All of these photos were taken by me on Monday during my visit to the Botanical Gardens. I planned on this just being a Wordless Wednesday post with photos until I visited the Gardens website and found that due to budget cuts etc... the gardens will fall to demise unless they begin charging an entrance fee. There have been mumblings and rumors about this over the past year with a lively debate. Now you all know that I am there on a regular basis. If it has to permanently close I WILL NOT be a happy camper. The gardens have always been free unlike all the other venues in that area to include the DeYoung Museum, The Academy of Sciences of which you almost have to be a millionaire to afford their entrance fees, The Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers. My position is that the Botanical Gardens should begin implementing fees. Why not? Everyone else charges fees to maintain their venues. If you buy a membership to the gardens which is as low as $60.00 per year, round...
Comments
I am visiting your site for the first time, having come across from my brother's link to here from his "Ruminations of a Small Town Mountain Boy" blog. And charmed I am to have done so.
First, the image above startled me immediately as your site came in to focus on the screen. As I have stood in that self-same spot and snapped a probably similar, though likely less well balanced photo. I felt immediately a welcome familiarity and wondered if the photo, for you, is of home, or just a visit.
Then, upon reading the poem beneath the image, I was transported for a moment again to the mist wet walls and asian mountain vista's, hill tops hidden in rain bellied clouds, of the Great Wall near the Badalong Gate; the people jostling around me whispering or calling out in jarring Mandarin, Cantonese, and a myriad of other less dominant, yet present foreign-to-my-ear languages; moments of marvelously enticing scents from grill seared meats of several creatures woven onto sticks; and great piles, and strings, and tumblings of colors rich and subtle, shiny or intricately textured, fur, jewel, glitter, sheen, and tinklings of coin across arthritis twisted palms ~ assessing clever eyes above near toothless grins, incense weaving amongst the stalls at the gate.
Anyway, thank you for posting that poem, so evocative of Asia ~ for the little trip back into my memories of China and Thailand. An excellent poem, and excellent shot of the little point below Cliff House.
Robert - Thank you. That means alot coming from a fanastic a writer as you.
Glynis - Imagery is important so I am always working on that aspect of my poetry. Thanks.
Kel, thanks so much for your kind and poetic words. The site photo is that of ocean beach in San Francisco where I live. The poem ia about my journey through Hong Kong. I will have many more.