A detail from the 1918 portrait of Vita Sackville-West, writer, gardener, force of nature, painted by William Strang (1859-1921), Scottish artist, and entitled “Lady in a Red Hat.” It was Violet Trefusis who suggested Vita pose for Strang, and who sat in Strang’s studio the whole time, never taking her eyes off the subject.
Archive for September, 2007
Vita
Posted in Art, Literature, Love on September 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Konnichiwa
Posted in Art on September 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
“From your clothes to your goods to your car, everything is better cute.”
– From the Nissan Pino website, where you can customize your new Pino micro-minicar with patterned seat covers, tissue dispensers, stuffed animals, matching handbags and much, much more.
The Post Office
Posted in Uncategorized on September 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I love postcards of post offices, especially the grand and whimsical. In the latter category: a post office in a cedar stump in the state of Washington.
Dogs and Stars
Posted in Uncategorized on September 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
“In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beasts, and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and the moon should man learn… [...]
On Blackwater in Baghdad
Posted in Mercenaries, Religion on September 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I have long had problems with people who thump the Bible but never read it, much less heed it, but more and more it appears that the people who presently claim to lead our nation are ignoring their real, most trusted advisor as well:
“Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous. If a prince bases the defense of his state [...]
To Love a Queen
Posted in Art, Chess on September 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
My grand-nephew Jacob’s interest in chess has rekindled my own, and a day in London gave me the opportunity to visit the British Museum and see the Lewis Chess pieces. Much has been written about them, so I won’t repeat it all here, but they are the oldest complete set of chess pieces yet found, [...]
The Little Girl at the Door
Posted in Art on September 23, 2007 | 4 Comments »
When I was walking in Canterbury, I came upon the local library, a great ark of a building. It was the gift of a wealthy benefactor, and it reminded me of the Skaneateles Library with its Barrow Gallery attached to it. Except here, the gallery was on the upper floor and went by the more [...]
Opting Out
Posted in Technology on September 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
“Not me, pal. I have no cell phone, either. I don’t wanna be tracked down.”
– Keith Richards on laptops and cell phones, Rolling Stone, May 3, 2007
I know how he feels
Posted in Dogs on September 21, 2007 | 2 Comments »
“Dusty is utterly indifferent to most humans; if she had to pick between me and a potato chip, I’d lose.”
– Andrew Sullivan talking about his beagle
Wish I Was There
Posted in Photography on September 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Waterfall No. 6 by Annie Riker, 2006
