For some reason, there haven't been very many National Geographic Magazine articles about Australia in the last year since I started this travel blog. Today's article is Shark Fishing - an Australian Industry, Norman Ellison, September, 1932. I didn't get very far into the article before I read about the many shark attacks near Australian coasts, "The menace is sometimes so serious that it is proposed to supplement the present shark lookouts with either airplanes or captive balloons," (p. 369).
How many swimmers were eaten to warrant that level of monitoring? Thousands per year? A quick Google search at www.taronga.org.au gave the number of shark attacks in the whole of Australia for the last 100 years: total cases: 786, fatal: 170, injured: 466, uninjured: 150. Let's see what Mr. Ellison says about sharks.
There was high demand for ladies shoes and purses, luggage and attache cases made from sharkskin in 1932. Thus, a British company went to Australia, where it was reported there were an incredible number and variety of sharks. They found such an area in the village of Pindimar, on the coast of the New South Wales province, in the eastern part of the country. They established an extremely successful shark fishing industry.
I will admit to being a product of environmental concerns regarding potential extinction of species. Also, I remember learning that whales were almost hunted to extinction before there were some international protections in place. I found that how these sharks were hunted and killed seemed savage to me. Realistically, I supposes there is no difference in killing a cow for leather and meat or a shark. Shark leather is extremely tough and durable.
Mr. Ellison reports the Pindimar record of a 15-foot tiger shark. The liver alone weighed 200 pounds and yielded 16 gallons of oil, which resembled cod liver oil and was used medicinally.
Notable facts about the mix of people and sharks in Australia in 1932: on one beach alone, there were more than 50,000 people enjoying the sun! There were metal fences in the shallow waters separating many beaches into areas for bathers close to shore from any wandering sharks.
Another Google check for 2014 showed that the shark industry is still alive and well, with even more products advertised for sale. I feel that if a particular species were threatened, there would no doubt be a public outcry and legal protection for sharks.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Amelia Earhart, Heroine
Knowing of the female pilot, Amelia Earhart's tragic crash at sea, it was good to read of her special honor in 1932. The Society's Special Medal Awarded to Amelia Earhart: First Woman to Receive Geographic Distinction at Brilliant Ceremony in the National Capital, National Geographic Magazine, September, 1932, is the account of her award.
President Herbert Hoover presented Mrs. Earhart with the Historic Gold Medal for her solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The ceremony took place in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. In addition to the President and Mrs. Hoover, there were the Chief Justice, many Senators and Congressional Representatives, plus "diplomatic representatives of 22 countries, including those from European nations which had honored the flyer with her dramatic landing at Londonderry, Ireland," (p. 358).
The ceremony was broadcast over radio to the entire nation. The article's photos show "that rare quality of courage, together with skill and sureness of spirit, is reflected in Miss Earhart's flying smile," (photo caption, p. 361). She appears so young!
Mrs. Earhart addressed the audience with a report of her flight. Early into her journey, her plane's altimeter failed. "I plunged at 11:30 (p.m.) into the storm cloud and met the roughest air I have ever encountered while flying completely blind," (p. 365).
Flying at night, she would be able to land in the daytime. She made it to the coast of Ireland, more north than she had planned and couldn't find an airfield. "Consequently, I selected the best pasture I could find and settled down in it. I pulled up at the front door of a farmhouse and asked the surprised farmer for a drink of water," (p. 367).
The aviator was known for her modesty: "My flight has added nothing to aviation. . . however, I hope that the flight has meant something to women in aviation," (p. 367).
She would fly for five more years, then disappear into the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
President Herbert Hoover presented Mrs. Earhart with the Historic Gold Medal for her solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The ceremony took place in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. In addition to the President and Mrs. Hoover, there were the Chief Justice, many Senators and Congressional Representatives, plus "diplomatic representatives of 22 countries, including those from European nations which had honored the flyer with her dramatic landing at Londonderry, Ireland," (p. 358).
The ceremony was broadcast over radio to the entire nation. The article's photos show "that rare quality of courage, together with skill and sureness of spirit, is reflected in Miss Earhart's flying smile," (photo caption, p. 361). She appears so young!
Mrs. Earhart addressed the audience with a report of her flight. Early into her journey, her plane's altimeter failed. "I plunged at 11:30 (p.m.) into the storm cloud and met the roughest air I have ever encountered while flying completely blind," (p. 365).
Flying at night, she would be able to land in the daytime. She made it to the coast of Ireland, more north than she had planned and couldn't find an airfield. "Consequently, I selected the best pasture I could find and settled down in it. I pulled up at the front door of a farmhouse and asked the surprised farmer for a drink of water," (p. 367).
The aviator was known for her modesty: "My flight has added nothing to aviation. . . however, I hope that the flight has meant something to women in aviation," (p. 367).
She would fly for five more years, then disappear into the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Staying in China Another Day
The author of the next National Geographic Magazine article, Edgar Allen Forbes, has an equally exalted opinion, as did the author of the last article, of his favorite location in China, the city of Macao. He describes Macao as "the Monte Carlo of the Orient. . . beyond question, one of the most beautiful cities of the extreme East," Macao, "Land of Sweet Sadness": The Oldest European Settlement in the Far East, Long the Only Haven for Distressed Mariners in the China Sea, September, 1932, p. 337.
The city of Macao is "but the tip end of the unimportant island" (also named Macao). Built in 1864, its small lighthouse, the first on the Chinese coast, was a haven for mariners. The island of Macao was a Portuguese colony in 1932, having been founded centuries before, in 1557. The Portuguese also protected seamen from Chinese pirates. The city is thirty miles south by steamer from the giant metropolis of Hong Kong.
This article's eight-page section of colored photographs reveals a city crowded yet clean. In 1932 the chief product for export was firecrackers - mostly bound for the American market. Mr. Forbes visited a factory and regretted that it spoiled "the enjoyment of firecrackers ever afterward, if you happen to have both a memory and a conscience. It seems like a sacrilege to set off an entire bunch with one match when you remember the time and patience that entered into its manufacture" in Macao (p. 355).
Macao was rich in 1932 from its extensive gambling houses, wildly popular. Another source of wealth in that era was an opium factory, "a dingy, dirty place, as becomes so vile an industry. . . Where grow the poppies which furnish the raw juice and by what devious paths the finished product reaches the poor wretches who are willing to barter their very souls for it are details not explained to the traveler," (p. 357).
Mr. Forbes judges Macao thus: "All in all, this Portuguese outpost in China is a most curious mixture of the poetic, the historic, and the vile," (p. 357). The Macao of 1932 was indeed a curiously unique part of the world!
The city of Macao is "but the tip end of the unimportant island" (also named Macao). Built in 1864, its small lighthouse, the first on the Chinese coast, was a haven for mariners. The island of Macao was a Portuguese colony in 1932, having been founded centuries before, in 1557. The Portuguese also protected seamen from Chinese pirates. The city is thirty miles south by steamer from the giant metropolis of Hong Kong.
This article's eight-page section of colored photographs reveals a city crowded yet clean. In 1932 the chief product for export was firecrackers - mostly bound for the American market. Mr. Forbes visited a factory and regretted that it spoiled "the enjoyment of firecrackers ever afterward, if you happen to have both a memory and a conscience. It seems like a sacrilege to set off an entire bunch with one match when you remember the time and patience that entered into its manufacture" in Macao (p. 355).
Macao was rich in 1932 from its extensive gambling houses, wildly popular. Another source of wealth in that era was an opium factory, "a dingy, dirty place, as becomes so vile an industry. . . Where grow the poppies which furnish the raw juice and by what devious paths the finished product reaches the poor wretches who are willing to barter their very souls for it are details not explained to the traveler," (p. 357).
Mr. Forbes judges Macao thus: "All in all, this Portuguese outpost in China is a most curious mixture of the poetic, the historic, and the vile," (p. 357). The Macao of 1932 was indeed a curiously unique part of the world!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Trip to Shanghai Today!
