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mar04isdead · 3 years

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So I’m writing a book...

I already have the chapters up on Wattpad. I decided to post it here too to expand my audience. I hope it gets the interest of people!

Freaks But Family

Maria, Favion, Kayla, Alyssa, and Immanuel have been best friends since they can remember. They were their own little family, doing everything together. They were inseparable, that is until Maria disappeared when they were ten. It hit Favion the hardest, and he stopped talking to his other friends. But a few months after Maria's disappearance, two villians came to town. And Favion was chosen by the government to exterminate them. Now, sophomore year of highschool five years later, Favion is surprised when he finds out his long lost friend, is his new math tutor. How long will it take for him to connect the dots?

This book is dedicated to four old friends of mine. Four idiots who have been my ride or die crew since preschool. I miss them a lot, and I hope wherever they are, that they are also doing what they love. These four people have inspired four characters in this book, I hope that if they ever read this book, they like what I'm doing.

Chapter 1: The disappearances

Hi, if you're wondering who I am don't worry. I'm just here to tell a story, a story that is all over the place. Okay, so most stories start at the beginning so let's start there. But this isn't like other stories, first a history lesson.

The Aztecs, a great civilization, but their downfall was their amount of enemies and when the conquistadors came around, they had no help defending their home. But there was a certain clan that managed to escape, the Alebrije clan. They made a temple where they could escape, and they kept on living since. But after one thousand years, their line of chiefs was broken. That ended their civilization, but some escaped and kept the clan living. And it is said that there is a way to save the clan, but the new chief has to find the temple.

Alright! Time to start at part of the beginning. I'm just gonna tell you the story year by year right now. Then we can get into the real stuff.

When Maria was born, she was born in Mexico. But when she was brought home to Loganville, Georgia, her oldest cousin, Esme, was sent away. No one knows where she was sent to, and they've learned not to ask unless they wanted to be next. Her family owned a antique store, and the people next door owned a bakery where they lived above it. And that family was the Freeman family, they only had one son. Maria's parents had her over there for playdates all the time, and pretty soon three more children joined and then they formed what their parents like to call 'The Chaos gang.'

When Maria was a year old, something happened. Something very weird happened. She was trying to reach for her favorite toy which was on a high shelf, and she was mad she couldn't reach it. What was weird was how it suddenly floated off the shelf and into her hands. But she was alone, no one could have helped her, right?

When she was two, another one of her cousins was sent away. Sam, Maria cried a lot that night. But only she noticed how when her tears fell from her eyes, they started to freeze.

At age three, her older brother Liam was gone. She woke up on her birthday to find him gone, but her parents didn't care. Instead what they did was lock her in a room, there was no sunlight and no way out. And no matter how many times she blasted fire at the walls, nothing happened. She eventually gave up and curled herself up in a corner. She covers her eyes and starts to cry, that is until she hears hissing. She looks up and sees a spider crawling to her and a snake slither it's way over to. She tries to back away but she's trapped in the corner. She covers her face as both the spider and snake jump at her, they both bite her arms. When Maria looks at the bite marks, she feels tired, and passes out.

Age four, one eye green and the other blue and vitiligo that has gathered on her stomach and back. But pretty soon the vitiligo turned into scales, and she started to get hungry for abnormal things. One day she was helping one of her uncles make traditional goat meat, but when it was time to drain the goat of it's blood Maria found herself wondering what it would taste like. When her uncle told her to take it to her aunts so that they could make the blood into stew, she couldn't help herself. She grabbed a cup, took some of the blood from the pot and took a drink. When she went to give the blood to her aunt for the stew, the pot was less than half-way full. She couldn't wash the blood from the cup so she decided to hide the cup, she easily moved the earth to make a hole and covered it up like it never moved.

"So, what's the plan?" Alyssa looks at her friends from her place next to the cliff.

Favion shrugs, "Just jumping in and us learning how to swim."

"But we don't know how, we're five." Kayla countered.

"We're five and we don't know how to swim!" Immanuel shouts.

"Don't worry, I do! Now c'mon, i'm gonna help you swim!" Maria makes her friends hold hands before they all run off the cliff and fall into the water.

They spent the whole afternoon, in their favorite spot learning how to swim. Maria helped them by making sure the water kept a hold on them.

When they all went home, Maria's cousin Clarisse was sent away too. And if people were being sent away by order of age, she would be next.

Age six, instead of her being taken away, her younger cousin Yallesia was. She was with Favion in the cemetery they found in the forest. They were playing on the big sycamore tree when she brought it up.

"I don't know where they go, I ask but they don't tell me." She complains. She was still recovering from accidentally letting out so much electricity after jumping on the trampoline the other day.

"Well, do you want to keep naming the branches?" Favion suggest. "Might take your mind off of it."

Maria nods, "Sure, I was thinking we call this one Roberto. I traced it back and it points to Mexico."

"Okay, Roberto it is." Favion pulls a marker from his pocket and writes the name on the branch.

She didn't understand, she was the oldest left so why were all the younger ones being taken away? Age seven, and no matter how many times she made the wind knock them over without them noticing, they took her twin cousins Joseph and Cameron away. How many more times, how many more times until they leave them all alone? At least she got a new baby brother, Angle, at least he wouldn't leave her.

"Dude you got a new bed? No fair I just have that twin sized one from when I was younger." Maria complained as she and her other friends jumped on Favion's bed.

"Yeah, no fair man! How come you get a new bed? You're eight just like the rest of us." Immanuel asks while throwing a pillow at Alyssa.

Favion grins, "I'm just that likable."

Maria laughs, "Let's see if that helps you, you race you all back to the cliff."

They all take off running out of the bakery, down the block, and into the woods. Maria ends up falling behind but she beats them there. It was like she just popped out of nowhere.

"How did you beat us?" Kayla asks while gasping for breath.

Maria thought to when she reached out for her hand to tell them to wait, but instead this weird hole popped up in front of her and when she ran through and ended up at the cliff.

"Guess I'm just lucky." She shrugged.

But that luck couldn't help her when two more of her cousins were taken, Nico and Imelda, leaving her alone with just Angle for company.

"They like each other, all three of them. Why can't they see it?" Maria asked Favion as they were walking home from school.

"I couldn't tell you, but one of them needs to get it together and they need to talk about it." He too, tired of their three friends pinning.

Maria groaned, "The day they talk it out is the day I die! Gardening can't unstress this!" the nine year old flopped her arms around.

"Hey, it's getting to your neck now." Favion pointed at Maria's neck, where the vitiligo has started to form patches. "Anyways, how's that garden of yours going?"

Maria smiles, "Great actually, just sprouted this really big daisy. I honestly don't know how I got it that big." Actually she did, she just thought 'Oh I want this flower to be big.' and in seconds it grew big.

By the time she did get home, Angle was gone. And once again she was alone, alone and with no one to help. Now she really felt like she was next to go.

There was a knock on Favion's window at sometime in the morning, he was too lazy to look at the clock. He looked over to his window, and there on the fire escape was his ten year old best friend, Maria, she had urgency in her eyes.

"Hey, what's up?" he ask her.

"C'mon, we're going to the tree. I really need to talk to you." Maria grabs him by the arm and pulls him out the window.

Favion tries to stop her, "Wait what if someone sees us?" He whispers.

She shakes her head as they head down the stairs, "Don't worry about that, just follow me. We don't have much time."

When they are both off the stairs they start to run down the block, but Favion notices people still on the streets.

"Wait, there are people still out here." He tries to stop Maria but she keeps running.

She looks back at him, "Don't worry about them. They can't see us." She grabs him by the arm again, "Like I said, we don't have much time." She growls.

They kept running until they arrived at the sycamore tree, "Okay, what's up?" Favion asks.

"They're sending me away next. I don't know where, they never tell. I have to go, I got away but not for long. I have to leave you guys." Maria looks like she's about to cry.

Favion shakes his head, "No, you can't leave! Where are they going to take you, we don't know where they are going to take you!"

"I know, but I can't get out of this. They're gonna start looking for me in a while. But tell the others that I am just going away to boarding school." She tries to explain.

"No, you're not leaving! You can't leave! Please, please try to stay." He hugs her and refuses to let go.

"Hey, man? I love you, but there's just no way." She starts to cry.

They both start to cry, eventually she pries her way out of his arms and runs off into the forest. defeated, Favion goes back home, hoping that it's all a bad dream.

Maria was sent somewhere, but not where her cousins were sent. They were relocated to another part of the city, she was taken to a research center. The place was pretty empty, except for one other person, a girl her age.

"Hi, I'm Rose! I've been here all by myself! What's your name?" The girl, Rose, asked Maria.

"Maria, nice to meet you Rose." Maria blushes.

Maira was there for five months, and her only friend was Rose because they were the only two there. Rose was like her in a way, Maria found out that when Rose got mad vines and plants would start growing uncontrollably. She found out that Rose has been here all her life, and that she's never been outside.

Once a week the people watching them, would give Maria a bag of blood. She didn't know why they did that, but it kept her calm. But one month they stopped giving her blood, and that went south. She usually preferred to never shift, to never do that thing where her bottom half grows into a snake tail and on her back long spider legs break through her scaled skin. It scared Rose, it scared her more when the people took Maria away and had her locked up for days. When they got Maria to calm down they gave her blood, more than they have ever given her.

Maria and Rose decided that they wanted to run away, they wanted to be free. Rose was worried about where they would go, but Maria said she could find her family. So in the middle of the night, time stopped for them. They packed their things and very easily got out, they went through a tunnel that Maria made to get them to the city. Once they were out, Maria made the tunnel collapse and they started to run. They ran until they found a large house, Maria said that that was where they needed to go. Time started again and the girls knocked on the door, hoping someone would help.

A twenty-five year old Esme didn't expect to see two ten year old girls on her doorstep in the middle of the night. She let them in and woke up the rest of her family. The girls were given food and while they ate they were asked questions.

"So, instead of sending you here they sent you to a research center? And you," Esme points at Rose, "You've been in that place your whole life?"

Both girls nod, "Well, Maria, do you at least have your telekinesis ability? Can you shift?" Clarisse ask.

"I have telekinesis, but what's shifting?" She wonders.

"We can explain that another day, but when you were three were you bitten by an animal?" Liam questions.

Clarisse snaps her fingers, "No, they locked her up in a room. I don't know why but they did, she wasn't let out and I doubt anything could have gone in."

"Okay," Sam taps her fingers against her thigh, "She can't shift but that's okay. She still has levitation abilities. Do you have any other abilities we need to know about?"

Maria shakes her head, "No, I don't have other abilities." She lies.

"That's good, what about you Rose, do you have any abilities?" Esme wonders.

"Yeah, I can control plants." Rose responds plainly.

Esme nods, "We'll let you two finish up eating, then it's off to bed so we can start getting you both ready for school." Esme looks at her cousins, "All of you to bed, and this is your last chance if you need me to sign anything."

During that summer, Rose and Maria were playing around the sewers. Maria managed to get them in there by making some weird wobbly portal and by thinking of where she wanted to go.

"Try to catch up!" Maria shouted to Rose.

"Stop shooting water at me! It's gross sewer water!" Rose shouts back.

Both girls laugh and keep running. Eventually they arrive at a weird door, they try to see a way in but give up.

"What if I blast it?" Maria suggests fire starting to form at her fingertips.

Rose smirks, "Do it."

Maria concentrates on the wall and tenses her hands as the fire starts to grow. She lifts her hands at the wall and relaxes her hands, letting the fire go. The wall crumbles down and rubble flies everywhere. Smoke swirls and settles and both girls look into through the door.

"Cool." They say.

They step inside of the room, that is awfully large. One of the walls has a large computer screen, with the screen open.

"What does it say?" Rose wonders.

"'These are people who rely on us for money. The government is corrupted and has taken everything from these people. Most of these people are single parents and need as much help as possible. There are also children who need to get out of abusive homes and out of the corrupted foster system. How you solve these things is up to you.' There's a long list of people here." Maria points out.

Rose looks at the list, "You need to teach me to read. But I can tell that it's a lot. How long ago was this made?"

Maria starts to read through the message. "About a week ago maybe, kind of hard to tell. What do we do about this?"

"Should we do this, should we help these people?" Rose asks.

"I mean, if these people really need our help. I always knew the government was corrupted, you know because of where we were a few weeks ago. And we have one advantage, no one would mess with kids with abilities." Maria smiles.

Rose smiles back, "I'm guessing that's a yes."

"No one will believe that eleven year old's rob banks!" Rose laughs as she helps Maria sort money.

Maria laughs with her, "No one, even if they have that so-called hero what's his name."

"It was The Liberator, kind of stupid." Rose puts a rubber band around a bundle of money. "Also funny how you used that new light bending ability to blind him for a while."

"Do you want to know what the city is calling us?" Maria asks.

"What are they calling us?" Rose wonders.

"They're calling you Thorn and me Madness. You Thorn because of your plant work, and me Madness because I accidentally shifted and to everyone I looked insane." Maria starts laughing again.

"That reminds me, are we telling your cousin's about your shifting? We haven't been able to find you blood in weeks, we don't even know if you can drink anything other than goat blood." Rose wraps the last bundle.

Maria sighs, "I know, I want to tell them. But how will they react, I can shift into two things. That is one more than normal." Maria raises her hand in a puppeteering motion, sorting the money in their corresponding bags with the name of families.

Rose shrugs, "Well, what if you go feral like last time? You know, that thing where you can't control anything you say or do, shift uncontrollably, and over use your powers because you couldn't get blood."

Maria nods, "Fine, I'll tell them tonight. Hopefully I can get some blood before we have to distribute tomorrow. Are we doing patrol tonight?"

Rose shakes her head, "I understand we need to help them all, but we need a break. And you really need blood."

When they get back home, it's already dinner time.

"Nice of you two to show up, we got news that the center where you were both in was closed down. Now help us set the table." Esme starts handing out things for everyone to do.

Apparently using their abilities is common, nearly everyone used their levitation ability to help set the table to get things done quickly. Imelda was levitating the lemonade pitcher, but because she was still learning, she accidentally spilled it on Maria.

"Ahh!" Maria screams.

Maria's body started to smoke and she felt like she was burning up. She quickly took off her shirt, revealing her scaled chest and her makings. Due to the scales, her breast don't develop, and she has several burn marks from where the lemonade hit her. That was her breaking point, her eyes started to glow red with anger and hunger. Slowly her fangs began to grow in and her legs join together and form a snake tail. From her back the ripping of skin and scales is heard as her spider legs split through her back. Her eyes turned a solid black and two more pairs appeared on her forehead and under her eyes.

Everyone is staring at her, Esme is the one who breaks the silence. "Help me get her into the dome!"

Maria blacked out for a moment, when she woke up she was in a large dome. A glass dome, like the one she was once held in. She could see her reflection, and she also saw her family on the other side of the dome.

"Let me out!" she roars in anger. She stabs at the dome with her legs, but it doesn't break. She proceeded to use all of her abilities, and nothing happens.

"Don't bother, great-grandmother made it. She didn't finish but it's enough, she made it for someone like you specifically." Esme explains.

Rose approaches the dome, "Maria, we are trying to get you some blood. We found a replacement for the goat's blood. You've been out for a few hours so don't worry about anything."

Maria notices how Sam and Clarisse are levitating a huge paint tub, Maria assumes it's full of blood she can smell it through the glass. Esme opens a slot so that Clarisse and Sam can put the tub for Maria.

Once Maria gets a hold of it, she drinks the entire thing in under five seconds. She calms down a bit but still feels hungry. It's clear how her eyes are still dull and empty.

"Give us a second, we are trying to get more. Just focus on me, okay just focus on me." Rose talks Maria through her current state.

"Let me out... Let me out!" Maria stabs at the glass again. After nothing happens she starts using her abilities again. She tries to make a portal, but they won't go through. She tries to make tunnels but they won't go past the dome. She tries to stop time but she can't focus enough, she's too hungry.

"We have more blood, don't ask where we got it from." Esme rushes back towards the dome, levitating another large tub of blood.

Maria get's the tub again, and she finishes quickly like the last one. Once she's done she starts to calm down, her body slowly starts to go back to normal. Only thing that is new is the burn marks from the lemons. Maria blacks out again, whether from the exhaustion or drinking too much blood, she couldn't remember.

