Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Grass, Lawns, Nature, Panama, Seasons, Summer, Tourism, Weather on February 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Snapshot of our backyard displaying fallen dried up leaves and yellowish brown grass. As the dry season progresses our backyard lawn begins to lose its splendor. Can't wait for the next cloudburst in April. I'm a rain man all the way. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in Photography, tagged Ancon Hill, Children, Color, Family Time, Grass, Panama, Photographs, Photography, Tourism on October 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Snapshot of "The Twisters", Abdiel and Karol, posing for the camera on a bright Sunday morning on top of Ancon Hill. The grass reflected the morning light so well, it looked as if it had caught some kind of green fire. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Carnival, Cinta Costera, Envirnoment, Fences, Grass, Green Areas, Mardi Gras, Panama, Protection, Tourism on February 4, 2011 | 1 Comment »
One of the goals of the design of the Cinta Costera was to provide the city with ample green areas. Without them the city dwellers would suffocate in the modern jungle of steel, glass and concrete. They came up with a wonderful project. When you visit the area, you can see extensive areas of green grass which refreshes your eyes.
During the Christmas display of the Villas Navideñas (Christmas decorations), the organizers were concerned that visitors could stampede into these green areas and destroy the grass. To protect it, they surrounded the area with white fences. I thought it was an enticing sight. White and green make a nice color blend.
Below are a couple of pictures of the small fences built to protect the grass at the Cinta Costera. Here we go.
Snapshot of a nice white fence protecting the green grass and other vegetation of the Cinta Costera in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.
In this case the words of the legendary Country song, "Don't fence me in" do not apply. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.
On the yesterday’s evening news I learned that it’s highly likely that the Carnival will be held within the perimeter of the Cinta Costera. I hope City Hall will do something similar to this in order to protect the green spaces. Or else, we run the risk of having a barren piece of land after the Mardi Gras madness is over and we once again regain our senses. Good Day.
Posted in Photography, tagged Fires, Flames, Grass, Light, Photographs, Smoke, Sun, USMA on February 12, 2010 | 4 Comments »
Photograph of a small fire near the premises of the USMA University in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)
My next photography test was to “Shoot three transiently textured surfaces. Suggestions: rippled water; clouds; billowing fabric; smoke. Remember, choice of moment here, as well as lighting.”
I had the opportunity to shoot a small fire that was taking place in a small lawn in front to the Universidad Santa María La Antigua (USMA). It was a perfect event, because it was easy to capture the small flames devouring the dry grass leaving behind nothing but smoke and a black barren surface. The emission of bluish smoke could be seen resembling a soft mist. As Mr. Langford said, it was the “choice of the moment.”
I would like to point out that the light in the shooting area was just perfect. The sun was setting down and was emitting a soft orange light which gave the brown grass a gorgeous look. It was about 5:45 p.m. in Panama City, Panama. Since USMA is a couple of block from my house, it was easy to be there at a moment when the existing light was ideal to shoot photographs—the surroundings had a comfortable mood.
Through the lens of my Birthday camera, I was able to freeze a moment in time—the activity of a small grass fire. The fire was like a large hand moving forward devouring all it could find in its path and turning it into nothingness. It left only smoke and blackness. I was lucky to be there at the right place at the right time. That was my test. You be the judge if I passed it. Good Day.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Foliage, God, Grass, Nature, Panama, Pantheism, Parks, Spinoza, Trees, Tropics on November 4, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Yesterday I included eight pictures of a beautiful park in Hato Pintado which is rarely found in large cities. The beauty of this park is remarkable. Inside it’s nice and cool, even though it might be hot and humid outside of the thick foliage.
Being there alone, surrounded by dark green grass and tall trees, it reminded me of the pantheism of Espinoza who compared Nature with God. He was famous coining the Latin expression “Deus sive Natura” for the (Latin, God or Nature). The slogan of Spinoza’s pantheism is that he viewed that God and Nature are interchangeable, or that there is no distinction between the creator and the creation.
Obviously I wouldn’t go as far as saying that Nature is God, but I will say though, that in Nature you can see the hand of God. Nature has the ability to bring peace to the soul and also, there is a perfect unity in Nature. I had that sensation yesterday while visiting the Hato Pintado Forest Park.
Below are more pictures of this quiet green spot in the middle of hectic Panama City, Panama. Here we go.
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
I’ll wrap it up at this point. There are nine more pictures available for tomorrow’s post. They include an interesting blend of color, shades and light which I found attractive. Getting ready to go out take pictures of today’s Independence Day Parade at Via España. Good Day.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Foliage, Forests, Grass, Nature, Parks, Photographs, Trees, Tropics on November 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
As I indicated in yesterday’s post, today I’m going to include a photograph gallery of pictures taken at Parque Forestal Hato Pintado (Hato Pintado Forest Park). This park is located in the Hato Pintado neighborhood within the outskirts of Panama City, Panama. No matter how many pictures you may view of this tropical park, it pales in comparison to the experience of actually being there.
Due to the thick vegetation of the tall trees, I planned to shoot the photographs when the sun was bright; about 09:30 a.m. (-5 GMT). Of course, I didn’t want the pictures to be totally dark. The combination of darkness and light was my pursue. You probably know that photography is all about writing with light.
After deleting several photographs that were, either over or underexposed, I finally came up with twenty-six pictures. In an effort to avoid overloading the post with excessive shots, I decided to insert them in three different articles—each one including between eight and nine images. I’m crossing my fingers that I made the right decision. If I didn’t, please accept my apologies beforehand.
