Huli Wigmen – and a Woman The Huli are one of the most numerous tribes in Papua New Guinea. With their unique face painting and elaborate headdresses, they are also one of the most distinctive.
Papua New Guinea is fascinating!
Home to just over nine million people, at last estimate there were over 7000 different cultural groups with almost 850 distinct languages being spoken. The country is routinely touted as the most linguistically diverse place on the planet.
Sing sings, gatherings of tribes or villages to show off their distinct culture, dance, and music, are a powerful means of passing on traditions to the younger generation. I was at the Mount Hagen Sing Sing Festival with photographerKarl Grobl from Jim Cline Photo Tours and a small group of photography enthusiasts. The array of distinctive tribal groups was mind boggling (see: Mount Hagen)!
With over 250,000 members at the 2011 census, the Huli people from Hela Province in the Southern Highlands are one of the largest ethnic groups – and certainly one of the most distinctive (see: Meet the Huli Wig Men). Unknown to Europeans until 1934, they are believed to have lived in their region for many thousands of years. Their reputations as fearless warriors has helped keep their cultural and linguistic traditions intact.
Traditionally, Huli men and women live separately, with strict gender divisions in roles and responsibilities. Children live with their mothers while young, and at seven or eight years old, boys are sent to live with their fathers. Around puberty, they enter enter bachelor school – or Wig School – where they to learn how to become men. At this time, they start growing their hair – using a combination of magic and a special diet – to be made into the fabulous wigs that they known for. Most Huli men cultivate more than one wig, with some designed for ceremonial uses and others for everyday wear. Each wig takes up to 18 months to grow and shape, and the young men are forbidden from any physical contact with women while they are undergoing this process. All a man’s wigs must be completed before he is allowed to marry.
Given the strict rules under which these wigs are created, I was surprised to find young women among the Hulising sing group at Mount Hagen, albeit without the over-sized wigs under their feathered headdresses – and no amount of searching the internet shed any light on how this had come about.
Do join me in admiration of their wonderful face paint and ornate wigs!
Betel Stain and Bird Feathers Even in soft feathers and a big smile – stained with the ubiquitous betel chew – Huli men are a fearsome sight.
Ceremonial Winged Wig Huli wigs are crafted into different shapes: ceremonial wigs sweep up like the wings of a bird. The cassowary quill through the nose is traditional decoration.
Huli Woman Although the women’s headdresses are as elaborate in their concoctions of bird-parts and feathers, they are built on a foundation of cuscus fur rather than human hair.
Huli Woman in Face Paint The bright yellow clay, called Ambua, is considered sacred in Huli culture. Red ochre adorns the whole body. Of course, for sing sing displays, these colours are just as likely to be store-bought.
Flowers and Feathers Everlasting flowers and bits of greenery can be included in the intricate wig decoration.
Wigman’s Hornbill Huli men wear hornbill beaks flanked with boar’s tusks on their backs. The beaks symbolise strength and courage in battle.
Huli Warrior
Feathers Galore I have said it before: given the number of parrot and bird of paradise feathers that go into sing sing costumes, it is a wonder any birds survive in the wild!
“Kerapia Boys” A hand-written cardboard sign identified this group as the “Kerapia Boys”. I couldn’t find them on the map!
“Kerapia Boys Hela Wigmen” The Kerapia Boys included at least two young women and several very young boys.
Family Portrait Not everyone is a performer!
Kundu Drums Each small locality has their own traditional chant and drum rhythm, …
Wigmen Drumming … and the Mt Hagen show ground is a cacophony of sound, and movement, and colour.
Women with the Wigmen
Shell Necklaces and Feathers
A Clear, Strong Gaze These are a strong people – and it is good to see them passing their culture on to their young children; …
Huli Boy … some of whom are still far too young for Wig School.
Culture is never static.
Including young women and boys in the expression of age-old traditions would seem to be a sign that Huli culture is moving forward.
If the Huli can maintain important traditions while embracing the future and becoming more inclusive to the desires and competencies of different individuals within their community, I’m all for it!
Soldiers at Fort Nepean Port Phillip, in Greater Melbourne, was once the most heavily fortified port in the Southern Hemisphere. Here at Fort Nepean, Australian soldiers watched over the city until after World War II.
Point Nepean National Park is a special place with a long and visible history. It sits at the very edge of Melbourne, Victoria: the city wraps itself around Port Phillip, and from the southeast tip here at Point Nepean, you can almost throw a stone across the Victory Bight to the southwestern Melbourne suburb of Queenscliff.
