Snow Leopards
View allAll Photos Tagged ounce
the most entertaining bird in my yard. Stephen, as we have dubbed him, has visited four of the vacant houses in the back yard and done a little building in each. He sings constantly and does not mind posing for the occasional photo.
House Wren 8516
Proof condition 1990 Silver American Eagle one dollar coin minted in San Francisco. A one ounce coin minted every year since 1986.
Proof Coins: Are the finest quality of coin produced by the United States Mint. The term "proof" refers to the coin's finish. Proof blanks are specially treated, hand-polished, and cleaned to ensure high-quality strikes. The blanks are then fed into presses fitted with specially polished dies and struck at least twice resulting in a mirror like background and frosted metal finish. The coin measures 1.598 in. diameter.
Macro Mondays, Theme: Currency
Nikon 55mm f/2.8 NIKKOR Micro
"I know my worth. I've paid dearly for every ounce of it." - Alfa
HIGHLIGHTS BY: LAVAROCK POSES, VEZZO INK TATTOO, & PETRICHOR.
***LAVAROCK POSES. Fem Bento Pose Set 20.
(Used on female only.)
5 single poses w/ mirror images.
Using pose 4.
Here's your ticket!
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Outer%20Limits/177/63/1495
Marketplace!
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***VEZZO INK TATTOO. Cassia Fatpack.
(Worn on female.)
BOM only. White & black options. 3 opacity levels.
Compatible: EvoX, AK ADVX, BoMGenX, LOGO, CRYPTID.
Belleza, Signature, Legacy, Maitreya, Reborn.
Here's your ticket!
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***PETRICHOR. P&E Carilla Dress.
Many options! Single colors or 40 color hud packs. Lara, Kupra, Perky, Legacy, Bellcurvy, ebody, mounds.
Here's your ticket!
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Marketplace!
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BLOG #73
Mom of the little guy you discovered two weeks ago!...
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia), also called ounce, is a carnivore that inhabits the mountainous regions of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Its litters of two to four young are born after a gestation period of approximately 93 days.
Snow leopards have pretty long tails. About 80 – 100 cm in length as against its body length of 48 – 60 cm.
The snow leopard uses its bushy tail to keep balance when it jumps.
The tail allows the leopard to maneuver rather quickly.
The leopard uses its tail as a blanket when it is asleep, it wraps the tail around their body.
The snow leopard population is estimated to be only a few thousand animals, and the species is thus considered endangered.
We currently have six 32 ounce Hummingbird feeders for our Anna's Humminbrids. I love this time of year when our Anna's will share feeding ports and stations. There are a few territorial bullies, that refuse to share. During the Fall and Winter I spend a lot of time cleaning and making nectar for these precious flying gems :)
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia), also called ounce, is a carnivore that inhabits the mountainous regions of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Its litters of two to four young are born after a gestation period of approximately 93 days.
Snow leopards have pretty long tails. About 80 – 100 cm in length as against its body length of 48 – 60 cm.
The snow leopard uses its bushy tail to keep balance when it jumps.
The tail allows the leopard to maneuver rather quickly.
The leopard uses its tail as a blanket when it is asleep, it wraps the tail around their body.
The snow leopard population is estimated to be only a few thousand animals, and the species is thus considered endangered.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 Tablespoon rum
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
2.In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.
3.Add eggs two at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour all at once and mix in. Add vanilla.
4.Pour into a 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check if done: A toothpick inserted into center of cake will come out clean.
he was ready to pounce. You can see it in his eyes. This young fox and his two siblings would spend their days and nights rambunctiously chasing and playing with one another, to the delight of me, myself and I.
Dynamic InK: Ounce tattoo unisex @Marletplace
ERAUQS: Adam Tank Top @Alpha Event
Totally Wicked: Adam joggers @Alpha Event
B(U)Y ME: Take A Break male pose set @The Sales Room (open 03-05 June)
for more information click in link in first comment for link to the blog.
Quince and Cranberry Compote (Compotes de coings)
2 Quinces (peeled, cored and diced)
12 ounces cranberries (rinsed, stemmed, picked through and drained)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup super fine sugar
Place the diced quince in a small saucepan with enough water to cover fruit over high heat. Bring to boil, lower heat to medium and simmer until quince is fork tender. Set aside without draining fruit to avoid discoloration.
Place cranberries and orange juice, sugar in saucepan over high heat.
Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes.