"This should help you control your abilities," Esme hands Maria a small circular hoop no bigger than her head. "That inner rod has a button, try it."

Maria gets an evil grin and presses the button. The hoop folds into the rod and it becomes a three foot staff with dull blades on each end.

"That, can help with your other abilities. Might also help with the fights you and Rose have been getting into with that Liberator boy." Esme smiles and watches as Maria does some tricks with it. "Just keep me updated with your abilities, and I can keep upgrading it to help you. I already added your new ability to the dome, you can start training soon."

Maria looks over the hoop, "Is this as big as it gets for my portals, or does it expand?" she asks.

"Depends on what you want, just think about where you want to go like always and just think about expanding the portal." Esme explains and takes the hoop back from Maria. "You'll train with it later, it's dinner time and it's Wednesday which means you get your blood."

Maria smiles, "Great, what do I still have?"

They both head back upstairs and to the fridge, "You have bird, fish, fox, bear, and cat. So what are you in the mood for, and make it quick before your cousins see you drinking their blood."

"I want... give me fish. I'll down some hot sauce while I'm at it, and what else is for dinner?" Maria gets a bottle of hot sauce from the pantry and gets a blood bag from Esme.

Maria tears open the bag with her teeth and drinks the blood, then she uncaps the hot sauce and downs the whole thing.

"That is disgusting, hope you still have room for enchiladas." Esme goes up stairs to get the rest of their cousins. "Oh and don't forget to open a portal for Rose, she'll be back in a minute."

Maria moves some things in the living room and opens a portal. It's wobbly and needs her constant focus to stay stable, after a few seconds Rose jumps out of the portal.

"Hey, did you find anything?" Maria helps Rose up from her spot on the ground after she closes the portal.

"Yep," Rose hands Maria some binders. "Everything they had on us, I double checked and yeah that place is pretty much abandoned."

"Okay," Maria instantly lights the binders on fire. "No they can't get to us, so we'll be safe for now.

"Hey, how's that new ability going for you?" Rose asks, dusting herself off.

Maria shakes her head, "I can read minds very clearly, and it's a nightmare in the middle of the night, and so far I can't control anyone's mind yet. I'm trying though, might not know when we need it."

Rose puts an arm around Maria's shoulders, "We are twelve and we have committed more felonies than anyone else in this city in the past two years. Even if we don't have your mind control, we still have you reading minds that can help us knowing what the Liberator is up to."

Maria smiles, "We have your ability too, so we just might be able to do some good in this world."

"Try it again, I know you can break it!" Rose keeps banging on the dome to encourage Maria. "Try lightning, I'm right here babe!" Rose smiles and blows a kiss to Maria.

Sam laughs, "You just made her angrier, how has she not broken up with you?"

Maria keeps hitting at the dome with her abilities and her webbing. She recently acquired more spider abilities that she's been trying to gain control over. Rose made fun of the fact that she's now a real life spider woman.

"I can't even use my portals to punch you in the face!" Maria shouts at her girlfriend.

Rose starts to step back, "Ummm... do we have any blood or after this to calm her down?" She questions.

"You did this to yourself kid." Sam shrugs.

After a few more minutes of Maria attacking the dome, Esme let's her out. As Maria walks out of the dome, she slowly has her legs sink back under her skin. She grabs a shirt from Sam and puts it on.

"Rose, you're dead to me now." Maria shoots a piece of webbing at Rose's mouth.

Rose rips the webbing off her mouth, "You still love me." Rose makes a daisy out of thin air and gives it to Maria.

"Are you two done, Maria we still have to see if you can control your fortune telling and telling people's past. First up is checking people's past." Esme looks at things on her clipboard. "And if your girlfriend would so happily volunteer." Esme looks over at Rose.

"Ummm..." Rose grimaces. "I'm good, there's some stuff in there even I don't know about."

Esme sighs, "Fine then, let's just try average fortune telling. What's going to happen in the next... five minutes let's say?"

Maria closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She tightens her eyes and tries to search for something, and she finds it.

"Rose, don't go into the kitchen. And Sam, I see that whip cream, don't you dare try it." Maria opens her eyes and points at Sam.

Sam slowly puts the whip cream bottle back on the desk next to her. "Darn." She complains, monotone.

"Wait, what happens if I go into the kitchen?" Rose asks.

Maria just shrugs and walks away, ignoring Rose calling after her.

At age fourteen, Rose and Maria were stopped by a couple when they were on patrol. The couple just handed them a one year old baby before disappearing. They agreed that it was too dark and late to look for a proper orphanage so they took the baby home.

"Okay, I know you two have a good relationship, but a baby! You're only fourteen!" Sam makes fun of Rose and Maia when they get home.

"No, a couple just gave him to us! Now keep it down, it took awhile to get him to sleep. Where's Esme, she's got to see what this kid can do." Maria smiles and instantly disappears.

Sam sighs and looks at Rose, "Time travel." they both say. They head towards the basement.

"Okay, so he has a telekinesis ability. And someone help us!" Esme shouts as soon as Sam and Rose enter the basement.

The baby is sitting up and giggling while Maria and Esme are floating in mid air. Maria is doing what looks like sitting down, while Esme looks panicked.

Maria laughs at Esme, "This is great, this kid is as old as I was when I got my abilities." Maria then slowly drifts back down to the ground while Esme straight drops.

Esme groans with pain, "How did you do that?" She questions Maria.

Maria picks up the baby and taps the side of her head, "Mind control." She fixes the baby onto her hip, "Also I can finally make large barriers, how do you think we escaped the cops earlier."

"Well, what are we going to name him? They didn't give us a note did they?" Rose walks over to the baby and gives him a dandelion puff.

"Hey, dandelions are my thing. And he does have a name, it's Mike. He's one of us, our youngest aunt and uncle had him last year. Making him the youngest Alebrije-Gonzalez we have." Maria gives the little boy a tiny snowball to play with.

Esme smiles and takes the baby from Maria, "Well, welcome to the family little man. Let's get you some food and get you situated."

"Freshman year of highschool. You have that new ability, and hopefully no more abilities because of what your great grandmother said, and we have finished with most things on the list." Rose points out to Maria.

Maria shakes her head, "The thing is you have never been to public school, I haven't been in five years. I once knew people here, hopefully none of them recognize me."

Rose nods, "Okay, just tell me what to do and what not to do."

"No direct eye contact with the male species, no abilities, no being a teacher's pet, and sorry babe." Maria pries her hand out of Rose's. "No pda, especially since we're lesbians. We'll be reported to the principal and a lot of things can happen after that."

Rose groans, "People are annoying, we're like any other fifteen year old couple. What's so wrong about both of us being girls?"

Maria shrugs, "People are just... weird. They just don't know people like us because they don't want to get to know us. We can try, but people might never change their minds."

They got Esme to talk to the school and were put in all the same classes. First block was algebra, second block was biology, third was world history and then lunch, and lastly literature. The first three classes were fine but things got weird when they left for lunch. They both just sat in the courtyard under one of the trees.

"Does this look like blood, it's not that red is it?" Maria asks, showing Rose her bottled blood.

Rose tilts her head to the side, "It looks like raspberry lemonade, we should be fine. Is that all you packed?" Rose unwraps a sandwich and begins to eat.

Maria nods, "This and some crackers, but you know that this is all I need for now."

Their lunch period is thirty minutes, and when they finished early they just decided to stay and talk. But three people walked up to them.

"Maria, Maria Alebrije-Gonzalez? It's been five years, where have you been?" Some girl ask.

She has dark chocolate skin, and dark brown eyes. Fair golden brown curls pulled into a high ponytail. To her right another girl with dark skin and light eyes, but she has her hair in braids with a small bun on the top of her head and with dark red glasses. Behind them both is a boy, same dark skin but with darker eyes, with his hair in short waves.

"Kayla, Alyssa, Immanuel? What the heck, I haven't seen y'all in years." Maria stands up and gets pulled into a group hug.

Alyssa hit's Maria upside the head, "You leave us for five years and just show up! Favion just stopped talking to us out of nowhere, then we were pulled into something weird and you were gone."

"Dude, why'd you leave? What the heck happened, where were you?" Immanuel asks.

Maria smiles, "I was taken across town to live with my cousins, and I was homeschooled. But it's so great to y'all again." Maria brings them all in for another hug. "What happened to Favion, He was the only one who knew I left. What happened?" Maria asks when she pulls away.

"He-he just avoided us the whole time. Started working more at the bakery, and if he wasn't there he was at his internship. Remember his uncle in the FBI, Favion helps him now." Immanuel explains.

Kayla nods, "Yeah, it's been just the three of us for all these years. And umm, we started dating. All three of us." She says nervously.

"Fuck yeah! I called it!" Maria shouts jumping up and down in excitement. "I fucking knew it, c'mere you beautiful dipshits! If Favion were here I would have just won a bet and gained forty dollars!" She pulls them all into a hug again.

"Oh, after school we're going to the cliff. You want to join, we can catch up more." Immanuel suggest.

Maria grins, "Yeah, hey can my girlfriend come along?" She points to Rose who has been waiting patiently under the tree.

Kayla nods, "Sure, you do remember how to get there right?"

"Yep, see y'all after school." Maria waves as her old friends leave. She walks back to the tree and sits next to Rose. "So, just wait until you see the cliff."

"I'm questioning that, but I am willing to see what happens." Rose kisses Maria's cheek.

"So that means we have to skip training and then go straight to patrol, think we can get away with it?" Maria wonders.

Rose shrugs, "Just don't tell Esme and we'll be fine to do what we want."

Right after school, Maria created a portal for them to get to the cliff. While they waited for the others, Maria explained things to Rose about how things happened when they were kids.

"That's around the time I got my water ability, I was able to phase through things a few days after." Maria shows Rose the water from the cliff.

Rose smiles, "Y'all were kids, how did you manage to survive this?"

"My abilities, how else did you think we made it?" Maria grins.

They hear rustling in the woods and Alyssa, Immanuel, and Kayla emerge from the trees.

"How did you two get here first?" Alyssa asks while she sets down her bag.

Rose shrugs, "I just followed this one, you guys jumped off this cliff for fun when you were kids?" She asks in shock.

"Maria started it, she jumped first and we learned that if she jumps we jump." Kayla smiles, leaning on Alyssa.

Maria laughs, "And I'm betting that if i jump first that you will all go in after me, or are we doing a chain reaction?"

The four friends look at each other before shouting, "Chain reaction!"

"Alright get changed dipshits! We are jumping off of a cliff." Alyssa shouts with excitement.

Kayla and Alyssa pull Immanuel over to the side to get changed and Maria pulled Rose to another side.

Once all of them are done changing, they all hold hands. "Maria, do the honors?" Immanuel asks.

Maria smiles, "Alright guys, I'm gonna help you swim!" Maria runs and jumps off the cliff bringing the others with her.

At the end of the afternoon the group separates and Maria and Rose go on patrol.

"I am hoping Esme doesn't get to us on this. Your friends are pretty cool, baby you was adorable." Rose pokes Maria's cheek.

Maria pat's Rose's head, "We are totally getting grounded when we get back home. And you haven't met everyone, you still haven't met Favion."

"And I keep hearing about him, so who was he?" Rose puts an arm around Maria while they watch a bank and record the shifts of the guards.

"I was closer to him more than the others, he was my first friend. He might be the only person who really knew me, but you are the first." Maria kisses Rose. "You're the first that I was able to trust with everything."

Rose smiles, "Look, this bank has them change shifts every four hours. So we know stopping time drains you in minutes, so do shadows, death, lightning, and light manipulation. Oddly enough portals don't so, sewer system is right under the bank, we can teleport from under. Leave the portal open as long as we can and take as much money as possible, close it in under five minutes."

Maria nods, "Sounds good, we hit tomorrow. I just read the schedule, everything is the same. And everyone in that building has a one hour lunch break and everything is locked up. We can hit then, tomorrow is Friday and their lunch is during our lunch."

"You stopped time and teleported into the manager's office to read the schedule didn't you?" Rose asks smugly.

"You know me so well babe!" Maria gives Rose another kiss. "And now that we have that, let's go home. Time to go get grounded, Esme is going to be real mad."

Well, the first part of the story ends here. But don't worry, there is more. This isn't even the real beginning, there is still so much to cover. Just come back when you can, I'll tell you the rest then.

#Freaks But Family #original work #fantasy story

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sciencespies · 4 years

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Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

https://sciencespies.com/history/ten-museums-you-can-virtually-visit/

Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | March 20, 2020, 7 a.m.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, museums and cultural institutions across the globe are closing their doors to the public. But while visitors can no longer roam the halls of these institutions, virtual tools and online experiences mean anyone with an internet connection can browse world-class collections from home.

The Smithsonian Institution, of course, has its own array of virtual tours, experiences and educational resources. Among the other experiences on offer: Scroll through an extensive trove of 3-D photographs from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, explore online exhibits from the National Women’s History Museum in Virginia, or admire artistic masterpieces from the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Spain. Additionally, around 2,500 museums and galleries, including the Uffizi Galleries in Florence and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, are offering virtual tours and presenting online collections via the Google Arts and Culture portal.

For those in search of armchair travel inspiration, Smithsonian magazine has compiled a list of ten museums that have found new ways to fulfill their critical mission of cultivating creativity and spreading knowledge.

The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

The museum is one of Madrid’s “Big Three” cultural institutions.

(Kyle Magnuson via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Home to the world’s second largest private collection of art, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza owns masterpieces by giants of virtually every art movement—to name just a few, Jan van Eyck, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Picasso and Dalí. To spotlight these artistic treasures, the Madrid museum offers an array of multimedia resources. Users can take a virtual tour of the entire building (or a thematic tour covering such topics as food, sustainability, fashion and even “inclusive love”); browse current and closed exhibits; and watch behind-the-scenes videos featuring interviews, lectures and technical studies.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

Visitors look at a site-specific art project called Home Within Home by artist Suh Do-Ho during a media event before the opening of a branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, in Seoul.

(Jung Yeon-Je / AFP via Getty Images)

Committed to offering a culturally rewarding experience since opening its doors in 2013, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul (MMCA) has established itself as a prominent cultural platform and leader in Korean art. In collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, the MMCA is now offering a virtual tour of its collections. This experience takes visitors through six floors of modern and contemporary art from Korea and around the world. Those seeking an educational walkthrough can follow along by tuning into curator-led recorded tours.

The Anne Frank House

Take a virtual tour of the Secret Annex, or explore the home where Frank and her family lived before going into hiding.

The Anne Frank House, established in cooperation with the famed diarist’s father, Otto, in 1957, strives to inform the public through educational programs and tours of the building where the teenager and her family hid during World War II. To delve deeper into the story detailed in Frank’s diary, online visitors can watch videos about her life; virtually explore the Secret Annex; look around the house where she lived before going into hiding; and view the Google Arts and Culture exhibition “Anne Frank: Her Life, Her Diary, Her Legacy.”

The Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums (pictured here), the Anne Frank House and the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City are among the many cultural institutions with online offerings.

(Getty Images)

Home to some 70,000 artworks and artifacts spanning centuries, continents and mediums, the 5.5-hectare Vatican Museums are among Italy’s finest cultural institutions. Virtual visitors can tour seven different sections of the sprawling complex, enjoying 360-degree views of the Sistine Chapel, perhaps best known for Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgment fresco; Raphael’s Rooms, where the Renaissance artist’s School of Athens resides; and lesser-known but equally sumptuous locations such as the Pio Clementino Museum, the Niccoline Chapel and the Room of the Chiaroscuri.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim.

(Stan Honda / AFP via Getty Images)

“Since its founding, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has maintained a belief in the transformative powers of art,” reads the Manhattan museum’s website. “In uncertain times such as these, art can provide both solace and inspiration.”

In a nod to this mission, the Guggenheim, a cultural center and educational institution devoted to modern and contemporary art, has opened up its collections to online visitors. The building itself, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is an architectural masterpiece; audiences can listen to an audio guide of its history or journey up its spiral halls via a Google Arts and Culture virtual tour. For those who want to take a deeper dive into the museum’s collections, the Guggenheim’s online database features some 1,700 artworks by more than 625 artists.

