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 |
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:
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
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.
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.
"Pearls worn by the later ?
That is a funny story about the boat launching.
Great post!
I love the pictures, especially the one of the cosmic dust clouds.
I love "String of Pearls" by Glen Miller. He wrote it for his wife.
Nice collage of Pearl stuff.
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.
A nice tour from tea to pearls.
Great lateral thinking. Well done :)
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.
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
Bottles and ships always seem tricky I've seen quite a few just bounce of the ship. A pearl of a post.
Hats off to you, Bob, for one of the most ingenious posts I've ever read.
In this case I prefer Glen over George. Alice looks like she could use a sip herself.
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
ah, you had me at Glenn Miller! Nice collection of "pearls" of all kinds.
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
Lovely post! And even though Glen Miller was before my time, I think his music is great! The Aria was beautiful too.
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
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.
Bob – it doesn’t matter what theme is playing over at your blog, a visitor is always in for a treat!.
Post a Comment