Lost and Found for Love

Broken hearted? Perhaps you’ll find some relief at The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. The museum displays more than 700 items donated by a world-wide group of anonymous ex-lovers. Check  it out on the BBC website.

Ancient mammals return

Around one and a half million years ago, mammoths crossed into North America from Asia. In more recent times, a bulldozer operator uncovered the skeleton of a young Columbian mammoth. The operator was working on a project for the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District when he discovered the skeleton on October 14. After the operator retrieved a quarter of the skeleton, the bones were cleaned and displayed at the District’s office in Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado.

Personnel from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science began their excavation of the site on November 2. Since that time they have uncovered skeletons of mammoths, mastodons, deer, bison and other mammals thought to have lived between 12,000 and 16,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. The excavation site, intended as an expansion of Ziegler Reservoir, was a lakebed in ancient times.

As snow continues to fall in the high country, the excavation will be shut down for the winter. Good skiing conditions are poor conditions for excavating ancient mammals. Bones excavated to date will be transported to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for storage. Special care is required to prevent the bones from shattering as they dry.

Garden visitors

The Denver Botanic Gardens plays host to interesting guests. Last year dinosaurs visited. Right now, you’ll find Henry Moore sculptures. They’ll be on exhibit until the end of January. I had the opportunity to visit the gardens tonight. Night lighting accentuates contrasts, lending the sculptures a starker appearance than they have when seen in daylight.

The recently renovated Marnie’s Pavilion has re-opened, along with the new Orangery and greenhouses. The pavilion displays orchids and other plants in a near-natural setting. On the second floor, jets of mist bath the botany, reminding visitors of gentle rains. 

Moving Water

Water is the theme on display at the Art Students League of Denver until December 20. The exhibit features mixed media work by 42 of the league’s members, faculty and students.

Water in motion is strikingly captured three of the works. Leona Lazar puts water in motion with her ceramic fountain, titled, “Pools.” Beth Eller and Jan Burch use oil to make water move on canvas.

As Burch’s “Koi” swim, the water around them ripples. Life cannot be separated from the environment which sustains it. The two are one.

Eller depicts drops hitting water in her “Rain Shadows.” Her painting also depicts the water’s displacement as if viewed through narrow panes of glass.

The exhibit explores a common theme without tiring its viewers. Each artist on exhibit brings a unique viewpoint to the overall water theme.

Taiwan Folk Arts Museum

The Taiwan Folk Arts Museum was once the Koyama Hotel and Hot Spring. It also served as a Japanese officer’s club during the Second World War. Today the building and grounds have been restored to pristine condition and serve as beautiful examples of early twentieth century Japanese architecture.

The attractive two story structure hosts revolving folk art themed exhibits. We viewed a collection of embroidered baby carriers from southwest China. The mothers who made these carriers believed that the carriers took on aspects of her child’s spirit through long use. After the babies had outgrown them, mothers kept the carriers to remind themselves of the babies they’d raised. As treasured heirlooms, these carriers were rarely sold, but if sold, the ornamentation was generally removed prior to the sale. The fancy embroidery and trim was intact on the rare carriers displayed in this exhibit.

The Taiwan Folk Arts Museum is located at 32 Youya Road, in Taipei’s Beitou District. The 230 bus can take you there from either the Beitou or Xinbetou MRT stations. Their phone number is 2891-2318.

Other attractions within walking distance include: the eerie view at Hell (or Thermal) Valley, the historic Beitou Hot Springs Museum, and public bathing at Millennium Hot Spring.

Buffalo Bill's Western Roundup

Admission was free this afternoon at the Buffalo Bill Museum on Lookout Mountain just west of Golden, Colorado. BB’s Western Roundup included several outdoor events including 19^th century music provided by the Highline Silver Cornet Band, a cannon fired by Union troops, demonstrations of period crafts, and several authors. Annie Oakley (played by Barbara Melfi) was on hand to tell stories from her career and demonstrate sharp shooting.

Inside the museum I learned the history of William F. Cody (1846-1917) who became known as Buffalo Bill. Often maligned for the near extinction of the buffalo, Cody only supplied meat to the railroad for 17 months. It was only after the railroad was completed that the buffalo were over-hunted. Buffalo Bill later advocated for the preservation of buffalo.

Author, Ned Buntline, interviewed Cody before writing a dime novel titled, “Buffalo Bill, King of the Border Men.” When Bill and his wife attended a New York play based on Buntline’s novel, the audience gave him a standing ovation. Bill began to think about making a living as a performer and eventually staged shows which played in major American cities and Europe.

He enjoyed a long period of success, especially in 1893 when he performed at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. However, the show’s assets were seized in Denver in July of 1913 because he was delinquent on a loan. He died poor a few years later.   

In addition to historical information and artifacts, the museum contains an extensive collection of period show posters.

The Buffalo Bill Museum is located at 987 ½ Lookout Mountain Road, just north of the Lookout Mountain Nature Center. Its phone number is (303) 526-0744.

 

Keelung Indigenous Cultural Hall

Taiwan’s indigenous people are the descendents of early residents of Fukien China who crossed the Taiwan Strait six thousand years ago. The Keelung Indigenous Cultural Hall is a modest, yet cheerfully sunlit building located near the bridge to Heping Dao (Peace Island).

 

 

 

 

The museum displays examples of aboriginal buildings, clothing, art and artifacts. The top floor leads out on to a plaza featuring additional carved artwork, a suspension bridge, paths, and a fine view of the Pacific Ocean.