APRIL 19, 2011

ACOMA PUEBLO, NEW MEXICO (Ansel Adams, Photographer)

Acoma Pueblo, also known as "Sky City", is a Native American pueblo built on top of a 367-foot (112 m) sandstone mesa in the U.S. state of New Mexico.  Settled around 1100, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. There are several interpretations of origin of the name "Acoma."  Some believe that the name Acoma comes from the Keresan words for the People of the White Rock, with aa'ku meaning white rock, and meh meaning people.  Others believe that the word aa'ku actually comes from the word haaku meaning to prepare; a description that would accurately reflect the defensive position of the mesa's inhabitants. The pueblo was chosen in part because of its defensive position against raiders.  Access to the pueblo is difficult as the faces of the mesa are sheer.  Before modern times access was gained only by means of a hand-cut staircase carved into the sandstone. Acoma Pueblo comprises several villages including Acomita, McCartys, Anzac and the newer subdivision of Sky Line.  Acoma people dry-farm in the valley below Aa'ku and use irrigation canals in the villages closer to the Rio San Jose.

MISSION SAN ESTEBAN REY (Ansel Adams, Photographer)

The Spanish settlers had the mission church of San Esteban del Rey built at the pueblo from 1629 to 1641, under the direction of Friar Juan Ramírez.  Its 30-foot beams were carried 30 miles from Kaweshtima or Mount Taylor Mountain, and the dirt for its graveyard was carried up the mesa from the valley below.  Both the mission and the pueblo are registered National Historical Landmarks.  In late 2006 the Acoma Pueblo was also named as a National Trust Historic Site.

A RECENT PHOTO OF THE MISSION

A federally recognized Indian Tribe, Acoma Pueblo has a land base covering 431,664 acres and is home to 4,800 tribal members with more than 250 dwellings, none of which have electricity, sewer, or water. In 1629, construction began on the massive San Esteban del Rey Mission, a Catholic mission. Both the Mission and the Pueblo are Registered National Historical Landmarks.

Tracing their lineage to the inhabitants of ruins to the west and north, the Acoma people continue the traditions of their ancestors.  Acoma people practice their traditional religion and some also practice the Catholic religion that came with Spanish settlers in the 16th century. Today Acoma's culture is practiced almost the same as before the 1589 invasion. The traditions are always oral traditions, in which dancing, music, art, theology, astrology, philosophy and history are taught.  The traditional foods that are planted there are beans, pumpkins, corn, chili, onions and fruits like apples, apricots, peaches, plums and cherries.  All of the sowing is done as a group.

ACOMA POTTERY

POTTERY BOWL

SEED JAR POT

The Kaffir lime is a Southeast Asia citrus fruit, Citrus hystrix.  The zest of this pea-shaped, wrinkled green fruit is used in cooking, as are the unusually formed leaves.  The leaves have a unique double shape that looks like two leaves joined end to end.  They have a citrus-floral aroma, with a very distinctive flavor.

Above: Kaffir lime and slices -- Right: On tree

This close relative of the codfish is found in the North Atlantic, with the average weighing about 5 pounds. The most famous dish made with it originated in a Scottish village in the 18th century. Can you name the fish and the dish?  ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

Niagara

The Cairo-class gunboat was several ironclad warships constructed between August 1861 and January 1862 by private contractor James B. Eads for use on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.  The first armored warships to see action during the American Civil War, they would play an integral role in the Western Theater of operations.

As the Civil War began it was realized early-on that control of the Mississippi was vital to winning the war.  The chief vessel on the river was the paddle-wheel steamer, which was a large passenger- and freight-carrying vessel designed with a low-water displacement, ideal for the shallow depths of the river.  Eads, a retired engineer who made his fortune salvaging sunken ships, took on the task of building a fleet of seven ships based on a design by Samuel M. Pook.  The low, wide casemated design of the vessels led to the derisive name of "Pook's Turtles."  All were completed within a span of six months at an average cost of $101,800 each. Originally intended to be named for Union military leaders, Eads was overruled in that respect by the commander of the Western Flotilla, Rear Admiral Andrew H. Foote, who named them after several cities and towns along the banks of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  Thus, although each vessel was unique in its own regard, they became collectively known as the "City"-class. All ships of the Cairo-class were paddle-wheel steamers (the exception was Mound City, which had a screw propeller); their construction on the ways began as typical riverboats.  From the waterline up they were covered with a box-shaped casemate enclosing up to twelve Dahlgren smoothbore guns arranged in broadside fashion, with three poking out of the bow.  Above the casemate stood the conning tower in front, a smaller, rounded casemate at the rear to protect the paddle wheels, and in the center were twin stacks, which had painted bands near the top in a color particular to the vessel, so as to be readily identifiable in battle.

