I wanted to get out of the car immediately and take pictures. But I had to get the car to the dealership because they do business on a first come, first served basis. I didn't stop to take photos. I also didn't make it to the dealership on time, so I made an appointment for Friday and went to the mall and wandered around downtown a bit.
About a half hour before OC was to get off work, I drove back to the University. My camera and I had an appointment with .... a barren tree. All of the gorgeous pink flowers had fallen to the ground. Not one remained on the branches.
Friday I again took OC to work. Again when we pulled into the lot, the tree was blazing in pink glory. This time I didn't ask OC if I had time to take photos. I knew I didn't. My appointment was in 45 minutes and I still had downtown traffic to negotiate. So what. I parked the car, got out and spent the next ten minutes snapping photos.
These flowers are called "Shaving Brushes". They bloom in the Spring before the leaves bud. As you can see, a bee was busy harvesting pollen.
The Shaving Brush tree is a hardwood, deciduous tree. The curled "ribbons" at the base of the flower are formed when the pod opens. These ribbons are very hard and leathery.
This last photo, like the first one, is of a white Shaving Brush Tree. If you look closely, you can see pods awaiting their turn to open. The tree blossoms every morning, and is barren by mid-afternoon to early evening.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Shaving Brush Tree
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Wet Diversity
As I've said, I adore Hawaii.
Here one can stand in the sunshine and the rain at the same time. I took this photo the other day at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. You can see the rain falling and the sun shining on the green leaves and the building beyond.
I took this picture from our lanai just before sunset on January 1st. You can actually see the rays of sunshine competing with the rain. I stepped outside and held out my hands. Rain fell into my right hand. My left hand remained dry. I was standing half in and half out of the rain shower. That is not an uncommon phenomena here in the Rainbow State — where liquid sunshine falls almost every day of the year.
The rain is warm and soft. Even so, we carry umbrellas with us every where we go. In a state with an almost constant humidity level of 80% or higher, once one’s clothing gets wet it tends to stay wet all day — and in air conditioned buildings that can get a bit uncomfortable.
Oh, and that sunset photo?
Did I mention that I adore Hawaii?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Lost Trees
The phone rang. She answered it.
He said: “So where was the torture tree?”
She said: “I thought you weren’t checking the blogs any more from work?”
He said: “It was lunch time, so sue me. Where is the torture tree?”
She said:”It is near that Indian place on campus where you like to eat.”
He said: “I’m coming up on the quad now.” Thirty seconds of silence. “Okay, I am at the Indian place. Where’s this tree?”
She said: “Turn around. It should be right there. “
He said: “Turn around which way?”
She grumbled, “I don’t know which way is which on campus. There’s a building and a white fence.”
He said, “White fence? I don’t see any white fence!”
She said: “You know, this could take awhile. I don’t want to keep you from work.”
He said: “I have a few minutes and people are asking.” Pause. “So, it’s not here. Which way do I go?”
She said: “It is near your building. I pretty much walked a wide circle around Bilger Hall.”
He said: “That helps. Here’s the Barringtonia tree. Now where?”
She said: “The tortured tree is somewhere between the Barringtonia and Campus Center.”
He said: “Okay.” She could hear his foot steps on the pavement.
She asked: “Hon, are you near the art building?”
He said: “I was. I can go back.”
She said: “Okay. I took pictures of the huge Baobab Tree near the art building.”
“Once you find it, around the corner to your right is the Orchid tree you tried to tell me was a tulip tree. Then the real tulip tree. And somewhere between there and Campus Center is a shack (portable) and the tortured tree.”
He said: “I can’t even find the Baobab Tree.”
She said: “Are you between Bilger and the Art building?”
He said: “Yes.”
She sighed: “You’re on the wrong side of the art building.”
He said: “Well, I was on the other side. I must have walked right past it.”
She said: “You need to go back to work. Thank you. I love you for trying.”
He said: “Well, I wanted to try because I love you, but I do have to get back to work.”
She hung up the phone thinking how lucky she is and what a special man he is. Then she called the optometrist and made an appointment to have his eyes checked. Meanwhile, he was busy in his office enrolling her in a geography class and a memory enhancement course.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Diversity, Part I
I love visiting the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Diversity abounds: the buildings, the languages, the people & their skin colors, and the plant life. Each step along every path brings something new and amazing.
For instance, this Coral Tree simply took my breath away. I stopped to photograph it, and a gentleman on campus stopped to query me. "What purpose is there in taking pictures of flowers?" He asked.
"Purpose?" I parroted and shrugged. "I just thought they were pretty."
"Pretty is not important." He flicked his hand like he was brushing away dust.
"But look at them," I pointed and said. "The shape --. The texture --. The amazing color --."
"Listen," he said. "If you want to see something truly amazing you need to study mathematics."
"But numbers aren't very photogenic." I replied.
He looked at me quizzically, shook his head and walked away. I was shaking my head as I watched him go.
Diversity.
Erythrina crista-galli, Fabaceae, common coral tree, origin, Brazil.
Zosterope japonicus japonicus, Zosteropidae, Mejiros or Japanese White Eye, named for the ring of white around it's eyes, is a song bird from Japan.
Diversity.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Hong Kong Orchid
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The University of Hawaii at Manoa
I went to the UH campus at Manoa as a tourist, so I can only tell you what I saw:
If chestnuts ....
. . . grow on Chestnut trees; Architecture: like most campuses that have been around for awhile (UH@Manoa was founded in 1907) the buildings are a mix of old and new, but that is not the only difference in style. As is befitting such a diverse campus, the architecture of the buildings, plazas, gardens and statuary reflects the many cultures that converge here.
And olives . . .Flora: there are no words that can describe the wonderful trees and plants growing on the Manoa campus. I ate a tangerine warm from the sun picked from a campus tree. I saw plants (including the Bird of Paradise above) with as great a diversity of nationality and color as the students. The heady fragrance of all the different blossoms had me running from one plant to another to sniff.
. . . grow on Olive Trees; Fauna: birds and cats co-exist on the campus. Most of the birds are tame. Most of the cats are not. (The links provide eloquent descriptions of each.)
Then what grows on Money Trees?Parking: there is none. Security guards man the entrances. They will be happy to sell you a $3.00 pass to the guest parking lot, but as a friend told me, "It is only a license to hunt, not the guarantee of a parking place." On the plus side, if you give up searching for a parking place in less then 15 minutes and leave the campus, they will give you your money back. However, if you should park even half-an-inch from a designated guest parking place, you will receive a $15.00 ticket. Btw, the guest parking lot will hold maybe 50 cars and it is FULL from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ha! You wish! Not even in paradise.