Someday I Will Go Inside

Paris ~ October 14, 2008

Galerie de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie Comparée

I love this building at 2 Rue Buffon near the southeast corner of the Jardin des Plantes. I've taken many pictures of the outside, including its very cool dinosaur sculpture and the critters attached to the outside of the building, but the doors have always been locked when I've been there. The inside of this building is the kind of thing I dream about. I can't imagine anyplace better. I should have been a paleontologist.

The early scientists are memorialized along with the animals. The name on the plaque in this photo is A. d'Orbigny. Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigney (1802-1857) traveled in South America and studied it's natural history and geology. He drew the first comprehensive map of the continent and is considered the father of stratigraphical paleontology, having noticed the importance played by the different layers in which fossils are found.

Update: I haven't been posting regularly. I've been feeling worse for a few days, but today I'm feeling better. I'm still topsy-turvey from the parathyroid disease and the surgeries in 2012. I'm beginning to figure out why my recovery may be so slow. Calcium is absolutely vital to the way the body works. It's not just about building strong bones and healthy teeth. It acts as a secondary messaging system for the endocrine system as well as a transmitter for the nervous system. Over the years my whole body had to adjust to higher calcium, then suddenly they threw it a curve-ball, removing the tumors that kept my calcium too high and causing it to go much lower. This looks perfect on paper, but everything has to adjust. Nobody explained the degree to which this could happen. I knew that the nervous system was affected, but I didn't realize until yesterday that calcium is also a transmitter for hormones, including thyroid and others. My thyroid TSH was at a pretty normal level before the first surgery and now it's quite high. I guess it takes a while to come back to normal. Meanwhile, life can be very uncomfortable. I was improving through January, and then February became very stressful and I got severe flu (or something). When I type too much I get inflammations, which is why I haven't been commenting, either. I'm doing better today, and trying to do everything right. Eating gobs of protein and taking lots of calcium helps, along with sleep and rest. I'm still figuring it out myself and with several Facebook groups, as my doctors have all been very uninformed on relevant points.

My Web Page: tapirback.com

Belting, Powder, Hose, Rope, Blocks, Pitch, Tar, &c.

Sacramento, California ~ April 6, 2008

This branch of the San Francisco Cordage Agency is actually in Old Town Sacramento. I don't see any slick slogans, just list what you have, because people probably need it.

My Web Page: tapirback.com

Windows, Seattle

Seattle, Washington ~ May 5, 2008

Look what someone did with a curve and some crinkles. I still love the old windows best, and will look for a few more among my archives before I move on, but I do like what this architect did with shapes against the sky.

My Web Page: tapirback.com

Sacramento Victorian

Sacramento, California ~ April 6, 2008

This is one of those drive-by captures that I always wish were better quality, but at the same time I'm glad I didn't miss it! Does anyone not love these flamboyant Sacramento Victorians?

For those who missed me, I traveled to California (farther south than this photo) at the end of February, and came back with the worst flu of my life. I'm coming back to "normal" after being down for two weeks, and I feel like blogging again. I missed you all and will be visiting soon!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

One More Photo of a Grand Old Lady

Paris ~ October 16, 2008

This may be one of my last photos in a series paying homage to the landmark building and company that is (or was) La Samaritaine on the bank of the Seine at Pont Neuf. Look at the wonderful detail of the medallions among the gold letters and the way the windows reflect various hues of the sky.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Woman with Accordion

Paris ~ October 18, 2008

This goofy scene looks like something you would find inside an historic vaudeville show, not out on the street, but after all, it was Montmartre, and it seems all of Montmartre has become a circus. I didn't know that, because the last time I was there, it was gray, empty, and you could see across the square. I'm not saying it wasn't fun, but it wasn't the Montmartre I remember from previous visits. I think about these things a lot as more and more places become less real and more like Disneyland. But things change. When I was first there - finding something I wanted not to change - it wasn't the Montmartre of Picasso's time, either. In those days, Montmartre was a country village.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Sacramento: Breakfast on the Water

Sacramento, California ~ April 6, 2008

We had brunch in the building with wrap-around windows just in front of the bridge pier. It was tasty, healthy food, good company, and an interesting view. A nice, lazy morning.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Lion on the Door, Basilica of Sacre Coeur

Paris ~ October 18, 2008

A door of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur

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Gryphons on a Stone Shield

St-Denis, France ~ October 15, 2008

St-Denis Basilica

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Wombat at the Lugnasa Festival

Astoria, Oregon ~ July 26, 2008

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Stripes

Portland, Oregon ~ February 16, 2008

Burchell's or plains zebra

The Oregon Zoo

At least, I think this is Burchell's zebra. Zebras have been seen in photos and books and at zoos for so long that we get used to looking at them. But when you really begin to think in a fresh way about the patterns and colors on these animals, zebras a truly amazing-looking creatures not like anything else on Earth.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.
Yes, we have zebras!

Lego Bear

Sacramento, California ~ April 6, 2008

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Paleontological Lizard

Paris ~ October 14, 2008

Museum of Paleontology

Jardin des Plantes

I've posted one of Mr. Lizard's friends on the same facade here.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Shining Blue Gem

Paris ~ October 15, 2008

Notre Dame Cathedral, South Ambulatory

I like this photo a lot, but I'm not sure who he is. I love the way the blue jewel catches the light. I've looked in the Blue Gide and the Michelin Green guide, and all I could find is that he could be one of the 18th-19th Century prelates buried there.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

High Desert Grasslands near Bend, Oregon

Central Oregon ~ November 24, 2008

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Giant Panda and Thylacine (Tasmanian Wolf) on a Carousel in Paris

Paris ~ October 14, 2008
The Dodo Carousel, Jardin des Plantes

We still have giant pandas in the world, but only about 1,600 to 3,000 of them, which is not many, especially when they are so hard to breed in captivity and they are not breeding well in the wild. We no longer have the fascinating marsupial - a thylacine, Tasmanian wolf, or Tassie tiger. We can thank modern humans in our egocentric stupidity for eradicating this unique animal (considered to be a pest) in the 1930s. Unsubstantiated reports of their possible existence persisted until the 1960s, but the thylacine was offically listed as extinct in 1982; the rule is that extinction is declared 50 years after the last definitively-living animal has died.

Here's Lee studying the sign near the carousel. I thought the artwork and explanations were terrific, allowing this entertaining carousel to educate and enrich those who cared to take a look. I also thought the drawings were quite nice. I've left the bottom photo very large in case you want to click on it and see the text and the drawings. For other animals on the carousel, click on the "dodo carousel" keyword below.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Another Greeter

Paris ~ October 14, 2008
Outside the Museum of Natural History (Paleontologgy)
in the Jardin des Plantes

Besides the little creatures all over the facade of the museum, there were three greeters standing at the ready. This proto-something-or-other, perhaps from the Eocene, Oligocene, or Miocene, was much friedlier than he appears. You can see the other two greeters here and here.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Some Might Find this an Oasis

Portland, Oregon ~ October 7, 2008

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Elephant over Greensboro

In the air near Greensboro, North Carolina ~

August 6, 2008

Some people think they see images in the clouds, but I'm convinced there was a gigantic elephant high in the sky over Greensboro. It looks like it could be a baby pachyderm.

Before my eyes, the elephant grew to an adult or perhaps took on the form of an ancient mammoth. Then it trumpeted and faded into the evening sky.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Restful Corner

Portland, Oregon ~ May 4, 2008

Portland Convention Center

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.