Focus on flowers

Not surprisingly, Waitakere Gardens is full of flowers.  Today's post will take a look at a few of them. Their colors and patterns astound me.  

(I hope you don't mind me taking a very close look at some of them.) 

The flowers below are gazanias (African daisy). They grow below and among the orange trees.  

I also took some photos in the garden that borders the café and some other places as well. 

I love taking a really close look.  I hadn't realized there were hairs inside.  

A sudden downpour chased me to the shelter of the covered footpath next to the café.  

I didn't mind, I had enough pictures anyway. In the foreground are some roses, and across the putting green and croquet court you can see the orange trees and gazanias.   -djf

You know, once when we were in Rotorua, we stopped in a park that, among other things, featured a garden for the blind. All the flowers planted in it were especially fragrant, and one could walk along the path and enjoy a constantly changing olfactory feast.  

I sometimes think that Waitakere Gardens is not that different.  I walk through it sometimes and find myself stopped in my tracks by a zone of "Wow!, does that smell good!"

We have a long summer ahead of us. I'll probably show you some more visual delights later on.  Stay tuned...                  -djf  

Eclipse of the moon, November 19, 2021, from Auckland, New Zealand

 

Jeanne and I went up to the top floor of The Vines, to our favorite Sky Tower observation lounge, assuming that it would be the perfect place to see the moon rise and the eclipse begin.  Of course, despite the fact that the weather report was for clear skies, they were actually anything but.  These first couple of pictures show you what we saw.  

We did meet friends up there, also looking for the beginnings of the night's excitement, and good conversation was a consolation for not being able to see the moon clearly.  These close-ups show it much better than it really looked.  

We left The Vines as the friends started to drift away, and came back down to our balcony to continue the watch. The clouds had become very heavy and prevented all attempts at pictures.  

Finally however, it cleared slightly and I was able to start shooting again.  The eclipse had progressed quite a ways along by then.  

I used a different setting for this picture and the next, hoping to see just how much moon 'was left.'  This one shows it at its minimum point, and the next shows it as it starts to come back.  

Sorry for the blurry lines on the next two. The color is great though.  They were taken about a minute apart.  

A haze continued to come and go and prevent clear shots.

Finally, as it got later, this was taken at 11:22 my time, the sky started really clearing up and the moon started looking normal again, naturally.  Murphy's Law, you know.   

Well, I'm thankful that I was able to see the eclipse as well as I did.  Some of you were disappointed with your weather and had to look for it in the middle of the night besides.  

My first shot was taken at 8:22 p.m., so it really couldn't have been more convenient for us.  

I hope that you've enjoyed seeing this. BTW, I just checked my statistics and found that I had passed the 50,000 views mark. I've had 77 views today. (11/19/21) That is way more than I usually get per day. (That number does not reflect views of this eclipse post) 

I guess I'll continue my posts for a while longer....           -djf

Near and far

I'm feeling thoughtful today.  One thing I thought about is that retirement is a time during which we should be especially aware of our world. Of what we've been given. In this post, I want to share a few pictures of my world with all of you. I've been looking both close around me and off into the heavens.   

I want to see things now that, during my working years, I had passed by, while focused on earning a living or missed, because of my schedule.  I have the time now to see. I don't have to get up at 3:45 a.m. in order to be a factory located an hour away by 5:30. I can stop to smell the roses.  I can stay up late, sit outside, next to the putting green and croquet court on the spectators' chairs, and take pictures of the sky half the night if I want to. 

On one of these really clear nights during this coming summer,  maybe Jeanne will want to stay up late with me.  We'll bring a bottle of wine and my camera and tripod.  We'll spend an hour or so enjoying this time of our lives, and photographing whatever is in the sky that night. 

I want to appreciate. Appreciate means to recognize the full worth of, to grasp the full implications of.  You'll notice that the word 'full' is used in both those definitions. That fits for me. I want to enjoy what I experience during these years to the fullest. To do anything less would to waste this limited time. 

