Borrowed View

I've been reading about the gardening concept from China and Japan called "shakkei," or "borrowed view." A gardener takes advantage of the neighboring scenery to create a beautiful vista and add to a garden that is small or cramped.

The view from my window is of a wall with barbed wire on top. A once-luxuriant ficus tree has been pruned back until it looks like a stick with a few leaves on it. There is a streetlight outside - dark now, because the city power is not on.

Boy, do I need a borrowed view.

Of all the Daily Photo sites, the one I find myself clicking on most often is one that isn't very exotic at all, considering that my passport does say I'm an American. I find it tranquil and beautiful, though. It's this one: the Sharon, Connecticut Daily Photo Blog. Somehow it's just the ticket when the tropics are getting to me.