The California killer frost of 2007 is old news. Under Jia's direction, Geoffrey had planted 30 young trees to make up a hedge around our front yard in 2006. They didn't stand a chance when the cold struck in winter and even now with Victoria Day Weekend soon upon us, all but two are still barren of leaves and apparently dead, not sleeping. They are ficus, the same sort of tree Jia's father has painted many times, known as rongshu in Mandarin, and found all over the tropics. We also had one large, very expensive ficus bonsai in our collection and it too lost all its leaves. New sprots have appeared at the base of the trunk, but the branches are all dead. Such as shame.
The new news is that we photographed those bare branches all day yesterday and late into the night, both with our still camera and our new HD video camera from every angle possible. They will make for some very dramatic imagery one day. An artist never wastes a thing. We have the garage to prove it.
Recent Posts
What Jia's reading
Mitch Albom: Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
I've just started reading this simple book: it's easy to read and understand.- Yang Zhijun: Tibetan Hound [Zang Ao]
The author thinks wolves are like selfish, devious and violent, but the Tibetan hound is loyal, elegant, brave and proud. - Jiang Rong: Wolf Totem [Lang Tuteng]
This is the true-life story of a man who went to live with wolves in the Mongolian steppes, and like Dances with Wolves, he comes to appreciate the native Mongolian relationship with nature as the shortcomings of Han Chinese culture become more apparent.
What Geoffrey's reading
Andrew Hussey: Paris: The Secret History
This is soft, anecdotal history without hard facts or convincing arguments, but it's still a fun read. Influenced by the History Channel and London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd, it features the unwashed, licentious and satanic elements of Parisian society.Thomas Gordon Smith: Vitruvius on Architecture
This is a beautiful edition of a text I've always had in the inexpensive Dover version, but have never taken time to read. It is the bible of classical architecture, the Roman source and inspiration for all Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque styles to follow. Smith has done a wonderful job of annotating and illustrating the text with original diagrams and numerous photographs.Richard Phillips Feynman: The Pleasure of Finding Things Out and the Meaning of It All
Our son has been admitted to California Institute of Technology, so I have begun to read about one of his heroes, the late Caltech professor of physics Richard Feynman, who was ever ready to admit his own ignorance and his belief that healthy science is based on an acceptance of doubt. This is an enlightening read.W. Allyn Rickett: Guanzi
Masterful translation of the classic Chinese book on statecraft and economic management, begun in the 3rd Century BC in the state of Qi (Shandong today).- Ben Okri: Songs of Enchantment
Simply one of the most evocative writers in English today. Ben Okri won the 1991 Booker Prize for The Famished Road. This continues the story of a boy torn between this world and the world of spirits. Connie Willis: To Say Nothing of the Dog : How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last
Fun blend of time travel scifi, costume drama and romance. A summer read recommneded by Book LustMargaret Atwood: The Robber Bride
Takes me back to the Toronto of my tender years.
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