flower image : Frangipanis

Frangipanis (known by their botanic name Plumeria in America) bring a heady, romantic fragrance to the garden, as well as a wide choice of warm, tropical colours.

In Australia, frangipanis are sold by colour, rather than variety, and the further north you go, the wider the colour choice.

Frangipani was the name of an Italian perfume used to scent gloves in the 16th century and named after its creator, the Marquis Frangipani. When the frangipani flower was discovered its natural perfume reminded people of the scented gloves, and so the flower was called frangipani. The genus name, Plumeria, commemorates Charles Plumier, a seventeenth century French botanist.

Plumeria rubra
Native to Central America, Mexico and Venezuela, this deciduous tree grows from 5-8m tall (15-24'). The leaves are dark green and shiny, and have a prominent midrib. Like all plumeria, the stems and leaves contain a white, milky sap. There are at least four distinct forms of this species:

acutifolia - white flowers with yellow centres
lutea - yellow flowers sometimes flushed pink
rubra - deep pink flowers with yellow centres
tricolor - white flowers with yellow centres and a red or pink tips
Many of the forms of Plumeria rubra are grown in Australian gardens but the most commonly seen is Plumeria rubra f. acutifolia. Named cultivars are less readily available. Frangipanis will grow and flower well as far south as Sydney and Perth, particularly in coastal gardens. In colder or inland areas grow them against a warm masonry wall, in a north facing position and protect them from frost.

© CTC Productions 2/2003

flower image : How to Take Great Flower Photos

I know that many out there want to improve their photography in one aspect. Flower photography. With gardening as popular as it is this shouldn't be a surprise. Flower photography while looking like one of the simplest forms of photography can quickly become one of the most difficult. Here are a few tips for you. (Keeping in mind that basic good photography skills are always used.)


Soft diffuse light. Today it's very overcast outside, and if there were any flowers in bloom today would be the perfect day for capturing some great images. Soft diffuse light enhances color saturation, so if you wondered how or why pro photographers flower images seem so deep in color this is one of the reasons why. (There are exceptions to this rule. I do some flower photography is bright or dappled sunlight but I'm usually trying to get an effect of light passing through the petals.)

Slow film speed. 200 speed or less. The slower speed films have greater detail and for flowers you're going to need to get close anyway and you want the nice sharp detail of a slower speed of film. I use 100 speed for my flower photography.

Tripod. Use one for this type of photography. Set up your shot, get everything in sharp focus, and then shoot. A tripod will keep your camera from moving on you and allow you to get the sharp detail you will need.

Look for great colors, a flower in full bloom next to a bud, and don't shoot on windy days. Keep contrast and color in mind at all times and try different compositions each time you take a shot.

Flower photography can be a lot of fun especially if the flowers are your own.

by Kelly Paal

flower image: Weighing a possible heart attack against certain pain

If properly informed, patients can assess the benefits of anti-inflammatory drugs


Most film scenes in England in May and June are set against a backdrop of early summer sunshine. As a result, the images immediately conjured up of the Chelsea Flower Show, tennis at Queens or Wimbledon, or the Queen’s birthday parade is of blossoms and summer fashions.
Reality, as those who dodged the downpours and sheltered beneath umbrellas at Chelsea this week will know, is often rather different from fiction. Woody Allen may have become a great fan of the soft grey light of overcast London, but most of us are attached to, and hope for, the postcard tradition of blue skies and flowering lilacs.



Damper and colder weather than usual does nothing to improve the mobility of gardeners whose joints have become gnarled as the result of years of working in all weathers. This year the Arthritis Research Campaign, in association with Seven Seas, the company once famous for its trawler fleet, but now for marketing fish oils rich in omega-3, have co-operated with the garden designer Alex Hart to enter a garden at Chelsea that is suitable for people with arthritis. Hart has personal experience of what is needed as he suffers from reactive arthritis. Despite his recurrent painful inflamed joints, including those of his legs and ankles, he continues to satisfy his passion for gardening and plants and this year his garden received a silver award in its class.

The hard labour that goes into gardening may contribute to arthritic hands, spine and knees, but continuing to garden provides its aficionados with fresh air and interest. The bending and stretching that even easy gardening demands keeps the joints flexible as they are worked through a full range of movements. It is also possible to vary the intensity of the gardening by doing different tasks from the wide variety of jobs that are always crying out to be done. A brisk spell of raking, brushing or hoeing can be offset by pruning or (in some parts of the country) by watering. Gardens can be adapted for those with arthritic spines and knees so that beds are easy to reach and paths readily kept weed-free.

Dr Thomas Stuttaford

flower image: Art in Bloom At the Season's Sales

Spring and summer auctions bring nature themes, from landscape masterpieces to flower-shaped jewels to sculptures made for the garden. Here's a guide to the greener side of collecting.
In full bloom or wilting, flowers have long inspired great works. On Tuesday, Christie's International PLC offers one of French impressionist Claude Monet's famous images of his lily pond in Giverny, "Nymphéas, Temps Gris" (1907), expected to sell for $10 million to $15 million. Monet, a passionate gardener, built the lavish lily pond that he painted over and over in the 25 years before he died in 1926 at the age of ...

By Margaret Studer

flower image : The Flower Knot
Generalities
This particular knot has many names and seems to be a sequential variation from a number of different families of knots. I've chosen to give it the name of flower knot because I've always thought of its basic shape and ordinal variations as flowers.
General Tips
keep the loops that form the centre of the knot similarly oriented. That is to say, as a general rule keep the part of the loop that leads from the already completed body of the knot aligned to the top of the knot and the part of the loop that is closer to the free working end aligned to the bottom of the knot. You can reverse this orientation if you wish, as long as you are consistent with all the loops.
keep the centre loops as short as will still allow you to work, the petals will take care of themselves. Keeping the centre short and tidy will be closer to the final structure of the knot and easier to control than if the centre loops are allowed to get long.
you'll find that if you pull hard enough, that you can take up slack from one petal to another. This is not recommended because the larger the knot, the more this type of activity will deform the central structure of the knot. Also, you may find that you are tightening the knot too much, so that when it is time to adjust and fine tune the final structure of the knot (or take it apart because you made a mistake in design) that it is exceedingly difficult to do so.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/flower6-big.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/&h=367&w=323&sz=40&tbnid=p64pIuJ4ZgsJ_M:&tbnh=118&tbnw=103&hl=en&start=13&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dflower%2Bimages%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DWZPA,WZPA:2006-14,WZPA:en%26sa%3DN

