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September 30, 2003
Star Show
Kathleen's stable produces some top show horses!
This is one of Kathleen's newest model horses, a trick-riding mount she named TrickorTreat. This is one of Breyer's mid-year releases. Kathleen took this great photo and sent it to me via email.
We are gearing up for another Live Show on October 18th. I am deciding what horses to pack for the trip. I will actually be showing this time, instead of judging. They will have very nice prizes, including cash paybacks to champs and a special china raffle horse for exhibitors in the China division.
Posted by Jessica at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2003
Safe Driving Tips
First of all, avoid getting a werewolf on the roof of your car.
Second, if you haven't already driven to the cinema to check out "Underworld," now would be a good time.
I saw it again on Saturday, and enjoyed it even more the second time. I will say that the plot is pretty interesting ( a few little loops that add flavour) and the characterization is very well done. Some people I've talked to don't like the way that Shane Brolly portrays Kraven, the social-climbing, back-stabbing vampire in the movie. I think he did a fine job playing Kraven as a egotistical yet somewhat dim bat-boy. We're not supposed to *like* Kraven, anyway.
Lucian, the tragic lycan anti-hero, however, is very difficult not to like. In this photo, Lucian is showing his more animalistic side as he attempts to kill Selene, who is driving off with Michael.
Good thing that wasn't a real knife.
Posted by Jessica at 02:08 PM | Comments (4)
September 26, 2003
Debonair
In the model horse realm, my friend Kathleen sends along this lovely photo of Debonair and his rider.
Debonair was a Breyer special run done for the Model Horse Jamboree last year. He is in a nice dapple grey. Isn't Kathleen lucky to have him in her stable?
Posted by Jessica at 10:59 AM | Comments (1)
September 25, 2003
Football Hero
My cousin Mary is a member of the Championship team the Detroit Demolition!
Mary has always been very athletic, and when she found out that try-outs were being held for a women's football team, she gave it a go! (Yes, this is American tackle football, played by NFL rules!!) They won the National Championship this year! Go Demolition!
Mary's daughters Amanda and Kimberly, and her husband, Bob, are very supportive!
Brian and I were very lucky to watch the Demolition annihilate their opponents at one of their home games this season.
Posted by Jessica at 04:42 PM | Comments (1)
September 24, 2003
Last Weekend for Ren Fest
This will be the last time this year to catch Owain Phyfe in action at the Michigan Renaissance Festival.
Owain Phyfe's music is one of the many reasons to attend the Michigan Renaissance Festival. He teams up with members of the New World Renaissance Band to provide period musical entertainment to the festgoers, and he has quite a loyal following (including me-I have all of his albums!) He's usually joined by Rio Blue and Judy Plestor on his Michigan dates, so check them out at the Jewel stage this weekend.
Posted by Jessica at 01:44 PM | Comments (3)
September 22, 2003
Happy Birthday, Bilbo!
Today is the birthday of Bilbo (and Frodo) Baggins!
Celebrate by curling up with the "Lord of the Rings" either in book or DVD format. Both are equally impressive works of art.
You can even buy a Bilbo's Birthday commemorative coin produced by a creative Canadian (no doubt glad to find a use for those gazillions of copper pennies that wind up in one's change purse.) Coins are available on eBay. Look up "Lord of the Rings" and you'll find lots of Middle-earth related coins for sale, as well as DVDs, reproductions of "The One Ring" and other assorted knick-knacks for people with far too much money to spend.
Posted by Jessica at 04:07 PM | Comments (2)
Jewel of the Cinema
If you're tired of Pirate medallions, check out this jewel!
Everyone agreed-Underworld was going to be terrible. Except I insisted that it wouldn't be nearly as bad as everyone else I know said it was going to be.
I just had a feeling about it. And I was more than right. I never go to horror movies, I can't stand them. This isn't a horror movie. I would call it fantasy action-adventure. Plus a hint of romance. (Just a hint...or two.)
The main romance is between the vampire Selene and a human-turning werewolf named Michael, who has been bitten by Lucian in a plot to aid the lycans in their war against the vampires, whose goal is to exterminate the werewolves.
A terribly nauseating and wimpy vampire, Kraven, has the hots for Selene, and is also plotting to gain complete control of the entire vampire clan. If this means killing off many of his brethren, he doesn't mind...as long as he doesn't get caught in the crossfire. He never does his own dirty work. Unless he has a chance to stab someone in the back when they aren't expecting it.
Lucian (my photo of the day from a few days ago) turns out to be a jewel in this movie. Far from being evil, the leader of the lycans turns out to have a heart after all. And he wears it on a chain around his neck, rather than on his sleeve.
