Short post because we are still traveling. This shot is of His Grace Cmdr. Sam Vimes, who hopped into his traveling case when I was packing. I guess he wanted to come along too.
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
August 19, 2014
I am here in Colorado for a meeting. The geography of Colorado represents a division between the southern Rocky Mountains and the western edge of the Great Plains. Lots of variety here. I am looking at the mountains outside my window. Colorado was admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, earning it the nickname, the Centennial State.
What am I celebrating today?
August 16, 2014
Today is National Honeybee Day. If you have trouble telling your bees apart, click here for some help with identification.
Wiki: Honey bees are bees of the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests from wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis.
This is a day to celebrate bees and to raise awareness about their importance to agriculture.
“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”
― Ray Bradbury“If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.”
― Maurice Maeterlinck
Photo: Absolut
I recommend enjoying the day with a Honey Bee Cocktail
- 6 Parts Dark Rum of Jamaican Type
- 2 Parts Lime Juice
- 1 Part Runny Honey
Fill a shaker with ice cubes. Add all ingredients. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
What am I sappy bear blogging?
August 15, 2014
Beards gone wild. These photos are from a Schick commercial contending that beards are in some way weird. I am not sure exactly what kind of critters (probably not bears) are being used as beard models, but there is more to the story here.
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
August 12, 2014
Perseus was the first Greek superhero. He defeated the Gorgon, Medusa, by means of a mirror and sleight of hand, saved Andromeda from Cetus the sea monster, and founded Mycenae, one of the centers of Greek civilization.
Perseus’s fame is secured by his placement as a constellation in the summer sky (northern hemisphere). Dust particles from the comet Swift-Tuttle remind us of Perseus every summer (since 36 A.D. by Chinese records) with the Perseid meteor shower, which is due to peak today.
And he is memorialized in tattoos.
Be sure to check Google’s banner for today.
What am I sappy cat blogging?
August 8, 2014
Today’s post is about my fluffy little fur ball, Hobbes. Just one year old, Hobbes is still a growing boy – and he has some maturing to do, particularly in the personal grooming area. His back and rear quarters developed such thick felted areas that we had to resort to this:
We should have named him Matt. Other than looking ridiculous, he seems much more comfortable now. I mentioned to the vet that I am sure he will cotton on to the idea of grooming as he gets older. She said, “Yeah, that could happen.”
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
August 5, 2014
Theda Bara was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the most popular actresses of the silent era, and one of cinema’s earliest sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname The Vamp. – Wikipedia
Theda Bara’s persona was an early Hollywood creation. Fox studios made up a history of her parents and upbringing. The photos of her remind me of a Gibson Girl gone Goth and, in spite of the erotic and just plain weird costumes, there is a certain innocence about her. She probably spent a fortune on eye makeup, though. She was born Theodosia Burr Goodman on July 29, 1885 in Cincinnati, Ohio, of all places.
Since it is tattoo Tuesday, here is one honoring Theda Bara.
Where am I living now?
August 4, 2014 
Two Futuro Houses joined to make a single structure in Carlisle, Ohio
The Futuro House is another alternative living space. This one was designed in the 1960s as a prefab dwelling that could be used as a weekend get-away and was suited to uneven terrain. Many of these structures still exist around the world and some are still in use as dwellings. The rise in oil prices in the 1970s pushed up the price of plastics that were used extensively throughout the Futuro homes and the company folded.
Imagine stepping inside a flying saucer. Now imagine living in one! In 1968, in light of the postwar boost in technology and space exploration, Finnish designer Matti Suuronen designed the Futuro House. Originally meant to be a modular ski-cabin that could be assembled and disassembled in rough terrain, the round home became an iconic piece of futuristic design. This particular space-age Home has had quite the tune-up, and it recently landed in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.The Futuro prefab stands 10 feet high, is 26 feet in diameter, and comes complete with an airplane hatch entrance. Suuronen chose a round design not only for its strength, but also for its ability to feel spacious while keeping material use to a minimum. The walls are made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic, a new lightweight material that made the home both easily transportable and well-insulated. The interior houses up to 8 adults and includes a living room, kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, and bed chairs.
Mobile living seemed like the new possibility for the future. People could take their moveable home wherever they went, and live like modern nomads. However the oil crisis in 1972, production of the Futuro home was shut down as plastic prices nearly tripled. About 100 models were built and only half are estimated to survive today. Though tracking down the private owners of these space houses may prove a bit difficult, one Futuro home is readily available for rent in Wisconsin!
Living area with cool fire pit
Dining area of a Wisconsin Futuro House which can be rentedWhat am I sappy cat blogging?
August 1, 2014
As a wise man once said, “I think it is. . . where all cats believe they belong, between man and god.”
Who discovered what today?
July 29, 2014
Lake Champlain was discovered by Samuel de Champlain on July 29, 1609, during one of his expeditions to North America.
The lake was named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it in 1609. While the ports of Burlington, Vermont; Port Henry, New York; and Plattsburgh, New York are little used nowadays except by small craft, ferries and lake cruise ships, they had substantial commercial and military importance in the 18th and 19th centuries.
For some fascinating information about Samuel de Champlain, click this link.
The Champlain Valley is the northernmost unit of a landform system known as the Great Appalachian Valley, which system stretches from Quebec to Alabama. The Champlain Valley itself is a physiographic section of the larger Saint Lawrence Valley, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division.
Lake Champlain Ferry – Burlington, VT to Port Kent, NY
Gunsmoke and Knitting 