As I push open the Conservatory door, an overwhelming aroma hits my face. I turn to the side, wiggling my nose, trying to understand how something could smell that bad. The stench sits on my arms and consumes every part of me. Do I walk out before I even take a glance at the plant? Do I use my fingers to squeeze my nose shut, hoping that I won’t breath it in and actually taste it? My stomach grumbles as the trash-like odor fully overcomes me and I quickly run up, snap a photo, and rush through the doors to get a breath of fresh air. I take a deep breath, relieved that my nostrils are clear from the horrendous odor.
That is how I imagined the scenario when we went to The Huntington Library to view the Corpse Flower. I thought the smell would be overwhelming to the point of disgust. Sadly, I was disappointed. What really happened was Taro opened the door to the Conservatory and right when I stepped in, a fly flew into my ear. I am not joking. It buzzed loudly and I put my finger up to my left ear and panicked. It wouldn’t go away and I was on the brink of screaming. I think I actually yelped before it finally flew away. I really am not exaggerating here because Taro literally said, “That was a big fly.” So that was initially what happened when we entered the Conservatory. The Corpse Flower actually attracts a lot of flies and sadly, I was attacked by one. After that, we headed to the Amorphophallus Titanum, also known as the Corpse Flower, to see it in all its glory. It definitely looked different compared to the last time we were at The Huntington Library, but I think we expected more. We thought it would smell really bad. There was an odor in the air, but not enough to make you sick or feel disgusted by it. Taro didn’t even smell it! I tried to describe it, but I couldn’t narrow down the scent. All I can say is, Chinese food/fruit, such as durian and stinky tofu, smells far worse.
We are glad we were able to see the Corpse Flower since the blooming of the plants is unpredictable. The next time there is a Corpse Flower, we are going to try to go the day of to see it completely open and really witness the smell since it is most potent within the first 12 hours.
Until next time, Mr. Stinky.
After we saw the Corpse Flower, we briefly walked around The Huntington Library just to enjoy the day.
Sunday was a beautiful day to go out and shoot photos and what better place to practice than The Huntington Library. Already our membership has come to good use and because we do not have to rush through it, we can leisurely walk through the grounds and have a closer look at individual gardens. For this particular Sunday, we decided to go to the Chinese Garden. Along the way, we detoured to the Conservatory. There you can find a Rain Forest, which houses the Amorphophallus titanum, the infamous “Corpse Flower,” and a Cloud Forest. Both are fascinating with the climate and plant life. You can also visit the Bog and see Venus flytraps, which we found pretty interesting. If you plan to visit the Conservatory, be prepared for the humidity inside the Rain Forest; the climate alone made me want to run out into the fresh air so I cannot imagine what it is going to be like in June when the “Corpse Flower” is in bloom. It is probably going to be stinky, but beautiful and intriguing, in there!
After the Conservatory, we headed to the Chinese Garden. Although we both photographed aspects of the garden, the main focus was to practice shooting individuals, specifically Taro taking photos of me and vice versa. It is definitely not an easy task – the hard lighting at 2 p.m., people strolling around and getting into the frame, deciding where to take the photo and how to position an individual, and grasping the photojournalistic approach while also having posed shots. At times I felt discouraged, questioning whether I could really do it. I know I can, but I am my own worst enemy and so critical of what I produce. I have to believe and trust that I have the potential to do something amazing.
It was a lovely afternoon spent at The Huntington Library once again. I cannot wait to visit again, to check out a different garden, but also practice, practice, practice. Only then can I grow.
Energetic. Full of life. Goofy. Silly. Fun. Loving. These are all words that pop into mind when I think of Lizet and her huge smile that is always on her face. Lizet is part of my extended family, cousin-in-law, cousin by marriage – we were trying to figure out how to describe our relationship and we came up with all of these, but eventually settled on the fact that her future daughter will probably call me auntie and Taro uncle. Regardless of the title and name, Lizet is family and I am excited that her and Rich are going to welcome a baby soon.
Lizet is going to be a wonderful mother. This is how I know. At one of the parties we had at our house, Lizet was sitting outside when a squirrel fell from the tree. She wanted to take care of the injured creature so Lizet walked inside and grabbed a handful of nuts to feed the squirrel. There was this innate desire to care for it. Most people probably would have left the squirrel alone and just completely disregarded it; Lizet didn’t. Even though the story itself does not have a happy ending (Sadly the squirrel was torn to pieces from neighborhood cats.), Lizet cared for an animal that most people would stay away from or shoo away. This is what a mother does – nurse, care for, love, and shelter a little being who is trying to understand and take part in the big, open world.
Lizet looked absolutely stunning at her shower. She was making jokes, laughing, and rubbing her belly. I also thought it was cute when she would scratch around her belly and tell us how she was hot and itchy; it seemed like a typical silly action made by Lizet with the recognizable smile on her face. You could feel the excitement in the warm, spring air from Lizet, her sister, and her mother as they talked about the new addition arriving in early July.
Lizet, congratulations again on your pregnancy and Taro and I look forward to welcoming a baby girl to the family! We are so excited for you and Rich and know that this baby girl is extra lucky to have you two as parents!
Audrey, Rich’s sister, threw an amazing baby shower for Lizet. Audrey gave Lizet two options for the type of food that she wanted and Lizet selected fried chicken. The fried chicken was amazing and made entirely from scratch! When I arrived to the house, Audrey was busy battering the chicken and frying it on the stove. On top of that, she made biscuits herself. It was a southern-style feast and people could not keep their eyes or hands away from the spectacular spread! Check out Audrey’s blog for details about her homemade chicken.
The lovely chef in the kitchen:
Dessert was cupcakes from Dots:
The first baby shower game was measuring Lizet’s belly. I love her stance; she was ready to be measured and according to her, anyone who guessed too large would have to immediately leave the premises.
For the second game, everyone had to draw their own version of Lizet’s future baby…but on top of their heads on a paper plate! Some were a bit abstract while some closely resembled a baby. There were a lot of laughs as Lizet went through each image. I especially like how Lizet’s sister drew a baby farting since Lizet’s nickname is Stinky.
I love the expression on Lizet’s face in these two pictures. The first one has her holding up cute yellow shorts while the second one shows a look of shock when she heard how many diapers a baby could potentially go through in one day.
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