bubbling
HOA NEWS JUNE 2025
HOAApril Supper Sweet!
There was Russian Borsch soup with ham, Taquerias, BBQ chicken legs, Bacon with sour cream - potato casserole, Deviled eggs, Baked beans, Cabbage zucchini sauté, Dry Chayote curry with sweet mango chutney, veggie tray, and Chocolate chip butter bundt cake. You weren’t there? So sorry, you missed such good food!!
Water Dept Trims Canal Grass
Saturday, May 3rd , resident Les Copeland caught the Water Dept. machines cutting the canal grass.
Brandenburg, Staedler & Moore - Mountain Springs, L.P. Brandenburg, Staedler & Moore and their respective partners, managers and employees, individually and collectively assume no responsibility for the content of this publication herein and shall be held harmless against any suit, demands or liability arising there from.
She Was 9 When He Said, “Be My Wife.”
On a dance floor, a skinny boy with a spark in his eyes walked up to her: “I just realized all my poems are about you. Marry me!” The girl looked up and calmly replied: “Alright. But let me finish school first.” He was Gabriel García Márquez. She was Mercedes.
He was 12 and she was 9 They married 13 years later. "We weren’t officially engaged," Márquez later said with silver in his hair. "We were just patiently waiting for what was meant to be."
While Gabriel locked himself in a room writing One Hundred Years of Solitude, Mercedes carried their world on her shoulders: She believed in him,
She fed the family,
She never doubted her husband was a genius. When the manuscript was finally finished, they didn’t even have enough money to mail it. So Mercedes sold her last possessions a hairdryer and a blender to send it off. Months later, the world would know the name Gabriel García Márquez. And that novel? It changed literature forever. It earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Behind every great man is a woman who believed in him long before the world did. García Márquez started as a journalist and wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories. He is best known for his novels, such as No One Writes to the Colonel (1961), One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), which has sold over fifty million copies worldwide, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularizing a literary style known as magic realism, which uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Some of his works are set in the fictional village of Macondo (mainly inspired by his birthplace, Aracataca), and most of them explore the theme of solitude He is the most-translated Spanish-language author. In 1982, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts". He was the fourth Latin American to receive the honor, following Chilean poets Gabriela Mistral (1945) and Pablo Neruda (1971), as well as Guatemalan novelist Miguel Ángel Asturias (1967). Alongside Jorge Luis Borges, García Márquez is regarded as one of the most renowned Latin American authors in history.
Upon García Márquez's death in April 2014, Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, called him "the greatest Colombian who ever lived."
ABurglar Broke Into AHouse
One Night. He shone his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said,
'Jesus knows you're here.'
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.
When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued.
Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard
'Jesus is watching you.'
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.
Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot.
'Yep', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.'
The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?'
'Moses,' replied the bird.
'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'
'The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.' Thanks, Saul
Don’t Mess With This Little Fish!
The mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) is one of the few creatures in the world that can produce a true blue color on its own. This dazzling shade comes from special light-reflecting cells called cyanophores, which are actually blue in pigment a rarity in the animal kingdom.
But that bold color isn’t just for show it’s a warning. While most fish rely on scales for protection, the mandarinfish has none. Instead, it defends itself by producing a smelly, bad-tasting, toxic mucus that makes predators think twice before taking a bite.
Small but striking, this fish usually grows to about 3 inches (8 cm) long and can be found living in the coral reefs of the Western Pacific Ocean. Their lifespan can be 10-15 years.
They make moderate aquarium pets as they are difficult to feed and it is difficult to keep their aquarium temperature to their liking – they die.
One Town Got It Right!
Amid the chaos of flashing lights, twisted metal, and blaring sirens, a quiet moment of humanity unfolded on a Montana street.
After a two-vehicle crash upended a family’s world, the Billings Fire Department rushed to the scene. While police worked and parents grappled with the aftermath, a little girl sat alone on the curb confused, scared, and overwhelmed.
That’s when firefighter Ryan Benton did something extraordinary. He didn’t just fight fires he fought fear.
Reaching into the fire engine, he pulled out a book. Sitting beside the girl on the pavement, he began to read aloud, his voice steady against the night. As the story unfolded, her breathing slowed. The trembling stopped. Her wide eyes fixed on the pages instead of the flashing lights. For that moment, she wasn’t a witness to a crash just a child, lost in a story.