flower image : performer taking their talents to Indiana Festival

Anna Miller moved to Indianapolis with her parents when she was 14. Speaking no English at the time, her love of drawing and painting gave her something familiar to do while she adjusted to life in middle America.
After graduating from Howe High School, Miller headed to Vincennes University to major in painting. It was there that she discovered photography, setting aside her paintbrushes for cameras.
From Vincennes, Miller returned to Indianapolis and enrolled at Herron School of Art, graduating with a degree in photography in 1994. Since then, she has split her time between her day job -- as a digital imaging technician at Firehouse Image Center -- and shooting the landscape and flower pictures that are her passion.
"I photograph when the muse strikes," said Miller, standing among an array of her photos in her Eastside home. "I see something that strikes me and I go get the camera."
But she hasn't completely lost touch with the painter she once was. After printing her photos on canvas, she often embellishes them with paint -- especially her flower images, which she said are influenced by the flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe and Claude Monet.
"I don't really have time to paint much anymore," Miller said, "but I like to paint on top of photographs, to give them a finish."
This is Miller's first year of venturing into the world of art fairs, and she's looking forward to being at the Indiana Festival. "It's a way of having your own gallery for a few days, so you can show off your work."
She's especially looking forward to talking with visitors to her booth. "I love the feedback," she said. "To think that people might actually want to have something I did hanging in their homes is a real inspiration."

By S.L. Berry

flower image : Hidden Fruit
It's the last day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. On this breezy, spring day, the sun shines down on us and the small, newly budded branches rustle. We are walking around my neighborhood in search of a fruit tree. Today is the last day to recite a blessing, whose opportunity comes only once a year--the blessing on a fruit tree that has begun to bud, which can be said only in the month of Nissan.

Given the vicarious weather patterns in Toronto, it's not every year that our search for a budding tree in April is successful. With our mild past winter, though, we are hopeful.

About a block from my home, we spot it.

My children excitedly inform me that they remember how the small, aromatic red and green apples swelled from this tree’s branches last summer. We examine the tree closely; the little flowers that will soon turn into sweet, juicy fruit are discernable

By Chana Weisberg

flower image : NIC photo students show off at Muir



Starting June 2 students in the Professional Photography Program at North Island College will display personal work at The Muir Gallery .

The Images featured cover both traditional film and digital capture presented as silver based handmade or ink jet prints.

Throughout the 10-month long program, the students have met the demands of courses and instructors. They’ve produced countless images using both the chemical and digital darkroom while struggling with studio lighting and the challenge of turning concept into imagery.

Taking the opportunity to publicly show what truly interests them, these future pros have assembled a striking array of landscapes, portraits, nature, human form and metaphorical images that are refreshing and stimulating.

Getting in close succinctly describes the work of Dominique Hurley and Chris Buchholz. Hurley’s colourful macro abstracted images contrast the decadence of rusted cars with the organic forms of nature.

Chris Buchholz is intrigued with food photography and the redefinition that macro views of food can produce. Going far beyond commercial product shots, her images turn food into a realm seldom seen where texture, colour and shape create unexpected forms awaiting recognition.

Wildlife and pictorial landscapes seem to be just a natural part of Keith Wood’s life interest. A dedicated digital shooter, he also has the skill and patience to get those notable wild bird images that look stunning as large ink jet prints.

Likewise drawn to the natural environment, Sarah Mango’s forest and tree images explore the feeling of motion within nature.

Naturalness and intimacy is often associated with the human form and both Erin Haluschak and Becky Wortman explore the naked body in close up detail. For Haluschak, the message could well be that our body is what we make of it.

Wortman is more attracted to the intimate relationship between male and female bodies as presented by a series of abstracted detail. Preferring handmade fibre base black and white prints, she has uniquely adhered each print to a curved sheet of aluminum flashing to create a contrast between organic subject and inorganic setting.

Jennifer Laviolette loves junkyards especially as an endless source of unpredictable subjects. She has also chosen traditional black and white imaging to present her collection of discarded objects. To add a touch of contrast, she intends to also show a series of colourful flower shots taken recently on Hornby Island.

Debbie Ogilvie has chosen portraiture as her theme. The digital images in colour and black and white reveal her attraction to capturing the spirit of young people through not so traditional poses. On a different theme and style, Erinn Watson’s infrared metaphorical black and white images portray a narrative sequence titled In Pursuit of the Water Spirit. It is a somewhat surreal look at the pursuit of unobtainable things in life.

Six black and white handmade prints by Julie Maier present an unexpected study of chains. For Maier, their brilliant shiny appearance masks their limitless kinetic or static application. She wants viewers to look past what the subject is and identify their unlikely qualities.

Eric Baxter will also show handmade black and white prints but his subjects will be plants and flowers printed on fiber base paper and selenium toned for archival status.

Hamish Matheson, like many of the students, is new to the Comox Valley and enjoys the recreational opportunities that abound here. His colour adventure lifestyle images are pitched at marketing the valley to the tourism industry.

© Copyright 2006 Courtenay Comox Valley Record

flower image : Iris blossoms bursting into colorful blooms
Many of the 8,000 irises flourishing in the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens are blooming, with more popping open on its sloping hillside lawn as you read this newspaper.

Visitors by the hundreds traipse through pathways that wend past 36 iris beds, many of them 100 feet long and abounding in blossoms.

As if bees drawn to honey, thousands of flower fanciers and iris connoisseurs will journey to Presby during the next two weeks to delight in the pleasures of the world’s largest iris garden.

There are painters capturing the visage of the feathery flowers that have been equated to fairies’ wings.

There are parents and grandparents accompanying children who are astonished by the myriad and oft-times sur-real monikers labeling the iris varieties.

Couples stroll hand in hand on the wide grassy paths, along with solitary strollers deep in pensive reflection.

Photographers hunker down to capture close-ups of multicolored images.

“We work all year for this moment,” said Interim Garden Superintendent Linda Sercus.

“It’s a beautiful display. The more historic irises are the ones that bloom first, and they’re in bloom right now,” Sercus said.

“In a traditional year, Memorial Day weekend would be the peak of the bloom season. We’re running five to seven days late. The cool weather for the month of May has slowed the blooms.”

The pride of the gardens this year is three hybridized irises that commemorate the people slain in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Two of the 9/11 iris rebloomers are flowering now, and they are expected to again bloom in September.

Presby staffers and volunteers have spent months preparing for these weeks when the irises exuberantly blossom. The magic contained in the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens extends beyond the iris beds.

Tonight, Thursday, May 25, there’s “Art for Presby,” featuring a photography exhibit and reception at Alex, 620 Valley Road. Photographer Jeanne Campbell of Montclair will display her work, with proceeds from the sale of her prints being donated to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens.

