201 Street

Mindy and Ryan had recently become engaged and were busy planning their wedding and reception services. They had known for a long time where they wanted to take their honeymoon, which not surprisingly was Greece. During this time Ryan found out he would need to spend a week and half in Singapore for an important business meeting. While he generally enjoyed traveling for work, this just felt like an unfortunate time to do so. But being a person who always tried to make the best of things, he decided to ask Mindy to go with him and make a vacation out of. While they were there Mindy spent time in Pasir Ris Park and also Fort Canning Green. She loved great outdoor spaces and thought this was the perfect thing to do while Ryan was in his meetings.

She loved the spice garden she found at Fort Canning and thought the park was beautiful and rich in historical significance. She thought about her wedding as she sat and listened to a distant concert. Maybe she and Ryan should get married outside in a park, she thought. The next day at Pasir Ris she appreciated the bike rental services and took a bike tour of the park. She loved the water and throngs of people enjoying themselves throughout the park. After she was finished riding she stopped to watch the people who were fishing in the lake. Again, Mindy was thinking about the wedding and decided to mention the idea of a park service to Ryan.

Later that evening she and Ryan went to a performance to the Esplanade Theatre by the Bay. After it was over Ryan mentioned how much he loved Singapore and wished they could stay longer. Mindy brought up her experiences as the park and suddenly both of them had the same idea. They should enjoy a wedding Singapore style. They loved this idea but decided it would be too difficult to accommodate all of the guests. Later that night as they were sitting in a small café enjoying a cup of tea and a biscuit Ryan suggested they think about changing their honeymoon location to Singapore. Mindy immediately agreed with the idea and had wanted to bring it up herself.

What to choose, color or scent?  This is in regards to planting a garden, one that will surround hot tubs, or a fence, or the swing set.  One aspect to consider is whether it is color that is most important to you, or the scents.  Well, have no fear, because both can be achieved at the same time.  You could leave it all up to chance, but planning the perfect flower garden will leave you with satisfaction, a calm and precise satisfaction that is not often found in this modern world.

Two ways in which gardens give of scent are through plants that give this off when exposed to heat, such as rosemary, artimisia, chamomile and lavender, or through the flowers that give of scent when they open, such as roses and honeysuckle.  While relaxing in your hot tub, not only will you enjoy the benefits of the tub and the hot soak, the natural aromatherapy provided by your garden, but you will also experience the visual treat of butterflies and hummingbirds.  And oh, they will come, plant flowers and butterflies and hummingbirds will come.  You can design this backyard oasis in steps, building up along the walls, or in the planting of vines to fill in the lattice work and frames of your gazebo.

This is a science, just as in those who create perfumes.  This is a consideration that will give personality and character to your own backyard.  It will reflect your personality and character.  And this a balm for the spirit, for your soul.  Bring this into your life, surround your hot tubs with color and charm.   Take chances with your choices, plant mint next to the rose bush, plant oregano next to the jasmine, make your choices but whatever you do, plant them just by your hot tub.  You will be amazed at your own green thumb, at your own sanctuary.

Off all the organic and living creatures on the Earth, the only one that can be see from a space shuttle, is the Great Barrier Reef.  This is one of the natural world’s 7 wonders,  a World Heritage site and is the the ecosystem made of coral in all of the oceans and seas of the world.  Many travel to the Australia spa resorts each year, more than two million, and stay along the reef on one of the many exquisite islands that surround it, of which there are more than six hundred.  In total, the Barrier Reef is comprised of more than three thousand reefs that vary in size.  This habitat is protected by the World Heritage organization, as well as by the organization set up by the governments of Queensland and of Australia through, the Reef Water Quality Plan for Protection, as well as a number of other community and industry groups.  For while tourism accounts for a large part of the economy of Australia, the continued protection of the reef is necessary to ensure that the activity of the humans, does not destroy this life form.

