Emeralds

The color green isn’t for everyone, but emeralds are in a class of their own. The stone’s hue is unmatched, making it one of the most sought-after gemstones on the market. Emerald has consistently surpassed other green gems like peridot and tourmaline with its lush blueish-green tones. But what’s an emerald without some fanciful history and lore? These quick and to-the-point emerald facts will help enliven your passion for this rare specimen, regardless of what you think about its coloring.

Emerald Know-How

Emerald is one of the four recognized precious gemstones. The others are ruby, sapphire, and diamond.

Emerald is the birthstone of May and is the traditional gift for the 20th, 35th and 55th wedding anniversary in the US.

Emerald is made from beryl just like the gemstone aquamarine.

Emerald gets its green coloring from trace amounts of chromium and/or vanadium.

A 1-carat emerald appears larger than a 1-carat diamond because of its lower density.

Emerald measures between 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. Though they are durable stones, emeralds are susceptible to chipping and cracking. This makes emeralds more expensive to set into jewelry due to the risk involved.

Colombia yields the largest amount of emeralds, contributing to more than 50 percent of all emerald production worldwide.

Emerald History

The oldest emeralds are about 2.97 billion years old.

The first known emeralds were mined in Egypt around 1500 BC.

One of Cleopatra’s favorite stones was emerald, and her passion for the stone was well documented.

Emeralds were discovered in South America in the 16th century by the Spanish. They were used by the Incas well before this discovery.

The Spanish traded emeralds across Europe and Asia for precious metals, which opened up the emerald trade to the rest of the world.

Emeralds were first discovered in North America in the Yukon Territory in 1997, though large emerald deposits in the United States and further north are very rare.

Synthetic sapphire and ruby were created in 1907, but synthetic emeralds were not created until 1935 when American chemist Carroll Chatham successfully grew his first 1-carat Chatham emerald. This stone is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute.

Emerald Symbolism and Lore

According to ancient folklore, putting an emerald under your tongue would help one see into the future.Emeralds were thought to guard against memory loss and enhance intuition. Want to be sure what your lover is saying is real? Emerald was believed to act as a type of truth potion, helping decipher whether the lover’s vows were true or false. The soft, calming color of the emerald helped early lapidaries rest their eyes after an extended period of concentration. Today, emerald is still thought to relax and relieve eye strain.

Emerald Value

Top-quality emeralds can be worth more than diamonds on a per-carat basis.

Most emeralds have some type of inclusion or imperfection, and emeralds without imperfections or inclusions are very rare. Instead of the term imperfection, dealers like to reference emerald inclusions as an internal jardin (“garden” in French).

Color, clarity, cut, and carat weight are four factors used to determine the value of an emerald. The most important of these four is color. The best color is vivid green or blueish-green with even saturation and no color zoning.

Valuable, high-quality emeralds are very transparent and aren’t too dark or too light. Green beryl that is too light in color may not even be considered emerald by some gemologists.

A gemologist judges a diamond’s clarity grade by using a 10x loupe. The clarity of an emerald is often assessed with the naked eye.

An emerald pendant necklace owned by Elizabeth Taylor sold for $6.5 million in 2011, breaking down to about $280,000 paid per carat.

The Duke of Devonshire Emerald is one of the largest uncut emeralds weighing 1,383.93 carats.

Tips

Due to the inclusions within an emerald, it is not wise to clean these gems in an ultrasonic cleaner. Instead, clean gently by hand using warm water.

Most emeralds are usually treated by filling the emerald with oil to fill in the cracks and help prevent unintentional chipping or cracking. You can coat emeralds with baby oil as an extra care precaution to help the stone from becoming overly brittle.

Source: Spruce Crafts

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is not a true lily; it’s actually part of the asparagus family, though its foliage is reminiscent of some lilies. Medium green leaves about 5 to 10 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide arch from the center of a clump. Petite, fragrant, white flowers rise on long stems from the leaf clumps in spring, and orange-red berries appear later in the fall if different varieties are planted for cross-pollination. Don’t let the delicate appearance of lily of the valley’s bell-shaped flowers fool you. This is a hardy ground cover that spreads gradually but persistently to form dense colonies. Lily of the valley can be planted by root divisions, potted nursery plants, or seeds in the fall, though spring planting is also acceptable. It is considered invasive in much of the Midwest and Northeast, where planting it may be strongly discouraged or even outlawed. Be aware that lily of the valley is toxic to humans, as well as to dogs, cats, and horses.It contains glycosides and saponins that can cause cardiac symptoms as well as digestive upset if large quantities are eaten. Consumption of the berries by children is the most common cause of poisoning, and fatalities are possible.