“This helped her calm down,” said a fire department spokesperson, “and gave her parents a chance to breathe and process what had just happened.”
The Billings Fire Department stocks their trucks not only with tools to fight flames but also with kindness. Each rig carries a “comfort bag” for children in crisis filled with a book about firefighters, a stuffed animal, and other small comforts to soften a harsh moment.
When bystander Allie Marie Schmalz shared the scene on Facebook, her caption said it all: “Sweetest thing ever.”
Firefighter Ryan Benton may not have battled a blaze that night, but he brought peace to a frightened child. And sometimes, that’s the most heroic act of all.
Facebook: RENK RENK April 11 at 6:22 PM ·
Mr. Rogers & Koko
Most people know Koko the gorilla as a wonder of animal intelligence. She learned over 1,000 signs in American Sign Language and could understand more than 2,000 spoken words. She laughed, played, and mourned. But perhaps her most human moment came in the quietest of ways with Mister Rogers.
Koko adored Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She watched his show often, captivated by his kindness and calming presence. And like so many children across the world, she saw something in him that felt safe. One day, Fred Rogers made a special trip to visit Koko in person. The moment he arrived, she wrapped her arms around him in a deep embrace, recognizing her longtime friend immediately. Then, she did something extraordinary. Koko gently reached down… and removed Fred Rogers’ shoes. It was the most tender act of imitation. Every episode, Koko had watched Mister Rogers enter his home, change into his cardigan, and take off his shoes. And now, given the chance, she honored that ritual not with words, but with love. No one told her to do it. She simply knew.
In a world often loud and complex, this moment reminds us of something beautifully simple: Kindness transcends species. Connection doesn’t need language. And love is understood by the heart not the words.
~Weird Pictures and News
She Was LeftAlone In TheArctic Ice For 2 Years with only a cat for company. This is how she survived.
In 1921, a young Inuit mother named Ada Blackjack was desperate for money to care for her sick son. When a group of explorers offered her a job as a seamstress for an Arctic expedition, she said yes not knowing it would become a fight for her life.
The team, led by explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, planned to claim a remote Siberian island for Canada. Ada was the only woman in the group. She didn’t know how to hunt or survive in the wild, but she could sew and cook. The men four experienced explorers thought they’d conquer the Arctic easily. They were wrong.
Winter came fast. Their food ran out. The men tried to cross the frozen sea to get help, leaving Ada behind with a sick teammate and a cat named Vic. Soon, the sick man died. Then the others never returned.
Ada was alone, 700 miles from the nearest village, with temperatures dropping to -50°F. She had no survival training, but she refused to give up. She taught herself to shoot a rifle, though she’d never held one before. She built traps for foxes and fought off polar bears with nothing but a knife. When her fingers froze, she sewed mittens from scraps of tent fabric. Vic the cat stayed by her side, keeping her warm at night.
For months, Ada waited, hoping a ship would come. She read the Bible to stay sane. She ate raw seal meat when she could find it. Finally, after two years alone, a rescue team arrived. They found her thin, exhausted but alive.
The men who left her? They’d vanished into the ice forever. Ada returned home to her son, but her story was mostly forgotten. Explorers took credit for the expedition, ignoring her bravery. Today, we remember her as one of history’s toughest survivors a woman who faced the Arctic with nothing but courage and a will to live.
Meet The Smallest Rabbit In NorthAmerica, the pygmy rabbit (Sylvilagus idahoensis)! On average, it weighs just under 1 lb (.45 kg) with a body length of 11 in (28 cm). The tiny critter has a small range across the northwestern region of the United States, including parts of Montana, Utah, Washington, and California. It inhabits deserts and shrubland and is unusual among North American rabbits for digging its own burrows.
The “Titanic Orphans,”
brothers Michel (age 4) and Edmond (age 2), were photographed in April 1912 shortly after their miraculous survival of the RMS *Titanic* disaster. Their story is both heartbreaking and extraordinary. The young boys, who spoke only French, were found alone and unaccompanied after the ship’s sinking among the youngest and most vulnerable of the survivors. With no adults claiming them in the chaotic aftermath, they became symbols of both tragedy and hope.
