sea-fever

I MUST down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

John Masefield

(This is the poem Chichester's book gets its title from. It's also quoted by Gene Wilder in the old Willy Wonka.)

the lonely sea and the sky

During the next week's sailing, I came to terms with life. I found that my sense of humor had returned; things that would have irritated me or maddened and infuriated me ashore made me laugh out loud, and I dealt with them steadily and efficiently. Rain, fog, squalls and turbulent forceful seas under grey skies became merely obstacles. I seemed to have found the true values of life. The meals I cooked myself were feasts, and my noggins of whiskey were nectar. A good sleep was as valuable to me as the Koh-i-noor diamond. All my senses seemed to be sharpened; I perceived and enjoyed the changing character of the sea, the colours of the sky, the slightest changes in the noises of the sea and wind. Even the differences between light and darkness were strong, and a joy. I was enjoying life, and treating it as it should be treated - lightly.

Sir Francis Chichester, The Lonely Sea and the Sky

atlantis

Atlantis by Gayle Chong Kwan. Description from Arts Co:

Mythologised for its abundance of beautiful temples, embellished palaces, harbours and luscious vegetation, the Atlantis of this exhibition has been carved out of plastic food containers, whose discarded remains may be found at the bottom of many of our rivers and seas, forming their own kinds of horrific waste cities or constructions themselves. With premonitions of our rising water levels, questions surround whether we are creating or living in the Atlantis of the future.

Via Art Moco.

diving deep

For 33 years, Peter A. Rona has pursued an ancient, elusive animal, repeatedly plunging down more than two miles to the muddy seabed of the North Atlantic to search out, and if possible, pry loose his quarry.

(Completely fascinating.)

the very edge

Yo aqui vine a los limites
En donde no hay que decir nada
Todo se aprende con tiempo y oceano,
Y volvia la luna,
Sus lineas plateadas
Y cada vez se rompia la sombra
Con un golpe de ola
Y cada dia en el balcon del mar
Abre las alas, nace el fuego
Y todo sique azul como manana.

***

Here I came to the very edge
where nothing at all needs saying,
everything is absorbed through weather and the sea,
and the moon swam back,
its rays all silvered,
and time and again the darkness would be broken
by the crash of a wave,
and every day on the balcony of the sea,
wings open, fire is born,
and everything is blue again like morning.

Pablo Neruda, 'It is Born' (trans. by Joel Gallo)

Image from here.

i would be a mermaid fair

And all the mermen under the sea
Would feel their immortality
Die in their hearts for the love of me.

Tennyson, from 'The Mermaid'.

I like to imagine mermaids looking like this - calm, superior, and alluring, with fish scales like sequins.

Photo of Paula Gellibrand by Cecil Beaton, 1928. Via the ugly earring.

scales

Kathryn Bentley's large Scale Armor hoop earrings.

the glad indomitable sea

The lover of child Marjory
Had one white hour of life brim full;
Now the old nurse, the rocking sea,
Hath him to lull.

The daughter of child Marjory
Hath in her veins, to beat and run,
The glad indomitable sea,
The strong white sun.

Bliss Carman, 'A Sea Child' (around 1895)

Paul Gauguin: In the Waves, 1889.

(One of my favorites paintings at the CMA.)

swell

let's move here right away

 
  
 Polka dot house.

Found at my new favorite blog. I love every post.

matches

I believe that most people have some degree of talent for something - forms, colors, words, sounds. Talent lies around in us like kindling waiting for a match, but some people, just as gifted as others, are less lucky. Fate never drops a match on them. The times are wrong, or their health is poor, or their energy low, or their obligations too many. Something.

Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety.

Matchbook from here.

discreet and typical

House + by Anne Menke (Dipl.-Ing. / MSc) in collaboration with Winkens Architekten, Berlin. A renovation of a 1957 house to the following specifications:

It all started with a wish list. For the husband the new house had to be modern. It should have generous openings and exterior spaces that connect to the garden. He was fascinated by the extraordinary use of materials and good details, which show high quality craftsmanship. The wife aspired for comfort and cosiness; it should be a “feel good-house”. She envisioned her new home first of all as an interior space, as protection from the outside world. The house should look discreet and typical with a pitched roof and radiate domesticity at first glance. These were quite conflicting qualities to resolve in a single cohesive piece of architecture.

More photos here. The interior is a bit too modern for me, but I love the exterior and the working principles. Via ArchDaily.

this weekend

Consult a published guide. Also:

• the feast
• burning river
• knitters in the streets
  
• dancers in Lincoln Park
• my friend Pete
• lost boys
• his girl Friday
• the county fair

Happy weekend.

