How right it is

I love flowers.  I take so many pictures of the blooms and colors, petals and leaves, bugs crawling their way to lunch.  What do I do in winter?  Flowers turn into snow.  Leafless trees hold that lonely beauty all their own.

In Hawaii, there were so many things to see.  On one hike, the guide said, “This is one place where you keep your camera ready the entire time.”  I was in the right place.

Enjoy some of my favorite sights from Hawaii.  Identification thanks to this website, http://wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/common-name/l/, and random Googling.

How right it is

to love flowers and the greenery

of pines and ivy and hawthorn hedges;

they have been with us

from the very beginning.

-Vincent Van Gogh

Luau
Ginger
Hello again
The Torch
Native poppy
Let’s Twist
Beautiful Chaos
Mystery
Sprouting
Hibiscus
Palm
Colors
Budding
Poppy
Another one
Hibiscus
Granadilla
Pineapple
Queen Emma Lily
Red Tower Ginger
Ginger
Cassia
More plumeria
Maybe
Cassia
Old World Forked Fern
Crinum Lily
Red Ginger

The last days

These are pictures of our last few days in Hawaii.  In the depths of winter, I will look at these and wish.

Summer afternoon—summer afternoon;
to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
-Henry James
Koolaid Blue
We went there
There
Turtle Bay
Love
Banyan Tree
The Beach
That view
Welcome
Hello again
Forever
We did that
Dolphins
Pasture
Hello Honolulu
History
We walked there
Another Blue
And more dolphins

The Big Island

For me its balmy airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its surf is in my ear; I can see its garlanded crags, its leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud-rack; I can feel the spirit of its woody solitudes, I hear the plashing of the brooks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago.
– Mark Twain

Lava, lava, beaches and more lava.  The Big Island is a gorgeous place.  I think I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.  Click for details or check out the references below.

Color
Fly Your Kite
Trees
Black Sand
Old and New
Swim the Surf
New Beach
Lava Path
Kona
Heated Pool
Kalapana
Turtles
WOW
Lava Layers
Turtle Head

 

References

TSA Video including Honokohau, MacKenzie, etc.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DQRyMA4PN8

The amazingly beautiful and free Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park  http://www.nps.gov/kaho/index.htm

Some words about the haunted MacKenzie State Park  http://beforeitsnews.com/science-and-technology/2013/04/haunted-hawaii-krg-investigates-mackenzie-state-park-2572430.html

Ahalanui Park and its volcanically heated pool  http://www.hawaiiislandlife.com/2011/03/ahalanui-park-big-island-hawaii/

Kalapana – Kilauea Lava Field  http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/history/1990Kalapana/

I Could Live There

You know those questions some people ask at dinners and parties – “If money was no object, what if?”.  I recently went to dinner where the conversation questions included “what superpower would you have”, “what would your everyday car be”, and “where would your primary home be”.  And though there was an attempt to ridicule each of my answers, I would still want to have C3PO’s communication ability, any car that didn’t use a lot of gas, and my primary home would be somewhere in the beautiful, blue-skied, BBQ-infused Carolinas.

Maybe my everyday home could be in Hawaii.  Yes, it would be a serious investment in sunscreen, but maybe I could become a test subject for Neutrogena.  I’d take a place on the ocean, in the mountains, or a place near Twin Falls on Maui where we took this hike.  My flower shots will come later, but until then, enjoy.

Sun – Shadow
Back to the blue sky
Sunset at Sea
Tall Waterfall
Oh the light
River
Waterfall
Blue or Blue

References:  Hike Maui  http://www.hikemaui.com/  When our awesome guide said, “This is the kind of hike where you keep your camera out the entire time,” I knew I was in the right place.  Hike Maui did a great job!

Wonder Forever

Happy 50th Anniversary to my in-laws!  Thanks to this admirable celebration of their love and family, we were (luckily) a part of a grand celebration in Hawaii.  It was the honeymoon they’d never had.  It was a vacation and an adventure like we’d never had.

