beyond this place there be dragons

One of the items on the list of 'things to do before I die' is to see the phrase  
HC SVNT DRACONES on the Lenox Globe in person. 

Hic sunt dracones means 'here be dragons' in Latin. It is a phrase used to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the medieval practice of putting creatures in uncharted areas of maps.



The Hunt-Lenox Globe or Lenox Globe is the second or third oldest known terrestrial globe, after the Erdapfel of 1492. It is housed by the Rare Book Division of the New York Public Library. So there is a chance that I might be able to see it one day.

The Hunt-Lenox globe was prepared around 1510 by an unknown artist and it was purchased in Paris in 1855 by architect Richard Morris Hunt, who gave it to James Lenox.   This small hollow copper globe measures 112 millimetres (4.4 in) in diameter and 345 millimetres (13.6 in) in circumference. It is two parts, joined at the equator and held together by a wire strung through holes at the poles. It is notable as the only instance on a historical map of the actual phrase HC SVNT DRACONES (in Latin hic sunt dracones. The phrase appears on the eastern coast of Asia.   It is the earliest surviving engraved copper sphere from the period immediately following the discovery of the New World.  Of the two continents in the Western hemisphere, only South America is actually represented, appearing as a large island with the regional names Mundus Novus (the New World), Terra Sanctae Crucis (the Land of the Holy Cross), and Terra de Brazil (the Land of Brazil). Cuba appears as “Isabel,” and the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti (Hispaniola) appears as “Spagnolla." North America is represented as a group of scattered islands. Fascinating

a favourite possession

One of my favourite possessions is this quilt made for me by my amazing cousin Arlene. She had taken a whole pile of our whole families ratty old t - shirts and assembled them into this quilt - so many memories - our names are stitched all over it and every time I look at it I see something new.
It is a piece of art and I love her to bits for taking the time to do this for us.

my singing debut

I sang at Jeffrey and Laura's wedding.
I know, I can't sing, but that didn't stop me.

When Jeffrey was living with us he left the toilet seat up
and in the middle of the night I fell in.

The song was sung to the tune of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire.
I made up my own words.
The band tried to keep up but I was on fire.
Well, I think I was smokin' good.
Well maybe I was just smokin'.
With sincere apologies to those who had to listen......

I fell into the toilet when Jeff left the seat up. 

I went down, down, down and the water went higher. 

And I splashed, splashed, splashed, 

there in the bowl, there in the bowl, there in the bowl.

She's a walking.

Isabel takes her first steps at Grandma's house.

Over

The interview is over and it went well.
Now to wait.
I know full well that there are other very good programs that are my 'competition'.
And I pray that we all have patience and await God's good work.

Nervous

Tonight I represent Home with a Heart in an interview for a funding proposal that I am submitting.  I think I am prepared to answer any questions. Still I am nervous and want the program to be represented well. Butterflies.....