Obrigado anne_ct, I've been there three times accompanying my wife who was there for conferences or other meetings associated with a US/Brazil exchange program she was running between two universities in Brazil and two here (Ohio State and University of Virginia) Since she was often in meetings or conferences I often spent that time traveling around the city alone. Its such a city of contrasts: the beaches, the mountains, the urban buildings, the tijuca forest, the skyscrapers and the favelas. This is looking down from somewhere within the Santa Marta favela out over the skyscrapers below. and looking down the length of Copacabana Beach toward Sugar Loaf. The bridge for the trolley from Rio Centro to Santa Teresa Tudo Bem

Happy Earth Day! I was thinking of the song Earth Angel when I posted this. lol This post was edited by nicole__ on Tue, Apr 22, 14 at 14:03

I've got a picture similar to your puzzle gazania. From one of the few hunts I was able to make it to this year. For the ornamental grasses, I've found that if I take a hedge trimmer to them I can cut them down in about 1 minute. Much easier than using a hand clippers.

It is a heavy art paper. I didn't realize until we got the magpies home that we have two other pieces by the same artist that we bought at the Camden Art Festival. I believe the artist applies paint (or ink) to a block and then she presses the block to the paper. There were a couple of other pieces of art depicting birds that I really liked, but I got "out bid" on them. They were embroidered with fine silk thread onto cloth.