Thursday, October 24, 2013

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2008. Chris was the President of the Georgetown University Chemistry Club. Chris and his team would visit the pediatric units every Friday. It was the highlight of Mattie's week. That week Mattie did not feel like leaving his room because he was recovering from surgery. So instead Chris came to Mattie. As you can see, Chris made some sort of gak (sticky jelly substance), and Mattie was staring at it and grabbed some blue gak to play with it and test its properties.


Quote of the day: I need not to be afraid of the void. The void is part of my person. I need to enter consciously into it. To try to escape from it is to try to live a lie. It is also to cease to be. My acceptance of despair and emptiness constitutes my being; to have the courage to accept despair is to be. ~ Michael Novak

I began my day by planting in my parents' garden. Each time I visit, I add something else to the property. This time it was beautiful mums. I planted them around the backyard, but snapped a photo of this one particular flower pot. Somehow the contrast of colors is just so beautiful from my perspective. There is nothing like a burgundy mum! While planting outside, I could hear the birds singing. They are just so happy here and the backyard also has a resident hummingbird who stops by to visit.

This is the view from my parents' backyard! One would think they live in a remote and rural area given that they are surrounded by mountains, have deer that meander through the neighborhood, and even the occasion coyote or bob cat. But this is the beauty of Southern California. Communities are integrated into the mountains and in all reality my parents live in the suburbs of a city. Within minutes they are close to everything from shopping to restaurants. Nonetheless this is such a peaceful sight, in which you can't hear traffic, noise, or all the things I have become used to living in the heart of Washington, DC.

This beautiful orange fruit is a persimmon. My parents have a persimmon tree in their backyard. I learned on this visit that there are different kinds of persimmon trees, some of which produce fruit that you can eat right off the tree. Not unlike an apple. Other persimmon trees produce fruit that is really only good for baking. The other day I pulled several pieces of fruit from the tree and I cut it up for all of us to try. It is definitely the same texture and crunchiness of an apple, but the taste is far more subtle. I have visited my parents throughout the years but it really wasn't until this year that the tree began to produce a plethora of fruits.

I had a nice last day in Los Angeles. We went out for a lovely lunch and walked around outside. I will miss the walking around outside and seeing greenery, flowers, and hearing the birds. Somehow in DC the birds don't sing as much in the winter time. Or at least I don't hear them. I am now packed up and heading back to DC tomorrow. Hopefully the next posting you receive from me, I will be safely back on the East Coast.