I think also about some amazing people living here in our village. An opera singer, writers, and painters of impressive ability. And some others with vast experience in the world. I'm impressed that I am able to rub shoulders with them. They are fascinating to talk to. I don't have their skills or experience, but I can appreciate them. That's what I can do. 

Here is a video I came across that blew me away. What a world we have that such people want to share their gifts with us.  (this is not a video of a resident) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnCeEU3UMic  **

Understandably thunderous applause. The audience is appreciative. They are thankful for what they've been given. 

I want to show my thanks for all the beauty in my life as well. Not by applauding, but by noticing what is here, by paying close attention to what I see.  

Enough philosophizing Doug, get on with it....

 

Okay, sorry.  Here are my photos.  If you've been rushed today, try to slow down now and relax. I'm drinking a glass of wine as I type this. @@  Do you also need a treat of some kind?  Why not get it now, these pictures will wait. I think you deserve it.  

This flower is on a post by the front door of the Atrium.  

To recognize the full worth of...

This one is nearby.  

I came out to my viewing chair while still not fully dark.  Venus and the moon are very close together tonight.  

It's getting darker.  This photo is indistinct. I was experimenting but I like the result. It gives you an idea of what we'll be looking at next...I'll use different settings though. 

It's rather hard to see, but Venus is not round, it looks flattened.  We'll look at some close-ups next and find out why. 

Not bad, the humidity was 72% when I took this picture. I'm  surprised it's as clear as it is. 

In this shot, you can see Venus becoming a crescent.  Did you know that Venus has phases?  It does. But on a far longer time scale than the moon. It makes sense that it does but I never thought about it before. I'm going to see if I can get some additional shots as it changes. 

If you get a chance, go outside and look for Venus yourself. It is fairly close to earth right now and therefore very bright.  You might be surprised just how bright.  

The sky was full last night, my friends...Here is Jupiter and company.  While the moon and Venus were far to the west. it was directly over my head as I sat.

And now zooming in...I'm indicating with the arrow what I think is the red spot just coming into view. It is of course upside down from the way you generally see it pictured.  

And here is Saturn. I think this is the best picture I've taken of it so far.  It was slightly to the west of Jupiter and much fainter of course. I could see it easily by eye, but had a little trouble finding it in my camera's screen at low power. It was that dim, partially due to urban light pollution.     

To grasp the full implications of...

Well, that's it for today. I hope I didn't sound too 'preachy,' but in retirement, I'm a little like a kid in a combination candy/toy store.  There are just so many interesting aisles to run up and down. And just think, I can stay here until the store closes and there's no school tomorrow...or ever again for me.  Boy, do I have it good.      

** (YouTube video) Andrea Bocelli is an Italian tenor. He has been blind since the age of 12. 

@@ (I am drinking a glass of wine...)  Jeanne was cooking  'braised lamb steaks in red wine and rosemary.'  Wow. Best lamb I've had in a while, and that's saying something. 

Here's her recipe.

Dredge the lamb steaks, chops, etc., in flour, and brown with garlic and onions.

Add about a cup of red wine and a sprig of fresh rosemary. 

Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. 

Add salt and pepper as needed.  

If you're a person who hesitates to try lamb, this will convince you that it is delicious.   

Update: Here are a few more pictures. I took these on Nov. 9, 2021, the night after I took the previous photos.  

This is where I take my pictures from. What a view I have, huh?   

Although the sky looks blue in this shot, it looks black to me. It's a little after 9 pm. and is full dark. The setting I used seems almost like night-vision to me, but in full color. The shutter was open for a full second. I had a firm rest on the table next to my chair.  

I'm really pleased that we're able to see all four. Tonight, the planets and moon are arranged in a straight line. Venus is just above the roof top, then the moon of course, followed by dim Saturn and Jupiter highest up.  You'll notice that the moon especially is out of focus. Another long exposure and I hadn't brought my tri-pod.       -djf