Look, Ma, No Pipes!

G.S. McLennan's "The Little Cascade," was purportedly inspired by a faucet with an incessant drip--a case, I should think, of art being a good deal preferable to nature. It's a magificent tune on the pipes-- and rather staggering on the harp, as you can see.

Casco

Here's a rather obscure "On This Day" for you: June 1, 1919 marked the beginning of the last voyage of the Casco, a schooner, as the article below mentions, rather well-known as one in which Stevenson had spent some time in the South Seas. If the popular phrase might be applied to a vessel, "She died as she had lived". (Popular Mechanics, January 1920)

Something Else Worth A Thousand Words

I've heard a wee bit more of Le Vent du Nord of late than has previously been my priviledge, and while I've never heard a track of theirs that I didn't like, I thought this song stood out among their best.
Mind,  I haven't the slightest as to what they're saying, yet I don't particularly feel the loss of verbal cues, given the musical ones. If you're missing a word or two, you can join me in being at the mercy of their wonderfully informative official band website; come to find out, the words convey every bit as fond and as sad a sentiment as the tune suggests.

A Good Time

The videos of the CD release party for Natalie MacMaster's latest are just plain delightful; if your musical side needs a bit of inspiration--look no further.

If You Go Around Naming Everything Like That, You're Bound to Run Out of Inspiration Sometime

Bullfinch's Mythology says that Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote of King Arthur: "Over his shoulders he throws his shield called Priwen. . .Girt with Caliburn, a most excellent sword, and fabricated in the isle of Avalon, he graces his right hand with the lance named Ron."

Belated

I knew it was Archibald Menzies' birthday yesterday, but I ran out of time to say so. I didn't know, however, that among the plants named after this scientific explorer of the west coast is a type of kelp. There's a little article (and pictures) on that here, at a thoroughly fascinating blog that concentrates on the natural history of a single location on the California coast. The variety shown in this blog coupled with the bizarre antics of the peacock spider that I mentioned last post are enough to confirm in anyone (well, me, anyway) a likely incurable case of natural history; so much amazement can be found in such a small area, be it a single beach or a single bush.

Not So Creepy

If you are 100% sure you don't want to look at jumping spiders, then don't look at this:
Catalyst: Peacock Spider - ABC TV Science
If you are only 99.9% sure. . .take a peek. It's incredible (and by "incredible," I mean that my first reaction was: "Somebody just made all that up!")