Thank you so much

 Richard came over yesterday and helped his hapless parents in many ways. Well, at least he got a bit of lunch even if it was just pizza and chicken wings.

Great to see you!

It's someone's lucky day at this library

What a great idea!

Posted by Heather Curtis on "The Silent Bookclub" on FB

"Something I love that my library does- the “lucky day” collection. When a book is super popular, they purchase an additional copy with no holds and no renewals allowed. If it happens to be in when you’re at the library, it’s your lucky day! "

Some works by Carmen Anzano

Another artist whose work I was quite attracted to:

"According to our data, Carmen Anzano is a contemporary artist. Carmen Anzano is a spanish female artist born in Barcelona (ES) in 1960.

Carmen Anzano’s first verified exhibition was Carmen Anzano at Galeria Juan Silió in Santander in 1993, and the most recent exhibition was Terra / Aqua at Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de Santander (MAS) in Santanderin 2020. Carmen Anzano is most frequently exhibited in Spain, but also had exhibitions in Italy, Morocco. Anzano has at least two solo shows and 9 group shows over the last 27 years (for more information, see biography). Anzano has also been in no less than two art fairs but in no biennials. A notable show was Imago Mundi. Luciano Benetton Collection. "

What an amazing statue!

The photo and comments came up on FB by someone called "Emma"

 "Don't know why this hasn't received more publicity, but this fifty-foot sculpture was unveiled recently in South Dakota.

It's called 'Dignity' and was done by artist Dale Lamphere to honor the women of the Sioux Nation."

And this from Wiki if you want more information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_(statue)

More photos from the Lunar New Year parade

 So many wonderful entries.

                                           It wouldn't be a parade without the bagpipes.

Looks like an interesting read

 Behind the Crown: My Life Photographing the Royal Family Hardcover by Arthur Edwards

304 pages / Hardcover Order Here Now: http://bit.ly/3H9gcLm

A breathtaking collection of photographs capturing the modern British monarchy as never before seen, taken by the Royal photographer for the The Sun (UK) who has covered them for nearly half a century.

“For 45 years I’ve chronicled the Royal Family for the Sun newspaper with my camera. I’ve witnessed their triumphs and disasters, their laughter and tears, when they’ve found love and when their relationships splinter. I’m there when they emerge from the maternity wing as wailing newborns and I’m there again when they marry before a joyous nation. And when they’re laid to rest on those solemn occasions that this country marks so well, I’m on hand to capture history being made.”

Arthur Edwards has been The Sun’s (UK) Royal Photographer for over 45 years; the longest serving of any newspaper. Originally from the East End of London, he is the man behind the most iconic photographs of the most famous family in the world. With commensurate skill and unprecedented access, he has captured the candid moments when protocol is put aside, revealing the true personalities behind the Crown.

This beautiful book is a treasure trove of glorious photography, along with Arthur’s own warm recollections of the stories behind his iconic shots. It is the perfect glimpse behind the scenes of the last 50 years of the British monarchy, from a truly unique perspective.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Pinatas in Mexico

Pinatas are such fun. What a wonderful tradition.

 El Castillo de las Piñatas

A traditional part of Mexican culture for centuries, piñatas have become a reliable indicator of popular cultural trends. Over the past few decades, piñata makers have slowly drifted from traditional forms in favor of cardboard representations of characters from movie franchises or cartoon series. To avoid copyright infringement, they are never exact replicas. As pop culture trends increasingly move online, memes, emojis, TV series and gaming-related characters, and even tech companies have inspired piñata makers to keep up with the times. These new designs have transformed the piñatas’ religious symbolism into objects that represent modern global culture, and are being used not only for collective celebrations, but also as individual markers for background décor in social media videos. In the process, they’ve helped a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship survive.

Eiffel tower replicas

I've had a love affair with the Eiffel Tower in Paris since I saw it on our first trip to Europe in 1971. I didn't realize there were so many replicas around the world until I read this article. I get daily pleasure from seeing one of our table lamps that has an Eiffel tower base. 

The largest replica (165 meters), which is also the most known, is that of Las Vegas. Two American cities named “Paris”, in Texas and in Tennessee, also have their replicas of the Iron Lady.