The London National Gallery

You can virtually tour 18 galleries in this London institution.

(Getty Images)

Take a virtual tour of 18 gallery rooms, enjoy a panoramic view of the museum’s halls and click through a wide collection of artistic masterpieces using the National Gallery’s virtual tools. Based in London, this museum houses more than 2,300 works reflecting the Western European tradition between the 13th and 19th centuries. Collection highlights include Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers and J.M.W Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire.

NASA Research Centers

NASA space scientist, and mathematician Katherine Johnson poses for a portrait at work at NASA Langley Research Center in 1980.

(Photo by NASA / Donaldson Collection / Getty Images)

For those fascinated by space exploration, NASA offers online visitors the chance to take a behind-the-scenes look inside its facilities. Visitors can take virtual tours of the organization’s research centers, where aeronautic technology is developed and tested, and learn more about the functions of different facilities. The online tour of Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, covers 16 locations, including the Flight Research Hangar and the Katherine Johnson Computational Research Facility. The virtual tour of the Glenn Research Center in Ohio, meanwhile, takes visitors inside facilities such as the Supersonic Wind Tunnel, where high speed flight is researched, and the Zero Gravity Research Facility, where microgravity research is conducted.

The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

Carved statue outside the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

(Photo by DEA / G. Dagli Orti / De Agostini via Getty Images)

Home to the world’s largest ancient Mexican art collection, in addition to an extensive collection of ethnographic objects, the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City preserves the country’s indigenous legacy and celebrates its cultural heritage. In collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, the museum has made some 140 items available for online visitors to explore from their homes. Among the objects available for viewing are the famous Aztec calendar sun stone and the striking jade death mask of ancient Mayan king Pakal the Great.

San Francisco’s De Young Museum

The observation tower at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park

(Photo via Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images)

One of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the de Young Museum’s new copper-clad building in Golden Gate Park combines art with architecture. The collection features a priceless array of American art dating from the 17th to the 21st centuries, as well as artifacts from Africa and Oceania, modern and contemporary art, costumes, and textiles. Through Google Arts and Culture, the de Young offers 11 exhibits, including “Cult of the Machine” and “Ruth Asawa: A Working Life.”

The Louvre

The Louvre’s famous glass pyramid

(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)

Housed in a large fortress along the banks of Paris’ Seine River, the Louvre regularly tops rankings of the most-visited museums in the world, with millions of visitors flocking to its halls in search of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and other instantly recognizable artworks. Virtual tours offered by the Louvre include a walkthrough of the Egyptian antiquities wing and a view of the museum’s moat, which was built in 1190 to protect Paris from invaders.

#History

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nyadere · 5 years

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Reposting this bc the link got messed up when I changed URLs!!

My all time favorite Destiel fics, in no particular order. (More to be added over time) {last updated 10/08/2019}

Too Much TV Will Rot Your Brain by EndlessRain Rating: G Words: 7397 Summary: “Angel?” John asked. He had been in Heaven for a pretty long time, and had been hunting even longer, and he never had heard of angels actually existing.

“Oh for God’s sake,” Ellen said, “That’s your kid’s boyfriend!”

Notes: A short, sweet fic with mostly humor and a bit of angst mixed in. – How (thanks to Gabriel) Dean and Castiel (accidentally) raised each other (and Sam). by Vera Rating: E Words: 69693 Summary: In which, Gabriel meddles with the time line and Castiel becomes Dean’s angel rather sooner than intended.

Notes: This is a must-read, the writing is perfect and the idea is also perfect. Throwing Castiel into the boy’s lives from the start and the dynamic it brings is such an interesting take on the story.

–

Destiel, Actually by Bloodism Rating: E Words: 15973 Summary: Picture your typical rom-com cliché. Now picture Dean stuck in that rom-com cliché. With Castiel. Because that’s what happening to him - a crazy whirlwind of your typical-and-not-so-typical cliché’s. He’s playing the main lead in all of them and Castiel’s his counterpart. Of course, the culprit is obvious. Gabe’s enjoying himself too much, lying back on his favourite cloud with a tub of salted popcorn.

It was about time someone kicked the two knuckleheads into gear.

“And… ACTION!”

Notes: Funny & light-hearted, featuring everyone’s favorite trickster.

–

Angel’s Wild by LimonadeGaby, riseofthefallenone Rating: E Words: 389271 Summary: But that’s the whole reason he’s here, isn’t it? He’s not out here hunting Humans. He’s not even hunting deer, or bears, or anything else that featured in Bambi. He’s out here, freezing his nuts off every night, because he’s hunting Angels.

Sometimes Dean wishes that Angels were like how they’re described in the Bible. How people from time too old for him to care much about thought Angels were messengers and warriors of God, protectors of Humans. He knows that how they’re really described in the Bible is actually pretty terrifying, but at least they were told by God that they’re supposed to love Humans, right?

That’s a thousand times better than what Angels really turned out to be.

Notes: Another must-read. This fic is a huge, long and a bit of a slow-burn but its so worth it. One of the first destiel fics I fell in love with, an immersive AU with fanart included.

–

Things Dean Winchester Loves by tuesday Rating: M Words: 3623 Summary: Castiel makes a list, Sam gives good advice, and Dean takes a while to catch on.

–

In the Shadow of your Wings by Enochian Things Rating: M Words: 57268 Summary: Dean drains his bottle of beer, sets it on the table and gets up, heading for the kitchen. Maybe to fetch another, maybe to leave. But Castiel doesn’t want him to go, doesn’t want to leave this conversation unfinished; he remembers his regret of just a few hours ago, that Dean had never known how he loved him.

“Wait,” he says and gets to his feet as Dean passes by. They’re standing close – close enough that Castiel can feel the heat of Dean’s body, the vibrancy of his soul brushing against his grace. “Dean, I have to tell you something…”

Set after the S11 finale.

Notes: another long, slow-burn. The buildup in this fic is fantastic, dealing with a jealous and in-denial Dean while poor Cas is dealing with his own feelings. This fic is so in-character I can see it happening in the actual show.

– Everything Comes Back To You by VioletHaze Rating: E Words: 32970 Summary: Dean knew better. Of course he did. But Cas seemed so charmed by the antique-filled bed and breakfast that Dean went along with it when the proprietor mistook them for a couple. Telling himself it gave them a strategic advantage to be so close to the crime scene, he agreed to the weekend special she offered them. When the case ended up being a bust, they stuck around anyhow because hey, the second night was free…

Notes: I love love loveeee this fic. Canon!verse with fake/pretend relationship. Dean in denial with mutual pining? Yes please. – Sam Winchester Sees the Light (And Dean’s Awkward Boner Face) by YamiTami Rating: G Words: 2447 Summary: Castiel is falling and he has to start doing human things to save energy. That means eating for sustenance, sleeping, and learning how to use a washing machine. This leads to a revelation.

Shamelessly inspired by a gifset of Misha putting a shirt on.

–

The Mirror by cloudyjenn Rating: M Words: 24568 Summary: When Dean touches a strange mirror, he’s whisked away to one alternate reality after another and it doesn’t take him long to realize the universe is trying to tell him something.

Notes: This. fic. is. amazing. I love reading about AU versions of the boys and this one has plenty of variety. Cute with a bit of angst mixed in.

–

In Your Sweet Little Bungalow by annodominique Rating: E Words: 13680 Summary: All things considered, Castiel has a house. All things considered, Castiel has a life. Without Dean.

It has been seven years since Sam died, seven years since Dean left Castiel, broken and human, and disconnected from humanity. Cas had to cope on his own somewhere along the way. He chose a little town of Oregon to settle in.

Seven years, and Dean shows up at his door on a chilly February night, saying the stupidest set of words to ever be said to Castiel’s face.

“I was–just passing by the neighborhood. Thought I’d drop by…to see you.”

And Cas doesn’t know what to do.

Notes: This fic is so angsty but so worth it.

–

When the Bough Breaks by captainshakespear, deanisthesun Rating: M Words: 73963 Summary: Years after the Darkness has been defeated, Dean and Cas are living the apple pie life in small-town Kansas. They don’t hunt anymore, and would like to keep it that way, but some young hunters knocking at their door have different plans.

Dean, Cas and Sam reluctantly agree to help out, but what ought to be a simple case becomes way more complicated and dangerous than they counted on. And when the hunt starts to invade the normal lives they’ve carved out for themselves and their kids, Dean and Cas begin to wonder if escaping the hunting life altogether might have been wishful thinking.

–

Home is Where by ChasingRabbits Rating: E Words: 15170 Summary: Casual vagrant Dean Winchester blows into Palo Alto to check on his little brother. What is meant to be a quick visit ends up drawing out when he meets and accidentally ends up clicking with Sam’s strange, grad student roommate Castiel.

Notes: non-canon verse AU where Cas has Asperger’s and is Sam’s roommate, this fic is very cute.

–

Out of the Deep by riseofthefallenone Rating: E Words: 488608 Summary: Stay away from the light-beds. Stay in the deep.

It is the first thing hatchlings are taught the moment their fans unfurl and they can swim without their parents to buoy them along. It is the first rule, the first law. It is the beginning of every boogey-monster bedtime story told when they settle against the cliffs to sleep.

Castiel should have listened better.

Notes: I cannot express how much I love this fic. Another huge AU with copious amounts of fanart and detail. Slow-burn, Merfolk AU. I will admit I was hesitant to read this at first as I don’t usually like mermaid/merfolk AUs but this story is so beautifully written and the attention to detail is amazing. Riseofthefallenone never ceases to amaze me.

–

Going Postal by captainbarnes Rating: Not Rated Words: 6799 Summary: Castiel,

Hi. My name’s Dean, just Dean — that’s all you’re getting out of me.

I don’t really know what else to say, I’m not good at this and I really don’t want to talk much. But it’s for a grade, and I’m already flunking English, so I guess I don’t have a choice.

Your name is weird as fuck.

— Dean

Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak became pen pals because of a school assignment, and they tried not to get attached to one another. They really did. Sort of. Barely.

–

King of the Road by loversantiquities Rating: E Words: 15890 Summary: Contracted out by the local police in Moriarty, New Mexico, Dean is sent to investigate the happenings around a church outside of town, the Angel-worshiping congregation reportedly flocking to the location in recent days. As it turns out, though, instead of snake charmers or devil worshipers, Dean finds an Angel crucified to the cross, said Angel unreasonably snarky despite being tied up against his will.

Turning over Castiel to the authorities, though, doesn’t work in Dean’s favor. With nowhere to go and Heaven having abandoned him, Dean agrees to haul Castiel across the country on two conditions–he doesn’t smoke in the car, and he doesn’t rob convenience stores in broad daylight.

God, Dean might actually kill him before this is over.

–

Rock of Ages by winter_of_our_Discontent Rating: T Words: 7430 Summary: It starts because they need a rock. Not, of course, just any rock, but apparently this particular critter needs an Aztec-style obsidian-and-jade dagger right through its human-teeth-and-eyeball-eating heart to actually kill it.

In which Cas gets a ring, and Dean (finally) gets a clue.

–

So There It Is, I’ve Said It All by PorcupineGirl Rating: G Words: 3898 Summary: “Why, do you have something you need to say to me that you don’t think I’ll like?”

I think I’m in love with you.

“Yeah. I guess so.“

–

Receipts by surlybobbies Rating: T Words: 1391 Summary: He’s about to put the receipt down, no harm done, when something about it catches his eye. Pen ink, on the back. He flips it around and reads:

With Dean. He shared his pie with me. His smile was radiant.

Dean stares. Reads it again. Nothing’s changed.

What? -

The Fourth Wall by entanglednow

Rating: T-E (this is a series so different parts have different ratings) Words: 40,339 Summary: (There’s not an exact summary for the whole thing since its a series of 15 different works but basically the boys discover fanfiction about themselves and things get wild) I can’t believe I didn’t add this one before but its one of my all time favorites! I’ve read it multiple times because its just that good. Lighthearted and funny. This series also includes Samifer which I’m a big fan of (but if you’re not into that each part is appropriately tagged so you can skip over it).

Someone Who’s Feeling For Me by ellispark Rating: M Words: 45,876 Summary: Dean sees her for the first time in nearly six years in some no-name town in Idaho, and it's panic at first sight. Lisa Braeden, the one woman Dean ever actually had a shot at a real life with, back from where he buried her in his mind. And her hand is on Cas's arm like it's no big deal, like it belongs there. Cas, Dean's dorky, sweet, badass, angelic best friend, and he's just standing there next to Lisa and not moving her hand away. Dean feels the jealousy rising, and it's not directed where he expected it to be. Because it takes this exact moment for Dean to realize he's in love with his best friend. He's in love with his best friend, and Lisa is looking at Cas like he's the best thing since automatic rifles, and Dean is utterly fucked. Notes: Lots of pining, supportive Sam, angst with a happy ending, the good shit. - Everyone is Trying to Get to the Bar by Balder12 Rating: E Words: 8,111 Summary: Dean still has enemies in Heaven. True!form Castiel to the rescue!

Notes: I love true!form cas fics and this one is written beautifully, the ending seemed a little rushed to me but other than that I really enjoyed this fic.

As You Pass Through Me by wannaliveindeansdimples Rating: E Words: 30,548 Summary: Cas has lived in this house all his life... and since his untimely death. The last thing he wants is a new roommate, but it seems he's getting one anyway.

Notes: a wonderful non-canonverse AU with ghost!Cas....but there’s a twist! This fic is incredibly cute and entertaining and makes me smile everytime I read it. There’s a little bit of what could be considered dub-con in a few chapters but before said chapters the author usually has a note at the beginning.

#Destiel #Destiel fic rec #Destiel fanfiction #deancas #destiel fic recs #supernatural #spn

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doorstopr · 2 years

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These finishes protect door handles from rusting due to moisture.

While searching the furniture handle&knob factory classic door handles on rose online, you should look for Victorian lever on rose, Georgian lever on rose, Regency lever on rose, Wing lever on rose and Porcelain handle. Therefore, for people living in coastal areas, PVC door handles with Stainless Steel and Stainless Brass (PVD) finishes are considered as the best option.Thanks to modern technology, PVC door handles on plate have been made available in different types of materials, sizes, shapes and designs. Most popular PVC door handles on plate are Narrow plate straight handles, Narrow plate Verde handles, Narrow plate Rosa handles, Narrow plate wing handles, Narrow plate Stella handles and Narrow plate studio-H handles. Speaking of kitchen handles, the widely used handles are Aluminum kitchen door Handles, Brass kitchen Handles, Iron kitchen Door Handles, Bronze kitchen Door Handles, Chrome kitchen Door Handles, Wooden kitchen Handles, Back to Back knob set- satin Nickel kitchen door handles, kitchen door pull handles, Georgian Rope knob and Back plate Aztec Gold door handles and Nickel kitchen Door Handles Some of the widely used designs and styles of classic door handles on rose are contemporary, Ascot, straight, scroll and M-series.

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Aluminum Door Handles with polished brass finish Black Antique Door Handles with polished chrome finish Designer Door Levers on Round Rose with satin chrome finish Designer Door Levers on Square Rose with stainless steel finish Classic Door Handles on rose Today, Door handles are used not only to open and close the doors but also to create a beautiful look on the doors. These finishes protect door handles from rusting due to moisture. They are available in a number of great finishes like Polished Chrome, Polished Brass and Satin Chrome. Since these handles are available in wide variety, you can easily find and buy the most suitable ones matching with the overall interior design of home and office. You can give your kitchen doors an outstanding look by choosing the uniquely designed kitchen door handles

#wholesale brass sink stopper factory

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hallsp · 3 years

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These last three years have been quite the journey. I started my teaching career in September, 2017, with little in the way of formal training. Sure, I completed a comprehensive Certificate in English Language Teaching with mandatory teaching practice, but this was with adult intermediates. In 2017, I was hired as an English and Social Studies teacher instructing students in literature and history, teaching upper Elementary and early Middle School students already fluent in English.

The first two months were tough. I learned very quickly that teaching is not at all about imparting your knowledge to the next generation. Fundamentally, and crucially, teaching is for the most part all about classroom management. And classroom management is, in turn, all about relationships, consistency, and discipline, but mainly relationships, which cannot be formed over night.