At the entrance of the park is a small metal plate that reads in Spanish, “The Community Board of Pueblo Nuevo and the Honorable Representative Victor Julio III, fulfilled one of their primary campaign promises of 1999 to improve and re-inaugurate this beautiful park that was forgotten for many years. Hato Pintado Forest Park (1999-2004).
Please click on the thumbnail images to enlarge them; you can appreciate them better if you do. Here we go.
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
(Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
Even though the sun was hot outside the park, the temperature was nice and cool underneath the shade of the tall trees. I can’t help being a romantic guy who loves nature—like the young Werther of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It feels so good to be inside a sheltered forest; albeit in the middle of the city. Good Day.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Cities, Environment, Flowers, Gardens, Grass, Panama, Trees, Urban Life, Vegetation on August 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In too many cities, I have noticed how dull and boring their general atmosphere is. Something is missing to make people want to get out of their houses and stretch their legs, together with their families and pets.
This missing something is gardens and parks where children and pets can play to their hearts content. Cities need a splash of green, and this is what Via Argentina has plenty of. Our concrete jungles have to be transformed into garden-cities to enhance the quality of life of its dwellers. “Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary.”
This is how Via Argentina looks like with its lush tropical vegetation. Here we go.
Photograph depicting the vegetation growing on the narrow strip of land dividing the lanes at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
Urban cities don't necessarily have to be concrete jungles, they can also have splashes of green. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
View of the many small gardens you'll find along Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
If your city looks like a dull jungle of steel and concrete, do something about it. Get involved with the community and plant grass, flowers and trees. Write to your authorities and press them to make the cities green. Your children and pets will appreciate your good deed. Good Day.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Alcides, Gardening, Grass, Insurgents, Middle East, Photographs, Trees on March 7, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Aura and I got married on July 12, 1980, almost 29 years ago. We decided to wait four long years before we tied the knot because we wanted to save enough money to buy a house. We wanted our own home and not a rented house or apartment.
We bought a house in a neighborhood called El Bosque (The Woods), even though there were no trees in the vecinity. Maybe there were trees 100 years ago, before progress crept in. It was a nice three-bedroom house with two bathrooms; big enough to hold the two of us and the ones that could be coming in the future. It turned out we had no babies, so there are still a couple of empty rooms. One of them was transformed into an office where I write my posts every morning, and the other chamber is a guest’s room.
I remember the second day after we moved in, there was a knock at the door. It was about six o’clock in the morning. Who could that be? It turned out, it was Feliciano, the gardener of El Bosque. He wanted to introduce himself and to offer us his services. Since the house was still full of construction leftovers and no trees or lawn, we decided to accept his offer.
He is a hard working man with very few words. He planted about ten trees in both the front and back yard and also planted grass around the house. Every fifteen days he came and trimmed the growing trees and mowed the lawn. He did a good job in changing our house into a home.
During the first few years, he worked alone; then he brought along a small child to help him to rake in the leaves and the recently cut grass and put them in large black plastic bags for the garbage truck. His name was Alcides, and like his father, had very few words to spare. And also like his father, Alcides was a good worker. He did was he was told without saying a word.
As the calendar pages turned, Feliciano got older and so did Alcides. Feliciano got new customers and one day he decided to send Alcides all by himself. He had grown into a good looking young man. Still quite shy and with very few words. Every fifteen days, he came and trimmed the trees and mowed the lawn and sometimes fertilized the yard.
Most of the time, my wife told him what to do, although it wasn’t necessary, since he knew more about gardening than both of us did. Kids learn very fast as you well know. Usually, while Alcides was working on the backyard, I was punching keys in my computer, so I didn’t see him much. However, I did noticed he was now a full grown man with strong arms and a thick patch of dark black hair, just like his dad.
Last Monday, my wife had gone to work, and Alcides came to take care of the yard. I opened the keys to the back side of the house and he came in and changed into his gardening clothes. I returned to my office and continued punching keys. After about an hour, I went back to the yard to see if Alcides needed anything like cold water, pesticides, fertilizers and any other stuff that gardeners use when they take care of the garden.
When I saw Alcides with his working clothes on, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He had the most amazing appearance; nothing close to the normal visual aspect of a gardener. He looked like a character who had popped out of a CNN TV screen while covering the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. He looked like… I think it’s better to show you a couple of photographs I shot after asking for his approval. Pictures are always better than words.
This is how Alcides, the gardener, looked last Monday morning. Here we go.
Photograph of Alcides busy mowing the lawn, almost hidden by a small shrub.
Impressive appearance of Alcides in the working clothes. His appearance is not the normal picture of a gardeners. Notice his dark hands, just like an Arab.
A close up picture of Alicides. With his covered face and dark black glasses, even Osama Bin Laden would be afraid of him.
Photograph of Alcides mowing the lawn. Notice the tiny bits of grass on his clothes. The change in colors makes Alcides appearance even more dramatic. (Credit: Omar Upegui R./Michael Moore)
Another visualization of Alcides in his working clothes having the appearance of an insurgent from the Middle East. (Credit: Omar Upegui R./Michael Moore)
An artistic photographic composition of Alcides which looks like an oil painting. This is how powerful photography can be in the right hands. (Credit: Omar Upegui R./Michael Moore)
And now you know how Alcides looks when he comes to our house to do his job. He certainly looks..different. I wish to express my gratitude to Alcides for authorizing me to post these pictures and to Michael Moore for his contribution in making them look like exquisite pieces of modern photographic art. Good Day.
