I’m currently planning on going to Europe in December to spend Christmas with my German family. One of my American friends from boarding school will be around because he is working in Germany for a year but not going home, and so I’ve invited him to Christmas with my uncle. Because of the way the holiday, and New Year’s Day, falls in the middle of my Sun-Thurs work week, it’s very easy to take off the next week as well, and so we’re now planning a little jaunt around German speaking Europe. It’s all very tentative, but I’ve started looking at prices and things to do around and routes to take, and I map the itinerary below:
It’s fun because it takes us through every Germany speaking country: Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria, and because it is pretty short, with the maximum travel time less than 6 hours. We would have about nine days to do it- probably the first four going quickly point by point and then a slower five in Austria. Who knows if it will materialize or how much of it we will do, but it looks like a lot of fun!
In getting excited for this trip, I started thinking of other overland tours I would like to take, looking into whether or not they’re possible, and fantasizing about when I could do them, who with, and adding extra fun components like making a documentary of the journey or something. It all sounds up in the air and like a dream, but I’m sure I will actually do at least one in the next five years. I always say, “always be dreaming 10 amazing things, then if you only accomplish 1 or 2, you’re still being amazing!” So, I’ll add these to my list of amazing ideas and see where they go.
So without further ado, the trips!
The W®est of South America
This trip would hit all of the things I wanted to do in South America but haven’t yet. It hits three of the four countries on the West of the continent, as well as the rest of the Spanish speaking countries I’ve yet been to, so I call it the W®est trip. It would start in Buenos Aires where I would see my wonderful Italian relatives that live in the Capital. I would then head up to the triple border of Argentina-Paraguay-Brazil to see the Iguazu falls, which are the last waterfall on my list of the top 5 (the others being Niagara, Angel, Gullfoss, and Victoria). I would then head up through Paraguay to Bolivia, stopping to revisit the family of a friend I stayed with in Santa Cruz, the Potosi Salt Flats, and the Mile High city: La Paz. I’d then head into Peru, spending time admiring the Andes, and of course seeing Machu Picchu near Cusco. I’d then head up through Ecuador before finishing in Bogota, Colombia!
The yellow highlighted bits are “optional” thoughts that I would consider depending on time. The first is to explore Argentine Patagonia, supposedly one of the most beautiful places in the world. The second is to take a flight to the Galapagos islands (or maybe Easter island?) from Ecuador. A third one not included on the map would be a quick jaunt over to Suriname and French Guinana- so I could officially say I’d been to every country in South America!
Bonus trip (I haven’t put too much thought into but in talking with some friends, thought to include): Southeast Asia- somehow incorporating Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and maybe Myanmar?
TheRapa Nui Fairy Basslet(Pseudanthias hangapiko)is the latest new species forRapa Nui, commonly know as Easter Island, one of the world’s most isolated inhabited islands.
Showing a clearly dimorphism, with males being slightly bigger and redish than females, these fishes are tiny, with around 3 to 4.5 cm in length. These fishes were collected at 80 m depth on Hanga Piko, a mesophotic coral ecosystem near the coast of Rapa Nui, hence its name, for the location where it were collected.
- A Rapa Nui Fairy Basslet aggregation on a rocky mesophotic coral ecosystem at Rapa Nui (Easter Island) at 80 m depth.
This fish is one of four new species that were documented from a pair of technical dives at a single location in Rapa Nui, as result of a international research collaboration, emphasizing the high number of undescribed species likely still unknown in these deep ecosystems. It is also, the first record of the genus in Rapa Nui, which hosts the second-highest level of endemism in both shallow and deep-water fishes.
Foto: Male (upper) and female (lower) Photos by LA Rocha.
Recent expeditions to Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) have revealed amazing undescribed sea star species from unexplored mesophotic coral reefs and also, from deeper depths never reached before.
In a recent work published in Zootaxa, Dr Christopher Mah, a eminence in echinoderms, describe three new species for Rapa Nui, but also other news species from adjacent region in the South Pacific.
- Uokeaster ahi, named for the Rapa Nui marine deity Uoke, who submerged Rapa Nui into the ocean using a large lever, and ahifor the local word for fire. Is endemic from the waters around Rapa Nui. Photo by Terry Gosliner.
- Hacelia raaraa inhabit at depth of 80 m below surface sea, where light still pass. It is found in rocky bottoms, among hydroids and algae.
This new species is named by the rapanui word ra’ara’a for “rough and rugged” alluding to the very bumpy surface texture seen in this species. Photo by Dr. Luiz Rocha.
- Linckia profunda is one of the deepest known species in the area, and its name profunda alludes to the deep bathymetric range of this species. Arms in this species are unequal in length, round in cross-section, with an irregular surface. It is found in Rapa Nui, but also in other areas in the South Pacific. Photo by Dr. Luiz Rocha.
These findings highlight the uniqueness of these marine ecosystems and how much we still do not know about the sea. Therefore, the importance of considering them in the establishment of efective management strategies for these communities, which are within the Rapa Nui marine-protected area created in 2017.
[Photo description: Uokeaster ahi have short arms with robust and rounded spikes, similar to spheres. Hacelia raaraa have long arms, with numerous dome-like tubercles forming lines along the surface of body and arms, giving it a rough appearance. Linckia profunda have long and slim arms, with plane ]
Next on the list is the perennial scrub and eponymous bird-man of Easter Island, Tangata Manu. Being the central figure of an 18th century cult is certainly no way to get ahead in the compendium, or so it would seem.