Lower heat to medium, add drained quince and simmer for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens and quince melds with the cranberries.
Remove from the heat and cool completely. Refrigerate until use.
Apple-Quince Compote
2 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 quinces, peeled, sliced and cored (it is easier to slice around the core)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 cinnamon sticks
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup water
Combine the apples, quinces, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, sugar, honey and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the apples and quinces are very soft but still a bit chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste the mixture, add sugar if desired.
Remove the sauce from the heat. Cool to room temperature.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve.
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Straight Out Of The Camera
DSCN4511 SOOC
A tiny jug used for measuring small amounts of liquid e.g. Fluid ounces, Millilitres, Tablespoons. HMM :-)
"All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.”
- Abraham Lincoln
Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL--prfnuJ8
A GIFT OF A THISTLE – JAMES HORNER
I've weathered every storm
that has been sent my way
I've tethered every ounce of being
to keep the wolves at bay
they want my blood
I smell their fear
they snarl and nash
teeth ear to ear
but I stand tall amid it all
they cannot make me fall
It's strange the things that happen to me
It makes no sense at all
but in the world of hungry wolves
they help me grow; not make me small
the yellow hearts of narcissi
glow green somehow with envy
staring at the water's edge
they shiver; shake and tremble
but I am calm; at peace; in prayer
seek from within and not without
those innocent of any sins
are quiet and have no need to shout
it's in the stillness we can hear
that still small voice of calm
and those who cry and pity themselves
only do themselves more harm
forgiveness in the eyes of God
encompasses all his flock
even the darkest sheep of all
and those who follow and those who mock
a heart that's full of love and kindness
does not seek to hurt another
practice with each breath you take
the simple act of mindfulness.
- AP - Copyright © remains with and is the intellectual property of the author
Copyright © protected image please do not reproduce without permission
Without an ounce of excess weight the Cheetah is built for speed and renowned as the fastest land animal on earth.including a light build, Its slight build, long thin legs and a long tail have all evolved to enhance its pace as well as agility.
This solitary male was seen during an evening game drive in the Masai Mara national park.
Egretta Thula
At the end of the nineteenth century, the beautiful plumes of the Snowy Egret were in great demand by market hunters as decorations for women's hats. In 1886, plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. They were hunted nearly to extinction before laws were passed to protect them.
Recipe:
1/2 ounce orange liqueur (triple sec)
1 1/2 ounces orange juice (fresh)
3 1/2 ounces Champagne (chilled)
Garnish: orange slice
>> You have filled every aching ounce of me ,
with a love I never imagined existed. You are the love of my life and the life of my love .
I realized that telling you my truth and showing myself to you,
standing in front of you with truth as my only weapon and your words were : You are safe with me...I knew right there , that is what intimacy is ..not about sex, nor anything else..real intimacy is about truth.
You know I am all beast,
you also know that even the most savage and untamed need to be loved...and you did.
You loved all of me , every day ,
you showed my all I never knew existed. My person , my best friend, my darling wife ..you are my all and everything in this universe. My soul adorbs yours, and we will never ever be apart .
I am forever yours and you are forever mine. I love you more forever and always baby love. <<
● XXI - IV - MMXIX ●
● XXI - IV - MMXXIII ●
● YOU & ME ●
OK, wishful thinking on my part. Actually it's an American Eagle 1/10 Ounce Gold Proof Coin that measures 0.650 inches in diameter.
During the 1980-90's, I collected all kinds of proof coin sets and now a have a pretty good collection that for the most part, reside in boxes. I couldn't afford the one ounce gold coins but did get some 1/10 ounce coins to mark special occasions. They was minted at the West Point Mint and have a face value in $5.00 but worth a bit more than that in gold. For this week's Macro Mondays theme, "Gold or Silver"
Happy Macro Monday - HMM
55mm f/2.8 NIKKOR Micro w/ PK-12, 14mm Extension
Cheese Anchiladas
1/2 cup cooking oil
8 corn tortillas
1 (15-ounce) can purchased enchilada sauce
1 cup (8 ounces) grated or shredded cheese (such as mozzarella or queso blanco)
1 cup Cotija cheese.
Heat oven to 400 F.
Pour oil into a medium-sized saucepan and heat until it is hot, and warm the tortillas one at a time. Do not fry them. Remove tortillas from pan and drain on a paper towel.