The annual Presby Garden Party occurs this Saturday, May 27. Traffic will be detoured off this portion of Upper Mountain Avenue, and with the gardens in radiant bloom, iris artwork created by Montclair students will be displayed on the lawn, with prizes awarded to winning artists in a ceremony at 2 p.m. The party begins at 10 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. Around 1 p.m., Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck will perform an unplugged set of music. There will be food available, and Presby’s expanded gift shop will offer enticements.

Founded 79 years ago, the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens was established by a consortium of the Montclair municipal government, a citizens committee and the Garden Club of Montclair. There’s a Board of Trustees with new members and a collective vision to elevate the stature of the gardens.

“It’s still a joint effort 79 years later,” Sercus said. “It shows the tremendous commitment and respect of all parties.”

Board President Lori Beitler noted that in 1966, the American Iris Society held its annual national meeting at Presby, with the adjacent Walther House serving as the meeting place.

“Our goal in the next five years it to have the American Iris Society hold its annual meeting again at Presby,” Beitler said.

The gardens now have about 8,000 irises, Sercus said, but have the capacity for 10,000.

“We have many irises that don’t exist anywhere any more except at Presby,” Sercus said.

“Our ultimate goal is to restore the gardens to their former glory,” Beitler said.

The Presby staff, volunteers and trustees are battling back against mishaps and an act of malice that during the past year, afflicted the iris gardens.

On the night of Aug. 2, 2005, a person or people vandalized three historic iris beds. The evildoers uprooted 157 irises growing in the most historic beds, flinging around rhizomes, or bulbs, that literally dated back several centu-ries. The identities of these esteemed irises were lost — a disaster for iris fanciers. Despite a $1,000 reward, nobody has ever identified the vandals.

During this past winter, a protocol sustained by sledders and snowboarders for decades on the Mountainside Park slope adjacent to Presby was violated. People enjoying the snow rode their sleds and snowboards directly over the iris beds, damaging the gardens.

And, for perhaps the first time since Presby was created in 1927, deer have transgressed into the gardens, destroying irises and other flora.

Staffers have responded to these blights. The vandalized iris rhizomes were meticulously replanted. “We put them in an ‘iris intensive care bed’ in the rear of the Walther House,” Sercus said. “There is tremendous good news. Three have already bloomed” with another 50 irises appearing to be healthy. The Presby staff has identified the three iris hybrids that have blossomed.

Presby has received a $102,025 grant from Essex County to restore the vandalized iris beds and improve the gardens. “Part of our grant is to get more irises and put them into the beds,” Beitler said.

Beitler and board member Cathy Fink noted that the county awarded Presby a matching grant, which requires the board to raise an additional $102,025.

“I’m so impressed with how Montclair rallies around a cause,” Sercus said. “I have no doubt that Montclair is going to rally around the gardens again.”

Fink said the board intends to restore the Walther House, an ornate Victorian abode that boasts its own garden and a potting structure off Upper Mountain Avenue. “There’s a lot of potential in the Walther House, and we want to make it accessible to the community,” Fink said. “We’re really trying to strengthen the ties between the gardens and the town.”

While rummaging through boxes stored in a back room of the Walther House, “the staff uncovered some historic documents” written by the late Barbara Walther, Sercus noted. Soon after Presby was established in 1927, Walther created raised beds for the irises to improve drainage, and Walther recorded her observations and advice in the recently discovered papers.

“This year, we will be using her techniques for three beds,” Sercus said. “There’s lots to be learned from history, which is probably apropos because irises probably go back to the dawn of man.”

Sercus, Beitler and Fink urged residents to visit the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, and while there, contribute money to the organization and consider volunteering to preserve and improve the irises.

“Every donation they put in the jar will help bring Presby back to its peak,” Sercus said.

“This is a particularly good year. Their health is good and their growth is vigorous,” Sercus said of the irises. “We want everyone to come and revel in their beauty.”

Copyright © 2006 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

flower image : Dew flower

Common name: Dew flower

Genus/species: Drosanthemum bicolor

Family: Aizoaceae

Description: This colorful succulent shrub hails from South Africa, which means it will make itself at home in the warmer climates of the Bay Area. It features fine, hairlike leaves covering slender, tough stems. Starting in early summer, small reddish buds begin populating the perimeter of the stems. Though to the impatient gardener -- that would be me -- the buds seem to take forever to open, the results are worth the wait. Once open, the 1 1/2-inch-wide flowers have masses of electric yellow petals tipped crimson red, all surrounding pure white centers. Once it starts flowering, this plant seems to be having such a good time, it doesn't want to stop. As a bonus, individual flowers last for weeks.

Cultivation: Grow in sharply drained soil in full sun. One does not need to use succulent mix, but it is advisable to mix sand and/or humus with the potting or planting soil. Use slow-release, balanced fertilizer during the growing and blooming season. Hardiness to 35 degrees. Fast growing, low maintenance, heat and drought tolerant. Stem cuttings root easily.

Pests: May be susceptible to aphids during flowering, but in general drosanthemum is a hardy succulent.

Availability: Note that this species of drosanthemum is not the same as D. hispidum. D. bicolor is most easily found as an Annie's Annuals 4-inch pot, whether at your local nursery or online at www.anniesannuals.com. My 4-inch pot yielded blooms the first year.

Comments: Though you may not be able to say its name 10 times quickly or come close to pronouncing its family name, this charming shrub, once seen in person, becomes a must-have plant. With its vibrant yellows bordered in vivid crimson, the flowers almost seem to be on fire, especially when the sun sparkles off their petals. The flowers also present an unexpected twist, something you can surprise your plant friends with. Tell them to run their hands over one of the flowers. Though they look bristly, drosanthemum flowers are one of the softest sensations imaginable. It is yet another example of how intriguing nature can be -- flowers that look like whorls of flames, yet are as soft as a newborn's hair.


by Erle Nickel

flower image : Chelsea Flower Show 2006

For garden ideas, there is no better place to be inspired than the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show.

The cream of British and overseas garden design descends on the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, for a five-day celebration of gardening – both traditional and cutting edge.

From the prestigious awarding of medals at the start of the week, to the great big sell-off on the last day, Chelsea is firmly established as the number one event on the gardening calendar.
flower image

© 2004-2006 www.AboutProperty.co.uk.

flower image : Man of the flower

There’s a lot of flowers I’ve seen once and never again,’’ he said. ‘‘The reason I made this catalog: I think I’m a collector at heart. I like to organize and catalog things.’’

Gasser will share his wildflower project with the public at 7 p.m. May 31 in the Hopkinton Public Library. He plans to talk about the town’s flowers and give tips on identifying and photographing violets, dandelions, marsh marigolds, and dwarf ginseng, to name just a few of the bright blossoms whose images he has captured.

