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Friday 8 June 2012

String of Pearls - Sepia Saturday


The first thing that caught my eye was the string of pearls worn by the lady being served tea from a silver pot. Pearl fishing has been going on for centuries and in place like India it was a big undertaking.

Pearl fishery at Tuticorin, India
Artwork by Johann Nieuhof, c 1663
But the string of pearls that I remember best is that of the late Glen Miller

Glen Miller - 1942 recording

This modern day string of pearls  is a marvel to behold.

Cosmic dust clouds in Messier 78
This image of the region surrounding the reflection nebula Messier 78, just to the north of Orion’s belt, shows clouds of cosmic dust threaded through the nebula like a string of pearls. The  observations, made with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope and shown here in orange, use the heat glow of interstellar dust grains to show astronomers where new stars are being formed. They are overlaid on a view of the region in visible light. 

I must include a lady wearing a sting of pearls; the one I've chosen is  Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of US President Theodore Roosevelt after launching the USS Theodore Roosevelt in October 1959.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth - 1959

Can you see the broken champagne bottle in her hand. She was supposed to break the bottle on the bow of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the first Polaris submarine built on the West Coast. She had declined a dress rehearsal for the launching ceremony. She missed the ship when she swung the bottle and in desperation threw the bottle at the ship - and missed again. Fortunately a crew member on the ship pulled the bottle up by the attached cable and smashed the bottle on the bow before the ship hit the water.

The string of pearls that Alice was wearing was a wedding present given her by the Cuban government.

Somehow I don't think she would have been relaxed enough to listen to:

Aria from The Pearl Fishers - Bizet
Lorna Pollock - piano.

For more pearls of wisdom you should visit Sepia Saturday-129

22 comments:

North County Film Club said...

what a creative post. Who would think to go from tea to pearls?
I love the story about Alice Longworth and breaking the champagne bottle. She was sure an eccentric woman, wasn't she?
Love the Pearl Fishers. A most "unsung" opera.
Nancy

Little Nell said...

Two of my favourite ‘pearly’ pieces Bob, thank you. That’s a nice take on the theme, with some unusual pictures. I especially like the cosmic one.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Nice change of pace from coffee or tea, Bob! Why do you think they made two-story tents in the first picture? Or are they just supposed to be up close; a matter of perspective?

I bet that Alice became a bit flustered when the darn bottle wouldn't break ... and now she will never be able to live it down, now that it has gone viral on your blog!

Fun post, and I enjoyed the videos and music very much.

Kathy M.

Postcardy said...

"Pearls worn by the later ?

That is a funny story about the boat launching.

Golden Eagle said...

Great post!

I love the pictures, especially the one of the cosmic dust clouds.

Bish Denham said...

I love "String of Pearls" by Glen Miller. He wrote it for his wife.

Kristin said...

Nice collage of Pearl stuff.

Wendy said...

If there's a prize for the most surprising twist on the theme, you'd win - no contest! I enjoyed the various types of pearls -- lots there to tease the brain.

viridian said...

A nice tour from tea to pearls.

Sharon said...

Great lateral thinking. Well done :)

Alan Burnett said...

Very clever, picking out a string of pearls theme. That is the great delight of photos as prompts, you could never do that with words.

Jo said...

As a limey I am surprised you didn't mention Her Majesty's pearls, she is rarely seen without them.

Nice theme, I love pearls

Joy said...

Bottles and ships always seem tricky I've seen quite a few just bounce of the ship. A pearl of a post.

David Robinson said...

Hats off to you, Bob, for one of the most ingenious posts I've ever read.

Unknown said...

In this case I prefer Glen over George. Alice looks like she could use a sip herself.

Unknown said...

I just sit down to visit all my SS friends with a cup of decaf Lemon Zinger tea and when I reached your aria by Bizet I thought oh how I needed that. It is beautiful, and yes as usual a very creative post.
QMM

Linda said...

ah, you had me at Glenn Miller! Nice collection of "pearls" of all kinds.

North County Film Club said...

I've always loved the Alice Roosevelt
Longworth quote:" If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me". What a character!
Fun post!
Barbara

Jana Iverson Last said...

Lovely post! And even though Glen Miller was before my time, I think his music is great! The Aria was beautiful too.

Bruno Laliberté said...

I almost went the way of the pearl necklace myself, having gathered family pics of ladies wearing pearls. But I'll keep that for another time as it is easier to introduce on one prompt or another. I like how you went through the whole gamut relating to strings of pearls. Much enjoyed listening again to Glenn Miller.
:)~
HUGZ

Rosalind Adam said...

I'd forgotten about Glen Miler's String of Pearls. Lovely. After my mum died I found a string of pearls among her things. I don't ever remember seeing her wearing them though.

me said...

Bob – it doesn’t matter what theme is playing over at your blog, a visitor is always in for a treat!.