We hiked a few mountains in Japan, each with different flavored pathways. . .
Maybe I can be one of those photographers who shoot pics of sublime Buddhist temples. Anyone who sees my photos should experience an overwhelming sense of well being. Inner peace. Instant karma. Deep contemplation. Intense stillness. A blissful separation between mind and body. A transcendent feeling of oneness with the universe. And a spiritual acknowledgement from the all-knowing god telling them that they’ve taken their first steps on the glorious path towards enlightenment.
But forget all that crap and check out my photo. Awesome, right?
Me in my bubble. . . . sort of like this blog.
At the end of our trip to Japan we made a quick stop at the Kenrokuen Garden, one of the few places on the planet that successfully combines all six elements of excellent gardens as defined in the classic Chinese text, Rakuyo-Meienki: spaciousness, seclusion, watercourses, antiquity, panoramas, and artifice. Yep, artifice.
From the pamphlet, artifice was defined as, “Ponds, streams, famous trees, mountain views integrated with the garden, a valley in the mountains that suddenly appears, etc. all considered and created by human skills. Other types of human skills are the skills of Kenrokuen’s gardeners, who have been caring for the garden for a long time, refining its beauty while making use of techniques passed down from generation to generation. . .”
Then I spotted them, the gardeners, the great masters of fake nature. I bowed in respect.
Santa Monica Pier . .
We took a little trip to Oaxaca to visit family and had a long layover in LAX. So I had fun doing a montage of wildvertising. Why do airports love wildvertising? Perhaps because they are such sterile and well-controlled places, antithetical to nature? Do these ads promise escape?
the original influencer. . .
a bear with a backpack. . .
ecosystems. . .
how long can you go?
wildest day ever. . .
views for days. . .
Virgin Mary painted in tree. . . .
At the Wild Horse Pass Sheraton, outside of Phoenix, they installed a bar inside of a fake cliff dwelling and decorated it with appropriately reverent artifacts. Perfect place to booze and shmooze.
Sedona Arabella Schnebly tempting people with apples, offering knowledge of good and weirdness.
Love the desert-themed murals in this Tempe mall. . . showing on the inside, what was once outside.