‘‘It’s very interesting, and it’s a great hobby, and he put a lot of time and effort into it,’’ said library director Rownak Hussain, who added that Gasser is an example of the interesting local people she hopes to tap for library talks.

Walking through the woods near his house on a recent Sunday, Gasser came across a bunch of white flowers with four petals. Gasser had seen the plant the day before but it hadn’t blossomed.

He was stumped. He flipped through his blue binder, which is filled with his own photos and cross-referenced by petal number and color. Is it a bitter cress, he wondered? Then he leafed through one of the two reference books he had carried in his backpack. There was a rosette of leaves at the base of the plant just above ground, which should be a vital clue, he said.

‘‘It may be important but it’s not helping me figure it out,’’ he said, finally deciding he’d have to return with another book.

‘‘I’ll be glad if it’s one I don’t know,’’ he said. ‘‘I keep thinking I’ve seen all the ones I’m going to see. And then there’s more.’’

Gasser went back the next day to the mystery flower, as he had said he would.

He said he spent an hour with various books but couldn’t quite crack the code. The petals and leaves matched different varieties, which happens occasionally, he said. It was some kind of cress, he said, but he would have to wait until it grew a little more to finish his detective work.

by Morrie Gasser

flower image:Pittosporum plants from New Zealand

Here is a small selection of the Pittosporum tree and shrub images on file. Please contact me if you cannot find below the exact Pittosporum picture for your project. The following Pittosporum plants are all New Zealand natives or native cultivar varieties.

New Zealand Pittosporum plants are often tough and adaptable, tolerating a wide range of situations and soils. Fast growing Pittosporum trees are often planted as shelter or hedging, especially Pittosporum tenuifolium varieties which come in many different foliage forms and colours. Another widely planted garden tree is Pittosporum eugenioides (lemonwood tree) which makes a fine specimen plant or shelter hedge. Possibly the toughest is Pittosporum crassifolium (karo).

Foliage fans will always find a Pittosporum to please whether you like the two-tone leaves of variegated Pittosporums, fast growing tree Pittosporums or more compact dwarf Pittosporum varieties. The flowers often smell great too!

http://www.nzplantpics.com/sfeature_galleries/pittosporum_pictures.htm

flower image :The Secret Garden

A beautiful blossom is a fleeting thing
It stays for a moment and then takes wing:
With special rays we catch it ere flight
So all may enjoy the beautiful sight.

Flowers speak for us in many ways. On happy occasions we send flowers to express our joy and on sad occasions to express our sorrow. Almost everyone is fond of flowers, but they may never see the secret beauty that lies hidden within the blossoms. When we close our eyes, we cannot see the beautiful flowers around us. Even with our eyes wide open, we see only that portion of the flower that is nearest us, the same portion that would be recorded by a camera.

My name is Albert Richards and I am a University of Michigan Professor Emeritus. I have been creating floral radiographs for over 40 years.

by Albert Richards

flower image: Thais celebrate return of Hindu statue

Thousands of people carrying incense sticks and wearing flower garlands on Sunday celebrated the return of a popular Hindu statue that was destroyed in March when a Muslim man attacked it with a hammer.

Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra joined the crowd at a ceremony to reinstall the golden image of the three-faced Hindu god Brahma at the Erawan Shrine in the heart of Bangkok’s shopping district.

Devotees from Hong Kong had chartered flights for the ceremony, which was broadcast live on local television and was also attended by hundreds of people from Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Asia, Television of Thailand said.

Many Thais interpreted the destruction of the statue, regarded as a key symbol of the city, as a bad omen as it happened in the midst of political turmoil between Thaksin and opponents calling for his resignation.

Thanakorn Pakdiphol, 27, was beaten to death by two roadsweepers who saw him attacking the shrine. The government funded the repairs, which included elevating the statue of the deity and installing a police guard to prevent future attacks.

The shrine was built in 1956 to protect the adjacent Erewan hotel after an astrologer said the date on its foundation stone was inauspicious. Erawan is Bangkok’s most famous shrine, and is known among tourists for performances by classical Thai dancers.

Despite being a shrine to a Hindu god in predominantly Buddhist Thailand, Erawan is popular with people who come to pray for help with problems.

COPYRIGHT © 2006 DILIGENT MEDIA CORPORATION LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

flower image: Web Advertisers FindOffline Ads Can Pay Off Too

In 1994, 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. was the first merchant to join with America Online to sell and promote its service. Since then, the company has helped fuel the online advertising boom, pouring millions of dollars into reaching customers through the Internet.
But with its latest campaign -- billboards and posters promoting its Happy Hour bouquets of flower-filled margarita glasses -- the Internet ad pioneer is helping to define another advertising trend. With the cost of Web ads soaring as more big companies advertise online, it is one of a host of Internet companies moving some of its ad budget away from online banners and paid search ads and back to more traditional media like television, radio and print. Of the $55 million 1-800-Flowers.com spent on advertising in fiscal 2005, 70% was spent offline and 30% percent online. That compares with half offline and half online three years ago.

The move has paid off for 1-800-Flowers.com. Its outdoor billboards, launched with the slogan "Happy Hour With a Twist," led to a seven-fold increase in sales of the product in the first month of the campaign, the company's chief executive, Jim McCann, says, marking the most successful floral-product launch in the company's history. Earlier this month, the company expanded the billboard campaign to 15 markets from six, and it will widen the product lines (think beer mugs) soon.

Netflix Inc., the fifth largest online advertiser based on the number of times an image-based ad is viewed, spent more than $110 million online last year, according to Nielsen Net/Ratings' AdRevelance unit. But as online DVD rentals become more mainstream, the service is finding that offline ads pay off, too. It launched its first TV ad in 2004 and has been rolling out more since. Last month, it introduced a new ad series centered on the theme that Netflix members always have a movie ready for them to watch at home. In one, a man leaves the office and discovers a spy waiting in his living room. In another, the man returns to find his wife getting her feet rubbed by a gladiator.

By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO

flower image: Eastern Market Annual Flower Day

Growers selling their newest crops of annuals, perennials and vegetables mixed in the historic barns of Eastern Market on Sunday with the squeaking wheels of gardeners with their wagons piled high with colorful plants for the 40th annual Flower Day.

The event attracts thousands of professional and amateur green thumbs looking to plant their new gardens for the year or just find some colorful items to brighten up the house.

"It is a carnival atmosphere that prevails," said Dave Pund of Canton Township, as he pulled a homemade wooden cart that featured four levels of shelves to place his plants.

The day wasn't all about flowers for Janna Pryadkin and her daughter, Jenya, who took time away from browsing to decorate a flower pot at the Children's Activity Center.

The expanded center, along with entertainment, was among the new additions this year and pleased Pryadkin.

