Camera Critters #144 & Pet Pride - Misty and Katy, New Zealand - January 8, 2011

Many years ago, I did a wonderful cruise from Sydney, Australia to Auckland,

New Zealand.  By chance, I met Daryl McSkimming, an agricultural inspector from

New Zealand on the ship and we have been friends ever since ( sevnteen years now! ). 

What was so nice is that, when the ship got to Christchurch, after taking care of some

business, Daryl came back and picked up a friend and me, then took us sightseeing

and over to his house to meet his dog, Misty, before returning us to the ship and

saying farewell.  Twice, he's visited San Francisco, to inspect California grapes 

New Zealand was importing so we have seen each other over the years.  Just before

Christmas, he suprised me with a phone call!  I am so blessed to have him for a friend. 

I do hope, someday, to get to New Zealand again, to see him and to meet his wife, Rachael.

At any rate, I was going through some photos and came across this sweet picture of his

dog that I met back then, Misty, and Katy, his parent's dog.  I thought I'd put it on

"Camera Critters."

I am partcipating in Camera Critters and Pet Pride.

Check out both sites and join in the fun.



Watery Wednesday, #119 & Wordless Wednesday - New Zealand Scenes - December 22, 2010

Watery Wednesday, #119 & Wordless Wednesday - New Zealand Scenes - December 22, 2010

Mitre Peak, South Island, Fiordland National Park,  New Zealand

Wellington, North Island, New Zealand ( the capital )

I am participating in Watery Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday!

Check out the sites for some great photography.

Gunnera

Sixteen years ago, in January 1994, I boarded a United Airlines flight for Sydney, Australia and a wonderful 12- day cruise which visited Melbourne and Hobart, Tasmania before crossing the Tasman Sea, and sailing through the fiords of New Zealand.  After seeing spectacular Mitre Peak, we spent a day each in the New Zealand ports of Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch before disembarking in Auckland where I spent two days before heading home to San Francisco.  

In Christchurch, I visited Mona Vale Gardens, a spectacular showplace of beautiful plants and flowers.  I saw the most amazing plant there, with gigantic leaves that towered over my friend and myself like a giant umbrella.  I never got the name of it and, in a computer crash several years ago, I lost all pictures I had of this interesting plant.

This past week, I went out with my good friend, Joanne Olivieri ( aka Poetic Shutterbug ) to San Francisco's Botannical Gardens and, as we were walking back to the car after a morning of photography, there was the plant - actually, a whole row of the same plants - right in front of us.
These specimens looked like something from outer space ( well, I've never traveled to that destination but it's what I imagine you  might find on another planet ).  I did get quite a few pictures of this gunnera tinctoria plant which was tagged as originating in Chile.

According to Wikipedia, there are 40 to 50 species of this plant, of varying leaf sizes.  The plant is often called a "giant rhubarb" or "dinosaur" plant.  They can be started from seeds, bulbs or plants and need consistently moist soil, rich in humus but well draining.  They like sun but full sun can blister their leaves.  They will need a large amount of growing space as the plants can grow to 12 feet wide!

The young leaf stalks of gunnera tinctoria ( they can grow to five feet long ) can be cooked as a vegetable or eaten raw.  The roots are used to make a black dye.

Here are my pictures from the San Francisco Botannical Gardens.

San Francisco Botannical Gardens, Gunnera tinctoria, Chile

Unfurling leave of gunnera tinctoria

Prickly stem of gunnera

Gunnera tinctoria flower

"O" is for Opals - Alphabe Thursday, April 27, 2010

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday

I was born October 3, 1944 in Columbus, Georgia.  That makes me a Libra and my birthstone is the opal, one of the world's loveliest gemstones.  I wish I could say I had an entire collection of opals but, in reality, I possess one opal ring with a few Infinitesimal diamonds and a lovely crown pendant set in opals ( not very fiery ), again with a smattering of infiitesimal diamonds.  I have seen some incredible pieces of opal jewelry, during a visit to Australia in January of 1994 when I did a wonderful twelve day cruise from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand.  Australia produces over 90% of the world's opals  ( it is their national gemstone ) although some come from Virgin Valley in northern Nevada, Spencer, Idaho, the  Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Ethiopia.  According to NASA reports, opal deposits have even been found on Mars!

Photo by Opals on Black.com

This semi-black doublet came from the Grawin Fields of

Lightning Ridge, Australia

An opal is a rather complicated gem and there is much to know when buying one.  The internet has several good web sites with information on opals.
Check out wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal,
the GB Jewelers website at: http://www.gbjewelers.com/education/opals/opal-information.html,
 http://www.australianopals.com/

Photo  by Opals on Black.com

Opals on black doublet

Opals are composed of the noncrystalline form of the mineral silica and water, ranging from about three to ten percent but sometimes up to twenty percent.  They come in a range of colors.  The rarest and most valuable are red and black opals.

An opal is able to reflect and refract  specific wavelengths of light which is what makes this stone so special. 

Photo by Opals on Black.com

Opal on black doublet

They do require special care.  Since it is considered a "living" stone, it must not be worn when doing dishes, gardening, worn in a sauna or hot tub.  Heat is not good for opals.  Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner on them.  Clean only with water or facial soap and a nonabrasive pad or cloth.  Don't store them in oil.  However, DO wear them.

Many superstitions have been linked to opals.  Some consider them unlucky stones and its owners have met with disaster and death.  Others say these curses have befallen only those not born in the month of October.  So, if any of you have opals you want to discard, I'll be happy to send you my address.  

As for my dream of buying an opal in Australia, what happened to that?  What with having to purchase my flight to Sydney and home from Auckland, pay for the twelve day cruise, purchase two nights hotel in Sydney and Auckland ( and eat - heavens knows, I had fabulous meals at the beginning and end of my trip - plus exquisite wines in that part of the world ), my opal budget was down to $150 US.  I had a huge array of opals from which to choose - literally thousands of the world's most incredible stones but I found nothing in Sydney or Melbourne in my price range.  Sadly, at the last store in which I shopped in Hobart, Tasmania, I had given up.  It was time to get back to the ship.  I explained my situation to the shopkeeper who smiled and pulled out a small - but lovely - ring, set with three opals.  "You can have this for $150 U. S.  Joy of joys, on my finger it went, to the ship I went and I wore that opal for years.  The center stone finally fell out and, though I had it reset twice, it just wouldn't stay in place.  

I guess I should have gotten back to Australia before my job ended.