I had the opportunity to view some real gems here in Houston. One "gem" was Glenwood Cemetery - home of Howard Hughes' grave site along with the final resting places of other notable Houstonians.
Overview of Howard Hughes' grave site. Mr. Hughes is on the right.
A close-up view of Mr. Hughes' marker. I had to lean way over the fence and stretch out my arm and snap the above photo.
The Hobby family plot. If you have ever flown into Houston's Hobby Airport, well, William P. Hobby is buried here (on the left).
Samuel Allen - the brother of the two Allen brothers (two New Yorkers like me!!) who actually founded the city of Houston way back in the early 1800's!!
The Houston city skyline lies in the background of Glenwood Cemetery. The other "gem" was more touristy and a lot less authentic. But what the heck, it was my last Sunday off and so I went to the Forbidden Gardens in Katy, Texas (about 15 miles from West Houston). Basically a VERY rich Chinese fellow purchased some land and built a miniature replica of the Forbidden City in China as well as of the buried terra-cotta army soldiers. Certainly anyone who has seen the real deal in China will laugh at this make-believe replica but at least it gives those of us who can't get to China a little glimpse of what the real attractions might be like.
The entrance to the Forbidden Gardens.
The courtyard ....
A miniature portion of the Forbidden City.
Close-up view of one of the buildings ostensibly inside the Forbidden City.
And a replica of the terra-cotta soldiers of the Emperor Qin. The original terra-cotta army was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well near the tomb of Emperor Qin. Forbidden Gardens in Katy, Texas has 6,000 1/3 scale terra-cotta soldiers in formation just as they were buried in the 3rd century BCE.
The entrance to the Forbidden Gardens.
The courtyard ....
A miniature portion of the Forbidden City.
Close-up view of one of the buildings ostensibly inside the Forbidden City.
And a replica of the terra-cotta soldiers of the Emperor Qin. The original terra-cotta army was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well near the tomb of Emperor Qin. Forbidden Gardens in Katy, Texas has 6,000 1/3 scale terra-cotta soldiers in formation just as they were buried in the 3rd century BCE. 
2 comments:
Hi Traveling Chemist, for a moment, I thought you flew to China!
You mentioned that you "... had to lean way over the fence and stretch out my arm and snap the above photo..." Doesn't you new 50D have the zoom in feature? Not that I know much about camera though.
John
I enjoyed the trip through the miniature Chinese Garden, All those little terra cotta soldiers are just too cool! And to imagine the ones in China are life size! And there are 6000 of them? Wow!
My favorite part of this post though is the cemetary. I have a fondness for cemetaries that stems from making headstones for a living a few years back.
It surprised me that Howard Hughes' grave isn't more elaborate than it is.
You take good pictures! Thanks for sharing!
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