Carpe Diem #1562 Sacramento ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend. I had a nice weekend, cold and wet, but I enjoyed it very well. Tomorrow I will start at my new job at the VU Medical Center Amsterdam The Netherlands. I am excited and nervous, but I love this new challenge. I will start on the Hematology unit as an oncologynurse and hopefully this job will bring me joy as did my former job. We will see it in the upcoming months.

This month we are on our way again. We are writing Haiku Along The Pan American Highway and today we have arrived at Sacramento. Sacramento has a long history and in Old Sacramento Waterfront, you can experience that history. It's a 28-acre national registered landmark and state historic park, that preserves an 1870 riverside scene, complete with sailing vessels, paddle wheelers, cobblestone streets, boardwalks and many other historic elements. Old Sacramento Waterfront is home to numerous special events throughout the year, including the world-renowned Sacramento Jazz Jubilee which attracts more than 300,000 visitors each Memorial Day Weekend.

Old Sacramento Waterfront

Step into the historical background of Sacramento ... reliving the "ancient wild west" ... enjoy being part of that history.

Your task for today is to create a haiku, tanka or other Japanese form of poetry inspired on the Wild West.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 16th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #62 Troiku for the holidays ...

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday December 9th at 7:00 PM (CET) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend meditation here at our wonderful Kai. This weekend I love to challenge you to create a Troiku themed "holidays". We are closing in to Christmas and that means I will publish soon our first "Seven Days Before Christmas" episode 2018. You all know that's a kind of tradition here and ofcourse I will proceed with that tradition, but first ... Troiku for the Holidays.

I have ran through the episodes of earlier "Seven Days For Christmas" episodes and I found a wonderful haiku by myself:

piece of straw
blown off into emptiness
a new beginning

© Chèvrefeuille

The above haiku is inspired on a kind of meditation I shared in 2017 during our "Seven Days Before Christmas" feature. I think it's one of my best haiku ever (how immodest), because it has so much hidden layers.

I will sit back this weekend and let go my thoughts about this haiku to share a Troiku with you myself. Wish you all a wonderful weekend.

This episode is open for your submissions next Sunday December 9th at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 16th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1561 Yellowstone National Park ... meadow.

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new stage in our "Haiku Along The Pan American HIghway" month. Not so long ago I saw a wonderful documentary about Yellowstone Park and I love to inspire you with an image taken in Yellowstone National Park titled "meadow".

Meadow in Yellowstone National Park

Look at that image ... I can almost iagine how it must feel to be there on that meadow together with the one I love. The sun caresses our naked bodies and we entangle with each other in a hot sensual kiss ... wow ... imagine that!

Here is your task for today: Create haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on the above image themed love. Here is my attempt:

hot summer day
making love on the meadow
sweet perfume of grass

© Chèvrefeuille

I like this one (how immodest), but I think it is a haiku full of sensuality and love.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 13th at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem #1560 Crater Lake National Park Oregon ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What an awesome journey this already is, but I hope I can amaze you all with all the natural beauty along the Pan American Highway. Yesterday we visited Vancouver and today we make our first stop in America. It wasn't easy to find a new theme for today, because I couldn't choose ... But I have found a wonderful theme for you ... it's really amazing.

Our first stop in America is at the Crater Lake National Park. Let me tell you a little about this Crater Lake. Crater Lake inspires awe. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity: fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and perhaps the most pristine on earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers gaze in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range.

Here are a few images of this beautiful Crater Lake to help you awaken your muse.

Crater Lake National Park Oregon

I am in awe ... speechless as I see the beauty of Crater Lake. Wow ... how would this Crater Lake look in autumn ... well even more beautiful as you can see hereafter.

Crater Lake in autumn

As I have showed in the above two images Crater Lake is really wonderful in all seasons. I just had to show you the Crater Lake in winter.

Crater Lake in winter

What to say more ...

seasons come and go
only the sun and moon the same
clouds reflect in the lake

© Chèvrefeuille

Well I hope I have inspired you with the beauty of this Crater Lake.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 12th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now have fun!

Carpe Diem #1559 Vancouver ... renown for the Cherry Blossoms

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new stage, a new episode, in our journey along the Pan American Highway straight through the Americas from north to south. Today I love to "stop" in Vancouver. Maybe you are familiar with the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF) and if you are familiair with it than you also know that during the VCBF there is a haiku contest. I have had the pleasure to have won a Honorable Mention in this contest. Let me give you the haiku that won a HM:

the cooing of pigeons
between blooming cherry trees -
the cool rain

© Chèvrefeuille (2010, honorable mention)

Vancouver (Cherry Blossom)

Ofcourse you can see the Vancouver Cherry Blossoms at the start of spring, and now it's winter, so you have to wait a while. But I think Vancouver has the most wonderful Cherry Blossoms of the western world.

daydreaming
cherry blossoms bloom again
bare branches

© Chèvrefeuille 

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 11th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1558 Alberta (Canada) ... imagination without limits

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We have started with a new journey from the north of Northern America (Canada) to the south of Southern America (Argentina) following the Pan American Highway. During circumstances I hadn't time to prepare this episode in a great way. So I have chosen to challenge you with an image.

Here is the image you can use, but if you would like to use another image that's okay too, but that image should have to do with the Pan American Highway:

Pan American Highway, Canada - Alberta (website in Dutch)

Look at this image ... what an awesome view this is. Look at those colors and that "spooky" cloud against the mountain-wall. And than look at that beautiful colored sky ... a real beauty this image is. It's for sure a great image for all the beauty we will encounter along the Pan American Highway.

clouds change
moving along the bright sky
I fell in love

© Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong one I think, but it paints the scene with nice words and make you feel the Pan American Highway ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 10th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem Extra December 2nd Mr. Linky widget

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I already encountered a problem with the new Mr Linky widget, I cannot use the "linky" every day. So I have decided to go back to our old linking widget. If you have already linked your weekend meditation submission than please link it again in the new (former) linking widget.

I know it's terrible to have to wait 5 seconds before you can see the post through our former linking widget, but ... well I think that's not a big "gap" to step over.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host