I'll be Bach

I'll be off line for a few weeks ... ciao .

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OneStonedCrow's Stoned House

OneStonedCrow Pics
These are a few shots of the house I'm building.

I use rock which I drag off a hill about 5k's away. The smaller shiny rocks - I call them "magic rocks" - I collected in southern Namibia.

I do all of the work myself so it's taking a very long time and I've been at it, off-and-on, for about ten years now.

I'll probably never complete it in my lifetime and I hope my kids will carry on where I leave off ... :)

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Who Are You?

Credit: Grace Slick

Who Are You?
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The Worst Invention Ever?

The Worst Invention Ever?
Nah, poor doggie - but it might work for a mother in law - if a nosebag is included ...

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Dolerite Dykes

OneStonedCrow PicsAs opposed to basalt, which emerges as lava on the earth's surface, the occurrence of dolerite is connected to magmatic dykes in which the melts solidify below the surface and are only exposed by weathering processes.

Dolerites mostly occur as single dykes. If however, they crosscut the surrounding rocks in large numbers they are called dolerite swarms.

This dolerite swarm is part of the so-called 'Giant's Playground' east of
Keetmanshoop in southern Namibia. It penetrated into the upper parts of the earth's surface about 180 million years ago and it's formation is associated with the initial break up of the Gondwana Continent.Text source: Namibia Fascination of Geology - Nicole Grunert

The strange looking trees in the pics are Quiver trees(Aloe dichotoma).
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Horned Adder - Bitis caudalis

OneStonedCrow Pics
HORNED ADDER
Bitis caudalis
I often encounter these well-camouflaged snakes when walking in the desert at dusk, the time that they're most active. Adults average between 25 and 40cm long; they eat small lizards, rodents, birds and frogs. The Horned Adder's name is self-descriptive.

Their venom is mildly cytotoxic,(tissue destroying), causing swelling and much pain, accompanied by shock and local necrosis but has not been known to be fatal.

With reference to the two lower pics, a friend returned from a walk in the desert and told me she'd seen a snake. When I went to investigate, I found that it had just given birth. I counted five babies who were just escaping from their egg-like sacs. Mama was not very happy to have me around,(center pic), so I snapped a few photos and retreated in case I stepped on one - as you can see, they blend in very well with the sand.

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Bernard Ndichu Njuguna - Kenyan Artist

Njuguna
"Our earliest childhood memories are carried with us and shape our life journeys. Ndichu Njuguna grew up in central highlands of Kenya surrounded by scenic landscapes and greenery. Moving narratives from his mother and observing his dad prepare art lesson schemes for teacher's college where he taught, were his earliest exposure to art. These childhood scenes have shaped and provided inspiration for his paintings."

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More Things That Bug Me

Scorpion
There are many species of scorpion in Namibia, some dangerous, others not. This one I photographed in the desert, it is one of the highly venomous types. As a rule, scorpions with small pincers and thick tails are regarded as dangerous and, those with large pincers and thin tails, less so. I've been stung by a non-dangerous scorpion once and I tell you, it burns like hell for a few hours ...




Koringkriek
It's difficult to find anything to like about these creatures, they appear in their zillions during summertime and destroy crops and other vegetation. They're cannibalistic; thousands are squashed on the roads and their buddies promptly gather around and start eating the dead ones. I don't know what their English name is but, directly translated from Afrikaans, 'Koringkriek' means 'Corn Cricket'.




Giant African Millipede
We get some giant specimens here as can be seen from the photo, ... the cigarette lighter is about 8cm long. They appear after good rains and nothing seems to eat them.



OneStonedCrow Pics
Flightless Wasp
These creatures are quite distinctive and pack a nasty sting, I was zapped by one a while ago and two days later my toe was still burning. I've been told, (but never tested it out myself), that you can determine the sex of a Flightless Wasp by pressing a straw across the body behind the back legs, ... apparently the male 'screams'.

Here are some more Bugs from my World.

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Ethiopia - Omo Tribes Body Painting

'In the confines of Ethiopia in Africa, centuries away from modernity, Hans Sylvester photographed during six years the tribes where men, women, children, old people, are geniuses of an ancient art, body painting.

The Omo Tribes are genius of body painting, and their bodies of two metres high is a huge canvas.'

Wow! ... beautiful people and a great set of images - see more here.

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On The Road in Namibia

Tropic Of Capricorn

In my travels in Namibia, I pass this sign every two months. The main highway crosses the tropic about 14km south of a small town named Rehoboth. It is a popular photo-op stop for tourists, hence the rubbish bin.




Dust Devil

I guess Dust Devils are similar to tornadoes but without the latters' destructive power, they form from the ground upwards. They are quite scary sometimes; they can lift the roofs off houses and if you drive through one your car gets buffeted around quite a bit and becomes difficult to control. In the pic, two faint, smaller dust devils can be seen forming on either side of the main one.





