July 29, 2025

The 1500s ~ June brides, cats, dogs & dead ringers

 ~      

 
  Most people got married in June because they took their yearly  
bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they WERE
starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the 
body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.  

  Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of  the 
house had the privilege of the clean water, then the sons, then all the other
men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies.  By
then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. 
Hence the saying,  Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.  

  Houses had thatched roofs, thick straw-piled high with no wood 
underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and 
other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became
slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.
Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.  

  There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house..
This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings
could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet 
hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into
existence.   

  The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than
dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would
get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the
floor to help! keep t heir footing. As the winter wore on, they added more
thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside.
A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a
thresh hold.   

  In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle
that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to
the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat
the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight
and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had
been there for quite a while.  Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, 
peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.  

  Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel 
quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. 
It was a sign of wealth that a man could bring home the bacon.  They
would cut  off  a little to share with guests and would all sit around 
and chew the fat.   

  Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid 
content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning
death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 
years or so  tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of 
the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper
crust.   

  Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination  would
sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone 
walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. 
They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family
would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would 
wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.    

  England is old and small and the local folks started running  
out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the  
bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 
1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they 
realized they had been burying people alive. So they  would tie a string on the 
wrist  of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through  the ground 
and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all 
night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, 
saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer. This is not to be confused 
with "Dead ringer", an idiom in English denoting a person or thing that 
closely resembles another which dates back to the 19th century. This was 
exemplified in the film by that name which starred Bette Davis.  
       
          
Aren't you grateful you live now?          
          
 
          
Viewfinder links:
          
Bette Davis          
          
Net links:
          
          
          
          
          
YouTube links:
          
Dead Ringer (movie trailer)          
          
          
          
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, July 29, 2025  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ~ 
 ~ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          

Abraham Lincoln articles/mentions

 ~          
       
       
mentions:       
Raymond Massey ~ Thespian Extraordinare   
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Abraham Lincoln 
date & photographer unknown 
       
       

Serge Gainsbourg articles/mentions

 ~        
      
     
     
mentions:     
Donna Summer ~ Love To Love You  
      
     
     
      
     
     
date & photographer unknown 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 























July 14, 2025

Sunrise Promise @ the Gray Loft Gallery

  ~      
Sunrise Promise - 2025 
photo by Styrous® 
 
      
My image, Sunrise Promise, will be showing in the The Art of Clouds exhibition at the Gray Loft Gallery in the Jingletown section of Oakland.    
 
Opening Reception: 
Saturday, July 19, 5:00 to 7:30 pm 

Closing Reception:  
Saturday, August 23, 5:00 to 7:30 pm 
Saturday, August 2, 3:00 - 5:00 pm 
                

From fleeting formations to dramatic skies, clouds take center stage in The Art of Clouds, a group exhibition featuring photography, painting, mixed media, and installation by a dynamic range of Bay Area artists.

Clouds have long inspired artists as symbols of impermanence, wonder, and the imagination. The Art of Clouds brings this timeless subject into contemporary focus, offering interpretations that are atmospheric, conceptual, and deeply personal.  Featured works include striking skyscapes captured through the lens, textured paintings that blur realism and abstraction, mixed-media pieces that echo the layered nature of clouds, and an installation that allow visitors to physically engage with the sky's shifting moods. 

Other artists Participating:
 

Gale Antokal, Francis Baker, Paola Berthoin, Ginnie Chabre, Mark Citret,
Laura Graham, Sarah Grew, Ake Grunditz, Irene Imfeld, Patrick Jagger,
Jennifer LaPierre, Laurel Anderson Malinovsky, Melina Meza, Deborah O’Grady, Ginny Parsons, Maja Planinac, Fernando Reyes, Alex Starfield, Styrous,
Christine Watten, Jan Watten, Sharon Wickham, Thomas Winz,
Wilton Wong, June Yokell  

      

Gray Loft Gallery
2889 Ford Street #32
Oakland, CA 94601

Third floor - not wheelchair accessible

     
      
Viewfinder links:       
         
The Art of Clouds         
Exhibitions        
Gray Loft Gallery        
     
Net links:       
        
Gray Loft Gallery         
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Monday, July 14, 2025         
        














Gray Loft Gallery ~ The Art of Clouds articles/mentions

 ~      
The Art of Clouds invitation 
Every Passing Storm mixed media 
image by Francis Baker


Sunrise Promise           
           
           
           


 
             



July 9, 2025

The 14th Amendment & racism

 ~        
Illustration by E. W. Kemble (Edward Windsor) 
 
 
Cartoon shows Congress as a fat man asleep in a hammock labeled "Law Enforcement." A broken blunderbuss, labeled "14th Amendment, 2nd Section," lies at his feet. A small black boy walks by holding a drum, but an elephant cautions, "Don't wake him up!" The drawing was by E. W. Kemble who illustrated the first edition of the Mark Twain satire on entrenched attitudes, such as racismAdventures of Huckleberry Finn, in 1884.          
 
 
by  Mark Twain 
 
      
On July 9, 1868, The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment was designed to grant citizenship to and protect the civil liberties of recently freed slaves. It did this by prohibiting states from denying or abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, depriving any person of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.            
 
On December 3, 1865, a group of Black Mississippians wrote to the state’s governor, demanding respect for their newly won freedom. “Now we are free,” they insisted, “we do not want to be hunted … All we ask is justice and to be treated like humane beings.” They recalled vividly “the yelping of bloodhounds and tareing of our fellow servants To pisces” by slave patrols, and called for an end to these violent abuses. The Fourteenth Amendment, written the next year and ratified in 1868, vindicated their demands for equal justice, human dignity, and bodily security.        
 