This latest National Geographic Magazine article's author, W. Robert Moore, may be slightly prejudiced about this large China city, "Greatest seaport in the Far East and emporium to one-eighth of the human race is Shanghai!" Cosmopolitan shanghai, Key Seaport of China, September, 1932, p. 310. A quick Google check reveals that Shanghai is the largest city in the world (2013) at 24 million!
FYI: I love it when the names of these cities stay the same from 1932 to 2014!!
Shanghai is ideally situated for an important port city; "approximately midway along the China Coast, makes it at once the most natural distributing center for extensive trade with coastal ports, but of far greater importance is the fact that Shanghai commands the vital position for commerce at the very outlet of the whole Yangtze River system" (p. 310).
China officially opened Shanghai to foreign trade in 1843. Prior to that, the city was a small fishing village. ". . . the focus of all Shanghai is the foreign settlements, for in them have been the remarkable incentive and expanding force that have built this modern seaport," (p. 325).
The city had a most unusual government in 1932, a council "elected by the taxpayers of British, American, Japanese, and, more recently, Chinese nationality," (p. 325). The separate French territory had its own council. Troops of all these nations were kept in the area to maintain peace. In 1932, the metro area had more than 3 million residents. At that time, our American sailors were called "Blue Jackets."
There were striking contrasts in the city, especially evident in the section of color photographs. Alongside motorized trucks were the ancient rickshaws, pulled by one man. Next to the very wealthy were the beggars. In the port were warships, ocean liners, and the traditional Chinese junks. It all worked then.
FYI: "Until the recent disturbances in Shanghai and Manchuria, it was possible to reach Moscow or Paris in 15 or 16 days from Shanghai" by railway. . . Mail service to European capitals in 16 days, as contrasted with a full month or more by sea," (p. 335). This makes me appreciate more our modern services!
The author concludes with a prediction: "given peace to pursue its plans, it will go even further in its phenominal expansion as key seaport and clearing house for the increased needs of awakening China," (p. 335).
Most interesting!
FYI: I love it when the names of these cities stay the same from 1932 to 2014!!
Shanghai is ideally situated for an important port city; "approximately midway along the China Coast, makes it at once the most natural distributing center for extensive trade with coastal ports, but of far greater importance is the fact that Shanghai commands the vital position for commerce at the very outlet of the whole Yangtze River system" (p. 310).
China officially opened Shanghai to foreign trade in 1843. Prior to that, the city was a small fishing village. ". . . the focus of all Shanghai is the foreign settlements, for in them have been the remarkable incentive and expanding force that have built this modern seaport," (p. 325).
The city had a most unusual government in 1932, a council "elected by the taxpayers of British, American, Japanese, and, more recently, Chinese nationality," (p. 325). The separate French territory had its own council. Troops of all these nations were kept in the area to maintain peace. In 1932, the metro area had more than 3 million residents. At that time, our American sailors were called "Blue Jackets."
There were striking contrasts in the city, especially evident in the section of color photographs. Alongside motorized trucks were the ancient rickshaws, pulled by one man. Next to the very wealthy were the beggars. In the port were warships, ocean liners, and the traditional Chinese junks. It all worked then.
FYI: "Until the recent disturbances in Shanghai and Manchuria, it was possible to reach Moscow or Paris in 15 or 16 days from Shanghai" by railway. . . Mail service to European capitals in 16 days, as contrasted with a full month or more by sea," (p. 335). This makes me appreciate more our modern services!
The author concludes with a prediction: "given peace to pursue its plans, it will go even further in its phenominal expansion as key seaport and clearing house for the increased needs of awakening China," (p. 335).
Most interesting!
Sunday, May 25, 2014
What About Tomorrow?
Here's a suggestion for you: GO TO A NATIONAL CEMETERY to their ceremony. Yesterday, on my way home from Danville, I stopped in at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, on U.S. highway 27 south from Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A. They are ready for ceremonies to begin tomorrow at 11 a.m. Every grave has an American flag.
 |
| Flags wave in the breeze at every grave of a veteran at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Kentucky. 5-24-14. |
Shorter flags close to the tallest flagpole at Camp Nelson.
Camp Nelson National Cemetery - 27 minutes south of Lexington.
Feel the thrill! Go somewhere, remember the military. Sing "America, the Beautiful," or "God Bless America" with all your heart!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
A Meaningful Visit!
Danville, Kentucky, U.S.A., is the finest of small towns. I spent a good part of my life there, from 1969 to 2000, so I have quite a history there with my family, friends, church, neighborhood, schools, and civic clubs. Today I met some dear friends there for a lovely, lively lunch.
 |
| From left: Rosemary, me/Jan, Linda, Noella, Harriet, and Leone.
Five of us raised our children there and have remained friends even though Leone lives in Louisville and I live in Lexington. Noella is a Catholic nun formerly involved in Music Ministry at Sts. Peter & Paul church. She invited us to visit her in Holland, Michigan. We plan to rent a van and travel there together next year. We always have to catch up on the news about our children and grandchildren. Over the years we consoled each other when several of our parents died. Then there were the crazy-busy years when most of us were working.
Everywhere I look in Danville brings back memories to me. We ate at the "Cue" restaurant. It is relatively new, a former pool hall when I lived there. A friend of mine from our Homemaker Club's husband owned the pool hall. I passed the house where my beautician worked, the houses where Linda lives, where Harriet lives, and where Leone used to live. And on and on!
Danville and Boyle County, Kentucky, have a population of less than 30,000, with most in the city. Centre College is a prominent part of the city. The county is mostly farmland but there are plenty of industries in the city. It is a quite vibrant community, a great place for families and children.
I visited my church, Sts. Peter and Paul, where six of my children were baptized and two daughters were married. It was founded in 1807, one of the oldest institutions in the county. Across from the church is Constitution Square, where the State Constitution of Kentucky was written in a log building.
Over the years, I discovered every nook and cranny of the church, from the rafters to the basement. Today, while on our way back to our cars, Rosemary, Noella, and I visited the church again.
Sts. Peter & Paul, May 24, 2014, the original part of the church.
Main altar at Sts. Peter & Paul.
Before we said "good-bye," we scheduled our next outing which will be in Lexington.
|
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Shooting Two Ways, Part Two
Let's continue George Shiras' 1932 explorations down the Atlantic coast from Canada to Mexico. We've read about the proliferation of deer, many varieties of birds, caribou, etc. Mr. Shiras first visited "Cumberland Island, near the southern border of Georgia and just north of Fernandina, Florida," in the winter of 1895. He taught me something new about alligators: "The alligators are large and numerous, causing havoc with the swamp-breeding birds, besides devouring young pigs, deer and hunting dogs when they cross the lagoons," Wild Life of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, National Geographic Magazine, September, 1932, p. 290.
Once in 1901, the author was on the shore of a pond, shooting birds for his dinner table. A bird fell into the water and he couldn't find it. He took off his socks and shoes and waded into the pond. "So I started to mount a sunken log to look carefully about. Suddenly the head of an alligator appeared between my legs and water splashed over me. I had tried to mount a partly submerged 'gator, which resented such familiarity!" (pp. 290-291). He decided that the alligator had eaten his bird and went ashore quickly!
He told his host about the incident and the host recommended he always wear socks and shoes when in the water - not for the alligators but for the water moccasins (big poisonous snakes)! He then agreed to always wear something on his feet when in the water for "I could come out with a 'gator' on one foot and a 'moccasin' on the other!" (p. 291).
In his travels, Mr. Shiras encountered the huge loggerhead turtles on the coast. There are signs now on the beach of Hilton Head Island that lights on the beach are not permitted after 10 p.m. due to the turtles coming ashore at night to lay their eggs.
