It is September. Past the blooming season for water lilies and lotus blossoms. But I have been on a determined hunt to find them. And, along with with a few photos taken of the last 2 remaining lotus blossoms at the Self Realization Center in the Pacific Palisades, I have procured my own water lily plant. Now a full-time resident in my loft, living in a small pool of water.

After it was apparent that the buddhist monks were not going to let me climb down into their pond to get the shot I wanted, I had to go find my own “pond”. My water lily comes from an obscure city -- Sunland -- that is known for its population of hells angels and, apparently, the Sunland Water Pond nursery.

After a trek to Sunland where it was about 102 degrees, I found what I was looking for.

This will soon be photographed and turned into my spring line. This will also bring me back to NYC soon and maybe even permanently.

This lovely creature living in my loft will eventually get donated to the UCLA water lily/lotus blossom garden or the Self Realization Center. While as much as I would like to keep my beautiful water lily, she needs mud, a pond and constant sunlight. I don’t have a pond in my loft and a bathtub is not a happy home for a water lily. It would be like living in captivity. She needs to be outdoors (not in a concrete and steel loft) happy in her mud with a couple of frogs sitting on her lily pads. I’ll miss her beauty though.

So, come January, you’ll see how my twisted mind has commemorated my lovely creature. It will be beautiful and strange.