Sheron Long's Blog, page 24
February 8, 2016
Wordplay and Watercolor: Edward Lear in Gozo
A tireless traveler, Edward Lear expressed the magnificence of Gozo, Malta,
through delicate watercolor paintings and colorful wordplay.
Edward Lear [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Wanderlust on My Lear-ical Visit to Malta
It’s winter in Malta, 1862. Edward Lear, lover of wordplay and watercolor, is writing a letter. His phrasing echoes the rhythm of Mediterranean tides against this tiny archipelago:
“I draw constantly on the Barracca point; meaning to paint a picture thereof one day; and I wander up and down the beautiful streets of Valletta and Senglea; and rejoice in the delightful heat and the blue sky; and watch the thousand little boats skimming across the harbor at sunset.”
A winter sunset transforms Senglea, Malta into a living watercolor.
© Joyce McGreevy
As you read those words 154 years after Lear penned them, it’s a winter...
February 2, 2016
The Art of Urban and Rural Exploration
The spiraling perspective of an abandoned staircase begs the question:
Who walked up these stairs?
© Christian Richter
See Things Differently, See Beauty in Decay
While perusing the library of my travel photos, I found a surprising result. Faces and landscapes were few and far between. Crumbling brick, rusted door knobs, cracked walls, paint discoloration, and patterns of flaking exteriors took center stage. Why?
Because I see things differently. Not only do deserted buildings and decaying walls provide powerful settings for photography, but they are themselves, a form of art.
I see beauty in decay, stories and legend in the abandoned, rejuvenation in the old, and endurance for the decrepit. I was an urban explorer before I knew urban exploration, or urbex, existed. I love to document the dilapidated and decrepit. Take a look. See its beauty. See...
January 25, 2016
American Cultural Heritage: Public Libraries
Library built by ex-slaves, Allensworth, California
© Robert Dawson
The Art of Getting on the Same Page
Shhh. No talking. Let the books and walls and shelves speak for themselves. If you’re quiet, you can hear the sound of knowledge. The call to adventure. The whisper of imagination.
It all happens at public libraries—a part of American cultural heritage that has opened so many doors, providing free access to information and the freedom to learn.
“It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you … and most of all, a gateway to a better and happier and more useful life.” —Isaac Asimov
An intergalactic tribute to books at The Main Library, Duluth, Minnesota
...
January 18, 2016
Coffee Culture: Slow Down and Focus
Café, what café? Let’s see what develops.
© Camera Museum
To See the World, See Things Differently
There was only one logical conclusion: the café had been stolen by elves.
Sightseeing can mean seeing things differently–only now I couldn’t see the site at all. In search of a rumored gem of café culture, I paced the short stretch of London footpath. On that bitter cold morning in Bloomsbury, outdoor tables and chairs were sensibly tucked away. So I checked the street address again and again. But where the café was supposed to be, I saw only a shop front, its window chockablock with camera gear.
Then again, the café’s name had a photography reference, so it had to be right there. Yet when I glanced inside, there was only a small, softly lit shop. It barely looked big enough to contain its glass counter, across which two elderly men affably...
January 11, 2016
The Corn Tortilla: A Mexican Superhero
A kernel of corn at the heart of a Mexican corn plant; the corn plant at the heart
of the corn tortilla; the corn tortilla at the heart of Mexican culture
photo © Eva Boynton
The Delicious Taste of Cultural Heritage
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a tortilla addict. At first I was skeptical.
My travel companions from Mexico would let loose disappointed sighs when a beautiful meal lacked their favorite flying saucers made of corn. I would think to myself, “What’s the hubbub over tortillas?” After my first weeks in Mexico, though, I was hooked.
Corn tortillas are the superheroes of a Mexican meal. They can magically expand a few morsels of food into a full meal. They add flavor and richness to daily life. And the process of making delicious tortillas connects people to Mexico’s cultural heritage and traditions as well as to each other.
...
