Marty Essen's Blog, page 271

Greater white-lined bat

Marty’s photo of the day #2670: I photographed this greater white-lined bat inside an abandoned Costa Rican farm house.

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Don’t forget to check for octopuses

Marty’s photo of the day #2669: When swimming in the Sea of Cortez, it’s always good to periodically check for octopuses. Hmm . . . I seem to have one stuck to my chest.

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Cactus Flower

Marty’s photo of the day #2668: Cactus flower, photographed in the Mojave National Preserve, along the Arizona-California border.

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The Castle of the Sad Countess

Marty’s photo of the day #2667: This is the Castle of the Sad Countess, in Spain. Now that Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again! is at my editors, I’m already thinking about having Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon go back to 1461 to visit this castle in Time Is Irreverent 3. In the meantime, here’s some nonfiction information about the castle from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents:

Since the castle was dark inside, and many of the window openings were partially shrouded by vines, it had a haunted appearance. And who knows? Perhaps it was haunted. Its history includes multiple sackings, and its grounds were once used as a graveyard (the corpses have been relocated).

The mysterious Castle of the Sad Countess isn’t famous, but perhaps it should be, as it was once owned by a woman who was gutsy enough to stand up to the Crown, and a man whose matchmaking efforts would ultimately affect both your life and mine:

Constable Ruy López Dávalos commenced building the castle in 1393, finished it in 1423, and was kicked out one year later when King Juan II stripped him of his rank and possessions. The castle then became property of the Count of Benavente, who gave it to Don Álvaro de Luna in 1430 as a dowry for marriage to his daughter, Doña Juana de Pimentel.

Don Álvaro de Luna was King Juan II’s closest friend and second in command. During their long relationship, de Luna ran the government for the king (who was more interested in books and the arts than ruling) and on multiple occasions boldly risked his life to save the king.

After Juan II’s first wife died, de Luna arranged for the king to marry Princess Isabella of Portugal. The new queen soon became jealous of de Luna’s power and conspired against him. In 1453, three years after the royal wedding, Isabella successfully convinced the king to order the public beheading of de Luna.

Distraught over her husband’s execution, Doña Juana de Pimentel began calling herself “the Sad Countess” and signed all documents as such. One year later, King Juan II died of remorse for what he had done to his loyal friend.

Following de Luna’s death, the Sad Countess fought to prevent the Crown from repossessing her late husband’s assets. In 1461, Juan II’s son, King Enrique IV, grew tired of her resistance and sentenced her to death. Fortunately for the Countess, influential citizens interceded on her behalf and convinced Enrique to rescind his order. Although the Sad Countess lost much of her wealth, she retained her castle and lived there until shortly before her death in 1488.

How did de Luna’s matchmaking affect you and me? When King Enrique IV died, Queen Isabella I, the daughter of Isabella and Juan II, ascended to the throne. Queen Isabella I and her husband/cousin, King Ferdinand V, were the initiators of the Spanish Inquisition and the sponsors of Christopher Columbus’s historical voyage to America.

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The widest curtain of water on Earth

Marty’s photo of the day #2666: I took this photo from the copilot’s seat in a bush plane. You are looking at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia. This is the widest curtain of water on Earth.

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Happy Birthday, Deb Essen!

Marty’s photo of the day #2665: Today’s photo doubles as a Paul Bunyan-sized Happy Birthday to my wife, Deb Essen.

When I took this photo of her, a while back, we were just having fun. In today’s light, it’s actually political. Melania Trump is infamous for appearing in photos that are incongruous for the occasion: visiting flood victims in high heels, wearing a “I really don’t care” jacket to visit children ripped from their parents, and gardening in clothes without a spec of dirt on them, etc. The difference with Deb is that even though she is posing dressed up with an ax, she actually knows how to use one. Hell, she’s even cut down trees with a chainsaw. In other words, unlike Melania, there is nothing disingenuous about Deb. Happy Birthday!

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Happy Birthday Joan Jett

Marty’s photo of the day #2664: Happy 60th birthday to Joan Jett. I took this photo at an outdoor concert in Salt Lake City, when she was just a spring chicken of 58.

My Kevin Bacon connection to Joan Jett: One of her biggest hits, “Crimson and Clover,” was originally a Tommy James and the Shondells song. In my twenties, I was part owner of National Talent Associates, a Minneapolis-based talent agency. My partner, Mark Alan, managed Tommy James when his version of the song became a hit. Also, Joan Jett’s producer, Ritchie Cordell, produced Fairchild, one of the bands we managed, and I got to hang out in the studio and watch Ritchie work. So Joan Jett and I practically know each other.

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Wild Turkeys

Marty’s photo of the day #2663: Yesterday I posted a photo of a herd of elk passing by my motion-sensing camera, and today I’m posting some wild turkeys. But what I really want to capture is our local peacock (who is very shy) and the momma bear and her cub. I know that the peacock and bears have passed just a few feet out of range, and I moved my camera a bit to compensate. So until then, turkeys will have to do.

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An elk-line

Marty’s photo of the day #2662: Yesterday, at 9:00 a.m., we had at least ten elk pass within two hundred feet of our house. That’s not unusual, but it’s always a surprise when it happens without humans or dogs knowing about it. This shot is the first in a sequence of five photos of elk, following one behind the other, passing by my motion-sensing camera.

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A bird’s gotta eat

Marty’s photo of the day #2661: I climbed up a rocky hill on an Antarctica island to take this photo. This is a south polar skua, looking down on a gentoo penguin colony. What the skua intends to do isn’t pleasant from a human or penguin point of view. But hey, a bird’s gotta eat.

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