The uncaged bird

I really dislike the whole feeling of taking pictures with my phone and can't wait to get my regular camera back in my hands. There is no way to be discreet. Anyhow, I made it out into the world today! I don't understand why the bus that goes downtown doesn't come back up but it was a breeze in the morning. I went to Powells, of course. And Oblation and a few other places in the general vicinity.

I walked by all these doors and stopped because though it is not beautifully rendered, I thought instantly of India. It was so nice to just wander, smell the donuts and see the lines for the donuts, and enjoy the quiet of Monday morning when businesses are barely waking up.

One major problem with phone cameras is that you can't see the screen in certain light (unlike traditional viewfinders). So I didn't realize I cut off the top word of this, which was Lee's. Lee's bees!

At the beautiful oasis known as the Chinese garden, daphne.

The nickname is too perfect: Drama Girl

She IS dramatic.

Lots of stone, different ways of seeing.

Banana. Not just good for papermaking but good in lieu of paper (those who could not afford or access paper but still wanted to study would write onto banana leaves. I loved the painting of exactly that in the Oberlin special collections). I enjoyed the correlations between fish and abundance, and between banana trees and self education.

Part of the Edgeworthia family! I wanted to make paper with this. Tetrapanax was there but I couldn't find it. The fragrances in this garden were heavenly, unreal.

One of many perfect views (framed to block out the ugly high rise that was behind).

They say the black stones are 10 degrees warmer than the white ones. Hardy folks on the tour went barefoot. I was not one of them but loved how the patterns changed in different parts of the garden.

Bamboo and a cut-out treat.

I delighted in this b/c I was born in this cycle: year of the snake.

Back near home, after plenty of wandering, sun, and good Thai food. I was very pleased with the easy walking, easy bus stop and schedule finding, easy pace. I got back in time to nap and take a super chill yoga class. It would have been perfect if I hadn't come back to see that the gorgeous flowers from the opening had become massive ant habitats. I already have a terrible aversion to ant colonies ever since I lived with them in Korea. But after a bunch of cringing, covering my hands with gloves and rushing the arrangements outside, running to the store for more ant traps, I showered, cooked, and calmed down. So I am happy again, especially since I have a new batch of bark thread I made last night, and Rachel did a sweet post for my book.