balloons

      ,**,
      .\/.
     //  \\-.
     \\_///`\\
jgs   '-\\__//
         '--'

                           (
         )                (;)                (
        (;)       )       _)_.      )       (;)
       ._)_      (;)     |   |     (;)      _(_.
       |   |    ._(_     | ...

    &&&
   &&&/&
 &\/&|&&&&         ha
&&&\&|&/&&&    ,^%--- ha
 &&&\|/&&&    <   \ ha
  & }}{  &   />\_&       This leaf is
    }{{     / >       perhaps *too* small
             /|^^      for your p...

                  |     ||
                  ||     |
                  ||     |
                   |     ||
                    |     |
                 ..
                 \\)      ,,
              ...

                    __--_
                 //~-----\|/         _----__ .
                / /-~~---~\\\       /______,  |
                 / `c ` .  |||        |    |   |
                (..  _  ..||||...

    ___________________
   |         |         |
   |         |         |
   |         |         |
   |         |         |
   |.________|________.|
   |                   |
   |                   |
 ...

hope those who don't know chinese don't mind. my surname, "yip" in
cantonese and "ye (4)" in mandarin, has the meaning of "leaf". i
incorporated "leaves" in the second and third attempts. share with a...

             //\\
            <<()>>     A
             |==|     /\\
             |  |    /  \\
             |  |   /    \\
          A  |  |  /      \\
         //\_|  |_/        \\
        //   |  ...

         /| |___|___|___|___|___|
       .| |/|   |   |...|   |   |
      / | / |___|_.///\\\\._|___|
    .'| |/|/|   | |//. .`\| |   |
   /| |,| / |___|_||  L  ||_|___|
  / | / |/|.' ____|| -=- ||___...