Sheron Long's Blog, page 28
October 28, 2014
The Dogs of Mexico by Guest Writer Eva Boynton
They were mangy, big, wild . . . and fast!
Drawing by Eva Boynton
They were mangy. They were small. Big, brown, white, spotted, black. Some had long hair and others had it short. They were mutts. They were purebreds. And they did not discriminate between man, woman or child, local or foreigner. They were the dogs of Mexico.
Mexico awaits
© Eva Boynton
Many people warned me about Mexico. I was headed on a 2,500-mile adventure cycling trip from California to Mexico City (of course this number does not calculate back roads, side trips, and wrong turns).
Mothers (none of which were my own) pleaded for me not to go. They lectured me about being naive, young and inexperienced and that because I was a woman I was ten times more likely to disappear and never return.
I listened, but the...
October 13, 2014
Going Bananas: Uses for Bananas Around the World
The multi-talented banana
© Meredith Mullins
Q: Why did the banana go to the doctor?
A: It wasn’t peeling very well.
Q: Why don’t bananas snore?
A: Because they don’t want to wake up the rest of the bunch.
Q: What did one banana say to the other banana?
A: You’ve got appeal!
Broccoli: I look like a tree.
Walnut: I look like a brain.
Mushroom: I look like an umbrella.
Banana: Dude! Change the subject.
A priest, a rabbi, and a banana walked into a bar . . .
We can make jokes about this odd shaped fruit until the monkeys come home, but bananas are one of the most useful and widely consumed foods in the world.
Mini bananas from Colombia
© Meredith Mullins
The human/banana relationship has been in place for thousands of years (more if you believe the stories...
October 1, 2014
Creative Expression in the Name of Fun
The oldest carousel at the Musée des Arts Forains in Paris
Photo © Meredith Mullins
The sights and smells of carnivals and funfairs are layered deep in memory.
We remember . . .
taking pride in choosing our favorite horse on the carousel eating airy sugar in cotton candy clouds digging deep to find our inner superman, someone capable of winning the largest and furriest of the stuffed animals living for the heart-stopping, stomach-spinning ridesWe were having so much fun at the funfairs that we probably didn’t give full attention to the detailed art and design of the structures, backgrounds, and carnival characters—creative expression that was especially imaginative if we lived in 19th century Europe.
Choose your favorite galloping wooden character.
Photo © Meredith Mullins
September 24, 2014
Mexican Culture: Moments of Note in Miniature
Harvest diorama
© Sheron Long
A lifetime. When you step into another culture, rarely do you leave without life-changing, long-lasting experiences.
Certainly, that was the case during the summer I spent studying abroad in Mexico. One day, I stopped to admire this tiny scene of a harvest celebration—
the corn stalks scratching the sky,
the central beast of burden,
families thankful for the bounty of the crop.
I bought the miniature scene for the beauty of the Mexican folk art, but I came to love it for the thankful moment it symbolizes. A moment of note.
As life went on, I realized the significant impact of my immersion into Mexican culture. There had been many moments of note, many times to say, “Oh, I see.”
Mexican kitchen scene,
cooking up food for thought
© Sheron Long
...
September 1, 2014
Cannery Row Catalysts: John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts
Ed Ricketts at his lab on Cannery Row
© Pat Hathaway Collection/www.caviews.com
Creative Inspiration among Friends
We should all be so lucky to have a friend, a creative inspiration, like Ed Ricketts.
John Steinbeck said that “knowing Ed Ricketts was instant.”
After the first moment, I knew him; and for the next eighteen years I knew him better than I knew anyone.
They were best friends. They fed each other ideas. They told each other truths. The jolted each other beyond the boundaries of the ordinary. They refreshed each other.
Character and Charisma
The unique elements of Ed’s character showed up often in Steinbeck’s work. He was Doc in Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, Dr. Phillips in the short story “The Snake,” Friend Ed in Burning Bright, Doc Burton in In Dubious Battle, Jim Casy in The Grapes of Wrath, and Doctor Winter in The Moon is Down.