Pour just enough sauce in the bottom of a 9x9-inch glass-baking dish to cover it. Dip a warm tortilla into the sauce, and then place a couple of tablespoons of cheese down the center of each tortilla.
Fold each half of the tortilla over the cheese, so that the tortilla is rolled around the cheese. Turn it over and place in the baking dish.
Make two layers of enchiladas in the dish, if necessary.
Pour any remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the Cotija cheese over the enchiladas.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until enchiladas are hot throughout and cheese is melted.
Vintage RC Cola Sign it is famous if you remember them, 16 ounces of joy in a big bottle, this old sign was found at a flea market in North Carolina.
2/3 cup butter (extra to grease the ramekins)
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Butter 6 ramekins and line with a disk of parchment paper, and then butter the parchment. In a double boiler, bowl or saucepan, very gently, melt the butter and chocolate together over a hot water bath.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and with a ribbon consistency.
Beat in the flour, and finally, add the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into the ramekins and chill.
Just before serving, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake until the top is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove. Let sit 5 minutes, before unmolding onto plates. Serve with fruit or caramel sauce, or a scoop of ice cream.
A 20-ounce bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup contains about two-thirds of a cup of sugar.
In the UK - Typical ValuesPer 100g
Carbohydrate 23.2g of which sugars =22.8g
Protein = 1.2g
Salt = 1.8g
Most sweet fruit jams have about 30g of sugar per 100g.
Bear this in mind the next time you squirt ketchup on your food.
Chocolate Mousse
1 package 16 ounce firm tofu
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp plain soy milk
2 tbs. agave syrup, corn syrup or maple syrup
16 ounces non-dairy, semisweet, chocolate chips
1 tsp of a flavoring of your choice: vanilla, cinnamon, liquor…
Heat the soy milk over low heat, and add the chocolate. Stir to dissolve the chocolate, and add the syrup. It will be lukewarm at that point.
Puré the tofu in a blender - blend well until completely smooth.
Mix in the melted chocolate in and blend again.
Fill in cups or ramequins and chill for 2 hours or longer.
Enjoy with a small fruit decoration, some sifted cacao or chocolate shavings.
This Long-Tailed Weasel surprised me in the canopy of trees as I was bird watching (needless to say the birds sounded the alarm and they took off). He stayed for a brief time to check me out and then was gone as quickly as he appeared into the bushes. Equally as cute as he is fierce-was a fun sighting that day to find one unexpectedly.
Ounce for ounce, one of the nosiest birds out there. Finally found this little guy at the nature center.
Ounce for ounce, there is nothing more intimidating than the death stare of a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.
Occoquan Bay NWR
Woodbridge, VA
Sunflower...
Sometimes in life you cross paths with someone who instantly makes you feel calm, refreshed, alive, and wholesome.
They encourage your dreams and celebrate your wins without an ounce of jealously.
They just want what's best for you, and you for them; there isn't much more to it.
They are warm and bright, loving and loyal.
You can't help but feel authentically happy in their presence, like the best version of yourself.
...Thank you for being my sunflower, V! 🌻
(Charlotte Freeman)
The snow leopard (Panthera Uncia), is commonly known as the ounce. A large species of cat and is native to the mountain ranges of central and South Asia.
Taken at Thrigby Hall, Norfolk.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons flour
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 450°.
For spice rub: Combine flour, black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano (pinch of salt: optional). Dip chicken in spice rub.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes or until done.
In clean frying pan, add 1 tablespoon oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.
Serve with rice or with mashed potatoes.
* 2 ounces gin
* 3/4 ounce creme de violette
* 1 ounce lemon juice
* 1/2 oz. simple syrup
* 1 egg white or the equivalent of an egg substitute
Dry shake then shake with ice.
How do birds stay warm in really cold weather? The temperature when I captured these two bushtits was a balmy -8 F. These little birds weigh about 6 grams or 0.2 ounce, about the same weight as a quarter. I am amazed they don't freeze in such weather. They were in constant motion as they sat huddled together. I felt so sorry for them!
Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to view, like or comment on my photos!
© 2021 Craig Goettsch - All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use without permission is prohibited.
ounce or snow leopard
Schneeleopard, Irbis oder Unze
[Panthera uncia]
____________________________________
If interested in more photographs of mine, please visit my website
Female Northern Pygmy Owl
A full day of waiting for this very brief moment. These owls are tiny and fast. Saw the male bring in a large lizard to feed his mate, in and out in a flash. The nest hole is about 1 1/4 inch across.
