Birds of a Feather

Last December my family and I visited Zoo Atlanta.  Besides the lovable Pandas, Zoo Atlanta has a wonderful collection of Birds from all over the world. Many are behind wire fences which make it difficult to photograph but sometimes you get lucky and snag a great picture of these awesome creatures. 

White Peacock

Besides the India Blue, whites are the most well known peafowl type to non-enthusiasts. Contrary to popular belief, whites are not albinos, because their eyes are blue, not pink.

Cassowary

The cassowary (genus Casuarius) is a very large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia.  The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu.

Eagle Owl

Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds though a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands. Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament.

Blue Crane

The Blue Crane is the national bird of South Africa. It is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, but is fairly small by the standards of the crane family.

I really should pay more attention to the names of the birds that I am shooting but I get so excited I forget to follow up with researching the different species that my camera captures. Below are a few more birds from Zoo Atlanta:

Green with Envy

The word green is closely related to the Old English verb growan, “to grow”. It is used to describe plants or the ocean. The first recorded use of green as a color name in English was in 700.

In many folklores and literatures, green has traditionally been used to symbolize nature and its embodied attributes, namely those of life, fertility, and rebirth. Green was symbolic of resurrection and immortality in Ancient Egypt; the god Osiris was depicted as green-skinned.

Culturally, green has broad and sometimes contradictory meanings. In some cultures, green symbolizes hope and growth, while in others, it is associated with death, sickness, envy, or the devil.

Green is thought to be an unlucky color in British and British-derived cultures, where green cars, wedding dresses, and theater costumes are all the objects of superstition.

Frogs often appear green because light reflects off of a blue underlayer of chemicals and through a yellow upperlayer, filtering the light to be primarily green.

By far the largest contributor to green in nature is chlorophyll, the chemical by which plants photosynthesize. Many creatures have adapted to their green environments by taking on a green hue themselves as camouflage.

Green is also known to have signified witchcraft, devilry and evil for its association with faeries and spirits of early English folklore. It also had an association with decay and toxicity.

Green has become the symbolic color of environmentalism, chosen for its association with nature, health, and growth.

In Ireland and Scotland especially, green is used to represent Catholics, while orange is used to represent Protestantism.

Green is one of the Christmas colors as well, possibly dating back to pre-Christian times, when evergreens were worshiped for their ability to maintain their color through the winter season. Romans used green holly and evergreen as decorations for their winter solstice celebration called Saturnalia, which eventually evolved into a Christmas celebration.

Green is considered the traditional color of Islam. Muhammad is reliably quoted in a hadith as saying that "water, greenery, and a beautiful face" were three universally good things.

Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?
Ray Kroc

life.less

Last night, Villain Pictures held a Private Cast and Crew screening of their  film "life.less" at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center.

 Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center

Writer/Producer/Director, Robinson Vil

Vil tells real stories that the average person can identify with, which has led to his writing, producing and directing “life.less” (2010), a story based on actual events that have happened and are happening right now.

SYNOPSIS:  Myong-hee (JENNIFER SUN BELL) has been betrayed at an early age by the men closest to her. In her early teens, the physical, emotional and mental abuse escalate to unimaginable proportion, which prompts her decision to run away from home (her safe haven, supposedly) and inadvertently finds herself in greater danger on the streets of Atlanta. She must now fight for her life and sanity and decide how her life will end, a victim or a survivor?

 Kitchen Scene

My draperies were used on the set in Myong-hee's parents house. In the kitchen I chose a swag treatment with tassel trim to fit in the bay. 

Myong-hee's Bedroom

A taupe and black plaid was chosen for Myong-hee's bedroom. 

Another behind the scenes shot 

My friend Cassandra Layne was the set designer for the Parent's house, she gave me the opportunity to help on this project. 

William West, Robinson Vil (Writer/Producer/Director), and Cassandra Layne (Set Designer)

The Cast 

Jennifer Sun Bell speaking about her experience while filming life.less

 The night was a lot of fun! The movie was really amazing and really moved those in attendance. There is hopes that the film will be picked up by the Sundance Film Festival.   

Visit the official website:  life.less the movie where you can read more about the project, view the official trailer, and the "Fly Away" music video from the soundtrack.

A Ladies Touch

My Drapery Work was Featured in Atlanta Magazine's Home

The spread features the home of Anna Griffen

Silk drapery panels embellished with tassel trim.(above)

View into the Dining Room from the Foyer

The Master Bedroom - The Canopy is actually screwed into the ceiling!

Stationary Designer Anna Griffen

Anna's Georgette Christmas collection

A view of the Living Room

Heavy Damask draperies embellished with antique wood bead trim. 

Corona and Bed hanging w/Sashes in the Guest Bedroom 

Fort Macon

Parade Ground

Located on Bogue Banks near Atlantic Beach, the Fort Macon State Park park opened in 1936. Fort Macon State Park is the second most visited state park in North Carolina, with an annual visitation of 1.3 million, despite being the third smallest park in North Carolina with 389 acres.

Five-sided Fort Macon is constructed of brick and stone. It was named after North Carolina's eminent statesman of the period, Nathaniel Macon.

 View from the sally port

Looking through the main entrance known as the sally port. Directly ahead is the inner court known as the parade ground. On either side of the parade are vaulted rooms known as casemates.

Construction of the present fort began in 1826 and lasted eight years. The fort was completed in December, 1834.

Window looking out to the inner court.

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, and only two days elapsed before local North Carolina militia forces from Beaufort arrived to seize the fort for the state of North Carolina and the Confederacy.

Great view of the inner wall construction

Fort Macon was designed by Brig. Gen. Simon Bernard and built by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Casemate

Twenty-six vaulted rooms (also called casemates) are enclosed by outer walls that average 4 1/2 feet thick.

Ditch and Moat

The total cost of the fort was $463,790.

Civil War ration storage room

 Kitchen and Mess Hall 

The Fort Macon Flag

After seizing Fort Macon in April 1861, Confederate soldiers lacked a suitable Confederate flag. To solve the problem, they recycled the fort's old 20-foot by 36-foot U.S. garrison flag. The old "Stars and Stripes" was taken apart, then sewn back together to create the first national flag of the Confederacy. This flag, known as the "Stars and Bars," had three broad red-whit-red bars. Enough stars were left on the flag to represent the Confederate states; extra stars were simply cut out.

At the outbreak of World War II, the US Army leased the park from the state and actively manned the old fort with Coast Artillery troops to protect a number of important nearby facilities.

The fort was occupied from December, 1941, to November, 1944.

On October 1, 1946, the Army returned the fort and the park to the state.

Sage Advise.