Project Black - Take Two

We always associate flowers with color.

I thought black flowers existed only in the realm of fairy tales.

Then, one day, I saw these black tulips...

Project Black

What is blacker than a vinyl album?
A vinyl album that has "black"in it...

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise"

Does this count as a double hit? Even considering that this is the White Album?

Check all entries to Anna's Project Black by following the links in her blog...

Japanese Immigration Centennial

Japanese ikebana, Brazilian flowers...

On June 18th, 1908, the Kasatu Maru docked at the port of Santos bringing the first Japanese immigrants, 781 people, to Brazil. These first immigrants came to work at the coffee farms in the state of São Paulo. Their adaptation to such a different country was hard, but in a few years thousands of new Japanese immigrants had arrived and spread throughout the states of São Paulo and Paraná. Later some families started buying their own farms, and others moved to the cities in search of other occupations. Those who stayed in the farms helped shape a revolution in our agriculture, with their techniques, their knowledge and their patience. They introduced new vegetables, flowers, fruit in Brazil, and they taught us how to grow native species we didn't even care about. Those who moved to the cities brought with them their example of hard work, ethics and family values. We owe a lot of what São Paulo is today to their contribution. By the way, it is said that São Paulo is the largest Japanese city outside Japan.
If we often still call the fifth or sixth generation Brazilian descendants japoneses (or even the friendly term japas), it's not in a derogatory manner, but almost reverently. I wouldn't be able to point a single person in São Paulo who doesn't have a "Japanese" friend.
This will be a week of celebration, with Crown Prince Naruhito visiting many cities in Brazil.
Thank you, all my friends of Japanese descent, for all that you and your ancestors brought to Brazil. This is certainly a better country because of you!

Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!

A boat full of blue...

...is my final delivery to Project Blue.

This is from the same Dale Chihuly exhibition shown on this post.

A blue door

A high wall and a locked door. I wonder what's behind it: a secret garden, maybe?
See lots of blue pictures following Anna's Project Blue...

Project Green

This is a view from my living room window, and a contribution to Anna's Project Green.
Not my best picture or composition, I know, but at least nobody will say it doesn't have enough green...

Looking Through - Take 2

The University of São Paulo opened a new campus a couple of years ago, located on one of the poorest regions of the city. It is on the way to the airport, and one day, when I was early to pick up my wife, I finally had some time to stop and visit.
This is currently the largest building on the campus, and I thought these staircases had some Escher-esque quality...

Looking Through

Here's a small contribution to Mark's Project Looking Through :


Incidentally, this is from the same series of pictures on my first post on this blog...

Old Lady

On Sunday morning, I arrived early for a meeting with a friend, so I decided to find out where the steam train station indicated by the signs was.
As I approached, I saw the locomotive being prepared for the Sunday tourist rides. Ignoring the "authorized people only" sign, I stopped my car and started taking pictures from a distance. Next thing, the engineer climbs aboard, the whistle blows and the big machine starts moving, with its unmistakable choo-choo sound. The whole thing lasted only a few seconds, but it made my day...

Chicken checked

Although they may seem a little crowded, these chicken were checked and I can guarantee you that they were naturally grown, er... I mean, crafted. As you can see, they're all happy and proud of their colors...