For at least 6000 years, this has been part of the traditional country of the Bunurong People. A number of Aboriginal sites have been identified here, including coastal shell middens which might point to seasonal gathering-places for indigenous people – and certainly reflect their food-gathering practices.
I didn’t see any of these.
I did, however, see plenty of historic examples of European settlement in the region. There is scattered archeological evidence of pastoral and lime-burning practices dating to the 1830s. Shepherd Hut, which includes sections from 1845, is one of the earliest intact limestone building in Victoria and a rare example of employee housing.
The eponymous Quarantine Station was used from 1852 to 1979, and then became the home of an Army Officer Cadet School and the School of Army Health. Defensive structures dating from the 1880s through the 1940s are dotted around the park.
In more recent history, Australia lost Prime Minister Harold Holt here in December 1967. He went swimming at Cheviot Beach and was never seen again. Convention suggests he drowned; conspiracy theories speculate otherwise.
As well as being historically significant, the whole Port Nepean National Park area is a natural treasure. Although the wildlife isn’t as visible here as on Phillip Island – the peninsula just east of here (see: Sleepy Koalas and Moulting Penguins) – bandicoot and black wallaby live in these native bush lands. The park is criss-crossed with pleasant walks – and high enough to afford panoramic views in all directions. Only a one- to two-hour drive from the inner-city suburbs of Melbourne, these long-time Commonwealth and Defence lands were returned to the Victorian State Government after years of protracted political disputes and arguments about costs, including debates over who would pay for the clearance of unexploded ordnance.
Sandy Track From the carpark at the Gunners Cottage – built in the early 1900s – it is easy to pick up Coles Track towards Fort Nepean.
Myrtle-leaf Milkwort (Polygala Myrtifolia) Native to South Africa, milkworts thrive in these sandy coastal soils.
Myrtle-leaf Milkwort Flower As pretty as it is, the milkwort is listed by government agencies as an invasive weed.
Through the Moonah Woodland Coles Track was expanded to service a telephone wire to the Fort as part of Melbourne’s defence system during World War II. A number of German and Japanese destroyers, submarines, and other military craft, operated in Australian waters between 1940 and 1945, threatening the shipping industry and the war effort.
Over the Peninsula Water is visible on both sides: on the south we can see Bass Straight across the melaleuca trees.
Cheviot Beach These are wild waters. The beach is named for Victoria’s worst shipwreck, the SS Cheviot, which hit a reef in 1887, resulting in 35 of the 59 passengers drowning.
Plaque : Cheviot Hill Australia’s Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming in these rough waters in 1967.
Surf off Cheviot Beach
Container Ship Bass Strait is a busy shipping lane.
View from Cheviot Hill
On Defence Road No private vehicles are allowed this far into the National Park, but a periodic shuttle runs up and down for those who don’t want to join the walkers.
Inside Fort Pearce Tunnelled into the hillside, Fort Pearce was established in 1911.
Underground Part of Port Phillip’s defence system, the gun emplacements, underground ammunition storage, and tunnels at Fort Pearce were abandoned at the war’s end in 1945. Nature reclaimed them, and volunteers later spent years removing the sand and vegetation.
Lookout below the Fort
World War I Gun Emplacement The gun pits for the Mk VII guns were built in 1911. The munitions magazine is between the pits.
From Fort Pearce The fort affords wonderful views back over the dramatic cliffs.
Port Phillip Bay In the other direction, afternoon sea fog hangs over Greater Melbourne.
Looking back over Point Nepean From Fort Nepean, you can look back over the National Park and Port Phillip Bay.
Nepean Bay Beach These are reasonably sheltered waters, popular for swimming – but has to be wary of the strong currents and rips.
A Post in Nepean Bay The colours and textures in the protected waters are stunning.
Yellow-Flowered Succulent My walk back towards Eagle’s Nest takes me through beautiful vegetation …
Hideaway on the Cliffs … and along sandy paths. The hill at Eagle’s Nest is now home to a large radar tower – but was once the site of Australia’s largest disappearing gun: built in 1889.
On the Windy Cliffs My last stop in the National Park was at the Quarantine Station, established in 1852 – in what was then a very remote location – to house new arrivals to Australia and protect the country from introduced diseases. It was the first permanent quarantine base in Victoria and one of the earliest and most substantial in Australia. (What a shame we don’t have something like this today!)