Lily of the Valley Care Lily of the valley will grow vigorously in almost any spot with some shade. In fact, gardeners commonly use it under trees where many other plants won’t grow due to the shade. Plant the rhizomes about 6 inches apart with the growth buds buried about 1/2 inch deep. This plant needs little attention to thrive once it’s established. It is a long-lived plant that doesn’t have any serious issues with pests or diseases. Plan to water during dry spells. Also, if flowering has decreased on older plants, it’s beneficial to dig them up and divide them to refresh their growth.

Warning

Lily of the valley reproduces by spreading rhizomes and you must carefully supervise it so it doesn’t escape its boundaries. Lily of the valley can quickly spread and overtake a large area and may end up choking out other plants in its vicinity. The European native is considered an invasive plant in many parts of the Midwest and Northeast, and in some places is even designated a noxious weed.

Light

Plant lily of the valley in partial sun to full shade. Direct morning sun is all right, but the plant needs protection from the harsh afternoon sun. And if you live in a warmer part of its growing zones, full shade is best.

Soil

Lily of the valley prefers organically rich soil with good drainage. But it can grow in a range of soil types, including clay soil. It likes an acidic to neutral soil pH but can tolerate slightly alkaline soil, too.

Water

This plant prefers consistently moist but not soggy soil. Water whenever the soil begins to dry out due to a lack of rainfall and/or hot weather. Soil that is too dry will impede the plant’s growth and flowering.

Temperature and Humidity

Lily of the valley prefers mild conditions with average humidity. Temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit are best. The plant doesn’t do well in dry, hot climates. And even in mild climates, it might die back during the hottest summer months. This usually won’t kill the plant; it generally returns the next spring.

Fertilizer

Lily of the valley typically doesn’t need any fertilizer unless you have poor soil. If your soil lacks nutrients, you can add a slow-release granular fertilizer in the spring. For the amount to use, follow the product label instructions.

Source: The Spruce

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CM!!!

Hope you, your lovely missus, and all the fur babies are doing well!

Aries

Aries, the first sign in the zodiac, belongs to those born between the dates of March 21st and April 19th. And I totally screwed up last month, posting Taurus ahead of myself….sorry!

Aries Zodiac Sign Traits

The first sign of the Zodiac, Aries are the trailblazers. Passionate and independent, Aries will never do something just because everyone else is doing it—a Ram needs to be 100 percent committed to the task at hand. Competitive to the max, the best way to motivate an Aries is to turn something into a contest. Aries will put everything they have (and then some) into winning. Loyal, smart, and impulsive, they always have multiple projects on their mind, and won’t be satisfied until their work, social life, and personal lives line up exactly with the dream life they’ve envisioned. Those who are drawn to magnetic Aries may have trouble keeping up—but if they can, they’ll have a friend for life.

An Aries sign will always tell you what they’re thinking, with a frankness that may occasionally border on rudeness. But even if an Aries seems overly blunt with their opinion, that’s only because Rams value honesty above all else. And it works both ways. While an Aries may be the first to say if they think that you just phoned in a project, they’ll also be the first to compliment you for a job well done. Rams may also have a short fuse. That fiery temper can be an asset. When an Aries is angry, they’ll never play the passive-aggressive card. But for people who don’t know them well, their temper can be a turn off. Learning how to work out their anger—whether by going to the gym every day, taking some deep breaths, or learning to chill before they Tweet their thoughts to the world—is a lifelong process for Rams.

When it comes to love, Aries signs are all about initial attraction. They can sense chemistry in the first sentence uttered by a potential partner. Forthright and unabashed, an Aries will do everything in their power to go after someone they want. Sometimes, they need to learn how to slow down and foster long-term connections. Fireworks are fun, but they don’t necessarily make a great match. Aries are amazing lovers: versatile, passionate, and always invested in the moment.

Aries’ Love Style

Like their ruling planet Mars, Aries are hot and stormy. They’re a combination of confidence and passion combined with temper and petulance. Everyone who ever loves an Aries tries—unsuccessfully but excitingly—to tame them.

