KenKen Photoblog: flower

Showing posts with label flower. Show all posts

The Vineyards of Santa Ynez

Right after I moved to Santa Barbara, I went on an afternoon trip over the San Marcos Pass... and to the Santa Ynez Valley. I knew a little bit about the vineyards in the area, but had not ventured out there for several years. At the time, I had a rental car, no map, and my phone had just died. Therefore, I thought I would wander around and see what I could find. During that trip, I stumbled upon three vineyards that are still amongst my favorites in the region: Bridlewood, Brander, and Beckmen (just realized that they all begin with the letter 'B').

Bridlewood: Delicious Syrah wines and beautiful grounds. The property was once home to an Arabian horse farm and an equestrian rehabilitation center. The design of the winery pays homage to California's historic missions, with a Spanish-style bell tower, breezy verandas and a fountain surrounded by a stone courtyard.

Brander: Probably best known for their Sauvignon Blanc, they also have some fantastic reds. My favorites are the Cabernet Reserve, Bouchet (blend), and F-Red (Cabernet Franc). The tasting room is a bit cozier that the vineyards in the area, but the great wine and friendly service keeps me coming back.

Beckmen: Specializes in estate-grown Rhone Varietals. This vineyard is tucked away from the main road (not quite sure how I found it)... and the grapes are grown on a 365 acre ranch called Purisima Mountain Vineyard. It is an incredibly beautiful landscape.

"Our Lady" of Paris

One of the most notable monuments in Paris is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame is a French title for the "Blessed Virgin Mary" (hence the reason for so many Notre Dame Cathedrals scattered throughout the world). This Catholic treasure is over 800 years old and is located on a small island called Île de la Cité (in the middle of the river Seine). The building of the cathedral took almost 200 years. It started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.

As is the case with most notable historical monuments, The Notre dame Cathedral Paris has had its share of glorious and tragic historical moments. Among them is the crowning of Henry VI of England right inside the cathedral in 1431. The Cathedral was at one time in a stage of total disrepair and close to the point of being demolished, but was later saved by Napoleon who himself was crowned Emperor in 1804 inside the Cathedral. After restoring the Cathedral back to its formal beauty and in the midst of World War II, it was rumored that the German soldiers might destroy the newly installed stained glass. It was therefore removed and only reinstalled again after the war ended. The steps were taken because of a archeological glass window called "Rose Window" which was the biggest glass window in the world produced in the 13th century. Joan of Arc was also beatified in the Notre Dame cathedral in 1909.

A notable artifact is the famous bell that has been redesigned to ring automatically. Any visitor to the bell tower should be prepared to climb the 140 steps staircase to see the historical bell and have a glimpse of the city of Paris. Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, the 17th century organ, with all of its original parts, is still functional. There are also drawings, plans and engravings which showed the old and hidden mysteries of several of the church developments and how the city of Paris came into being.

A Flowery End of Day

Using the sunset as a backdrop at Butterfly Beach.

Bali Life

Despite being part of a country with the largest muslim population in the world, the primary religion in Bali is Hindu. Religion (and family) are a big part of people's lives in Bali... and this is extremely evident when exploring the country. Puras (temples) and shrines are everywhere... and with an estimated 20,000 puras, Bali is know as "the island of a thousand puras" or "island of the Gods". The temples feature intricate details/textures and are very beautiful. The first photo in this series is one of the many temples in Canggu.

Family is also a very important part of the culture. Unlike western cultures, where children leave the home when they come of age, families in Bali live together in compounds and stay together throughout life. Everything an individual earns goes to the family and is shared. It makes for a very interesting way of life.

The other photos (and video) in this series are from inside a family's compound. I was lucky enough to be invited inside to celebrate a ceremony with them. Ceremonies take place almost every week (which makes it difficult to do business in Bali since employees will be taking lots of time off)... I happened to be there during the midst of a ten day festival called Galungan. It was pretty awesome to share this experience with the family.
(The gamelan music in the video is pretty sick... has a great beat)

If you look closely, one kid learned how to use his middle finger (I promise that I did not teach him that).

Too cool

Yes, those are peppers in the pig's noise/mouth/head.

Magical Garden

When I was staying in Bali, this is what greeted me every time I returned to the villa. It was like I was walking into some type of magical garden. It almost doesn't seem real...

Spring Into Spring (2012 Edition)

Everything is starting to come back to life again after a relatively mild winter in Boston... flowers are blooming, temperature is staying above 50F, outdoor patios are open, and farmers markets will be starting soon.

I'm planning to dedicate the next several days to posting images related to spring time. Enjoy!

The Flower Hat Canopy

Just outside the giant Times Square building in Hong Kong was a hat display. Upon first glance, it looked like you were walking under a canopy of flowers... however, upon closer inspection, I realized that it was all hats.

Malibu Life

Cruising down PCH, my father discovered a little restaurant perched upon the cliffs of Malibu overlooking the ocean. If you're looking for good food, drinks, celeb watching... or just want to enjoy a nice view, I recommend stopping at Geoffrey's. These were a couple of images I took while relaxing for an afternoon glass of wine.

The Wedding Singer

A wedding party and their photographers stroll around the Boston Public Gardens while a man strums a guitar in the foreground.

Purple Door

I'm not quite sure why, but I really love the entrance to this house.

Nature Walk Around Las Flores

One thing that I've learned from my many surf trips over the years, is the importance of pacing yourself... especially if you're in a warm/tropical environment. With this in mind, I decided to take the afternoon off from surfing and take some pictures in the shade (going surfing again this evening).

Street Art - Quebec City

A person kicking a soccer ball that's also holding flowers? Is there some sort of historical significance to this?

July 18, 2011

My last set of photos from El Salvador. I went for a drive up one of the volcanoes and ended up at this little town of Alegria. It was amazing how much the temperature changed as we got to the top of the volcano... I was actually a bit chilly. Because the temperature was cooler, they were able to grow a much wider variety of flowers. Alegria is a very rustic/old fashioned and it had amazing views of the surrounding countryside. If you're in the area, I recommend getting an AWD vehicle and making a trip to the top.

July 16-17, 2011

Looking at the surf spot (Las Flores) while eating lunch.

Some additional photos from my trip to El Salvador. Definitely had a great trip... friendly locals, great food, amazing surf, and a beautiful countryside. I'm really going to miss waking up to the sound of the ocean every day.

Surfer exiting water after a long session... exhausted but completely content.

Looking down at the Las Flores resort from on top a hill (in the jungle). The massive amount of plant life definitely helped shade the resort and keep things cool.