I left school this morning, three years later, ecstatic but also deeply sad. I have built some amazing relationships with the kids. I have very little in the way of classroom problems, and everything in the way of joyful learning experiences. I'm sad to say goodbye, and to see my kids moving on with their lives.

I've been able to read and analyze some interesting pieces of literature and discuss some interesting topics from human history. We covered George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, as well as its on-screen musical adaptation My Fair Lady, confronting its themes of class, gender, and language. We covered The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a wonderful book as big as life itself. We studied a theatrical adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. We also looked at some great poetry, like Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley. We examined the great civilizations of antiquity, from the Egyptians and the Phoenicians in this part of the world to the Aztecs of Meso-America. We explored the great religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and Druzism too. I even had the opportunity to inquire into the issue of our origins, and the concept of evolution by natural selection, in a multi-disciplinary unit on mythology, geography, and biology. It's really been an amazing few years.

Needless to say, given the depth and breadth of these topics and given my location, I have some anecdotes. I was once teaching a class about the difference between the Christian and Islamic calendars, and speaking about the secular version of the Christian calendar, i.e. use of the Common Era (CE) in place of Anno Domini (AD), and use of Before the Common Era (BCE) instead of Before Christ (BC). Instead of hearing me say Before the Common Era, a number of them misheard me and thought I was talking about years Before the Common Error. Talking myself out of that one in a class filled with Muslims and Christians and Druze and any number of other religions wasn't ideal.

Another time, when I was correcting exams after a whole trimester of teaching The Diary of Anne Frank, controversial enough as it was, one student wrote in the exam that the Nazis were intent on killing all the Druze in Europe. Druze rhymes with Jews, I suppose, but there aren't that many Druze in Europe.

Another time, when we were learning about map scale and distance as part of Geography, I included a map of Lebanon in the exam. Unbeknownst to me, I had accidentally included the name of Israel on this map. This is an illegal act in Lebanon. I was lucky that the school only warned me against repeating this after complaints from parents.

There are numerous stories like this one. One day, we took the kids on a day trip to Chouf, the home of my colleague and the heartland of the Druze community in Lebanon. We wanted to bring the kids to see places of worship belonging to Christians, Muslims, and Druze. We visited a Maronite church, a Shi’a mosque, and a Druze shrine. The shrine, in a little town called Niha, was to Job, and is believed to be the location where he was healed from his ailments after his wife carried his frail body up a steep mountain in a basket. My colleague, who is Druze, arranged to meet the Sheikh in charge but he never turned up. The Druze are highly secretive about their religion, which is understandable given their long history of oppression. This is one of the reasons why they moved to the top of a mountain. We then headed for a mosque. My colleague knew the location, but wasn’t sure what denomination it was, and hadn’t made prior contact. What made things worse was that my colleague, a woman, had to bring the girls through the side-door and upstairs. I brought the boys in the main door. It was busy. It wasn’t prayer time, but there were quite a number of people. I sat the boys in a row to one side, before looking for the Sheikh. He wasn’t there, I was told. I got the class talking about what they knew of Islam. One boy volunteered to explain the process of ritual purification before prayer, called wudu. People started to gather around us. A man, listening to the boy speak, walked over and volunteered to help him. It was then that I realised two things. First, this was a Shi’a mosque. I knew because I noticed a turbah, a prayer tablet, on the floor. Only Shi’a use these. The next thing I realised was that my student was describing the wudu procedure coming from the Sunni tradition. Some of the Shi’a children noticed this difference also. I wasn’t at all sure how this would go down. The man was very understanding, and took it upon himself to explain a bit about his version of Islam to the kids. At this stage, we had formed a discussion group comprised of my students and a number of other eager participants. It was my favourite day inside a mosque.

#teaching #lebanon #religion #druze #islam #mosque #church #shrine #christianity

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frangipanidownunder · 7 years

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Dearest Dana

Written for the amazingly talented @scull-dog and the prompt: Mulder is cleaning out the attic when he finds the email Scully printed out in trustno1. Look on her blog for the drawing created especially for this story. Tagging @today-in-fic

Set pre season 10.

Several boxes of photos, his original FBI badge, rolls of film, two old Kodaks, a pair of binoculars with a lens missing, shoelaces knotted in a ball, piles of yellowing newspapers, a Tamagotchi, an old Nokia flip phone, a tie with ghost skulls floating on it, and wedged underneath, a matching pair of boxers. He couldn’t remember who’d given them to him. Probably Frohike. He pulled all the items out, even the blow-up alien doll complete with red hair, and a bag of old VHS tapes labelled ‘property of FBI’ which was a sure sign they were not. He rifled through his booty but couldn’t find what he was looking for.

He climbed over the mess and lifted up the old Aztec blanket that was draped over a chest. Dust jittered into the already stale air and he sneezed as he lifted the lid. The chest used to sit at the end of their bed, a relic from her apartment. He could still hear her curses when she walked into it at night, blaming the dark, the long days, the wine or him.

“I never used to do this, when it was at my place,” she said, climbing back into the bed.

He kissed her grazed shin. “Everything is bigger and bolder at our place, Scully.”

She breathed out a smile and let him run kisses over her tummy, running her hands through his hair and pulling him up so that he lay between her thighs, pushing against her. “Everything,” she said.

Now everything was just a mess. The floor, his files, their future. He pulled the contents of the box out along with the musty smell of old memories. Wrapped in tissue paper was a wad of clothes. Scully’s old suit jackets. Assorted cuts and colours. He held them up to his face, breathing in the raw essence that still clung to them. On the shoulder of one, a dark maroon, was a strand of her hair. Mid-length. About the time he was away. The time he told himself that being apart was for the best, for their safety. He’d often tried to put himself back in that frame of mind, those desperate times, when it seemed that the world was collapsing in on them, that the future offered nothing but the looming fear of death, that the past had finally overtaken them. But he’d never been able to recapture it, never been able to fully justify that decision. And now he can see that it was wrong. Plain and simple. Being apart would never be for the best. That much was clear.

He unfolded the jacket and imagined Scully filling it; her curves and lines, the shape of her transmuting over their years together - soft to hard, hard to soft, and everything in between. He spread the sleeves on the floor, swiping them flat. He straightened the collar, pulled the ends down. He wondered why she kept them. They marked her working life, just like his ties. A fashion parade of years. He looked at it for a long time, the stitching, the buttons, the length, lines that ran through it. It was well-made. Smart. He couldn’t remember her wearing it. It must have been something she bought when he was missing. A buzz of emotion stirred in the pit of his throat. He coughed it away. The jacket held the moments in her life that he didn’t know about, that he was not a part of. He began to fold it back up when he noticed a stub of paper sticking out of the pocket.

It felt soft in his hands and he thought of her skin under his fingers, the way she shifted and moved under him. The paper was worn, tiny threads on the surface, distorting some of the letters, along with the creases. He blinked as he read. The words jolted through him with such ferocity that he felt it like a blow to his guts. He doubled over.

Dearest Dana.

How long had he looked at the blinking screen trying to find a way to start? How many words had he deleted before he settled for that greeting? What had she felt when she read them, her name, used so rarely but always with the weight of intimacy behind it?

He read on. Inside him the fear he’d lived through then scorched its way along his veins, so real, so familiar. Those months of not knowing anything but the desperate need to be right, to validate his quest. He spent every day unsure that his son and the love of his life were safe. He spent every day hating himself for putting them in that situation, hating her for being able to kiss William, rock him to sleep, whisper to him, tell him stories.

I’m lonely, Dana, uncertain of my ability to live like this.

His own words reached inside his chest and opened it wide, exposing his heart, leaving him breathless. More than ten years since he wrote those words and never had they been more real, more cutting.

She packed her clothes in a suitcase that seemed too compact for the task. But everything about Scully was compact. Not just physically, but in the way she was restrained, closed off. She wheeled it to the door and all he could hear was the squeak of the roller and the roar of dismay in his ears. She stood for a while, eyes cast down. Like she was waiting for permission to leave. Or maybe a reason to stay. He held the back of the chair watching his own fingers turn white as she walked through the door and started the car, the scrunch of the tyres on the driveway as mournful as any funereal anthem. Funny how he hadn’t noticed before that there was a different pitch when a car arrived. He’d stayed there, hands on that chair, for the longest time. Suspended in a hellish state of disbelief that she had left. Left him.

He knew she spent every day unsure that the love of her life was safe – she phoned him morning and night to make him tell her he was doing okay. And he spent every day hating himself for putting her in that situation, hating her for being able to go to work, talk to colleagues and get out of bed in the morning.

Her phone calls became nightly ones. Then Sunday ones. Then, when he hadn’t heard from her in a couple of weeks, he phoned her. There was noise in the background, a male voice. Laughter. He hung up and poured a large shot of whiskey. He watched the amber liquid splash around the glass, the reflections of the soft glow of the lamp Scully bought from an antique shop in Maine. He lifted it to his nose and inhaled the warm grains. He held it tight in his fist then launched it across the room, revelling in the shattering glass. He watched the liquid fall down the wall in streaks and he laughed and laughed until he cried.

She found him like that, hunched on the chair, tear-stained, silent. Her face was calm but her fingers trembled as she checked him over. She called him morning and night, never missing her time. She visited more often. She brought him books and music and fruit and plants for the yard. She brought him hope.

I want to come home.

He read that email over and over, like she must have done all those years before. Trying to find the meaning behind the words. What would he write today? What would she write? Dearest Fox? Never. Her intimacy towards him was never captured in the spoken. Only in the way she watched him, the way she touched him, the way she let him in.

I want to come home.

Darkness shrouded the bedroom, their room. He flipped on the lamp and unfolded the email again. He read aloud this time, hearing his own intonation, the desperation in his words. When he’d finished, he folded it along the original creases and held it in his fingers until sleep took him. The phone woke him. The email was lying on his chest. On his heart.

I want to come home.

“Mulder?” her voice ran through him in golden waves.

He tucked the email in an envelope and pushed it into his bedside drawer.

He sees her standing on the busy street, sharp in her blue jacket and spike heels.

“Uber?”

“Hitch-hiked. Relax, Scully. I’m kidding.”

#txf fanfic #my fanfiction #todayinfic #scull-dog #art and fic combine #so spoiled

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esmerodo · 7 years

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SAILOR MOON GEMSTONES & MINERALS: GARNET (FOR SAILOR PLUTO DAY)

By: ~ Mamoru Chiba

A belated Happy Birthday to Setsuna! Born on Sunday, October 29th. What year? WHO REALLY KNOWS? ;-) This is a post I did Sunday for the FB Page Sailor Moon: The Mooniverse, where I am their Admin Mamoru Chiba 🎩🌹🌙🌏

I have a Birthstones & Horoscope Post for all of the Senshi plus Tuxedo Mask. Would you like to see them here on Tumblr? Let me know in the replies! --Esmerodo.

=========================@

SCORPIO: Setsuna was born on October 29th, under the Zodiac sign of Scorpio. The Ruling Body for people born on this date is the Planet Pluto, representing desire, transformation and expansion. (Moonies, please note: anyone who remarks here that Pluto isn’t a planet anymore, gets bopped on the head with the Time Rod and sent to a time in history that you will NOT like! You have been warned!)

NAOKO-SENSEI’S TRAINING IN MINERALS & GEMSTONES: The reason we do this feature is because Naoko Takeuchi named most of her villain characters after a gemstone or mineral and has each of the Senshi themed around certain symbolic gemstones. Where they are known I’ve also listed each Senshi’s Zodiac gemstone and Talismanic gemstone too. I have added the horoscope for the day each Senshi was born. Takeuchi-sensei was born in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, the historically famous city of artisan gems carving and distributing in Japan. To this day, the Yamanashi Gem Museum displays gems, precious stones, and large quartz crystals collected from Japan and around the world. Naoko also pursued her interests by joining an earth sciences club in high school.

In university, Naoko Takeuchi studied chemistry in preparation to become a pharmacist and clinical research technician, which led to a by-the-book “mineral knowledge” being persistent throughout her work, and she got to know all the lore behind a large variety of minerals and gemstones. For instance, Mimete isn’t a gemstone; she is a mineral, mimetite, and her dress and tights are EXACTLY the same golden yellow colour of mimetite. Naoko coloured her illustrations VERY carefully! Naoko-sensei had promised her Dad, if this manga drawing idea didn’t work out, she could always fall back on working in a drug store! :-)And as you will see, the mineral/gemstone knowledge did NOT go to waste, when that Sailor Moon manga thing worked out in a big way!

SECRETIVE, PASSIONATE & IMPULSIVE: People born on this date are passionate, secretive and impulsive, masking their strong willed, ambitious nature under a deceptive cool calm reserve. Because people born on this day like to keep others in the dark about their true thoughts and intentions, they call a person born on this date the "Chess Master." They are very attractive to everyone they meet.

A WOMAN OF MYSTERY: We can easily imagine the Senshi of Time, with her knowledge of all the ages, keeping secret all the knowledge she has acquired about the past, present and future, quietly observing, making her plans and directing the other Senshi masterfully. You better let this Scorpio be in charge, or she will be annoyed! Independent and innovative, bursting with ideas and energy, the Scorpio woman is formidable and awe inspiring, but we never know what she’s thinking. Setsuna is an ageless woman of mystery. Well, maybe one thing we DO know: People born on this date are drawn to people born between July 23 and August 22, the sign of Leo. Hmmm. That’s Mamoru’s Zodiac sign and...AHEM, let’s not go there. :P

SOLITARY SCORPIO: Sailor Pluto is ideally suited to her role as the eternally solitary Senshi, because people born on this date tend to give all their energy to achieving their professional goals while sometimes forgetting about their personal lives, favouring unusual careers and often ending up working for themselves. They spend money casually but aren’t interested in money for its own sake. We all have noticed that Setsuna is wise, gentle, affectionate and considerate, especially with the youngest Senshi, Chibi Moon/Small Lady, and Sailor Saturn/Hotaru. These admirable qualities will only get stronger as she gets older.

PLUTO’S SCORPIO BIRTHSTONE, THE GARNET: The Garnet, the talisman in Sailor Pluto’s Time Rod, is most closely associated with our most mysterious of the Senshi. Garnet is the Planetary Gemstone associated with Pluto, the ruling planet of Scorpio, and is hence the planetary stone for Scorpio.

SCORPIO'S LUCKY COLOURS: Deep red, the colour of garnet is Scorpio’s lucky colour, along with violet, scarlet and carmine. Perhaps this is why Setsuna usually wears a violet suit with a red bow in the 90’s anime! Garnet, the Scorpio birthstone occurs mostly in deep red, a passionate sensual Scorpio colour. The Scorpio gemstone is believed to enhance healing and relieve depression. [REFERENCES: http://birthdaypersonality.org/october-29-zodiac-birthday-horoscope/ http://www.zodiac-signs.co/months/october-29-zodiac-sign-scorpio.html http://kamayojewelry.com/zodiac-signs-birthstones/scorpio-birth-stone/ http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/horoscopes-astrology/october-29-birthday-astrology.htm http://www.thehoroscope.co/zodiac-signs/october-29-zodiac-scorpio.html ]

GARNET ROD: According to wikimoon.org, the Garnet Rod was an item carried by Sailor Pluto. She primarily used the Garnet Rod to perform the attack Dead Scream, but it also functioned as a key of sorts to the Space-Time Door. Her talisman, the Garnet Orb, sat atop this Rod. Sailor Pluto still had access to the Garnet Rod even in her civilian form. In the manga, it protected her from the Tellun she was analyzing, and in the anime, she used it to show the Inner Senshi a vision of the Silence.

GARNET, THE OLDEST GEMSTONE OF ALL: So why did Naoko Takeuchi choose a Garnet for the Time Rod? Sailor Moon Fans, she chose it because garnets have a history the world over, as old as Time itself. Sailor Moon’s creator really, really knows her gemstones and minerals and has done her homework on what they mean to the Sailor Moon story. Garnets have as long a history as both a gemstone and a talisman as there were humans on Earth, from what we can determine. According to crystalvaults.com, not only was Garnet prized as an ornamental jewel, but its strong curative powers and protective energies made it invaluable.