Aries’ Friendship Style

“Activity” is the key word for this sign. When it comes to Aries’ friends, the more variety, the better. Easy to meet and get along with, an Aries makes an incredible amount of connections in a lifetime. Long-term friends are trickier.

Aries’ Career, Money & Success Traits

Aries’ greatest career strength: Leadership. Everyone naturally looks to Aries, and being responsible for others comes naturally.

Aries Motto

“When you know yourself, you’re empowered. When you accept yourself, you’re invincible.”

Aries’ Greatest Gifts

Whether it’s backpacking around the world, launching a business, or training for a marathon, once an Aries sets a goal, they will achieve it. They don’t care what anyone else thinks, and can tune into their intuition and dreams in a heartbeat. Rams never need a plus one—they love their own company, and consider going solo to the movies a rare treat.

Aries’ Greatest Challenges

The world according to an Aries makes so much sense that they have a hard time listening to, much less accepting, alternative viewpoints. Slowing down is also tough. A Ram’s mind goes a million miles a minute, and slowing down for others can be excruciating. But when it comes to maintaining relationships, Aries must learn to adapt and embrace other ways of doing, being, and seeing.

Aries’ Secret Weapon

Strong, adamant, and forged in fire, it’s fitting that Aries’ secret weapon is iron, one of the strongest elements. Weld, cast, machine, forge, temper, harden, or anneal it, iron can take on a seemingly limitless range of shapes and qualities. For an Aries, an iron-rich diet can boost confidence and performance.

Famous Aries

Chris Kyle

James Woods

Jeff Dunham

Doris Day

Mr. Ed’s Elephants

[I found this article about Mr. Ed’s Elephants on the PA Bucketlist.com site!]

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium just may be the best elephant-themed roadside attraction in Pennsylvania!

Elephants and candy everywhere you look.

Located just outside of Gettysburg, Mister Ed’s features a dizzying array of elephant figurines, circus souvenirs, toys, statues, gardens, and artwork, as well as over a thousand kinds of candy!

How to Find Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium is located at 6019 Chambersburg Rd, Orrtanna, PA 17353.

Exploring the Exterior of Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum

The grounds surrounding Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium are a collection of whimsically-decorated gardens incorporating elephants as the central theme (of course!).

The water garden featuring a mother and baby elephant with water shooting out of their trunks caught my eye in particular, but all the gardens are a treat to walk through.

Even an old delivery truck becomes a unique piece of artwork in the gardens at Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum.

And while Bedford may be home to Pennsylvania’s largest roadside coffee pot, this teapot-shaped garden shed at Mister Ed’s is impressive in its own right, and fittingly it also houses a collection of teapots.

Step Inside Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium

A quick glance around the inside of Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium is enough to cause massive sensory overload and a sugar rush!

Everywhere you look, on the walls, ceilings, shelves, and countertops, you’ll see elephants and candy of every possible description.

More than 12,000 elephant-related mementos are on display, a feast for the eyes and an inspiration to those of us (myself included) who walk the fine line between collectors and hoarders!

If it existed in the 20th century and it had an elephant emblazoned on it, you’ll most likely find it at Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum.

There are even “Pachyderm Points” displayed around the museum, imparting knowledge about real elephants on inquisitive visitors.

If you’re a hardcore fan of elephants or vintage toys, you’d best budget an hour or two just to explore the museum portion of Mister Ed’s!

The Candy Emporium at Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum

In case you missed the sign when you walked in the door, Mister Ed’s is also famous for homemade fudge!

Featuring more than 70 flavors of fudge, I’ve yet to try one that WASN’T delicious.

If fudge isn’t your thing, there are literally more than 1,000 different candy options, including an entire room full of PEZ candies and dispensers!

Christmas at Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium

Mister Ed’s definitely gets in the spirit at Christmastime!

Inside the store and out, you’ll find all your favorite Christmas characters woven into the already busy tapestry of decorations and displays.

From traditional Dickens-like carolers…

to the not-so-traditional Miss Ele out front.

Already one of the Gettysburg area’s most unique attractions and favorite candy stores, Mister Ed’s is the perfect place to shop for Christmas stocking stuffers.

If you’re road tripping through the Gettysburg area at Christmastime, make it a point to stop, stroll the grounds, and do a little shopping.

Planning Your Visit to Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium is open every day, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In the age of COVID, it’s probably prudent to call ahead and confirm those hours – the phone number there is (717) 352-3792.

There is no charge to walk the gardens or to tour the museum.