The Tangata Manu ceremony itself, performed in honor of the supreme god Make-Make, was supposedly held annually around September, during which the sacred Manutara would settle and lay their eggs on the island of Moto Nui. Tribal leaders were charged with selecting representatives to participate in a competition to swim from Rano Kau to Moto Nui in order to retrieve the newly laid eggs.
The first to return straddling one of the eggs within a sort of ceremonial headband was proclaimed victor, the various honors of which were then conferred to the relevant chief-sponsor, whose person was made inviolable and set to be revered as a “Bird-Man”. In addition, the victorious tribe was allowed a greater stake in the island’s shared resources. The fun raged on until 1866, when, as is often the case, newly arrived Catholic missionaries put the kibosh on the whole “pagan” ordeal.
Kaneko’s design is of course based on the various petroglyphs found on the rock surfaces of regions such as Orongo, all depicting the Manu in the iconic crouching profile. The Kaneko treatment features little in the way of embellishment, save for a pair of stylized wings that, while not necessarily present in traditional depictions, reflect the “flat” appearance of petroglyphs and rock paintings.
Today I had cataract surgery. The ophthalmologist removed the cloudy lens in my right lens and replaced it with an acrylic lens. I had been dreading this surgery for years. The thought of someone cutting my eye with a razor-sharp diamond scalpel was more than I could deal with.
Afraid as I was of surgery, I was also afraid of not being able to drive at night. Night driving had become a frightening ordeal .When you have a full blown cataract, the glare of oncoming headlines turns the darkness into a wall of white light, which is not fun when you’re driving on a two-lane highway.. I scoured youtube for cataract surgery videos. As my ignorance of cataracts diminished, I was able to schedule surgery for my eye.
Waves are hard to draw and paint, so I used the Clip Studio Paint Lasso File brush to scribble them in. Good enough? Maybe. Who knows! Perhaps I’ll find a better way to scribble them in tomorrow.
Today I ordered Bone, the 1300-page black and white version. I’ve been looking for a big comic series now that I’m almost finished watching GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (on Prime) for the third time. I love that anime for it’s big heart and sometimes equally great stupidity.
By the way, that Bonelink is an Amazon affiliate link. By now everyone knows that affiliate links help creators make a few pennies at no cost to you. I’ve never made a single penny from affiliate links. Perhaps it’s because I’m the only one reading this. So be it. I’m satisfied to be a legend in my own mind.
After struggling for days to ink this page using Clip Studio Paint’s bezier curves, I decided to revert to freehand inking. Learning on the job can lead to massive slowdowns, even coming to a complete halt, while climbing a steep learning curve. So, back to freehand inking it is. I’m still using CSP’s vector layers and I can still use the vector tools to correct to fix wayward lines, of which there are plenty.
My plan is to turn these make these pictures work together. The beach scene will all of the residents of Easter Island, the reanimated Moai the the little volcano demon, waving farewell to Dylan Dolphin, Betty Burro, and Jimmy Jay. Since these are two unique scenes, I’m going to extend the ocean (in the beach scene) to behind the jumping dolphin. I’ll have to correct some colors and lighting. I can sense that I’m going to complete this book in the next couple of months.
It’s a bittersweet feeling. I’m happy that I’m coming to the end, and I’m sad that it will be over. I’ve been working on this book for 17 months, far longer that dreamed it would take. There are so many ways it could have been better, if I had only had the skills to make it so. So it goes.
The top painting is my original image. Below it is the same image with two correction layers applied: hue, brightness, and saturation, and contrast. The corrected image looks dreary because there are no highlight. I’ll add them tomorrow.
Everyone has a baseline skill level for every endeavor. My base level for painting is represented in this storyboard cell showing the Moai family waving goodbye to Dylan Dolphin, Betty Burro, and Jimmy Jay.
Yes, this is where I start with every picture I draw. I’m starting from the level I achieved as a fourth grader at the age of nine. It’s funny how the basic skill level emerges when I’m in a hurry to get an idea down. The funny thing is, this simple image has enough information for me to reclaim my original idea for this scene. There are the foam-tipped waves lapping at their feet; The moai are no longer grey rock — they are colorful flesh and blood; Behind them is the sparse windblown beach grass, and in the background is Terevaka, the extinct volcano that is the highest point on the island.
I will work on this picture everyday, one inch at a time.
I used Clip Studio Paint Ex to create this vector sketch. One thing I haven’t figured out is how to simplify the lines. That is to say, I want to remove some of the nodes to create smoother lines. I read on the Internet that there’s a way to do this, but this technique seems to be a well-hidden secret.
Next up, I’ll flat this image and put in some shadows.
Gotta respectfully disagree with the notion an ig friend mentioned awhile ago about the red covering being a fez h the side piece being a tassel… Granted i use to believe that moai top could be a fez , but the other day i started to looki into it..As u can see the sidest are ears moreso elongated … Our hair really is diverse though
Updated info I never uploaded..Same concept that the red top to the Moai heads are more than likely top knots..Also with the sides being ears..The pacific islands is full of red haired & long ear natives to add more