Their journey aboard the *Titanic* was the result of a bitter custody dispute. Their father, Michel Navratil, had taken the boys from their mother in France and boarded the *Titanic* under an assumed name, hoping to start a new life in America. When the ship struck the iceberg, Navratil managed to get both boys into lifeboat No. 15, ensuring their survival before perishing in the icy Atlantic waters.
The children were rescued by the *Carpathia* and taken to New York, where they were cared for while their identities remained a mystery.
Dubbed the "Titanic Orphans" by the press, the boys were eventually recognized by their mother through newspaper reports and photographs. She traveled to America to reunite with them, bringing closure to one of the many human dramas that emerged from the *Titanic* tragedy. Today, the story of Michel and Edmond Navratil serves as a poignant reminder of the personal stories behind one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters a tale of loss, survival, and the enduring strength of family. .
Thanks, Judy Lara, for a fashionable look into the past!
Barbara Harmer Didn’t Follow The Usual Flight Path.
At just 15, she left school with no qualifications and took up work as a hairdresser. For five years, she cut and styled hair, but there was something bigger stirring inside her. She applied to train as an air traffic controller at Gatwick Airport, and while working there, she studied for her A levels hoping to pursue law. But fate had other plans. One flying lesson was all it took for Barbara to fall in love with the skies.
She took out a £10,000 loan to get her private pilot license. Then, through sheer grit, she completed a two-year distance learning course to earn her commercial license. But that was just the beginning. Barbara sent out 100 job applications every single one rejected. Still, she didn’t quit. In 1984, she landed her first job with a small commuter airline. Later that year, British Caledonian took a chance on her. And when the company merged with British Airways, her career really took off.
After years of flying long-haul aircraft, Barbara was selected for something extraordinary training as a Concorde pilot. She became the first woman in the world to fly the legendary supersonic aircraft. For ten incredible years, she soared higher and faster than most pilots ever dream. After Concorde was retired, she continued flying Boeing 777s until she retired in 2009.
Barbara was preparing to sail solo across the Atlantic when she received heartbreaking news ovarian cancer. She passed away in 2011 at just 57, leaving behind her husband and a legacy that still inspires countless women and dreamers around the world. From salon scissors to Concorde controls, Barbara Harmer proved that with perseverance and courage, no sky is out of reach. ~Weird Pictures and Facts-
Agatha Christie, Author, Starts Over at 40
In the aftermath of a painful divorce, Agatha Christie made an unexpected decision. At 40 years old, she boarded the Orient Express and left behind England, seeking solitude and adventure in the East. Her journey took her to Baghdad and then further still, to the breathtaking ruins of Ur in Iraq. What she found there wasn’t just the wonder of ancient Mesopotamia, but something far more surprising: love.
At the archaeological site, she met Max Mallowan, a brilliant young archaeologist nearly 14 years her junior. The two struck up a connection, one built not on scandal but on shared passion for history, storytelling, and the rhythms of excavation life. In 1930, they married and for the rest of her life, Christie would return again and again to the dusty dig sites of Iraq and Syria, notebook in hand, heart wide open.
It was there, on the veranda of the British School of Archaeology in Baghdad, that she sipped tea between cataloguing shards of pottery and brushing sand off ancient treasures with her face cream. These desert landscapes inspired her most iconic settings from Murder in Mesopotamia to They Came to Baghdad, and even Murder on the Orient Express, imagined after her own train was stranded in a storm.
Agatha Christie didn’t just pen stories of mystery she lived one. And somewhere between the ruins of forgotten empires and the thrill of a new love, she rewrote her own ending. -Weird Wonders and Facts-
APerfect Cake for Father’s Day
← Can you just imagine a little boy looking at this cake, seeing all that ‘dirt’ and his Dad telling him to “Dig In, Son!” Father’s Day – Celebrate it!
Do You Remember “All In The Family”???
In the very first episode of "All in the Family" (1971–1979), Archie Bunker storms into his living room, complaining about the "hippies" and "minorities" changing the world he once knew. His wife, Edith, tries to calm him, while his daughter, Gloria, and her liberal husband, Mike, roll their eyes. This moment was not just a scene it was a mirror held up to America. The show aired on January 12, 1971, but that single exchange could have easily been plucked from any dinner table conversation of the era. What made it revolutionary was that television had never dared to portray these raw, unfiltered discussions before.