Once in 1901, the author was on the shore of a pond, shooting birds for his dinner table. A bird fell into the water and he couldn't find it. He took off his socks and shoes and waded into the pond. "So I started to mount a sunken log to look carefully about. Suddenly the head of an alligator appeared between my legs and water splashed over me. I had tried to mount a partly submerged 'gator, which resented such familiarity!" (pp. 290-291). He decided that the alligator had eaten his bird and went ashore quickly!
He told his host about the incident and the host recommended he always wear socks and shoes when in the water - not for the alligators but for the water moccasins (big poisonous snakes)! He then agreed to always wear something on his feet when in the water for "I could come out with a 'gator' on one foot and a 'moccasin' on the other!" (p. 291).
 |
| Turtles sunning in a Hilton Head Island marsh, February, 2014. |
The wooden pelican I bought in a Jacksonville, FL store, February, 2014. I spent many hours previously on the beach at Hilton Head Island walking with pelicans flying to and fro endlessly. They are such expert divers in the ocean! However, they're very hard to photograph!
I very much enjoyed reading Mr. Shiras' article and am trying my best to follow in his footsteps, with exception of staying farther away from the alligators!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Shooting Two Ways, Part One
Mr. Shiras mentions the disappearance of several animal and plant species, but states that the others have adapted to man. Also, "We have a marked renewal of forests in progress . . . white tailed deer is probably more numerous than at any previous time in history," p. 261. I personally would conclude that we have even more deer in our urban areas than ever before as in the past several years two have ran into two different cars of mine (with extensive damage to the cars and the ultimate sacrifice for the deer).
FYI: Hunters of ducks wait in blinds that hide them from the skittish birds. The hunters build a little hut covered with green tree branches. Sometimes they use a boat for a blind. They position themselves upwind of where the ducks may feed. The hunters may lure them with floating wooden decoys made in the image of the duck they're seeking.
 |
| Sandpiper, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Atlantic coast, U.S.A., personal photos, February, 2014. |
Egret in the swamp, City of Hilton Head, February, 2014.
 |
| Wild duck, Jacksonville, Florida, February, 2014. |
Wild ducks on lake, Port St. Lucie, Florida, February, 2014.
My treasure, a live Starfish! I felt compelled to throw it and the others I found back into the ocean. Hilton Head Island, Feb. 2014.
THE most exciting wildlife sighting of February: baby alligators in a ditch in the city of Hilton Head, S.C.
Mama! The Big Cahoona! At least EIGHT feet long, I'm sure this Alligator was too large for the city of Hilton Head and would be captured & released in Florida's Everglades or somewhere far from people! Looking back, it wasn't that far away from our car - I should have never opened the car door - these creatures can be fast when they need to! There were about a half dozen more baby alligators in the shadows here but they're very hard to spot. March, 2014.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
The Bird Famlies
The next National Geographic Magazine article in the August, 1932, issue was of particular interest and enjoyment to me. Yesterday, the Robin family left the nest in my front sidewalk's holly bush. Every morning for the past several weeks, when I've gone out to retrieve my newspaper from the driveway, Mother Robin flew off in a huff and protested until I went back through my front door. Then she jumped back onto the next. Yesterday, I came out the door and the three nearly full-grown 'babies' jumped off the nest! What a surprise! Now I know none of them will return. But I really enjoyed their spring show this year!
Captain C.W.R. Knight was visiting Scotland and found out that the last of the Osprey hawks had been wiped out by human egg thieves twenty years before 1932. He went to an American nature preserve on Long Island, New York, U.S.A., in hopes of both photographing the Ospreys and possibly attempting to transplant them in Scotland. He succeeded in both endeavors.
As hawks, Ospreys are much larger than Robins yet not as large as our Bald Eagles. They are strict fish eaters, diving to get their live prey. Captain Knight carefully built a 'blind' to photograph the birds. He reported that east coast American farmers like having Ospreys build nests on their land because they never bother their chickens and chase away other hawks which would disturb them. These farmers sometimes put wagon wheels on poles in hopes of attracting the Ospreys.
The quality of Ospreys that most impressed Captain Knight was the tenderness with which the parent birds fed their young. Even when the hatched birds were nearly full-grown, their parents would feed them until they were fully capable of diving into the nearby water, emerging with a fish, giving their feathers a quick shake-off of water, then majestically flying off. Quite talented birds!
Captain C.W.R. Knight was visiting Scotland and found out that the last of the Osprey hawks had been wiped out by human egg thieves twenty years before 1932. He went to an American nature preserve on Long Island, New York, U.S.A., in hopes of both photographing the Ospreys and possibly attempting to transplant them in Scotland. He succeeded in both endeavors.
As hawks, Ospreys are much larger than Robins yet not as large as our Bald Eagles. They are strict fish eaters, diving to get their live prey. Captain Knight carefully built a 'blind' to photograph the birds. He reported that east coast American farmers like having Ospreys build nests on their land because they never bother their chickens and chase away other hawks which would disturb them. These farmers sometimes put wagon wheels on poles in hopes of attracting the Ospreys.
The quality of Ospreys that most impressed Captain Knight was the tenderness with which the parent birds fed their young. Even when the hatched birds were nearly full-grown, their parents would feed them until they were fully capable of diving into the nearby water, emerging with a fish, giving their feathers a quick shake-off of water, then majestically flying off. Quite talented birds!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Edinburgh, The Very Old Scottish City
J. R. Hildebrand, the author of Edinburgh, Athens of the North: Romantic History of Cramped Medieval City Vies with Austere Beauty of Newer Wide Streets and Stately Squares, National Geographic Magazine, August, 1932, calls the city "singularly, if austerely beautiful," (p. 219).
In the center of the city rises a prominent five hundred foot tall hill: "For more than a thousand years Scottish history has swirled about Castle Rock; to it clings the driftwood of momentous events, the barnacles of glamorous and strange memories, until it seems that every stone has a story," (p. 227). Once this rock was declared an official part of Canada and the decree was never revoked. The intrigues of kings, queens and their retinues are properly lavish and murderous.
As to the activities of its citizens in 1932, "Edinburgh is a white collar-city, and besides insurance and banking, its chief functions are printing and publishing, law and medicine, and its "foremost industry" is education," (p. 235). Manufacturing in those years included wool garments and beer breweries.
Scots in general flocked to the many courses to play games of golf. In Edinburgh, they can even now be active later in the evening than in most places due to the city's geography "in the latitude of Labrador, and it does not get dark in midsummer until an hour or so before midnight," (p. 235).
There are quite a few references to America in Edinburgh in 1932. "In the Carlton burial ground is a graceful statue of Abraham Lincoln, in memory of Scottish American soldiers who fell in our Civil War," (p. 237). Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone was born there. Also, for years, John James Audubon maintained a home in Edinburgh painting "The Birds of America," (p. 247). It's a small world!
In the center of the city rises a prominent five hundred foot tall hill: "For more than a thousand years Scottish history has swirled about Castle Rock; to it clings the driftwood of momentous events, the barnacles of glamorous and strange memories, until it seems that every stone has a story," (p. 227). Once this rock was declared an official part of Canada and the decree was never revoked. The intrigues of kings, queens and their retinues are properly lavish and murderous.
As to the activities of its citizens in 1932, "Edinburgh is a white collar-city, and besides insurance and banking, its chief functions are printing and publishing, law and medicine, and its "foremost industry" is education," (p. 235). Manufacturing in those years included wool garments and beer breweries.
Scots in general flocked to the many courses to play games of golf. In Edinburgh, they can even now be active later in the evening than in most places due to the city's geography "in the latitude of Labrador, and it does not get dark in midsummer until an hour or so before midnight," (p. 235).
There are quite a few references to America in Edinburgh in 1932. "In the Carlton burial ground is a graceful statue of Abraham Lincoln, in memory of Scottish American soldiers who fell in our Civil War," (p. 237). Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone was born there. Also, for years, John James Audubon maintained a home in Edinburgh painting "The Birds of America," (p. 247). It's a small world!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Old Country of Roses and Sheep
The country of Bulgaria is almost as large as the American state of Ohio. Located on the western shore of the Black Sea, Bulgaria is north of Turkey and Greece/Macedonia, east of Yugoslavia, and south of Romania (formerly know as Rumania). Its government in 1932 was a constitutional monarchy ruled by a tsar, Boris III.
