I would go in a heartbeat

[OT from cottage renovations]

among my acquaintances are numbered some who, after years of study devoted to scripture, have a complete grasp not only of the events and peoples chronicled, but also a wonderfully detailed feel for the Holy Land as it was in biblical times, at least as described in surviving texts.  I have not have the same basis of faith but this vision, so clear to them, is still something I can appreciate as an intellectual construct, a detailed historical recreation. 

on the other hand I do possess an extremely vivid mental picture of the Middle Earth of J. R. R. Tolkien's writings.  this vision is centric to the books, not to the recent films adapted from the same works.  I had very mixed reactions to the films: there was so much they got right, but so much else that turned out unforgivably wrong, particularly the handling of certain characters.  after viewing any of the films one must at once read the books again. 

far be it from me to contradict the publicity arm of New Zealand's tourism industry, but the best way to visit Middle Earth is in one's head.  but not, it turns out, the only other way.  a while ago I learned of the existence of an account, long out of print, of an 1886 visit to Middle Earth undertaken by three British gentlemen.  the book, illustrated with early platinotype photographs, is quite difficult to find.  the good news is that one of the author's descendants has taken the trouble to make excerpts available online.  I have queries out to several antiquarian book dealers: whoever responds first gets the sale, price is no object.  until then the online bits will have to do. 

cold

[OT from cottage renovations]

it's gotten cold.  too damn cold. 

the 20s is about as cold as it ever gets here, cold enough that it's not unreasonable to whinge about it.  I have family in Alaska who would think of this as a heat wave; family in Australia whose scorching midsummer temperatures surely make them wish they were here; and family in Southern California who know better than to come visiting this time of year, dude. 

yesterday was about 10°f warmer than today, but the 25 mph headwinds made for a bracing trip home at the end of the day and by comparison today didn't seem as bad.  but when it gets to the extreme, whether high or low, of any place's temperature range, whoever lives there is granted the grace to whine about it.  for a while.  which I have now done.  and they they are supposed to shut up about it.  which I will now do. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

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	just in time for the 38th anniversary of the flight of Apollo 8, this ice sculpture depicting a Saturn V rocket appeared out back under the faucet.
commemorative stalagmite

try, try again

[OT from cottage renovations]

out back, not far from the temporary Apollo 8 memorial, the Pieris japonica has brought forth yet another interesting variation of seasonal display.  I have actually been trying off and on over the course of the week to catch these, but several attempts produced a string of images each beset by some flaw of lighting, composition, or some other aspect. 

today I decided to give it one more try and these, while not completely satisfactory, are as good as it is going to get. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)

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Bittersweet Cottage garden

Pieris japonica