Friends Send Me ... camel things (4)

They are still coming. Luckily, most are jpegs because I have definitely, emphatically, no room for more of the kind that take up space!

Elayne likes history and humour:

Apropos of archaeological finds, Kath was on the same wavelength:

Alberta Camel Hunting Site

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/travel/news/alberta-camel-hunting-site-points-to-mysterious-prehistoric-people/ar-AAa3AVj

More ancient history (remember him? the late unlamented Prime Minister Harper):

From one of camel master Doug Baum's legion of fans:

From Coralie, camel trainer extraordinaire:

This is Penny about to mount:

This is Judy mounted on a fake Camel:

This is Fred's daughter (so, a friend once removed) clearly enjoying herself; a desert in India he says:

Without doubt, more to come ...

The first three episodes are scattered all over: see "Friends Send Me" in the label list.  

© 2016 Brenda Dougall Merriman

Friends Send Me ... camel things (3)

Well yes, there are more.

How about this cushion from Judy?

Or this treasured camel bell from Jackie?

Thanks, Anne. I'm still trying to memorize that one.

Irrepressible Kim found this (gasp!) ad. Whatever were the publishers thinking? But you have to admit, can't beat a grin like that. Camels have dentists too. Believe it.

Cathy and Kim, you should know you preempted a blog post about this ... Mr. Dashdondog Jamba delivers home library service Mongolian style.

 Possibly the source of the much-maligned cigarette. I have personally witnessed a camel inhaling.

Fred spotted THIS. JFK airport is world class, no question. Just the perfect arrival point for a mate for my Rahmi.

And if anyone remembers who sent me this, remind me? I think it's called anthropomorphism.

Facebook camel friends (yes, hear us roar) are an endless source of gifts. Some friends have sent photos or news clippings of such magnitude they deserve their own posts. We're not done here yet.

P.S. You can all stop sending me the fabulous National Geographic (Steinmetz) photo of camels and their shadows in the desert. Thank you.

© 2015 Brenda Dougall Merriman

Friends Send Me ... camel things (2)

A First World War buff, I am also a longtime admirer of contemporaneous Gertrude Bell, the fearless desert adventurer and tribal negotiator, turned British intelligence officer and kingmaker. With expertise in antiquities and architecture, she located countless ancient sites for archaeologists to uncover; she founded the great Baghdad Museum. The Gertrude Bell Archive at Newcastle University Library includes thousands of priceless photographs of her explorations, nomadic encounters, and historical artifacts. Many of those same subjects have disappeared or are in great danger of destruction as we speak.

Iraq (Mesopotamia) 1914; photo by Gertrude Bell

Why mention Gertrude? In the nature of Friends Send Me ... camel things, imagine my delight when Mike shared his grandfather's story with me. It is a story of military perseverance in the same time period and unforgiving climate. The First World War was fought not only in Europe. British Forces were in the Middle East alongside Arab allies to drive the Ottoman Empire out of the storied Euphrates lands called Mesopotamia. We have to remember that one hundred years ago there was no Iraq, Iran, Israel, or another half-dozen Middle Eastern countries we hear about today. 

Arthur James Knowles, Mike's grandfather, served in that theatre with the 1/4 Hampshire Regiment from March 1915 to the end of November 1919. Arthur's service records are gone, destroyed with so many others during the bombings of the Second World War. But using the published regimental history, Mike could reconstruct the actions of Arthur's unit.[1] The Brits encountered unfamiliar terrain and the inevitable battles but were unprepared for the climate's deleterious health consequences.

[quote] The climate and moist heat of Mesopotamia were having a detrimental effect on the battalion. By June 1915, 180 were sick in the hospital and six had already died. Only 16 officers and 300 men were available.[2]

And that was just a few months after arrival!

During his service, Arthur took numerous photographs that did survive, although not in good shape, with Mike doing his best at restoration. What unique treasures! These two photos are of Sudanese allies. Camels were the natural choice for cavalry. 

  

Mike wrote about Arthur in the newsletter of the Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society (see footnote). Clearly Arthur survived the Great War and I'm more than pleased to add that he came to Canada to settle in 1921.

Ancestor envy!

[1] C.T. Atkinson, The Royal Hampshire Regiment, Volume Two 1914-1918, Glasgow: Robert Maclehose & Company Limited, 1952

[2] Mike More, "The 1/4th Hampshires in Mesopotamia," The Ottawa Genealogist, Vol. 47, No. 4, October – December 2014.

© 2015 Brenda Dougall Merriman

Friends Send Me ... Camel Things (1)

My friends send me things. Going by that, you'd think the world was awash in camels. OKKKK, maybe only Australia. I love them all and am so grateful they are electronic things not taking up space in my place, thank you very much for that. There had to be a stop to the overflowing trinkets!

Some gifties have been acknowledged already (among others, from Elayne and dear wicked Sheri). Several alert people sent me the popular video tethered-camel-bites-stupid-man-throwing-him-to-the-ground-probably-breaking-some-bones and dozens sent me the lonely Google camel. This shot is particularly nice because it's allegedly in the UAE's Liwa desert, one of the drops I crave in my bucket.

Ruth spotted a restaurant in Fort Wayne. Imagine – in Indiana. Judy sent a Scottish pub sign; must have been a warm day in Edinburgh.

I cribbed this from my FB friend Doug for no good reason except I lost the reference to Tammy's camel lying in the middle of a Quebec road. That was to make up for the baby llama photo she sent by mistake (but Tammy, the baby was darling anyway).

No idea now who sent me this.

This is apparently a Dutch camel.

If you thought some of those were odd, England has its (serious) share. John found this (at TNA of course), shades of Empire!

And this just in from Leigh in Sheffield – instant word-association (it wasn't even Wednesday), bravo! We query whether an image might simply do the job here.

That's likely enough for now, more in the wings. I've spared you a repeat of the fabulous Geico video ad that went viral but maybe you didn't see the sequel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIME2BweZ8

Two camels were standing together when one of them said,

"Eric, why do we have these big humps on our backs?"

Pleased to be asked, Eric answers,

"That’s where we store our body fat, that’s what gives us the strength and stamina to carry on for weeks at a time when we march out onto the burning desert sands."

"Oh! alright, but how about these funny curly eyelashes, what do we have them for?"

Glad to share his knowledge Eric answers,

"We have them to protect our eyes from the violent sand storms that descend on us when we are out in the barren wilderness that is the scorching desert?"

“OK," Looking down he asks," But why do we need these big flat feet?"

"We need them to keep our footing when we walk on the shifting sand dunes out in the treacherous desert? But tell me Dennis, why all the questions?"

Dennis answers with a shrug, "I was just wondering what we're doing in Melbourne zoo!"

© 2015 Brenda Dougall Merriman