If you’ve got elephants on the brain, a hardcore sweet tooth, or just love quirky roadside attractions, Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium near Gettysburg checks all the right boxes!

SOURCE: Rusty Glessner @ PABUCKETLIST

Leafy Seadragons

The leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) or Glauert’s seadragon is a marine fish related to the seahorses.

Leafy seadragons are found along the southern and western coasts of Australia.

They reside in areas with clear water, lower light conditions, and prominent vegetation. Such areas include seagrass meadows, seaweed beds, and rocky reefs.

The water must be between 54* and 73*, and 16.5 to 164 feet deep, although they most often are found between 16.5 and 49 feet) deep.

The lifespan of a leafy seadragon is up to 10 years.

While not large, they are slightly larger than most seahorses, growing to about 8 to 14 in.

The lobes of skin that grow on the leafy seadragon provide camouflage, giving it the appearance of seaweed.

The leafy seadragon is able to maintain the illusion when swimming, appearing to move through the water like a piece of floating seaweed.

The frond-like appendages and thin body vary on adults from green to yellow-brown to light brown.

It can also change color to blend in, but this ability depends on the seadragon’s diet, age, location, and stress level.

They feed on plankton and tiny crustaceans, which they suck into the end of their long tube-like nose.

The leafy seadragon uses the fins along the side of its head to allow it to steer and turn. However, its outer skin is fairly rigid, limiting mobility.

Individual leafy seadragons have been observed remaining in one location for extended periods of time (up to 68 hours), but will sometimes move for lengthy periods. The tracking of one individual indicated it moved at up to 490 ft per hour.

Leafy seadragons live a largely solitary lifestyle.

The male sea dragon incubates the fertilized eggs joined under his tail. They stay there for about eight weeks until they hatch. The young can look after themselves as soon as they are born.

They are vulnerable when first born, and are slow swimmers, reducing their chance of escaping from a predator. Only about 5% of young survive.

Leafy seadragons are subject to many threats, both natural and man-made. They are caught by collectors, and used in alternative medicine.

The leafy seadragon is classified as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Due to being protected by law, obtaining seadragons is often an expensive and difficult process as they must be from captive bred stock, and exporters must prove their broodstock were caught before collecting restrictions went into effect, or that they had a license to collect seadragon.

Aside from the legalities, leafy seadragons cost between $10,000 and $15,000 a piece, prohibitive to most collectors.

The leafy seadragon’s name is derived from its resemblance to the mythical dragon.

Popularly known as “leafies”, it is the marine emblem of the state of South Australia and a focus for local marine conservation.

It also features in the logos of the following South Australian associations — the Adelaide University Scuba Club Inc. and the Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.

A number of aquaria in the United States have leafy seadragon research programs or displays.

The Hindenburg Disaster

On May 3, 1937, the Hindenburg left Frankfurt, Germany, for a journey across the Atlantic to Lakehurst’s Navy Air Base. Stretching 804 feet from stern to bow, it carried 36 passengers and crew of 61. While attempting to moor at Lakehurst, the airship suddenly burst into flames, probably after a spark ignited its hydrogen core. Rapidly falling 200 feet to the ground, the hull of the airship incinerated within seconds. Thirteen passengers, 21 crewmen, and 1 civilian member of the ground crew lost their lives, and most of the survivors suffered substantial injuries.

Survivors of the Hindenburg disaster far outnumbered the victims.

Anyone who has seen the graphic newsreel video of the Hindenburg plunging to earth in flames may be amazed to know that of the 97 passengers and crew on board, 62 survived. The disaster’s 36 deaths included 13 passengers, 22 crew members and one worker on the ground. Many survivors jumped out of the zeppelin’s windows and ran away as fast as they could.

The Hindenburg disaster wasn’t history’s deadliest airship accident.

Thanks to the iconic film footage and the emotional eyewitness account of radio reporter Herbert Morrison (who uttered the famous words “Oh, the humanity!”), the Hindenburg disaster is the most famous airship accident in history. However, the deadliest incident occurred when the helium-filled USS Akron, a U.S. Navy airship, crashed off the coast of New Jersey in a severe storm on April 4, 1933. Seventy-three men were killed, and only three survived. The 1930 crash of the British military airship R101, which claimed 48 lives, was also deadlier.

The Hindenburg disaster wasn’t broadcast live on radio.

