Laughing in the Face of Death (Valley) V:

 Desert Flower

I love surprise. I love juxtaposition. I love contrast.

Whether it's an outburst of life in an inhospitable environment, sudden silence in a world that's become way too loud, or a taste of coconut in a meat dish (thanks for the beef rendang, Alissa!) - these moments are why I explore. 

For me, travel is a search... a search for moments to be strung together in a necklace of beauty.

Wisteria Flowers in Japan:

 In Nara Park, at Kasuga Taisha

Currently, there are stunning wisteria flowers hanging over the San Tomas Expressway near my house.

There's something very wabi-sabi about seeing beauty in an otherwise 'ugly' place.

In honor of those heroic highway flowers, here's an image of wisteria in Japan. I took this photo at Kasuga Taisha, a quiet shrine nestled against the hills of Nara.

I chosen to accompany it with one of my favorite haiko by Matsuo Basho.

exhausted, i sought  

a country inn, but found 

wisteria in bloom