Book from Lindsey White's Field Guide to the Atmosphere, originally found here.

the substance of dreams

Eleanor Wood's collage illustrations. See more here.

Found via The Strange Attractor.

where i've been

Cloud House by Scott Campbell.

(Not actually there, but I wish.)

clearing the clouds

A limit of time is fixed for thee, which if thou dost not use for clearing the clouds from thy mind, it will go and thou wilt go, and it will never return.

Marcus Aurelius

(I'm taking some time to clear some clouds. See you later.)

Photo: Dans les nuages by Au fil de..., who sells prints here and here.

roller girls, racing pigs, mutton-bustin' and snacks

Roller girls, skating for glory.

Pigs, running for a reward of iced oatmeal cookies (it must taste really good to them, because those pigs ran).
Small children, helmeted and heavily padded, mutton bustin' for a shiny belt-buckle.

Exotic snacks. We went to the state fair last Saturday, and as you can see, there is something for everyone.

While tempted by the roast-beef sundae, Sean went with something a little more traditional:
Fun times.

into the land of youth

Into the land of youth, westward, to the place of starting again, cities of gold, on the coast of promise - mysterious cure - a mirror's thrown down, and so without luck, without reflection we stop.

We have come to the beginning, the finish of the country, itinerary worn out, facing the surf - what sailors smell as land. We ask detailed questions. None of us can tell, so we tug on each other, "Come. Look."

In this lull, one at the tide line stops to pick at foam and weeds; another builds a fire. The intended didn't arrive and there is no new plan. As the sun lowers, we face the mountains, consider what we have passed, and fall to dreaming, to scrounging.

Killarney Clary

Image: Henry Darger.

(Thanks, eb.)

ferris wheels

this weekend

Fair time. We're headed down tomorrow. I can't wait to see the butter cow.

Also:

• Wrath Arcane sample sale
• Dr. Strangelove
• dancers in the park
• so last year
• alley cat Friday

It's enough to keep me busy. Happy weekend.

Photo: Fair goers passing through the Ohio Gate to attend the Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1960-1969.

the only acceptable way to eat them

As highly frosted baked goods. The use of mini-donuts made me laugh.

the real predators

Humans kill 73 million sharks every year, nearly all for consumption, mainly in shark fin soup. The fins are cut off and the bodies dumped overboard, a barbaric practice known as finning. Commercial fishermen are taking more and more sharks for their meat as well.

Nearly a third of shark species in the open oceans are threatened with extinction. Losing these top predators creates a cascading imbalance. The species whose numbers the sharks once controlled begin to explode; they then wipe out smaller fish, some of which humans depend on for food. Water quality suffers. Healthy oceans require sharks, and without healthy oceans, healthy fisheries are impossible.

From the NYT, July 28, 2009.

homecoming

Today's good news has made my heart feel better about the world. Things that seem impossible can be done.

I agree with this sentiment. Talk about a good day's work.

drawn

Work by Rinus Van de Velde.

for patrolling the carpeting

Sean O'Meallie.

underwater

Narelle Autio's Watercolours. From top:

Snorkellers, 2001
Baitfish, 2001
Shark Tattoo, 2001

pale ravener of horrible meat

About the Shark, phlegmatical one,
Pale sot of the Maldive sea,
The sleek little pilot-fish, azure and slim,
How alert in attendance be.
From his saw-pit of mouth, from his charnel of maw,
They have nothing of harm to dread,
But liquidly glide on his ghastly flank
Or before his Gorgonian head;
Or lurk in the port of serrated teeth
In white triple tiers of glittering gates,
And there find a haven when peril's abroad,
An asylum in jaws of the Fates!
They are friends; and friendly they guide him to prey,
Yet never partake of the treat --
Eyes and brains to the dotard lethargic and dull,
Pale ravener of horrible meat.

Herman Melville, 'The Maldive Shark'

Image: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. 1991. Tiger shark, glass, steel, 5% formaldehyde solution.

Given how many dead animals Damien Hirst goes through, the phrase 'pale ravener of horrible meat' would be more aptly applied to him.

the cozy kind

HandaMade has the market cornered on hand-knitted shark cozies. I imagine my water would taste fiercer if I had one.

da dum. da dum. dadum dadum dadum dadum.

even*cleveland Shark Week 2009 is upon us (2008 can be viewed here).

Time to bust out the LEGOs and other samples of the internet's sharky treasures.

sunday tune: songs ohio - just be simple

flight patterns

Charlie McCarthy took 156 four second exposure photographs of insects flying around a street light, then put them together to make this film.

So insanely awesome I can hardly stand it. Via creative review.