Hiding in plain sight. Pima County Arizona United States
That is indeed the question. The weight at the front is a 2 pennyweight, used for weighing gold. The stack of round weights are just simple old-fashioned multiples of ounces.
Placing an object on one side of a scale and a variety of weights on the other side until they balance is so much more satisfying than just pushing a button and reading the answer, don't you think? :)
For this week's Macro Mondays group theme, Misfit.
(Apologies for not commenting as much as I usually do, but I'm having a problem with my eyes which means I need to limit screen time. I'm hoping it can be improved.)
In rapidly fading daylight, a CSX local powered by rebuilt EMD SD40-2 locos on its way to Bennett yard from Cosgrove Yard. Location-Charleston, SC.
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (16 ounce) package frozen peach slices
2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread melted butter in a 2-quart baking dish.
Heat peaches, 2/3 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasional, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Add vanilla extract. Separate some of the liquid into a separate bowl from the peaches.
Mix flour, 1 cup sugar, milk, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until batter is combined; pour over melted butter in baking dish. Arrange peaches over the batter and pour any remaining liquid on top.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
"As late as 1939 a typical Japanese person ate just 0.1 ounce of meat per day." (2021: Each patty is 5.3 ounces)
Happy Tuesday friends,
I hope your summer has been going well! The summer is flying by but I am fully satisfied that I am squeezing every ounce of sunshine out of the days as they go by. ;) My favorite thing about Summer is how long the evenings are. In the late fall and winter days golden hour is around 4:30 pm and the night is completely black by 5:30. What an amazing difference in the summer where images like this one are taken around 9:00 pm!
This is at Vallecito lake near Durango. My session was over and I stuck around for this picture as the view of the mountains across the lake was too glorious to leave just yet.
This year has been different for me in terms of portraiture. At the end of last year I felt utterly and completely spent. Burned out. Doing portrait work for me has been one of incredibly mixed feelings. It culminated in the symptoms of carpel tunnel that I began to developing at the beginning of the year. Working with people is a mixed blessing, like any job you get the chance to meet incredible souls, beautiful people who appreciate me and admire, support and love the work that I do and put into your session. And then you meet people who will try to take advantage of you, talk you down and be cruel just to get a better "deal". I've worked with people for mutual brand exposure - I photograph them and give them complimentary (i.e. free!) images and they in turn agree and sign a contract stating they will give bountiful credit to my work. These same people have taken the images and then turned around completely disregarded our agreement, failing to even tag me in the pictures being posted or credit me in any way. I learned the hard way to no longer show people all their images in a gallery for them to choose from after I found images screenshot and cropped with my watermark no longer present on it. "Stolen images" from the gallery so they wouldn't have to pay for the extras they wanted. I've slaved over galleries, including extras for clients, putting heart and soul into their session only to send it off and never hear anything back. To say that it's discouraging would be an understatement. It's difficult for me not to take these types of situations personal. Everything about my work is personal. I don't think people fully realize or maybe even care, how many hours go into their session and what the broken contracts, or stolen images actually mean or translate. As a stay at home Mom, I went into this fully hoping and believing I could make it work as a part time job to contribute to our family finances. I was so naive in thinking it would ever be a part time job! all of the behind the scenes part of running a business made this an easily 60+ hours a week job. I believe that when the symptoms of carpel tunnel hit it had a lot more to do with stress levels than it did physically. I took a complete step back not only from social media but my business. Interestingly, the intense pains in my hands vanished after a few months.
I'm at the point now where my passions are ever bubbling, overflowing. I love photography, I love being outdoors, meeting new people, being inspired by the amazing community around me. But I've had to draw a stark line boundary wise in my portrait work. I take a much smaller number of clients, usually only by referral from clients I love and respect. This was a hit to our finances and honestly I'll have to be looking for another source of income to keep the contribution the same. But it's been worth it in many other ways, peace of mind and soul. Taking that break gave me the opportunity to really step back and examine why I do what I do. Why do I love photography? How can I eliminate anything that is souring this creative process for me? What can I do to create boundaries so that creativity isn't squelched? And how can I make this into something profitable enough that it justifies the time spent in doing it?
Still finding the answers to these questions but moving back into what I love which is more outdoors and family time has been crucial to healing both physically and spiritually.
