Fabulous Felines – #140 – The Great Sphinx of Giza

Maybe the most fabulous feline of all time? A matter of opinion…

From Wikipedia: The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).

Twenty years ago I enrolled in the now-defunct Archaeology Certificate Program at the Cotsen Institute (UCLA). At the time it was the hardest thing I had ever done but I made it through and enjoyed every minute. My main interest was Roman mosaics. But then I fell in love with Egyptian history and vowed to visit the country before I left the planet. The opportunity arose in February 2023 and a friend and I made the long slog on Qatar Airlines to Cairo.

I could write a book! As my companion so aptly commented, she is enjoying the memories of the trip more than the actual trip itself. I’m still working my way through the approximately 1500 photos I took with my trusty Canon T7i DSLR and my new Galaxy S22 Ultra phone. (A short while after I returned home the S23 came out but I have no complaints about the S22.) I’ve been posting handfuls of photos at a time on my Facebook page (along with all my other adventures). Look for Roslyn M Wilkins if you are interested.

Fabulous Felines – #139 – Coronation of King Charles III

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Freddie woke me up at 2:00 AM Pacific Time to watch the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla “live.” This is the second coronation in my lifetime. Charles is a year younger than me. Will I live to see a third coronation? Long Live the King!

As I am Freddie’s Cat Mother, does that make him a British Citizen too??!!

Freddie was glued to the screen the entire time. He likes to watch TV with captions as he’s a little hard of hearing–especially with those Brit accents!

Fabulous Felines – #137 – celebration of the life of P-22

Students from the Esperanza elementary school in Los Angeles honor the mountain lion P-22 on 4 February. Photograph: Scott Mitchell/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/06/los-angeles-p22-mountain-lion-memorial-greek-theater

I streamed the touching tribute to LA’s most famous mountain lion as it was held live at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park (his home for over ten years) to a sellout crowd of 6,000 people. His fame brought attention to the plight of all cougars and other wildlife roaming the dangerous built environment in Southern California. Partly because of him the $90 million Wallis Annenberg wildlife crossing is already under construction over a 10-lane stretch of the 101 freeway in Agoura Hills. Ms. Annenberg spoke at the memorial.

Fabulous Felines – #136 – RIP P-80

Although P-22 was probably our most famous Southern California cougar, there are many others roaming the region. Unfortunately, the kill rate for these magnificent creatures is quite high, mostly by encountering vehicles on the road. P-80 was killed on on January 22, 2023, along Pacific Coast Highway, a treacherous stretch of road for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians of the human kind, let alone our four-legged population. This was about a month after the death of P-22.

“The cougar [P-80] had been tracked by National Park Service scientists as part of a long-term study. He was noted for his physical abnormalities: a kinked tail and only one descended testicle, according to the park service.

“Biologists said the traits were signs of low genetic diversity, or inbreeding, in the area, and the discovery “underscores the need for measures to better support this population,” wildlife biologist Jeff Sickich said in 2020.”

Read the full story at https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/29/us/california-mountain-lion-dead-p81-car/index.html

Fabulous Felines – #135 – Cat TV

Freddie has discovered Cat TV! He enjoys watching bird videos but he goes crazy over squirrels and mice. He sees squirrels on the trees outside the living room window. But I doubt he’s ever seen a real live mouse in his life.

I tried fish videos but he has no interest whatsoever. He likes the jerky, quick movements of birds, squirrels and mice. Fish move too slowly and smoothly for his taste.

I’ve created a monster as he now runs into the living room and sits in front of the TV first thing in the morning waiting for me to turn it on. He doesn’t even bother to go into the kitchen for breakfast like he used to. Maybe he’ll lose some weight by feeding his brain instead of his tummy! And now he is an “only” cat he sleeps a lot. But who can sleep with rodents running across the screen?

When I’m working in my office he likes to sit on my keyboard or curl up in my lap. But as I also have a TV in my office, instead of bothering me, now he sits on top of the printer for a good view of his videos. So it’s working out for both of us!

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden – My Impressions

The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was created by Kinzuchi Fujii between 1935 – 1940 for Charles and Ellamae Storrier Stearns. Fujii (1875 – 1957) designed and built Japanese landscapes across Southern California in the first half of the 20th century. The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden (located in Pasadena, California) is his only remaining garden. It is also the only intact example of a major Japanese-style garden created before World War II for a residence in Southern California.

This pond-style stroll garden features a fifteen-foot waterfall and a formal teahouse on approximately two acres of land. The garden is considered by many to be a masterwork and it demonstrates the adaptability of Japanese culture in modern America. Under the direction of Dr. Takeo Uesugi, landscape architect, professor emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was faithfully restored from 2007 – 2013.

Photography copyright roslyn m wilkins

Happy New Year!

Freddie and I wish you and your four-legged* friends the best year ever! (*Or however many legs they may have.)

Fabulous Felines – #134 – LA’s famous P-22 Mountain Lion Euthanized

This is the link to a story about P-22 that explains everything better than I can. He was beloved by everyone (except the hit and run driver who finished him off) and I shed a tear to hear of his demise.

Mountain Lion P-22, The ‘Hollywood Cat,’ Is Euthanized | Culver City, CA Patch

Day trip to San Clemente

The first thing I think about when I hear the name San Clemente is “The Western White House.” But that was during Richard Nixon’s presidency which dates me–and by the way, his sprawling beachfront estate was on the market for $65 million last year. I don’t know if it sold. San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California with a population of 64,000, less than 75 miles (120 km) from my home in Culver City.

I met friends at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to hop on the Amtrak train for the journey to the San Clemente Pier. Our first order of business was to eat lunch–always the most important element of any adventure for me. Breakfast or dinner are also acceptable.

We sat at the end table on the corner overhanging the ocean–like being on a cruise ship!

View of the coastline looking south towards San Diego

I liked the contrast of the red umbrellas against the blue sky and ocean

This bird was getting impatient: “Where’s my take-out order?”

Are we in Fiji or Southern California?

Some nice cloud formations that day to make an interesting background for the palm trees

When I arrived home that evening I felt like I’d been on a week’s vacation. Always good to get out of town even if it’s for a few hours.