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| June 16, 2011 |
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| A ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP |
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| THE BATTLE OF RED RIVER |
| The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, and Confederate troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, whose strength varied from 6,000 to 15,000.
The campaign was primarily the plan of Union General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck, and a diversion from Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's plan to surround the main Confederate armies by using Banks's Army of the Gulf to capture Mobile, Alabama. It was a dismal Union failure, characterized by poor planning and mismanagement, in which not a single objective was fully accomplished. Taylor successfully defended the Red River Valley with a smaller force. However, the decision of Taylor's immediate superior, General Edmund Kirby Smith to send half of Taylor's force north to Arkansas rather than south in pursuit of the retreating Banks after the Battle of Mansfield and the Battle of Pleasant Hill, led to bitter enmity between Taylor and Smith. |
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| FIRST HARVEST WILDERNESS |
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| THE BAY FROM ESTAQUE |
 ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER SIXTY-THREE |
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| AYASE RIVER AND KANEGAFUCHI |
| Here we have reached the farthest point north in the progression along the Sumida River that began in plate 55. The view is from the west bank, looking across to the northeast at the point where the Ayase River flows into the Sumida. This is the midpoint in a broad curve in the river after it passes under Senju Bridge. This in effect marks the beginning of the Sumida River, which above this point (to the left) was known as the Arakawa.
Hiroshige has framed his view with a kind of mimosa tree, its pinkish flowers in full bloom. The silklike filaments that give the tree its name are expressed in light pink lines accented with black. Below, reeds spring from among rotting pilings. Beyond, a boatman, whose surprisingly bold garment echoes the pattern of the blossoms, stands immobile on his log raft, fixing his pole in the water and his gaze on the distant shore. |
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This vegetable oil comes from the seeds of a thistle-like plant. Since it does not yellow with age it is useful in making paints, cosmetics and soaps, but it is mainly used in food products. Its flowers are also used to produce a red dye. Can you name this plant?
??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
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| The gate to a Shinto shrine (Jinja), the Torii designates holy ground. As Shinto is a religion of worship of nature spirits, or Kami, most Shinto shrines are located outdoors. The Gate marks the gateway between the physical and spiritual worlds, and is often the only ondication that one is entering a shrine.
The Torii is traditionally made in three pieces, three being a sacred number of the Kami. When entering a shrine, a visitor will clap their hands three times, and bow three times to summon the spirits. |
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| BUCKEYE BUTTERFLY |
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| "Typhoid Mary" was an infamous household cook who was responsible for major outbreaks of typhoid in the New York City area in 1904, 1907, and 1914. She was immune to typhoid herself, but was a carrier of the bacillus, and spread it wherever she worked as a household cook. |
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| FLATBOAT MEN (You may need to scroll to see all of this painting.) | |
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| MOSS |
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| CLOSEUP OF MOSS |
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| HIGH WATER MISSOURI RIVER You may need to scroll to see all of these two photos. |
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Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas are the most widely consumed legume in the world. Originating in the Middle East, they have a firm texture with a flavor somewhere between chestnuts and walnuts. Garbanzo beans are usually pale yellow in color. In India there are red, black, and brown chickpeas.
 Chick pea and garbanzo bean are 2 names for the same thing (Cicer arietinum) a member of the Pea family (Fabaceae). They are also called ceci (Italy), Egyptian pea, gram, Kichererbse (Germany), and revithia (Greece). Garbanzo is the name used in Spanish speaking countries. The English name chickpea comes from the French chiche, which comes from the Latin cicer. Chickpeas or garbanzo beans have 361 calories per 100g, and are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, calcium and iron. |
| DISCLAIMER: Material used in Bitts and Bytes is gathered from various sources--mainly the World Wide Web.
Authorship cannot always be credited nor the source defined. Authenticity of material is assumed to be correct, but is not guaranteed. |  |