December 21, 2015
The Seasonal Sparkle of Cultural Differences
The always-surprising tree at the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris
© Meredith Mullins
Holiday Traditions Around the World
The streets are strung with lights. The store windows are full of color, sparkle, and animated figures made to mesmerize the young and the young at heart. There are scents of evergreens, mulled wine, and cinnamon in the air.
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Epiphany. Whether you’re commemorating Père Noêl, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, the Three Wisemen, Sinterklaas, Befana, or the miracle of light. ‘Tis the season to be festive.
The menorah is an important tradition in celebrating the Festival of Lights (Hanukkah)
© Vladislav Gurfinkel/Thinkstock
Cultural differences give us many ways to celebrate, with a rich variety of holiday traditions around the world. Here are some international highlights.
...
December 14, 2015
Global Citizens Face the Challenge of Climate Change
Hommage to the melting glaciers
© Meredith Mullins
COP21 Conference in Paris Brings Focus to the Future of the Planet
Climate change is insidious. Glaciers melt drop by drop, chunk by chunk. Ocean levels rise centimeter by centimeter. Temperatures climb slowly—we sense a warming trend but perhaps cannot see it as dramatic change unless we take a long-term look.
And then there are the more dramatic reminders. Floods. Storms. Droughts. Heat waves. Extinction of certain plants and animals.
The changes are difficult to see day by day, month by month, or even year by year—making the problem of climate change more difficult to bring to the world’s attention. It also makes the problem easy to ignore for those who choose to do so.
But, as global citizens, it is up to all of us to protect the future of the planet.
Redesigning the World: Observe. Understand. Act
...
November 23, 2015
In the Wake of the Paris Attacks
Flowers and messages surround Le Carillon, one of the restaurants attacked on November 13.
© Meredith Mullins
French Spirit and Cultural Beliefs Are Woven with Strength and Courage
We don’t usually foresee danger in our daily routines—in restaurants, bars, sports stadiums, or concert halls. We expect to be safe in movie theatres, office buildings, trains, churches, airplanes, and schools—even with past history embedded in our memory.
Sadly, at this time in a world where hatred, violence, guns, and insanity are more common than we could have ever imagined, the risk of danger becomes hauntingly familiar. The possibility plants itself at the edges of our consciousness.
And then the unthinkable happens. Terrorists attack the very essence of everyday rhythms. They assault innocent people—people eating, laughing, cheering their team, drinking, dancing to heavy...
November 10, 2015
Webcam Wanderlust
A show that’s hard to beat: the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower
© Meredith Mullins
Virtual Journeys: Seeing . . . and Being Seen
Have you been waiting for the hourly light show at the Eiffel Tower?
Are you ready for a stopover in Sydney?
Do you want to see if the sun is sparkling over Niagara Falls?
Can you make time for a peek at the vivid autumn colors of New England?
Are you up for a climb to Machu Picchu?
Do you crave the energy of Times Square in New York?
All it takes is a click on a webcam link, and you are there.
A virtual journey to Niagara Falls via webcam.
Courtesy of Earthcam.
In the wonderful world of webcam wanderlust, you can visit places around the world whenever you want, without leaving your computer chair. There are webcams everywhere.
Real Places, Real Time, Real People
You can see the Northern Lights...
November 2, 2015
Survival Essentials for Adventure Cycling
Living off the bare necessities and feeling on top of the world.
© Eva Boynton
How Mexican Toll Roads Change Perspective
There are two main roads weaving through Mexico: the calle libre (free road) and the autopista (toll road). When four friends and I, all engaged in adventure cycling, biked through Mexico, our choice in road shaped the future.
We chose the toll road. Not only did it develop our appreciation of the survival essentials, but it also irrevocably changed our perspective.
.A toll road has different meaning to a car driver than to an adventure cyclist.
© iStock / aidaricci
Toll roads are government-owned roads that require payment (free for bicycles!) for maintenance efforts. They are:
a direct path from one big city to another
time-savers—15 to 30 miles shorter than free roads
built to offer beautiful views from bridges,...