I hope I didn't give too much away, here. I recommend this movie. Despite what the critics have said, the characters are well-defined and interesting, the plot reasonable and believable (about as believable as any other fantasy plot) and the settings and costuming are appropriate and well crafted.
Posted by Jessica at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2003
"Talk Like a Pirate Day"
Arrr! It be "Talk Like a Pirate Day" today, mate!
So grab yerself a tankard o' grog, and make sure the deck be swabbed a'fore the Cap'n throws ye all in the brig! Ye mangy curs!
Those a you what ain't kept yer cutlass shined and yer pistol loaded is a lot o' scuttlin' cockroaches!
An' there be no bringin' o' captives aboard ship. Plunder only, mates! Or the Cap'n will withold yer ration o' rum!
So says Diamond-Eye the Pirate o' the great ship Serpent
Posted by Jessica at 02:27 PM | Comments (2)
Barbossa's Costume
This is the costume worn by Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean-the Curse of the Black Pearl."
I don't know about anyone else, but I became a big fan of Geoffrey Rush while watching this movie. I'd never heard of the guy before! But he had me convinced that he was Barbossa, a wiley old rogue of a pirate who, through being more intelligent than most-or, at least more ruthless and cunning-has elevated himself to the leadership position of a group of motley scallywags. Despite the (very thin) gentlemanly veneer, Barbossa never had me fooled for an instant-I knew he was a dastardly villain!
I just love the way Barbossa spoke his lines. I literally went back to this movie ten times, partly just to watch Barbossa and listen in amusement to his dialogue. If there's one thing this movie has, it's great actors.
(The two comedic duos of the film deserve a mention, too. They were hilarious. And so was the monkey.)
Posted by Jessica at 02:15 PM | Comments (3)
Elizabeth's Costume
This is the costume that Elizabeth (Keira Knightly) wore in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean-the Curse of the Black Pearl."
It looks quite a bit more reddish in this photo than it did in the movie. It appeared rather purple in the film. (This looks like the dress Barbossa made Elizabeth wear during the dinner scene on board the Black Pearl.)
Posted by Jessica at 02:03 PM | Comments (2)
September 18, 2003
Will's Costume
This is the costume worn by Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl."
This costume, along with a bunch of other POTC movie props, was on display at the El Capitan Theatre in California in July/August 2003.
Posted by Jessica at 04:28 PM | Comments (0)
Jack's Costume
This is the costume worn by Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the "Pirates of the Caribbean-Curse of the Black Pearl" movie.
One of the very outstanding costumes from my favourite movie. This costume was on display at the El Capitan theatre in California for a short time after the release of the movie.
Posted by Jessica at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2003
Celtic Chariot
One of the highlights of Breyerfest this year was the "All the Queen's Horses" exhibit, including this Celtic chariot.
Although we couldn't take any photographs inside the exhibit (I did buy a lovely book, though, which showed photos of every item on display) we could take photos of this reproduction ancient Celtic chariot, which roamed the grounds throughout the weekend. The museum exhibit traced the role of the horse in the history of the British Isles, and was extremely interesting. The floor of the chariot was not fixed, it was a floating platform. The sraps you see hanging from the side rails of the chariot are holding up the platform.
The horses that drew these chariots were extremely small, around 13 hh or so, and would be considered ponies by our standards.
Posted by Jessica at 01:43 PM | Comments (3)
September 16, 2003
Vampires? Who needs 'em?!
Not when you have Lucian, the Master Lycan werewolf!
A bit nasty-tempered, perhaps, and I'm not sure he's had his rabies shot, but he might be housebroken. Or maybe he'll just break the house down...
Underworld might just be the movie to see this month! I predict that it will be better than our expectations. (I must admit, our expectations on this movie are pretty low, so that won't be difficult.)
Posted by Jessica at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2003
Unruly Pirates
These unruly pirates take out their aggressions with the ancient art of fencing.
I doubt I'll ever be as skilled as these fellows, but I am certainly going to have fun trying in the fencing class I have started. Brian is much more skilled than I am, he has been fencing for several years. I, however, was bested by a young girl (who could not have surpassed the age of ten) in my very first mock battle! She will, no doubt, grow up to be Darth Vader, I could see it in the cold and deadly intent of her stare...
It did not help my morale that I was the only out-of-shape, slightly overweight adult female in a class full of young whippersnappers!
By the end of the class, I was quite certain that I would collapse and/or that my legs would cease to function. But I am still here, ready to practice my form again. En garde!
