Turned to solid stone

I must confess that our Pekingese is a good dog, 99% of his waking time. Dr. Eliot Porter or simply Porter to family (friends?) is a typical Peke. This photo isn't a perfect likeness but it comes close. This stone statue sits proudly in front of a Chinese restaurant on North Dale Mabry. It was a very busy parking lot at noon hour as I tried my darnedest to get one shot of this figure. It’s pretty big, probably 4-feet tall without its base, and very detailed. Called the Foo Dog or Fu Dog, it was created in ancient China using dogs like our Peke. They are the ancient sacred dogs of Asia who guard Buddhist temples. They were made to represent what the Chinese thought a lion looked like. Because at that time the Chinese had never seen an actual lion, they looked to the closest animal in the palace that they thought from descriptions must be close – the Pekingese, also called Lion Dogs, the fearsome canine creatures running through the palace and entertaining royals.

As I twice wrote about our dog Porter in the past (he complained once that he’d never been featured in the blog, HERE, and proudly (?) wearing his yellow rain slicker during a Florida downpour, HERE), they are independent little dogs, assertive and very stubborn. They have a strong sense of territory and will protect it against all threats (that includes adorable Halloween trick-or-treaters, mailmen, UPS deliverymen and neighbors looking for a glass of wine.) After their initial fury and bearing of ferocious teeth, they become itty-bitty babies who sleep away most of their day. But stubborn and bull-headed? Oh, yes.

It struck me as I pondered the ancient transition of these lovable imperial household pets into huge lion-like statues, that it is possible, even likely, that in some period in Chinese history that smart and brave Peke keepers would sternly warn the herd that if they grew too bullish, misbehaved or snippy (I wonder how to say that word in Chinese) that they would be turned into stone. That’s it. I’d had a Eureka moment. It became abundantly clear that my frustration at times trying to argue with our too-smart for his britches, pint-sized Peke - you know, an intelligent and all-too-human conversation with an imperial dog whose ancestors were all raised in palaces from Peking to London – might result in his transformation into a statue standing guard outside a Chinese eating establishment. Do you think that the next time he stops dead in his tracks and absolutely refuses to budge a centimeter, and gives a look of utter disdain, that I should pull out a photo of this stone Foo Dog? I could fire a stern, verbal warning shot over his head (which wouldn’t be hard to do at 10-inches off the pavement) he’d realize his mistake and stop pretending to be a 1,500 lb. water buffalo?? I’m considering my course of action. The next time he acts like a member of an imperial household, I may mush his face up to my computer screen and show him, SHOW HIM, this stone statue. Yep, that’ll change his ways.

As to rumors that he has taken to riding on a Golden Retriever with a custom leather and silk saddle, well, I ask you, where’s the proof?

I am so pleased to welcome
a new followers to Tampa Daily Photo.
Sumedang Daily Photo provides a fascinating window into the colorful world of Indonesia. Be sure and visit his site for an intimate glimpse at the people and places of his homeland. HERE

Playhouse or Fort? How do you see it?

This is a well-designed and well-constructed miniature house. It's as solid as the real thing and at a distance, could pass for full-size. But, if you were to come upon it as a child of say 8-10 years old, would you call it a dollhouse, playhouse or a fort? As a kid I had treehouses in some pretty cool places - which I called forts: in a really good tree in some swampy bit of land in South Carolina (I can't believe we actually nailed boards to the tree to use as a ladder but it worked; behind an abandoned one-room schoolhouse with two cloakrooms - boys and girls couldn't take off their coats in the same room I guess - in the wind-swept open plains of Nebraska (fell out of that one in my Sunday clothes...not pretty); and my proudest achievement, a fort behind the house in Virginia. (Military brats tend to move around some; it improves and hones our fort-building skills.) My fort in Virginia had windows with screens, a front door and back doors, shingles and was sturdy enough to stand on (to fend off attackers.) It was my favorite and the one I put the most thought into. (It was warm and fun even in the snow and could hold a good size army of friends.) The last was the one my folks put the most money into supplying me with "building materials."

Never did I call it a playhouse...certainly not a dollhouse. I admit it did not look as perfect as this example with its fancy porch railings, shutters and a mailbox. The question is, is it the difference between how boys and girls are raised? Would any young girl spot this and think, "Wow, close the shutters, I must defend my fort from marauding hoards of neighborhood kids." Would a boy think, "I hope there's room for my car models and train in my playhouse."

