Passage Paradis

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Time for a Fun, Fantastical Post

I Love the light-handed

graphic qualities

of these images.

Do you have a globe in your house? I would love one of these.

I know it's not just me.

Lots of us are having a hankering these days for the elemental, and the handmade.

The making, that shows the hand of the maker.

I have a pile of wood in my backyard left over from my new fence. I'm thinking of buying wood-cutting tools. I love a new artistic adventure! (Watch this space!)

Don't ask me how globes and woodcarving go together, excepting for the fact that all these pics come via: Moon to Moon UK.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Once Again, Someone Else Speaks for Me

More beautiful inspiring photos by Svea

at: http://swig-filz-felt-feutre.blogspot.com

Milles mercis!

Friday, January 9, 2015

I Am Afraid.....But I Won't Stop Talking

(Photo: Thibaut Camus via Associated Press)

"I'm not (don't be) afraid."

(via Stephane Bak)

"This is not a religion."

In my humble opinion, we must all stand together against intimidation whether by terrorists, or by the surveillance state.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Most of December, This Was on My Mind - Steve McCurry Expresses It Best

I just don't know what to think anymore. The news from Paris this morning is awful.

And the feelings are overwhelming.

After the many heart-rending events of 2014

I've been at such a loss.

As a world, we seem bent on hate and destruction.

I posted recently on my personal Facebook page, that if we allow ourselves to be intimidated into

silence, by either terrorists or the other "Powers That Be"

we are surrendering our Human Rights, giving up the fight before it might even have begun.

I asked, while we have the means, shouldn't we speak up? If not for ourselves, then for others?

Where is Mercy, where is Compassion, where is Reason? And I address that to players on all sides of the violent global equation that we are locked into these days.

And what do I do with my life? Console myself with my garden and my pretty pictures and hope it all passes? I just have the feeling that things are going to get much worse before they get better. Can things yet change again for the good in my lifetime?

Not so sure. We are all Charlie.

Steve McCurry Retrospective
Villa Reale di Monza
Monza, Italy
October 30, 2014 – April 6, 2015

Finding the Sublime
CT Gallery
112, rue Saint-François
74120 Megève
France
December 16, 2014 – February 8, 2015

http://instagram.com/stevemccurryofficial

Monday, January 5, 2015

Zoo Day - L.A. Zoo

So are you the kind of person who likes zoos?

Or are you like Mr. Paradis and his family?

They tend to abhor zoos and circuses

and are inclined to find them cruel and unhappy places.

I have to admit that I found the L.A. Zoo like a lot of places in America where it seems

that more money has been spent on concrete, restaurants, souvenir shops

and maybe not so much on animals.

There has been a big controversy in L.A. about the mental state of the elephants at this zoo. (And I didn't post pictures of the one elephant that we did see, because he/she did not look happy or relaxed.)

But I must say that the other animals (though there were surprisingly few of them on exhibit) we saw looked very healthy and sound.

Our family is lucky that we have the zoo virtually at our doorstep.

With habitats disappearing, I feel like we are privileged to be able to see these animals alive with our

own eyes and sharing space with them. I always hope that their beauty will inspire enough zoo visitors

so that when they have they means, they will do what they can to preserve and improve the quality of lives and habitats of our fellow living beings. So that we'll always have choices - whether to see them close at home. Or in the wild.

How's your New Year been so far? Already almost a week into it!