Taxidermy - The Other Side of Life...

(All Photos by Tavarua)

"Life Lives - Life Dies - Life 
Laughs - Life Gives Up

and Life Tries.

But Life Looks Different Through Everyone's Eyes."

"May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future."

Deyrolle - Paris - France

Deyrolle - Paris - France

May I recommend:

1000 Degrees Celsius Deyrolle

 by Laurent Bochet

Deyrolle is an old establishment since 1831 which, was founded by entomologist Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle.

Its proprietor today is Prince Louis Albert de Brogliealso known as Prince Jardinier - The tomato Prince -  he grows approximately 650 varietes om his estate - Chateau de la Bourdaisiere, in the Loire Valley. He revived Deyrolle in 2001 when he refurbished it and brought it back to its 18th-century condition.  Deyrolle is one of the world's greatest taxidermy establisments.

Deyrolle - Rue de Bac - Paris -  February 2008

 The stuffed menagerie was destroyed by fire.

A second death for the animals...

Photographer Laurent Bouchet was able to freeze this moment of sadness and disaster in time...

Photographer Laurent Bouchet

As an artist/photographer he created -  beauty - rising from the ashes.

Explorer, Artist, Hunter, Photographer and Taxidermist - Carl Akeley (1864 - 1926)

Carl Akeley with the leopard that nearly killed him. He killed it with his bare hands. 

 Photo: Courtesy Henry Holt and Co.

Carl Ethan Akeley consider the father of modern taxidermy. 

There were great men in Africa who collected to fill their trophy rooms with the beasts from the African continent a long time ago.  Some not only for the sake of having their trophy rooms filled with exotic animals but beyond the hunt and adventure - to document the animals in the wild.  

Akeley made five expeditions to the African continent.

Hall of African Animals of Natural History Museum in New York bears his name. He is famous for the way he applied the skin to the finely molded form of the animals which gave the spectator  a feeling of realism and brought taxidermy from craft to a refined art. Early taxidermy mounts had been stuffed with rags and sawdust without any regard to any refinement.

Hand colored slide circa 1896 from the expedition by Carl Akeley and D.G. Eliot

Chicago Field Museum

Akeley's Camp on Mt. Mikano 1921

In 1926 he returned to Africa and the Congo to hunt and study the mountain gorilla unfortunately he contracted a fever while on expedition and died. He was buried a few miles away from where he had encountered his first gorilla in 1921.

I raise my glass for another great man " Not to be Forgotten"...

The first person to use the word taxidermy was Luis Dufresne

Greek - taxis - arrangement

derma - skin

Ice House Cafe & Oyster Bar...

A Penguin meets you at the entrance...

"Tavarua" recommends; 

Ice House Cafe & Oyster Bar

Ice House Cafe was once an ice storage it is located in the historic Herndon, Virginia and has been there since 1979...the atmosphere has a cozy pleasing warm feel to it...

I had to pop in for some stout,oysters and seared tuna...Excellent

A few Appetizers from the Menu:

Calamari Athena

Oyster Rockefellar

Oyster Oscar

Smoked Duckling Quesadilla Con Carnitas

Spiced Shrimp

Steamed Clams

Chesapeake - Oysters on the half-shell with a glas of Stout...

The eastern oyster is definitely one of the most famous of the aquatic species to be found in the Chesapeake Bay area.

A few Entrees on the Menu:

Ostrich Steak de Milan

Duck Oriental 

Lamb Shank Provencal

Ice House Crab Cakes

Ahi Tuna Au Poivre

Black and White Sesame Crusted Tuna over a bed of mixed greens; drizzeled with a ginger garlic cilantro miso dressing.

It has several small dining rooms

Pop in for Drinks and Jazz Nights on Friday and Saturdays

Blues to contemporary sounds

T & C in Scandinavia - The Hunters and The Hunted - Victorian Taxidermy Part II ...

(All Photos by Tavarua)

From the Country - Priceless 

My old dunhill pipes still travels with me even if I do not smoke them to often... 

 Time for a short walk to the river

The world has be waiting and finally the Spring has arrived...with sunshine the flowers will blossom and

the ice will melt away... a new beginning is born

Sunset by the river - evening smoke...

Leaving the Country -  for good old Denmark...

"Tavarua" in Denmark





Greetings from Charlottenlund, Denmark

Taxidermy Part II
A Victorian Traditional Cabinet Museum (Ireland)