VESSELS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SQUADRON IN THE BATTLE OF ISLAND NUMBER TEN (April 7, 1862)

The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War.  It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was then known as the Western Gunboat Flotilla and sometimes as the Mississippi Flotilla.  It received its final designation when it was transferred to the Union Navy at the beginning of October 1862. Rear Admiral Foote led the squadron in the attack on Fort Donelson and then joined with Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of the Mississippi for a joint attack on Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River

Robert John Burck (born December 23, 1970), better known as the Naked Cowboy, is an American street performer whose pitch is on New York City's Times Square.  He wears only cowboy boots, a hat, and briefs, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity. Burck was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He attended Our Lady of the Rosary elementary school in Greenhills, Ohio, and later earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati.

He began busking in December 1997 and first appeared on Venice Beach, Los Angeles.  The public immediately gave him much more money after a friend suggested to him that he dress only in his underwear in order to generate higher earnings. Though he is currently most famous as a fixture of New York City's Times Square where tour guides on passing buses point him out, Burck is also a regular in the streets of the French Quarter during the New Orleans Mardi Gras season. He also makes appearances in his hometown of Cincinnati, at the Memorial Day weekend Taste of Cincinnati festival and the Riverfest Labor Day Festival.

Burck with new haircut and in suit announcing candidacy for presidency in 2012.

Burck made appearances in Austin, Texas, during the South by Southwest Music Conference; in Nashville, Tennessee in June, 2008 on Broadway for the CMA Music Festival; and on January 25, 2009 he performed at a Leinster Rugby game in Donnybrook, Dublin, Ireland, singing his theme song "I'm the Naked Cowboy" before 18,000 spectators. In a 2005 online interview, Burck cited Nancy Reagan and Garth Brooks as two of his leading inspirations. On December 10, 2008 he was officially registered as a marriage officiant by the City of New York.

BLUE MOON

ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER FORTY-TWO

BLOSSOMS ON THE TAMA RIVER EMBANKMENT

The "Tama River"shown here is actually the Tama River Aqueduct, which carried much of the drinking water for the city of Edo along a 30-mile course from the upper reaches of the Tama River at Hamura. This view is just west of the terminal of the aqueduct at the Yotsuya Barrier, where the water was led underground through stone channels and wooden pipes to a complicated network of wells within the western and southern sectors of the city. The cherry trees seen here were planted along much of the embankment of the aqueduct in the 1730s, not only for their beauty, but also as a practical way to strengthen the banks with the root system and to keep the water pure through the allegedly antitoxic powers of the leaves and petals. The two-story buildings behind the fences to the right of the canal are the rear quarters of the brothels of the Naito Shinjuku settlement.

Saurophaganax Saurophaganax ("Lizard-eating master") is a genus of allosaurid dinosaur from the Morrison Formation of Jurassic North America. Some paleontologists consider it to be a species of Allosaurus (A. maximus). Saurophaganax is very large--10.9 meters (36 feet) long--and in fact it may have been the largest carnivore of Late Jurassic North America.

AUSTRALIAN BEAK

Australian beaks belong to the Libytheidae family.  They can be distinguished by the long, beak-like labial palpus from which its common name is derived. A medium-size butterfly, the Australian beak is found in Burma, Thailand, Borneo and Java as well as New Guinea and northern Australia. The TWINING GUINEA FLOWER is an evergreen vine with spectacular, rich yellow flowers and sparsely toothed leaves.  Like the Australian beak, the Guinea flower is common in Australia, where it grows best in sand when exposed to full sun.

GOLIATH HERON pixdaus.com

Marina Piccola, Capri

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