Falconry - Rock in the Sea - Shocking Blue

Tricia, of the blog Carried Away, posted this YouTube link. The video from BBC is taken from a camera on the back of a bird trained in falconry. The bird soars above an ocean and cliff, then zooms through trees in a forest. The forest scene reminds Tricia, and I, of the scene in Return of the Jedi' as they fly through the giant trees on their land speeders. The music accompaning the video is Rock in the Sea by Shocking Blue, a Dutch band of the late 60's and ealy 70s. I love the music and video together.

I'm also reminded of the lady who would bring her birds to my grandparents farm. She would stop in the house, talk for a while, then take the birds out to the fields. I remember feeling so lucky to have been visiting my grandparents on the same day she was there. It was very exciting to watch the birds fly out and soar around. It was so amazing to watch them always return to a person. It still is!

I found this page about Saluki and falconry, titled Falconer's Dream. I like the photo of the dog and the bird. It briefly speaks of how highly regarded the Saluki was by the Abrabians. Throughout the middle ages, hounds and falconry was a sport of wealthy nobelman. Given my personal experience with my 4 tiny hounds, it is hard to believe they share genes with dogs that hunt. My lap dogs only lounge and wait for dinner to be served.

I am always searching for sighthound collectibles. I purchased a Delft tile at a rescue fundraiser some years ago. It shows a hunt scene with a man resting by a tree with his dogs...some of which look like sighthounds. In the background is another man with his birds. The following YouTube video gives the description and history of falconry. It gives insight to what my delft tile is actually depicting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufstmgDtNrM

Mosaic for Monday: Fence Climbing Dog

Mosaiced Dog
Originally uploaded by schexnayderfaith

Credit goes to Rebecca of ArtDogBlog for locating on Flickr and featuring this concrete mosaic sculpture on her blog. I enjoy reading her blog and admire her Art Paw pet portraits.

The sculptor has a batch of photos on Flickr of this amazing piece. Make sure you click on the photo to the right, then the photostream to see the various photos of this sculpture. It's face is wonderful.

It makes me smile, as it reminds me of Cinnamon. Cinnamon was a mixed breed dog of my childhood. He looked very much like a fawn great dane. His family was at witts end because he scaled the fence, climbing out of every boarding facility he stayed at. When they discovered my father's veterinary hospital, which had covered kennel runs, Cinnamon stayed put, and our two families became very close friends as a result.

If I were a wealthy person, I'd commission the artist to make a Cinnamon sculture, which I would give to our friends. I love to see my four dogs climbing our fence...only in similar concrete mosaic scultures. Thankfully they are not fence climbers.

Our Neighbor

It has been a very long time with no post. I have been so very busy this summer with the usually summer parties, birthday parties, with lots of garden and yard work. The recent heatwave has me watering overtime. I thought I would take a break from the outdoor work, to share with you all a photo of our neighbor...a beautiful, large black bear.

The photo was on the July 2010 cover of our little town newspaper. I did not recognize the street name of where it was taken, so I pulled out a map. It turns out the street next to us changes names as it makes a 90 degree turn. So a thin strip of trees separates our street from the street where this big guy was photographed. Lots of bear around here, so having this guy so close shouldn't really be a surprise.

I think it is so very cute. I would like to squeeze it's little cheeks. No worries! I am a bit smarter than that. The sensible thing is to stay far away and keep property free of yummy bear treats. Perhaps I'll pull out a paint brush to paint it.

Connecticut has lots of wooded areas, perfect for bears to be very happy. With an easy source of food, human garbage cans, bird seed in feeders, they are increasing in numbers. Very surprising to me, was yesterday's article in a local paper telling about a bear attack on a quarter horse. I had no idea they would attack something that large. The horse should be okay and the owner believes the horse was protecting it's corral, perhaps startling the bear who climbed into the fenced area. Read about the incident and the start of a bear hunting debate here: Are bears fair game? The Republican-American