The Quarantine Station The station was closed for quarantine purposes in 1980, but you can still wander around the nearly-50 heritage-listed buildings.
Although I only walked about eight kilometres, with the hills there was more altitude-gain than I am currently used to!
Fortunately, the charming Melbourne suburb of Portsea, right next door to the park, was once again open for cautious business after a three-week Covid-19 lockdown.
The only thing better than a history-rich hike is the coffee you reward yourself with afterwards.
Apples in an Orchard With Lake Zurich in the background, the orchards around the Bächlihof Farm at Jona are a perfect spot for a Swiss National Day breakfast. (iPhone5)
August 1st is Swiss National Day, and thanks to William Tell, Switzerland’s independence will always be associated with apples.
Who doesn’t know the story of that legendary Swiss hero? That mountain man, that peasant from Bürglen in the canton of Uri, who resisted the commands of a tyrannical overlord, and was then forced to shoot an apple from the head of his son. By shooting straight and true with his crossbow, he succeeded – and became a symbol of the struggle for political and individual freedom against autocracy. In some stories, he used a second arrow to kill the tyrant – sometimes named as Baron Gessler.
What a pity it never happened!
The events are said to have occurred on 18 November 1307 in Altdorf (German for ‘old village’). The first fleeting reference to William Tell is in a 1470 manuscript, and in 1550, historian Aegidius Tschudi elaborates on the tale and credits it as the start of the fight for Swiss independence.
But, representatives of the three forest cantons of Schwyz, Altdorf and Uri actually signed the original Oath of Rütli at the beginning of August in 1291 (see: In Search of William Tell). Resisting the rule of the House of Habsburg (Hapsburg), the fiercely independent people who had settled in these narrow Alpine valleys managed to cooperate among themselves and build the foundations of the Swiss Confederation (see: Swiss National Day).
Meanwhile, the apple story has appeared in the folklore of a number of nations, and a remarkably similar story to the William Tell tale was told in Denmark in the 12th century. But, don’t argue about that with a Swiss! Although Tell might have not been an actual person, his persona is central to Swiss identity. To this day, the Swiss pride themselves as people who value their independence and are prepared to stand against oppression.
Some years ago, we were staying with friends in Rapperswil-Jona on Lake Zurich (see: Lake Zurich) when Swiss National Day rolled around. It was, of course, a Public Holiday, and an ‘adventure farm’ nearby was putting on a breakfast in honour of the day. So, we started our day surrounded by orchards of apples and other fruits, and sampling the glorious pastries made from them.
Then, like any good Swiss, we went for a walk. We meandered pleasantly past typical low-country villages, medieval churches and ancient pilgrim pathways. In the charming harbour of Rapperswil-Jona, we boarded a boat, and motored two hours across Lake Zurich, to the city of Zurich itself. There, we lunched at a popular traditional Swiss restaurant in the Old Town and wandered the ancient streets before returning home by train.
Everything seems so delightfully close and easy to get to in Europe!
Apple Orchard Safe under the bird-netting at the Bächlihof Farm, row after row of apples are trained up poles.
Nashi Pears (Pyrus Pyrifolia) Apples are not the only fruit trees growing on these extensive grounds.
Damson Plums (Pyrus Pyrifolia) I love the colour of these beautiful plums. They are made into Slivovitz (plum brandy) all over Europe.
Apples There are several apple types growing here: they all look delicious.
Pears
Schopf The wooden function buildings at the Bächlihof Swiss Farmhouse are quite elegant in their simplicity.
Cakes and Pastries Inside Heugade, some of that fruit has been baked into wonderful pastries that are part of our National Day buffet breakfast.
A Girl and a Pony We might be only 40km from Zurich, but the walkways around Lake Zurich have a very rural/small-town feel.
House in a Field Busskirch is a small but historic village on the northern shore of the lake, within the local municipality of Rapperswil-Jona.
St. Martin Busskirch The early medieval parish church of St. Martin is popular for weddings because of its pastoral charm and idyllic location on the lake.
St. Joseph The largest religious group in Switzerland is Roman Catholic, and St. Martin Busskirch is one of the oldest churches here.
Tidy Graveyard The small Busskirch cemetery rests over the remains of a 1st to 4th century Roman building. Swiss graveyards are strictly controlled and immaculately maintained. To deal with lack of space, burial plots are on a 25-year lease. After that time, plots are emptied and readied for the next burial.