"This allows the children to do something while the parents are buying flowers," said Janna Pryadkin of Troy, who was attending her first Flower Day. "I've heard about it for three years, and every year I have tried to get out. It is great."

Edward L. Cardenas

Flower image: Calendula

Asteraceae family

Calendula or Pot Marigold is a flower that has been used medicinally to treat ulcers, heal wounds, and in preventing sickness. The word officinalis means medicinal, and Calendula means throughout the months - meaning that the plant flowers for many months. Calendula likes full sun but does poorly in hot weather. It is used in beds and boders, and the dried heads are used to flavor soups and for coloring butter.

by Taryn Tree

Flower image: Ageratum

Asteraceae family

Mexican Ageratum has inflorescences (flower heads) that are in clusters of lavender, blue, pink, or white depending on cultivar. Growing in a mound-like habit, flowers bloom May through October. It is considered one of the more dependable flowering annuals. Ageratum likes full sun or partial shade and in hot and dry areas, light shade is preferred. This flowering annual is best used in edging or borders of beds, and is basically free from pest and disease problems. Native to Mexico, British Honduras, and Guatemala.


http://pas.byu.edu/pas100/ageratum.htm

Flower image: Stunning Pictures of Flowers on Art Canvas

Art Canvas Images (the texture and color depth is amazing) ready to be stretched for hanging in the contemporary art unframed style or your floral canvas art can be framed for a more traditional look.

To make worldwide shipping more cost effective for the purchaser, our pictures on canvas are shipped carefully rolled in acid free tissue paper inside strong shipping tubes for protection.

Flower Pictures printed on textured canvas portraying the heart of a flower in-close-up make very effective artworks for modern style homes or offices, improving the visual atmosphere for all.


©Copyright 2005-2006 | Site by Web Galleries Ltd

flower image : Texas Drought Kills Bluebonnets' Bloom, Hurts Tourism Industry

The Bluebonnet Trails Festival is the year's biggest tourist draw in Ennis, Texas. The 2006 event will take place over the weekend, and officials in the Dallas suburb are concerned it will be a bust.

``We're hoping to have the same type of attendance, but we are being realistic,'' said Gina Rokas, tourism director for the Ennis Convention & Visitors Bureau. ``The flowers aren't as good this year.''

Bluebonnets, the state's official flower, line miles of highway each March and April and bring tourists out to festivals in at least 10 towns. A statewide drought and unseasonably warm weather resulted in fewer of the violet-blue buds and smaller plants this year.

``It hasn't been quite the show it's been in years past,'' said Doug Welsh, a horticulture professor at Texas A&M University in College Station. ``It has been a very dry winter, which has reduced our bluebonnet population significantly.''

The smaller crop may cost cities some big money. Ennis, a city of 19,000 people that's 35 miles south of Dallas, attracts 50,000 visitors in the two-week peak season, City Manager Steve Howerton said. The tourism generates as much as $500,000 a year in revenue for the city, which has an annual budget of $20 million, he said.

As few as 150 people a day are picking up maps of trails usually lined with the flowers, down from 200 to 300 in past years, Rokas said. As many as 700 came each day in 2003, considered a banner year for bluebonnets, she said.

Travel Counselors

Bluebonnets ``are one way Texans are identified by the rest of the world,'' said Damon Waitt, senior botanist with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. ``I'd almost put it on the level of the four-leaf clover with Ireland.''

The flowers grow wild in Texas, and the Transportation Department sows 33,000 pounds of wildflower seed along 79,000 miles of highways each year. The state has a Web site and an 800 number with bilingual ``travel counselors'' to guide tourists to the displays.

Lady Bird Johnson, widow of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson, spurred the planting of wildflowers along roads to stem soil erosion. Her efforts led to the federal Highway Beautification Act of 1965, and she established the center bearing her name.

President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, both raised in Texas, grow bluebonnets at the White House and at their ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush's mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, also cultivated them at the White House and has a variety of sky-blue bluebonnets named after her.

Winter Drought

Texas has selected no fewer than five varieties of bluebonnets as the official flower. Images of the blooms appear on everything from license plates to bumper stickers and coffee mugs. The Bluebonnet Award is given annually to the best book, as selected by the state's third through sixth graders, and the Texas Library Association will hand out this year's prize next week.

``You're not really a Texan unless you've had your baby picture taken in the bluebonnets,'' said Jerry Parsons, a San Antonio horticulturist who has worked with the blooms for about 20 years. ``It's such a part of Texas tradition.''

Bluebonnet seeds, soybean-like pods that germinate in the fall and winter, didn't receive enough water to thrive this year because of the drought.

The state had its third-driest November and December on record last year, according to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Governor Rick Perry declared a statewide disaster as more than 10,000 fires burned about 4 million acres between the end of December and mid-March.

Busiest Season

East and north-central Texas had severe or extreme droughts between September and February, according to the state's Water Development Board. The affected regions include the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Tyler and Wichita Falls.

Flowers in central Texas suffered less damage. About 20,000 to 24,000 people attended a three-day festival in Burnet, which has a population of 4,900. A festival in Chappell Hill, with fewer than 300 residents, drew 12,000 to 14,000 visitors.

Enthusiasts are packing the Lady Bird Johnson center and Wildseed Farms, the largest U.S. working wildflower-seed farm. The farm, about 80 miles west of Austin near Fredericksburg, plants flowers on 400 to 500 acres to harvest the seed.

``We get 300,000 visitors to our farm each year, and most of the visitors are in bluebonnet season in April,'' said John Thomas, the farm's owner. ``I've probably got 50 to 100 people right now taking pictures of their dogs, children or brides.''

Wildseed sells 40,000 to 60,000 pounds of bluebonnet seeds each year, and the state transportation department is among its customers. Bluebonnets are the company's most popular flowers.

Indian Legend

Even though the conditions weren't right for bluebonnets this year, that doesn't mean the plants are gone forever.

``Bluebonnet seed can lay dormant in the soil for up to 25 years and still have enough seed to germinate and make a good wildflower show,'' Parsons said.

Legend has it that bluebonnets first appeared as a sign of a drought's end. According to a Comanche tale, retold in a children's book by Tomie DePaola, an orphaned American Indian girl sacrificed a doll, her most valued possession, to end the drought. The bluebonnets appeared the next morning.


©2006 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved.

flower image : Take a mystical tour and explore house’s secrets

Inspired by the Da Vinci Code, Chiswick House is launching a new tour which examines the mystical symbolism behind its art and architecture.

Designed to reflect the interest in symbolism generated by the best-selling book, The Da Vince Code, the film of which is scheduled for release next month, the English Heritage secret symbolism tour explores the secrets behind Masonic symbols and beliefs.

