Signs of Times : Closed for Business

These won't open anytime soon.
Probably, it wouldn't open at all.

Second Fiddle

Someone asked a famous conductor of a great symphony orchestra which instrument he considered the most difficult to play. The conductor thought a moment, then said: "Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists. But to find one who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm - that's a problem. And if we have no second fiddles, we have no harmony."

Anonymous

Unexpected Model

Always ready to strike a pose.

Little Garden

A flower up close.

Daughters of the Mandaya

Proud Mandayas showing wonderful smiles

Pink Abound

I have no idea as to the name of this flower, but they do look "pretty in pink".

Beadwork

This exquisite beadwork is made by a "lumads".
She is wearing her own creation.

Toy Car

A car, so small, it looks like a toy under the tree.

Mystery Woman

Well, I couldn't describe her by color of hair or color of eyes, because once she is described, then somehow she vanishes. The ideal woman which is in every man's mind is evoked by a word or phrase or the shape of her wrist, her hand. The most beautiful description of a woman is by understatement. Remember, all Tolstoy ever said to describe Anna Karenina was that she was beautiful and could see in the dark like a cat. Every man has a different idea of what's beautiful, and it's best to take the gesture, the shadow of the branch, and let the mind create the tree.

William Faulkner, when asked to describe his ideal woman

Points of View

To the poet, a pearl is a tear of the sea; to the Oriental, it is a drop of dew, solidified; to the ladies, it is a jewel which they wear on their finger, neck and ear. But for the chemist, it is a mixture of phosphate and carbonate of lime with a little gelatin. And for naturalists, it is simply a morbid secretion of the organ that among certain bivalves produces mother-of-pearl.

Jules Verne, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

A Little Illumination

Even a little lamp can make a difference in the darkness.

Path to the Other Side

You have to cross the bridge.
To know what's behind the ridge.

The Noblest of Human Graces

MAGNANIM'ITY, n. [L. magnanimitas; magnus, great, and animus, mind.] Greatness of mind; that elevation or dignity of soul, which encounters danger and trouble with tranquility and firmness, which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence, which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishment of useful and noble objects.

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of the American Language

Falling Water Fountain

Artificially-made water fountain. Three layers of flowing water surrounded by various plants.
What a wonderful garden design!

The Leprechaun Guard

Maybe you will find a pot of gold.