Until "All in the Family," sitcoms largely focused on idealized families with gentle conflicts, always ending with a warm resolution. Norman Lear’s creation shattered that mold, injecting reality, controversy, and uncomfortable truths into prime-time entertainment.
Carroll O’Connor’s portrayal of Archie Bunker made him one of the most complex characters in television history. He was stubborn, bigoted, and frequently offensive, yet audiences found themselves drawn to him, whether out of recognition or exasperation. The brilliance of the show lay in how it never fully endorsed or condemned him.
Archie was a product of his time, a man clinging to outdated ideals as the world around him evolved. His arguments with Mike Stivic, played by Rob Reiner, became the show’s backbone, reflecting the generational and ideological divides shaking the country.
Mike, an outspoken liberal, represented the younger, socially progressive generation, challenging Archie’s conservative views at every turn. Their heated debates were not just comedic, they were eerily similar to real-world clashes happening across America, making audiences feel as though they were watching their own families onscreen.
Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker, often dismissed as “dingbat” by Archie, was the emotional anchor of the show. Though she initially seemed naive and simple, her character evolved into a source of wisdom, surprising both Archie and the audience with moments of quiet strength. One of the most groundbreaking episodes of "All in the Family" saw Edith fend off an attempted sexual assault, a shocking and powerful storyline that had never been addressed in a sitcom before. Her departure from the series, when Stapleton chose to leave, was handled with devastating realism. Edith passed away offscreen, leaving Archie a grieving widower, lost without the woman who had always stood by his side.
Sally Struthers, as Gloria, captured the struggles of a young woman navigating independence in a changing society. She often found herself caught between her father’s conservative mindset and her husband’s radicalism. Unlike other TV daughters of the time, Gloria was not simply a side character. Her feminist beliefs and personal challenges were treated as integral parts of the story, further pushing the boundaries of what sitcoms could explore.
From its very first season, "All in the Family" confronted racism, sexism, war, LGBTQ+ rights, and economic struggles. No topic was off-limits. The show famously featured the first openly gay character on a network sitcom, long before mainstream television was ready to embrace LGBTQ+ representation. It also addressed interracial marriage, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal, often mirroring real-world events in real time.
The show’s raw approach to comedy was both its strength and its controversy. Some viewers saw Archie as a satire of bigotry, while others mistakenly admired him as a champion of their own outdated beliefs. This duality made the show all the more powerful. It forced audiences to confront their own biases, rather than simply laughing at someone else’s. It was not escapism, it was a reflection of America, in all its messy, uncomfortable, and sometimes funny contradictions.
The success of "All in the Family" led to multiple spin-offs, each with its own groundbreaking themes. "The Jeffersons" (1975–1985) followed the Bunkers’ Black neighbors as they moved up in the world, flipping the racial dynamic that Archie often ranted about. "Maude" (1972–1978), starring Bea Arthur as Edith’s outspoken cousin, tackled women’s rights, including an unprecedented episode about abortion. "Good Times" (1974–1979) explored the struggles of a working-class Black family, highlighting economic disparity in ways that sitcoms had long ignored.
Carroll O’Connor died in 2001 from a heart attack. Jean Stapleton passed away in 2013 from natural causes. Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson, died in 2006 due to throat cancer. Isabel Sanford, known for her role as Louise Jefferson, passed away in 2004 from natural causes.
Anita's Analysis
Facebook March 15, 2025
All InA Day’s Work
A young man named John applied for a salesman's job at a big department store. It was one of the biggest stores in the worldyou could get anything there.
The boss said, "You can start tomorrow and I'll come and see you when we close up."
At the end of the next business day the boss came around and asked, "How many sales did you make today?"
"One," said the young salesman.
"Only one?" blurted the boss, "Most of my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day. How much was the sale worth?"
"Three hundred thousand, three hundred and thirty four dollars," said John. "How did you manage that?" asked the boss.
"Well, this man came in and I sold him a small fish hook, then a medium hook and finally a really large hook. Then I sold him a small fishing line, a medium one and a big one. I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast. I said he would probably need a boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that twenty foot schooner with the twin engines. Then he said his car probably wouldn't be able to pull it, so I took him to the car department and sold him the new Deluxe version we have."
The boss took two steps back and asked in astonishment, "You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fish hook?" "No," answered John, "he came in to buy a present for his mother-in-law, who'll come to visit on Friday, so I said to him, 'Well, since your weekend's messed up, you might as well go fishing.'"