GARNET=POMEGRANATE: Garnet comes from the Latin name “Granatum”, meaning pomegranate, because granular varieties of Garnet look a lot like pomegranate seeds. Wonder if Setsuna likes drinking POM Wonderful pomegranate juice for its antioxidant qualities, to keep her ageless? If so, she could, in theory, drink a pint of pomegranate juice from an ancient Roman hollowed out cup made from garnet! The Roman historian Pliny wrote that the large dull-colored "Carbunculus of India" (a type of Garnet) used to be hollowed out into vessels, which would hold as much as a pint.

THE HISTORY OF GARNETS: Not only were Garnets popular in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, but Garnets were used in Egypt more than 5000 years ago, in Sumeria around 2100 B.C., in Sweden between 1000 and 2000 B.C. and in the former Czechoslovakia as far back as the Bronze Age.

GARNETS AS A TALISMAN: As a talisman, Garnet was used as a sacred stone by the Native American Indians, the South American Indians, the Aztecs, the African tribal elders, and the Mayans. Garnet acts with speed to expand one's awareness, due to the flash of lightning contained within, and enhances one's internal fire to bring creative powers to implementation. As a Warrior's Stone, Garnet served as a talisman in the Crusades for both the Christians and their Muslim enemies. Garnets also had religious significance in Biblical times: According to the Talmud, the only light on Noah's ark was provided by a large Garnet.

GARNETS AS A BLOOD RED WEAPON: The red Garnet, which used to be called a carbuncle, is the colour of blood. So some Asiatic tribes believed that this blood red stone would not only protect you from being wounded, but it would be more deadly as a weapon in a slingshot or as a bullet. In 1892 on the Kashmir frontier, the rebellious Hanzas used Garnet bullets to fire on British troops. No, I don’t know whether Garnet bullets are more effective than lead bullets! But they certainly would be more expensive ammunition!

GARNETS AS GEMSTONES & ITS PROPERTIES: Garnet is a powerful energizing and regenerative stone. It balances, strengthens and protects. According to crystalcure.com, Garnet is known as the stone for a successful business. Maybe this is why Setsuna never seems to lack for funds and when she moved in with Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru, they seemed to live in great prosperity! Not to mention, her timeless Garnet talisman Rod was the key to the Time Gates, which allowed Sailor Pluto to go back in time and collect priceless items that she could bring back to the modern world to sell. Some day I hope to see Setsuna’s outstanding awesome collection on the Antiques Roadshow!

SUCCESS IN BUSINESS & PROTECTION ON JOURNEYS: If your business is not as good as it should be, just put 3 or more garnets on your desk. It is believed that if a garnet is put under a pillow it will cure depression. Garnets can be used to make a person popular and have self-esteem when worn as jewellery. It helps protect one on trips (any trips, not just through Sailor Pluto’s Time Gates!). Garnets bring constancy to friendships.

BLOOD RED, BURNING COAL: Garnets help aid circulation and all blood related issues. Garnet does come in colours other than blood red, but in its most common form, it is called Almandine, formerly known as a “carbuncle” (though originally, almost any red gemstone was known by this name). The term "carbuncle" is derived from the Latin meaning "live coal" or burning charcoal. Almandine is a corruption of Alabanda, a region in Asia Minor where these stones were cut in ancient times.

ANCIENT JEWELLERY (WIKIPEDIA): Red garnets were the most commonly used gemstones in the Late Antique Roman world, and the Migration Period art of the "barbarian" peoples who took over the territory of the Western Roman Empire. They were especially used inlaid in gold cells in the cloisonné technique, a style often just called garnet cloisonné, found from Anglo-Saxon England, as at Sutton Hoo, to the Black Sea. Pure crystals of garnet are still used as gemstones.

THE COLOURS OF GARNET: Garnet gemstone varieties occur in shades of green, red, yellow, and orange. The next most common colour after red is emerald green, the colour of Sailor Pluto’s hair. There are two well known varieties of emerald green Garnets: Tsavorite and Demantoid, which is the most valuable Garnet of them all. So is Setsuna’s hair supposed to resemble Tsavorite or Demantoid? We’ll have to ask Naoko-sensei that question! Garnet is also the birthstone for the month of January and the State Gemstone for New York State. The Star Garnet (Garnet with rutile asterisms) is the State Gemstone of Idaho.

OTHER BIRTHSTONES: PLANETARY GEMSTONE FOR SCORPIO: Ruby Ruby is the other Planetary Gemstone associated with Pluto and Scorpio. For more information on Rubies, please see Sailor Mars’ Gemstone Page. Other Scorpio Zodiac Gemstones are Apache Tear, Aquamarine, Beryl, Coral, and Obsidian. Before Pluto was discovered, Mars was considered to be the ruling planet for the Zodiac sign of Scorpio. The red gemstones of Mars such as Ruby, Red Coral and Poppy Jasper are still considered to be the most auspicious colours for Scorpios to wear.

TALISMANIC GEMSTONE: Amethyst FOR GRIEF, LOSS & DISPELLING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS: The Talismanic Birthstone associated with Scorpio is the Amethyst. Amethyst imparts soberness, spiritual insight, calm, balance, peace and inner strength to the wearer, helping him or her to deal with personal losses and grief. Apache Tear and Obsidian, like other black gemstones are best for dispelling negative emotions and grief. Given Sailor Pluto’s extremely long life through the ages as the daughter of Chronos and Guardian of the Time Gates, she has experienced and will experience the grief of losing those she loves many times. Setsuna will need whatever strength Amethyst, Apache Tear and Obsidian can give her to move on and be the wise, spiritual and calm Senshi who so many rely on. [http://kamayojewelry.com/zodiac-signs-birthstones/scorpio-birth-stone/]

FAN ART: Eternal Sailor Pluto by nuxi-chan with her green garnet hair, holding aloft her blood red Garnet rod with its talisman gemstone, eternal as time itself!

GEMSTONE PHOTOS: Top Left: Teardrop shaped African Demantoid, from swalagemtraders. Top Centre: Rough mineral Garnet fromprettyrock.com Top Right: Russian Demantoid Diamond Ring Bottom Left: TMC Pakistan Tsavorite Bottom Centre: From jewelocean uk: garnet gemstone engagement ring on silver Bottom Right: Heart shaped Tsavorite from uppergems.com

Many happy returns, Setsuna, from admin ~ Mamoru Chiba

#Sailor Moon #Sailor Pluto #birthstones #Gemstones #Minerals #Horoscope #Crystal Meanings #Setsuna Meioh

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samuelmmarcus · 5 years

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Florida Beach Cottage

This is a post you want to save and come back to anytime when things are feeling a little blue, because I can almost guarantee that this home will leave you feeling a little lighter and much happier.

To say that I love this designer’s work is an understatement. She design homes that are tailored without losing their soul. In another words, she design interiors that are meant to be lived in and not just looked at.

Lisa Peterson, interior designer and co-owner of Pineapples, Palms, Etc. has always dreamed of living in a comfortable, relaxed, Florida Cracker style cottage, with views and breezes from the water that create her “Barefoot Dream” lifestyle. Peterson and her husband were fascinated by the “Old Florida” appeal of Hobe Sound. The unincorporated village, adjacent to Jupiter Island, is a little slice of heaven. Covered with Banyan trees, the neighborhood they chose to build their home was laden with history. The lot next door housed an Ice House in the late 1800’s and the stretch of Intracoastal waterway in front of the home was once the site of a ferry landing for boats to carry perspective land buyers to Jupiter Island.

“Cottage on Cabot” was built with the true Florida Cracker architecture of the past, and blends perfectly with its historic surroundings. Cracker architecture was used widely in the 19th century in Florida. Florida cracker homes are characterized by metal roofs, wrap around porches, long and straight central hallways from the front to the back of the home. Peterson loved this concept so she incorporated many windows and doors that open onto the large deck, allowing the constant ocean breeze to fill the house.

Pineapples, Palms, Etc., is a popular retail and interior design store in Jupiter, just 15 minutes away from the home, and is known for its crisp, modern coastal style, with a unique brand of casual elegance. The sisters opened the store in 2001, and it remains in the same location today, providing interior design services to locals, as well as many professional athletes and celebrities that reside in the area. Peterson took the vibe from the store, which is loaded with one-of-a-kind pieces and comfortable, slipcovered furniture and infused Cottage on Cabot with a similar energy. The result is open, airy and inviting.

All furniture and decor are available through the designer.

Interior Design Ideas: Florida Beach Cottage

You start falling in love with this beach cottage the moment you see this custom-crafted white gate and arbor with a circular design. How enchanting!

A New Path

The stone pathway is Key West Coral stone.

Home-Sweet-Home

Lisa’s main goal of this home was to achieve a home that fit the Old Florida neighborhood it sits in. She wanted it to look as though it could have been built 60+ years ago. As for the interior, she wanted something relaxing and tranquil that felt fresh and clean.

Architectural Style: Low Country, Florida Cracker.

Square Footage: 2900 (inside) 3700 (outside).

Adirondack Chairs:here & here– similar

Year Built: 2017

Timeless Details

Large wraparound porches, metal roof, lap siding, louvered and Bahamas shutters adds to the curb-appeal of this beach house. The exterior paint colors are custom.

Front Door: Custom.

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 4

Lanterns: here & here – similar.

Front Porch

The front porch offers a breathtaking ocean view.

Lighting: Bevolo Lantern (similar here) and Visual Comfort.

Daydream

The porch flooring was handcraft from old dock wood.

Vacay

I really hope this home is bringing a hint of magic and happiness to your day!

Foyer

Welcome home! The front door opens to a bright foyer with shiplap walls and wood shiplap ceilings. The large Pecky Cypress custom mirror complements the custom console table.

Entrance Table: Custom Made – Others: here, here, here, here & here.

Rattan Chairs: Ralph Lauren – Others: here & here.

Pillow: Hila Pillow by John Robshaw – similar here.

Rug: Dash & Albert – Other Beautiful Entry Rugs: here, here, here, here & here.

Kitchen

Design elements such as French wide plank white oak flooring, white marble countertops, white cabinets, shiplap walls, open shelving and an oversized kitchen island, truly make this kitchen feel timeless and current at the same time.

Kitchen Island: Oversized 9′ x 12′.

Counterstools: LEE Industries- C-5203 – Available through the designer – Others: here, here, here, here & here.

Kitchen Countertop & Lighting

Countertops are Extra White Calacatta Marble.

Lighting: Visual Comfort (available through the designer) Other Beautiful Lighting: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Faucets: Dornbracht – similar here.

Sink: here – similar.

Cabinetry & Backsplash

Kitchen Cabinet Details: Custom-wood shaker cabinets in Super White by Benjamin Moore.

Backsplash: Walker Zanger subway – similar here & here.

Cabinet Hardware: Mix of RH and Armac – similar: pulls, knobs & latches.

White Pitchers: Homeowner’s collection – similar here, here, here, here & here.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Floating Shelves: Custom.

Paint Color

This cozy nook is the perfect place for morning coffee. Wall and trim paint color is “Benjamin Moore Super White”.

Pillow fabric is China Seas, Quadrille, and John Robshaw – Available through the designer.

Ceiling Treatment: Shiplap in satin “BM Super White”.

Small table was custom made.

Dining Room

This stunning dining room features a one-of-a-kind dining table. The antique 1800’s farmhouse table was originally from Belgium.

Other Beautiful Dining Tables: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Host Chairs: Lee Industries – Available through the designer – Others: here & here.

Side Dining Chairs: Rattan side chairs from Arcadia Design Group – Similar: here, here & here.

Chandelier: Visual Comfort Linear Darlana Polished Nickel – Affordable Option: here & here.

Flooring: The flooring throughout the home is French wide plank White Oak – similar here, here & here.

Family Room

This open-concept Family Room features the same stunning shiplap walls and pitched ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors open to a waterfront porch.

Sectional: Lee Industries – Available through the designer – Others: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Swivel Chairs: Lee Industries – Available through the designer – Others: here, here & here.

Coffee Table

Coffee Table: Custom made – Available through the designer – Other Beautiful Coffee Tables: here, here, here & here.

Candles: Feathers Touareg Scented Candle.

Pillows are China Seas & Quadrille.

Fiddle Leaf Tree: here – similar

Rug: Stark – Similar: here, here & here.

Powder Room

This powder bathroom is filled with great ideas! The designer used an antique table as vanity and added a vessel sink. Mosaic marble floors, board and batten wainscoting and a Phillip Jeffries wallpaper complete the space.

Wallpaper – Phillip Jeffries Aux Abris in Reed Pattern – Other Beautiful Wallpaper Ideas: here & here.

Sconces are Visual Comfort.

Mirror is by Abner Henry Bittner Circular Mirror – Available through the designer – similar here & here.

Flooring: Blue Celeste and White Thassos Marble – similar here.

Faucets: Newport Brass.

Sink: here – similar.

Guest Bedroom

Crisp white elements are beautifully contrasted with navy blue decor. Wall, trim and ceiling are Super White by Benjamin Moore.

Bed: Lee Industries, Tufted with rails – similar here.

Chair: Lee Industries with Quadrille fabric.

Pillows on bed – Quadrille

Lighting: Oly Meri Bowl.

Nightstands

Nightstands are Worlds Away Pagoda Nightstand – similar here.

Rug: Dash & Albert.

Classic with a Twist

This bedroom feels serene and classic. I love the blue and white motif!

Bed: Lee Industries – available through the designer – similar here & here.

Artwork: Gyotaku Fish Print on Cobalt Linen – available through the designer.

Framed Dalai Lama Quote Art: Sugarboo Designs – available through the designer.

Nightstands: Bungalow 5 Valentina – Others: here, here, here & here.

Mirrors: Mirror Image Home.

Lighting: Arteriors

Bedding: here & here – similar.

Master Bedroom

How dreamy is this master bedroom, right?! The stunning decor is complemented by vaulted ceilings clad in shiplap. Paint color is Benjamin Moore “Paper White”.

Bed: Vanguard Cleo bed in Aztec White linen – available through the designer – Others: here (similar), here, here, here, here & here.

Bench: Lee Industries – available through the designer – Others: here, here, here, here & here.

Chairs: Lee Industries.

Lighting: “Ro Sham Beaux Malibu”.

Bedding is Matouk.

Rug is Dash & Albert.

Nightstands

Nightstands: Vanguard Pebble Hill Three Drawer Chest in white finish (Available through the designer) – Others: here, here, here & here.

Lamps are Global Views.

Pillow fabric is Kravet.

Window Treatment: Plantation Shutters.

Barn Doors

Painted in Benjamin Moore “Super White” these custom double barn doors lead into a serene master bathroom.

Accent Table: Worlds Away.

Tub: here & here – similar.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom features custom framed mirrors and a custom double vanity with shaker cabinets painted in Benjamin Moore Super White.

Coral Sculpture is from Pineapples, Palms, Etc and done custom by a local artist. – similar: here.

Cabinet Hardware: RH Lucite pulls – similar here.

Countertop: Calcutta marble.

Faucets: Newport Brass.

Chandelier: Robert Abbey Bling – I love this chandelier!

Sconces are Visual Comfort.

Flooring

Bathroom Flooring: White Thassos hand laid herringbone floors.

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Paper White.

Vanity Chair: Worlds Away Klismos Chair.

Window Treatment: Plantation Shutters.

Shower Tiles: White Thassos Subway.

Mudroom

The mudroom features plenty of shiplap and an inviting work station.

Chair: Bungalow 5 Jardin Faux Bamboo Chinoiserie Lattice Side Chair – Others: here, here, here & here (in turquoise).

Runner: Available through the designer – Other Hallway Runners: here & here.

Lighting: Sconces & Pendants.

Back Porch

Outdoor slipcovered dining chairs make this back porch feel inviting and comfortable.

The outdoor furniture is Summer Classics & Lee Industries.

Porch Swing

This dreamy porch overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway and it features a white porch swing. How perfect is that?!

Porch Swing: Custom – similar here, here, here & here.

Pillows: Available through the designer.

Chair: Summer Classics.

Many thanks to the interior designer for sharing the details above!

Interior Design: Pineapples, Palms, Etc. (Instagram & Facebook).

Photography: Jessica Glynn Photography.

Cabinetry: Leeds Custom Design.

