Now it's Sunday morn and as I drink my Zen green tea with a slice of fresh lemon and a dollop of honey to sooth my sore throat (Yes, I still have the sniffles and the sore throat), I know I won't be going out today, I still want to take a walk, if only in my dreams....so come along...let's go back to Bellingrath Gardens and stroll through the Oriental Gardens. The path winds downhill to the first of several pools.
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Continuing on the path, one crosses an arched Mandarin red carved bridge.
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I took more then several shots of this bridge from many angles and wrote an article about the variations of a subject.
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This was another entrance to the Oriental Garden that I passed along the way.
Sei-He-Ki
"Man and God becoming one"
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Would you care to have a spot of tea in the Tea House? From the deck we could see a traditional Oriental home across the way. I took several shots from different angles.
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I like the reflection of the house in the water in this picture. Are not our dreams reflections of our thoughts?
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I like the image I captured through the sculptured wood bridge.
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Now I needed to go back and take a closer look at the roof.
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What are the elements of an idea
Could it be the lattice work or
the curved arches curling
towards the heavens?
Could it be the vibrant color
kissing the cypress tree
or is it the reflection
in your eyes as
I speak your name?
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Comments: 70
I adore this series of your photo essays even more dearly than the others - they are so unique and such a museum unto themselves.
They have made my morning on this chilly, wet, damp cold March day.
May. Whatever.
Your article is Featured in the Triple Name Club.
(In other news, I was at 1369 Cambridge yesterday after shopping at Saucony for new running/walking sneaks.)
Just the perfect photoessay to enjoy on a sunny Sunday morning. Thanks for sharing your photos, Bob!
I loved the bridge photos... so serene and elegant. The framing of each subject, the light and shadow effect of each image, just wonderful!
Thanks so much for posting this to
my group
I did mine a few wonderful articles out of Alabama, didn't I? But of course that's because I was traveling with a "local" and she knew just what she was doing! Thanks, Faith.
It all depends on my mood what book I pick up! Papa thinks I have ADHD. Lol
That's my favorite too. It's like a puzzle, like life itself and you only have access to parts and only in the end will you understand the ALL.
The day was just perfect...the lighting could not have been more favorable. We did not plan it that way...it just happened.
It was fun this morning to get lost in these pictures and remember the time in the garden... two friends enjoying each other and an environment each loved.
I couldn't believe Biloxi. Although the gaming houses are all "spruced up" the general area down by the sea is just quite a mess. Most of the beautiful homes have been destroyed and there's just one vacant lot after another with rubble still standing. Sad.
You must remember, I went to Alabama in April not July or August. Come the summer months, Faith assured me we would have had to stay inside with the air conditioning. One day when we were walking around a Civil War battlefield in Blakeley State Park, we were hot and sweating....and Faith said, "Bob, we could never do this in July". I quite agreed!
Lynne...thanks for the book "Last Child in the Woods"... what amazing research this guy has done. Now we know what we need to do!
I( cannot say which photo I like most, because I like them all! see what means to be greedy..never satisfied with only one..ha!
get well soon my friend
As for sniffling and sneezing, it has gotten better since we last talked on skype.
Last two essays I have been using a template magi sent me to record images and I kind of like it. Makes it easier to talk about the various images.
Simple, yet lovely verse to end - such a smile the last lines bring to me. :-)
Someday now that you are retired I need to amble on over to your home and maybe we can have a tea party and talk about our dreams. I would like that. I do so like the name Marmalade!
You certainly are changing my preconceived but inaccurate views of Alabama. And it wouldn't surprise me in the least if this A Little Bit of the Orient in Sweet Alabama is featured on Gather's front page.
Alabama or at least the Gulf shores surrounding Mobile is absolutely beautiful...Faith certainly lives in a place that is exciting as well as historic. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there....and yes, these were beautiful gardens.
That's almost a poem. See you this afternoon!
Thanks for letting me tag along again.
poetic to perfection
the curious eye
captures and enraptures
Glad you enjoyed the essay.
Thanks so much for posting this to my group All Photo Essays Here!
Beautiful essay.
Feel free to download and print the Mandarin Red Oriental bridge. I am thinking about doing the same and giving it to Mom for Mother's Day.
Thanks Wilma...Alabama provided much fodder for the mind. Sometimes I think it's good to get out and experience something different.
Isn't it just fun being a nature freak. That's the thing about Gather...for people like us we can travel and experience all kinds of places just by reading other people's photo-essays.
I loved your photo essay yesterday on the Nature Reserve in Southern California. As you well know, Lake Elsinore I called home for two years in the late 70's.
Such a lovely place.
Not only your writing and photography ... but your ability to see things through interesting perspectives. The pic through the latticed wood was wonderful.