Musings

Don’t these mushrooms look a bit like pale beige turtles? 🐢

Here’s why I was thinking about turtle shapes. It’s from Peter Hessler’s “Learning to ski in a country of beginners,” in the 21 June issue of The New Yorker. The Country referred to is China. Present-day China.

Many beginners wore accessories known as huju: protective gear. Huju consists of three large stuffed animals that can be strapped onto the knees and the backside, in order to cushion a fall. The most common huju comes in the form of green turtles, but there are also brown bears, pink pigs, and yellow SpongeBob SquarePants. There doesn’t seem to be any social stigma attached to wearing these things, which are common at ski resorts across China. At Wanlong, it wasn’t unusual to see a hip-looking snowboarder in his twenties, dressed in fashionable ski clothes, with a huge turtle on his butt.

What kind of huju is your favorite…for skiing or whatever else? Is it plush? 🐢

Posted at 9:13 PM | Comments Off on Mushroom pair

I’m astounded by the hot temps from northwestern central North America. This is climate change combined with an Omega weather pattern. It’s only going to get worse. And perhaps accelerate.

Posted at 9:13 PM | Comments Off on Fasten your seatbelts

The thoughts you have when I suggest “humid”—not humid enough to nail the air condition this morning. Outside, I mean. Where it’s not air-conditioned.

Posted at 9:10 PM | Comments Off on Muggy, sticky, stifling

To the right of the pair of poles and below the horizontal lines, there’s a double loop of wire, with a large tubular Element. There’s another Element above, attached to the horizontals. I don’t know what those Elements are called or what they do, but they must be important, as they are scattered about. Always above ground…. Nothing to do with the No Parking sign, however, I am certain. 😉

Posted at 9:32 PM | Comments Off on Mild confusion

In general, humans tend to pattern recognition.

Here’re a pair of architectural detail patterns, the kind that aren’t typically included in a book of architectural details. I especially like the flanking solar lights.

Posted at 9:16 PM | Comments Off on Patterns

Still glorying in lily season. Particularly enjoying the deep red orange hues. Other years I’ve loved the pale yellows more. Why the change?

Posted at 8:27 PM | Comments Off on Mystery of life #422.8e

I see from the Great Database that is The Cloud that some hostas do bloom in relatively saturated purples; however, around here, they are usually rather pale

This cluster is quite purple-y, and I perked up when I found it.

Little did I know that (some part of) hostas are also edible.

Posted at 8:16 PM | Comments Off on Cloud info

Art? Material culture? Sly reflection on plastic in our modern world? Celebration of pinkness?

This one’s easier; it’s gems decorating hardscaping…the intent is pretty-fication. Aesthetics.

Posted at 9:54 PM | 1 Comment »

Most saturated hydrangea. Ever.

Whatta neighborhood! We have a Beer Car. 😎

Alterations along the BeltLine. Looks like an elongated pond. We’ll see if it stays that way.

Posted at 6:30 PM | Comments Off on Neighborhood notes

Since yesterday (at least), our weather has been greatly affected by that tropical depression that moved north out of the Gulf. This morning fairly early I checked the prediction, and figured we’d see rain all day, off and on. Then, about 10:30, I saw that the temperature predictions had changed, and rose significantly into the afternoon, which I figured meant that the sun would come out, and…I should get out before that happened unless I wanted to melt.

I did do ho-hum, and got my shoes on and headed out, enjoying a few random drops from the trees. Then I saw a bit of shadow, and thought oh no, I didn’t move fast enough. But the sun retreated and I kept moving through the humidity that the overnight rain had engendered, got my minutes in, and returned soaked in sweat, but not as overheated as I would have been if I had left later.

First photo: droplets on spreading grass. Second: crepe myrtle bark, soaked. Third: magnolia blossom, newly opened so dry inside the petals.

Posted at 8:04 PM | Comments Off on Rolling with change