Click on items to shop:

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Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

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Posts of the Week:

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Coastal Farmhouse Design.

Florida Beach House Interior Design.

White Kitchen Renovation.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Modern Farmhouse.

Coastal Shingle Home.

Neutral Home Design Ideas.

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reekierevelator · 5 years

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Museum Pieces

A short story by Brian Bourner

Mr McLaughlan, Raymond, dozed in his armchair. He wasn’t really listening to Radio 4, but he picked up on the word ‘museum’. It sent him off into a pleasant reverie of times past. Since his wife Maude had finally tired of calling him a boring old stick-in-the-mud and left he could nap whenever he wanted. He might be a little unkempt, the rooms dusty, and his dishes unwashed, but he consoled himself with the thought that at least he didn’t have to put up with someone moaning and complaining that he never did a hand’s turn around the house.

A smile crossed his face as memories of childhood visits flooded back. He could visualize the awesome skeleton of the gigantic blue whale which hung down across Chambers Street museum’s vast central atrium. And then the major attraction for him, always the model steam trains, presented in large glass display cases, with brass buttons to press and make the wheels go round. It was fantastic. It didn’t matter that the museum tended to be quiet and cold, thinly populated, smelling of freshly polished varnish, and haunted by lurking caretakers. That was how museums were meant to be. Of course he’d visited many other museums when he was older.

The British Museum of course. The wonder of closely inspecting letters and hieroglyphics carved into the Rosetta Stone thousands of years ago. The artistry embodied in the Benin bronze masks. Then there was the agglomeration of artefacts comprising Oxford’s Pitt-Rivers Museum. It had lived long in his memory, with its bejewelled Indian turbans, South American pipes and Polynesian headdresses; exotic symbols of the empire on which the sun never set. Yes, over the years he’d been lucky enough to visit many museums and been fascinated by so many things men had created, from the Venus de Milo in the Louvre to the Pergamon Altar in Berlin to…

Suddenly, filled with renewed enthusiasm, Raymond jumped up, threw on his old hat and musty tweed coat and, for the first time in years, hurried out the door and made his way to town. It felt good to escape the stale air and dusty furniture of his home.

Finding himself on the sunny High Street, thronged by crowds of foreign tourists, sweat was forming on his brow and he had a desperate urge to return indoors. He was magnetically drawn to the nearby Museum of Childhood.

Inside he found splendid old Victorian spinning tops, hoops, and ancient wooden dolls. But, surprisingly, there were also so many items with which he already had an intimate familiarity: Dinky toy cars, pink plastic piggy banks, Beezer and Dandy comics, bags of marbles. ‘Oh well’, he thought, ‘for the little children who are brought here nowadays I suppose anything more than a few years old must seem antique.’

He left and carried on to his main objective, Chambers Street Museum. Of course it was completely different from the way he remembered it, even its name had changed. Still, he was grateful that there was now a ground level entrance. It was no longer necessary to climb the long flight of stone steps up to the majestic oak front doors.

Inside it was greatly changed. His head swivelled this way and that trying to take it all in. He concluded the museum had been largely taken over by tea shops. People from all over the world were chattering loudly in all sorts of languages over clattering cups of coffee. They were not poring silently over ancient artefacts as Raymond thought they should have been. And on one side of the great atrium a whole new museum of Scottish history had been tacked on to the building. ‘Another foolish attempt to differentiate Scotland from Great Britain’ Raymond thought, and was amazed at a sign which indicated a completely new and unnecessary full scale haute cuisine restaurant had been added to the top floor.

In a corner a class of small children, a veritable ant hill of activity, bubbled around a table which spilled over with crayons, paper, and playdough; a harassed teacher encouraging the infants to create images of museum artefacts.

Needless to say the blue whale skeleton had gone. The model railway vitrines had gone. Even the central hall’s fishpond, full of decorative carp and a great novelty on his last visit, had evaporated.

Instead Raymond found himself staring at some massive Heath Robinson contraption described as ‘The Millennium Clock’. It looked medieval but dated only from 2000. Suddenly surrounded by a crowd of jabbering children he backed away.

He wandered into an exhibition hall where he typed his name on a keyboard and an ultra-modern robot dutifully retrieved appropriate letters, one at a time, from a pile of coloured letter bricks, and laid them out in the order that spelled out his name. Jostled by other visitors he turned to find himself inspecting the interior of a jet engine alongside an Oriental gentlemen, and then he was confronted by the internal workings of some McLaren super-car of recent vintage. A cluster of wearisome children gathered round it enthusing in German.

Searching desperately for the ancient artefacts whose mental images had precipitated his visit Raymond hurried on, hot and bothered, to yet another room. There he found displayed, under glass, as a rare and exotic item, the exact transistor radio on which he’d listened, in his youth, to pop music from Radio Luxembourg. Next to it, proudly presented as an antique, and apparently requiring a long explanation on a specimen card to render it intelligible to visitors, was an identical reel-to-reel tape-recorder to the one he kept in his cupboard at home, the one he occasionally brought out to hear again the voices of people he had known.

There was even a display of portable telephones. “Surely such modern devices don’t yet rank alongside Aztec daggers and gaming dice from Skara Brae?” he wondered aloud, attracting a disparaging glance from a teenage girl who proceeded to raise her eyebrows and roll her eyes. And only then did he notice his own long-serving little Nokia, as its black plastic glinted in a corner of the display. Raymond turned away, disgusted that the item in his coat pocket that he still considered a novelty could be treated as a fit object for a museum. He resolved to take himself home. But first a visit to the Gents was required.

Even the bathroom was busy with people and strange noises. Taps turned themselves on and off and the toilets flushed themselves automatically. Hand-driers suddenly roared into action. ‘Is there absolutely nothing genuinely old and valuable in this vast museum any longer?’ he muttered to himself disconsolately.

But as he opened the door to leave, in the mirror on the opposite wall, he caught sight of rheumy eyes embedded in a crumpled red and wrinkled face, topped by thin, silvery hair, and he decided he already knew the answer. ‘My God,’ he said, shaking his head sadly, ‘things have come to a sorry pass when it seems I must be the oldest and most valuable thing currently available in this museum.’

As he hurried towards the exit, casting his eyes upwards in one last farewell to the high balconies and vaulted ceiling, he accidentally stubbed his toe on the plinth of a gigantic Buddha and tripped, toppling head over heels and cracking his head on the stone statue. The fatal blow left his body to finally come to rest sprawled awkwardly across the museum floor.

A crowd of fussing, concerned visitors quickly closed in around Raymond but, before any caretaking or medical staff could reach him, a little boy had tunnelled under the crowd and placed a sheet of paper on top of his old coat. It carried bold words written in red crayon: ‘smelly old man - made a long time ago.’

#Reekie Revelator #short story #museum #edinburgh #scotland #old age

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didanawisgi · 7 years

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The Cross and the Crucifixion

“ONE of the most interesting legends concerning the cross is that preserved in Aurea Legenda, by Jacobus de Vorgaine. The Story is to the effect that Adam, feeling the end of his life was near, entreated his son Seth to make a pilgrimage to the Garden of Eden and secure from the angel on guard at the entrance the Oil of Mercy which God had promised mankind. Seth did not know the way; but his father told him it was in an eastward direction, and the path would be easy to follow, for when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of the Lord, upon the path which their feet had trod the grass had never grown.

Seth, following the directions of his father, discovered the Garden of Eden without difficulty. The angel who guarded the gate permitted him to enter, and in the midst of the garden Seth beheld a great tree, the branches of which reached up to heaven. The tree was in the form of a cross, and stood on the brink of a precipice which led downward into the depths of hell. Among the roots of the tree he saw the body of his brother Cain, held prisoner by the entwining limbs. The angel refused to give Seth the Oil of Mercy, but presented him instead with three seeds from the Tree of Life (some say the Tree of Knowledge). With these Seth returned to his father, who was so overjoyed that he did not desire to live longer. Three days later he died, and the three seeds were buried in his mouth, as the angel had instructed. The seeds became a sapling with three trunks in one, which absorbed into itself the blood of Adam, so that the life of Adam was in the tree. Noah dug up this tree by the roots and took it with him into the Ark. After the waters subsided, he buried the skull of Adam under Mount Calvary, and planted the tree on the summit of Mount Lebanon.

Moses beheld a visionary being in the midst of this tree (the burning bush) and from it cut the magical rod with which he was able to bring water out of a stone. But because he failed to call upon the Lord the second time he struck the rock, he was not permitted to carry the sacred staff into the Promised Land; so he planted it in the hills of Moab. After much searching, King David discovered the tree; and his son, Solomon, tried to use it for a pillar in his Temple, but his carpenters could not cut it so that it would fit; it was always either too long or too short. At last, disgusted, they cast it aside and used it for a bridge to connect Jerusalem with the surrounding hills. When the Queen of Sheba came to visit King Solomon she was expected to walk across this bridge. Instead, when she beheld the tree, she refused to put her foot upon it, but, after kneeling and praying, removed her sandals and forded the stream. This so impressed King Solomon that he ordered the log to be overlaid with golden places and placed above the door of his Temple. There it remained until his covetous grandson stole the gold, and buried the tree so that the crime would not be discovered.

From the ground where the tree was buried there immediately bubbled forth a spring of water, which became known as Bethesda. To it the sick from all Syria came to be healed. The angel of the pool became the guardian of the tree, and it remained undisturbed for many years. Eventually the log floated to the surface and was used as a bridge again, this time between Calvary and Jerusalem; and over it Jesus passed to be crucified. There was no wood on Calvary; so the tree was cut into two parts to serve as the cross upon which the Son of Man was crucified. The cross was set up at the very spot where the skull of Adam had been buried. Later, when the cross was discovered by the Empress Helena, the wood was found to be of four different varieties contained in one tree (representing the elements), and thereafter the cross continued to heal all the sick who were permitted to touch it.

The prevalent idea that the reverence for the cross is limited to the Christian world is disproved by even the most superficial investigation of its place in religious symbolism. The early Christians used every means possible to conceal the pagan origin of their symbols, doctrines, and rituals. They either destroyed the sacred books of other peoples among whom they settled, or made them inaccessible to students of comparative philosophy, apparently believing that in this way they could stamp out all record of the pre-Christian origin of their doctrines. In some cases the writings of various ancient authors were tampered with, passages of a compromising nature being removed or foreign material interpolated. The supposedly spurious passage in Josephus concerning Jesus is an example adduced to illustrate this proclivity.

THE LOST LIBRARIES OF ALEXANDRIA

Prior to the Christian Era seven hundred thousand of the most valuable books, written upon parchment, papyrus, vellum, and wax, and also tablets of stone, terra cotta, and wood, were gathered from all parts of the ancient world and housed in Alexandria, in buildings specially prepared for the purpose. This magnificent repository of knowledge was destroyed by a series of three fires. The parts that escaped the conflagration lighted by Cæsar to destroy the fleet in the harbor were destroyed about A.D. 389 by the Christians in obedience to the edict of Theodosius, who had ordered the destruction of the Serapeum, a building sacred to Serapis in which the volumes were kept. This conflagration is supposed to have destroyed the library that Marcus Antonius had presented to Cleopatra to compensate in part for that burned in the fire of the year 51.

Concerning this, H. P. Blavatsky, in Isis Unveiled, has written: "They [the Rabbis of Palestine and the wise men] say that not all the rolls and manuscripts, reported in history to have been burned by Cæsar, by the Christian mob, in 389, and by the Arab General Amru, perished as it is commonly believed; and the story they tell is the following: At the time of the contest for the throne, in 51 B. C., between Cleopatra and her brother Dionysius Ptolemy, the Bruckion, which contained over seven hundred thousand rolls all bound in wood and fire-proof parchment, was undergoing repairs and a great portion of the original manuscripts, considered among the most precious, and which were not duplicated, were stored away in the house of one of the librarians. * * *Several hours passed between the burning of the fleet, set on fire by Cæsar's order, and the moment when the first buildings situated near the harbor caught fire in their turn; and * * * the librarians, aided by several hundred slaves attached to the museum, succeeded in saving the most precious of the rolls." In all probability, the books which were saved lie buried either in Egypt or in India, and until they are discovered the modern world must remain in ignorance concerning many great philosophical and mystical truths. The ancient world more clearly understood these missing links--the continuity of the pagan Mysteries in Christianity.

THE CROSS IN PAGAN SYMBOLISM

In his article on the Cross and Crucifixion in the Encyclopædia Britannica, Thomas Macall Fallow casts much light on the antiquity of this ideograph. "The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times, and among non-Christian peoples, may

Click to enlarge HISTORY OF THE HOLY CROSS.

From Berjeau's History of the Holy Cross.

(1) Adam directing Seth how to reach the Garden of Eden. (2) Seth placing the three seeds from the Tree of Life under the tongue of the dead Adam. (3) The Queen of Sheba, refusing to place her feet upon the sacred tree, forded the stream. (4) Placing the sacred tree over the door of Solomon's Temple. (5) The crucifixion of Christ upon a cross made from the wood of the holy tree. (6) Distinguishing the true cross from the other two by testing its power to raise a corpse to life.

Not only is the cross itself a familiar object in the art of all nations, but the veneration for it is an essential part of the religious life of the greater part of humanity. It is a common symbol among the American Indians--North, Central, and South. William W. Seymour states: "The Aztec goddess of rain bore a cross in her hand, and the Toltecs claimed that their deity, Quetzalcoatl, taught them the sign and ritual of the cross, hence his staff, or sceptre of power, resembled a crosier, and his mantle was covered with red crosses." (The Cross in Tradition, History and Art.)

The cross is also highly revered by the Japanese and Chinese. To the Pythagoreans the most sacred of all numbers was the 10, the symbol of which is an X, or cross. In both the Japanese and Chinese languages the character of the number 10 is a cross. The Buddhist wheel of life is composed of two crosses superimposed, and its eight points are still preserved to Christendom in the peculiarly formed cross of the Knights Templars, which is essentially Buddhistic. India has preserved the cross, not only in its carvings and paintings, but also in its architectonics; a great number of its temples--like the churches and cathedrals of Christendom--are raised from cruciform foundations.

On the mandalas of the Tibetans, heaven is laid out in the form of a cross, with a demon king at each of the four gates. A remarkable cross of great antiquity was discovered in the island caves of Elephanta in the harbor of Bombay. Crosses of various kinds were favorite motifs in the art of Chaldea, Phœnicia, Egypt, and Assyria. The initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece were given a cross which they suspended about their necks on a chain, or cord, at the time of initiation. To the Rosicrucians, Alchemists, and Illuminati, the cross was the symbol of light, because each of the three letters L V X is derived from some part of the cross.

THE TAU CROSS

There are three distinct forms of the cross. The first is called the TAU (more correctly the TAV). It closely resembles the modern letter T, consisting of a horizontal bar resting on a vertical column, the two arms being of equal length. An oak tree cut off some feet above the ground and its upper part laid across the lower in this form was the symbol of the Druid god Hu. It is suspected that this symbol originated among the Egyptians from the spread of the horns of a bull or ram (Taurus or Aries) and the vertical line of its face. This is sometimes designated as the hammer cross, because if held by its vertical base it is not unlike a mallet or gavel. In one of the Qabbalistic Masonic legends, CHiram Abiff is given a hammer in the form of a TAU by his ancestor, Tubal-cain. The TAU cross is preserved to modern Masonry under the symbol of the T square. This appears to be the oldest form of the cross extant.

The TAU cross was inscribed on the forehead of every person admitted into the Mysteries of Mithras. When a king was initiated into the Egyptian Mysteries, the TAU was placed against his lips. It was tattooed upon the bodies of the candidates in some of the American Indian Mysteries. To the Qabbalist, the TAU stood for heaven and the Pythagorean tetractys. The Caduceus of Hermes was an outgrowth of the TAU cross. (See Albert Pike.)