A masterpiece of neo-classical architecture, Chiswick House was designed in the 18th century by the third Earl of Burlington who was inspired by the classical villas of ancient Rome.

Traditionally thought to have been built as a home for entertaining, recent findings suggest the villa may have had a secondary function as an early Masonic lodge.

continued...
Investigations began 17 years ago when two local residents took an interest in the house and the history of the Burlington family. Powerful Masonic symbols and clues have since been revealed in ceiling paintings, in the unusual geometric proportions of the villa and in the blue and red colour scheme.

Ricky Pound, visitor operations site supervisor at Chiswick House, explained: "Those that have read the Da Vinci Code will recognise that the Red Velvet Room has many parallels with the Royal Arch Masonry that appears in the book the numerous images of roses, which are a symbol of secrecy, suggest that anything discussed in this room should remain a secret.

"In fact there are many flower images throughout Chiswick House , such as fleur-de-lys, Scottish thistles, sunflowers and pomegranate fruits, which all have strong Jacobite connections and indicate the secret loyalties of Burlington at that time.

"Once you start looking, you begin to realise there is level upon level of symbolic meanings and it is only by seeing it for yourself that you begin to understand Burlington's conception for the real purpose of Chiswick House."

Privacy Policy © Copyright 2001-2006

Make Your Own Mac Media Center

Back in the fall of 2005, Steve Jobs demonstrated a brand-new iMac with a couple of features that had home entertainment center-type folks sit up and take notice: the Apple Remote and FrontRow software. The combination made it easy to turn an iMac into something resembling a media PC. But what if you don’t want to buy a new iMac just to listen to iTunes on your home stereo or watch a DVD from the same device? With a little ingenuity and a spare Mac, you don’t have to.

One caveat before you start work—if you’re looking to record some TV shows and play a couple of DVD movies, you might be better off buying a DVR and a DVD player. On the other hand, if you have a mini or PowerBook (or some other Mac that can do video and audio out) just sitting around and you have that make-it-work spirit, why not go for it? If you have a Mac capable of DVD playback and video output, you already have the makings for a basic system.

How It Works
Putting a Mac at the center of a media system isn’t rocket science. Basically, you’ll be connecting your Mac’s video and audio outputs to a television and a stereo or home entertainment receiver (advanced points for bringing video and audio back in to your Mac).

If you have a stray Mac kicking around, you can form the basics of a media center by simply setting your Mac close to a home entertainment receiver or stereo, and buying a few cables. But, if you have the time and the drive, you can make your Mac the heart of a killer home entertainment center.

By Emory Christensen.
Article is provided courtesy of Peachpit Press.

New Requirement for Your Home Theatre

Every good home theatre setup needs the basics: you got your television set of some sort, your DVD player and your surround sound system. Other component may very, we've got people still holding onto their VCR's (I mock you!), LaserDisc players (I mock myself!) and fancy stuff like audio preprocessors and amplifiers. I'm going to propose that any good home theatre in 2005 has one more essential item: a modern video game system.

The big 3 video game systems available today, the Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft XBox and Nintendo Gamecube were all released to the general US public by the end of 2001. While that makes them comparably long in the tooth by modern electronics standards, they were all designed with High Definition television at least half in mind and all can produce some outstanding graphics and sounds. Having recently purchased a new Big Ass Television, I have recently embarked on a journey through the video game systems: I've owned my XBox for about 4 months and a Gamecube for a few days now. In addition I'm familiar with the PS2 from several friends, one of whom has it connected up to his high def monitor. Let's see what each has to offer you, and which one you should pick up to round out your home theatre setup.
My new acquisition is the Nintendo Gamecube so let's start with there. The Gamecube overall is the #3 selling system here in the US but has some extremely high quality games in the library. The common knock on the GC is that it's a system designed for children. While the fruitful Mario franchise and Nintendo development team means high quality childrens games, there are some great adult oriented games for the 'Cube, namely Eternal Darkness, the Metroid Prime series and most recently the showered-with-praise Resident Evil 4 (all Gamecube exclusive titles). The Gamecube uses a smaller disc for it's media, it can't read regular sized CD's or DVD's. I mentioned in the intro that all the companies had at least one eye on the future, that being high def, and when the Gamecube was released there was an optional Component Cable you could purchase for it. Said cable would output a high definition 480p signal to capable television sets when using compatible software.

All right, I just dropped a lot of "word bombs" on you in that last sentence, so let's break it down here really quickly, trust me it'll be worth your time for this and the other systems. Let's see, first I mentioned high definition. We're all heard it, what does it really mean? Well, it means stuffing more lines of resolution into the same sized box as before. So before your TV was putting a relatively small number of lines onto the glass of your 32" screen, a high def TV can put more lines into that same space. More lines means a better picture, in simple terms. There are several formats that a true High Def TV can use. 480p is the bare minimum, and if you're snooty you wouldn't even consider 480p High Def, instead calling it ED or Enhanced Definition. (You may want to keep this in mind if you're shopping for a new Television, an ED set will definitely look much better than a vanilla TV, but isn't a true HD set, which is definitely what you want for the future, more than for right now.) 480p is the resolution that the Gamecube can output. This means that the Cube paints 480 lines of resolution onto your screen progressively. The other option from progressive is interlaced, noted by an i (as in 480i). A progressive scan picture looks better than an interlaced signal. Then I mentioned to capable television. What does that mean? Well, basically that means your television has to have component inputs. Component inputs are the most common way high definition signals are delivered to televisions today. DVD Players and all of our game systems will connect to TV's via component cables. The connectors themselves look very similar to the composite cables you are used to (the Yellow [video], Red and White [stereo audio]) but are capable of delivering a lot more data to a television. Finally, I mentioned using compatible software. What the heck does that mean? Well, with the correct cable, the Gamecube itself is able to output a High Definition signal, but the software itself has to be programmed to do so. The people that write the games have to put extra code into the games to support the High Definition signal (this is true for all the game consoles, and we'll get more into this discussion on a per machine basis). Ok, back to our Gamecube discussion...

So, all was great in the Nintendo world. The Gamecube was released to the world and was selling enough units. Nintendo was claiming a profit on the hardware itself (unlike Microsoft and Sony losing money on their consoles and hoping to make it up in software sales). Well after a few years, Nintendo noticed that a very small percentage of users were actually using the High Def Component cables. The bean counters crunched their numbers and actually decided to remove the capability from the Gamecube. So if you walk into a store today, and buy a new Gamecube, you cannot connect component cables to it and play games in 480p. So this leaves you with the decision to pick up one of a plentiful number of used Gamecubes, or buy a new one and play normal definition. I set out on my Gamecube quest fully planning on purchased the former, but in the end decided to just buy a new one. I'm personally out of component inputs on my television so I figured I'd rather have a guaranteed new one with a warranty.