Time and time again I'm drawn back to my Flickr community. The life that is shared here, the stories that come with it, you fellow photographers who are doing what you love for the sole purpose of creating. I love you all to pieces. And the kind comments I receive here are a healing balm on my soul. So thank you - a huge thank if you've made it to the end of this abnormally longer epistle, and thank you for just being one of the voices on this page who support me in doing what I love and continue to be a home here on Flickr.
Much love always, Rachel
There are many ways to make the famous Peruvian pisco sour cocktails, so it's best to know the fundamentals before attempting a variation.
The basic recipe includes pisco brandy, simple syrup, lime juice. With that goes egg white and a sprinkle of Angostura bitters.
Ingredients
2 ounces pisco
1 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce lime juice
1 egg white
2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters
Steps to Make It
1) Mix the pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker.
2) Add ice to fill, and shake vigorously. Alternatively, you can use a blender if you don't have a shaker.
3) Strain into an old-fashioned glass, and sprinkle the Angostura bitters on top of the foam.
4) Serve immediately.
Tips
To get the most authentic version of this classic Peruvian cocktail, be sure to heed the following six tips:
Tip 1: Very tart lime juice is essential. Many recipes call for lemon juice, possibly a translation error from the Spanish word limon. Limones are actually small South American limes, similar to key limes (also known as "Peruvian lemons").
Tip 2: Remember that the skin of limes has a lot of essential oils that can be a tad too bitter and sour, so when squeezing your limes, be sure to keep the flesh side facing down and not running down the lime peel. Also, don't drop the lime in as garnish after it’s been squeezed into your drink as it will also tamper with the taste.
Tip 3: Keep the simple syrup really simple. You can use any recipe for simple syrup you want, but the easiest and yummiest option is to forgo the weird sweeteners, artificial sweeteners or expensive syrups and just do 1:1 ratio of sugar to water and mix.
Tip 4: Don’t be scared of using real egg whites. You can always use pasteurized liquid egg whites from a container, but the texture is not quite the same and can affect the look and taste of an authentic pisco sour.
Tip 5: Shake your cocktail well so that when you pour it into an old-fashioned glass, you get a nice 1/2-inch layer of foam on top.
Tip 6: Don't stress if you don't have Angostura bitters on hand, you can do without. Instead, you can try a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the foam, but that is not necessary either.
***
Breakfast in Quito, Ecuador. Where I woke up.
Lunch in Lima, Peru.
Peruvian Pisco Sour (official drink from Peru).
Dinner in Santiago, Chile.
Pisco Sour Chileno, The last sour pisco in the Andes.
Getting home in São Paulo, Brazil. Sleep in my bed after *20 days.
It is a long flight.
Yup!
Inside the same continent, the South America.
4 countries (3 federal capitals) in less than 24 hours:
*Ecuador
Peru
Chile
Brazil
Two of my sisters, my brother-in-law Rik, and I descended on Charleston, SC, just before Christmas 1972. I flew down from Nashville with only the clothes on my back and gifts for my family. And a tin full of untested marijuana brownies I'd made the previous night from an ounce of high-quality Jamaican weed.
In Charleston I stayed with my cute little Christian grandma Dana (on my left above) three blocks away from Tiz's house on Legare St, where the rest of the family was boarding.
The day after I arrived Tiz, my mom, told me that she and Dana had bought me a suit to wear for a cocktail party that afternoon a few blocks away in honor of Hank Stallworth--a guy I'd known at boarding school--and his fiancee: a blue blazer, a white-on-white shirt, an enormous red satin necktie, red double-knit polyester pants, and a shiny white belt.
"Where are your dress shoes?" Tiz asked.
"I'm wearing them," I said.
"Those are boots. Where are your shoes?"
"I didn't bring any."
"My God. All right, they'll have to do. Your stepfather has some shoe polish in his closet you can borrow. Now hurry up, you have to be there in an hour."
The only shoe polish my stepfather had that came close to brown was cordovan, which I discovered too late turned my brown boots purple. Now seemed like an excellent time to eat a brownie, so I had two. A half hour later I was buffing my boots to a nice shine when the full impact of the brownies hit me really, really, REALLY hard. I was much too stoned to go to this party and told my sister Ruthie so.
"Bullshit, Willie. We have to go and we don't even know these people. He's your friend! If we have to go, you have to go!"