THE CRUX ANSATA

The second type was that of a T, or TAU, cross surmounted by a circle, often foreshortened to the form of an upright oval. This was called by the ancients the Crux Ansata, or the cross of life . It was the key to the Mysteries of antiquity and it probably gave rise to the more modern story of St. Peter's golden key to heaven. In the Mysteries of Egypt the candidate passed through all forms of actual and imaginary dangers, holding above his head the Crux Ansata, before which the powers of darkness fell back abashed. The student is reminded of the words In hoc signo vinces. The TAU form of the cross is not unlike the seal of Venus, as Richard Payne Knight has noted. He states: "The cross in this form is sometimes observable on coins, and several of them were found in a temple of Serapis [the Serapeum], demolished at the general destruction of those edifices by the Emperor Theodosius, and were said by the Christian antiquaries of that time to signify the future life."

Augustus Le Plongeon, in his Sacred Mysteries Among the Mayas and Quiches, notes that the Crux Ansata, which he calls The Key to the Nile and the Symbol of Symbols, either in its complete form or as a simple TAU, was to be seen adorning the breasts of statues and bas-reliefs at Palenque, Copan, and throughout Central America. He notes that it was always associated with water; that among the Babylonians it was the emblem of the water gods; among the Scandinavians, of heaven and immortality; and among the Mayas, of rejuvenation and freedom from physical suffering.

Concerning the association of this symbol with the waters of life, Count Goblet d'Alviella, in his Migration of Symbols, calls attention to the fact that an instrument resembling the Crux Ansata and called the Nilometer was used by the ancient Egyptians for measuring and regulating the inundations of the river Nile. It is probable that this relationship to the Nile caused it to be considered the symbol of life, for Egypt depended entirely upon the inundations of this river for the irrigation necessary to insure sufficient crops. In the papyrus scrolls the Crux Ansata is shown issuing from the mouths of Egyptian kings when they pardoned enemies, and it was buried with them to signify the immortality of the soul. It was carried by many of the gods and goddesses and apparently signified their divine benevolence and life-giving power. The Cairo Museum contains a magnificent collection of crosses of many shapes, sizes, and designs, proving that they were a common symbol among the Egyptians.

THE ROMAN AND GREEK CATHOLIC CROSSES

The third form of the cross is the familiar Roman or Greek type, which is closely associated with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, although it is improbable that the cross used resembled its more familiar modern form. There are unlimited sub-varieties of crosses, differing in the relative proportions of their vertical and horizontal sections. Among the secret orders of different generations we find compounded crosses, such as the triple TAU in the Royal Arch of Freemasonry and the double and triple crosses of both Masonic and Roman Catholic symbolism.

To the Christian the cross has a twofold significance. First, it is the symbol of the death of his Redeemer, through whose martyrdom he feels that he partakes of the glory of God; secondly, it is the symbol of humility, patience, and the burden of life. It is interesting that the cross should be both a symbol of life and a symbol of death. Many nations deeply considered the astronomical aspect of religion, and it is probable that the Persians, Greeks, and Hindus looked upon the cross as a symbol of the equinoxes and the solstices, in the belief that at certain seasons of the year the sun was symbolically crucified upon these imaginary celestial angles.

The fact that so many nations have regarded their Savior as a personification of the sun globe is convincing evidence that the cross must exist as an astronomical element in pagan allegory. Augustus Le Plongeon believed that the veneration for the cross was partly due to the rising of a constellation called the Southern Cross, which immediately preceded the annual rains, and as the natives of those latitudes relied wholly upon these rains to raise their crops, they viewed the cross as an annual promise of the approaching storms, which to them meant life.

There are four basic elements (according to both ancient philosophy and modern science), and the ancients represented them by the four arms of the cross, placing at the end of each arm a mysterious Qabbalistic creature to symbolize the power of one of these elements. Thus, they symbolized the element of earth by a bull; water by a scorpion, a serpent, or an eagle; fire by a lion; and air by a human head surrounded by wings. It is significant that the four letters inscribed upon parchment (some say wood) and fastened to the top of the cross at the time of the crucifixion should be the first letters of four Hebrew words which stand for the four elements: "Iammin, the sea or water; Nour, fire; Rouach, the air; and Iebeschah, the dry earth." (See Morals and Dogma, by Albeit Pike.)

That a cross can be formed by opening or unfolding the surfaces of a cube has caused that symbol to be associated with the earth. Though a cross within a circle has long been regarded as a sign of the planet Earth, it should really be considered as the symbol of the composite element earth, since it is composed of the four triangles of the elements. For thousands of years the cross has been identified with the plan of salvation for humanity. The elements--salt, sulphur, mercury, and Azoth--used in making the Philosopher's Scone in Alchemy, were often symbolized by a cross. The cross of the four cardinal angles also had its secret significance, and Masonic parties of three still go forth to the four cardinal points of the compass in search of the Lost Word.

The material of which the cross was formed was looked upon as being an essential element in its symbolism. Thus, a golden cross symbolized illumination; a silver cross, purification; a cross of base metals, humiliation; a cross of wood, aspiration. The fact that among many nations it was customary to spread the arms in prayer has influenced the symbolism of the cross, which, because of its shape, has come to be regarded as emblematic of the human body. The four major divisions of the human structure--bones, muscles, nerves, and arteries--are considered to have contributed to the symbolism of the cross. This is especially due to the fact that the spinal nerves cross at the base of the spine, and is a reminder that "Our Lord was crucified also in Egypt."

Man has four vehicles (or mediums) of expression by means of which the spiritual Ego contacts the external universe: the physical nature, the vital nature, the emotional nature, and the mental nature. Each of these partakes in principle of one of the primary elements, and the four creatures assigned to them by the Qabbalists caused the cross to be symbolic of the compound nature of man.

THE CRUCIFIXION--A COSMIC ALLEGORY

Saviors unnumbered have died for the sins of man and by the hands of man, and through their deaths have interceded in heaven for the souls of their executioners. The martyrdom of the God-Man and the redemption of the world through His blood has been an essential tenet of many great religions. Nearly all these stories can be traced to sun worship, for the glorious orb of day is the Savior who dies annually for every creature within his universe, but year after year rises again victorious from the tomb of winter. Without doubt the doctrine of the crucifixion is based upon the secret traditions of the Ancient Wisdom; it is a constant reminder that the divine nature of man is perpetually crucified upon the animal organism. Certain of the pagan Mysteries included in the ceremony of initiation the crucifixion of the candidate upon a cross, or the laying of his body upon a cruciform altar. It has been claimed that Apollonius of Tyana (the Antichrist) was initiated into the Arcanum of Egypt in the Great Pyramid, where he hung upon a cross until unconscious and was then laid in the tomb (the coffer) for three days. While his body was unconscious, his soul was thought to pass into the realms of the immortals (the place of death) After it had vanquished death (by recognizing that life is eternal) it returned again to the body, which then rose from the coffer, after which he was hailed as a brother by the priests, who believed that he had returned from the land of the dead. This concept was, in substance, the teaching of the Mysteries.

THE CRUCIFIED SAVIORS

The list of the deathless mortals who suffered for man that he might receive the boon of eternal life is an imposing one. Among those connected historically or allegorically with a crucifixion are Prometheus, Adonis, Apollo, Arys, Bacchus, Buddha, Christna, Horus, Indra, Ixion, Mithras, Osiris, Pythagoras, Quetzalcoatl, Semiramis, and Jupiter. According to the fragmentary accounts extant, all these heroes gave their lives to the service of humanity and, with one or two exceptions, died as martyrs for the cause of human progress. In many mysterious ways the manner of their death has been designedly concealed, but it is possible that most of them were crucified upon a cross or tree. The first friend of man, the immortal Prometheus, was crucified on the pinnacle of Mount Caucasus, and a vulture was placed over his liver to torment him throughout eternity by clawing and rending his flesh with its talons. Prometheus disobeyed the edict of Zeus by bringing fire and immortality to man, so for man he suffered until the coming of Hercules released him from his ages of torment.

Concerning the crucifixion of the Persian Mithras, J. P. Lundy has written: "Dupuis tells us that Mithra was put to death by crucifixion, and rose again on the 25th of March. In the Persian Mysteries the body of a young man, apparently dead, was exhibited, which was feigned to be restored to life. By his sufferings he was believed to have worked their salvation, and on this account he was called their Savior. His priests watched his tomb to the midnight of the vigil of the 25th of March, with loud cries, and in darkness; when all at once the light burst forth from all parts, the priest cried, Rejoice, O sacred initiated, your God is risen. His death, his pains, and sufferings, have worked your salvation." (See Monumental Christianity.)

In some cases, as in that of the Buddha, the crucifixion mythos must be taken in an allegorical rather than a literal sense, for the manner of his death has been recorded by his own disciples in the Book of the Great Decease. However, the mere fact that the symbolic reference to death upon a tree has been associated with these heroes is sufficient to prove the universality of the crucifixion story.

The East Indian equivalent of Christ is the immortal Christna, who, sitting in the forest playing his flute, charmed the birds and beasts by his music. It is supposed that this divinely inspired Savior of humanity was crucified upon a tree by his enemies, but great care has been taken to destroy any evidence pointing in that direction. Louis Jacolliot, in his book The Bible in India, thus describes the death of Christna: "Christna understood that the hour had come for him to quit the earth, and return to the bosom of him who had sent him. Forbidding his disciples to follow him, he went, one day, to make his ablutions on the banks of the Ganges * * *. Arriving at the sacred river, he plunged himself three times therein, then, kneeling, and looking to heaven, he prayed, expecting death. In this position he was pierced with arrows by one of those whose crimes he had unveiled, and who, hearing of his journey to the Ganges, had, with generation. a strong troop, followed with the design of assassinating him * * *. The body of the God-man was suspended to the branches of a tree by his murderer, that it might become the prey of vultures. News of the death having spread, the people came in a crowd conducted by Ardjouna, the dearest of the disciples of Christna, to recover his sacred remains. But the mortal frame of the redeemer had disappeared--no doubt it had regained the celestial abodes * * * and the tree to which it had been attached had become suddenly covered with great red flowers and diffused around it the sweetest perfume." Other accounts of the death of Christna declare that he was tied to a cross-shaped tree before the arrows were aimed at him.

The existence in Moor's The Hindu Pantheon of a plate of Christna with nail wounds in his hands and feet, and a plate in Inman's Ancient Faiths showing an Oriental deity with what might well be a nail hole in one of his feet, should be sufficient motive for further investigation of this subject by those of unbiased minds. Concerning the startling discoveries which can be made along these lines, J. P. Lundy in his Monumental Christianity presents the following information: "Where did the Persians get their notion of this prophecy as thus interpreted respecting Christ, and His saving mercy and love displayed on the cross? Both by symbol and actual crucifix we see it on all their monuments. If it came from India, how did it get there, except from the one common and original centre of all primitive and pure religion? There is a most extraordinary plate, illustrative of the whole subject, which representation I believe to be anterior to Christianity. It is copied from Moor's Hindu Pantheon, not as a curiosity, but as a most singular monument of the crucifixion. I do not venture to give it a name, other than that of a crucifixion in space. * * * Can it be the Victim-Man, or the Priest and Victim both in one, of the Hindu mythology, who offered himself a sacrifice before the worlds were? Can it be Plato's second God who impressed himself on the universe in the form of the cross? Or is it his divine man who would be scourged, tormented, fettered, have his eyes burnt out; and lastly, having suffered all manner of evils, would be crucified? Plato learned his theology in Egypt and the East, and must have known of the crucifixion of Krishna, Buddha, Mithra [et al]. At any rate, the religion of India had its mythical crucified victim long anterior to Christianity,

Click to enlarge THE TAU CROSS.

The TAU Cross was the sign which the Lord told the people of Jerusalem to mark on their foreheads, as related by the Prophet Ezekiel. It was also placed as a symbol of liberation upon those charged with crimes but acquitted.

Click to enlarge THE CRUX ANSATA.

Both the cross and the circle were phallic symbols, for the ancient world venerated the generative powers of Nature as being expressive of the creative attributes of the Deity. The Crux Ansata, by combining the masculine TAU with the feminine oval, exemplified the principles of generation.

The modern world has been misled in its attitude towards the so-called pagan deities, and has come to view them in a light entirely different from their true characters and meanings. The ridicule and slander heaped by Christendom upon Christna and Bacchus are excellent examples of the persecution of immortal principles by those who have utterly failed to sense the secret meaning of the allegories. Who was the crucified man of Greece, concerning whom vague rumors have been afloat? Higgins thinks it was Pythagoras, the true story of whose death was suppressed by early Christian authors because it conflicted with their teachings. Was it true also that the Roman legionaries carried on the field of battle standards upon which were crosses bearing the crucified Sun Man?

THE CRUCIFIXION OF QUETZALCOATL

One of the most remarkable of the crucified World Saviors is the Central American god of the winds, or the Sun, Quetzalcoatl, concerning whose activities great secrecy was maintained by the Indian priests of Mexico and Central America. This strange immortal, whose name means feathered snake, appears to have come out of the sea, bringing with him a mysterious cross. On his garments were embellished clouds and red crosses. In his honor, great serpents carved from stone were placed in different parts of Mexico.

The cross of Quetzalcoatl became a sacred symbol among the Mayas, and according to available records the Maya Indian angels had crosses of various pigments painted on their foreheads. Similar crosses were placed over the eyes of those initiated into their Mysteries. When Cortez arrived in Mexico, he brought with him the cross. Recognizing this, the natives believed that he was Quetzalcoatl returned, for the latter had promised to come back in the infinite future and redeem his people.

In Anacalypsis, Godfrey Higgins throws some light on the cross and its symbolism in America: "The Incas had a cross of very fine marble, or beautiful jasper, highly polished, of one piece, three-fourths of an ell in length, and three fingers in width and thickness. It was kept in a sacred chamber of a palace, and held in great veneration. The Spaniards enriched this cross with gold and jewels, and placed it in the cathedral of Cuzco. Mexican temples are in the form of a cross, and face the four cardinal points. Quexalcoatl is represented in the paintings of the Codex Borgianus nailed to the cross. Sometimes even the two thieves are there crucified with him. In Vol. II. plate 75, the God is crucified in the Heavens, in a circle of nineteen figures, the number of the Metonic cycle. A serpent is depriving him of the organs of generation. In the Codex Borgianus, (pp. 4, 72, 73, 75,) the Mexican God is represented crucified and nailed to the cross, and in another place hanging to it, with a cross in his hands. And in one instance, where the figure is not merely outlined, the cross is red, the clothes are coloured, and the face and hands quite black. If this was the Christianity of the German Nestorius, how came he to teach that the crucified Savior was black? The name of the God who was crucified was Quexalcoatl.

The crucifixion of the Word in space, the crucifixion of the dove often seen in religious symbolism--both of these are reminders of pagan overshadowing. The fact that a cross is formed by the spread wings of a bird in relation to its body is no doubt one of the reasons why the Egyptians used a bird to symbolize the immortal nature of man, and often show it hovering over the mummified body of the dead and carrying in one of its claws the sign of life and in the other the sign of breath.

THE NAILS OF THE PASSION

The three nails of the Passion have found their way into the symbolism of many races and faiths. There are many legends concerning these nails. One of these is to the effect that originally there were four nails, but one was dematerialized by a Hebrew Qabbalist and magician just as they were about to drive it through the foot of the Master. Hence it was necessary to cross the feet. Another legend relates that one of the nails was hammered into a crown and that it still exists as the imperial diadem of a European house. Still another story has it that the bit on the bridle of Constantine's horse was a Passion nail. It is improbable, however, that the nails were made of iron, for at that time it was customary to use sharpened wooden pegs. Hargrave Jennings, in his Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries, calls attention to the fact that the mark or sign used in England to designate royal property and called the broad arrow is nothing more nor less than the three nails of the crucifixion grouped together, and that by placing them point to point the ancient symbol of the Egyptian TAU cross is formed.

In his Ancient Freemasonry, Frank C. Higgins reproduces the Masonic apron of a colossal stone figure at Quirigua, Guatemala. The central ornament of the apron is the three Passion nails, arranged exactly like the British broad arrow. That three nails should be used to crucify the Christ, three murderers to kill CHiram Abiff, and three wounds to slay Prince Coh, the Mexican Indian Osiris, is significant.