Hawaii is one of those places on many lists – Most Beautiful, Dream Travel Locations, Romantic Honeymoons, Best Beaches, Volcanic Sights, and so many more.  It was certainly on our list.  As with so many places we have the chance to see, it remains on our list until we have the opportunity to experience its wonder again.

Enjoy the blue.  Enjoy the green. Appreciate just some of the wonder that is Hawaii.

The Sea, once it casts its spell,

holds one in its net of wonder forever.

– Jacques-Yves Cousteau

For more wonder, enjoy http://youtu.be/5DQRyMA4PN8 and our short clip of a blowhole on Oahu http://instagram.com/p/qD99qaBmtv/?modal=true.

USS Arizona Memorial
Sunrise near Maui
Scooter Stop
Hello there
Luau Lady
USS Ronald Reagan
USS Bowfin
Boards
Ho’okipa State Park
Flower Shower
Baldwin State Park
From Diamond Head
Sunset at Waikiki
Tide Pools

References for your trip:

http://www.discoverhawaiitours.com/ – Ask for Moni.  She is a fantastic guide and an immediate friend.

USS Arizona Memorial – http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm    http://www.bowfin.org/visit

Bike/Moped/Scooter Rental Honolulu – http://www.hawaiianstylerentals.com/  This site includes rental info as well as great maps for your tour.

Paradise Cove Luau – http://paradisecove.com/

Diamond Head  http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/index.cfm?park_id=15

This Summer – a recall on blue

I took my summer Sperrys out for a walk yesterday, wishing for sunshine. I searched for colors, saw two things I had never seen before, got rained on a little, and shared an overhang with a woman and her gorgeous handbag. While I take a few days to sort photos from our recent travels, I thought I’d share some sights of a Shenyang summer.

I choose not to include one of the dismal sky, preferring to remember the beautiful spring we experienced this year.  This year’s summer sky is one described best by Barbara Kingsolver in Flight Behavior.  She wrote, “Whoever was in charge of weather had put a recall on blue and nailed up this mess of dirty white sky like a lousy drywall job.”  Yes, just like that.

I will keep wishing for sunshine and searching for beautiful things.  Enjoy.

More summer shots on Instagram @thesimpleadventure, including a short clip from a local noodle shop.  This post is ipod pictures only.

WTF
Traffic jam
Lucky Neighbor
Recycling Center
Bark
Overgrowth
Your Key to Anything
So China
A Touch of Sadness
Games
Overlooked
Baller
Smellovision
Hideout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gu Gong

Where was an Emperor to live with his Empress and 14 concubines during the Qing Dynasty?  A little place in the middle of Shenyang did nicely.

The Shenyang Imperial Palace (Gu Gong  沈阳故宫) is more than 60,000 square meters, 300 rooms, and home to 40,000 relics from the Qing Dynasty and other royal families.  The main buildings were constructed in 1625 when Nurhachi was in power.  The site was completed in 1644 under his son, Hong Taiji (also referred to as Huang Taiji).   Shortly after, the capital moved to Beijing, though Qing emperors spent some time in Shenyang every year.  Qianlong expanded the palace in 1780.  It has been well-preserved and was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2004 as an extension of the much larger and only other existing palace in China, the Forbidden City in Beijing.

On a recent visit, I was fortunate enough to see the dragon robes on display, learn more about the external chimneys as a part of the advanced heating system of the time, and see a performance of the royal wedding of Hong Taiji to his favorite concubine, Harjol.

“Actually, a pretty nice little Saturday.”

Short videos of the wedding performance show can be seen here. http://youtu.be/wv5ARlFCeTQ  For more details, click on the photos.

 

Da Zheng Dian
Beautiful Entry
Chimney
Emperor’s New Woman
Concubine
Here I Am
Tour Guide
Concubine’s house
Emperor’s Robe
Empress
Cool
Smile
Old and New
Focus
Too cute
Ha!
Clocks
Peace, baby
Pipa-shaped watch

My Heart is Here

Last week, it was time for our annual cupcake decorating day at school.  This is a day when I bring in 5 dozen cupcakes, perfect frosting, and so many sugary decorations that the children either squeal or stop in their tracks when they see the options.  Then the delicate construction process begins.  The next day was our last day of school, and I never know how many will be back in the fall.  So I cherished every moment, and then, wait and see.