Bulgaria, Farm Land without a Farmhouse: A Nation of Villagers Faces the Challenge of Modern Machinery and Urban Life, Maynard Owen Williams, Litt. D., National Geographic Magazine, August, 1932, is the account of the country as it presented itself to the world: "Bulgaria is an agricultural land, with peasant conservatism and thrift," (p. 185). The capital city is Sofia.
The one unique agricultural product of Bulgaria in 1932 was Rose Oil, "Attar of Roses,' exporting three-fourths of the world's supply. There was a Valley of Roses, 12,000 acres dedicated to growing roses. "Rose fields are small and the bushes are planted about three feet apart. The flowers, still pinkish white and unpretentious in appearance, are picked before fully open and with the dew still on them, since exposure to the full strength of the sun results in a inferior quality of oil," (photo caption, p. 190).
"A ton of Rose blossoms yields less than a pound of pure oil . . . It sometimes commands a greater price than pure gold," (photo caption, p. 192). The rose oil is obtained after several distillations of roses in water. The final product is used as a base or fixative in perfumes.
"Bulgar" means man with a plow. Eighty percent of Bulgarians are farmers. The individual farms are 15 acres each. "Not only is 15 acres the average farm, but it may be separated into 15 small fields, so that portability is an advantage in agricultural implements. Wooden plows are common," (p. 216).
In addition to roses, a large quantity of tobacco is exported and silk in the form of cocoons. "Bulgaria has two sheep or goats for each of its 6,000,000 people," (p. 198).
Although a poor country, considered extremely thrifty, the people in the town of "Gabrovo (in the central part of the country) have a reputation for thrift so calculating that legend says they cut off the tails of their cats, so that in passing through the door in winter, they won't let in much cold!" (p. 197).
The author traveled by motor car throughout the country and found the seaport of Varna to be particularly satisfying. There were many bathhouses and seaside villas. "Summer visitors now flock in from all over Central Europe to revel in sea and sun," (p. 195).
Historically, Bulgaria was occupied by Turkish forces until liberated by Alexander II of Russia in 1877. Many Turks still choose to live in Bulgaria ( a half million in 1932) because Bulgaria was more conservative than Turkey. "Strangely enough, the old-style Moslems in faded fezzes look upon Christian Bulgaria as a welcome haven from the "godlessness of New Turkey," (p. 195).
Mr. Williams found the country to have many modern elements and ideas in the larger cities but refreshingly traditional in most of the rural areas. Many of the farmers, who lived in villages because the small farms were divided into several sections, wore clothes hand-woven by their wives. "It suddenly occurred to me that these peasant costumes, utensils and household furnishings seemed stranger to Bulgarian schoolchildren than they did to me. . . Yet this colorful Bulgaria is only a day's glad flight from Paris or Berlin along a ribbon of changing beauty linking two civilizations," (p. 218).
Bulgaria, Farm Land without a Farmhouse: A Nation of Villagers Faces the Challenge of Modern Machinery and Urban Life, Maynard Owen Williams, Litt. D., National Geographic Magazine, August, 1932, is the account of the country as it presented itself to the world: "Bulgaria is an agricultural land, with peasant conservatism and thrift," (p. 185). The capital city is Sofia.
The one unique agricultural product of Bulgaria in 1932 was Rose Oil, "Attar of Roses,' exporting three-fourths of the world's supply. There was a Valley of Roses, 12,000 acres dedicated to growing roses. "Rose fields are small and the bushes are planted about three feet apart. The flowers, still pinkish white and unpretentious in appearance, are picked before fully open and with the dew still on them, since exposure to the full strength of the sun results in a inferior quality of oil," (photo caption, p. 190).
"A ton of Rose blossoms yields less than a pound of pure oil . . . It sometimes commands a greater price than pure gold," (photo caption, p. 192). The rose oil is obtained after several distillations of roses in water. The final product is used as a base or fixative in perfumes.
"Bulgar" means man with a plow. Eighty percent of Bulgarians are farmers. The individual farms are 15 acres each. "Not only is 15 acres the average farm, but it may be separated into 15 small fields, so that portability is an advantage in agricultural implements. Wooden plows are common," (p. 216).
In addition to roses, a large quantity of tobacco is exported and silk in the form of cocoons. "Bulgaria has two sheep or goats for each of its 6,000,000 people," (p. 198).
Although a poor country, considered extremely thrifty, the people in the town of "Gabrovo (in the central part of the country) have a reputation for thrift so calculating that legend says they cut off the tails of their cats, so that in passing through the door in winter, they won't let in much cold!" (p. 197).
The author traveled by motor car throughout the country and found the seaport of Varna to be particularly satisfying. There were many bathhouses and seaside villas. "Summer visitors now flock in from all over Central Europe to revel in sea and sun," (p. 195).
Historically, Bulgaria was occupied by Turkish forces until liberated by Alexander II of Russia in 1877. Many Turks still choose to live in Bulgaria ( a half million in 1932) because Bulgaria was more conservative than Turkey. "Strangely enough, the old-style Moslems in faded fezzes look upon Christian Bulgaria as a welcome haven from the "godlessness of New Turkey," (p. 195).
Mr. Williams found the country to have many modern elements and ideas in the larger cities but refreshingly traditional in most of the rural areas. Many of the farmers, who lived in villages because the small farms were divided into several sections, wore clothes hand-woven by their wives. "It suddenly occurred to me that these peasant costumes, utensils and household furnishings seemed stranger to Bulgarian schoolchildren than they did to me. . . Yet this colorful Bulgaria is only a day's glad flight from Paris or Berlin along a ribbon of changing beauty linking two civilizations," (p. 218).
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
North to Canada! Part Two
In more than 30 fields in Ontario, "78% of Canada's gold" was mined in 1932 with an output of approximately $73,000,000. Previously, in 1883, nickel ore was accidentally found when a road worker noticed red mud. Soon thereafter, a process was perfected using nickel to harden steel. This resulted in greatly increased nickel production. The mines of Sudbury, Ontario, supplied over 85% of the world's supply in 1932.
In 1903 another accidental find was cobalt-silver deposits. This was followed by yet another gold rush to Porcupine, Ontario in 1909 and then one in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in 1912.
The author, Frederick Simpich, took another train ride on the "Polar Bear," a "tri-weekly accomodation train . . . we call it tri-weekly . . . because it goes up one week and tries to get back the next." On this train were "miners, cooks, hunters, guides, Indians, missionaries, trappers - but no tourists as yet," (p. 160).
All the tall tales are interesting. One guide talked about eating moose meat. "We've a saying up here that the only way to cook bull moose is to boil it with a few rocks in the pot. When the rocks get soft, you can bite the meat," (p. 161).
In 1932 progress was coming to Ontario's northern-most reaches: the Indians were using "outboard motors on their canoes," (p. 164). "Dogs are still used for inspection and mail trips," (p. 165).
One innovation was a schoolroom in a train car. "Population is sparse, towns few and far between in parts of northwest Ontario; so those rolling schoolrooms, moved on schedule, visit points along the line most convenient to children," (photo caption, p. 166).The children come to the train on snowshoes.
In addition to mining, the wheat crop in Ontario is colossal. It is sent to Europe by the trainload. Ontario's University of Toronto was the site of one of the world's most important discoveries in that era, insulin. "In a daring experiment, young Dr. Lloyd, of the University of Western Ontario, stopped his own heartbeat by injection of a certain drug, in order to prove that calcium chloride would start the heart to working again," (p. 177).
