Easter Island Head

What I really wanted was a concrete dinosaur, preferably a Tyrannosaurus Rex, about three feet tall, for my garden.  On a recent visit to the Shenandoah Valley, I stopped in at Harper’s Lawn Ornaments and Water Gardens, and was informed by a salesman that they do not make concrete dinosaurs.  He suggested a dragon instead, but I said it wouldn’t be the same.
Read more »

Mary Jane mosaic shoe, purchased at Island Artworks, Ocracoke Island, NC in November 2011

At a gallery on Ocracoke Island, I purchased this remarkable Mary Jane shoe, adorned with china shards and images of the Madonna.  Note the “Miraculous Medal” of the Blessed Mother — it reminds me of the one that I was required to wear everyday as a student at St. Catherine Labouré elementary school.  You will also find a tiny thumbnail of the Madonna del Granduca by Raphael.  The opening of the shoe is festooned with a cheap glow-in-the-dark plastic rosary, and if you peek inside, you will see a vivid image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the inner sole (soul?) of the shoe.  This work of art manages to be playful and yet not disrespectful of the Virgin Mary.
Read more »

Female Form Guitar

Does this guitar make my ass look big?  Actually, this one might make my ass look smaller in comparison.  However, if you play this guitar in public, you might wonder if your audience was more interested in your butt than your awesome riffs.  And note the silhouette of a martini glass for a sound hole.  I wonder if this was modeled after a woman with a martini glass tattoo on her back? 
Read more »

Birding from the futon

UPDATE:   Great Blue Heron sighted from futon on February 20, 2012!

I used to keep a couch list of all the birds I observed from the comfort of my living room couch.  Now that I have a newly-renovated addition with big windows and a comfy futon, I am going to start keeping a futon list.

Most birders keep a life list of all the bird species that they have ever seen.  Not me…when I see a a bird that I’ve never seen before, I get excited.  It’s one of the joys of birding.  If I did keep a life list, and I were to see a bird that I thought was new to me, it would be a let-down to check my list and discover that it’s not.  Not keeping a life list means I’ll have more exciting birding experiences, simply because my memory isn’t that great. Hey, I just discovered a silver lining to the aging process!
Read more »

Easter Island Head in Kensington, Maryland

In Kensington, Maryland, there is a replica of an Easter Island Head looking south toward Washington, D.C.  It was created about 15 or 20 years ago to appear on  a high school parade float sponsored by a local gas station.  For many years, it stood across the street from the Wheaton-Glenmont police station.  However, it was recently discovered, nicely repainted, at the Getty gas station in Kensington.  Unfortunately, it’s got a nasty gash on the side of its head.  Who would do such a thing?  I think it’s sad that some people don’t respect and value what little quirkiness we have in the D.C. area.
Read more »

Mystery Hole

Right at a bend in Rt. 60 in Ansted, West Virginia, stands a wildly-colored Quonset hut with a Volkswagen Beetle crashed into it.  True to the grand tradition of the American roadside attraction, the Mystery Hole does everything it can to draw you in.  If it takes a wrecked car, a clown, a gorilla, a bear, and garish paint job, so be it.  It’s just a mile west of Hawks Nest State Park, and if you are in the area anyway, it’s worth a visit.
Read more »

Alien in the crosswalk?

UPDATE:  Since I posted this, I have learned that this character is known as “stikman” and is the work of an urban guerilla artist known only as “Bob,” who occasionally visits D.C.

On my way to work, which takes me by foot from Union Station to the Library of Congress, I have begun to notice these little critters in the crosswalks.  They look like tiny space aliens made out of the reflective material used for lane markings.  Does anyone know the story behind them?  I wonder if they have popped up in other parts of D.C.?  If you’ve seen one, drop me a line with the location.  (Use the “Contact” link on http://tackytreasures.com/)
Read more »

Fast Rooster, an oil painting by Bob Cantor

Congratulations to Bob Cantor, whose pencil sharpener collection was recently featured on the website “Obsessionistas: collectors and their collections.”  Unfortunately, I can’t post the link to Facebook, because for some bizarre reason they’ve flagged it as abusive.  But I can post it to my blog, and post this link to Facebook.  I hope you enjoy Bob’s little bit of fame.

http://www.obsessionistas.co.uk/collections/2011/6/18/pencil-sharpeners-0031.html

P.S.  Thanks, Bob, for the plug in your entry!

“A tour group will expand to the width of the sidewalk.”

I came up with Mangin’s First Law of Tourist Behavior after a few years of contending with the tourists on my way to and from work at the Library of Congress.  I try to avoid running into tourists, especially tour groups, by avoiding First Street NE and SE, which runs between the Capitol and the Library.

But this isn’t going to be a rant about tourists.  After all, they do help the economy around here.  And it is a little cool that people come from far away to see what we live with everyday.  I’m writing this because this morning, despite my best efforts, I found myself in the middle of a tour group of high school students.  I went up to the tour group leader who was holding an open umbrella.  I smiled and said, “I have this law of tourist behavior that says that a tour group will expand to the width of the sidewalk.”  She replied, “I know!  I keep telling them not to do that!”

Before I could thank her for being conscious of other people trying to use the sidewalk, she pointed to the Adams Building (of the Library of Congress), and said, “Is that the Supreme Court?”  I was happy to point her in the right direction.  But not as happy as getting to say my piece to a tour group leader, and (bonus!) finding out she understood my position!

Fifi Le Pink Poodle

The Kinetic Sculpture Race is hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum.  The sculptures are amphibious, human-powered works of art.  The race covers 15 miles through the streets of Baltimore, and even a little dip into the Chesapeake Bay.

This year’s race was fantastic in every sense of the word, from the sculptures to the attendees to the city sights all along the race.
Read more »