Pink Japanese Anemone (Anemone Hupehensis) I associate Switzerland with flowers: hedges, window boxes and garden beds – everywhere.
Family Outing A family of mute swans (Cygnus olor) wander through grass along the lake’s edge.
Sculpture in the Garden Our lake-side walk takes us past the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil Campus (Fachhochschule Ostschweiz Campus RJ), where some beautiful, large sculptures rise out of the gardens of grass and sunflowers.
Rusty Curves I love the texture of the rusty metal, and the luscious curved lines.
Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden This is the narrowest spot on the lake, and two bridges cross from here. This wooden pedestrian bridge between the Rapperswil and the village of Hurden stands in the place of bridges dating back to time immemorial. Prehistoric timber piles discovered on the other side of the lake date back to 1523 BC.
Under the Bridge The other lake crossing here is more modern in conception: the Seedamm, is part bridge and part artificial causeway.
Waterfront We, however, are crossing the lake the long way: by boat. On the harbour, we get a lovely view of the ships in the port, the beautiful old buildings dating back to the 1200s, and the castle at the top of the hill that we walked around on another day (see: The Roses of Rapperswil).
Rapperswil Waterfront On the water, we get a whole different view of that wonderful medieval architecture that gives the little city its character. Hotel Schwanen is in a building dating to 1233. The Curti House to the left, dates back to the 16th century, with mosaics and paintings added in 1894.
Tourist Boats on Lake Zurich We are not the only boat on the lake.
Cottage on Lake Zurich Our boat makes a short stop on the opposite side of the lake …
Woman on the Waterfront … and passes a number of other piers …
Limmat River … before cruising into the river outfall at the southern part of the city of Zurich.
Limmat River and the Waterfront The church clock of St. Peter is the largest tower clock face in Europe, with bells dating to 1880. Consecrated in 1706, St. Peter was the first church in Zurich built under Protestant rule.
The Grossmünster and the Hans Waldmann Statue Die Altstadt(“the old town”) of Zürich dates before 1893, and every brick has a story to tell. Foreground here is the 1937 equestrian monument to Hans Waldmann (1435 – 1489). He was a Swiss military leader and mayor of Zurich. In the background, we see the Romanesque-style Grossmünster, a Protestant church built between 1100 and 1220.
Dolce&Gabbana The historic city houses some very up-market shops!
Freunde für Immer– Friends Forever All over Europe, bridges strain under the weight of locks put in place by friends and lovers.
‘Guardian Angel’ In the Zurich railway station, a piece by French-American sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle watches over us.
Back on the balcony at the home of our hosts in Rapperswil-Jona, nature treated us to a late afternoon rainbow over the lake, and the municipality treated us to fire works after dark.
Hindu Priest Making Offerings Time and space have a different meaning on the banks of the river named for the Sacred Mother Ganga. Every nook and cranny along the ghats of Varanasi houses a priest or acolyte or religious ascetic, engaged in meditation or study or constructing ritual offerings.
I was already in love with India when I made my first visit to Varanasi. That magical northern city exceeded my already-high expectations and left an indelible impression.
The spiritual capital of India, Varanasi (Benares, Banaras, Kashi), sits on the left bank of the Ganga (Ganges) in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Dating back to the 11th century B.C, it is one of the seven sacred Hindu cities. We first arrived at the ghats, the stairs leading down to Ganges, in the dry heat of the afternoon. The air seemed to vibrate with electricity, and in this holiest part of the holiest of cities, it was easy to believe that this energy can infuse you with its special magic.
Certainly, the Varanasi ghats attract a range of people – most with lifestyles very different from my own. I found myself slowing down and musing about the nature of human existence and endeavour. As I watched people engaging in their spiritual practices, I had a visceral understanding of how different our perspectives on the world, and our place in it, really can be.
It was a long time ago now. If there is an up-side to our Covid-closed borders and seemingly endless lock-downs, it is the time to revisit old photos and relive memories.
Of course, as I’ve said before, going back to old photos is always risky! I’ve reprocessed these, as when I took them I was not using Lightroom. They were taken on an old camera that was always a bit ‘soft’ on focus, and some of my settings were questionable. But, I hope they convey something of the pulsating heat, and the magical spirit of the place.
Revisiting them certainly put a smile on my face.
North Indian Fields As we ride the rails southeast from Delhi to Varanasi across the fertile Indus-Gangetic Plain, I’m reminded of how much space there still is in the second-most populous country in the world.