Still, if you have an older system the vast majority of Gamecube software is High Def enabled. To check if a particular game is High Def, you can look on the back of the game box and see if it says "Progressive Scan" (see, that ties in nicely with the state of the state paragraph above! Look ma, I'm a writer!). So, how is the Gamecube regardless? Well, a whole lot of fun. Metroid Prime has some spectacular graphics and a very involving storyline. The choice of childrens games is unparalleled so if you have kids I would say the Gamecube is a no brainer. The other bonus for the Gamecube is the price: $99. With some quick scrounging around, you could still pick up the Holiday/Christmas 2004 Bundle, which is a Gamecube, 2 Controllers and Mario Double Dash (still $50 in the stores) for $99 (this is what I got). Really a spectacular deal. If you've got your heart set on playing games truly in high definition, if you hope to own dozens of exclusive adult oriented games or hope to play games over the Internet against other people, then take the pass on the Gamecube.


Sony PS2
The king of the current generation of consoles is the Sony Playstation2. The PS2 has lots of neat aspects, not the least of which is it's backwards compatibility with the PS1, the built in DVD Player functionality and huge game library (even excluding PS1 titles, the PS2 has just an avalanche of games compared to the XBox and GC). Much like the Gamecube, you need a special cable to connect the PS2 to component inputs to achieve your high definition signal. Again, software needs to be specifically programmed to support both the High Definition 480p format, as well as the 16:9 format that the PS2 can output as well (thus making a game fill the full screen on a widescreen television).

Unfortunately the support for High Def is somewhat lacking on the PS2. In spite of being the king of the mountain and having a huge number of software titles, the number of games supporting 480p or 16:9 is relatively small, about 50. Still, even games not programmed for 480p can look great on the PS2 and on your home theatre setup. Still, there are a ton of benefits to having a PS2 in your house. The games are plentiful and sold absolutely everywhere. I know around my neck of the woods they sell PS2 games even in grocery stores. You'll easily find hundreds of used games at most video game stores, most under $10 thus making it easy to take a flier on a game and get some excellent cheap entertainment. PS2 is capable of going online with an optional Broadbander adaptor. There is a smallish number of games that support online play, but once you find yourself competing against people from all around the world in your favorite game your gaming world will be forever changed.

What I propose as the best centerpiece for your Home Theatre is the XBox from Microsoft. The XBox is a full fledged PC in a fancy wrapper. Once again, an optional cable will be required to get component outputs for your high definition signal. Unlike the Gamecube and PS2 the XBox has broadband capabilities built right in via an ethernet port, and as an extra geeky bonus has a hard drive built into it as well. The hard drive is used as buffer space for the games, but also allows for some neat features such as ripping your audio cd's into MP3, and then using the MP3's in your video games to create your own custom soundtrack. Nifty.


Microsoft XBox
As we've seen now, the difference maker isn't really the hardware, since on the surface, all three systems are on par. What makes the difference is the software support for high definition, and this is where the XBox outclasses the competition. Every XBox games plays at least 480p (there are a handful of exceptions, but for the most part, if you pick up a game, it'll play High Def). In addition, the XBox is the only system with games that actually can output true High Def (remember, us snobs call 480p Enhanced Definition) of 720p and 1080i. That's right: resolutions with 720 lines, progressive and 1080 lines, interlaced. This makes for some seriously luscious pictures. In addition a large number of XBox games fully support 16:9 mode, including the Grand Theft Auto series, Halo2, Riddick and the recently released (and highly addictive) Mercenaries. 16:9 really enhances these titles, for example in Sega GT 2002 Racing, you'll wonder how you survived before seeing those cars creeping up on your side and passing you. It's like taking the blinders off and using your peripheral vision for the first time.

So, it's decision time. All three systems create pictures that can be truly described as stunning, and at least one deserves a place in any home theatre setup. Most people aren't hardcore enough to purchase multiple systems (Who'd be silly enough to do that?) so it's decision making time. I would really recommend the XBox as the one unit that would best show off your Home Theatre setup. All the games are in high definition, many support 16:9 and all output a Dolby Digital signal. About half the games released today are Live! enabled, meaning you can play online against opponents from all over the world. The PS2 is often chosen today just because there are so many of them. You're likely to know at least one person that owns a PS2, and that social network means you've got a built in source to borrow and try out games. However, the software support isn't really there to max out your home theatre. The Gamecube once again runs a distant third in this race. High Def owners are neglected by the big N. In spite of some great games for people of all ages, it's going to be hard to convince yourself that the Gamecube is your system of choice. Still, it can give you many hours of enjoyment and is a downright bargain.

by Matt Fuerst

Video games, roulette, and blackjack attract many to Gentle Friday

Davison senior Jacob McCarthy said this year’s Gentle Friday festivities at Warriner Mall were to his liking.

He won a bag full of prizes after defeating several other competitors in the Halo 2 tournament, part of the 2006 Game Live U College Tour on Xbox 360.

“It was really cool,” McCarthy said. “It had free Mountain Dew and free video games to play.”

McCarthy said he liked this year’s Gentle Friday overall.

“Exams aren’t until Monday at the earliest,” he said. “So it’s good to blow some steam off. They’ve got a bunch of free things here.”

The interactive video game exhibition was the main attraction for this year’s Gentle Friday event, put on by Program Board. It featured several of the latest games for Xbox 360, Xbox and PC.

A Mountain Dew bar also was available, but it quickly ran out of beverages after it opened.

Byron freshman Tony Davis said he went to the event after hearing about it from his friends.

“It’s interesting,” he said. “The war games here seem real. They’re really intense-looking.”

Other popular games included “Fight Night: Round 3,” “Top Spin 2,” “America’s Army” and “Kameo: Elements of Power.”

Thanks in part to the sunny weather, there were plenty of other activities outside of the Game Live tent.

Those events included roulette, blackjack and poker to go along with this year’s Las Vegas theme. Another attraction was the inflatable roulette table, where each person was the game’s ball.

Battle Creek junior Zhi Lu said the roulette table caught her eye this year.

“There’s a lot of people out this year,” she said. “There are more people than last year. It’s really nice.”

Local bands, including Aphorism, played for students on a stage set near Warriner Hall. Game Live sponsored a performance by Val Emmich + The Rescue Effort, an alternative band from New Jersey.

Several CMU organizations, such as On The Fly Productions and Voices of Planned Parenthood, also had tables displayed.

By Brian Manzullo

Asian Food Festival

Some Chinese like it hot
It's really a year round festival of Asian food available in Melbourne. We have such a wealth of good Asian eating places that you could eat nothing else and do very well, thank you.