Considered one of the most consequential amendments, it addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. The Fourteenth Amendment was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the American Civil War, and its passage was bitterly contested. States of the defeated Confederacy were required to ratify it to regain representation in Congress. The amendment, particularly its first section, is one of the most litigated parts of the Constitution, forming the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions,         
            
            
            
            
            
Viewfinder links:         
         
Minoo Hamzavi ~ 
     Minoo Hamzavi        
     The Vote: it's a setup!         
E. W. Kemble            
Mark Twain                          
        
        
        
        
Net links:          
        
National Woman's History Museum ~ 14th and 15th Amendments         
        
        
        
         
YouTube links:         
        
        
        
        
         
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, July 9, 2025






~









 

E. W. Kemble articles/mentions

 ~     
        
     
     
     
mentions           
The 14th Amendment & racism      
     
     
     
     
     
E. W. Kemble - 1910 
photographer unknown 



        
       
       
       
        
       














July 6, 2025

Fourth of July, 2025

 ~        

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
photos by Styrous® (except were noted) 
 
        
        
        
        
        
        
         

 

 
 

 
 


 
 
Rees & Jens from Portland came down on the train to visit us! 
 
 
photo by Jens Jensen 
 

 
 
Jens Jensen - 2025 
photo by Rees Erwin 
 
 
 
 
 Rees Erwin - 2025
photo by Jens Jensen 
 
 
Minoo Hamzavi visited us in the afternoon and brought the perfect dish for a first class Fourth of July Celebration, watermelon.   
 
 
 
 
Thanks, Minoo! 
 
A Fun Time was had by ALL! 
        
         
        
        
Viewfinder links:        
         
Lucy Cadena-Jazzux          
Cesar Chavez           
Rees Erwin            
Stan Freberg ~ Presents the United States of America        
Minoo Hamzavi         
Jens Jensen        
Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira        
         
Net links:        
        
         
Youtube links:        
                
Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira ~ Bachianas brasileiras No. 2, The Little Train of the Caipira (finale)              
        
        
         
        
         
Styrous® ~ Saturday, July 6, 2025        
      














June 30, 2025

Psychedelic Church

 
 ~     






NO COMMENT !



        

Oakland - 2025 
photo by Styrous 





Viewfinder links:       
        
Exhibitions by Styrous®             
photo essays        
Styrous        
             
Net links:       
       
Styrous®       
        
YouTube links:       
        



       
       
       
Styrous® ~ Monday, June 30, 2025
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

June 28, 2025

20,000 vinyl LPs 389: Pink Floyd ~ A Saucerful of Secrets

 ~  
vinyl LP front cover 
 cover design by Hipgnosis 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


On June 28, 1968, the second album by Pink FloydA Saucer Full of Secrets was released by EMI Columbia in the UK and in the US by Tower Records. I'm having a hard time realizing it was over fifty years ago! I didn't actually discover Pink Floyd until 1971 with their Meddle album. A Saucer Full of Secrets, was my second album purchase by the English rock band.             
 
    
 
 
 
 
vinyl LP front cover details 
 cover design by Hipgnosis 
detail photos of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
vinyl LP back cover 
 cover design by Hipgnosis 
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
vinyl LP back cover details 
 cover design by Hipgnosis 
detail photos of album cover by Styrous®
 












 
   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
1 - Let There Be More Light, written by Roger Waters - 5:32
A2 - Remember A Day, written by Rick Wright* - 4:27
A3 - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, written by Roger Waters - 5:23
A4 - Corporal Clegg, written by Roger Waters - 4:07
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - A Saucerful Of Secrets, written by Gilmore*, Mason*, Wright*, Waters* - 11:52
B2 - See Saw, written by Rick Wright* - 4:30
B3 - Jugband Blues, written by Syd Barrett - 2:57
        
Companies, etc.
       
    Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
    Published By – Essex Music, Inc.
        
Credits:
       
    Producer – Norman Smith
       
Notes:
       
Second pressing from 1968, "MANUFACTURED IN THE U.S.A. BY CAPITOL RECORDS, INC." printed at the bottom edge of labels.

Rear jacket includes number, "6" in bottom right corner.
Other jacket text: "Printed in U.S.A." (in circle), "Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., a subsidiary of Capitol Industries, Inc., Hollywood and Vine Streets, Hollywood, Calif. · Factories: Scranton, PA., Los Angeles, Calif., Jacksonville, Ill."

Typos and misprints:
David Gilmour's last name is misspelled as, "Gilmore" on jacket and labels
Catalogue number shown on jacket is "ST-5131" with "ST 5131" shown on labels
Track B2 is titled, "See-Saw" on the jacket and "See Saw" on the label
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
    Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 1): ST1 5131
    Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 1): ST2 5131
    Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 2, etched): ST 1 - 5131
    Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 2, etched): ST 2 - 5131
    Rights Society: ASCAP 
 
Pink Floyd – A Saucerful Of Secrets
Label: Tower – ST 5131, Tower – ST-5131
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Repress, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

         
Viewfinder links:        
        
David Gilmore        
        
Rick Wright         
        
Net links:        
        
         
        
        
         
        
        
YouTube links:        
        
Let There Be More Light          
Remember A Day           
Corporal Clegg                  
A Saucerful Of Secrets         
See Saw           
Jugband Blues           
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Saturday, June 28, 2025