barefoot in the orchard: July 2009

Monday, July 27, 2009

Beautiful Botanicals

(Alexander von Humboldt )
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I've always had a thing for botanical prints and the collection by Alexander von Humbolt during his exploration of the America's have always been among my favorites.
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Alexander von Humboldt is widely respected as one of the founders of modern geography and biogeography. He was a great explorer and collected exhaustive data in the areas of geomagnetism, meteorology, climatology, geology, mineralogy, oceanography, zoology, botany, ethnography, physiology, and linguistics! His understanding of the link between living things and their environment proved a key inspiration for Darwin, who called him "the greatest travelling scientist who ever lived".

In 1799 Humboldt started his South American expedition with French botanist Aimé Bonpland and during five years through present-day Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico and documented some 4,300 species. He and Bonpland collected over 4,000 botanical specimens which they preserved through a variety of ingenious methods. He also made copious drawings of the plants he saw (more than 400 drawings, using graphite pencil or pen). When Humboldt returned home a team of engravers and colourists - selected by him - worked on the drawings, and because of the size and intricacy of the task, it took nearly 30 years for them to be published in their entirety -- a massive 34 volume work that remained unfinished at his death.

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Humboldt was born 1769 in Berlin, Germany – he died 1859.

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To coincide with the 150th anniversary of Humboldt’s death Prestel International is publishing a book entitiled - Alexander Von Humboldt: The Botanical Exploration of the Americas. I'm sure it would appeal to anyone who appreciates fine art and/or botanical illustration - like me!!

(Above info - in part - courtesy of Botanical Illustration)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Just a Yellow Bobbed Tailed Cat

Peewee circa 1978

Have you ever lost a pet that was very dear to your heart? One that no matter how many years had passed you still thought about and missed. I once had just such a pet/friend. He was a yellow bobbed tail cat named Peewee. You may have seen him mentioned in the "Barefoot In The Orchard" side bar.

When I was 8 years old my neighbors cat had kittens. Now, for quite a long time I had been asking for a dog. Each year, on my birthday, when I blew out the candles, this is what I wished for. I had it all planned - I would teach it lots of tricks, and it would greet me each day when I got home from school. I even had the name all picked out, but year after year - no dog. So when my neighbor (who was my mom's best friend) invited me over to see her new kittens I couldn't resist and immediately wanted one. I noticed that one of the kittens did not have a normal tail - just a little stub like you would see on a bobcat. I immediately went home and began begging for this cat. It took some convincing, but finally my parents said yes. When he was old enough I brought him home, and treated him like he was my new baby. I also treated him like he was a dog. I had checked out a book from the school library, and found that cats could be trained to do lots of things just like dogs. After just a little coaxing, and a lot of bologna, I had taught him several un-cat-like tricks and he did them all happily.

16 years passed as we grew up together, but just as I was getting ready to begin my life as an adult, his came to an end. And still after all these years I think of him and our time together, and all the fun we had. How he followed me wherever I went, licked my nose (to my parents and family friends delight) and even waited for me each day at the mailbox to return from school. He was such a great friend and confidant - especially on those days when things weren't going so well. I guess he always knew just how much I loved him. So when I hear or know of someone with a close bond with their pet - I completely understand just how irreplaceable and loved that little friend is to them, and I am reminded of a certain chubby, cute, yellow bobbed tail cat named Peewee.