Showing posts with label scenic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scenic. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Chile Ristras and Petroglyphs on the Volcanoes


These are chile ristras.

This photo is from the Petroglyph National Monument website, which has lovely ones on display at their Visitor Center.

If you ever get to Albuquerque, do make a point of going to the Petroglyph National Monument.

You may not know it, but New Mexico is one of the most volcanic states in the union. There are three volcanoes here in Albuquerque. They're examples of fissure eruption ("curtains of fire," like from Kilauea).


Into this volcanic rock some 400 to 700 years ago, Ancestral Pueblo Indians carved petroglyphs. Or scratched. Chiseled. How they made the petroglyphs is actually unknown. These images were spiritually important to them.

Spanish settlers saw the designs and added their own (easily identifiable Christian iconography). You can walk multiple trails of varying difficulty to see these cultural symbols (both Puebloan and Spanish) in their natural habitat.


But back to chile ristras.

Colonial settlers on the east coast of North America used the pineapple as a symbol of hospitality. 

You'll find pineapples (some more stylized than others) on entryways, staircases, and in dining decorations.


In the same way, chile ristras came to symbolize hospitality in the southwestern Spanish colonies. 

Originally, the chiles were strung together and hung up to dry for future consumption, but this utilitarian storage solution meant one had beautiful bright red garlands hanging on one's porch, and the more you had, the more bountiful your future feasts would be. 

So it's easy to see how the display of numerous hanging ristras about the entryway could become associated with generous, welcoming hosts. 

Unlike pineapples, which are now associated with antique decor, chile ristras are still used in modern decoration in New Mexico. Consequently, they had to be mentioned in DESERT TRYST

Any Bed & Breakfast worth its chiles would have a ristra or two out front. I hope touches like this help make the story feel authentic for the reader.


Sunday, March 25, 2012

Images from WonderCon

Cool painting in the hotel

Sign in the dealers' room food court
Speaking of food - personal apple pie 
Lovely ladies

Gamers gaming

Walkway between Anaheim convention center and hotel

Tardises and Amy Pirate

The BEST panel of all

Thursday, February 2, 2012

View from the Cockpit

I was going through some old photo albums and found this. The red arrow is pointing to the pilot's head. Yes, I am in an airplane cockpit, on the jumpseat behind the captain, as our commercial passenger airplane flies over the Arctic. Because waaay back in the day, a time of unbelievable innocence, they allowed kids to visit the cockpit during flights.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tree Canopy of the United States of America

From Hardwood Floors News
This is a NASA map of the Tree Canopy of the United States.

It took six years to create, and lead to the determination that about one third of the US is currently forested.

First thing that struck me - Wisconsin. Only the far northern part, next to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is heavily forested.

Well, of course, you say. Wisconsin is dairyland. Farmland.

It is NOW. But if you'll remember, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods is set in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin used to be massively forested, which led to a booming lumber industry and "lumber barons" who became rich off it and built mansions like these below:



After the trees were gone, then agriculture was promoted.

For more about Wisconsin's logging history click here.

How about your state? Are you surprised by its canopy, or lack thereof?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Set Sail For Horror

I commissioned Francesco Francavilla for something Lovecraftian with cats
and this is the fabulous, wickedly brilliant picture he created for me!!!

So I thought I'd share it with you, since it is Halloween-time.



Monday, October 24, 2011

Roman Chariot Pug

Copyright ClaireLynn


This wonderful Roman chariot pug was part of Portland Oregon's PUGLANDIA event, which was held May 22, 2011 and raised funds for the Oregon Humane Society.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Fallout and Assassin's Creed (ish) Halloween Decor

Halloween decorations in Salem, MA.
The biohazard reminds me of Fallout.
And yes, that is a plague doctor in black behind the guy in the hazmat suit.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Salem Halloween Ferris Wheel

The carnival has returned to Salem Massachusetts. I love the witch on the ferris wheel.
It's all part of Salem's Haunted Happenings, which run the entire length of October.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hidden History of Salem Video with New Soundtrack

I have re-done my HIDDEN HISTORY OF SALEM book-teaser
because MY BOOK INSPIRED A SONG
and that is just too cool not to share:
There's real history plus cool obscure facts plus ghost cats and candy and coffee and romance and a horrible murder - all sorts of interesting things. And we haven't even gotten to the witches.
Buy the single, too! It should be coming out in the next month or so. I'll keep you posted. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Salem's Peabody Essex and Me

This is the lobby of the Peabody Essex Museum. 

And in their Gift Shop:
Seeing my book on a shelf always makes me happy.
That book to the right is really good, too.
You should read all of them. All the books! 
LOL

Saturday, September 3, 2011

We all live in a … underwater city that’s not actually yellow


Welcome to Rapture, the underwater city where Bioshock and Bioshock 2 are set.

Although this is one of those Utopias Gone Very, Very Wrong, let’s pretend for a moment that Rapture actually turned out okay.

It’s beautiful, little bathyspheres float you around to different areas, there’s lots of lights and glass – lots of views of the sea life.

Of course, you’re always inside/enclosed (otherwise you’d drown) and there is no sunlight this deep.

So my question for you is this:

Could you live in an underwater city?

Friday, August 5, 2011

More Gobeur Arcade/Vulpes


I just love these two together (obviously).  :)   Gobeur clearly has a window into my brain....

I should start wearing my tinfoil hat more often!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Fallout New Vegas Fan Art

Okay, so y'all know I'm a big Fallout New Vegas fangirl, right?
For the uninitiated, it's this game here:















I write derpy little fanfictions about it. (And by fanfic I mean fluff and pr0n.)

Ahem.  Moving on....

Some absolutely fantastically talented artists have honored my non-canonical little 'verse and the pair I ship with some radically awesome pieces of art.

You cannot imagine how touched and humbled I felt when I first saw these. Most of them are on dA here. But as a few aren't, I thought I'd post them here so everyone could see them and pet them and bask in the light from their general awesomeness.

First let's get you acquainted with the pair I ship. The above masterpiece is by GOBEUR
This next one is by GOBEUR as well.
Vulpes doesn't actually have a tail, of course. But isn't it adorable? :)
These next ones are on deviantArt:




Aren't they wonderful?  If you're on dA, you should watch these folks. They are total awesomesauce with a side of brilliance.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Jealous Hearts

Still waiting for the Fallout New Vegas DLC Honest Hearts.  
(Hi, I'm a PS3 owner.)

Reeaaally want to see how Zion looks. I've been to Zion IRL. And Bryce Canyon. Have to admit, after Bryce, Zion seemed a bit of a let down. Which isn't it's fault. Let me show you.


This is Bryce.


This is Zion.

The approach to Zion, as you can see, is on the floor of the canyon.

The approach to Bryce is on the top, like it is for the Grand Canyon.

Being on the top rim makes it easier to see the magnificence of the place immediately. With Zion, you just can't appreciate the full scope. You have to go do the trails and get to an overlook. Which we didn't have time to do. So I'll definitely have to go back some day.

In any case, it should be a cool setting for Honest Hearts.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Fallout New Vegas Geek Moment


So we're flying over southern Utah and it occurs to me that this is the birthplace of Vulpes Inculta in the game Fallout New Vegas. So I revel in my geekery and decide to take a picture.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it's still a pretty pic. :)