Morrison was on the scene to record the arrival of the Hindenburg for WLS in Chicago, but he wasn’t broadcasting live. His wrenching account would be heard in Chicago later that night, and it was broadcast nationwide the following day. His audio report was synched up with separate newsreel videos in subsequent coverage of the Hindenburg disaster.

U.S. law prevented the Hindenburg from using helium instead of hydrogen, which is flammable.

After the crash of the hydrogen-filled R101, in which most of the crew died in the subsequent fire rather than the impact itself, Hindenburg designer Hugo Eckener sought to use helium, a non-flammable lifting gas. However, the United States, which had a monopoly on the world supply of helium and feared that other countries might use the gas for military purposes, banned its export, and the Hindenburg was reengineered. After the Hindenburg disaster, American public opinion favored the export of helium to Germany for its next great zeppelin, the LZ 130, and the law was amended to allow helium export for nonmilitary use. After the German annexation of Austria in 1938, however, Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes refused to ink the final contract.

The Hindenburg had a smokers’ lounge.

Despite being filled with 7 million cubic feet of highly combustible hydrogen gas, the Hindenburg featured a smoking room. Passengers were unable to bring matches and personal lighters aboard the zeppelin, but they could buy cigarettes and Cuban cigars on board and light up in a room pressurized to prevent any hydrogen from entering. A steward admitted passengers and crew through a double-door airlock into the smokers’ lounge, which had a single electric lighter, and made sure no one left with a lit cigarette or pipe.

A specially designed lightweight piano was made for the Hindenburg.

The Hindenburg’s owners, seeking to outfit their airborne luxury liner, tasked the renowned piano making firm of Julius Blüthner with building a special lightweight baby grand piano to meet the airship’s strict weight standards. The piano, which was made mostly of aluminum alloy and covered in yellow pigskin, weighed less than 400 pounds. It was only used during the Hindenburg’s first flying season, so it wasn’t aboard the ill-fated voyage.

The Hindenburg first took flight on a Nazi propaganda mission.

Although the Hindenburg was in development before the Third Reich came to power, members of the Nazi regime viewed it as a symbol of German might. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels ordered the Hindenburg to make its first public flight in March 1936 as part of a joint 4,100-mile aerial tour of Germany with the Graf Zeppelin to rally support for a referendum ratifying the reoccupation of the Rhineland. For four days, the airships blared patriotic tunes and pro-Hitler announcements from specially mounted loudspeakers, and small parachutes with propaganda leaflets and swastika flags were dropped on German cities. (The referendum, approved by 98.8 percent of Germans, was hardly a squeaker.) Later in 1936 the Hindenburg, sporting Olympic rings on its side and pulling a large Olympic flag behind it, played a starring role at the opening of the Summer Games in Berlin. The airship, which had swastikas emblazoned on its tail fins, was such a symbol of Nazi power that it was subjected to constant bomb threats—including some before its final flight, which led to suspicions of sabotage in the disaster.

Dozens of letters carried aboard the Hindenburg were ultimately delivered.

Zeppelins pioneered airmail service across the Atlantic, and the Hindenburg carried approximately 17,000 pieces of correspondence on its final voyage. Amazingly, 176 pieces stored in a protective container survived the crash and were postmarked four days after the disaster. The pieces, charred but still readable, are among the world’s most valuable philatelic artifacts.

Goebbels wanted to name the Hindenburg for Adolf Hitler.

Eckener, no fan of the Third Reich, named the airship for the late German president Paul von Hindenburg and refused Goebbels’ request to name it after Hitler. The Führer, never enthralled by the great airships in the first place, was ultimately glad that the zeppelin that crashed in a fireball didn’t bear his name.

Source: Christopher Klein @ History.com

Jamaica, Mon

Today is the anniversary of the day that Columbus discovered Jamaica, so I thought I’d bring an article from WeJamaicansBeLike.com on interesting facts about this gorgeous island.

Jamaica is what?

If you thought Jamaica was only about Bob Marley, Reggae Music and lighting up some good herbs, then you’re in for a big surprise when you check out some of these facts below.

As a small nation, Jamaica has a lot of influence in the world and its people are amongst the most progressive. From education, to politics, to entertainment, Jamaica is not only a leader in the Caribbean, but the world.

Here are some interesting facts about Jamaica you may not have known.

On to The Fun Facts About Jamaica

Jamaica is Bananas

If you don’t like bananas, blame Jamaica for it! If you do like bananas, well Jamaica is the reason why. Jamaica was the first country to export bananas establishing a global banana trade. Crop disease and major competition from Central America did the Jamaican banana trade in.

