Botanical Garden, Melbourne

One time I was sent down to Melbourne, Australia for work. Always the adventurer, I looked forward to my free time to see the sights. One day I wandered over to the Botanical Gardens. The garden was large (I passed it every day going into work) and there were many activities within the park, so I knew it was well visited by tourists and locals alike.

There was a section called Grey Gardens, named because the plants all have a grey or silver tone to them. After the vivid green in other ares of the garden, this section was decidedly 'grey'.

I had to check it out because I recently watched this movie, and I wanted to see if there were any similarities. But alas, there wasn't a raccoon or cat to be found. Not even a dancing Edie.

Great Wall of China

On my last full day in China, a trip to the Great Wall was required.  We went to a site called Mutianyu which was a bit further away from Beijing, but it was still pretty touristy with many vendors available for souvenir purchases, a couple places to get a bite to eat, and even a spot to slide down from the great wall to a nearby parking lot.  I'm sure that part wasn't original.  :)

Being on the wall allowed for some great views.  This was one of the openings from a lookout tower on the wall.  Almost every opening had fantastic views of the wall or the surrounding landscape.

At the top, the wall was 5 meters wide allowing for many people to easily walk between towers. Signal towers were used at high points to communicate oncoming advancements along large wall sections.

Openings in the walls itself framed the nearby terrain.  I love the layers of mountains that are visible in this shot.  I'm sure the rope lights were a recent addition.

Canyon Clouds

I really love the Grand Canyon and therefore I've gone far more often than the average person.  Usually Arizona is filled with sunshine.  And occasionally a cloudy day.  But every once in awhile, you'll see the clouds descend and play with the mountains (or in this case, canyon walls) making for a totally unique view.

There is something eerie about seeing nothing but a foggy mist beyond one of the canyon walls.  I have taken this photo many times.  Usually the frame is filled with layer after layer of rock and vegetation.

And this shot is one of my favorites.  While the distance is barely visible, the trail into the inner canyon is clear.  Such an unusual day at one of the world wonders.

Volcano National Park, Hawaii

These little flowers really struck me.  They are so colorful and delicate.  And yet they must be strong and forceful.  Afterall, they are able to successfully grow in lava.

These photos were taken on the Big Island of Hawaii in Volcano National Park.  This area showed how the lava flow essentially overtook a nearby town, flowed over the cliffs that existed just beyond that horizon line in the photo, and grew the island by inches at a time.

But I like thinking about how after destructive things happen, new beautiful things have a chance to grow.