Just off the scenic road through the Catlins, there is a dummy holding a Curios sign, pointing to a big green caravan that looks like it could belong to the Weasleys. This was my favorite stop in the Catlins, the Lost Gypsy Caravan. We first heard of this eccentric treasure from a DVD called South.
We stayed two nights with Kerry in Milton, with grand plans of gold panning that didn't quite materialize after a night of fun and poor morning weather. Instead we visited a local beach, Toko Mouth, and an old train tunnel where we saw our first glowworms. Kerry's backyard kittens gave us an adorable sendoff, and on our way out of town I saw a sign advising us to "be happy." Will do!
Our last day in Dunedin was a fine one, and we made the most of it by collecting cockles and heading out to Long Beach. Cockles, or clams as we call them in the US, are not part of my normal diet, but I'm always keen to try new things.
We CouchSurfed in Dunedin with a nice but very busy girl named Annabelle. She wouldn't be able to let us in at night until 10 or 11 pm, so we found other CouchSurfers to hang out with in the meantime. A sweet girl named Tarsh invited us over for dinner when we arrived, and we made veggie burgers with her and a few of her friends.
Due to rainy weather and our very kind hosts in Oamaru, we didn't end up camping in Moeraki on our way to Dunedin. We made an epic day trip of it instead.
Dear Oamaru, thanks for the great company, our first penguin sightings, my first attempt to learn poker, whisky tastings, cute dogs & cats, and all the good moustache spotting.
This fireplace shelter looks so cozy it almost makes me want to live in a cold place. Built on a playground in Trondheim, Norway, it serves as an enclosed space for school children enclosed to enjoy fire, storytelling and playing.
We spent our last day in Christchurch tracking down a tent and lunching with our friends Elise & Sylvain, whom we first met in Auckland at Olive & Graeme's. It was so good to catch up with them again after all these months.
The scenery on our first day was beautiful, as expected. We hugged the coast for a while, spotting hay bales beside the ocean before heading inland to rolling hills of bright green farmland.
Nature is a constant inspiration for many artists, and some of the most beautiful art is created when humans collaborate with the natural world.
Photos: Jean-Luc Fournier & Frédéric Delpech
Hubert Duprat began his work with caddisfly larvae in the early 1980s. He collects the larvae from their natural environment and relocates them to his studio. There he gently removes their own natural protective sheaths and puts the larvae in tanks filled with his own materials, from which they build their new homes. By depriving them of other materials, he ensures they use what he provides.
When he began the project, he only offered the caddisfly larvae gold flakes. Since then, they have enjoyed various semi-precious and precious stones, including turquoise, coral and lapis lazuli, as well as sapphires, pearls, rubies, and diamonds.
Photos: Jean-Luc Fournier & Frédéric Delpech
In the film below from the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, the artist discusses a few of his beautiful sculptures. If you'd like to skip to the caddisfly project, it begins at the 2:40 mark.
"I create situations. I'm a bit like an architect who has builders carry out his work."
Clockwise from top right: Jean-Luc Fournier, H. Del. Olmo, H. Del. Olmo, H. Del. Olmo
Today I'm digging these decorative ceramic pieces by Up In The Air Somewhere on Etsy. With clean lines, pastel palettes and a splash of gilding, they are like a breath of fresh air.
Up In The Air Somewhere is based out of Chicago, each piece hand crafted by Susan Dwyer.
"I'm creating a line of housewares inspired by the beautiful forms found in industrial architecture. Water towers, warehouses, factories, and silos are abundant in Chicago and endlessly fascinating to me. Although I work in different mediums (paper mache, ceramic, fiber, etc.), my work has always been primarily focused on volume and form rather than ornamentation and surface. The simplicity and utility of the industrial landscape is a constant influence on my work."
