A Tree Grows In Sacramento - A Really Small Tree!

A Red Japanese Maple - I Have The Dwarf Variety
Small with Small Leaves - Much Smaller Than this Monster

Hello Fellow Travelers!

The highlight of my regrowth summer so far came from a little nursery via Amazon.  At the gym I go to, there's a dwarf Japanese Maple growing just outside the window of the treadmill I use.  The pool is visible from the window.  The small, delicate, leaves frame the window from my treadmill creating a perfect azure view that I can focus on as I walk to nowhere.  Or it would have been perfect, azure viewing serenity if a certain chubby, hairy, oily, Speedo-wearing (unfortunate clothing decision) dude had not elected to park his corpulent carcass directly in my visual Nirvana.

Really?!?  I fought brain cancer so I'd get an unobstructed view of this?!?

Seriously?

At home, there is only the tree and the work.

No excuse to complain. (Don't worry, that won't stop me)

Never a spoiled POV.

Thank you, patient spouse, the little maple tree totally works, I love it!

The symmetry and elegant structure of this tree are very inspiring!

Not as inspirational as say, being able to walk would be, but motivating nonetheless!

This dwarf maple I planted is barely more than a shrub but it will grow, hopefully, just as bushy
and red as in this image.  I can't brush a dog but I can care for a shrubbery!

Or I can complain incessantly until someone takes care of it.

I love this "little tree" idea well enough to get another one.  A sequoia or whatever creepy tree was on the edge of that cliff in "The Ring".

I also welcome any excuse to use the word "shrubbery"- (Always loved "The Holy Grail")

Bring on the trees!  The dirt!  As long as they stay outside...

Jewel Toned Explosions - Now We're Talkin'...

Hello Fellow Travelers!

Barrels of "Wildfire" - Game of Thrones' Nitroglycerine

For years now the creators of all things badass have fed us every combination of every action actor walking with fire and/or explosions going on behind them - as if the director is trying hard to remind the audience just how "badass" the particular actor is. Like, "she's walking away from exploding objects so she must be dangerous!  Or a well paid actress.  Either way, boring!

A lot of action driven video involves someone walking very slowly in front of things blowing up.  I've never understood that either - if  there was an explosion behind me I'd run (or wheel) for the border!   North or South!  I guess walking non-nonchalantly in front of bomb-like pyrotechnics is supposed to show the rest of us "nervous-nellies" how cool they are. I just always think these people don't have the good sense usually found in goats!

Whatever the reason, actors routinely walk towards the camera seemingly oblivious to the incendiary mayhem going on behind them. We get it.  They're really cool.  Boring!

What isn't boring?  What is visually eye-catching to this cynic?  A really big green explosion! I mean huge!  Like in the "GOT Season #6 Finale"!  It was Emerald City sized!  And Emerald City colored!  What was so surprising to me was not the explosion itself but the impact that the green color gave to it!  Smoke colored smoke is, well, smoky.  You can't see anything!  An emerald colored, glowing fireball?  You can (and want to) see everything!

I'm loving green.  As Leslie Caron said in  "Gigi", "The best emeralds have the elusive hint of blue."  I would say on this explosive annual American holiday, "Look at all the fireworks, especially the green ones with a hint of blue!"

Or, as John Candy commented once when reviewing an action film, "It blew up real good!"

Red, White & Blue and Green?

It's all beautiful when it's on fire!

Happy Independence Day!