades of green. That is what I love.
Water, green shades, and some small human made details, come together to calm and refresh me.
It is also a good place to write poetry, and I’ve written some at Portland Japanese Garden, as well as in other gardens.
Picture of the Month — April 2018
I am currently at the Oregon coast in the USA and I’m enjoying the beach on sunny days and on rainy days. I like rain. This picture was taken back in 2015 when I visited this area for the first time.
Picture of the Month — March 2016
San Francisco, California, USA — November 2014. A beautiful tree in an interesting city.
Picture of the Month — February 2016
When I visited the Mission area in San Francisco, California, USA in November 2014, a new friend showed me around. One of the places she took me to was an alley with a lot of street art and murals. Each piece was different and such great art.
The piece above is very captivating. So I thought I’d share it.
Picture of the Month — September 2015
Exactly a year ago (September 2014), I was in Japan for the first time. I spent five weeks there, and I made it a point to visit several different Japanese gardens while there. This picture however isn’t from Japan. This one is from the Japanese garden in the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, USA.
I found it fascinating how very much like an authentic Japanese garden it was. Now, there are several kinds of Japanese gardens. I only really know the names of them in Swedish, but direct translated this would be a walking or path garden. It is built for you to wander through. (Unlike Zen gardens which usually consists of raked gravel with large, moss covered rocks. And specific spots to stand/sit and contemplate their meaning.)
Of course there were plants and trees in the garden in California that you wouldn’t find in Japan. There were some redwoods there for example. But the likeness was striking anyway.