Thursday Thoughts – The Butchart Gardens

/ Leya / 25 kommentarer

119 years ago, The Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC, was transformed from a quarry to the lush haven it is today. And it is still run by the same family. Jennie Butchart had a dream, and she made it come true – for future generations to enjoy, spending some lovely hours walking here.

The Sunken garden was such a beauty seen from the top of the stairs. And we were lucky to have delightful weather too.

This is the first gallery from our visit, but there are pictures for one more post. I’ll save it for another grey day…

Yes, everything is grey here in Sweden now, rain and sleet, winter knocking at the door. I hope you too had an uplifting and delightful walk in the gardens!

Lens- Artists Challenge #276 – Looking up Looking Down

/ Leya / 62 kommentarer

We welcome our guest host this week, James of JazziBee blog. He wants us to look both up and down to find interesting things…and indeed that is something at least I should do more often! So many times I have rushed ahead missing out on things above or on the ground – and many times behind me.

Walking in forests are rewarding, and even more so if you remember to look both up and down. It is not easy to see anything if you look sideways in a dense forest, but the Amazon canopy and forest floor are amazing. Not many plants grow in the faint light on the forest floor, but there are tiny mushrooms and ants for example. Lizards and frogs can be found on tiny leaves there too.

Swedish autumn usually displays a colourful canopy and looking down the water reflection and the fallen leaves make for a golden treasure.

Happy Danish skies! During a kite festival you have to look up – and I guess you cannot miss out on that!

Then look down when the party is over… inflated kites look quite awesome too. The very size of them is impressive.

Finally some structures and buildings that I found really interesting to look both up and down from, from the inside as well as the outside! A fascinating Kew Gardens installation (do you see the two feet in the first one?)

And Seattle’s Space Needle. Very special both of them, and in the last image, I could look down on the girl who was looking up, and at the same time see all the way to the ground as well.

Many thanks to Anne of Slow Shutter Speed for hosting last week’s challenge ‘Fill the Frame’ – thanks also to all of you who sent in such a marvellous range of frame-filling responses. Next week’s challenge will be set by Patti, so please look in on her Pilotfish blog for inspiration.

Thursday Thoughts – Back to Seattle

/ Leya / 15 kommentarer

Some memories from a beautiful city – starting with Chihuly of course!

It was also wonderful to photograph something for my uncle’s wife, Ann-Marie. She and my uncle, Kurt, lived over there for 17 years, mostly in Houston, Texas, but they got married in Seattle. At the World Fair in 1962, Kurt hosted the Swedish section, and met some famous people (like Robert Kennedy…) – I don’t know if he met Elvis, but I saw photos of him too at the inauguration of the Space Needle.

I know the young couple tried the monorail, which is still there today, but I could not find the exact place for the Swedish pavilion.

The more I visit cities with high rise buildings and skyscrapers, the more I use B&W. But Pike Market had to be featured in its own colours!

I loved especially the fish market, where fishes were thrown out to the buyers – from one hand to another. A merry market indeed!

Finally something seen from the Space Needle,

and from above the harbour area with all its piers.

I loved the view of the Seattle Great Wheel (opened in 2012) and its surroundings. In morning haze and B&W it emitted the atmoshere of an old movie.

So, Thank you, Seattle, for having us!