Moving Bathtub in Switzerland

Click to view: This is the most bizarre thing I have seen in a long time, maybe forever.

It is a moving bathtub on a rail, like a railroad car, that goes outside overlooking a backyard. I was going to try to copy it but it's better viewed in the link above. So very strange😱

Old Woman Who Lived in A Shoe's House

Shoe House, Mpumalanga, South Africa via

Wild Looking Frog

What would you do if you came upon an Amazon Horned Frog? They are indiscriminate eaters and grow to be the size of a small plate. via National Geographic, photo by George Grall I love his markings and think he looks very sweet.

Cutest Coot Chick Ever

I don't think I've ever seen a coot chick before and I know I've never seen anything cuter. Photo by ©Dan Belton

While we are on the subject of SWANS

Will it fit? Don't you wish we knew why this swan needed to be driven somewhere? And on the passenger side too! via

Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds

click photo to enlarge

This iPhone photo snapped from my third floor window doesn't even begin to show the number of blackbirds flying into the woods. What a sight to behold at my cottage this afternoon. Blackbird pie is not on tonight's menu.

click photo to enlarge

This happy family appears to be thrilled to see such a pie on their dinner table. Here is another Randolph Caldecott drawing from one of my antiquarian books illustrating the nursery rhyme Sing A Song for Sixpence.

Yikes | Giant Dragonfly

Curious Pets

Travis Louie will be opening an exhibit of new paintings at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles November 12 through December 10, 2011. I would definitely go if I lived nearby. His paintings are beyond curious.

Cornhenge

Cornhenge: A strange field of 109 eight foot tall concrete ears of corn -- a quirky and eccentric roadside American landmark in Ohio. I hope there is a corn stand nearby in the summer months. Have you driven past it? Read more about the history via Life at Willow Manor.

Best of Burning Man: Art on Acid | Wacky Archives

Best of Burning Man: Art on Acid | Wacky Archives: "The Burning Man gathering is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert of Northern Nevada. It begins the Monday prior to Labor Day and concludes on the day of the American holiday. This unusual gathering of people from all walks of life derived its name from the ritual burning of a towering wooden effigy."

The desert is the perfect backdrop for giant pieces of way-out art. I'd love to know more about this spectacular elephant house.

All I have to do is ask and usually someone helps me out. Thanks to Lee (see comments) we now have the complete history of the 45-Ton Mechanical Elephant. Thanks so much. 

Amy Sedaris’s Child-like Decor

The Craft Corner in Amy Sedaris's New York City Apartment. She made all of the potholders on the floor. She decorates as if she owned a child but she never has children over. I don't think she wants them touching her stuff.

Amy Sedaris’s Child-Friendly Abode: Slideshow and Humorous Article in New York Magazine 

"I wouldn’t call myself a shut-in. I have the ability to leave my home; I just choose not to. But because I’m such a homebody, it’s important to be surrounded by things I love. I prefer items that convey a sense of mystery, playfulness, or theatricality. My favorite things often have a story behind them and are usually handmade or discovered at a flea market. My furniture is small and low. It’s not unlike living in a dollhouse."

Portrait of a King Vulture

This King Vulture is so ugly he's beautiful. What a great portrait taken at Riverbanks Zoo Botanical Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. Be afraid people, he's got his 'eye' on you. Click photo to enlarge for maximum fright.

X-ray lamp

Isn't this a great way to use your old x-rays after the break has healed, the cast is off, and you're not on crutches anymore? X-ray lamp




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Roy Rogers' Stuffed Horse TRIGGER Sells for $266,000

Happy Trails to Trigger in his new home.

Christie's Auction House in NYC held an auction of the contents of the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum which closed in Branson, MO. The new owners of Trigger are RFD-TV in Omaha, Nebraska "Rural America's Most Important Network" who plan to start their own museum. I spent every Saturday morning of my childhood with Roy and Dale. Does any TV network rebroadcast those wonderful shows?

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Celine Dion's $20m Water Park Mansion

First look at Celine Dion's $20m Florida waterpark mansion
"And if it proves not to be enough water for the singer, she can always take a short walk down to the beach, as the house overlooks the Atlantic. The lavish pool system uses 500,000 gallons of water (6.5million gallons are needed for the park each year). The water features includes two swimming pools, two water slides and a lazy river, which has a slow current to carry bathers around the pool." This is just plain crazy. What is she thinking? Another shrine to excess (and bad taste). What happens in Las Vegas should stay in Las Vegas.