C. W. King, in his Gnostics and Their Remains, thus describes a Gnostic gem: "The Gnostic Pleroma, or combination of all the Æons [is] expressed by the outline of a man holding a scroll * * *. The left hand is formed like three bent spikes or nails; unmistakably the same symbol that Belus often holds in his extended hand on the Babylonian cylinders, afterwards discovered by the Jewish Cabalists in the points of the letter Shin, and by the mediæval mystics in o the Three Nails of the Cross." From this point Hargrave Jennings continues King's speculations, noting the resemblance of the nail to an obelisk, or pillar, and that the Qabbalistic value of the Hebrew letter Shin, or Sin, is 300, namely, 100 for each spike.

The Passion nails are highly important symbols, especially when it is realized that, according to the esoteric systems of culture, there are certain secret centers of force in the palms of the hands and in the soles of the feet.

The driving of the nails and the flow of blood and water from the wounds were symbolic of certain secret philosophic practices of the Temple. Many of the Oriental deities have mysterious symbols on the hands and feet. The so-called footprints of Buddha are usually embellished with a magnificent sunburst at the point where the nail pierced the foot of Christ.

In his notes on the theology of Jakob Böhme, Dr. Franz Hartmann thus sums up the mystic symbolism of the crucifixion: "The cross represents terrestrial life, and the crown of thorns the sufferings of the soul within the elementary body, but also the victory of the spirit over the elements of darkness. The body is naked, to indicate that the candidate for immortality must divest himself of all desires for terrestrial things. The figure is nailed to the cross, which symbolizes the death and surrender of the self-will, and that it should not attempt to accomplish anything by its own power, but merely serve as an instrument wherein the Divine will is executed. Above the head are inscribed the letters: I. N. R. J. whose most important meaning is: In Nobis Regnat Jesus (Within ourselves reigns Jesus). But this signification of this inscription can be practically known only to those who have actually died relatively to the world of desires, and risen above the temptation for personal existence; or, to express it in other words, those who have become alive in Christ, and in whom thus the kingdom of Jesus (the holy love-will issuing from the heart of God) has been established." One of the most interesting interpretations of the crucifixion allegory is that which identifies the man Jesus with the personal consciousness of the individual. It is this personal consciousness that conceives of and dwells in the sense of separateness, and before the aspiring soul can be reunited with the ever-present and all-pervading Father this personality must be sacrificed that the Universal Consciousness may be liberated.”

- THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES by Manly P. Hall

Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/index.htm

#Tau #Tau cross #cross #Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews #Lost Keys of Freemasonry #Knights Templar #Freemasonry #Ancient Egypt #mithra #religion #spirituality #philosophy #jesus #early christianity #Manly P. Hall

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itsworn · 5 years

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Rattle Trap T: Dave Rocha’s 1926 Ford Sedan

When’s the last time you saw a hot rod Model T sedan? For most, it might be Lil’ John Buttera’s beer-bottle brown ride as seen on the September 1974 cover of HOT ROD. Nothing else has come close to that, until now.

After finding a fairly good basket case 1926 Ford Tudor, just a wee bit down the road, Dave and his buddy Brent Housley took the four-hour drive to pick up the parts. Pleasantly surprised, Dave found it was in great shape for its age and even included an original frame. The frame was used for reference points as the new homebuilt frame came together.

That frame is made up of 1 ½x3x.125-inch wall and a 1-inch square lower framerail. The front crossmember comes from Mad Max Creations owned by Brent to drop the front 1 ½ inches. The rear is Z’d 4 inches, and 1932 Ford frame horns with spreader bar are used to encase the 1923 Ford gas tank. Up front uses a Magnum 5-inch tube axle and steering arms, a five-leaf spring, 1940 Ford split wishbones, and Pete & Jakes tube shocks. Stopping happens with ’39 Lincoln brakes, Wilson Welding hubs, and Buick finned drums. A ’60 Edsel gave up its 3:89:1 rear axle. Aldan LB coilovers and Speedway torsion bars with ’75 Ford brake drums put it on the ground. A new Vega 400 13.6:1 power steering box with reservoir by MMC provides the steering.

Go power was found in a 1985 Ford 302ci V-8 and overdrive transmission, and gears selected by a Lokar shifter. Exhaust manifolds are both left-hand Falcon sprint with owner-built exhaust. A beautiful aluminum and brass air cleaner is an owner-built item and The Brassworks built the 3 ½-inch copper and brass radiator.

Henry’s body now has a recessed firewall, wood-backed floor panels, tubbed rear wheelwells, and widened rear fenders by Kiwi Metal Fab. MMC then added the 1915 Center Door Ford Model “T” rear window. The revamped sunvisor has three vents to ease airflow against the tall car’s windshield. Final body and fender metal finish and alignment came from Kiwi Metal Fab in Vancouver, Washington. The beautiful paint of Raven Black was laid on by Mike “Early Times” Parsons, also of Vancouver, Washington.

Solid brass features made by the owner are hood hold-downs and formed hood plates, gas tank straps, solid brass bumper mounting brackets for the stock bumpers, modified brass-era Franklin door handles, copper headlight wire tubes, a steel spoon pedal assembly and hinge mirror brackets. The stock Model T Ford headlights are now filled with Halogen bulbs with the 1934-style taillights having LED innards with brass doors.

Dave’s interior is class all the way; upholstered in distressed Antique Whiskey & Aztec Black Buffalo leather in Jack Mayeaux’s studio in Tigard, Oregon. The exposed top of Ash and Mahogany and Jelutong back window garnish molding was accomplished by the owner, and the dome light was crafted from 1915 Ford cowl lamp parts. A modified 1936 Ford dash has Classic Instruments and Vintage Air installed in it. Up above is a homebuilt header panel filled with map lights and a storage pocket. The steering column is owner built and topped with a restored original 1920 16-inch Ford Model T steering wheel spider with a Fordite wheel ring to give the feeling of a factory special edition. (Editor’s note: Fordite is the slag left over in painting areas.) As it built up it had to be removed because it hampered production. The pieces were used to make the steering wheel ring.

Check out these way cool wheels that started as Rocket Fire as-cast 16×5. Russ Meeks, out of Portland, Oregon, machined the outers and then added a translucent ceramic finish with a gold tint. For a 1920s factory look, Marv Norton machined mounting rings to retrofit 1934-style Ford four-cylinder caps matching the design of the oval rear window. The wheels are wrapped with the R 500×16 Excelsior Stahl Sport Radials on the front and 700×16 on the rear.

It’s very refreshing to see Dave Rocha’s perception and creativity on a body style hardly seen since the ’70s as a basis for a hot rod project. With so many wannabes these days, it’s nice to see a fresh approach from the Ford Model T era, specifically one with this quality of build. It’s my guess that you haven’t seen the last of this one.

The post Rattle Trap T: Dave Rocha’s 1926 Ford Sedan appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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foamingkitty · 7 years

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Weekend Getaway: Mexico City

Annika Lehtonen is originally from Finland. She went to Mexico in 2008 for a short 6-month internship after finishing her university degree in Madrid, Spain… and those six months turned out to be nine years (and counting) in Mexico! She’s married to a Colombian man and now has two young children. She has a demanding day job in fashion and her husband has a startup company. Despite the everyday craziness, she tells us she tries to enjoy travelling with the kids as much as possible. As foreigners, Mexico City has been their own “little” macro travel destination during these busy years with children and they felt like they got to rediscover the amazing city after they had children. We were so excited when Annika got in touch and offered to share her family-friendly tips for exploring Mexico City.

While this city might not be the first to come to mind when thinking about family holidays, it is totally worth extending your Mexican holidays to spend a weekend here. As a huge city, it has everything to offer, besides very pleasant weather and extremely friendly locals. Here is Annika’s guide for a weekend getaway to Mexico City:

Street Art tour & Playground Hopping: I have a hyper active 2-year-old and walking 10-month-old and I can assure you there is no better way to feed them art than just walking around this city where every other neighborhood wall is a constantly changing art exhibition. Street Art Chilango organizes curated street art and graffiti spotting walking tours every Saturday, leaving from the street corner of Alvaro Obregon and Orizaba in Colonia Roma, at 11:30 am. If you can’t see yourself or your wild monkeys behaving well enough for a tour, don’t worry, many of the most amazing street art paintings are next to the best playgrounds of the city:

-Parque Pushkin (Av. Cuauhtémoc s/n, Colonia Roma Norte) -Parque Lincoln (Emilio Castelar 163, Colonia Polanco) -Parque de Los Venados (Eje 7 Sur Municipio Libre, División del Norte y Vértiz) -Parque Infantil la Hormiga (Av Constituyentes s/n, Colonia San Miguel Chapultepec)

Xochimilco: The floating gardens of Xochimilco are hard to describe but easy to enjoy! You will love this magical Mexican experience where you ride through the green canals on a rented colorful flat-bottomed boat (trajineras). Just sit back, enjoy the colors and listen to the mariachis swinging on the boat next to you. Kids will be busy eating steamed corns and spotting their name on the boat arches. Xochimilco is one of the UNESCO´s World Heritage Sites and popular among locals and tourists, especially on Sundays.

Teotihuacán: One should not leave Mexico without visiting pyramids. One of the most impressive sites, Teotihuacán, is just one hour driving from Mexico City center. Depending on the season, it can get really hot so remember to bring hats, sunscreen and plenty of water. Teotihuacán was the largest city in the pre-Columbian America, most well-known for its Sun and Moon pyramids, on top of which you can actually climb. No better way to tire active kids! Stroll around the site by yourself or take a guided tour from the entrance gates.

Historic centre: There are more than 21 million inhabitants in Mexico City and you can meet all of them downtown, in the historic center. Or so it feels, at least! For the Aztecs the main plaza, Zócalo, was the center of the universe, the magical spot where everything from good and bad, ugly and beautiful, holy and unholy was met. For today’s Mexicans, Zócalo and the Historic city center still hold an important meaning. The downtown today is above all a merchandising and political hotspot rather than a residential area. You´ll notice that each block here has a specialty in what they sell; one street is full of tiny shoe sops, other one specialized in wedding dresses, the next one in jewelry, etc …

Spots to visit downtown: – Zócalo and Templo Mayor for sightseeing – Palacio de Bellas Artes and Alameda Park for people watching – Torre Latino for The View over the city – Restaurante Azul Histórico for a great lunch

Lucha Libre: Once in a lifetime experience, especially with slightly older kids, is experiencing a Mexican wrestling match, Lucha Libre in Arena Mexico, close to La Condesa neighborhood. Lucha libre is definitely more entertainment than sports, but it is fun to live the atmosphere and observe how the locals get really emotional for their favorite luchadores. The neighborhood near Arena Mexico (Colonia Doctores) is not the prettiest but definitely not dangerous either. Take Uber to the arena and back, just to be on the safe side. The tickets are sold at the kiosk outside (taquilla) on match days Tuesdays and Friday, or online (www.ticketmaster.com).

EAT

Everything comes down to food in Mexico. My husband tells jokingly that you can’t throw a coin without hitting a taco booth or a tamal cart. That’s no joke, actually. Just observe how the vendors in the nearest street corners rotate; in the morning come the fresh juice and fruit guys, a little later tortas (sandwiches) and Mexican cafe de la olla (pot coffee with brown sugar and spices). Lunch hour packs nearby office workers for tacos and panuchos (bean filled tortillas). Then come the mango cart offering delicious fruit and chili sauce combo. Along with the night traffic you’ll hear the guy on a bicycle calling for hot Oaxacan style tamales (steamed corn dough with sweet or savory fill wrapped in a corn leaf) and esquites, hot chili flavored corns sticks. So yeah, Mexican food is so much more than burritos and tacos. They don’t call traditional Mexican food “antojitos”, little cravings, for nothing. Traveling with kids, it’s such a relief to have such a wide variety of easy finger food to choose from and fresh vegetables and fruit everywhere, at anytime. I mean, show me a kid who refuses to eat mushed avocado (guacamole) and sandwiches (tortas)? If you can´t handle spicy, ask your plate “sin picante”. For a little descanso (break) from Mexican food, remember that the city is big enough to house restaurants from all parts of the world.

Breakfast -El Moro (. The one and only churro place in Mexico. Check the nearest location here. -Lardo (Augustin Melgar 6, Colonia Condesa). Where do I start? Well, it’s just the best brekkie place in the center- eastern part of the city. Mexican food with a twist. -Monsieur Croque (Av. Tamaulipas 39, Colonia Condesa). Adorable little venue specialized in croques (French breakfast toasts). Vegan and vegetarian friendly. Try also the avocado toasts! -Eno (Petrarca 258, Colonia Polanco). If you are looking for an excellent, fuss free breakfast in Polanco, Eno is your choice. Owner and Mexican super star chef Enrique Olvera is ranked as one of the best chefs in the world. His Michelin-star restaurant, Pujol, is right next door.

Lunch -Hamburguesas a la parrilla. (Colima 41, Colonia Roma Norte) My husband didn’t let this article to go out without mentioning his favorite street booth. No kid will refuse to eat here, guaranteed. -Soul La Roma (Tabasco 101, Colonia La Roma Norte). Delicious comfort food. -Dulcinea (Tabasco 46, Colonia Roma Norte). Bunch of cozy local quality restaurants under one roof. -Entremar (Hegel 307, Colonia Polanco). Hands down the best seafood pleace in town.

Dinner -El Parnita (Yucatan 84, Colonia Roma) Trendy yet kid friendly (fast service!) taco place, excellent for nursing your hipster mama soul. -Huset (Colima 256, Colonia Roma) Don’t get confused by the Scandi-sounding name, Huset doesn’t serve lax buffet or smorgosar, but dishes inspired by real Mexican country side flavors. The restaurant is set up in a small backyard space, open air and beautiful decoration. -Dulce Patria (Anatole France 10, Colonia Polanco). Want to go out and eat in one of the 50 best restaurants of Latin America, not spend a fortune or leave hungry after microscopic plates? Dulce Patria in Polanco serves excellent Mexican haute cuisine and welcomes families.

STAY For a home-away-from-home feel and to make life easy with kids, we personally prefer to stay in short term rentals when traveling. Besides AirBnB and Booking.com, check my husband’s company (coming soon!) for listings in Mexico City. Beautiful, safe and easygoing neighborhoods in Mexico City are Cuauhtémoc, Polanco, La Condesa and La Roma. Polanco is a little more upscale and quieter than SoHo like Condesa or hipster-y La Roma. Cuauhtémoc is just a hop skip and a jump away from the Historic City Center and full of nice restaurants. Uber and Cabify are very popular and safe options for moving around the city. If you want to get adventurous, hop in the world’s second most crowded metro (!) or give Ecobici city bikes a try and take the city driving like a real chilango.

Hotel options: Camino Real Polanco Hotel Downtown Hotel Condesa DF

SHOP

La Ciudadela (Calle Baldeares s/n, Colonia Centro) La Ciudadela is the biggest arts and crafts market in Mexico City, four blocks away from Alameda Park in the historic center. Watch out, as it is like a visit to Ikea, you just never leave empty handed! Worth looking for the most amazing Huipil blouses and dresses, colorful wool blankets, Oaxacan alebrijes (decorated animal figures) and Huichcol beadwork. Tianguis Tianguis are traditional Mexican open air markets or bazaars. Check out the best of them in:

Polanco On Saturdays, in Polanco there is a great street market (or “Tianguis de Sábado”) around Parque Lincol (Emilio Castelar 163) from 9 am to 4 pm. There are many amazing stalls selling handmade products and a Farmer´s Market section with fresh fruit, cheese and meat.

La Lagunilla About ten blocks away from the main square Zócalo you´ll find La Lagunilla tianguis (Allende s/n, Colonia Centro. This is the best choice for bargain hunt. Selling everything from witchcraft items (!) to healing crystal and antiques, La Lagunilla is definitely the most crowded, unpolished and authentic of the city’s bazaars. Watch out for pick pockets and massive crowds on Sundays. Open every day from 10am to 5pm.

San Angel & Coyoacan Bazaar Sábado in San Angel (San Jacinto 11, Colonia San Angel) is a tianguis specialized in fine art in the southern part of the city. Along with the Coyoacan bazaar (Ignacio Allende s/n, Colonia Coyoacan), it is the oldest market place in the city. San Angel and Coyoacan used to be their own pretty and colorful villages next to Mexico City, but as the capital city expanded they’ve been swallowed into this massive hyperpolis.

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