Thanks, Saul
A fire started on some grassland near a farm. The fire department from a nearby town was called to extinguish the flames. The fire proved to be more than they could handle, so someone suggested that another fire department be called.
The second fire department arrived in a dilapidated old fire truck. They drove straight towards the fire and stopped in the middle of the flames. The firemen jumped off the truck and frantically started spraying water in all directions. Soon they had put out the center of the fire, breaking the blaze into two easily controllable parts. The farmer was so impressed with the fire department's work and so grateful that his farm had been spared, that he presented them with a check for $1000. A news reporter asked the fire captain what the department planned to do with the funds. "That should be obvious," he responded, "the first thing we're gonna do is get the brakes fixed on that stupid fire truck."
Thanks, Saul
Something to See in Sri Lanka
Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock Sinhala: සීගිරිය, Tamil: சிகிரியா
, pronounced SEE-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite approximately 180 m (590 ft) high.
According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sinhagiri, the Lion Rock.
The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. It is likely that the area around Sigiriya was inhabited since prehistoric times. There is clear evidence that the many rock shelters and caves in the vicinity were occupied by Buddhist monks and ascetics from as early as the 3rd century BC.
The earliest evidence of human habitation at Sigiriya is the Aligala rock shelter to the east of Sigiriya rock, indicating that the area was occupied circa 3000 BC during the Mesolithic Period Buddhist monastic settlements were established during the 3rd century BC in the western and northern slopes of the boulder-strewn hills surrounding the Sigiriya rock. Several rock shelters or caves were created during this period. These shelters were made under large boulders, with carved drip ledges around the cave mouths. Rock inscriptions are carved near the drip ledges on many of the shelters, recording the donation of the shelters to the Buddhist monastic order as residences. These were made in the period between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD.
In 477 AD, Kashyapa I, the king's son by a non-royal consort, seized the throne from King Dhatusena, following a coup assisted by Migara, the King's nephew and army commander. The rightful heir, Moggallana, fearing for his life, fled to South India. Afraid of an attack by Moggallana, Kashyapa moved the capital and his residence from the traditional capital of Anuradhapura to the more secure Sigiriya. During King Kashyapa's reign (477–495 AD), Sigiriya was developed into a complex city and fortress. Most of the elaborate constructions on the rock summit and around it, including defensive structures, palaces, and gardens, date from this period.
The Cūḷavaṃsa describes King Kashyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kashyapa murdered his father by walling him up alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his half-brother Moggallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Moggallana fled to India to escape being assassinated by Kashyapa, but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka, which he considered to be rightfully his. Expecting the inevitable return of Moggallana, Kashyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress as well as a pleasure palace. Moggallana finally arrived, declared war, and defeated Kashyapa in 495 AD. During the battle Kashyapa's armies abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.
The Cūḷavaṃsa and folklore inform us that the war elephant on which Kashyapa was mounted changed course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as the king's having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon him altogether. It is said that being too proud to surrender he took his dagger from his waistband, cut his throat, raised the dagger proudly, sheathed it, and fell dead. Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradhapura, converting Sigiriya into a Buddhist monastery complex, which survived until the 13th or 14th century.
After this period, no records are found on Sigiriya until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was used briefly as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy
Alternative stories have the primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena, with Kashyapa finishing the work in honor of his father. Still other stories describe Kashyapa as a playboy king, with Sigiriya his pleasure palace. Even Kashyapa's eventual fate is uncertain. In some versions he is assassinated by poison administered by a concubine; in others he cuts his own throat when deserted in his final battle. Still further interpretations regard the site as the work of a Buddhist community, without a military function. This site may have been important in the competition between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.
In Professor Senarath Paranavithana's book The Story of Sigiri, King Dathusena is said to have taken the advice of the Persian Nestorian Priest Maga Brahmana on building his palace on Sigirya. According to Paranavithana, during this period over 75 ships carrying Murundi soldiers from Mangalore arrived in Sri Lanka and landed in Chilaw to protect King Dathusena, most of them Christians. King Dathusena's daughter was married to Migara, a Christian and the commander of the Singhalese army. According to Leonard Pinto, Paranavitana's story is not widely accepted as it is contrary to recorded Mahavamsa textual sources from this period.
