Lady Gaga Channels Mina?

Lady Gaga Applause Album Cover Surrounded by Mina Album Covers

The album cover for Lady Gaga’s single Applause kept nagging at us when we first saw it. What could it be? The smeared painted face and accentuated eyes – hmm. Bingo – Mina! Mina is Mina Anna Mazzini, one of the Italy’s most successful and longest running singers of all time. Of course, Mina has been no stranger to this blog, see Mina, Mina, Mina / Carosello – Italian Ads / Bula Bula / Back to Mina / E Poi, Mina.

Speaking of déjà vu, during the video for Applause, there is a part where Lady Gaga is wearing a head scarf and we kept think ah, “Little Edie” – Edith Bouvier Beale.

The album covers (“copertine” in Italian) are from left to right, top to bottom:

• Mina - Caramella [2010]
• Mina – Attila [1979]
• Mina – Mina [1974]
• Mina – Riassunti d’amore - La calma [2009]
• Lady Gaga – Applause [2013]
• Mina – Sulla tua bocca lo dirò [2009]
• Mina – Olio [1999]
• Mina – Veleno [2002]
• Mina – Italiana [1982]
  

Addendum

The other day in spin class, the instructor put on Lady Gaga’s Applause and for 30 seconds and I thought it was Ethel Merman! Never mind that Merman passed in 1984. Applause lyrics start off as “I stand here waiting for you to bang the gong; To crash the critic saying, ‘Is it right or is it wrong?”. 

 

Binomen Art – Pinus (Pine)

Left: Pinus Spelled with Pinecones; Right: Ponderosa Pine Cone

Pinus Ponderosa (ponderosa pine) has three needles per fascicle. Fascicles are present in all pines and the number of needles per fascicle are a key identification characteristic. In Trees & Shrubs of Washington there is a handly key to evergreen trees that shows the number of needles for a few different pines. This pine is near Lake Wenatchee. The owners of the cabin where we were staying looked at me funny as I collected pinecones.

Left: Fascicles of Ponderosa Pine; Right: Looking Up to the Crown of a Ponderosa Pine
Key to Evergreens (fromTrees & Shrubs of Washington)

Central Cascades Hike – Hidden Lake Hike

Left: A Swim in Hidden Lake; Right: Bufo borealis – Western Toad

The Hidden Lake Hike is a short jaunt (1.2 miles) to Hidden Lake located just south the western end of Lake Wenatchee. (After a challenging hike up to Aasgard Pass the previous day, this was a welcome relief.) Judging by the number of people we saw with towels, it is popular to take a dunk in. Of the six of us, four of us went in for a dip. The kids were fascinated with the little fish that swam around our feet as we cooled our toes on the lake’s edge.

Here are a couple of plants and animals we saw on the trip back and forth to the lake.

Bufo borealis, Western Toad. This is the first time we have seen one of these guys. We think we saw him twice, once on the way to the lake and once on the way back. He just hopped along at a leisurely pace, slightly annoyed we were watching him.

Sorbus scopulina, Western Mountain-Ash shrub. I think this is S. scopulina based on the sharp-pointed leaflets of the compound leaf as compared to S. sitchensis with more rounded leaflets at the tips and being toothed from middle to end.

Paxistima myrsinites, Oregon Boxwood. For this etymology, I found this interesting information at the US Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers site:

The exact etymology and correct spelling of the genus have been debated for nearly two centuries. Most scholars assume the name comes from the Greek words “pachys” for thick (think of a thick-skinned elephant, or pachyderm) and stigma, in reference to the somewhat thickened stigma of the flower. Rafinesque and others have variously spelled the name as Pachistma, Pachystima, and Pachystigma, although Rafinesque’s original spelling of Paxistima is the name most widely accepted today. The species epithet, myrsinites, also comes from the Greek for “myrrh”, which the Mountain-lover’s tiny flowers are said to resemble in scent.

Rosa gymnocarpa, Baldhip Rose growing in shady damp spots along the trail. The specific name derives from the Greek gymno meaning “naked” and carpa meaning “fruit” and refers to the fact the sepals fall away from the fruit unlike other rose hips.

Symphoricarpos albus, Common Snowberry. The generic name derives from the Greek symphorein meaning “to bear together” and carpos meaning “fruit” and refers to the fact that berries are often packed closely together. The specific name albus means “white”.

Left: Rosa gymnocarpa - Baldhip Rose; Right: Symphoricarpos albus - Common Snowberry

Back at the nearby cabin we were staying at, we found some more interesting bits of nature: a lizard, a large insect, and some berries and flowers.

We posed a Sceloporus occidentalis, Western Fence Lizard(found dead in a bathtub) with a Ergates spiculatus, Ponderous Borer Beetle (found dead in the garage). A bit of trivia or at least an interesting story: the site of artist and novelist Barb Bentler Ullman mentions that “The sawing jaws of the larvae are said to have inspired the design of the chain saw.” No wonder we found it in the garage.

Around the house, we found Sambucus cerulea, Blue Elderberry and Achillea millefolium, Common Yarrow.

Sceloporus occidentalis - Western Fence Lizard and Ergates spiculatus – Ponderous Borer Beetle. Just a hint of blue on the belly of the lizard gives us a clue to one of its common names “Blue-Belly”.

