Category Archives: Trees

Free Background Wallpaper ~ Serengeti Acacia

By Ron | Published April 12, 2012

This month’s free wallpaper is one of my favorite images – a beautiful acacia tree on a knoll overlooking the Serengeti Plain. Enjoy

Just click on the one that best represents the size of your monitor. If in doubt, click on the largest size.

For Tablets (1280×800)

Older Monitors (1600×900)

Widescreen Monitors (1920×1080)

Need help changing your wallpaper? Here’s instructions for iOS, Android, Mac OS X, Windows, and Ubuntu.

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Also posted in Africa, Tanzania, Wallpaper | Tagged Africa, computer wallpaper, Photography, Tanzania | Leave a comment

Bonsai in Vietnam ~ They are Really Large

By Ron | Published March 18, 2011

Bonsai is an ancient Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non b?. While traveling in Vietnam, I expected to see bonsai, but the size of the plants was unexpected. They, for the most part, were huge. Most I saw were in the eight-handed or Imperial class (60 – 80 inches high) or the six-handed or Hachi-uye class (40 – 60 inches high.) The plants were on display in people’s front yards, as well as Buddhist Temples, and government buildings. Large sized bonsai are evident throughout the country from Hanoi in the north to Saigon and the Mekong Delta in the south. Many of the specimens were not well trained or cared for but the plants seemed quite content in their large pots and tropical setting. Interestingly, were not many bonsai in Cambodia or Laos.

The slide show below has two examples of Hòn Non Bô, the traditional Vietnamese art of making miniature landscapes, imitating the scenery of the islands, mountains and surrounding environment found in nature.

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Also posted in Asia, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Hoi An, Mekong Delta, Nature, Saigon, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam | Tagged Asia, Nature, Travel, trees, Vietnam | Leave a comment

Mangoes, Fruit from the Gods

By Ron | Published July 28, 2010

Fruit from the Gods

It is mango season here in Southwest Florida and throughout the tropics. A time for gluttony and hoarding. A time for cheesecake and chutney, for smoothies and salsa.

Mango season is a time for celebration with festivals here on Pine Island, as well as Miami, Delhi, and Trinidad and Tobago to name just a few.

My friend David is out picking mangoes, but it is not easy this year. Many trees did not set fruit because of the record cold winter and the fruit are ripening later. It seems that everyone is in the hunt for the succulent golden fleshed mango and no one wants to share!

The mango is known as the ‘king of fruit’ throughout the tropics. The tree originated in India around the fifth century B.C.. There are more than 1000 varieties cultivated today. The mango tree plays a sacred role in India; it is a symbol of love and some believe that the tree can grant wishes. In the Hindu culture hanging fresh mango leaves outside the front door during the Hindu New Year celebration.

The fruit is such an important part of many cultures that it is often mentioned in literature and song. The mango is given deity like attributes in Sandskirt literature some 4000 years ago and is written and sung about today. From popular Trinidadian singer/songwriter’s tune “Song for a Lonely Soul:”

“A mind excursion it can take me/ To a far off country road / Sticky mango juice running down my naked chest.”