James Bond is Jamaican

On the shores of Ocho Rios, James Bond was born! Ian Flemming then lived in Jamaica when he penned the famous 14 James Bond novels. Jamaica is still home to the Golden Eye Hotel and Resort which began as the luxurious home of Ian Flemming. The novels have inspired 23 James Bond Films, one even with the hotel namesake – Goldeneye from 1995.

More Coffee Please

When you think of Jamaica you think sand and beaches, but many may not think coffee. Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most sought after and expensive coffees on the market.

What is Rastafarian?
Think dreadlocks? Think Jamaica? When people think about Jamaica, they think about the popular deadlock style. Only 2 percent of the Rastafarian population in the world live in Jamaica.

Everybody Say Amen!

Jamaicans are very religious people. Jamaica has the most churches per capita in the world. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Jamaica has over 1,600 “churches.”

Fresh From Abroad
Jamaica’s indigenous people, the Arawaks cultivated corn and yams. The crops we know today like sugar cane, coconut, breadfruit, bamboo, bananas and mangoes are not native to Jamaica. The popular crops were imported at different times in Jamaica’s rich history.

Brrrr, Jamaicans Can Handle the Cold

If you have not seen the movie Cool Running by now you are missing out on comedy gold. The movie is based on the 1988 Jamaican bob sled team. The team was the first tropical country to enter a Winter Olympic event.

Independence and a Queen

Jamaica was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence from the British Commonwealth in 1962. Jamaica had internal self-government years before it became an independent nation. To this day Queen Elizabeth II remains the Queen of Jamaica but by tradition only.

Raise Your Flags High

One of the most recognized flags in the world, the green, yellow and black Jamaican flag is only one of two countries in the world that has no colors in common with the flag of the United States of America. Mauritania, the other country, is green and yellow. The Jamaican flag is recognizable as the two yellow stripes intersect in an X with green filling in the top and bottom and black on either side.

All Aboard

Jamaica was the first country in the Western world to build a railroad, built just 18 years after Britain built theirs.

Blue Mountains and Moons

The Blue Mountains in Jamaica, named for the mist that covers them, are not just ideal for coffee. The mist that covers the mountain peaks appears to be blue. The blue mist also covers the moon making it appear blue. The phrase once in a blue moon does not cover the Blue Mountains as there have been dozen sightings of sapphire colored moons in the past 40 years

Orchids Everywhere

Some people would never think orchids when they think about Jamaica. With over 200 species of Orchids growing wild throughout the island of Jamaica an astounding 73 of the species are unique to Jamaica. With 1,000 species of trees and 500 species of ferns, visitors are pleasantly surprised to know that Jamaica is one of best place to see wild flora and fauna.

GoaLLLLLL

Futbol, football, soccer or whatever you call it, Jamaicans know how to play it! Jamaica is the first team from the English-speaking Caribbean to qualify for World Cup. The Reggae Boyz, as they are fondly known to the world, went on to World Cup soccer finals in France in 1998.

Most Beautiful Women

Many places brag about having the most beautiful women in the world, but Jamaica can brag and have the stats to prove it. Jamaican beautiful women stand strong, as they are the sixth country on the list of countries to win the Miss World titles. With 3 winners and 3 second runners-up, only Venezuela, UK, India, USA and Sweden have more winners. Just the size of Jamaica alone compared to these countries elevates the bragging rights.

I’m Drinking Rum and …

We all know Jamaicans love their rum! They love it so much, and wanted the world to know! Jamaica was the first island in the Caribbean to produce rum on a commercial basis.

Seeing Doubles

The little island Jamaica has more multiple (two or more) live births than anywhere else in the world. Who would have thought Jamaicans were so fertile?

Strong Politics

Jamaica is known for always making a clear stance. Jamaica was the first country to impose economic sanctions against the former apartheid regime of South Africa.

Google It

Jamaica is a great innovator. In 1994 Jamaica was the first country in the Caribbean region to launch a web site! www. jamaicatravel.com was launched in 1994 and took Jamaica to the world!

Mail It In

In 1688 Jamaica was the first British colonial territory to establish a postal service.

