Elephants, Tigers a Camel

Friends came over to hear about our trip to India. Oh boy, holiday snapshots!

Show and tell. At least you can put the photos on the computer as a slide show

with the Ken Burns effect --minus the mopey music

and chat through the whole thing.

Oddly, we didn't buy too much in India but were charmed

 by the wooden elephant and tiger above.

Their heads and tails bob up and down when you circle a little wooden ball.

Four year old twins of our acquaintance here they come.

Do not let Danny-Patty (little brother) eat them as the paint is sure to be toxic.

This painting is even smaller than shown here and shows a pretty typical family

both in elephant and real worlds.  Parents locked together

 in affection or combat --or both. One child hanging out with Mom and Dad

the other off in search of adventure.....

Obviously, I am a complete sucker for images elephants. 

These nice pink ones run round on soft light cotton.

 

These green ones trot round the corner of an enormous piece of fabric

 which could be a table cloth or even a bedspread.

 

Elephant silk scarf sent to daughter -- but the little camel is lovely too.

English Shop and Animals

Myers of Keswick in the West Village is quite an anomaly.
An utterly English village shop - circa 1956. Its main clientele are ex-pat Brits who crave Marmite, PG Tips, Weetabix and Ribena.
All awful staples of remembered English food which we buy, not particularly because of their wonderful taste, but because they remind us of childhood when such tastes are formed.



Note the patriotic tea towels and center stage display of Heinz baked beans. It is within walking distance of our apartment. I forgot to replenish our supply of Branston Pickles so an other trip is in order.



Right next door to Myers is a rather chic children's shop. Note striped camels.



Walking home along 9th Avenue, I see roosters in the window of the crepe cafe.

Zoo

I did not go to the zoo. As you know, I'm quite happy for my family to pinch-hit for me.
While I was left dealing with livestock in Chelsea (see previous entry) Robert went to the Bronx with his brother.
He brought me a very nice pencil back.......and lots of photos.
Flamingos............



A rather wonderful gila monster in a very fancy 'costume' - -pronounce in the French fashion. His arm is amazing.


The giraffe looks pale because he was in the distance.
R. said its skin, and the skin of the zebra below, were so lovely you could see why they are valuable. Which makes them very vulnerable in the wild.
However, R. wasn't convinced the north Bronx is where they would most want to be.




These are extremely clean camels, rather different from the ones on the beach in Essouira.
No fleas on Faisel. They are freshly groomed, shampooed and trimmed.
Robert hardly recognized them as camels at all.
He thought they were dark brown and here they were 'camel' colored.
They had little saddles and carried children around and didn't spit at them once.