Fabulous Felines – #140 – The Great Sphinx of Giza

Maybe the most fabulous feline of all time? A matter of opinion…

From Wikipedia: The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).

Twenty years ago I enrolled in the now-defunct Archaeology Certificate Program at the Cotsen Institute (UCLA). At the time it was the hardest thing I had ever done but I made it through and enjoyed every minute. My main interest was Roman mosaics. But then I fell in love with Egyptian history and vowed to visit the country before I left the planet. The opportunity arose in February 2023 and a friend and I made the long slog on Qatar Airlines to Cairo.

I could write a book! As my companion so aptly commented, she is enjoying the memories of the trip more than the actual trip itself. I’m still working my way through the approximately 1500 photos I took with my trusty Canon T7i DSLR and my new Galaxy S22 Ultra phone. (A short while after I returned home the S23 came out but I have no complaints about the S22.) I’ve been posting handfuls of photos at a time on my Facebook page (along with all my other adventures). Look for Roslyn M Wilkins if you are interested.

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden – My Impressions

The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was created by Kinzuchi Fujii between 1935 – 1940 for Charles and Ellamae Storrier Stearns. Fujii (1875 – 1957) designed and built Japanese landscapes across Southern California in the first half of the 20th century. The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden (located in Pasadena, California) is his only remaining garden. It is also the only intact example of a major Japanese-style garden created before World War II for a residence in Southern California.

This pond-style stroll garden features a fifteen-foot waterfall and a formal teahouse on approximately two acres of land. The garden is considered by many to be a masterwork and it demonstrates the adaptability of Japanese culture in modern America. Under the direction of Dr. Takeo Uesugi, landscape architect, professor emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was faithfully restored from 2007 – 2013.

Photography copyright roslyn m wilkins

Happy New Year!

Freddie and I wish you and your four-legged* friends the best year ever! (*Or however many legs they may have.)

Fabulous Felines – #133 – life on mars

I watched the live stream on February 18 of the Perseverance landing on Mars. I was very excited to see the first photo transmitted from the planet’s surface. Imagine my surprise when Freddie’s head popped up! He’s gone missing before but this is the farthest from home he has ever traveled. Fortunately the Starship Enterprise was in the vicinity and was able to transport him home.

Nobody has been using the cat condo lately so I decided to take it over as a foot rest while watching TV.  Of course as soon as I did that, Frankie figured out it was the perfect place for him to hang out. CATS!

And I wonder why my clothes always come out of the dryer covered with cat hairs. Don’t worry, I had the setting on delicates so he didn’t shrink too much!

Fabulous Felines – #132 – blankie time and good news for cougars

Usually no matter how much coaxing I do, Frankie will not take a nap with me on the sofa. He actually craves being picked up, but only in the kitchen for whatever weird reason.

(Freddie has no such problem and will often settle down with me on the sofa whether I want him to or not.)

However, lately it has been VERY chilly (for Los Angeles) and my heater doesn’t do a good job. So Frankie has been forced to come and snuggle with me in the evenings… two evenings in a row in fact, wow, a miracle!

Unfortunately for him I don’t sit still for very long but when I move him off my lap he stays under the blanket purring loudly. 

Good news for the Mountain Lions of Los Angeles

Two decades of study by the National Park Service in the Los Angeles area has shown roads and development are not only proving deadly for animals trying to cross [the freeways], but have also created islands of habitat that can genetically isolate all wildlife—from bobcats to birds to lizards. The species most immediately at risk, the mountain lion, could vanish from the area in less than 50 years. Of all the area roads, multiple research and planning efforts have identified the 101 Freeway as the most significant barrier to the ecological health of the region, and a possible extinction vortex.

Recently I was on a Zoom meeting sponsored by the West LA Group of the Sierra Club regarding the overpass. It seems that by the end of 2021, if everything continues on track, work could begin on the world’s largest wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon, less than 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles as the crow flies or 40 miles by freeway (64 km). Very exciting news.

For more information please visit the Save LA Cougars website here!