For the highest money value, "the making of paper is Canada's chief trade . . . the top year for this was 1929,at the peak of newspaper advertising, Sunday papers often ran 100 pages or more," (p. 183). In the north were newspaper routes pulled by dogsleds.
Mr. Simpich holds an unbridled enthusiasm for the area: "Unfaltering Ontario - the heart of Canada, robust member in the British family of nations! . . . Walk, ride, or fly around it and talk with its people. Nothing thwarts or baffles them. Their motto might be "Ontario can do it." That is your last thought, as you ride through the under-river tunnel dug from Canada to Detroit," (p. 183).
In 1903 another accidental find was cobalt-silver deposits. This was followed by yet another gold rush to Porcupine, Ontario in 1909 and then one in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in 1912.
The author, Frederick Simpich, took another train ride on the "Polar Bear," a "tri-weekly accomodation train . . . we call it tri-weekly . . . because it goes up one week and tries to get back the next." On this train were "miners, cooks, hunters, guides, Indians, missionaries, trappers - but no tourists as yet," (p. 160).
All the tall tales are interesting. One guide talked about eating moose meat. "We've a saying up here that the only way to cook bull moose is to boil it with a few rocks in the pot. When the rocks get soft, you can bite the meat," (p. 161).
In 1932 progress was coming to Ontario's northern-most reaches: the Indians were using "outboard motors on their canoes," (p. 164). "Dogs are still used for inspection and mail trips," (p. 165).
One innovation was a schoolroom in a train car. "Population is sparse, towns few and far between in parts of northwest Ontario; so those rolling schoolrooms, moved on schedule, visit points along the line most convenient to children," (photo caption, p. 166).The children come to the train on snowshoes.
In addition to mining, the wheat crop in Ontario is colossal. It is sent to Europe by the trainload. Ontario's University of Toronto was the site of one of the world's most important discoveries in that era, insulin. "In a daring experiment, young Dr. Lloyd, of the University of Western Ontario, stopped his own heartbeat by injection of a certain drug, in order to prove that calcium chloride would start the heart to working again," (p. 177).
For the highest money value, "the making of paper is Canada's chief trade . . . the top year for this was 1929,at the peak of newspaper advertising, Sunday papers often ran 100 pages or more," (p. 183). In the north were newspaper routes pulled by dogsleds.
Mr. Simpich holds an unbridled enthusiasm for the area: "Unfaltering Ontario - the heart of Canada, robust member in the British family of nations! . . . Walk, ride, or fly around it and talk with its people. Nothing thwarts or baffles them. Their motto might be "Ontario can do it." That is your last thought, as you ride through the under-river tunnel dug from Canada to Detroit," (p. 183).
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
North to Canada! Part One
Once I almost visited Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Daughter #8, Jeannie, and her husband lived in the Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. area. We visited the big city of Detroit, went downtown to the island park in the middle of the Detroit River, and had a grand time. It was December and I had never before seen ice floes in a river. They pointed across the river and said, "There's Canada." I had no idea it was so close! We planned on visiting at another time but, alas, they moved south. I never had the occasion to travel that far north since then.
Thus, I will make my first acquaintance with Ontario through the pages of the National Geographic Magazine. A writer familiar to me, Frederick Simpich, writes in the August, 1932, issue, Ontario, Next Door: Alert, Energetic, and Resourceful, Its British Pluck and Skill in Arts and Trades Gain for This Province a High Place Under the Union Jack.
"Ontario. . . is the heart of Canada. Here lives a third of all the Dominion's people. Here is more than a third of all Canadian wealth," (p. 131).
In 1932, Canada was part of the British Commonwealth of Nations which also included Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, the Union of South Africa and the Irish Free State with representation from India. The Province of Ontario is directly north of the American states of Michigan, Ohio and New York, with its southern boundary the Great Lakes. In 2014, although Canada is independent, it is still a voluntary member of the British Commonwealth which includes 53 nations.
"Exceeded by other provinces in forestry and fisheries only, Ontario takes first place in farming, trapping, mining, electrical power, banking and manufacturing," (p. 133). The British and the French were the most numerous settlers in Canada but the British system of Parliament rules the land. Although much of Canada is bilingual, east of Ontario, French is the dominant language and in Ontario, English is commonly spoken. There were other immigrants from many other European and Asian countries. The primary impetus for the settling of Canada was the fur trade from trapping and the Christianizing of the Native Canadians.
The city of Ottawa in eastern Ontario is the capital of Canada. "Ask any question you will about Canada's history, its people, or industries, and Ottawa can answer. It is packed as thick as Washington with government offices," (p. 149). As you can imagine, Canada's history is closely intertwined with our American history.
In the northern back country of Ontario in 1932, there were many areas inaccessible by roads. "The canoe in summer and the dog sled in winter are the chief forms of transport in the wilder parts of Ontario," (photo caption, p. 153).
There must have been an incredible array of wildlife in the open country of Ottawa, in 1932 and now. Mr. Simpich reports a conversation he engaged in with two other passengers on a train. "The first time I rode this line," said one of them, "the conductor stopped the train so passengers could watch three wolves chasing a moose across a frozen lake," (p. 155).
We will report on the rest of this long article in the next blog, beginning with "Minerals."
Thus, I will make my first acquaintance with Ontario through the pages of the National Geographic Magazine. A writer familiar to me, Frederick Simpich, writes in the August, 1932, issue, Ontario, Next Door: Alert, Energetic, and Resourceful, Its British Pluck and Skill in Arts and Trades Gain for This Province a High Place Under the Union Jack.
"Ontario. . . is the heart of Canada. Here lives a third of all the Dominion's people. Here is more than a third of all Canadian wealth," (p. 131).
In 1932, Canada was part of the British Commonwealth of Nations which also included Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, the Union of South Africa and the Irish Free State with representation from India. The Province of Ontario is directly north of the American states of Michigan, Ohio and New York, with its southern boundary the Great Lakes. In 2014, although Canada is independent, it is still a voluntary member of the British Commonwealth which includes 53 nations.
"Exceeded by other provinces in forestry and fisheries only, Ontario takes first place in farming, trapping, mining, electrical power, banking and manufacturing," (p. 133). The British and the French were the most numerous settlers in Canada but the British system of Parliament rules the land. Although much of Canada is bilingual, east of Ontario, French is the dominant language and in Ontario, English is commonly spoken. There were other immigrants from many other European and Asian countries. The primary impetus for the settling of Canada was the fur trade from trapping and the Christianizing of the Native Canadians.
The city of Ottawa in eastern Ontario is the capital of Canada. "Ask any question you will about Canada's history, its people, or industries, and Ottawa can answer. It is packed as thick as Washington with government offices," (p. 149). As you can imagine, Canada's history is closely intertwined with our American history.
In the northern back country of Ontario in 1932, there were many areas inaccessible by roads. "The canoe in summer and the dog sled in winter are the chief forms of transport in the wilder parts of Ontario," (photo caption, p. 153).
There must have been an incredible array of wildlife in the open country of Ottawa, in 1932 and now. Mr. Simpich reports a conversation he engaged in with two other passengers on a train. "The first time I rode this line," said one of them, "the conductor stopped the train so passengers could watch three wolves chasing a moose across a frozen lake," (p. 155).
We will report on the rest of this long article in the next blog, beginning with "Minerals."
Monday, May 12, 2014
The Very Dismal Swamp
The "Dismal Swamp" is an actual area of "unbroken wilderness on the Virginia-North Carolina border." Our first United States president, George Washington, was "attracted by the wealth of "juniper" (trees) in this region, obtained a grant of land, and organized the Dismal Swamp Land Company, Dismal Swamp in Legend and History: George Washington Owned Large Tracts in Region Which He Described as a "Glorious Paradise," John Francis Ariza, National Geographic Magazine, July, 1932, p. 121.