This made sense, but it still didn't seem fair. I grabbed my new clothes and my purple boots and walked to my grandmother's. Dana greeted me at the door with a message: "Will, Tiz called and told me to tell you to hurry up." I said to tell Tiz I'd be there as soon as I showered and changed clothes.
Upstairs I was laying out my new clothes on my bed when Dana knocked on my bedroom door.
"Will?"
"Yes, Dana?"
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Dana, thanks!"
"You were singing!"
"I was?"
"You were singing about The Devil!"
I froze. This was not good. Not only was I not even aware that I was singing, but I was singing loudly enough that an 83 year old deaf woman could hear me through a closed door. I explained my behavior somehow and she went away. A minute later I realized I'd been singing "Sympathy For The Devil" very, very loud.
The water in Charleston was so soft that after my shower my hair, which usually just hung straight down, was cascading down past my shoulders in ringlets (as in the photo above). And the shirt was three sizes too large for my neck. My eyes were BRIGHT red and I had the stupidest shit-eating grin on my face ever. Fully dressed, I looked like I'd been raised by circus people.
When I showed up at my mom's house to get my sisters and Rik, Ruthie answered the door and fell into hysterics. She hollered for the others to come see me at the front door. Rik and my older sister (seen above) almost collapsed from laughter.
We were met at the party by Hank, who introduced us to his fiancee. The inside of the house looked like a Brooks Brothers showroom--short-haired men, dressed in conservatively cut charcoal-grey/black suits, white shirts, club ties, and BLACK shoes, were everywhere. I, on the other hand, looked like a clown the host had thoughtlessly hired to entertain everyone.
I headed for the bar and buffet table. I figured cocktail shrimp and a couple of bloody marys would bring me down. I was so wrong; in a matter of minutes I was both drunk and stoned. I wandered away from the shrimp and passed from one group of strangers to another, not talking to anyone, just listening to their boring preppie bullshit about hunting, sports, and cars. I figured if I didn't actually talk to anyone, I could fake my way through this ordeal; so for 10 minutes or so people engaged me in conversations to which I contributed a nod, a laugh, or a handshake, but absolutely zero interest in or comprehension of what was said.
At some point I found myself listening to this older man talk, but I couldn't understand a word he was saying--it was all just "Blah blah blah blah blah" to me. I began to panic that he might actually ask me a question. Deciding I'd be better off doing the talking instead of the listening, I interrupted him. "You know," I said, "I was talking with Mr. Smythe earlier, and he was telling me this insane story about deRo Myers, how deRo had gone to Princeton and become a 'hippie'. And just between us, I listened as politely as I could, but he really doesn't know what he's talking about. DeRo Myers? A HIPPIE? I mean, I spent four years at EHS with deRo, and I know deRo Myers. And I'm telling you, Mr. Smythe doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. But what do you think? You must know deRo--do you think deRo's become a, quote, hippie, unquote?"
He swallowed uncomfortably. "Well, actually," he said. "Actually, I'm Mr. Smythe and I just finished telling you that story."
"Oh. Right. Well, I'm going to go have another drink."
I quickly made my way to the buffet table and never looked back. I had another bloody mary or two and some more cocktail shrimp. I saw this one really pretty girl standing by herself against the back wall. Having forgotten what I looked like, I approached her and started talking her up. I suggested we have dinner together while I was in Charleston. She politely turned me down, but I kept insisting. Dinner, a movie, anything. My sister Ruthie appeared and apologized for interrupting. "Do you mind if I talk to my brother for a few minutes?" The girl said not at all. Ruthie asked me what I thought I was doing. Hadn't we agreed my talking to people was a bad idea? I countered that I was in the middle of putting the blast on this incredibly beautiful girl and actually getting somewhere, so what's the problem?
"Willie," she said, "that's your friend's fiancee! God, you are such an idiot! Maybe we better go back to Tiz's."
"I'm ready," I said.
The photo above was taken by Rik the next day at Christmas dinner. I resisted -- with extreme unction -- having a record of me in this outfit. To no avail. My expression says it all.
1797 was a special time in coinage, because these one penny coins were the first made using a steam driven stamper.
They were made by Matthew Boulton's famous Soho foundry in Birmingham, England.
Each coin weighed one ounce, and consisted of 0.999 pure copper.
The unusual raised rim that runs around the perimeter of the coin gave it it's nickname "Cartwheel".
One penny way back in 1797 would enable you to buy enough candles to light your home for a week.
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