It wasn’t intentional, but I found that several aspects of my garden were inspired by some of trips we’ve taken. One of the most different from southwest Austin was our 2007 trip to China. I really liked all the variations I found on Chinese Guardian Lions, Shishi, (aka Foo Dogs). Here’s what we have on the deck…
And here are a couple of the inspiration pieces…


The other building I loved in Beijing was the Temple of Heaven. The blue roof was amazing.

And here’s what’s in the back yard (ok, this one is a stretch but it’s the blue element I was after).
There was a park just northwest of the Forbidden City – Beihai Park – that offer the first Buddhas we’d see all over China. First mine…
And the inspirations –


The Ghost City of Fengdu was a trip and a half. It was supposed to be ‘Chinese Hell’ I think. (It sure felt like it; subtropical heat and humidity with no wind…yikes!). These are the ‘Soul Judges’ the dearly departed meets in the afterlife…

And finally, some landscapes from Beijing that I had in mind for the ‘Asian’ part of the yard.