Weird Wednesdays

I stumbled upon a collection of truly “weird” homes and I plan on showcasing one of them a month…be prepared! This Weird Wednesday’s offering is called Luna Parc and it’s located in New Jersey. The house and property are not open to the public per se, but they hold tours in the spring to fall if you’re so inclined.

Luna Parc: Psychedelic Wonderland in the Woods

Upon entering the gates to Luna Parc, you are awestruck at the immensity of the project Boscarino has been building in the woods for all these years. The front yard is awash in brilliantly colored sculptures, walls and spires. Everything is encrusted with swirling mosaics of tile, glass, concrete and painted metal.

As we wound our way through the forests and farmlands of the Sussex County countryside, Mark and I wondered why Ricky Boscarino, owner of “Luna Parc,” decided that this remote locale would be the perfect place to create his own unique environment. We’ve visited Luna Parc several times over the past dozen years or so and it is always a thrill to see just how much it has continued to grow in new and fascinating ways with each visit we make. And it is always a real pleasure meeting Ricky, the mastermind behind this environmental madness.

Ricky, the proud creator of this unique home, is friendly and easy-going and always willing to give us a tour of the newest additions he has made to his one-of-a-kind-eastate in progress. We asked him how he first found the property.

“I grew up in Piscataway and I used to go to summer camp at Stokes, so I kinda knew the area a little. I started a jewelry business in 1986 and I was looking for a place of my own. I really just stumbled upon this place after pounding the pavement for about two years. It was an old hunting lodge, and the family that owned it hadn’t even been here for about ten years.”

“Structurally it was fine, but it had to be rewired, etc. I should have knocked it down, but I needed a place to live! As soon as I walked up the driveway, I knew I would be here the rest of my life. My first vision was the round window. I started ripping shit out of the house from day one, and it’s been non-stop. Everything started to radiate from the house.”

The house is surrounded inside and out by whimsical multi-media art projects in various states of completion. Most are made entirely by Ricky’s own hands out of found objects, such as glass bottles, yardsticks, corks, bottle caps, stones, and other collected or donated materials. One of the outlying buildings in the front yard is a hut fashioned from thousands of brilliant blue glass bottles.

“Some are the Sky Vodka bottles and others are Arizona iced tea,” Ricky told us while scrounging through the pile recyclables. “Whenever I have an event here, I always get donations of various stuff I ask for. This project will be made entirely of blue glass bottles, which are the hardest to come by. I originally estimated I’d need 1,500 bottles to complete it, but now it looks like I’ll need about 3,000. And I didn’t drink even one of them!”

The 5-acre property is covered with an array of eclectic buildings and displays. A walk through the back property reveals more work-in-progress spread out amongst the trees and shrubbery. Walking amidst the trees and scattered sculptures, old movie set props and odd junk yard finds, we come to a chapel that Ricky has built as an homage to his grandfather, who, Ricky told us, once witnessed a miracle in Sicily.

“That’s where the crutches come in,” said Ricky, pointing to a dozen crutches leaning against a tree. “Kind of like ‘Catholic kitsch.’”

What we came across next were hundreds of empty Mrs. Butterworth glass bottles set into concrete blocks.

“This is going to be a nine-foot replica of Mrs. Butterworth built out of blocks which will be illuminated from the inside. Actually it’s almost better describing what its going to look like than what it might end up to be!”

In the middle of all of this material madness is Ricky’s studio, where he creates his finer pieces of jewelry and pottery, which he sells at art shows throughout the year.

“I do get a lot of visitors, but the place is not open to the public. I have an open house once in a while to sell the jewelry, which can be described as eclectic and fun, and people respond well to it. People get to walk through the property. This woman left a message on my machine today saying ‘I’ve got to come for my soul.’ What do you say to that?”

Standing amongst all the half-finished projects and piles of miscellaneous (but organized) clutter, we asked the question: “Where do you get all this stuff from?”

“I’m constantly scouring the area. I put the word out if I need stuff. Like in the kitchen, I covered the walls with corks. I just asked if anyone had any corks! Now I’ve created a monster and I don’t know what to do with all this stuff. They have a good dump here in the area. It’s not like an urban dump, which I guess would be more interesting, but there’s plenty of things to scavenge.”

And scavenge he does, like many of New Jersey’s visionaries who create a unique environment around themselves. We asked Ricky if he had a master plan, or message he’s trying to convey with Luna Parc.