"To-day (1932), to all except a very few, the swamp's interior is . . . a mystery . . . Men are born, live, and die in towns that touch Dismal Swamp's very edges without ever having entered it" (p. 121). Why was it originally dubbed "dismal?": tales of ghosts, poisonous snakes and plants, savage natives and runaway slaves, quicksands, criminals, moonshiners and other wild beasts.
Apparently, the swamp's bad reputation is well-deserved! In addition to the above-mentioned pests, bears and ticks were a worse threat. Coupled with the lack of many roads, the swamp was best avoided. Several logging companies alone managed to survive.
The author mentioned that once two intelligent New York novelists appeared in the swamp to experience it. They were left at an abandoned camp building. "Before they were rescued two days later, they had almost perished in a fierce March storm. They were so terrified they had forgotten to eat the food they had brought" (p. 130).
Today (2014) the Dismal Swamp is a National Wildlife Refuge. This area holds no attraction for me. What about you? Would you like to visit this place? I don't even recall a lone sign from the interstate highways in that area. I would like to end on a positive statement: wild life need refuges!
"To-day (1932), to all except a very few, the swamp's interior is . . . a mystery . . . Men are born, live, and die in towns that touch Dismal Swamp's very edges without ever having entered it" (p. 121). Why was it originally dubbed "dismal?": tales of ghosts, poisonous snakes and plants, savage natives and runaway slaves, quicksands, criminals, moonshiners and other wild beasts.
Apparently, the swamp's bad reputation is well-deserved! In addition to the above-mentioned pests, bears and ticks were a worse threat. Coupled with the lack of many roads, the swamp was best avoided. Several logging companies alone managed to survive.
The author mentioned that once two intelligent New York novelists appeared in the swamp to experience it. They were left at an abandoned camp building. "Before they were rescued two days later, they had almost perished in a fierce March storm. They were so terrified they had forgotten to eat the food they had brought" (p. 130).
Today (2014) the Dismal Swamp is a National Wildlife Refuge. This area holds no attraction for me. What about you? Would you like to visit this place? I don't even recall a lone sign from the interstate highways in that area. I would like to end on a positive statement: wild life need refuges!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
An Island Named "Sark"
Have you ever heard of the Island of Sark? If not, I'm with you, I haven't either. Sark is "Situated in the English Channel. . . the fourth largest of the Channel Islands, and lies 70 miles South of England and 22 miles from the coast of France. It is 3 1/2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide," The Feudal Isle of Sark: Where Sixteenth Century laws are still Observed, Sibyl Hathaway, National Geographic Magazine, July, 1932, p. 101.
Sark has a colorful history of being governed by the English and French, being abandoned, even being a haven for Scotch pirates. There are no venomous animals and only the owners are allowed to keep a female dog and raise birds. The gardens and wildflowers are reportedly abundant and beautiful.
The island is officially a part of the British Empire even though it is closer to France. The 675 citizens are bilingual, speaking both English and French which are both taught in the schools. There is no income tax but there is a balanced budget. By law, no cars are allowed on the island. There is no town but around the post office are several houses. There is an ancient prison on which its lock has rusted off. "Offenses against the law are virtually unknown in Sark, and the . . . prison with its two cells is seldom used" (photo caption, p. 115). One reason for this is that there is no place to which one can escape. The island is surrounded by tall cliffs. Boats may enter the small harbor only at high tide if the sea is not too rough. Of the male inhabitants, half are fishermen and the other half are farmers.
Mrs. Hathaway and her husband, an American native but now a British citizen, are the benevolent rulers/owners. She reports various surviving superstitions. "All the ancient houses have wide stone ledges projecting from the base of the chimneys just above the roof. These are for the witches to rest on, so that they will not come down the chimneys into the house . . not a single witch has come down the chimneys within living memory!" (p 119).
The author concluded this delightful short article by assuring her readers that she and her husband will maintain the ancient traditions which have made Sark "a little feudal paradise of peace and quiet, where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest" (p. 119).
Sark has a colorful history of being governed by the English and French, being abandoned, even being a haven for Scotch pirates. There are no venomous animals and only the owners are allowed to keep a female dog and raise birds. The gardens and wildflowers are reportedly abundant and beautiful.
The island is officially a part of the British Empire even though it is closer to France. The 675 citizens are bilingual, speaking both English and French which are both taught in the schools. There is no income tax but there is a balanced budget. By law, no cars are allowed on the island. There is no town but around the post office are several houses. There is an ancient prison on which its lock has rusted off. "Offenses against the law are virtually unknown in Sark, and the . . . prison with its two cells is seldom used" (photo caption, p. 115). One reason for this is that there is no place to which one can escape. The island is surrounded by tall cliffs. Boats may enter the small harbor only at high tide if the sea is not too rough. Of the male inhabitants, half are fishermen and the other half are farmers.
Mrs. Hathaway and her husband, an American native but now a British citizen, are the benevolent rulers/owners. She reports various surviving superstitions. "All the ancient houses have wide stone ledges projecting from the base of the chimneys just above the roof. These are for the witches to rest on, so that they will not come down the chimneys into the house . . not a single witch has come down the chimneys within living memory!" (p 119).
The author concluded this delightful short article by assuring her readers that she and her husband will maintain the ancient traditions which have made Sark "a little feudal paradise of peace and quiet, where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest" (p. 119).
Friday, May 9, 2014
An Ancient Asian Religious Procession
We in the United States of America have our patriotic parades, our political and civic walks, and our religious processions. In The Perahera Processions of Ceylon, National Geographic Magazine, July, 1932, G. H. G. Burroughs tells us about a religious procession in Kandy, the capital city of the nation of Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka).
The procession honors a relic, the right eyetooth of Buddha, who died circa 483 B.C. Tradition holds that these ceremonies have been held "annually since the time when Buddha's Tooth was brought to Ceylon, hidden within the coils of the hair of a Kalinga princess, some 800 years after the death of the Hindu sage. . . the sacred festival has changed but little in barbaric splendor through the centuries" (p. 90).
Lasting for ten nights, the public does not participate during the first five nights but for the next five nights, everybody in Kandy takes part.
After the firing of a gun, the Perahera begins with the entry on the road of the Temple Elephant. "His headpiece is covered with gold and jewels, his blanket is embroidered in gold and silver, and even his tusks are encased in golden sheaths" (photo caption, p. 91). The elephant is Ceylon's official symbol.
This procession, which still continues its annual tradition in Sri Lanka in our times, in 1932 consisted of chiefs, drummers, and dancers moving through the main streets of Kandy for twenty-five miles. At the end of the ceremony, the dancers were in complete exhaustion.
The end of the Perahera procession is "the ceremony of the "water-cutting," when temple priests "slash the sacred water taken from the Mahaweli Ganga, one of the country's largest rivers "Attendants scoop up the water in golden pitchers. . . Orderly, patient, and cheerful is this vast multitude, as it beholds the final ritual" (p. 100).
The procession honors a relic, the right eyetooth of Buddha, who died circa 483 B.C. Tradition holds that these ceremonies have been held "annually since the time when Buddha's Tooth was brought to Ceylon, hidden within the coils of the hair of a Kalinga princess, some 800 years after the death of the Hindu sage. . . the sacred festival has changed but little in barbaric splendor through the centuries" (p. 90).
Lasting for ten nights, the public does not participate during the first five nights but for the next five nights, everybody in Kandy takes part.
After the firing of a gun, the Perahera begins with the entry on the road of the Temple Elephant. "His headpiece is covered with gold and jewels, his blanket is embroidered in gold and silver, and even his tusks are encased in golden sheaths" (photo caption, p. 91). The elephant is Ceylon's official symbol.
This procession, which still continues its annual tradition in Sri Lanka in our times, in 1932 consisted of chiefs, drummers, and dancers moving through the main streets of Kandy for twenty-five miles. At the end of the ceremony, the dancers were in complete exhaustion.