In 1831 Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot of the British Army, while returning on horseback from a trip to Pollonnuruwa, encountered the "brushwood-covered summit of the rock of Sigiri". Sigiriya came to the attention of antiquarians and, later, archaeologists. Archaeological work at Sigiriya began on a small scale in the 1890s. H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research on Sigiriya. The Cultural Triangle Project, launched by the Government of Sri Lanka, focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982. Archaeological work began on the entire city for the first time under this project. There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head collapsed years ago.
Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces clings to the slopes below the rocks. The moats, walls and gardens of the palace extended for a few hundred metres from the base of the rock. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock.
Sigiriya is considered to be one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium, and the site plan is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The plan combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of the surroundings. On the west side of the rock lies a park for the royals, laid out on a symmetrical plan; the park contains water-retaining structures, including sophisticated surface/subsurface hydraulic systems, some of which are working today. The south contains a man-made reservoir; these were extensively used from the previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the royals.
Artwork
John Still in 1907 wrote, "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery... the largest picture in the world perhaps". The paintings would have covered most of the western face of the rock, an area 140 m (460 ft) long and 40 m (130 ft) high. There are references in the graffiti to 500 ladies in these paintings. However, most have been lost forever. More frescoes, different from those on the rock face, can be seen elsewhere, for example on the ceiling of the location called the "Cobra Hood Cave".
Although the frescoes are classified as in the Anuradhapura period, the painting style is considered unique; the line and style of application of the paintings differing from Anuradhapura paintings. The lines are painted in a form which enhances the sense of volume of the figures. The paint has been applied in sweeping strokes, using more pressure on one side, giving the effect of a deeper color tone towards the edge. Other paintings of the Anuradhapura period contain similar approaches to painting, but do not have the sketchy lines of the Sigiriya style, having a distinct artists' boundary line. The true identity of the ladies in these
The Lion Gate and climbing stretch
paintings still has not been confirmed. There are various ideas about their identity. Some believe that they are the ladies of the kings while others think that they are women taking part in religious observances. These pictures have a close resemblance to paintings seen in the Ajanta Caves in India.
On 14 October 1967, paint was splashed on the frescoes in an act of vandalism. Luciano Maranzi, an expert trained at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome, assisted the restoration, which took until 11 April 1968. It was considered the most challenging effort undertaken by the Chemical Preservation Division of the Department of Archaeology There is continued concern that the original colors of the frescoes are fading, with a report presented in 2010 suggesting that the 22 frescoes have been fading since 1930.
Shirley Jacobson, former resident: “When I was young, I hoped I’d wake up beautiful. Now, I just hope to wake up!”
Young Lucy Lucille Ball around 1930
Female photojournalist Jessie Tarbox on the street with her camera, 1900's
Amy Johnson, English aviator 1903-1941 One of the first women to gain a pilot's licence, Johnson won fame when she flew solo fromBritain to Australia in 1930. Her dangerous flight took 17 days. Later she flew solo to India and Japan and became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic East to West, she volunteered to fly for The Women's Auxiliary Air Force in WW 2, but her plane was shot down over the River Thames and she was killed.
Leather gloves worn by Lincoln to Ford's Theater on the night of his assassination. Blood stains are visible at the cuffs.
Prison Garb 1924. Belva Annan murderess whose trial records became the musical "Chicago".
Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the South Pole. At approximately 3pm on December 14, 1911, Amundsen raised the flag of Norway at the South Pole and named the spot Polheim — "Pole Home".
Phoebe Mozee (aka: Annie Oakley). Famed for her marksmanship by 12 years old, she once shot the ashes off of Kaiser Wihelm II's cigarette at his invitation. When she outshot famed exhibition marksman Frank Butler he fell in love with her and they married. They remained married the rest of their lives.
The extraordinary life of Maud Allen: Seductive US dancing girl who was sued for being too lewd, outed as a lesbian, and fled London after being branded a German spy who was sleeping with the prime minister's wife.
Miss America 1924 Helen Keller meeting Charlie Chaplin
Very
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Amelia Earhart
In 1911, Bobby Leach survived a plunge over Niagara Falls in a steel barrel. Fourteen years later, in New Zealand, he slipped on an orange peel and died.
Washington , D.C. , circa 1919. "Walter Reed Hospital flu ward."
