The Junk Drawer

TLAPD! by fleur_de_lis

Well, it's almost over and done with, but I couldn't resist posting some pirate comics for your enjoyment anyway! Hope you had a chance to aargh and avast a few scurvy dogs today. Hope you had a great Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Missing my Steeplemedia friends... by fleur_de_lis

Hello all of you out there if you are still out there.....It has been so long since I have had any contact with any of you at all. What has been going on in your lives? I would be so interested in finding out, so let me know! As for me-- My new baby granddaughter is now one I am starting an art project using tree bark and pampas grass :) My son is starting over in a completely different career and is going back to school My daughter is still in the Army National Guard I am still a lousy cook, a fan of Big Brother, Survivor, and Amazing Race, and a readaholic I have a new dog that is psycho, in fact, I may do a post on My New Dog someday.... And ... I have been working out daily, a first for me, for several months--love those new knees! Anyway, could we have a Steeple Reunion or something? I'll try to work on it. Whatever, my best to you wherever you are! Fleur

Alien Architecture by fleur_de_lis

Ferrari World Theme Park I didn't know anything at all about this unusual piece of architecture until just a couple of months ago when our son informed us that he was going to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a job. He will be a project coordinator for the installation of some of their lighting systems from what I understand, although what he does for a living has never really quite penetrated my technologically challenged brain. Oh, the stories I could tell of this boy's adventures around the world.... Personally, it looks like a giant alien life form, sucking us dry to me--although it is supposed to represent the double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body. Either that, or a giant bio-hazard symbol. Hmm... The theme park itself is located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and is very near completion. Here are some fast facts: World's largest indoor theme park World's fastest roller coaster--traveling at speeds in excess of 124 mph Racetrack that will host the Formula 1...

Dodging a Bullet--Another Update by fleur_de_lis

As I have done in the past, I am giving all of you my personal perspective on the military career of my daughter. She returned home in May, a year and a half ago, from a tour in Iraq. In the meantime, she has continued to work as a full time Army National Guard soldier at the Omaha armory. Obama's recent decision to deploy more troops to Afghanistan has certainly caused a flurry of preparations for her unit, they will be deploying again, but this time she will remain at home and be the liason between families and deployed troops. I am so thankful that she will not have to leave us again. Pray for our brave men and women in the armed forces.

18 Towers by fleur_de_lis

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain One of my favorite works of architecture just happens to be La Sagrada Familia, an unfinished Catholic Basilica that has been in the making since 1882. The lead architect was Antoni Gaudi, a man inspired by strong religious and nationalist feelings. La Sagrada became his work for over 40 years, with Gaudi at times living as a virual hermit in a workshop on the site. After his unexpected death in 1926 (he was run over by a tram) construction continued for a time, was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, and didn't resume until the 1950's. Today's plans for completion are a mixture of old plans and modern adaptations under the direction of Jordi Bonet i Armengol, and still the work is not progressing much faster than it did under Gaudi! Speculations on completion dates range anywhere from 2017-2041. La Sagrada Familia is a beautiful example of Gaudi's Art Nouveau architecture and is full of religious symbolism and meaning. Some of the...

Marooned! by fleur_de_lis

Ahoy me steeplematies! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day, one o' me favorite days o' the year--but methinks I be marooned here at the bottom o' the blogpile with nary a comrade t' spar with. Alas, I be resortin' to attackin' me own blog this year fer lack o' any eager scurvy dogs to run rampant with me :(...... Pirates on the Sea of Japan by joyous Yo ho ho and a bottle of rice wine.... Pirate Scream by xpoc 88 AAAAArrrrrrgggghhhh--the plank be prepared fer ye Joe! Pirate Napoleon by moggss Sacre bleu, mes amis, je suis le capitan du monde! Henry ye 8th by thatlukekid Bloody cheeky, Napoleon, I beg to differ... Reunion by riddle X marks the spot... Vincent Van Pirate by BonnySaintAndrew One eye, one leg, what's next...one ear? Treasure by PeterAAAWelch Doubloons...a wench's best friend... Well, that be fun! Let's see what the rest o' the day be bringin'....

Be Ye Ready for TLAPD? by fleur_de_lis

Avast me steeplebuddies, it be time t' prepare yerselves fer the annual Talk Like a Pirate Day on th' blogs. It seems we have many fellow rum guzzlers who've jumped ship in the past months so I be hopin' there be a few of youse scurvy dogs left t' make the day fun! Fer meself, I have my booty bag packed up n' ready to go..... ....with me trusty aye phone... ...a puzzle to keep me entertained... ...me favorite pair o' boots... ...a toast stamp fer me snack.... ... and an assortment of odds n' ends fer jest in case! September 19 be the day me fine swashbuckling maties! Be ye prepared? Or will ye be found caught at anchor? (Even me lolcat be gettin' ready) What be your excuse?

Pink by fleur_de_lis

*pink* pink* pink* pink* pink* pink*................................ Sugar and spice, and everything nice............................ I am the proud grandma of a brand new grandaughter (first girl in the family) and so very happy! Praise the lord for my new little angel, Eva Rose. frills and lace *pink* pink* pink* pink* pink* pink*.................................