The end of the Perahera procession is "the ceremony of the "water-cutting," when temple priests "slash the sacred water taken from the Mahaweli Ganga, one of the country's largest rivers "Attendants scoop up the water in golden pitchers. . . Orderly, patient, and cheerful is this vast multitude, as it beholds the final ritual" (p. 100).
Thursday, May 8, 2014
The Hummers
It's such a treat to see a hummingbird in your yard! Two years ago, I had a visitor in my back yard mimosa tree with its proliferation of fuzzy pink puffs. I was thoroughly entertained and enchanted by my visitor. Last year, I planted more red flowers and bought a red hummingbird feeder, in hopes of attracting more of the little birds. There were none.
Hummingbirds are "the smallest birds in existence . . . found only in the New World," Seeking the Smallest Feathered Creature: Humming Birds Peculiar to the New World, Are Found from Canada and Alaska to the Strait of Magellan. Swifts and Goatsuckers, Their Nearest Relatives, Alexander Wetmore, National Geographic Magazine, July 1932, p. 65. Although they range throughout both North and South America, they are most abundant near the Equator in the Andes mountains. They vary in length from two inches to eight inches.
We see the hummingbirds suspended before flowers with their long beaks into the flowers sucking nectar. The author points out that spiders and other insects are trapped in the nectar and hummingbirds will eat these also.
"In their feeding, hummers, like bees, carry pollen from blossom to blossom" (p. 69).
Related to the hummingbirds are the Swifts, the fastest of all birds, the group "that produces the edible birds' nests prized among the Chinese for making soup" (p. 72). (Trust me, you don't want to know how these birds make their nests!)
Another close relative is the "goatsuckers." All three kinds of birds have characteristically small feet. The goatsuckers are active only at night.
The section of colored bird paintings in this article is quite beautiful. The hummingbirds are brilliantly colored. The swifts are mostly black and the goatsuckers' coloration is shades of brown. "In the United States humming birds are found in greatest variety in the Southwest, only one species, the ruby-throat, ranging east of the Mississippi River" (p. 65). And that is what I shall look for this summer!
Hummingbirds are "the smallest birds in existence . . . found only in the New World," Seeking the Smallest Feathered Creature: Humming Birds Peculiar to the New World, Are Found from Canada and Alaska to the Strait of Magellan. Swifts and Goatsuckers, Their Nearest Relatives, Alexander Wetmore, National Geographic Magazine, July 1932, p. 65. Although they range throughout both North and South America, they are most abundant near the Equator in the Andes mountains. They vary in length from two inches to eight inches.
We see the hummingbirds suspended before flowers with their long beaks into the flowers sucking nectar. The author points out that spiders and other insects are trapped in the nectar and hummingbirds will eat these also.
"In their feeding, hummers, like bees, carry pollen from blossom to blossom" (p. 69).
Related to the hummingbirds are the Swifts, the fastest of all birds, the group "that produces the edible birds' nests prized among the Chinese for making soup" (p. 72). (Trust me, you don't want to know how these birds make their nests!)
Another close relative is the "goatsuckers." All three kinds of birds have characteristically small feet. The goatsuckers are active only at night.
The section of colored bird paintings in this article is quite beautiful. The hummingbirds are brilliantly colored. The swifts are mostly black and the goatsuckers' coloration is shades of brown. "In the United States humming birds are found in greatest variety in the Southwest, only one species, the ruby-throat, ranging east of the Mississippi River" (p. 65). And that is what I shall look for this summer!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Rocky Mountain High in Colorado, Part Two
Our author, Mr. McFall Kerbey, next ventures into "Rocky Mountain National Park, the 405 square miles of valleys and mountains, glaciers, lakes, and streams that make up one of the most popular federal playgrounds" (p. 32). He particularly enjoyed driving on a road which he judged to be "the most ambitious highway yet constructed in America" as it was on the ridge of a mountain, with spectacular scenery on both sides.
In this article, there is a photo of a scenic overlook, "Cold Shivers Point," with a sheer drop of 800 feet to the canyon floor below - NO guard rails!!
Yet another National Park is in Colorado: Mesa Verde, the abandoned home of cliff-dwelling native Americans.
Denver, the state capitol, is a mile-high city. The cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou own a park called "Garden of the Gods" where grotesque outcroppings of vertical rock formations are featured.
Much of the agricultural land in the green valleys was irrigated. Chief products were flowers and melon garden seeds, fruit from the many orchards, sheep and cattle. "Colorado has one of the largest and best organized fish propagating services among the States. . in 6,000 miles of trout streams and lakes" (photo caption, p. 43).
Pike's Peak, dubbed "America's most familiar mountain" by the author, has an interesting history. In 1806, Captain Zebulon Pike tried to climb it but failed, had to turn back and declared it unscalable. In 1932, as in today, Pike's Peak has many visitors at the top.
FYI: Colorado developed a narrow gauge railway system due to the extreme expense of mountain construction. At some points, cargo had to be transferred to the standard-size railroad cars.
Tourists enjoy Colorado snow in both the summer and winter. "Yes, Colorado's mountains were a barrier once. Now they're a goal" (p. 63).
In this article, there is a photo of a scenic overlook, "Cold Shivers Point," with a sheer drop of 800 feet to the canyon floor below - NO guard rails!!
Yet another National Park is in Colorado: Mesa Verde, the abandoned home of cliff-dwelling native Americans.
Denver, the state capitol, is a mile-high city. The cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou own a park called "Garden of the Gods" where grotesque outcroppings of vertical rock formations are featured.
Much of the agricultural land in the green valleys was irrigated. Chief products were flowers and melon garden seeds, fruit from the many orchards, sheep and cattle. "Colorado has one of the largest and best organized fish propagating services among the States. . in 6,000 miles of trout streams and lakes" (photo caption, p. 43).
Pike's Peak, dubbed "America's most familiar mountain" by the author, has an interesting history. In 1806, Captain Zebulon Pike tried to climb it but failed, had to turn back and declared it unscalable. In 1932, as in today, Pike's Peak has many visitors at the top.
FYI: Colorado developed a narrow gauge railway system due to the extreme expense of mountain construction. At some points, cargo had to be transferred to the standard-size railroad cars.
Tourists enjoy Colorado snow in both the summer and winter. "Yes, Colorado's mountains were a barrier once. Now they're a goal" (p. 63).
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Rocky Mountain High in Colorado, Part One
The first explorers of the American West labeled maps of "Colorado" state area as a desert, beyond which were impenetrable mountains. "So it came about that the early rush of trade and emigration that beat out paths to the West passed Colorado by," Colorado, a Barrier That Became a Goal: Where Water Has Transformed Dry Plains Into Verdant Farms, and Highways Have Opened Up Mineral and Scenic Wealth, McFall Kerbey, National Geographic Magazine, July, 1932, p. 1. The Santa Fe Trail turned to the south. "The covered wagons of emigrants Oregon-bound in the early forties (1840s) and the rush of California forty-niners (1849) passed chiefly to the north" (p. 1).
"But not for long. Gold, always a magnet for men, dragged a horde of fortune-seekers to the edge of the mountains almost overnight in '58 and '59" (p. 1). "Gold has been a fetish in Colorado, as it has in all other parts of the world where it might be had for the digging; but it has played a mighty part in the State's life. . . interest in gold is continually kept alive" (p. 9).
The author ventured deep into a gold mine. "Mining is not the simple procedure of digging a hole and dragging out ore, as many a layman imagines. Big pipes conduct air under light pressure for ventilation, Smaller pipes carry highly compressed air for operating drills . . . others supplying lighting current; still others for telephones" (p. 13).
In addition to plains and mountains, Colorado contains a small desert, ten miles square. "The Great Sand Dunes National Monument is Uncle Sam's newest playground" (photo caption, p. 17).
There are immense challenges in building roads and highways through mountain passes. In Colorado are 48 peaks taller than 14,000 feet with hundreds over 10,000 feet. "Only a few years ago it was taken as a matter of course that all these high passes must be snowed in each winter and closed to traffic for months "but it was found cheaper to never let the snow and ice accumulate" (p. 22).
