Twilight

Twilight near Hoehyeon Station.
Central Seoul.

Christmastime

Christmas tree in lobby of Millennium
Seoul Hilton Hotel.

Swinging Santa.

Millennium Seoul Hilton Christmas train scenery.

Christmas train.

Nativity scene.

N Seoul Tower from entrance to
Millennium Seoul Hilton.

Christmas tree at Seoul Plaza.

Ice skating rink at Seoul Plaza with City Hall
in the left background.

Winter's Chill

The chill of winter settling in over the Korean peninsula can at times bring on a yearning for the warmer days of summer.

Women sit and visit.
Seoul Iris Garden near Dobongsan Station.
North Seoul.

Women and pink parasol.

Observing dragonfly on woman's hand.
Seoul Iris Garden.

Feeding fish.
Namsangol Hanok Village.
Seoul.

Rental bikes and young woman
on periphery of Yeouido Park near Han River.
Central Seoul.
 

Hwagyesa Temple

Iljumun Gate at entrance to temple grounds.
Gangbuk-gu, Seoul.

Hwagyesa Temple.

On temple grounds.

The temple on a late autumn, Sunday afternoon.

Bronze bell.

 

Intricate eaves of Hwagyesa.

Buddhist prayer beads.

Icons.

Temple grounds stream.

Fallen leaves.

Leaving temple grounds through
Iljumun Gate.

A Grand Lady Passes

This morning, we were saddened to learn of the passing of a dear, beloved aunt.  She possessed an unsurpassable elegance and abundant grace.  She brightened any room she entered.  Although she would surely scoff at such a notion, I always thought her arrival at a gathering should have been heralded by trumpets.  Something good was about to happen.

She was noble and dignified, and yet, at the same time, humble and unassuming.  Her dry wit was uncanny and spot-on.  She was a master of the gentle ribbing followed by a flash of smile and a wink of the eye.  I found her and her delightful mannerisms deeply endearing.

As John Donne noted long ago, any death diminishes us all.  I'd probably add, some more so than others.

Emart

Emart retail store through bus window.
Yeoju, Korea.

First Snow

First accumulating snowfall of the new winter season.
Kids actually had to pocket their cell phones
so they could use both hands to pack snowballs...

...while men cleaned up.

Forget-Me-Not

At Yeoju, South Korea bus terminal following a Sunday afternoon
of visiting and instructing North Korean refugee children
at Mulmangcho (Forget-Me-Not) School in
rural Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.

On return bus from Yeoju to Seoul.
What time does the Packer game kick off
on the big screen?