Truer Words - A Journal

Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilacs IV - June, 2005

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 01:11:11 GMT

My Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilacs put on quite a show this year.

Best ever, in fact.

When a Tree Falls, Part Two

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 18 May 2005 22:18:29 GMT

Last July, a large tree fell in the woods at the edge of our property. Quite loudly, in fact.

Last night, on the opposite side of the property, another one fell. This one was right outside the bedroom window, and it was really, really loud!

I assumed it was done by vines, the bittersweet and wild grape that so plague this area, as their first sneak attack of the season after a long Winter's truce. We're at war, and all night I plotted my own first strike. After all, I have a reputation to uphold.

Now I know better. It wasn't vines, it was an old, dead, very large tree that had finally rotted enough at the base to break and fall. It took everything out on its way down. This includes ripping an oak tree almost in half from top to bottom.

I've uploaded some photos with comments to my flickr area, showing the damage.

Amazing Japanese (not Chinese) Melon/Watermelon Carvings

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 12:17:58 GMT

Corinne sent me a link to these amazing photos of melon carvings in China Japan.

I've seen some impressive pumpkin carvings in the U.S., but nothing that ever approached that level of detail. And color!

The amount of time and patience that surely requires is unimaginable.

Make sure you scroll down the page to see everything.

Update 8/18/2005: They're Japanese, not Chinese. That's embarrassing, sorry. Follow that link to a more 'official' gallery site.

More Manchurian 'Miss Kim' Lilac Pictures

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 29 Jun 2003 20:41:38 GMT

The incessant spring rains were obviously very good for my lilacs, they were fantastic this year.

For a few years I've been trying to take a picture that fools you into thinking you can smell them -- remember that I only get a couple days each year to try -- and I think I've finally done it. You need to know what they smell like already, of course (my photography's not that good!), but if you do then check out the largest version of the last picture on my latest page of manchurian lilac pictures.

My Best Writing, My Worst Days

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 22 May 2003 11:01:55 GMT

Why is my best writing always about death?

Depressing thought, huh? Years later, my 'eulogies' to Roy and Dave can still jerk a tear out of some of my friends who knew them, and I think the one about Wixie is just as good.

Yes, writing from pain is a well documented form of inspiration. It still bothers me that those are the three pieces I remember best.

(On the other hand, based on the number of hits certain pages get, the guests to this site only care about Japanese Red Maples, Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilacs, and my sister's Wedding Rehearsal Dinner... none of which have anything to do with my writing, and everything to do with my photos.)

Picture of Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilac Buds

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 06 May 2001 07:48:59 GMT

Shot Taken: April 25, 2001
300 x 400, 600 x 800, 1200 x 1600

With everything in our yard starting to come back to life, I decided to try for some "bud shots", and see what I could come up with.

What I got was one of my best shots ever, in my opinion. This looks like it was painted, especially at the larger sizes (click on one of the links to see more details). This picture is of a bud on a young "Miss Kim" Manchurian Lilac, at least two weeks before it opened.

The buds look like grapes, or raspberries, don't they? Weird.

I didn't do anything to it (no manipulation in PhotoShop, or anything like that) to get this "painted" effect. It's all natural.

People Come Here for Lilacs!?

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 03 May 2001 14:02:33 GMT

I'd never have guessed this. If someone had asked me, I'd have said the most common reason that people would find this site in a search engine would be related to cycling.

Nope. The most read message on this site is about my Manchurian Lilacs! All of those hits come directly from a search on one of Google's many incarnations. I can see why... if you search for lilacs, Manchurian Lilacs, or pictures of Lilacs, it's always in the top three results. That's sort of weird, but I like it.

Speaking of the lilacs, they're almost ready to bloom. I'm trying to find some more bushes, though, because one of mine is slowly dying.

I have some new pictures of the buds, as well as pictures of some of the other interesting stuff around the yard. I guess if that's why people come here, I should make sure I post them.

My Manchurian Lilacs Have Bloomed

seth@cshore.com — Mon, 29 May 2000 12:50:34 GMT

Finally, my Manchurian Lilacs have bloomed!

Click on the picture to see more.