Tacky Raccoons

A Well Without Water – Poço Iniciàtico

Poço Iniciàtico (Initiatic Well)
Quinta da Regaleira, Rua Barbosa du Bocage, Sintra, Portugal
Designer: Italian Architect Luigi Pietro Manini
Constructed by António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro
Date of construction: 1904 – 1911
Depth: 88 feet (27 meters)

The Initiation Well at the Quinta da Regaleira was designed under the direction of Carvalho Monteiro, a wealthy Brazilian-Portuguese businessman and alleged Freemason, who purchased the property in 1892.

“The Quinta da Regaleira Initiation Well was allegedly constructed for clandestine ritualistic purposes and there are various theories regarding its use. Many believe it was used as the location of the Templar Knight initiation ceremonies. They would descend the spiral staircase, and emerge into a pitch-black labyrinth where they would literally and figuratively navigate their way up to the light. Some believe that there is a connection between Tarot mysticism and the distance between these landings and the number of stairs, and theorize that it could have been used for Tarot initiation rites. Other allusions refer to rites in Freemasonry or Rosicrucianism.“

[Photos, description (and more) found here, via here.]

Fetch

[Ceramic sculpture by Kathleen Sukiennik found here.]

Fish Heads

Tuna cutting in Sicily, 1956. Swiss photographer René Burri.

[Found here.]

Furciferous Hot Links

Stormy Weather, Reigning Sound (2019) Great garage punk cover of the classic torch song Stormy Weather, first recorded by Ethel Waters in 1933.

So sad.

TP in bw.

Manhunt.

Road trips.
Road maps.

Song of the Static.

The $1,800 lesson.

The anti-concession.

Nepetalactone + cats.

Isometric NYC [via Nav Tour].

MOBOT [via Thompson, blog].

Some people get all the credit.

Somewhere on Latrobe Street.

A lot of drama in a little suburb.

Veering left [via Memo Of The Air].

Huang Yung-Fu, the village painter.

A Daily Cloud [via Everlasting Blört.]

[Image at top: Cropped and modified image of cover art of the May 1939 issue of Fantastic Adventures, found in here.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Saturday Matinee – Amani Burnham, Robben Ford (w/ The Frankfurt Radio Big Band) & Chicago

Guitarist and vocalist Amani Burnham, backed by an unnamed power duo, recorded his first album entitled Roots & Wings (released this year). Born in Ethiopia, Burnham began his career in 2023 on social media, with 250,000 followers and nearly 30 million cumulative views on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook).

Robben Ford, backed by The Frankfurt Radio Big Band, cover Howie Casey & The Seniors 1962 classic. Ford was named one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century” by Musician magazine (and has one hell of a resume).

Chicago, the self-described rock and roll band with horns, released 25 or 6 to 4 as a single in 1970. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the Cash Box Top 100 charts. The title is about writing a song in the wee hours of the morning – 25 or 26 minutes before 4 am.

I hear that the world championship to determine which country has the best association football team is underway. I think it’s called FIFI or FAFO or something, I don’t really follow it much, so I’ll be on the porch tomorrow instead. See you there.

The .Gif Friday Post No. 959 – Octo Puss, Pita No Like Mustard & Flippity Faces

[Found here, here and here.]

Gecko in a Photobooth

[Found here.]

Window People

Norman Lerner worked as a fashion and commercial photographer in New York City from the early 50’s to the 70’s. He states that, “my photography did not end when the model left the studio. The city and its people were a part of me and I was part of them. Everything about the city fascinated me so it seemed only natural for me as a photographer to record the people and places in which I lived. When I left the studio the camera was always with me and it became an extension of my being. It was as natural as breathing.”

[Found here.]

LOOK UP

President and Mrs. Johnson and Vice President Humphrey watch Apollo 11 lift off at Cape Canaveral, July 1969. Photograph by Otis Imboden, National Geographic. [Found here.]