Animal Pompeii by fleur_de_lis

12,000,000 years ago, a huge volcanic eruption in southwestern Idaho threw up a great cloud of abrasive dust that settled out to a foot or so deep over much of northern Nebraska. The winds blew it around like fresh snow, and eventually the high ground was blown free of the ash, but the low lying areas were filled to a depth of 8 feet or more. Ashfall Fossil Beds is the site of an ancient watering hole where hundreds of rhinos, three-toed horses, camels and other animals died--some literally buried in their tracks. We visited this place a couple of days ago, and were intrigued not only by the story, but by the work of the paleontologists carefully exposing the ancient remnants of these prehistoric creatures. These skeletons are located inside a giant 'rhino barn' so that they are sheltered from the elements as the ash is carefully brushed away. Just a small part of the excavation--yet you can begin to see the many animals that were buried by the ash. At the bottom of the ash bed...

My Top Ten Favorite Prints by fleur_de_lis

Affordable art...affordable good art, is usually beyond our grasp. One way to have the 'real' thing is to find a print by an artist that you love. Even these can be beyond your budget, but every once in a while...(Fleur, wistfully thinking). Here is a sampling of some of my very favortite prints starting with The Great Wave which is at the top of my list, but the rest are in no particular order. The Great Wave at Kanagawa--Hokusai woodcut Drawing Hands--M. C. Escher lithograph Banknotes--Eugene Delacroix lithograph (Hey, who wouldn't want to have their face on the national currency!) Melancholia--Albrecht Durer engraving John Wayne--Andy Warhol silkscreen Bald Eagle--John James Audubon lithograph Moulin Rouge--Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph Self Portrait--Kathe Kollwitz lithograph 'A Spill Out' on the Snow--Currier and Ives lithograph An Eagle Flying Over the Hundred-Thousand Plain--Hiroshige woodcut Aren't they wonderful? Do you have any favorites?

My New Collection... by fleur_de_lis

Mown-a-Lisa Some people collect baseball cards, license plates, and shaving mugs--others like to collect Willow Tree figurines, rocks, or quilts. Personally, my favorite thing to collect is Mona Lisa ripoffs.... Here are a few I've acquired over the years ;) Bean Mona Lisa Poker Mona Lisa Velvet Art Mona Lisa Botero Mona Lisa Mad Magazine Mona Lisa ,,,and of course my favorite-- Pirate Mona! What's in your collection?

Sliced and Diced by fleur_de_lis

See if you can recognize these masterpieces of western painting from the hands of Ju Duoqi! The Raft of the Lotus Roots The Kiss of the Radishes Cabbage Monroe Napoleon on Potatoes Mona Tofu The Scream of the Sweet Potatoes Van Gogh Made of Leek "In the summer of '06, I bought several kilograms of peas, and sat there quietly for 2 days peeling them, before stringing them on a wire and turning them into a skirt, a top, a headdress and a magic wand. I used a remote control to take a photo of myself in them, and named it Pea Beauty Pageant. That was my first work of vegetable art." Ju Duoqi was born in 1973 in Chongqing, China. She was part of the One Child Policy generation and was at one time a website and computer game designer. Today she is a housewife in Beijing and fills some of her idle hours in the kitchen creating veggie art. She photographs her work and prints editions for sale--usually $1500 to $2000 apiece. Since 2006 she has been able to produce approximately 2...

Favorite Yogi Berra quotes! by fleur_de_lis

MVP 3 times, 10 World Series rings, 300 homers and an enduring legacy of quotes that as Joe Garagiola once said, 'You walk away and you want to screw your head on a little bit tighter...Did he really say that?'. Here is a sampling of some of my favorites, and be sure to add your own. You better cut the pizza in 4 pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat 6. If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. If you can't imitate him, don't copy him. It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much. It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question. When you come to a fork in the road, take it. A nickel ain't worth a dime any more. Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical. He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious. I always thought that record would stand until it was broken. I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia...

Gimme a Can Opener by fleur_de_lis

BAM! There you go--right in your face--100 cans of Beef Noodle soup courtesy of Andy Warhol (1928-1987). Some consider Andy to be the most famous American artist of all time. He certainly created his share of controversy and made us look at our world in an entirely new way! "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings, and me. There's nothing behind them." "I like boring things. I like things to be the same over and over." And the quote everyone is familiar with: "In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes." As you might expect, Andy was a very strange young man. As a boy, he became fascinated with movies and celebrities and would retreat into a fantasy world to escape his real life. Andy was an extremely shy boy and man but was still able to have a successful career as a commercial artist before he became an influential member of the Pop Art movement. Pop Art (short for Popular Art) took bits...

My Favorite Star Trek Quotes... by fleur_de_lis

Have any of you seen the new Star Trek movie yet? I plan on going, but I hope I won't be disappointed like I was when I saw the new Indiana Jones movie, and the remake of the Day the Earth Stood Still. There are so many Star Trek quotes I could use including favorites such as "Beam me up, Scotty", "Fascinating", "Live long and prosper", "Engage", and my very favorite "Tea, Earl Gray. Hot", but I thought I would walk down memory lane with the following' Scotty: The best diplomat that I know is a fully-loaded phaser bank. McCoy: I signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget. McCoy: By golly Jim... I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day! Scotty: Just before they went into warp, I beamed the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room, where they'll be no tribble at all. Kirk: The best defense is a strong offense. And I intend to start offending...