“My master plan is to not have a master plan, which keeps me open. It’s all about ‘layering.’ I can take something down and improve on it, or move it around or add to it. There are no mistakes, that’s the magic of it. Things will always change. People have this misconception of the end product. If it starts to deviate from the original idea, they get frustrated. That’s the magic of creating stuff, that things do evolve.”

So, how do you balance your work for hire and your work on your house, which takes priority?

“The house definitely takes priority. I’m very fortunate that the business is successful and takes care of everything. It gives me the freedom to do all this. I spend way too much time working on the property.”

Inside the house, the art gets a little more intricate. Some rooms resemble a thrift store or museum, including collections of antique stringed instruments, taxidermied animals and strange religious artifacts. Ricky’s artwork is omnipresent, giving the place a feeling of controlled chaos. The bathroom, complete with a toilet, bode, urinal and oversized tub, is tiled from floor to ceiling in a swirl or patterns and textures, with a stream of running water trickling down through pastel colored gravy boats. The house, which started as a small hunter’s cabin, has grown into a vast labyrinth of stairways, hidden room and lookout towers, all decorated with Ricky’s own visionary artwork. There are self-portraits and paintings of Ricky’s friends on every wall. It is almost inconceivable that one man could produce such an extensive body of creative output in a single lifetime. We don’t really have any idea how he does it, but we are very thankful for the fact that he does, and we are certain that he will continue to amuse and fascinate us well into the future.

“I plan to live to be 100 and it’s my intention to see that Luna Parc is secure and safe.” Ricky told us. “I also plan to haunt the place after I die. I’m planning on building my mausoleum in the back.”

Luna Parc is a private home not open to the public other than by invitation. If you’d like to take the cyber tour of the property, you can visit www.lunaparc.com.

SOURCE: Mark and Mark August 26, 2012 1 @ weirdnj.com

What Shall We Bake Today?

Today’s offering is Pecan Browned Butter Coffee Cake! This cake takes a little bit of prep, but it is oh-so-delicious!!

Ingredients

¾ cup butter

2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted*

2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoon all-purpose flour

3 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cup plain yogurt

Coffee Icing

5 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to cook, without stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes or until butter becomes brown and fragrant. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside.

For filling, in a bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the pecans, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, and the 2 teaspoons flour. Add 3 tablespoons of the browned butter and work in with fingers or a fork until mixture is crumbly; set aside. In another bowl, stir together the 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat remaining browned butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add remaining 1- 1/2 cups brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until combined. Stir in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and yogurt to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in the remaining 1-1/4 cups pecans. Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle evenly with filling. Spoon remaining batter over filling, spreading to cover.

Bake about 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Drizzle with Coffee Icing.

Coffee Icing:

In a bowl, stir together 4 teaspoons milk and instant coffee crystals until dissolved. Stir in powdered sugar and enough additional milk (1 to 2 teaspoons) to make a drizzling consistency.

*Toast the pecans before you finely chop them.

Wait in the Truck

Every once in a while, a song comes along that just moves you. Maybe it appeals to your patriotic side—like Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA”.

Or maybe a song just makes you want to get up and dance—like Josh Turner’s “Why Don’t We Just Dance?”

Or maybe the song has a deeper more profound effect. “Wait in the Truck” by Hardy and Lainey Wilson has that effect on me. The premise of the story is a man driving in an unfamiliar town who comes upon a “broken” woman in the road. He can tell what she’s been through so he merely asks, “where is he?” The woman responds and he delivers what he believes to be justice. Then he doesn’t run, doesn’t try to hide from what he’s done, he just calls the police and waits for them to come.

Lainey tells the woman’s side in the song:

I don’t know if he’s an angel
‘Cause angels don’t do what he did
He was hellbent to find the man behind
All the whiskey scars I hid
I never thought my day of justice
Would come from a judge under a seat
But I knew right then I’d never get hit again
When he said to me

Wait in the truck
Just wait in the truck

The story continues that he’s been in prison for 5 years and she still comes to see him from time to time. He accepts his fate—says it was worth it to see a brighter side of the girl from that night. But what moves me so much is his pleadings with God to have MERCY on him. He doesn’t ask for forgiveness (in my opinion) because he thinks what he did was unforgivable. Instead, he asks for mercy. He took a stand, giving up his life essentially to save another and then takes responsibility for that action.

I do not advocate for vigilante justice. But being a victim of spousal abuse, I can relate. It was settled long ago, by his own hand. Thankfully I do not need to live in fear that he would ever find me again…others are not so fortunate.