One of the very few images in Washington-area photo archives documenting the influenza contagion of 1918-1919, which killed over 500,000 Americans and tens of millions around the globe. Most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection.
Bea Arthur (née Bernice Frankel) (1922-2009) SSgt. USMC 1943-45 WW II. Enlisted and assigned as typist at Marine HQ in Wash DC, then air stations in VA and NC. Best remembered for her title role in the TV series "Maude" and as Dorothy in "Golden Girls”.
Caroline Otero, courtesan, the most sought after woman in all of Europe. She associated herself with the likes of Prince Albert I of Monaco, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Kings of Serbia, and Kings of Spain as well as Russian Grand Dukes Peter and Nicholas, the Duke of Westminster and writer Gabriele D’Annunzio. Six men reportedly committed suicide after their love affairs with Otero ended. Two men fought a duel over her. She was famed for her voluptuous breasts.
Filming the MGM Logo
Billie Holiday at two years old, in 1917
Cyclists ride in the first running of the Tour de France, in 1903.
Vintage Baked Potato Cart. A legitimate fast food lunch option back in the day.
Chief Petty Officer Graham Jackson plays "Going Home" as FDR's body is borne past in Warm Springs, GA, where the President was scheduled to attend a barbecue on the day he died. April, 1945.
– Natalie Grant
“My father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.”
– Liza Minnelli
“I am not ashamed to say that no man I ever met was my father’s equal, and I never loved any other man as much.”
– Hedy Lamarr
“The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get.”
– Tim Russert
“My Father’s tears and fears are unseen, his love is unexpressed, but his care and protection remains as a pillar of strength throughout our lives.”
– Ama H. Vanniarachchy
“There will always be a few people who have the courage to love what is untamed inside us. One of those men is my father.”
– Alison Lohman
“I’ll always be your baby, no matter how the years fly by.”
“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
– Clarence Budington Kelland
“Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes.”
– Gloria Naylor
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me.”
– Jim Valvano
“To her, the name of father was another name for love.”
– Fanny Fern
“I love my father as the stars – he’s a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart.”
– Terri Guillemets
“One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.”
– George Herbert
“No music is so pleasant to my ears as that word – father.”
– Lydia Maria Child
“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.”
– Harper Lee
“A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.”
– Unknown
“My dad’s my best mate, and he always will be.”
– Cher Lloyd
“Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds.”
– Terri Guillemets
“It doesn’t matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.”
– Anne Sexton
“I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.”
– Markus Zusak
“An almost perfect relationship with his father was the earthly root of all his wisdom.”
– C.S. Lewis
“The imprint of a father remains forever on the life of the child.”
– Roy Lessin
Puzzles and Word Games you can
COMMON MEDS SMALL INCREASES
ADDERALL AMLODIPINE ATIVAN
BENZONATATE BIKTARVY CYMBALTA DUPIXENT
EMTESA FARXIGA GABAPENTIN
HUMIRA
KEYTRUDA
LEXPRO
LYRICA MELATONIN METFORMIN NALTREXONE NAPROXEN NARCAN OPDIVO
OZEMPIC PREDNISONE TRAMADOL
VIAGRA XANAX
Across 1.Carbonium, e.g.
4.Charm
9.“Gimme ___!” (start of an Iowa State cheer)
10.Trowel wielder
11.Flexible mineral
13.Believed
14.African conflict of 1899-1902
16.Not out
17.Big Apple attraction, with “the”
18.In attendance
20.Shiver from fear
22.Chill
24.Big time?
25.Wuss
27.Chemical ending
28.“The Republic” writer
29.Darling Down
1.Poets’ feet
2.Part of “the works”
3.“Good one!”
4.Morning, for short
5.Gandhi’s title
6.Conniver
7.Fa follower
8.Terminate
12.Chair part 15.___ bit 18.Companionless 19.C.I.A. director under Clinton and Bush 20.Charlie, for one 21.Page 22.Software program, briefly 23.“For Me and My ___”
26.Rocky’s greeting
The headline is a clue to the answer in the diagonal.
Heliport Wordoku
How to solve wordoku puzzles
You only need logic and patience to solve a wordoku.
Simply make sure that each 3x3 square region has only one letter from the word HELIPORT. Similarly, each letter can only appear once in a column or row
in the larger grid. The difficulty on this puzzle is medium.
June 2025
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- LindaP.
