Hello. Hello. Hello. May was a crazy month. First, Wei and I spent 15 days touring Alpine countries. After that trip, I had one week’s break to do laundries, and rest. Then I joined my nephew’s family for a week long East Caribbean Cruise. I definitely overestimated my physical condition!
But, first, in this post, I am going to tell you about Como Park. Yesterday, I met David (Northern Visions Media) and Yan (From Hiding to Blogging) at Como Park to shoot some photos. I had met Yan a couple of years ago, but this was the first time I met David. David’s blog caught my attention, I don’t remember when, because many of his photos were taken in Duluth – one of my favorite towns.
Japanese Garden was the meeting place. I should focus on landscaping, I told myself. But the moment I saw David, I immediately had a couple of photos of David (with certain settings) in my mind – that totally surprised me. People often ask, “What kind of pictures do you like to take?” I always had a hard time to answer. I like certain type of landscaping, certain type of this and that, but I had never figured out what that certain type was. It has become more and more clear now. 😉
Como Park Conservatory building has been a photo subject for many photographers. Most people like to wait until everyone is out of the sight; I love to include people.
The first photo in the Japanese Garden was inspired by David. (Thanks for showing me the light, David.)
More photos at Japanese Garden…
Como Park Conservatory…
Como Park Zoo…
And finally, a girl…
Thanks to David and Yan. I had a lot of fun.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
HHC Blog 
That last photo of the child and the reflection was priceless; positioning at the end of the series gave me a sense of seeing all the previous photos through the child’s eye. By the way, where is Como Park? I know I can google it, but I just love having reasons to chat with you via WordPress!!!
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I miss you, too, Carol 😉
Como Park is in St. Paul Minnesota. When my daughter was little, we used to take her to the small amusement park there on weekends. It has become very popular in recent years. I mean… lots of people there!
The photo of that child is probably my favorite, even though it was a little out of focus. Those two monkeys were kissing, hugging for a long time, but a lot of time, their faces were buried — quite interesting to see.
Have a wonderful day.
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I am so glad you got together with other bloggers. I hope you all had a blast.
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Thanks, Cee. It was fun. I always want to “shadow” a photographer so I can see how other takes photos. My wish came true. Ha.;-)
Hope you and Chris are doing well. I still need time to catch up all of your posts.
Have a great day.
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I too enjoyed our meeting and the time at Como Park. It’s fun to see how each of us interpreted our visit to the park.
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Thanks, David. It sure was fun. Hopefully we can do this at least once a year and have more people to join us next time.
It is interesting how each of us took different set of photos. I almost think we can know a person based on the photos he takes 😉
Did you notice the sun came out after our photo shooting? ;-(
Have a great evening.
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Great pictures Helen, welcome back!!!
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Thank you, Paulo. It’s nice to be back. However, it will probably take a while to get back on track. Can’t wait for back-to-normal again 😉
Have a great evening.
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I wondered where you were! Welcome back, Helen. Oh, the adventures you have had! The photos are wonderful. I love the little webbing on the red leaves. Is that a light in the lily pond? I think that is my Zen photo. That photo made me sit back and exhale. Will you post photos of the Alpine countries? Please say yes!
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Thank you, Lois. I once read an article written by WP staff (I think) that it is better not to announce your traveling plan in your blog post. I am not sure I understand why, but I think the person must have a good reason. Anyway, I decided to follow her advice this time — no idea why 😉
Behind the red leaves, it was a tea house’s wall and part of the roof. I wonder if it is better not to blur the background this much so we can see the house better. Oh well…
Yes, it is a lighting device in the pond. The reflection looked pretty neat.
Yes, Alpine countries will be next. (I think.) Thank you, Lois.
Good night.
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That is very good advice: never announce you are going away; surprise us that you came back! Oh, the blurred background is perfect–we can see the delicacy of the leaves better. Take care and rest, my friend.
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I, actually, have a mixed feelings on this. When someone doesn’t blog for a while, I worry if everything is ok with him/her. But on the other hand, I understand why they suggest not to announce you are going away. So far, I follow their advice 50% of the time. 😉
Have a great day.
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There you are. Can’t wait to see more of your shots and stories. Happy to hear you are meeting other bloggers, Helen.
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Thanks, Perpetua. So far I haven’t met any blogger that I don’t like! It’s fun! And it is very interesting that we shot photos at the same place and yet each seemed focusing on different things. Very cool!
Have a great day.
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So glad you are back, Helen! Your trip reminded me the beautiful scenery of Alpine countries. Beautiful photos of Como Park!
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Thank you, Amy. Yes, Alpine countries are beautiful. I asked my husband if we could go again and stay for a month. I really love there.
Have a great evening.
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I like these photos a lot! Nice composition, interesting subjects, and a sense that you were in control of the different scenes, shooting exactly what you wanted.
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Thank you, Hien. It was an interesting experience. I spent a fair amount of time watching David and Yan taking photos, but at the same time, I determined not to miss anything I wanted to shoot. 😉
Have a great evening.
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Wonderful shots Helen. I love the light, the shade and the reflections.
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Thank you, Rypali. I am so behind in reading, commenting and blogging ;-( Spending a lot of time studying Buddhism… wish I had done that long time ago ;-(
Have a great day.
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Enjoy what you do Helen. It is meditation according to Buddhism.
Good day to you and yours!
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Really cool pictures!🖤 Seems like you really enjoyed a lot!❤️
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Thank you, Rageshree. Yes, I enjoyed it a lot! It was interesting to see how each person was attracted by different things. 😉
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