I wanted to share a couple links - both those that have inspired me and ones I find inspiring.

The first is for Dzrt Grls. They inspired me to begin a love affair with the desert. I could spend DAYS looking at their pictures and reading their trip reports. And months trying to decipher where some of the locations are. Anyway, linkage to the Girls site: Dzrt Grls

Next, to finish a thought from my last entry, silent films! TCM (on tv) plays silent films and that's the only channel I know to check. But! I found two web sites that show silent films! Or at least have them available for download. Since silent films are so old, the rights have mostly all passed to public use.
First and foremost would be Archive.org. TONS of silent films (and other public domain films, music, books, etc) are available. Silent Films search. Search for The General to get yourself addicted to silent films.

The second web site was UBUWEB. They have many films that aren't silent but they do have one that ranks rather high on the must see list. Backing way up in the story.... many years ago Sean and I were watching tv and it was one of those nights that "nothing is on". So we tuned in to PBS and saw a movie was about to start. It was in Spanish and neither of us know Spanish. We were going to turn it off but decided to give it a try. It had subtitles after all. It was called "The Avenging Angel". I wish that one was public domain! I would watch it again in a heart beat. Anyway, this movie stuck with us, it was so weird, all these years. Oftentimes we'll bring it up and end off the topic lamely, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Well, on UBUWEB they have a copy of this man's (Luis Brunuel) first film. It's called The Andalusian Dog. Or more properly "Un chien andalou" made in 1929. It was cowritten by Salvador Dali. WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! This film is NOT for the feint of heart!!! It is surreal and follows a dream like process - nightmares I would consider them. It starts with a horrifying image. It's a flow of consciousness type film. But it is immensely important in both silent film and film in general. That all being said, linkage to UBU's "Un chien andalou" and to UBUWEB

A last thought - one with no links. I have just about OD'd on Rudolf Valentino. I recorded a bunch of his films on the DVR and have been going through and watching them. I still have about four left, and no the ones I wanted to see! But that's good because I still have those to hunt down. Most notably "Blood and Sand", The Sheik, The Son of the Sheik. *ahem* But that's not what I meant to write about. What I *did* mean to write about were the women's shawls!! I recently watched "The Birth of a Nation" (oh my, what a movie that one was but I'll hold off commentary on this one for a bit) and along with all the others, I DROOL over the hand knit fine shawls the women wore! These articles of clothing are priceless now. And I soooo wish there were close up's of just those shawls so I could attempt to copy them. I was re-inspired last night to knit an heirloom shawl.