London is a red zone again. Park use is light.

The City of London, Ontario, has been again been declared a red zone by the provincial government. This means the number of covid-19 cases are climbing as are the deaths. The city continues to vaccinate residents but the process is very slow. Canada, caught without a vaccine-making facility, is at the mercy of other countries for delivery of much needed vaccine.

I have an appointment to get a vaccination but it is for two full weeks in the future. The month will be half over by the time my wife and I get our first shots. The second may not be administered until four months in the future. Canada is so short of vaccine that those who have not been vaccinated are getting their first shot before others are given their second.

It is hoped the Yanks will free up some vaccine by early summer as it appears the Americans will have everyone vaccinated in the U.S. by then. Canadians have their fingers crossed.

American ingenuity? Or a crass rip-off?

This is not an ad. I have yet to taste a drop of coffee from this birthday gift to my wife. I cannot say a thing about the quality of coffee it makes.

That said, I expect it to be good. My wife and I both like coffee brewed in a French press. The French press was, as far as I could determine, patented by the Italians Attilio Calimani and Giulio Moneta in 1929. No, it wasn't patented by the French first. 

What is said to be the most popular design was patented by Faliero Bondanini in 1958. Bondanini was Swiss and not French but he did have his design manufactured in France. Still, the version that made the French press a household name in North America was a Danish company: Bodum.

What makes French press coffee special are the coffee oils remaining in the brew when poured. Sadly, some of these oils are said to change a coffee drinker's blood cholesterol, and not for the better. Paper coffee filters absorb some of these oils and so drip coffee is the brew of choice for those with hardening of the arteries.

Which brings us to the AeroPress. And American invention from Palo Alto, California, it is said to filter out the unhealthy coffee oils but somehow magically retain the full flavour of the ground coffee. To me, it looks like an American take on the French Press with a coffee filter added.

I call it ingenious as it certainly addresses the concerns of those with certain heart disease problems by removing the heart-offending coffee oils. Sales are through the roof. Bodum is jealous, I'm sure. If the coffee is no better than that from a drip machine, it is a rip-off but one in tune with history. The Americans have to get in line behind the Swiss, the French and the Danes when claiming bragging rights to the creative invention of a pair of Italians almost a century ago.

What does the mask symbolize?

 

 

I've spent a little time trying to determine what exactly the mask held in the right hand of the statue symbolizes. I've come up empty. The expression is so peaceful. The expression plus the attire of the woman holding the mask persuade me that this is not a Greek muse holding a mask representing comedy or tragedy.

And the mask is too nondescript to be an "imagine." According to the Britannica, imagines preserved an ancestor's appearance as each was modeled on the features of the deceased person. Sometimes beeswax was used in order to lift and exact likeness. 

My guess is that the mask makes some reference to the theatre as Annie Pixley, the deceased, was a famous and widely respected actress.

There are three stained glass windows in the mausoleum

 

The Pixley - Fulford mausoleum is said to be an architectural gem. It is said to be one of the finest mausoleums in all of Canada. I believe it. From muses to lions to angels, the mausoleum wants for very little when it comes to decoration. And when one enters it, if you can, there are three gorgeous stained glass window awaiting you.

The music of the Gods

 

There are a couple of ladies sitting on the right and left top corners of the mausoleum These do not appear to be angels. This lady is clearly a musician playing an instrument of the Gods, a lyre. Here is link to a discussion of lyres as mausoleum art. I gather this statue symbolizes a harmonious spiritual connection with God.

I was curious about the bare nipple but when I googled it I was directed to some "dangerous sites." I'm sure the bare nipple signifies something but I'm not sure what and may never know. The meaning is hidden even if the nipple isn't.

Lion guarding the Fulford - Pixley Mausoleum

Fulford - Pixley Mausoleum 

As promised, a close-up of one of the two lions that have guarded the Fulford-Pixley mausoleum in London, Ontario, for more than a century. Link to First Post.

One of the finest mausoleums in Canada

Fulford - Pixley Mausoleum 

 I got a request for my photo of the Fulford - Pixley mausoleum in London. This call rekindled my interest in the mausoleum and I shot some new pictures of the incredible structure.

Annie Pixley was a popular stage actress of the 1870s who won international acclaim for her stage performances. After marrying fellow actor Robert Fulford she frequented the London area, spending many summers in Port Stanley south of London on the shore of Lake Erie. On occasion she performed at London's Grand Opera House (now the Grand Theatre). 

Tragedy struck in July, 1886 when Annie’s 12 year old son Thomas died of what was known as "brain fever". He was buried at Woodland Cemetery. Tragedy would strike again Nov. 8th, 1893, when Annie died while visiting relatives in England. 

In memory of his wife and son, Robert Fulford built the Fulford - Pixley Mausoleum. It was completed in 1897. Today it is a popular attraction to visitors in London. It is considered to be among the finest funerary monuments in Canada.