Following the Gold Rush, six years later, silver was discovered in Colorado. "In 1868, more ounces of silver were produced than gold, and this has been the case in every year since" (p. 22). Most minerals of the world are found and either mined or mineable in Colorado.
Another new (in 1931) federal park is Holy Cross National Monument, featuring a natural 2,000-foot tall cross in the side of a mountain filled with snow.
Other important (rare) metals from Colorado mines include molybdenum and vanadium. Coal mining also surpasses gold mining. Yet to be extracted in 1932 was oil from shale. At that time there were oil wells. One gold mine of that era was so inaccessible that the ore was transported by pack mule trains from Liberty Bell Mine near Telluride.
Towns were created and flourished due to mining, then waned and died after the mine was worked out. Colorado has its ghost towns.
On the eastern Colorado plains are many irrigated farms producing sugar beets which are manufactured into sugar in nearby factories. In 1931, the value of sugar from Colorado was more than ten times the value of gold extracted.
(Long article! Next blog: Part Two of Colorado)
"But not for long. Gold, always a magnet for men, dragged a horde of fortune-seekers to the edge of the mountains almost overnight in '58 and '59" (p. 1). "Gold has been a fetish in Colorado, as it has in all other parts of the world where it might be had for the digging; but it has played a mighty part in the State's life. . . interest in gold is continually kept alive" (p. 9).
The author ventured deep into a gold mine. "Mining is not the simple procedure of digging a hole and dragging out ore, as many a layman imagines. Big pipes conduct air under light pressure for ventilation, Smaller pipes carry highly compressed air for operating drills . . . others supplying lighting current; still others for telephones" (p. 13).
In addition to plains and mountains, Colorado contains a small desert, ten miles square. "The Great Sand Dunes National Monument is Uncle Sam's newest playground" (photo caption, p. 17).
There are immense challenges in building roads and highways through mountain passes. In Colorado are 48 peaks taller than 14,000 feet with hundreds over 10,000 feet. "Only a few years ago it was taken as a matter of course that all these high passes must be snowed in each winter and closed to traffic for months "but it was found cheaper to never let the snow and ice accumulate" (p. 22).
Following the Gold Rush, six years later, silver was discovered in Colorado. "In 1868, more ounces of silver were produced than gold, and this has been the case in every year since" (p. 22). Most minerals of the world are found and either mined or mineable in Colorado.
Another new (in 1931) federal park is Holy Cross National Monument, featuring a natural 2,000-foot tall cross in the side of a mountain filled with snow.
Other important (rare) metals from Colorado mines include molybdenum and vanadium. Coal mining also surpasses gold mining. Yet to be extracted in 1932 was oil from shale. At that time there were oil wells. One gold mine of that era was so inaccessible that the ore was transported by pack mule trains from Liberty Bell Mine near Telluride.
Towns were created and flourished due to mining, then waned and died after the mine was worked out. Colorado has its ghost towns.
On the eastern Colorado plains are many irrigated farms producing sugar beets which are manufactured into sugar in nearby factories. In 1931, the value of sugar from Colorado was more than ten times the value of gold extracted.
(Long article! Next blog: Part Two of Colorado)
Monday, May 5, 2014
The Remote Desert Land
The Soviet Union has been carved up, patched and expanded frequently, even in 2014. Back in 1932, there was a small country, "Khoresm, that almost inaccessible part of the territory extending south from the Aral Sea along the Amu Darya Valley," Surveying through Khoresm: A Journey Into Parts of Asiatic Russia Which Have Been Closed to Western Travelers Since the World War" Lyman D. Wilbur, National Geographic Magazine, June, 1932, p. 753. The author was an American engineer under contract to Russia "to investigate possibilities of reclaiming great tracts of rich, but spasmodically watered, country," (p. 753). This area is now presently Turkmenistan and Uzebekistan, directly north of Iran.
Mr. Wilbur's party of ten included two other Americans and Russians. They brought their own "food and cooking utensils, for it was a poor country we were to travel through and there would be little food for us to buy" (p. 753).
The Amu Darya River and its valley was the wild river the party was sent to evaluate. It typically flooded in the spring, had no dams in 1932, so was mostly useless for agricultural irrigating. A major problem in the country was sand. Some large dunes extended up to the water's edge. Canals were rapidly filled with the blowing sand. One irrigation project had been started but "huge quantities of sand are carried into the canals every year, requiring so much effort on the part of the population to keep them clear that they cannot properly care for their land" (photo caption, p. 761). Nearly all farming methods were extremely primitive. The Soviets planned on remedying this situation.
The engineers started their travel at the southern end of the river. While on the river, the party passed two graveyards and noticed an unusual sight: "Beside many of the graves were poles to which red or white rags were tied. The red flags signified that the occupants met violent death, and the white that they died from natural causes" (p. 765).''
Agricultural products of Khoresm included silk and cotton, although the Soviets were encouraging the farmers to stop producing food and plant more cotton. Manufacturing methods have been changed: "The metal workers are now organized by the Soviet government, and no goods may be sold by an individual artisan. The beautiful, carved brass basins, pitchers, teapots, etc., of former times have disappeared from the markets and in their place are cheaper sheet-copper utensils" (p. 770). There were a half-dozen automobiles in the entire country. Camels were the chief beasts of burden.
Again, as we have seen in many under-developed countries, in the rural areas the group faced dangerous bandits and were accompanied along various points by police. "Before the present regime the natives reaped rich rewards by making raids into Persia and bringing back slaves to sell in Khiva and New Urgench" (p. 772).
The engineers finally reached the Aral Sea, boarded a boat headed for the northern end so as to take an express train. Then, "only memories would remain of Khoresm and its battle with the river" (p. 780).
Mr. Wilbur's party of ten included two other Americans and Russians. They brought their own "food and cooking utensils, for it was a poor country we were to travel through and there would be little food for us to buy" (p. 753).
The Amu Darya River and its valley was the wild river the party was sent to evaluate. It typically flooded in the spring, had no dams in 1932, so was mostly useless for agricultural irrigating. A major problem in the country was sand. Some large dunes extended up to the water's edge. Canals were rapidly filled with the blowing sand. One irrigation project had been started but "huge quantities of sand are carried into the canals every year, requiring so much effort on the part of the population to keep them clear that they cannot properly care for their land" (photo caption, p. 761). Nearly all farming methods were extremely primitive. The Soviets planned on remedying this situation.
The engineers started their travel at the southern end of the river. While on the river, the party passed two graveyards and noticed an unusual sight: "Beside many of the graves were poles to which red or white rags were tied. The red flags signified that the occupants met violent death, and the white that they died from natural causes" (p. 765).''
Agricultural products of Khoresm included silk and cotton, although the Soviets were encouraging the farmers to stop producing food and plant more cotton. Manufacturing methods have been changed: "The metal workers are now organized by the Soviet government, and no goods may be sold by an individual artisan. The beautiful, carved brass basins, pitchers, teapots, etc., of former times have disappeared from the markets and in their place are cheaper sheet-copper utensils" (p. 770). There were a half-dozen automobiles in the entire country. Camels were the chief beasts of burden.
Again, as we have seen in many under-developed countries, in the rural areas the group faced dangerous bandits and were accompanied along various points by police. "Before the present regime the natives reaped rich rewards by making raids into Persia and bringing back slaves to sell in Khiva and New Urgench" (p. 772).
The engineers finally reached the Aral Sea, boarded a boat headed for the northern end so as to take an express train. Then, "only memories would remain of Khoresm and its battle with the river" (p. 780).
Friday, May 2, 2014
A Promise Kept
 |
The Ruana is a one-piece 'wrap' that the front sections overlap each other. It is made from 100% Peruvian Highland Wool and is very soft and warm.
Back view of ruana, taken at Hilton Head Island, March 30, 2014.
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)