Saturday, February 23, 2008

Day 55 NOT a Sundog!

35 mm lens at f/5.6; ss 1/8; manual mode & focus; custom wb; ISO: 400. I ran the EZ Action acid wash on it, and lightened the edges a little.

Lest you be confused, this is definitely NOT a sundog! This is actually a very strange statue that belonged to my dear, sweet friend, Lila. Lila was like the adopted grandmother to my children; we have always lived far away from family, and Lila was the only "grandmother" my children really ever knew! She loved them, and she loved us. Lila died a few years ago from Alzheimers, and we had known her for a little over 20 years. It's hard to imagine anyone NOT loving Lila! She was a Wave in the Navy in WWII, and had moved to ND from California. Lila's interests ranged from opera to science fiction and she was a truly brilliant woman. She was one of those gentle souls who could not stand to hurt any living creature, and saw animals as being fellow travelers in the universe. Lila said she did not believe in God, but when my oldest son was about 3 years old, she was gently presistent in convincing me to go to church and meet this particular minister. She knew I'd like this peace activist, animal-loving, sweet man, and I think what Lila's actual plan was to get my children into church (even though she herself did not continue going there)! And when she died, I discovered that she had been insistent about keeping a rosary in her purse!

Anyway, I have no clue what this very weird statue is! My kids were fascinated by it at Lila's house, and after she died, insisted that we get it! It sits by my treadmill now, apparently keeping watch over me when I walk, but I have no idea what its intentions are or what it means!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

great shot and story to go along with it!
Cari

Tera Fraley said...

Interesting, it is kind of wierd looking but sweet that it came from someone you cared so much about.

pakosta said...

cute story to go with it, great photo of it!
tara

Unknown said...

That is definitly an interesting figure! Great shot of it too.. coloring is perfect. toni

Kelly said...

Strange looking thing but what a wonderful keepsake for the kids. Thanks for sharing your story

HeyLady said...

She sounds like a wonderful person. I've never seen anything like it - so I'm not help in identifying what it is.

Becky said...

What a sweet story to go along with such a scary-looking creature.

Chell said...

Love the story behind it. It makes thinsg so much more interesting.

Mom2Drew said...

Cool and very unique statue.

Liz said...

That is the sweetest story. As a kid I can see being fascinated by something like that though. :)

Tomboymama said...

Hey, I haven't been able to be around lately, but missed checking blogs, and finally am able to do that tonight. I believe your statue is a Chinese fu dog (sometimes spelled foo dog) which is really an imperial lion (guardian). Cool picture and I like your treatment of it with the acid wash.

Val said...

Very funky/cool!

Stacey said...

I like this figure. What a nice, crisp looking shot.

Anonymous said...

I just love this photo so much, and the story behind it is priceless. The statue looks like some kind of totem pole almost, don't you think? How special that you get to see it and think of her every day.

Jeanne said...

Looks like an immunity idol from Survivor to me! It IS interesting looking to say the least, but the story and sentiment behind is is much more appealing.

Thank you SO much for sharing your thoughts behind the photos you share. I'm learning a lot about different things and you as a person and that is what makes me come back for more.

Hugs!

Margaret said...

What a cool statue. And I love the story of Lila. She must have been a wonderful person.

Amy said...

That is an odd looking creature. What an interesting story to go along with a great shot!

Anonymous said...

It's a little scary lookin', but I like it! The processing is great, too.

April said...

strange looking..but great shot.