(Oh, and if anyone still has yet to see this movie, go to your nearest theatre at once! This is my pick for the best movie of the summer! Possibly of the whole year!)
Posted by Jessica at 04:29 PM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2003
New Roof in Progress
This a photo of the roof-in-progress!
The house roof should be finished as I type this (it was almost completed yesterday afternoon.) They are finishing up work on the dormer (not visible in the photo, as it's on the other side of the house) and are starting on the garage. The whole project has taken two weeks.
So far, the only casualty has been the flagpole seen in the photograph. It was accidentally damaged and will have to be replaced. (The flag is fine.)
If you look really closely at the photograph, you can see that the workmen have left their radio in place on top of the chimney at the end of the day.
Posted by Jessica at 12:01 PM | Comments (2)
September 11, 2003
Places of Refuge
If you ever find yourself in a city that is under attack, your best bet might be to take refuge in your local Holy Site of choice.
This image shows the devastation surrounding the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, after the Allies destroyed over 90% of the city during a 1945 bombing raid.
The site of the Cathedral had been a site of worship for hundreds of years, and remains so to this day.
Posted by Jessica at 04:21 PM | Comments (2)
Holy Ground
St. Paul's Chapel, dating to the 1700's, in its location across the street from the World Trade Center in New York City.
This little chapel was the place our first president, George Washington, came to pray just before his inaugeration. Over time, it became dwarfed by the rise of many skyscrapers all around, the tallest of which (the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center) were just a block away.
The chapel survived the destruction of the Towers with, amazingly enough, just a few damaged windows. Even the wooden bell tower remains intact.
A new children's book has been written about this amazing historic chapel, this image is the cover of the book and gives the author's name. It is available from amazon. com or ask for it at your local bookseller.
Posted by Jessica at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2003
Priest of Cybele
A statue of one of the Galli, priests of the Great Mother Goddess.
The galli (or gallae) impressed observers with their fine raiment and elaborate hairstyles and jewelry. They were nicknamed "the longhaired ones" and reserved their hair for Cybele's honour, occasionally sacrificing a lock on Her altar. They believed that Cybele would only accept offerings of blond hair, so they dyed their hair if it wasn't already that colour. They served as diviners, healers, counselors and ritual leaders, offering prayers, songs, poetry and dance to the Goddess and Her lover, Attis. They were artists, musicians and dramatists, and were considered to exist between the world of the Sacred and the Mundane realm that most people inhabit. They exhibited qualities of male and female genders. Being eunuchs, they were neither male nor female, but could encompass all possibilities. A touch or a blessing from them was considered extremely fortunate for the recipient.
Posted by Jessica at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2003
The Gentle Shepherd
This is the face of Attis, the beloved of Cybele.
Attis was born of the daughter of the River Spirit Sangarios, after she had eaten a fruit that grew where the blood of the God/dess Agdistis had spilled. The River Spirit could scarcely believe that his daughter had become with child, and yet remained chaste, so he had the baby boy left among the reeds in the river. Attis was found and raised by a family of shepherds. He grew to be a beautiful lad, and was so kind in caring for his parents' flock of sheep that he was nicknamed "the gentle shepherd."
Cybele saw him from afar, and was moved by his beauty and kindness and gentle spirit. She presented Herself to him, and he was so moved by Her that he at once became Her lover.
His other constant companion was Agdistis, the wild man of the woods, who taught Attis to hunt.
When Sangarios saw that Attis had grown to manhood a worthy individual, he had his grandson betrothed to the daughter of King Midas. This infuriated Cybele and Agdistis, who conspired together to wreak havoc at the wedding. When Attis saw how his wedding had caused great grief to Cybele, he immediately castrated himself underneath a nearby pine tree to prevent himself from ever being unfaithful to Her again. He died of his wounds, and Cybele took him into Her sacred cave for burial, though it was said that the Gods restored him to life three days later. (Different myths give different versions of how much life was actually restored.)
At his festival, thousands mourned his death, and rejoiced when the pine tree was removed from the sacred cave. Rejoice! For he has arisen!
"Tell them, 'As I dying live, so they dying shall live again.' "
Posted by Jessica at 05:07 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2003
Seven Stars
Cybele was closely associated with the constellation Pleiades, the Seven Sisters.
The Sisters were said to be Doves (the name Pleiades means a flock of doves) and were associated with the sacrificial rites of the Great Mother. The Mother's priestesses were referred to as "doves" (as well as being called Mellissa, or bees.)
