Okay I was actually looking at woodworking sites, but I came across the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA and saw a couple of delightful samplers by the Gould sisters – amazing work for ones so young
There’s a lot more to see – lovely period furniture in abundance on the MESDA site
Here’s a great way to share your travels – create your own visited countries map. I was amazed when I thought back to the places I have visited over the years, to find that I’ve actually visited quite a few countries (16) coverin 7 percent of the globe – mostly during my studies, some holiday and some business travel. But the map is of course only one representation of place – in most of these countries I have only visited one or two cities, rather than the whole country as the map might imply. So the big blob of China, for instance is there, but I have only visited Beijing in that country – as part of a tour with the band.
create your own visited countries map or vertaling Duits Nederlands
If you follow the links above you can also create a visited states map of the USA – something I hope Sharon will do when she heads over there next year 🙂
Thanks to Thomas McEldowney’s blog for this link
Cheers
Jerry
Another exhibit in the Musee des Artes et Metiers is that of a long forgotten French Aviation pioneer, Clement Ader (click on ‘NoFlashMuseum’ then Transports’ then ‘1850-1950’ and finally the last small image on the right.
Again, I had no idea before going there that this pioneer aircraft had been preserved for posterity – one of the great ‘almost made it’s among the early aviators. Like the Wright brothers, he was a bicycle designer.
Ader was born in 1841 at Muret in Haute-Garonne. He was multi-talented and was awarded numerous patents during his lifetime, including a ralway system and telephone. But he had a lifelong fascination with flying – inspired by birds and bats, using the latter as a model for his aircraft design. Ader built kites and small-scale gliders and measured the forces needed to keep them flying, using dynamometers. He was the first engineer to know the value of lift and thrust needed for flying.
Clement Ader’s Avion III
He built his first machine between 1882 and 1889, known as the Eole I which reportedly made a low-level hop on 9 October 1890 at an altitude of about 30cm for about 50 metres. Ader was credited with introducing the French word for aircraft – avion – into the French language.
His second machine, Eole II was damaged during trials in 1891. Avion III was built with the help of the Defence Ministry and was completed in 1897. It had a wingspan of 16 metres and had a tricycle undercarriage. It weighed a mere 258kg unladen, and less than 400kg with pilot. It was powered by two lightweight 20hp steam engines designed by Ader, which independently drove two contra-rotating four-bladed propellers. The two motors shared a single flash steam boiler and condenser. The wings were made from bamboo covered with lightweight fabric.
Ader’s steam engine for Avion III
Flash Steam Boiler for Avion III
This plane made one flight attempt at the French Army’s Satory proving ground on 14 October 1897 – without success.
But later in life Ader claimed success for both the Eole and the Avion III. Irrespective of his success or failure – he was far-thinking in terms of his innovative design – the enclosed body, the tricycle undercarriage and the power-to-weight ratio commensurate with the scale of the wings.
His big failure was in not making any provision for control once airborne. But his was a big step on the way towards successful heavier than air flight.
Avion III
This plane was certainly the inspiration for a number of steampunk fanciful depictions of the future of flight – including this automaton 🙂
Avion III
There is a good summary of his achievement at this US Air Force site.
Close, as they say, but no cigar. An elegant design though 🙂
Cheers
Jerry
One of the surprising things about Tokyo is how easy it is to get away from the hustle and bustle of 12 million people. You can walk along the Sumida Gawa canal and check out the canal boats
But when you see the water, it’s actually not too inviting!
Far better to find one of the many restful parks, like Shiba-Koen park not far from Tokyo Tower. This is just up the road from a wonderful street full of small noodle houses – so you can buy a tasty snack and eat it in the park. But follow the local practice and find a bin for the rubbish.
If this is winter – imagine what it will be like in Spring – Cherry-blossom weather!
As if this were not enough, just nearby was a working Buddhist temple – Zojoji Temple gardens are just the place for some quiet contemplation or a prayer whatever your faith. It is calming simply to walk through this delightful garden. Zojoji Temple is he main temple of the Jodo (pure land) Buddhist sect originally founded in 1393. Zojoji was founded as an orthodox and fundamental nembutsu seminary for Jodo-shu in the Kanto (east Japan) region. It moved its main site to Tokyo in 1598, and has been here ever since.
The Himalayan cedar tree just inside the gate was planted by General Grant, 18th President of the United States, when he visited Zojoji Temple as a national guest in 1879 – according to a small sign next to the tree. Interestingly, though, there seemed to have been some confusion over the year, as this was affixed separately over what was written beneath.
The tree now towers over the Sanmon gate house which was built in 1605. It is constructed in the Chinese Tang Dynasty style and is a rare example of early Edo-period architecture.
People have built all manner of shrines over the years, but one really caught my eye – It comprised about a hundred stone effigees about two feet tall, each with its personal crocheted hat and tiny clothes. The statues are of jizobosatusu, the protector of the souls of still-born children. Mothers of still-born children often dedicate an image of the deity and decorate it with baby clothes and toys.
Here’s one close up
And the Daibonsho bell is quite a sight. It was completed in 1673, and has a diameter of 1.76 metres, a height of 3.33 metres and weighs 15 tonnes. It is noted as one of the Big Three bells of the Edo period.
This was a wonderful place to conclude my all-too-brief stay in Tokyo.
Cheers
Jerry
With a population of around 12 million – how do they all fit in to a city the size of Tokyo? The answer lies in efficient use of space. Perhaps there are lessons here for Sydney.
The cars are designed to make really good use of space. The majority are small cars, and the good road surface means that small wheels are no disadvantage. One popular car seemed to be one called ‘the cube’
Tall and box-like it seems easy to park and a fine example of how to get the most interior space with th e smallest external footprint.
Or you could go for the classic motorcycle, as this individual has done, getting around on a beautifully maintained Royal Enfield motorcycle. This one is an older example of the new classic bikes made in India.
There were quite a number of larger motorbikes being ridden around Tokyo, with teh Japanese marques being well represented, as well as a fair sample of Harley Davidsons.
And for firms with a lot to deliver, you could always use the all-weather scooter. Although it has three wheels, the cornering is still quite stable as the rear wheels stay firmly planted while the rider and front wheel lean like a motorbike. There are hundreds of these on the road. Interestingly, I rarely saw a parked one without the key in the ignition. And very few pushbikes are locked – clearly this is a city with a low rate of property crime.
With parking at a premium, you could make use of the ‘rack and stack’ method as seen here
Though it’s hard to see how you would get out in a hurry if yours was the car on top!
In a city, one of the challenges is to keep all the cars on the move, and petrol stations which typically take up a lot of room have found ways to minimise their footprint too – just get rid of the fuel pumps and hang the hoses from the ceiling 🙂
Once again we could learn much from this use of space in our cities 🙂
Cheers
Jerry