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The Skeleton Armchairs of Vincent Price

The Skeleton Armchairs of Vincent Price:
Here's the auction house description: Hand-carved of hardwood; these chairs were apparently modeled after a rare 18th-century chair which sold for over $100,000 at a New York auction. By oral tradition, they were part of a set custom-ordered by actor Vincent Price. However, Price died before they were delivered. In any case, they make a wonderful conversation piece! Excellent condition. Each measures 54' x 24' x 24'.

I think I'll pass on these chairs offered by Heritage Auctions. I don't think they "go" with the decor of my cottage.




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Chandelier Made of 14,000 Tampons

Did that blog title get your attention? It certainly got mine. I've lived my whole life and never once thought about making anything out of tampons. Certainly not a massive chandelier. It's in a gallery in Lisbon.
Chandelier Made of 14,000 Tampons : Crazy or Not ?




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Taucherglocke (Diving Bell)

Taucherglocke. This is one of my early lithographs representing an open diving bell with air supply. It looks very imaginary to me. Lithographer: M. Listemann. I wish I new more...I bought a box full of these mysterious prints years ago. Please advise if you can provide additional information. Thanks, Rosemary

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Yale Skull and Bones Ballot Box Antique Auction

NEW YORK — A human skull that apparently was turned into a ballot box for Yale's mysterious Skull and Bones society is going on the auction block.

A YALE Skull and Bones Ballot Box 19th Century
made from a real human skull.

Lot includes a small black book with members' names
and approximately 50 photographs.

Christie's New York January 21-25, 2010
Lot Notes
Founded in 1832 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Skull and Bones is thought by many to be one of the oldest and most prestigious secret societies in the United States. The symbolism of the skull and cross bones is synonymous with this group as its name is derived from the symbol itself. The present lot, with hinged flap on top of the skull was said to have been used as a ballot box during society meetings or displayed in the Society's headquarters at 64 High Street in New Haven. The inscription on the right cross bone Thor could be a name which would have been assigned to a member upon induction. Accompanied by approximately 50 photographs of society members and a small black book inscribed with names (which were published until 1971), the present lot provides a rare glimpse into the society which has been linked to many influential figures and leaders at Yale University and in this country.
Pre-auction estimate" $10,000/20,000.
European consignor's name is secret. How appropriate!
Full listing information from Christie's.

I wouldn't even want to look at this in person. I would close my eyes when passing the display case at the auction house. Too scary. I wonder if any bad karma came down on the previous owner? We'll never know, will we?




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Antique piece of Vampire History :: Vampire Killing Kit circa 1800 sells for $14,850.

A complete and authentic vampire killing kit — made around 1800 and complete with stakes, mirrors, a gun with silver bullets, crosses, a Bible, holy water, candles and even garlic, all housed in a American walnut case with a carved cross on top — attained $14,850 in the Jimmy Pippen estate sale by Stevens Auctioneers on October 3–4, 2008 in the Natchez Convention Center.

Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company says, "I don't believe in vampires -- I've never met one. But somebody believed in them, something drove people to believe. From New Orleans to Vicksburg, these old boxes remain." Stevens has sold four vampire killing kits in his 27 years as an auctioneer with this one being the most expensive to date. Hmmm. I wonder if this kit would work on werewolves too? I can't remember a time when vampires were more popular, can you?

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a little antiquarian fright today. ♥Rosemary




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Vampire Killing Kit circa 1800 brings $14,850 . . .

A complete and authentic vampire killing kit, circa 1800 and housed in a walnut case, sold for $14,850.

Natchez, Mississippi ~ A complete and authentic vampire killing kit — made around 1800 and complete with stakes, mirrors, a gun with silver bullets, crosses, a Bible, holy water, candles and even garlic, all housed in a American walnut case with a carved cross on top — attained $14,850 in the Jimmy Pippen estate sale by Stevens October 3–4, 2008 in the new Natchez Convention Center.

The sale comprised the contents of Pippen's stores (Pippen Antiques and Pippen Interiors), items from his personal residence (which he considered a perfect creation and called "Paradise"), the contents of another home (a three-story, 1850s townhouse called "The Orchard" that he restored with fine appointments and rented out) along with other treasures from several warehouses.

Hmmm. I wonder if this kit would work on werewolves too?




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