Silent Sunday

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Places People Go

Port Arthur, Tasmania

Buddhist Temple, Cambodia

Each week Cee of Cee’s Photography challenges bloggers with a fun prompt. This week we’re to find photos of Places People Go.

Join the fun.

Forbidden City, Beijing

If you want to see more fun photos, click here.

American Toby Jug Museum

As part of the Open House Chicago 2018 event, I discovered the American Toby Jug Museum. I had no idea what a Toby Jug was and learned that:

A Toby Jug is a figural ceramic pitcher modeled in the form of a popular character, historical, fictional or generic. It can be a person or animal. The original Tobies date back to the 1760’s. The first Tobies, made in the form of a seated jovial, stout man dressed in the attire of the period, wearing a tri-corn hat, puffing on a pipe and holding a mug of ale (stingo), are referred to as “Ordinary Tobies.” The tricorn hat forms a pouring spout and a handle is attached to the rear. Many derivations of the original Toby Jug have evolved over two and one-half centuries, most notably into the Character Jug. Mullins, 2006)

The museum’s collection consists of thousands of jugs, mugs and even umbrella stands in the shape of people, animals, fish, birds and more. They’re charming with a dash of kitsch.

Steven Mullins became an avid collector aver getting introduced to Toby jugs while at summer camp. Currently there are over 8,000 items in the museum including jugs that look like royalty, Shakespearean characters, the Beatles, scientists, U.S. Presidents, cartoon characters, athletes, mythical figures, dictators, etc. I’m so glad that Open House Chicago 2018 helped me discover these jugs.

I see that you can buy Toby jugs on eBay for as little as $15. Some are priced up to $1200, but I don’t see the need to pay that much.

The museum is open Weds – Friday and the first and third Saturday of the month. It’s a block north of the Main St. CTA station and there’s metered street parking.

Reference

Mullins, S. (2006). Toby Jugs. Retrieved from https://www.tobyjugmuseum.com/toby-jugs on October 15, 2018.)

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Delicious!

Ruined for Life: Phoenix Edition

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Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea

I highly recommend animator Guy Delisle’s graphic memoir Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea. Deslisle, a French Canadian, had to go to North Korea for two months to supervise the animators his French employer contracted (for their ultra-cheap rates). As you might expect the landscape and city are dreary, dark at night save a lit up portrait of the Supreme Leader. He recounts his dull, ever-present translator and guide. The food is bland and the restaurants dirty. Foreigners are separated from the People. So Delisle’s only companionship is a go-between at work, and other foreigners at the hotel or in the NGO compound, which has parties on the weekend.

It was interesting to read about the approved responses Capt. Sin, Delise’s handler would give to his queries about the country and to learn of the pervasive propaganda. One “high” point was a visit to the Museum of American Oppression, which was two stories of images (three photos and many paintings) of Americans doing atrocious things to the North Koreans. There are paintings of US soldiers forcing motor oil down the throats of children and other forms of torture including the use of the rack, which seem quite dubious even if you acknowledge that yes, unfortunately, and shamefully, sometimes American military has resorted to torture. Capt. Sin was very disappointed that Delise didn’t react as he’d expected to the museum trip.

There are plenty of anecdote’s of the usual the translator isn’t around when Delisle needs him so rather than wait for hours Delisle goes out on his own through the streets of Pyongyang in search of a gift for his godson. “What’s to buy in the DPRK?” you might ask. Delisle did return empty handed as he couldn’t even find a cheap kitsch. Poor North Korea, indeed. Delisle made me feel like a friend he was sharing his tales of North Korea with. I felt his treatment was fair and thorough. I sure wouldn’t want to stay in Pyongyang a minute past two months. If you do have to go, even for a weekend, Bring food. What they offer seems dreadful.

Based on this book, I’m planning to read his books on Shenzhen and Jerusalem. The later I’ve already ordered from the library.

Silent Sunday

Books on Islam

Travel and reading go hand in hand in my book. If I go to a new country I try to supplement my experiences and perceptions with good books. I trust Farah to pick some of the best.

For Ramadan, Farah of A BookTube Book, shares her TBR books that center on Islam.

WPC: All-Time Favorites

Art

Pottery

Chinatown, Melbourne, Australia

Queen Victoria’s dog in Sydney

National Art Museum of China, Beijing

Art in Bali (Ubud)

So WordPress is ending this fun, community-building, delightful challenge. They haven’t given a reason why, which is disappointing. I loved getting a new theme to inspire me and to get a chance to see how others had responded. I connected with other bloggers and I’ll sorely missed that.

I’m not surprised that many people are sad to see this challenge go. I am surprised that a company could end a service so abruptly. Why?

It makes sense if an individual’s life changes and they must end a weekly challenge, but WordPress is a viable, successful company. If they want to hire me to handle this, I’m game. It wouldn’t be pricey.

Perhaps an individual with loads of followers will fill the gap, but it’s a commitment. I’ll follow if someone does.

I’ll be in shock for quite a while. What a shame WP. You didn’t have to go this route.
How sad.

I hope that this is like the “New Coke” fiasco and that they do resume this challenge. Again, I’d be happy to freelance as their new WPC Creator.

1. Each week, WordPress will provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Wednesday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Follow The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements, and subscribe to our newsletter – we’ll highlight great posts. Add Media photos from each month’s most popular challenge.

Just a few wonderful posts:

• all time favorites  (daily post)
• all time favorites (mostly monochrome)
• all time favorites (this and that)
• all time favorites (mittened hands)
• all time favorites (thoughts and entanglements)
• all time favorites (stenoodie)
• all time favorites (jinan daily photo)
• all time favorites (here & abroad)
• all time favorites (blue fox café)
• all time favorites (narrow bamboo gate)
• all time favorites (célebres 3.0)
• all time favorites (half a photograph)
• all time favorites (chosenperspectives)
• all time favorites (beijing daily photo)
• all time favorites (travel and trifles)
• all time favorites (you can trust Him)
• all time favorites (salmancastreets)
• all time favorites (belgrade streets)
• twisted (city sonnet)
• twisted (creative mind)
• twisted  (daily post)
• twisted (city sonnet)
• twisted (creative mind)
• twisted (jinan daily photo)
• twisted (reconnected mind)
• twisted (misty roads)
• twisted (natsukashii kansai)
• twisted (here and abroad)

• twisted (simply photos)
• twisted (stenoodie)
• twisted (mittened hands)
• twisted (abandoned dreamings)
• liquid  (stenoodie)
• liquid (cee’s photography)
• liquid (la florarie 3)
• liquid (tranature)
• liquid (natsukashii kansai)
• liquid (narrow bamboo gate)
• liquid (jinan daily photo)
• liquid (on the road cooking)
• liquid (iconophile)
• liquid (the sunny narrative)
• liquid (travel with intent)
• liquid (this, that and the other)
• liquid (light words)
• liquid (rivrvlogr)
• liquid (beijing daily photo)
• liquid (here and abroad)
• liquid (no fixed plans)
• liquid (spirit in politics)

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Silent Sunday