Tag Archives: statue

A Chilly Place To Be Lying In The Water!

The grounds at Stourhead include some grottos.  One of them has a statue of a woman lying in some water.  It was not too warm when we were there and, once you go inside the grottos, they are decidedly cold and damp.  The idea of lying in water in those conditions does not sound too appealing.  However, she was clearly a hardy soul as she has been there for quite a while.

He Is Heavy, He’s My Buddha

A big reason (literally and figuratively) for going to Kamakura was to see the Buddha statue that is there.  It dates back to the 13th Century but has undergone some work since then.  It is a pretty bloody large statue.  It is also a popular tourist attraction so we were not alone on this day, even though it wasn’t a weekend.

Wandering around the Buddha and seeing it from all angles gives a good impression of its scale and also how it was made of many segments.  There are vents on the back to cool the interior (a little) which is good because you can go inside it.  It is very dark in there but you see the shape clearly.  The coloration also makes it clear which bits have been repaired over the years.  The temperature on a warm day will quickly encourage you to head back outside, though.

It is easy to get fixated on the Buddha itself but the environment in which it is displayed is really nice too.  The surrounding sculptures are interesting and there are some leaves on the ground with engravings.  Apparently there were many more at one point but only four of them remain now.  I hope nothing bad befell those who pinched the others!

Captain Cook Not Getting Respect

The waterfront of Victoria Harbour has a statue of Captain Cook.  This is a long way from his home town of Whitby but the lad did get about a bit.  Given the nature of his efforts, you might think he deserves a bit of respect (unless you come from a place that he ended up harming irreparably).  A local gull -or one of its cohorts – was clearly not from the respect camp.

An Intimidating Statue!

The walk back from the Imperial Palace grounds to the station took me by a statue.  This was an impressive looking warrior on horseback.  The weathering of the statue, the shadows cast by the high light and the intensity of the expressions of both him and his horse quite caught my imagination.  I found myself wandering around all side and starting at this work for quite some time.  As a whole it was impressive but I loved looking at the details and the sense of motion the artist had captured.

Lenin on a Street Corner

Knowing the mix of people I know, all sorts of comments could result from this post!  Let’s see who has self-restraint.  We were spending a weekend checking out different parts of Seattle and a lunchtime stroll took us to the Fremont area of town.  As we walked up to an interchange, a large statue was looking down on the road.  Vladimir Ilyich Ulynaov Lenin was there.  Of course, I know he is dead and embalmed in a tomb in Moscow but his likeness in bronze was sitting by a plaza.

I don’t know why he is there.  Whether it is a tribute, an ironic insult or just a weird outcome to some other plan, I have no idea and I don’t really care.  This blog is not about political statements.  It is a record of things I have come across at various times.  If your sensibilities are unable to handle a picture of a statue of Lenin without you exploding with rage, tough luck.  His brand of crazy is not what this is about and neither is your adopted brand of crazy come to that.  Instead, I just came across a strange statue and I am writing about it.

Keeper of the Plains

wpid6626-AU0E8877.jpgIt has been a while since we last went to Wichita in Kansas.  We have good friends who live there and who we have visited before.  However, they have been on the move a lot in recent years and then we had to cancel a trip when things got a little hectic.  However, we finally got back down there again.  It was a great visit so thanks for having us guys.  While we were there, we took a walk along the Arkansas River.  Opinion appears to vary on how to pronounce this river depending on which state you are in but the joy of writing rather than speaking is that you won’t know which way I said it so you can’t tell me I am wrong!

wpid6624-AU0E8870.jpgThere is a split in the river near where we parked and there are a pair of bridges and an island with a large sculpture on it.  This is called the Keeper of the Plains.  It is a very impressive steel sculpture of a Native American with his arms raised to the skies.  Given plenty of time, I would have come back and seen it later in the day.  I am not sure if it is illuminated at night but it certainly was very impressive during daylight hours.  If you are in the area, do take a look.

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