Names aside, this was a superbly built little house...it even had a ladder inside leading to a loft. Can you imagine? A loft. (Now, my forts never had lofts.)

WELCOME Joy Brasington of Joy in the Burbs , a new follower. Joy was born and raised in Tampa and moved away to The Woodlands, Texas, north of Houston. She found Tampa DP and my post on Sacred Heart Catholic Church and commented on how beautiful it is...and it is!. Do visit her blog; her post on simply raising her hand and volunteering is funny, real-life and so familiar to many of us.

Watery Wednesday #58: Welcome

The Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) is the most common and largest of the North American herons. They wade along the shallows as this one is on the shore of Hillsborough Bay. According to National Geographic, “They are expert fishers. Herons snare their aquatic prey by walking slowly, or standing still for long periods of time and waiting for fish to come within range of their long necks and blade-like bills. The deathblow is delivered with a quick thrust of the sharp bill, and the prey is swallowed whole. Great blue herons have been known to choke to death by attempting to swallow fish too large for their long, S-shaped necks. Though they are best known as fishers, mice constitute a large part of their diet, and they also eat insects and other small creatures." They stand quite tall, 3.2 to 4.5 feet (1 to 1.4 meters) - this one was about 4 feet - and have a wingspan of 5.5 to 6.6 feet (1.7 to 2 meters.) They can fly along at 20 to 30 miles per hour.

Click HERE to see other wet and Watery Wednesday images from around the world.

I am so pleased to welcome
three new followers to
Tampa Daily Photo.
Be sure and visit all four of their sites.

Rebecca Sexton Larson of Tampa is a very fine and accomplished studio artist and photographer. She is represented in several major private collections and museums throughout the United States. Visit her@ http://boxfotos.blogspot.com/
Lynda from Scotland @ http://slowgrowinginscotland.blogspot.com/ and http://occasionalscotland.blogspot.com/ and Sulo Heinola from Finland @ http://sulo-heinola.blogspot.com/

The French got it right: Raise your glass to the Citroën 2CV

This was the scene this weekend at the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival in Lakeland where almost 30,000 attendees enjoyed seeing hundreds of examples of the world's automotive manufacturers past and present. Some of the best known makes and models were proudly displayed alongside the rare and obscure. From the antique to the brand new, there was a car or two to fit everyone's needs and tastes for age, design, raw speed, luxury or utilitarian use. The world's grandest marques were side-by-side with car badges unknown and long lost to consumer history. They were all here from the just plain interested out enjoying the perfect fall weather and the show's lake setting to the serious collector. In some cases, such as the incredible collection of Chrysler Maseratis, clubs and their prize vehicles were extremely well represented. This picnic setting, complete with authentic French tablecloth, basket, wines, meats and cheese, was the perfect compliment to the colorful little car the owners had brought for our enjoyment. Their 1985 Citroën 2CV Dolly, a special edition of the extremely popular car, was glowing as it sat basking in the reflections off the water of the lake. During a production run of 42 years, between 1948 and 1990, 3,872,583 of these cars were produced in France and later, in Portugal. Your trip to France is not complete until a 2CV whisks past you on the street. It screams you are in France!

I want to WELCOME Lucy Corrander, a new follower
of Tampa DP. She has a very interesting and must-see photoblog at Pictures just Pictures, and hails from Dorset in the UK. Dorset is one of the most rural counties of England. It is situated on the south coast between Devon and Hampshire.
Do visit Lucy. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised and become a big fan of her images.
It is a fascinating part of our world.

WELCOME

WELCOME Sunny.

I am so glad you found me again.

Sunny has the most wonderful blog, Barnyards and Barnacles, that I recommend you visit often. (Sunny had been following me at Tampa Bay Daily Photo so when I stopped posting there in August to concentrate on Tampa Daily Photo and Tampa Florida Photo, she thought she'd lost me.) Born in Cornwall, England, Sunny has made Massachusetts her home and through her blog she takes us on a journey through her America. From luscious, colorful scenes of covered bridges in Vermont to barnyard animals, to the rolling, rock-walled fields and rolling hills of Massachusetts, you will enjoy her view of New England and other stops on her personal journey. I especially like her old barns and covered bridges. Go meet Sunny.