Floral Puppy

Puppy at a local park playing on the children's playground equipment.

One of my neighbors had these intriguing flowers planted in the front of their house.

I wish I knew what the names of these flowers are in both English and Japanese!

Neighborhood Morning

It was a little bit warm this morning, so the puppy wanted to take a short rest in the shade next to this motorscooter.

Spring flowers growing at the entranceway of the driveway to a farmers home in my neighborhood.

Cherry blossoms starting to warm up in the morning sunshine, after a cool, brisk spring night.

March Blossoms

Most of these blossoms can be found at a Buddhist temple near our home.

I'm not sure what kind of blossom this is, but it might be a kind of cherry blossom.

From what I understand, there are many types of different cherry trees and even more numerous types of cherry blossoms growing throughout Japan.

Even a single blossom is quite beautiful!

I wish I had a macro lens, so instead, I have to stand back from the subject and focus in tightly with a telephoto zoom lens and a tripod to get this kind of shot.

Gumball Machine

This very small park has mostly sand and playground equipment for the kids.

But in just one corner of the park, someone has gone through a lot of trouble to create a kind of floral paradise.

Most likely, the gardening is done by local volunteers or retired pensioners.

The only time you can see city workers working in these gardens and parks is when they are trimming trees or cutting overgrown weeds using gas-powered gardening tools or equipment.

I was mostly enthralled with the frozen dew on these delicate flowers surrounded by cherry blossom petals that had fallen the night before.

As much as I like taking pictures of different flowers in all of their glorious colors, I really have a hard time remembering the names of all these different kinds of flowers!

It's a day like today that I am so thankful to be living in a neighborhood with so much color all the year round like that of gumballs in a gumball machine. 

Wood and Stone

This has got to be one of the most beautiful gates to a Japanese house in the neighborhood that I have seen thus far. Older homes might have more temple- or shrine-like gates. This homeowner had this gate added to his home only several years ago.

Don't know what kind of stone this is, but it is definitely beautiful. Sadly, most Japanese homes are too small to even have such a nice yard. Glad that some wealthy homeowners still go through the trouble and expense of sprucing up their homes in a more traditional Zen-like manner.

If I ever had the money to build my own house, I'd want to have the same color and design of this tiled roof.

Somber Rainbows

I was lucky today to have my camera with me on my way home from work this afternoon.

I am always amazed with the different kinds of plants and flowers and shrubbery that have been planted throughout the area in my neighborhood.

This time of year is especially nice since we can enjoy the cherry blossoms in their full glory!

At the macro level, fallen blossoms create canyons, peaks, and valleys of blossom petals with hues ranging from white to pink, like a candy land of sweet raspberry yogurt or cherry ice cream.

Even the pine trees with very delicately trimmed and groomed branches create a peculiar sense of beauty in somber tones.

Single Teardrop

Each petal from a cherry tree blossom is but fleeting beauty -- grandeur whilst short-lived. Delicate breath blown from on high will catapult each soft petal spiraling downward to its demise.

In their passing is a carpet of pink and white hues enveloping the cold and frigid ground, warming our hearts with the anticipation of a forethcoming spring. 

Once again, rebirth and life will soon spring forth, our hearts pounding with anticipation.