...
August 25, 2014
Creative Inspiration, Supermoon Style
The howling supermoon
© pjsells/iStock
The Howling Moon
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
—George Carlin
The August Supermoon made headlines. No surprise. We seem to revere supersize things (Mayor Bloomberg’s jumbo soda ban notwithstanding). And, we often look to the sky for creative inspiration and a connection to the rhythms of the earth.
Who wouldn’t love a full moon so big and so bright, you could almost reach out and touch the textured craters?
Everyone was excited. Astronomers. Photographers. Lovers. Howlers. Skywatchers. Media Magnates. There were “Oh, I see” moments all over the world, as the supermoon was promoted, studied, photographed, and...
August 18, 2014
Inspired by Art and Wondering Why?
“Le Penseur” (The Thinker) by Auguste Rodin at the Rodin Museum, Paris.
Image © Robert Long
Don’t Overthink It!
Art. It’s part of our earth and in every heart. It’s as old as time, and yet it lights up the future. It speaks to you without words.
Art began talking to me during college, not as much in my art history class as on a study abroad visit to the Rodin Musuem in Paris. Perhaps it was my age and the subject matter of “The Kiss” that caused the emotional connection, but art has been a source of inspiration ever since.
“Le Baiser” (The Kiss) by Auguste Rodin.
Passion burns in a slab of stone.
Image © Robert Long
Like all those feelings you can’t explain, I wondered why. Even studied quite a bit about form and composition, line and color, representation and abstraction. While all that...
August 4, 2014
Food for Thought: Can Anyone Love Field Rations?
The Beef Enchilada MRE main course. Tasty? You be the judge.
© Meredith Mullins
Life-Changing Experiences: The MRE versus the RCIR
Life for military personnel in the field is never easy. Sometimes the only part of the day to look forward to is meal time. Enter the MRE.
Meals Rarely Edible? Meals Rejected by Everyone? Morale Reducing Elements? Materials Resembling Edibles?
The MRE—Meal, Ready-to-Eat—is a staple for American military in combat or in the field where other food options are not available. But, as you can see by the affectionate monikers, MREs are considered far from a fine dining experience. They offer life-changing experiences in the world of “fooding.”
The core ingredients of an American MRE
© Meredith Mullins
MREs provide sustenance under difficult conditions. The food must stay edible up to three years in a variety of climates and must be able...
July 29, 2014
Life Changes When A Brain Goes Bilingual
Oh, how the view of your world expands!
© Stockbyte
Power Up! Know the 6 “Warming” Signs
The bilingual brain is hot! Powered by two or more languages, it leads to a series of life changes. Should you embark on this adventure, recognize the 6 “warming” signs and get set to become a different person.
#1 You Start to Zag
Growing up, you get pretty good at zigging, doing things the usual way. But once you start communicating in a second language, you have to find fast work-arounds. The very thing you want to say requires a word you don’t yet know.
Maybe you want to invite a friend to the beach, but you can’t recall the Spanish word for beach (playa), so you think on your sandals and say (in Spanish): Let’s find some sand. Or, Let’s go down by the water. Or, To Acapulco!
The beach in Acapulco—worth getting...
July 21, 2014
Chalk It Up to Dangerdust
A line is a dot that went for a walk—Paul Klee
© Dangerdust
Life Lessons in the World of Chalk Art
It’s after midnight. The classrooms at Columbus College of Art and Design are deserted and dark. All we hear is the unexpected sound of chalk on chalkboard.
Two shadowy figures, in a small pool of light, are hard at work on their weekly masterpiece. Vandals? Some might say so. But they are vandals of the best kind— capable of beautiful chalk art integrated with inspiring life lessons.
Covert Operations
The anonymous duo calls themselves Dangerdust. Their medium: motivational chalkboards that appear, mysteriously, every week in the hall of their Ohio art school. No one knows who the creators are (well, maybe a few friends and a professor or two). Dangerdust’s desire is to stay undercover.
Who is Dangerdust? We may never find out who the stealthy artists are.
...
