July photographs

Just unloaded the camera – here are some pix that may not have justified a post on their own, but taken together are a nice slice of life.

Blueberry picking with my partner in berrycrime at Sturgeon Cove:

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The cove is in the background (and yes, there are sturgeon in the main river – or at least there were 10 years ago).

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My Utricularia humboldtii bloomed! First time!

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Two styles of rabbit dogs. The kind that come from Kearsarge Mountain Teckels:

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And the kind that come from Popper’s Sausage Kitchen:

Rabbit hot dogs … are locally raised New Zealand White and are seasoned with sage, white pepper, garlic and ginger.

Damn good, too.

These are Their Stories

These are Their Stories.

Each piece is an artist’s interpretation of a one-line episode summary from the DirecTV program guide (full list of titles artists could pick from). Like the series that inspired them, they are sometimes straightforward and sometimes offer a twist; sometimes they contain no easy answers, and sometimes they are just plain goofy.

A Man is Murdered with a Saw


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Radiation Kills a Tormented Scientist

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Death Links to Ultimate Fighting


Posted in art

The Harvard Herbarium

First, let me acknowledge peacay as undisputed champion of Internet cool-stuff-finding. Today’s Butterfly Album post is a multi-dimensional winner. First, there are the images. I’m particularly partial to a painting containing what I think is a Giant Water Bug:

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Then there’s the intriguing info on where the insects were collected:

The only other information known is that the butterflies and insects were collected from the Aralia (spikenard) and related Tetrapanax papyrifera (pith paper tree) plant species.

Followed by a link to the Harvard Herbarium for more info on the pith paper tree. The Herbarium rates a big marker pin on my mental map – it’s close, houses the Blaschka’s glass plant models and – most important for me – was the base of operations for Richard Evans Schultes (prev. posts here and here). I’ve wandered around the Herbarium website before, but today – thanks to peacay – I kicked around the Botany Library On-Line Exhibits (not sure I’ve ever happened upon this part of the site before). There’s a nice series on book covers/bindings:

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a section on the ‘other’ Amanita (phalloides)

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and then there’s this, from the Economic Botany Clipping File:

Dr. Schultes teaching in the Nash Lecture Hall

Painting by Hannah Barrett, November 1994

The caption in the tiles says, “Richard Evans Schultes, Director Emeritus, demonstrating the blowgun in the Nash Lecture Hall, the Botanical Museum, Harvard University, 15 November 1994.” Ethnobotanical explorer in lab coat? Check. Blowgun, darts and quiver? Check. Little potted cactus ($100 says Lophophora williamsii)? Check. More interesting details that I’ll leave for you, the reader? Check. I’m curious as to what molecule is diagrammed on the chalkboard…

One last picture to end the post – from the book Beata Ruris Otia Fungis Danicis Impensa. Enjoy!

Edward Quin’s Historical Atlas

Maps are metaphors.

An

Historical Atlas

In A Series Of Maps

Of The World As Known At Different Periods;

Constructed Upon An Uniform Scale, And

Coloured According To The Political Changes Of Each Period

Eden

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The Empire of Cyrus the Great

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At the time of the Death of Constantine.

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The Empire of Kublai Khan

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I love the David Rumsey Map Collection – this find is via a tweet from @bibliodyssey. Any map series that references the Massegetae and Sogdiana is a good one.

Nick Cave (no, not that one)

Amazing Soundsuits by Chicago-based sculptor/fiber artist/genius Nick Cave. Found by following an inbound link (to Tibetan Pop Surrealism) back and then googling like mad.

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Youtube of suits under construction/dancing etc.:

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Molly Would blogs Mr. Cave’s visit to SCAD.

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A slide show from the Fowler Museum, UCLA (hopefully, the link works well – the Fowler/phototour is a bit tricksy – if it doesn’t work, click on the Fowler link, then on Nick Cave Photo Tour).