Hidalgo Admiral Exchangeable

Alas, a Missed Opportunity

I've always loved this flamingo, from the original Audubon book.  We saw one of the original plates about 38 years ago but were too poor to buy it.  Well, that, and TY HATED the way the neck was squashed into the picture frame.  That didn't bother me as much as the price, which as I remember was several hundred dollars- simply out of our range back then.  Well I saw that it is now demanding a quarter of a million smackeroos!  Guess it has managed to still stay out of our range, but gain ground in the process now that I can afford several hundred.

Maybe the only way to own a flamingo is to hire this woman!

Gesine Marwedel is an amazingly good body painter who creates convincing landscapes and animal pictures on human bodies.

This has recently been brought to my attention because my granddaughter is nuts for flamingos as any self respecting almost-four year old should be.  Hey, they're pink, and that fills some sort of primal need.  So for Christmas she is getting a wee flamingo stuffed animal and a tree ornament and various other pinks.  I also found this wallpaper but I don't think it quite goes in her little antique house attic room(at least I hope not!)  So I won't' actually show it to her.

Things around here are moving at the speed of light, but I am stuck on the turtle just slogging along.  Maybe they do't like hot dogs, but something has to move this ride a bit more in the direction I want to head!  Not actually me, not actually my turtle BUT

If you like turtles the way I do (from a distance) perhaps the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a place where you would like to send some bucks.  It's a turtle hospital and open to the public.  you can adopt one, or watch it's progress as it recovers from shark attacks or power boat accidents or just plain old turtle diseases.  The people there are amazing, and the turtles all have private rooms where they can sun and swim as they gain their strength back.  They are, of course, always in need of help and one of my favorite charities.  They don't eat hot dogs there.

What can I say?  I'm Walken here too but in a Palm Tree wonderland.  Still it's weird, but I am happily acclimating.  C'mon down, Christopher!  Bring Tony while you're at it.

And finally a comment about the state of the Arts in schools.

And the clean-out continues.  Have a nice Thursday Pre-Christmas.