Grain Stacks Indian agriculture is labour-intensive, employing over 40% of the country’s workforce.
Schoolgirls By contrast to the open countryside, the streets of Varanasi are narrow and full of daily life, …
On the Ghats … and the buildings on the ghats stretch off shoulder-to-shoulder into the hazy distance.
Boats on Assi Ghat The ghats are haphazard, and dirty – and quite magical. Going from south to north, Assi Ghat is the first of the 88 or more.
Boats on the Ganges The heat and the smells envelope me as I watch life unfold.
Three Boats on the Ganges
Gangamahal Ghat The unique old buildings add to the feeling of timelessness. The Ganga Mahal (palace) was built in 1830 CE by the Narayan dynasty.
Man in a Niche : Tulsi Ghat Every niche houses a mystic …
God in a Niche … or a sacred shrine.
Priest Making Offerings A bit further along, I came upon a young Hindu priest constructing the complex offerings to the Mother. We silently acknowledged each other, and he went back to his work as I watched and photographed.
Burning Incense
Flowers and Smoke The offerings contain a number of elements – which were later explained to me by a lovely young woman in Haridwar (see: Street Scenes and Portraits).
Hindu Prayer Book
Hindu Priest The process continued, and the candle and incense burned. The kumbh (copper pot) sits ready with sacred water from the filthy river.
Pilgrims on the Ghats Everywhere I look, there are pilgrims and sadhus with their swags; who knows how far across India they have travelled to be here.
Candy Colours on Vaccharaja Ghat
Everyday Life
Boats tied Up All along the cluttered waterfront, dilapidated wooden boats wait for work.
Pastel Paint I am captivated by the colours …
Rough Wood … and the textures.
Buffalo on the Ghat Buffalo wander freely …
Cows on the Ghats … and cows sit contentedly at the water’s edge.
Buffalo in the Ganges This stretch of river near the cremation ghats is full of buffalo escaping the heat, …
Boys Splashing in the Ganges … and the local children join them.
Ablutions To bathe in the Ganges is to wash away your sins – making it an attractive proposition in spite of the unholy pollution of the water.
Clay Cups This was the trip that I learned how wonderful masala chai – made with buffalo milk – truly is. Like the milk and water in this picture, it is served up in little single-use clay cups: when you finish, you smash your container on the ground.
Dog on the Ghats They told me that the masala chai here at Maharaja Harishchandra Ghat was the best: I can’t disagree!
Shiva Shrine I sat in the shade with my spiced tea, marvelling at the confusion of the colours …
Indian Woman in Red … and the welcoming warmth of the smiles.
The Chai Wallah’s Daughter Education is compulsory and free in India for children aged 6 to 14, but opportunities are still limited, depending on the class you are born into.
Revitalised by my rich tea, I continued my explorations (watch this space!).
Given the opportunity, I would go back in a shot. Magic. Just magic. People say that there is something in the air in Varanasi. Certainly, my impressions of the city have never left me.
[…] I was captivated: the dry heat was uplifting, the air was electric, and the people were both fascinating and welcoming (see: Life on the Ghats). […]ReplyCancel
Graham -June 5, 2024 - 1:14 pm
I arrive in Varanasi on October 9
I can’t wait to experience meeting a Hindu priest this will fulfil my life I have 5 weeks to see and pray 🙏ReplyCancel
Sierra Lily (Lilium Kelleyanum) Could a wildflower be more elegant? The Sierra lily, also known by the common name Kelley’s lily, grows up to two meters tall in the wetlands of the High Sierra.
There is a special magic about alpine flowers in their natural habitats!
They are ruggedly unique, suited to their particular alpine environments, and yet delicate in their beauty. Whether it is in the Swiss Alps (see: Rainy Alpine Hillsides) or the Snowy Mountains of Australia (eg: Alpine Flowers and Summer Snow), there is something uplifting about fields and meadows of seasonal wildflowers.
So, I was thrilled when a friend of mine wanted to organise a week or two of wildflower photo-walks near her homes in the Eastern Sierras while I happened to be in North America. When the time came, our other intended photography-companions ended up elsewhere, so it was just the two of us following the hiking trails and seeking out the sights of Mono and Madera Counties, high in the mountains of California (see: Waters and Wildflowers).
Of course, you can never predict the best time for wildflowers, as they depend on the elevation, the depth of the winter snows and length of the winter season, and the timing and generosity of the spring showers. Still, California’s tourism trades on “blooms” and advertises the flowers of Mono County as arriving late May, hitting their peak late in June, and lasting through July. Hedging our bets, we’d planned my trip for mid-July, and the flowers did not disappoint.
