For my Dad!

Yes, there will be some birding blogs featured. No, it will not be just birds . So read on, ye weak and weary of heart. There are many morsels to delight.

I have to start with Polish movie posters. All you graphic and design people: if you don't know about polish movie posters, you know nothing. Is that too harsh of a statement? Judge for yourself as you read on.



Now there is something ineffable and magical that Polish people do when they obsess about something that is iconic to another culture: they take that cultural phenomenon and reinterpret it with a skill that penetrates to the sheer essence, to the Platonic ideal of whatever the phenomenon is - they perfect what is, ironically, already perfect in their eyes.

I've observed this before with Polish tango (where the melancholy, nostalgic facets of desire override the the usual topnotes in Argentinian tango: passion and romance), but lest we derail too much, let me show you what I'm talking about.

There's nothing like the polish movie poster for capturing the MOOD of the film. It captures the mood better than the film itself, people. Observe:

Out of Africa:


After Hours:


The Godfather: Part II:


Vertigo:


Mulholland Drive:


Or for capturing the ESSENCE of the film title. It's like Poland understands English better than we do. They interpret our flatland English titles with a german-like uber-understanding, where the whole is far greater than the parts.

Fatal Attraction:


Tom Thumb:


Night Games:


Permanent Vacation:


And the graphic design is preposterously good. I'm sure there was many a polish film poster that was:
a) more beautiful
b) more intellectual
c) more satisfying
than the actual film it was designed for:






Yes, that is Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace.

For more posters check out these two fantabulous sites, where I got all my images from: A Gray Space and PolishPoster.com.

Everybody likes to drink, whether they know it or not. D's friend from England came and stayed with us for a bit, and as a gift he brought:



This is an AMAZING South African liqueor made from the fermented fruit of the Amarula tree. It tastes a bit like Bailey's only fresher and more ambrosial.

Here is a recipe I got off the Amarula website for a drink called the Saharan Martini. Oooo:


SAHARAN MARTINI
Ingredients:
1 tot Amarula Cream
1 tot Frangelico Liqueur
1/2 tot Vodka
Ice cubes

Method:
Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker.
Shake and strain into a martini glass. Mniam!

Another Dwell house that caught my eye: a barn converted into another home with AWESOME beams in New York:





Charley Harper: Minimal Realist.







A (single) bird blog: The Fat Finch. Check it out. Some of the Harper images came from there.

Paula Hayes makes AMAZING terrariums, and I still love her, even though I once wrote her an email and she never replied. Better things to do, I guess. What could possibly be more fulfilling than writing to me though I can't imagine. ;)







Gorgeous bird prints by Etsy seller Fustian:





And I think I saved the most interesting for last, so read on.

Axel Erlandson (1884-1964)was an American arborsculptor who opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 featuring his unique shaped trees. The attraction was eventually named "The Tree Circus":





Arborsmith Richard Reames, whom I learned about via Dwell wrote the above text about his inspiration, Axel Erlandson. Below are some of Reames' designs:




Pretty nifty, eh? Reames envisions using arborsculpture as a means for building "living houses," not just cool sculptures. Brings a whole new meaning to the words "Tree House."

Last, but not least, I am going to post a playlist for my dad. Soon. So stay TUNED. Get it? HAHAHA!

Okay, All: Enjoy, Tata! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Love to the people who read this!
So long, Suckers! (o)(o)(o)