This week's theme: Coastlines

Staying on the geographic theme, this week it's all about Coasts.
Beaches, rocky shores, cliffs et al. See you at Kollage Bay! - Ron

Built From Scratch

America Punchs

There May Be Trumple Ahead

The American Room

muy interesante

Mexico! a large and diverse country the culture of which permeates my home state of Texas.

Map in background: part of central and southern portions, with red rectangles around two of my favorite places, Cuernavaca and Oaxaca.

Colorful frame: border of 19th century serape, the red dye of which is cochineal.

Upper left: painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Pedro Ramirez.

Upper right: from a Huichol man's ceremonial costume

Middle right: from a turn-of-the-century engraving by José Guadalupe Posada for a newspaper broadsheet (its banner headline is below: "Muy Interesante"), depicting a true crime. (The full scene includes the baby's mother lying dead at the crazy man's feet.)

Hand-carved rubber stamps: (top to bottom) acrobats, figures w/ scissors, gentleman w/ top hat & cane, man in traditional attire drinking cervesa (beer), and man reading newspaper—by a French artist. These are based on Posada's popular skull-n-skeleton images, now widely known and associated with the Day of the Dead.

Lower right: vendor of copal (tree resin used as incense and in varnish) with his burro.

Lower left: wood carving of coyote-skeleton-mermaid by Antonio Xuana.

An American Actress, An American House and An American Alligator (or Two)

Here are the facts! Norma Talmadge (1894-1957) was an American actress & film producer of the silent era.  Born in Jersey City, New Jersey. That is Norma standing in front of The Charles T. Cook Residence (completed 1885), Elberon, New Jersey (Cook was president of Tiffany and Co.) a fine example of an American country home of the "Gilded Age".  Around Norma's feet are American Alligators (alligator mississippiensi).  These are the largest reptiles in North America.  (Little known fact: Norma Talmadge had a pet alligator named Peter!)