Pic Today 1/31/11

STINGER'S BEE POLLEN

I start my day with bee pollen,

just a teaspoon full.

Twice a year, I pay a visit to my friend,

Joy Stinger (it's her real name),

who raises bees locally and sells

her honey, bee pollen and bees wax.

On a recent visit to her city home/farm,

she invited me in to see her greenhouse (on the 3rd floor)

to meet her Portuguese water dogs,

all her chickens, her bird sanctuary,

her bees wax candle factory (in the basement),

and of course, her bees!

Each room of her house was an "art gallery"

of collected treasures -- paintings, figurines,

antiques, dolls, stained glass, photos, eggs,

potted plants, a life time of design and good taste.

She's become a celebrity of sorts, and a reliable

source of fresh bee pollen.

She's spry for her years, and promotes the healthy benefits

of bee pollen . . . which she calls the "perfect food."

Used in traditional Chinese and ancient Egyptian

herbal medicine for thousands of years,

bee pollen contains "every nutrient that we know of

required to sustain human life, and all the main

anti-oxidants that have been discovered to date."

Bee pollen granules are a combination of flower pollen,

nectar and the digestive juices of worker bees

that contain 22 amino acids, all the key vitamins

and essential trace elements essential for good health.

(Fact: I haven't been sick one day since

taking my daily dose of bee pollen.)

Thank you, Joy Stinger.

And thank you, bees!

Pic Today 1/30/11

TAKING PICTURES

OF PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES

OF ORCHIDS AT THE ORCHID SHOW

The 2011 Orchid Show opened Saturday

at Missouri Botanical Garden.

I went to shoot photos of the

amazing and beautiful orchids in bloom.

But instead,

I found it much more interesting (and fun)

shooting pictures of people shooting pictures.

It seems that everyone has a camera,

or a camera phone, these days.

(It's not safe out there, you know?)

It's like we're always in someone's viewfinder,

or cameras are watching what we do.

I'm going back to the show

later this week, early in the morning,

to see the orchids

(and not the people.)

Pic Today 1/29/11

STRANGE SNOWMEN'S LAST MOMENTS

Unassembled snowmen for sale? . . .

snowman gunned down? . . .

two-headed snow monster? . . .

snow twins standing guard? . . .

or something ! ! !

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

All I know is,

with our warm weather now,

it will soon be over.

(Whew.)

Pic Today 1/28/11

GRAFFITI IN COLOMBIA:

ART OR VANDALISM?

In Bogotá . . . it depends!

Bogotá has become famous for many things.

One lesser-known claim to fame

is its recent reputation for quality street art,

a.k.a. "graffiti."

Internationally known graffiti artists in Bogotá

are receiving invitations from world capitals

(Berlin, Mexico City, Vancouver, Tokyo)

to create street art in their cities (for big $$, too.)

Most graffiti in Bogotá is confined to La Candelaria,

the oldest part of the city (400+ years)

and birthplace of modern Colombia (back in 1550)

where the streets are chaotic, narrow

and the walls blank canvasses for students & activists.

Bogotá's Office of Public Space treats graffiti as a "violation",

as opposed to America and Europe where graffiti is a "crime."

Bogotá police are forbidden to detain a graffiti artist, and

instead, evaluate if the art is high quality or should be erased.

Thus, much of the graffiti here is well done,

acceptable to the building owners (and local officials)

and "an acceptable vehicle for cultural expression,

or with a meaningful message."

(Notice the cobs on the corn stalk,

and the "coca is fashionable" message.)

In Bogotá, that's "acceptable" and "meaningful."

Oh . . . and an artist friend painted my name

on a wall in La Candelaria . . . "Rick" (en inglés!)

Nice, huh?

Pic Today 1/26/11

WOVEN ART OF COLOMBIA

The indigenous tribes of Colombia

weave great art in their tapestries, rugs and bags,

drawing from the colors and designs of nature

and defining their unique cultural identity.

The Wayúu Indians believe their weaving skills

were handed down from the spider as an ancient art form.

They create one-of-a-kind mochilas (knapsacks),

each one taking 20 days to hand stitch.

The Arhuaco tribe, high in the mountains of Northern Colombia,

create authentic hand-woven shoulder bags,

called mochilas, in earth tone browns and tans,

representing a spiritual artisan tradition

that goes back over 1,000 years.

Mochilas are tightly woven from hand-dyed

sheep's and goat's wool, and wear like steel,

but remain soft and supple.

Each design is unique and has spiritual significance

to their indigenous culture.

Whether a rug, blanket or bag,

each hand woven Colombian piece is

a true work of art.

Pic Today 1/26/11

ESMERALDAS BELLAS DE COLOMBIA

(The beautiful emeralds of Colombia.)

The most beautiful and prized emeralds

in all the world have been mined

in Colombia, South America, since 1000 A.D.

Colombian emeralds are unique for their

transparency, crystal forms and intense green fire,

and are often more valuable than diamonds.

Their color ranges from pale green to deep green-blue.

These specimens were collected by this blogger

north of Bogotá in the mine dumps in Boyacá

along the Rio Bogotá river.

(I've since learned that treasure hunters, "quaqueros",

have been shot by the Policía Nacional

for searching these private dumps for emeralds.)

Soooo . . . we might be thinking twice about

searching again for more specimens.

Pic Today 1/25/11

AND DOGGIE MAKES THREE

Always fun for the whole family,

sledding down Art Hill in St. Louis.

(Especially after a fresh snow fall.)

Sleds, toboggans, flying saucers, cafeteria trays

and some creative sledding "devices" to race down the hill.

It's always amazing to see how many riders

can fit on top of the tiniest sleds.

And sometimes, the family pet rides along.

Watch dad load up the family sled . . .

Mom on the bottom, an obliging pooch on top,

and -- look close -- there's a daughter

somewhere in between.

And yes, they made it to the bottom

with no one falling off!

(I'm thinking the dog has done this before.)

Pic Today 1/24/11

WHEN IT SNOWS AT THE ZOO

Snowy days are a great time to visit the zoo.

There's never a crowd,

and some animals just love getting out . . .

like the Bactrian camels

from the Middle Eastern desert.

These 2-humped giants are well suited

for rugged winters or dry hot arid summers.

In the Spring, they shed their thick winter coats,

leaving them hairless in the summer heat.

(There are less than 1,000 left in the wild.)

or the Emperor penguins

who are permanent residents in Antartica

(except for those guests at the St. Louis Zoo.)

On some snowy winter Sunday afternoons,

lucky visitors get to witness the Emperors

as they march through the zoo grounds

and play in the snow.

(It's hard to tell if the people are watching the penguins,

or the penguins are watching the people!)

Pic Today 1/23/11

SHADOWS IN THE SNOW

A warm sunny day

slowly takes the snow away.

Soft retreating shapes

reveal a winter's garden detail

while shadows play on

a cold blue snow.

The golden afternoon sun

makes the snow feel not so cold,

and colors are gradually restored to the land.

My thoughts are already turning to Spring.

Pic Today 1/22/11

SHOPPING IN BOGOTÁ

You never know what you'll discover,

shopping in Bogotá, Colombia.

Most of the "trade" happens on the streets,

as it has for thousands of years . . .

vendors laying out their wares,

hand-made, recycled, restored, home-brewed.

Vintage cameras (with original rolls of film),

eye glasses (near-sighted, far-sighted).

Hand made jewelry, woven rugs and purses.

Herbs, potions, teas from the jungle.

And if you dare, you can try a bottle of vintage

Vino de COCA,

wine aged with coca leaves.

(You won't find that on most wine lists!)