Four years volunteering in the same school, watching children grow up and mature right before my eyes, it is unbelievable.  I am so lucky they are a part of my simple adventure in life.

A piece of my heart will always be here, and here, and there, and with each and every one of them.

 

Tower
So So So
JU
Classic
Bus Buddy
Cohort
2nd-3rd
Another Skittle
Tricky
That smile
Two Sweethearts
Not average
Scarlett
Look me
Smile
Crazy Kid
JK
Too cute!
Dear Friend
Amazing
End of the Year

 

 

 

 

 

Yes. Please.

There were quite a few authentic and traditional Chinese dishes we had to try when we went to Xi’an.  We did our very best to eat our way up and through the Muslim Quarter.  Some things, we had to try more than once or twice, just to give it a fair shake.

Rou jia mo is like a Chinese hamburger on a flatbread-type bun.  Every one of the 4 I tried (ha!) was fantastic, and the spicy vegetarian version (cai jia mo) was fantastic too.  Biang biang mian is a carbohydrate dream – wide, thick, long hand-pulled noodles in a sauce of varying spiciness.  Yang rou chuanr is a lamb skewer and at each stall, there are different spices available for you to add your own.  Cumin is a regular favorite.  There were sweet rice cakes, nutty candy, fried little potatoes, noodles, fruits and vegetables, drinks, nuts, breads and so much more.  Enjoy!

Lamb Skewers
Rice Cake
Character
Tourism
Packaging
Mmm, bread
Steaming
Yogurt
Aftermath
Tea
Sesame sauce
Gorgeous
Noodle Display
Biang Biang Mian
Nuts
Rou jia mo
And there you are
Street View
Cai jia mo
Hot Hot Hot
Taffy Pull

Build Yourself an Army

Is it only emperors who can build themselves an army?  My friend, the talented potter / highly educated chemist, can she build herself an army of ceramic cats to protect her from unseen forces?  If I buy enough souvenir Eiffel Towers and display them in organized columns, will they come to life and become my garde militaire?  Seems like reason enough to buy another Eiffel magnet.

Last month, I had the fortune to travel to Xi’an with friends.  It was a whirlwind weekend of seeing and tasting, laughing and thinking, being with people full of love.  It was a weekend of armies, history, emperors, relics, food and a little more food, and plenty of photos.

Xi’an, located in the heart of China in Shaanxi Province, was home to 11 dynasties over a period of 4,000 years.  Nearby is the Banpo site, home to a village in the Neolithic period, 6,000 years ago.  Xi’an was the farthest eastern destination of the Silk Road and the first capital of a unified China more than 2,200 years ago.   Today, it is home to 14km of intact city walls, pagodas, the Terracotta Army, and, in my opinion, one of the best history museums in the world.

In 1974, 3 peasant farmers were digging a well and came upon the tomb-guarding warriors of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.  Little did those farmers know that there were three pits and more than 7,000 life-size soldiers, archers, officers, horses and chariots.  Each one was once colored with pigment and had a weapon, and they all have an individual expression on their face.  Huangdi knew how to build himself an army for his life after death.

The Shaanxi History Museum is an eye-opening experience.  Not only can you see the terracotta soldiers up close, but you can see thousands of relics from the varied history in this province.  On special exhibit while we were there were relics discovered inside two large pots.  Again, a Shaanxi farmer was digging for something and found Tang Dynasty treasures instead.  This museum is amazing and the displays are very well done.

I’m not sure I can choose just a few photos for this blog post.  Keep an eye out for more on the food in Xi’an.  Enjoy.

Pose
Pit One
Humpty Dumpty
Line em up
54
General
Biang Biang Mian
Biang
Great Goose Pagoda
Could be anywhere
Muslim Quarter
Little Army
Pottery Barn
Faces
City Walls
Rent-a-Bike

 

Close your eyes and clone yourself.

Build your heart an army.

To defend your innocence

while you do everything wrong.

Don’t be scared to walk alone.

Don’t be scared to like it.  

…

Worry, why should I care?

John Mayer – “Age of Worry“.