Along with the vibrant coral, there is an abundance of wildlife and marine life that lives within and around it.  More than fifteen thousand different species of fish, two hundred varieties of birds, four thousand varieties of mollusks, as well as sea turtles, whales and dolphins are found living within the coral.  One of the aspects of protecting the reef is to ensure that the life in the reef remain abundant and diverse.  The reef is made up of many single coral life forms, that attach to one another, creating and array of colors and shapes.  This is the perfect location to visit for those with a combined interest of scuba diving or snorkeling and underwater photography.  The reef is made up of different varieties of coral, some are very slow to grow, taking hundreds of years.  Coral that is white is coral that has died, only colored coral is alive.  Before one takes off to explore the reef, one must check maps as there are certain zones that are highly protected, however most of the park is accessible to the public year round.

When I was growing up in western New York State, the bird that delighted me the most was the pileated woodpecker, it’s as big as a crow and has a flaming red crest with a spectacular patterned wing that is revealed when it flies. Little did I know that I would get to see its even larger relative, the ivory-billed woodpecker, now extinct, but it was one of North America’s largest woodpecker species.  In May, I joined up with my friend, Woodfrow, staying at a Five Star Hotel New York City offers the thousands of tourist visiting everyday.

I was in his hotel room when he pulls out an album book and starts showing me photos of a trip we took way back in 1942 to Tallulah, Louisiana. I remembered that we went there with our folks who planned a guided tour. Our guide was a local woodsman by the name of Richard, a man that I remember well, he was funny and very knowledgeable. We set pace with his long stride and he led us toward a section of swamp where my parents were most interested in. He pointed to a pair of birds who were roosting. He urged my parents to take photos and step quickly, because the birds were preparing to leave their roosting holes. The section of swamp we were at had a good amount of those birds. I remember my parents being so thrilled.

Woodfrow pointed to the photos that my parents has shot that day, and low and behold, my parents captured the ivory-billed woodpecker. It never occurred to me, when on that trip that my parents had some kind of instinct about the fate of these beautiful birds. Richard, told me he really didn’t know either at that time. When my parents sent him copies of our trip, he felt for some reason that he needed to hold on to those photos. I’m so glad he did. All my parents photos where lost in a fire. It was truly amazing to be here, in a New York hotel room, seeing actual photos of an extinct bird. But, what was most amazing is the news with which Woodfrow had for me. Recently, the ivory-billed woodpecker has been sighted and now put on the endangered list. What an amazing day.

I attended a tree conference in New York to listen to one of Cornell’s top scientist give a report about the first known infestation of the Asian long-horned beetle. After my colleagues and I checked into one of the Best Hotels New York City has, we immediately headed off to the conference. We were running late due to airline delays, but we managed to make it just in time to hear his report.

His findings have confirmed that the Asian long-horned beetle is attacking Brooklyn’s Horse-chestnut and Maple tree population. The Norway maple is the most planted shade tree through out New York state. So, this beady-eyed beetle could have a devastating effect if no action is taken. The beetle isn’t harmful to humans, but it is devastating trees in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Northern Brooklyn, which is harmful.

The only thing being done at the moment is at the U.S. border entrances. They are being diligently guarded to keep these pests from infiltrating into this country. The beetle is native to Japan, the southern sections of China and Korea and this is the first time it has been seen outside of Asia. The beetle apparently got a free ride to the U.S. and got through customs without proper papers. Hearing the news about the confirmation of this devastating beetle in Brooklyn is hard enough to take, but what’s even harder is the urban environment is already stressed and traumatized. This really doesn’t bode well for the trees that are already under the pressure to just grow.

This finding of the Greenpoint infestation might just make the New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation decide to cut down the maple and horse-chestnut trees. There’s really no natural predator for the beetle and the amount of weakening these beetles will do to the trees, i.e., boring, the trees will be a hazard to humans when the trees structure will collapse and branches will fall. My colleagues and I left the conference feeling helpless and we walked down a maple tree lined street.