Magical Memories – #7 – Santa Fe, New Mexico 2014

April 2014 I attended a photography conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I extended the stay by a couple of days so I could walk around on my own to take some photos. This was my third visit to the area and at the time I decided I didn’t need to go again. But six years later if somebody asked me to accompany them on another trip I wouldn’t turn them down! 

The top photo was taken on Canyon Road where a lot of artists live and there are many galleries of all kinds. 

I discovered this lovely doorway as another student and I were wandering around town on a break between classes.

I got out of the general tourist area and found myself at the railway station just as the Railrunner Express was pulling in to make the perfect photo.

To see more of my Santa Fe photos from this trip, follow this link!

 

Magical Memories – #6 – Miami 2013

Palm trees before a storm is my favorite photo from a trip to Miami in April 2013. I had my DSLR for about 4 months and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I was still using it in Automatic mode like a point & shoot camera and only shooting JPEGs, not in RAW. I didn’t know much about photo composition either, but as an artist and graphic designer I suppose it was innate. Nevertheless, looking at this photo today I can see if I had moved around a little I could have done a better job positioning the buildings. I had it printed on canvas and hung it in the bathroom where I still enjoy looking at it. 

You can view the original posts (4 of them) with more photos by starting here: https://onegoodlifetravels.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/miami-an-unexpected-love-affair-part-one/

Fabulous Felines – #131 – formerly known as Feline Friday

Frankie says: not only is this a cozy box to hang out in but it also makes a wonderful scratching pad… especially at 2:00am when the sound ricochets around the house.

Frankie and Freddie had a conference when I was out of the house and informed me that they can no longer keep up with the schedule of Feline Friday. This was a huge relief to me and honestly, the only reason I didn’t change it myself was because I thought they were attached to the idea of Feline Friday. We unanimously decided to change the name to Fabulous Felines. 

This photo of Fitzbo (on the top shelf) and Foothill (on the bottom shelf) is a throwback to the late 1980s/early 1990s. Fitz was a girl and Foothill was a boy. They were devoted to each other.  

Freddie just wanted to drop in to remind us that Frankie isn’t the only one who does boxes.

Monday Magical Memories – #5 – Visiting the Parthenon in Athens of the South 2014

When I visited Nashville, Tennessee in January (2014) the last thing I expected to be doing was walking up the steps of the Parthenon, temple of the Greek goddess Athena.

On a tour the day before the International Tour Management Institute symposium started, we had driven past Nashville’s replica of this iconic building in Centennial Park. I knew I had to come back on my own and investigate. So on the last day I skipped the seminars and farewell luncheon and trudged up to the park in the bitter cold. There was actually a heatwave that day… a high of 35 degrees F (1.66 degrees C)… twenty degrees warmer than the previous few days!

To see all my photos from this visit, please click here: https://onegoodlifetravels.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/visiting-the-parthenon-in-athens-of-the-south/

Monday Magical Memories – #4 – Snow in Yosemite 2018

The rain started during the night… yes, actual wet stuff! It’s been raining on and off all day and is still raining this evening. It may be tapering off now and there is no more rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future. It’s been chilly too, only a high of about 48° F (about 8.8° C). I’ve been thinking about snow and how wonderful it would be if it snowed for just one or two days in the flatlands of Los Angeles (we do get snow in the mountains and foothills). Well, that is unlikely and also fortunate because people don’t know how to drive in the rain, let alone snow! But in the meantime, I’m looking back at my trip to Yosemite National Park in February 2018.

On the last morning of our trip I woke up early (as I usually do), opened the drapes and was surprised to see it was snowing. It had been cold but we weren’t expecting snow. I woke up my roommate by yelling, “It’s snowing!” She stirred in her bed and said, “Yeah, right,” and went back to sleep. She didn’t believe me.

I ran outside with my camera and started shooting. Such a wonderful sight. The scene above was the view from our window. It doesn’t get much better than that! I was back in Yosemite at the same time this year but no snow in sight.*

 

Yosemite is magnificent in any weather but in the snow it is magical! I feel fortunate to have been there at the right time in 2018.

*Correction: just to set the record straight, looking at my photos from this year I now remember there was some light dusting of snow at the higher regions but nothing we could walk in.