Fall 2014 (Cont.)

Monday, 10/20/14

 

8 years ago when I worked and lived in Reno, I had a drama about an apple from my little apple tree outside of my house. 

What I learned from that experience was -- life's moments are to be recognized, captured, cherished and fully enjoyed!

To that end, after 2 weeks vacation, I took another day off today to chase the amazing fall colors!  It was a gorgeous day in Chicago, so I drove to Starved Rock State Park.  I picked today in hope that no one would be at the park.  It was great -- there was me and the golden trees, the rolling hills covered with colorful leaves, hundreds of birds singing happy songs and gentle winds making the leaves dance...  Pure joy!!   

Pictures = Fall 2014

Starved Rock State Park, IL

October 20, 2014

 

 

The Yellow River

I had a chance to spend a few days in Shanxi province while in China, and visited the ever-so-famous Yellow River.  The reason the river is so yellow is because it flows through the loess plateau in China.

The Yellow River is the third-longest river in Asia, following the Yangtze River and Yenisei River, and the 6th longest in the world with the estimated length of 3,395 miles. Originating in Qinghai province of western China, it flows through nine provinces, and it empties into Bohai Sea in Shangdong province. The Yellow River basin has an east–west extent of about 1,180 miles and a north–south extent of about 680 miles. Its total basin area is about 286,659 sq miles.

The Yellow River is called "the cradle of Chinese civilization", because its basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and it was the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. However, frequent devastating floods and course changes produced by the continual elevation of the river bed, sometimes above the level of its surrounding farm fields, has also earned it the unenviable names China's Sorrow and Scourge of the Sons of Han.

The Yellow River is one of several rivers that are essential for China's very existence. At the same time, however, it has been responsible for several deadly floods, including the only natural disasters in recorded history that have killed more than a million people. The deadliest was a 1332–33 flood that killed 7 million people. Close behind is the 1887 flood, which killed anywhere from 900,000 to 2 million people, and a 1931 flood that killed 1–4 million people.

Yellow River, China

October 8, 2014

 

 

Fall 2014

Feels like work has taken over my life lately... It took away most of my time, my mind, and more importantly, my sense of artistry.  Believe it or not, I have not taken any vacation time off since April when I went to China -- go figure!  I am soooo tired!!

Since I will be out of the country on vacation for 2 weeks starting this weekend, I sneaked out last weekend and took the one and only autumn picture of 2014.  Not sure if the leaves will still be here when I come back, but I am keeping my fingers crossed -- really, truly hope I could see more of the amazing fall colors...

You have no idea how much I regretted for not being able to spend more time at that sweet little pond, but I hope the colorful sentiment has been captured!

Woodward Lake, Michigan
September 27, 2014  

Chinese Moon Festival: 2014

It's Chinese Moon Festival today.  It's on August 15th each year based on the lunar calendar.  For some unforgivable reasons, I did not take any pictures of the "full" moon yesterday, and obviously, the name of the game today is work.  So, I don't have any full moon pictures for 2014 -:(((.

However, I found a picture taken last year when I was visiting Inner Mongolia in China.  It was a full moon on 10/18/2013, and the skies in the desert were unbelievably clear.  I remember being taken to this famous "dead tree forest" in the desert, where hundreds of acres of dead trees laying around silently with different sizes and shapes.  I was deeply touched by the deadly quiet surrounding and started to imagine the place from a hundred years ago when the trees were all alive... It was the golden season there in October, the trees, the leaves, the water, the soil, the grass, the birds, and everything -- so harmoniously composed, like a beautiful poem.

Now, a hundred years later, water disappeared, trees died, leaves gone, only the lonely tree trunks are still standing -- in the wind, in the rain, in the cold and in the heat...  The moon would rise and set every day and turn full every month -- this is the circle of life, circle of the world, and circle of the universe!

Picture 1 = Full Moon in Twilight (the reddish colors of the tree trunks and the sky looked totally unreal -- but that's the way it was)

Picture 2 = Same kind of trees today (胡杨林) -- 20 miles from the "dead trees forest" 

Inner Mongolia, China
October 18, 2013

Saturday Morning

I've told myself over and over again -- photography is largely not about technical skills, it's about being out there to see the world.  Even if it's the same part of the world, you are likely to see different things each time because nature is a wonder and the world has its endless beauty...

Downtown Chicago, IL

September 6, 2014

5:51 AM

Lake Mead in History: August 2014

Traveling for work this week so I had a chance to visit Lake Mead near Vegas.  Many thanks to my friend James who took me to this historical site.

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead is 112 miles long when the it is full, has 759 miles of shoreline, is 532 feet at greatest depth, with a surface elevation of 1,221 feet above sea level. When filled to capacity, it has 28 million acre-feet of water. However, the lake has not fully reached this capacity since 1983 due to a combination of drought and increased water demand.

The part of the lake I visited earlier this week has completely dried up, and this is a 70-year historical record.  I am thankful to be able to see a piece of the history where a trace of the struggle between human and nature can be found...

Picture 2 shows where people used to dock their boats, and the white line on the side of the mountain indicates the water level from 30 years ago -- pretty incredible and unforgiving stuff !! 

Lake Mead, Nevada
August 27, 2014

Hawaii, the paradise... (11)

I would not have done justice to the Big Island had I not showed you Kona Village -- the west side of the island.  So, here it is -- the desert side of the paradise!! 

We didn't have enough time to go back there for the 2nd time during our last trip, but I would like to visit Kona Village again next time.  When you drive to the west side of the island, it feels like you're in a totally different world.  The land is covered by the lava rocks, deserts and those tiny little grasses.  Human "intervention" is significant there, as evidenced in Picture 1, where expensive resorts have been built on top of the lava land!

Wish I could go back to take photos of the little grasses under the setting sun.  They grow under harsh conditions, but to me, they look as attractive and beautiful as all other green grasses...  I am sure that during each sunset, they get to show off their unique beauty in golden color...

Big Island, Hawaii

December 2, 2013