However the Festival which started yesterday offers more than food in many good restaurants, it's also about a Hawkers Food Market, celebrity dinners, a waiters race, a travel competition and -- cooking demonstrations using a three metre diameter Golden Wok.

Organisers say that this wok will be recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest and it will 'travel' around Chinatown, Melbourne Central, Myer Bourke Street, Chadstone Shopping Centre and the Crown Casino.

Meanwhile in most of the Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai restaurants participating in the Festival there will be special banquet menus for two or more at $40 and at $60. Both menus are priced for two persons and include a bottle of De Bortoli wine.

At the popular Tandoori Den in Camberwell there is a menu for two diners priced at $40 of three entrees -- Spicy Coconut Crab, Tandoori Chicken Salad and Elephant Ears (tropical yam leaves rolled with chick peas and spices then fried); a choice of four main courses with tandoori breads, rice, pappadums and chutneys and a dessert of terrine of mango, pistachio and coconut icecream served on a bed of strawberry coulis. This good value menu is available Sunday-Thursday during the Asian Food Festival, 31 August - September 21. The $60 menu for two is available at Bamboo House, Monday-Friday. It will include Steamed Oysters and Scallops in black bean and chilli; crisp Omelette roll; the famous Sichuan Tea-smoked Duck and dry fried Beef with Chinese greens.

At Choi's in Hawthorn the $60 menu for two will change weekly and in the first week dishes will be Lobster Roll, Spinach Salmon Log, Coconut milk Prawns, Venison on sizzling plate and pan-fried Barramundi plus a dessert of fried icecream. This menu will be available all week during the Festival as will those at Empress of China, Everest India, Fortuna Village, Haveli and Koh Samui.

At Fortuna Village on September 16 owner Jimmy Khong is presenting a Celebrity Dinner with Tony Tan, director of the Asian Food Festival. On that night some eight special dishes wil be matched with different winemakers' vinages for $78 per person. Space is limited for this dinner, so book early on 9663 3044.

It's always essential to book at Shark Fin House (9663 1555) for weekend Yum Cha. This Little Bourke Street restaurant is famous for its range of dim sum. The Head dim sum chef, Johnnie To has more than 160 dishes in his repertoire so that at any one sitting, customers get a choice from at least 80 different little dishes ranging from $2.90 -$12.00 (for suckling pig). Most of the dishes are around $2.90-4.90 and by the time you have had 5 dishes you will be very well fed. Each weekend sees queues of hundreds of hungry customers outside their doors. On Sundays alone around one thousand yum cha eaters will come to the two sittings at 11am and 1.30pm.

During the Asian Food Festival, Shark Fin House manager Gabriel Chan, is recommending two very special dishes -- the Golden Antarctic Crab which has recently been sourced in deep waters off the coast of Western Australia and the Tasmanian Green Lip Abalone. The crab is also known as Snow Crab as its shell is sometimes pure white and sometimes a light gold colour. Weighing anything from 1-4 kilos it is delicious steamed with Chinese rice wine. The Tasmanian abalone is a big and tender variety, according to Gabriel, and he suggests having it finely sliced in a steamboat with mushrooms and vegetables. Grain-fed beef can be added to the steamboat. Cantonese style home made dumplings of prawn and pork with fungus is the dish he recommends to eat whilst the steamboat is simmering.

There are many more delicious seafood dishes at Shark Fin House, particularly, of course the shark fin itself which gives the restaurants in the city, Burwood and Keysborough, their name.

published by Hardie Grant

A Great Family Beach

Sun on your face, breeze at your back, and sand between your toes. We love it here.

Wiere do you go when you want to ake your family on a seaside escape? For a lesser-known paradise, choose Navarre Beach along Florida's northwest Gulf Coast; it's still blessedly undiscovered.

Restful Retreat

Crystal-blue water, pristine white sand, and stretches of undeveloped beach without another soul draw families to this tiny spot between Pensacola Beach and Destin on U.S. 98. Navarre Beach provides the setting for the ultimate secluded getaway.

You'll spot only three restaurants (Barracuda's, Cocodrie's, and Sailor's Grill and Bakery) and two gas stations. Sailor's Bakery boasts sweets, breads, and to-swoon-for cinnamon rolls. As for shopping, just a small boutique and a few watersports-supply stores dot the strip. That's just the way visitors like it. And so do we.

Here's the idea: Rent a condo, stock up on groceries at one of the big supermarkets before crossing the bridge to the beach, and get ready to enjoy a relaxing time. The longer you stay, the less expensive the lodging. Need some help getting started? Surf for properties at www.beaches-rivers.com.

Once you're settled in, make the most of this seaside splendor. Little ones dig around the Gulf of Mexico, catching fish and grabbing sand crabs. Dolphins jump and play, putting on quite a show. Surf-fishers want to hook the pompano, flounder, cobia, king and Spanish mackerel, and white and speckled trout that swim the shores.

Natural Wonders

For a quiet beach experience, rent a canoe or kayak, and tour on your own. Looking down through the water is like paddling over an aquarium. Scuba divers score a real treat with an offshore underwater viewing of the U.S.S. Massachusetts, a vessel that has called the deep sea home since the 1920s. Visit the Eco-Beach Shop for bike ($ 10 a day), surfboard ($25 a day), or double kayak ($25 a day) rentals.

Located on the east end of the beach, Navarre Beach State Park provides another family outing. Amenities include a 1,000-foot-long fishing pier (open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.), picnic tables, and a boardwalk. A part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, Navarre's 8 miles of pure, undisturbed waterfront are perfect for long walks and quiet treasure hunts. You'll find your own tropical paradise.

by Mckenzie, Jennifer L

Alabama gulf coast

Those visiting Gulf Shores, Alabama, should consider staying at one of 468 sites at Gulf State Park Campground. All campsites provide water and electricity, with over half providing sewer hookups. Each has a standing grill and picnic table. The park accommodates 40-foot rigs and slideouts. Some sites are on Middle Lake, while others are wooded. Most offer shade. A naturalist conducts programs year-round. At the activity building, campers find aerobics, crafts, and weekly church services, plus a camp store and laundromat. Eleven shower houses are scattered throughout the campground. The park's hotel has a lounge. Its restaurant serves three meals a day, has seasonal luaus with hula girls on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a seafood buffet Saturday evenings. Other park facilities include an 825-foot dock extending into the Gulf, freshwater lake fishing, 18-hole golf course, boat launch, hiking trails, and picnic areas. Pets are allowed on leash. Rates range from $14 to $25, depending on the site. For information, call (251) 948-6353.

COPYRIGHT 2002 World Publishing, Co. (Illinois)
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group