Black and white TV

Since it's Walter Cronkite day, I began thinking about B&W TV and how we always complained about it, even though we never knew color could exist on those odd boxes. We knew we were missing SOMETHING. During the famous black-out in NYC in the 60's, my father was trapped in his office building's elevator. The TV of course didn't work and couldn't tell us what was going on even though we somehow surmised it knew something we didn't, looking out our windows into blackness. My sister and I were getting our hair shampooed, and my mother ran out of the bathroom when the lights went out. We followed, fully shampooed into the living room to look out the windows. How terrifying not to be able to see anything but car headlights coming off the East River Drive. And only B&W TV could have done that night justice. Finally my father came home, cheerfully asking for a martini. As if he'd been bathed in something wonderful. Darkness.
Later on, we'd lived in the Bahamas for a year before we got a TV and it was color, finally, and it was the weirdest experience, gauche, gaudy, unviewable. The first movie I saw in on this TV was actually a B&W one, "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" and the blood as I now imagined it was so red and terrifying I couldn't sleep for days. Color TV was going to be a problem for me and my imagination.

Now we all expect colors that haven't even been invented yet.

Walter Cronkite

For me, Walter will always be that man who gave the moon its due, and the man my Aunt Kitty had a crush on. I remember it all so well. We were kids at my family's Jersey shore beach house, and my sister and I were lying on our stomachs in front of the TV, tracking the summer ants through the sisal carpeting which was incredibly scratchy. We named them all Howard, my father's real name which he never used. He was mad at us. Then Walter Cronkite came on, and started talking about the moon finally getting its due, since the sun had always hogged the show. I thought, Finally! My moon, my muse, is right outside now, getting stepped on by clumsy boots, and how sad, how stunning. Walter didn't land on the moon himself, but he should have because he GOT it. Then the Good Humor truck rang its bells outside and for the first time, my sister and I didn't run out. Who needed ice cream on that day, of all days?

More animals...

The gifted Catherine Ledner!

Animals!

I want my own tiger. It's really important to me.

The next best thing is a really good animal portrait, so I'm taking you on a journey to some of the coolest things out there:

http://idiots.nl/index.html

http://www.mikeluribetxeberria.com/index.php?/bestea/animalia/

http://emilyvalentine.com.au/

http://www.notcot.com/archives/2009/04/talenti_sorbett.php#squirrel

http://www.funmansion.com/pics/super_close_up_insects.html

http://www.darrenwaterston.com/

http://www.deyrolle.com/magazine/spip.php?rubrique95

http://www.catherinesanimals.com/

Ok, that'll keep you occupied for a while! Oh, there are some talented animal wranglers out there!

My first post!

Ah, yes, another blog about design and all things lovely... but I am also a writer so hopefully I can keep you amused...

Have you ever gone to the Harvard Museum of Natural History to view the Blaschka models? If not - do! The Blasckas were German glassmakers from the 19th century who created life-like botanical and sea creature models that are so infinte in their little forms, and heart-crushingly lovely. Follow this link...http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/the-collection-of-glass-flowers/visiting-the-galleries-2.html. I have plans to write a book about the sea creatures, but Harvard is very uppity about giving me permission into their "archives."

I had one of my profound-to-no-one-but-me ideas today - when will someone design Cinderella dresses complete with the little helpful birds? Interactive fashion - a new trend I'm claiming as my own.

Please feel free to send me links to things that are highly unusual - I love yammering on and on about talented people.

Many thanks for joining and reading.
Gay