I love this one in Paris, Texas.

http://blog.lodgis.com/en/top-10-eiffel-tower-replicas-in-the-world/

Now this would be a fun car to have

We've never been very interested in cars...just something reliable is fine by us but I could see buying this one if I had money to spare.

" Following last year’s event where the carmaker unveiled its colour-shifting iX Flow, the i Vision Dee is a medium-sized sedan, and enables its owner to either switch between - or combine - 32 different colours. It will be on the market for consumers from 2025."

Yep....don't mess with librarian for sure

 

Many thanks again to Richard

 Richard came and did many things for us yesterday.  We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful son.

Yesterday's fun

I am being ironic. I began the day with a dentist appointment and that meant four hours without drinking anything since I had a flouride treatment. I guess it isn't surprising that I felt an immense thirst for a nice long cold glass of water. I wrote this blog yesterday so at the time of writing I have one and a half more hours to go.  A walk seemed like a good idea but it is raining quite hard.

Jim is cleaning up the basement and finding some useful items.

When I went to post this for tomorrow I see it's Friday, the 13th. I had some vague recollection that the number 13 was lucky and unlucky in France. I decided to google that and brought this up:

"France: 13 was traditionally considered a lucky number in France prior to the First World War, and was used in numerical form as a good luck symbol on postcards and charms."

I couldn't really find why it became unlucky after the First World War. I didn't look too hard.

Loved the Elvis Presley special

 This was on Sunday. He is still "The King" for me. He gave a great performance and I loved that he took the time to kiss lots of adoring ladies.

Old friends...

 We had a lovely time with Liz yesterday. We so appreciate her friendship and it's great to be a few minutes away.

Thanks, Liz.

Table tennis

Yesterday we went to Brock House to play table tennis. The people who participate are very nice and we are all pretty much at the same level. This makes it fun for everyone. Jim and I seem to have maintained the level we were at when we played years ago.

Movie we watched the other day

 " From Wiki:

I Know Where I'm Going! is a 1945 romance film by the British-based filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey, and features Pamela Brown and Finlay Currie."

We enjoyed this movie and especially loved all the scenery of Scotland. It brought back lots of memories.

 

Loved the colours and simplicity of this painting

 

Jess Ackerman

Noshin' on 'Em, 2022

Acrylic and gouache on canvas

24 × 30 in | 61 × 76.2 cm

Includes a 

US$1,400

A lovely visit with old friends

 Stan and Nicki came for tea yesterday and we all had a wonderful time.

Great to see you guys and look forward to heading out your way with Brian and Susan.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Richard

 Richard spent several hours yesterday getting getting all sorts of important things organized for us. 

We are blessed to have such a wonderful son. 

What a cool present for booklovers!

 From FB:

The origin of nachos...who knew?

We haven't had nachos for quite a while. This photo is making me hungry for them.

From: "Interesting Facts"

" The origins of nachos can be traced back to the border town of Piedra Negas, Texas, where the dish was invented in the early 1940s in a frantic effort to please customers. Ignacio Anaya, who went by the nickname Nacho, was the maître d’hôtel of the Victory Club when a group of women arrived at the eatery outside of business hours, after the cooks had gone home. Not wanting the customers to leave, Anaya ran to the kitchen and gathered up a few ingredients that he had lying around — fried tortilla chips, colby cheese, and jalapeños — which he combined and baked until the cheese melted. The diners loved the concoction and requested seconds, so the restaurant added it to the menu. Capitalizing on the local success of his new snack food, Anaya even went on to open his own restaurant. 

It would be an entirely different person who popularized nachos on a national level, however. Frank Liberto took Anaya’s concept and changed the delivery process so that the cheese “sauce” didn’t need to be refrigerated. Liberto’s version of nachos was introduced at a Texas Rangers game in 1976, and today nachos are a staple at sporting arenas across the country."

A lovely visit with Richard yesterday

 And he helped us with many things.

Thanks so much.  You are a wonderful son.

New Year's Day

 The beginning of the new year is starting very quietly. We heard no revellers last night. So glad not to see snow so everyone can get around easily.