Left: Sorbus scopulina – Western Moutain-Ash; Center: Sambucus cerulea – Blue Elderberry and Achillea millefolium – Yarrow; Right: Paxistima myrsinites – Orgeon Boxwood

Left: Topo Map (Google) of the Hidden Lake Trail; Right: Two Bumps Boys on a Log

 

Central Cascades– Colchuck Lake / Aasagard Pass Hike

Left: View of Colchuck Lake from the Northwest Shore; Right: Climbing Aasgard Pass with Colchuck Lake Below


From the Alpine Lakes Wilderness - Stuart Lake trailhead, we intended to make Colchuck Lake our turn-around point. But after arriving at the lake at 10:30 am, we decided to make a push for the pass. It would have been nice to have exited out via Snow Lakes had we thought ahead and left our car there. But alas, no, we turned around at Isolation Lake and headed back. We heard some hikers mention that going counter-clockwise (Colchuck to Snow Lakes) as a circular route was preferred over the other direction.

Stats

Length: 15 miles roundtrip (100 Hikes in Washington's Alpine Lakes), 13.2 miles (our measurement)

Duration: 9.5 hours. 8:06 am leave trailhead, 12:50 pm at Isolation Lake for second lunch, 1:45pm leave the pass and head back, and 5:47 pm back at trailhead.

Elevation: 3,458 feet starting (3,400 reported by WTA) at trailhead; 7,820 feet max reached, and 5,250 feet total ascent.

Left: Topo (Google) Map of the Hike; Center: Mountaineer Creek – Early in the Hike; Right: Garmin Read Out at the End of the Hike

Flora and Fauna

Oreamnos americanus - Mountain Goat. We were looking for the backcountry toilet and found this goat. We never did find the toilet.

Eutamias spp. – Chipmunk, either E. townsendii or E. amoenus. We saw lots of chipmunks on the way to Colchuck Lake and none when we climbed to Aasgard Pass.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi – Kinnikinnick, or Pinemat Manzanita. We were intrigued by the creeping, mat-like growth which is typical of this species. Many times the plants are plastered up against a rock perhaps for extra warmth and that the snow clears from the rocks first giving plants an advantage over other plants covered in snow.

Alnus rubra – Red Alder at the south end of the lake. Immature yellow-green female catkins (or cone-like strobiles) can be seen. They will turn to brown cones that contain seeds.

Gentiana calycosa - Mountain Bog Gentian, always a welcome splash of purple.

Artemisia sp. – Wormwood. Don’t know the exact species of this, but likely A. campestris with a variety tacked on the end. It did smell fragrant when a few of the leaves were crushed. Really only noticed this plant as we climbed to the pass where it seemed to thrive.

Sedum divergens – Spreading Stonecrop. As we were pulling ourselves up to the pass, there was this sedum perched on a ledge watching us hikers.

Left: Alnus rubra – Red Alder on the South Shore of Colchuck Lake; Center: Arctosaphylos uva-ursi – Kinnikinnick on Shore of West Colchuck Lake; Right: Artemisia sp. on the Start of the Climb to Aasgard Pass

 

Lichen

Letharia vulpina – Wolf Lichen, fluorescent green dues to the vulpinic acid they contain. Some references to find out more: 1. a nice visual comparison of fruticose lichens. and 2. Epiphytic lichen diversity and biomass in low-elevation forests of the eastern Washington Cascade range, USA.

Bryoria - lichenized fungi. I think we were seeing mostly Bryoria fremontii – Old Man’s Beard, but there could have also been Bryoria fuscescens – Horsehair Lichen. Who knew you could make a tasty loaf of lichen as shown in the Wikipedia entry for Wila (a First Nations name for this lichen).

Chipmunks We Encountered on Our Climb to Colchuck Lake

Left: Biblis hyperia - Crimson-banded Black on a Boulder on the Shore of Colchuck Lake; Right: Letharia vulpina – Wolf Lichen on Ponderosa Pine on the Way Up to Colchuck Lake

Views of Colchuck Lake:  Left and Center: From the South Shore Looking North; Right: From the South Shore Looking East


Left: Colchuck Glacier from the Lake Shore; Right: Dragontail Peak from Isolation Lake

Left: First Glimpse of Isolation Lake as We Come Over the Pass; Right: Greeted with Gentian Near Isolation Lake

Left and Right: Oreamnos americanus - Mountain Goat at the Edge of Tranquil Lake

Left: Sedum divergens tucked into a Rock Crevice on the Climb to Aasgard Pass; Right: The Climb to Aasgard Pass from the Shores of Lake Colchuck

Left: Tranquil Lake; Right: Isolation Lake. The two lakes are right next to each other.

Benny “The Rock Balancer” Mural

Left: Artist Benny Benhariz Poses in Front of his Mural; Right: The Chalk Mural


More known for his intricate rock sculptures, Fawzi Benhariz (Benny), poses in front of his chalk murals on the Professional Engravers Building on 417 N. 36^th Street. The Stranger article, Hanging in the Balance, gives more background on this Fremont icon.

Left: Benny Between the Eyes; Right: The Professional Engravers Building Never Looked So Colorful

Photos October 2014