We were based in the town of Mammoth Lakes, and had spent the morning hiking and photographing in the Devils Postpiles National Monument (see: Devils Postpiles and Rainbow Falls). From there, it was a short drive to the Red’s Meadow Area of Inyo National Forest. This is access point for the Agnew Wildflower Loop, an easy one kilometre (0.6 m) loop through lush, upper-montane grasses, and a variety of wildflowers.
When I’d had my fill of lilies in the Agnew Meadow, we drove the twenty minutes across to the base of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, and took the gondola up the hill to see what was blooming there.
Agnew Meadow is at 2316 m (7600 ft) elevation; the base of Mammoth Mountain is 2743 m (9000 ft), and the top of the Panorama Gondola is 3369 m (11,053 ft). Naturally, flowers growing so high above the tree line are going to be compact and low to the ground, and therefore less ‘showy’ than the Sierra lilies on the Agnew Wildflower Loop. I loved them anyway – but was disappointed not to be able to get names for most of them!
Join me for some summer blooms in the Eastern Sierras:
Agnes Meadows Wildflower Walk This area is known for larkspur, lupine, lilies, columbine, and Indian paintbrush – some of which we didn’t see.
Sierra Lily (Lilium Kelleyanum) To my mind, the beautiful blooms of the Kelley’s lilies more than made up for any missing flowers in the mix!
A Single Bloom The large, bell-shaped, yellow to orange flower has six long stamens hoping to attract swallowtail butterflies for pollination.
An Inflorescence Each lily stem can produce up to 25 golden flowers.
Swamp Onion (Allium Validum) The common swamp onion – also known as wild onion, Pacific onion, and Pacific mountain onion – is native to the west coast mountains of North America.
Common Yarrow – Achillea Millefolium A member of the aster family, the tall, white yarrow has a long blooming season.
Monkshood – Aconitum Columbianum I had trouble distinguishing the monkshood from the larkspur and lupine, but – based on the leaves – I’m pretty sure I’m right about this one.
Golden Buttercups – Ranunculus Occidentalis
Yosemite Onion – Allium Yosemitense Or another swamp onion? I’m going by the colour, but to my eye, it could be either – or something else entirely!
So Pretty – So Poisonous! The California corn lily or California false hellebore (Veratrum californicum) is a tall, pretty, and extremely poisonous plant native to these hight mountain meadows.
Over the Mountains As we drive out of the meadow and back to Mammoth for lunch before ascending the mountain, we get views over the rocky crags and pine forests.
Panorama Gondola The cable car up Mammoth Mountain takes us from 2743 m (9000 ft) to 3369 m (11,053 ft).
Summer Ski Slopes The ride up the hill affords some great views …
Through the Gondola Station … before landing us at the top station.
Gondolas on the Mountain The mountain rises high above the township below, …
Summer Snow … and the views extend in all directions.
Dirt Bike Riders on the Slope Like many other ski resorts, Mammoth Mountain has gone to some lengths to attract summer visitors.
Low Rise Alpine Flowers I loved the fuzzy, curling leaves on these little yellow flowers. I think they are one of the many hymenoxys genus, but I can’t find an exact match.
Tiny Succulents In this high and arid environment, plants need to be low and compact to survive.
Lakes Basin from the Mountain
Sunny Yellow Flowers Another lovely yellow flower; probably another hymenoxys.
Purple Flowers in the Gravel This tiny little flower reminds me of the monkeyflower group – but again I could find no match on line.
Tiny Flowers Standing Tall
Tiny White Alpine Flowers I think these pretty little flowers are ‘Moonbeams’ (Clematis x cartmanii).
Cycles at the Top of Mammoth
Mammoth Sculpture After descending Mammoth Mountain, we pause to admire the giant mammoth statue outside the Visitors’ Center.
[…] took the hike to Rainbow Lake (see: The Devils Postpile), before walking around Agnew Meadow (see: Wildflowers). We passed it again, on our way back to the starting-point for the gondola to the top of Mammoth […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
If the Huli can maintain important traditions while embracing the future and becoming more inclusive to the desires and competencies of different individuals within their community, I’m all for it!
Back on the balcony at the home of our hosts in Rapperswil-Jona, nature treated us to a late afternoon rainbow over the lake, and the municipality treated us to fire works after dark.
.jpg)