OnestonedCrow Pics
Karosse

"Karosse" are mats, wall hangings and other curios made mainly from the skins of springbuck and sheep. The people who make them are Nama subsistence farmers and they have their stalls along a 10km stretch of road in the south of Namibia. Because trading is not allowed on the road verges, they erect stalls, (mainly for shade), on the other side of the fence but hang their wares on the wire to attract passing motorists.

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Designs by Bold

"These 'designs by Bold' (as the illustrations are credited on the title page) can be found in Walter de la Mare's Broomsticks & Other Stories (Constable, 1925), a collection of supernatural stories for children."

More illustrations by Bold here and here.

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The Namib Desert Coast

The Namib Desert Coast
The film focuses on Namibia's 1 570km stretch of coastline as a fascinating place, rich in history and biodiversity; worth exploring and learning more about, and certainly worth protecting.

It highlights the fact that the coast is also home to human settlements and industries such as mining, fishing and tourism that contribute significantly to the nation's economy.

"Increasing human pressures over the past years highlight the urgent need for sound coastal planning and management to ensure sustainable and optimal use of coastal areas and their resources for future generations," a synopsis of the film states. "Now is the time for all Namibians and visitors to rally together to conserve and use wisely our unique coastal and marine environment."

This film presents the beauty, diversity and resources of the coastal environment and encourages the man on the street, businesses and Government to become `Coastodians'.


Part One


Part Two


Part Three
An excellent 3-part video on Namibia's fragile desert coastal environment. I hope this motivates some of you guys to visit Nam ... oops, somehow I've managed to post this twice ... oh well ...

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A tribute to Geoffrey Grahn

Geoffrey Grahn
A tribute to Geoffrey Grahn on Drawger.

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Seagull And Fishing Boat

OneStonedCrow Pic
Seagull and Fishing Boat in the Mist
Luderitz, Namibia
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Wiz Kudowor - Ghanaian Artist

Earth Spirits III


Love Cocoon
Wiz Kudowor
Wisdom 'Wiz' Kudowor is currently one of Ghana's most respected and applauded contemporary artists.

Wiz studied at the College of Art, University of Science and Technology, Ghana. He graduated in 1981 with a first class honours degree in fine art.

He has designed and executed public works in Ghana including a relief mural at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. His works are widely held in both and public collections worldwide.

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The Desert In Flower - Part 1

OneStonedCrow Pics
In 2006 the southern part of Namibia received unusually good rains. A few weeks later the desert burst into a colorful spectacle - old-timers from this area said that it was the first time in their lifetimes that they had seen such a display.

More pics here.

Related Posts:

The Desert In Flower - Part 2
The Desert In Flower - Part 3

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Calaveras: macabre Mexican skeleton prints produced for the Day of the Dead

Calaveras: macabre Mexican skeleton prints produced for the Day of the Dead
"Calaveras (Spanish for skulls) are produced in Mexico every year for the Day of the Dead (November 1 and 2). Works made by celebrated Mexican printmakers Manuel Manilla (1830-1895) and JG Posada (1852-1913) have been collected into a book published by Redstone Press to coincide with the opening of two major exhibitions of Mexican art at the British Museum."

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An Unforgotten Act Of Kindness

In 1970, long-haired, with backpack and guitar, I was hitch hiking through South Africa.

At one time I got stuck in a very conservative farming community where the occupants of the few cars that passed would show rude signs and hurl insults at me; ugly kids would pull faces and stick out their tongues from the rear windows.

I had been waiting for hours in the blazing sun when a farmer stopped and said I could ride on the back of his pickup truck. Relieved, I clambered aboard and after about half an hour he suddenly stopped and indicated that I should alight because he was turning off to his farm.

So there I was, in the middle of nowhere, flatness extending from horizon to horizon; no water or food, sun beating down relentlessly and not a shady tree in sight.

I decided that the only way to save myself was to start walking and after an hour or so, I came upon a corrugated iron shack. Feeling desperate, I approached the hovel and I could see that the occupants were living in abject poverty; they had nothing but the basics.

I greeted and asked them for some water. I was surprised when, after a few minutes, a ragged woman emerged from the shack and gave me not only a bottle of milk to drink, but also a bowl of maize porridge.

That was probably one of the most satisfying meals I've had in my life.

Before leaving, I offered them the few coins I had in my pocket but they refused to take them.

I will never forget this act of kindness from people who had virtually nothing, but who were so willing to share what little they had with a stranger.

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Tortoise Roadsign

OneStonedcrow Pic
Western Cape - South Africa

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Scenes From The Richtersveld

Crossing the Orange River from Namibia into South Africa at Sendelingsdrift.












OneStonedCrow Pics
Campfire on the banks of the Orange River near sunset.

More on the Richtersveld here.
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