Only six stars of the Pleiades are visible to the naked eye. Evidence suggests that a seventh star was clearly visible until the 2nd century BCE. Various legends arose for the fate of the missing sister. Some said the seventh sister veiled her face out of mourning for the deaths of her close kin. Jewish religious tradition states that the Creator removed not one, but two stars from the Sisters, and made them arise out of season, causing the Great Flood.
Cybele is often pictured with the Seven Stars and Her crescent Moon. Another Goddess associated with the crescent moon and the Pleiades was Artemis. In the Greek tradition, the Pleiades were the virgin companions of Artemis, Goddess of the hunt and of the Moon. The hunter Orion caught sight of them while following his quarry, and immediately became obsessed with them due to their great beauty. In order to protect them from Orion's pursuit, Zeus turned the Sisters into the Seven Stars and placed them in the heavens.
He must not have pitied them much, however, for Orion pursues them to this day from his own starry constellation. Artemis had her brother, Apollo, set a giant scorpion after Orion in revenge for his attempt to capture Her companions. Therefore, Scorpio has a bit part to play in the drama, as well.
Posted by Jessica at 03:40 PM | Comments (1)
September 05, 2003
Magna Mater Deum
Great Mother Goddess Cybele
For thousands of years, the Great Mother Goddess was worshipped as the creator of all life, the inventor of agriculture, the founder of cities, the original lawgiver and the Source of the power of the throne. This statue to Her honour is found in Madrid, and dates from the Renaissance, when artistic portrayals of ancient Deities were widespread.
I found a poem in Her honour on Julia's excellent website. Here it is:
Hail, Great Idaean Mother of the Gods!
Hail, O Most Holy Elder Goddess!
I offer Thee fine prayers, O Cybele,
Berecynthian Mother Dindymene!
Take us under Thy protection
That Thou mayest defend us!
To Thee I offer this supplication
To graciously grant peace, safety and health
to our kindred.
May You be willingly propitious to us
and never abandon Thy progeny.
Blessed be
Posted by Jessica at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2003
Goodbye, summer...
We hardly had time to accustom ourselves to the warm sunshine of summer when the cool breezes of autumn arrived...but it looks like it was a good summer for being a pirate!
This skiing pirate (ARRRRRR!) was brought to you by Master Obi-Wan, a noted water-skier himself though mostly not a pirate!
Though Obi-Wan and Coragus thought it amusing, Amidala (twice) and I (uh, several times!) still went off to see the Pirate movie again!!!
Of course, it isn't officially autumn, yet, but the apples are ripe and the orchards are making cider, and the corn mazes are open for business, and we should all spend some time thinking about what we want to dress up as this Halloween...eh, matey? ARRRRR!
Posted by Jessica at 01:40 PM | Comments (5)
September 03, 2003
Ladyhawke
Before "Pirates," there were other favourite movies that I enjoyed watching again and again. Ladyhawke is one of them.
I still enjoy watching Ladyhawke, I don't seem to ever tire of the story of the lovers who, through a terrible curse, are "eternally together, forever apart." I was terribly pleased to find the DVD on sale yesterday. In celebration, I watched it last night after I arrived home from work. Yes, I still cry during the scene when Navarre and Isabeau make their transformations at dawn, she becoming a hawk, and he returning to his human form.
There is something compelling about the transformative effects of the moon. In the "Pirates" movie, the moonlight showed the true nature of the cursed pirates, and represented them as walking skeletons. Devoid of any finer aspect of humanity, they were compelled only by their greed and lust, emotions which had ruled their lives and that they were no longer able to control or fulfill. In Ladyhawke, the evil curse is not brought on by the victims' own natures, but through the evil wiles of a Bishop whose ruling desire and sin (among many other sins) is envy of others' good fortune in life and love.
"The Moon changes everything She touches, everything She touches changes."
Several reviews I have read list the soundtrack of this movie as being detrimental, but I feel those reviewers are wrong. This is one of my favourite soundtracks, I almost never buy soundtracks, but I did for Ladyhawke. I feel that the music adds quite a bit to my enjoyment of the movie.
Five stars from Princess Jessica (who thinks that Goliath is one of the most stunning horses ever to appear on film! And how about that grey Andalusian in the final battle scene?!)
Posted by Jessica at 01:48 PM | Comments (1)
September 02, 2003
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Brenda and Dinah with their trusty steeds...
One of Moondance's lovely groupies, Dinah, from his grand tour of Kentucky passed along this photo of herself and her friend, Brenda, with their show horses. Dinah returned home to live in her own stable well across the state from Moondance, but she misses him dreadfully, and sent this photo to let him know she was thinking of him! Her photographer is Moondance's trusty chauffeur, Kathleen!
Posted by Jessica at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)