Aare, Mateys!

Okay, so this isn't going to be about pirates.  It does, however, involve a body of water on which you can sail a boat.

Aare (or Aar):  A river of central and N Switzerland flowing c. 295 km (183 mi) to the Rhine R.

I know, I know.  A river?  Boooooring.  You just shut your mouth.  This river is freaking gorgeous.  Really.  It rightfully attracts thousands of tourists each year who come to kayak, swim, and gape at how beautiful the river looks as it flows through the Aareschlucht (Aare Gorge, for those like me who aren't fluent in German).

The Aare is the longest river that is born and spent in Switzerland.  It originates from the Aaregletschers   (Aare Glaciers) in the Bernese Alps and flows into the Rhine River after passing through some picturesque Swiss landscapes.

Rivers don't really lead the most exciting lives, but I scrounged up a few nifty tidbits about the Aare:

-Albert Einstein lived for two years in the capitol city of Bern, which the Aare happens to run through.

-It's the longest river that is entirely located in Switzerland. (I know I already said that, but it's the Aare's biggest claim to fame.)

-The Aare is responsible for that lush, fertile soil that makes of the plains known as the "vegetable gardens of Switzerland."

Now, time for eye candy:

Click HERE to view this drawing in my Etsy shop!

A is for… A REALLY Long Time Since I Last Posted!

Almost fours years, to be specific.  Oops.

Back to the topic at hand…  We're still on the letter A, folks!  Today's creature is still the in the "aard" family of creatures that come before just about anything else in the English dictionary.

aardwolf:  A mammal (Proteles cristatus) native to southern and eastern Africa that resembles the hyena and feeds mainly on termites and insect larvae.

You're reading a blog that is basically an embellished dictionary, so you're probably smart enough to figure out from the previous post that the literal meaning of this critter's name is earth (dirt) wolf.  Oh, the creativity.

Cool critter traits:
Eats termites (which helps farmers!)
Giant ears
Furry stripes
Not on the endangered species list
Mohawk-sporting babies
MOHAWK BABIES!  (squee!)

The least cool things about the aardwolf:
Eats termites (gross!)
Stinky anal secretions (why it is also known as the civet wolf)
Pretends to be a hyena
Not very good in a fight (See stinky anal secretions)

I can't promise this blog will ever be updated again, but I'm far more likely to do it if you follow me and say nice things about what I post.

Here's a quick sketch of an aardwolf for you eyes to look at:

The Cutest Thing to Ever Eat Bugs

Welcome back, friends!

Today's topic is a lovable creature, just chock-full of warm fuzzies and... bugs?  Yup!  Lots and lots of bugs.  As many as 50,000 in one day, as a matter of fact!  Ew.  But our darling critter's gross dining habits are made up for by his super-cute gigundo ears.  Ears he uses to hear as he's burrowing around in the desert for bugs, getting all DIRTy, PIGging out on ants and termites and other crunchy delights.  Perhaps that's why he's known as the:

aardvark:  A burrowing mammal (Orycteropus afer) of southern Africa, having a stocky, hairy body, large ears, and a long tubular snout.

If we were to break down the famous name of this lovable little guy, we would see that it is of Afrikaans and Dutch origins.  It translates to earth (dirt) pig.  Nice.

Anywho, just because this cute darling eats ants doesn't mean that he's an anteater--although a lot of people would call him one.  True anteaters are a whole other animal.  Or animals.  It turns out that the term "anteater" is applied rather liberally to the bug-eating-mammal world.

In other news, you should all check out my redone website.  It's still not perfect, but it's a sight better than the original.  For those of you keeping track, this is version number 2, folks.

www.rohlsart.com

Quiz of the day:
Which popular children's cartoon character is portrayed by an aardvark?  And NO GOOGLING.  I forbid it!

Oh, and your image.  Getting away from my digital experiments, this is done in colored pencil.

Aachen Be Your Hero, Baby

Apologies all around for the delay in this second post, but fear not!  Your prayers have been answered!  I have wavered and waffled, procrastinated and balked, but here is the second non-abbreviated, fun-to-draw noun in the English language!  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:

Aachen:  A city of West Germany near the Belgian and Dutch borders.

What's that you say?  Never heard of Aachen?  That's okay.  I shall give you a mini-lesson in Aachen history!  The area around Aachen has been populated since Neolithic times, but it was the hot springs that drew a large crowd of bathers in the Roman times.  Those bathers settled down and had little bathers, who began to call their home Aachen.  Well, maybe not Aachen, but their name was the root of our modern Aachen.

Then we come to the Middle Ages, where our dear and venerated Charlemagne really put Aachen on the map when he established the seat of his power (quite literally, actually) and built his Palatine Chapel at Aachen.  Of course, all good things come to great harm in time, and as is the case with a lot of European damage, Aachen was heavily damaged in WWII.  Fortunately, Charlemagne's royal house of God survived, which is excellent news for all of you artsy/architectural buffs out there.

All right, darlings.  The time has come for our goodbyes.  Remember to appreciate your medieval architecture, and pop in to see us next time as we have a look at everyone's favorite Animal.  You know the one I'm talking about.  The aardvark.

For your viewing pleasure until next time:

A is for...

...awesome second blog post!

Welcome back, friends!  Today, this magnificent day of all days, we open our American Heritage Dictionaries to page one and we sigh.  We sigh with satisfaction.  We sigh with hope.  And yes, we sigh with a healthy amount of tiredness, because just looking at how many pages are behind that first is quite exhausting.

But there's no time like the present, so let's begin!  I will consistently give you the best definition for the word, that is to say I will give you my favorite definition.  (Yes, I have favorite definitions.)

a:  1.  The first letter of the modern English alphabet.

Things I like that begin with A:
aster flowers
auburn hair
aunts
A Christmas Story  (you know, the movie)
art (which probably should have been first)
apples
afternoon naps
agriculture
anklets (not that I wear them, but still enjoyable)

That isn't everything, but I wanted to leave room for you!  So, comment with your favorite nouns that start with A.  (People, places, things.)  I'll be very interested.  I promise.

Be sure to catch the next posting of your new favorite blog!  We will be covering Aachen, the German city.  Very exciting.  You won't want to miss it.  Did I mention this blog is illustrated?  Yes!  This is an illustrated blog, with all images copyrighted by me, Rachel Ohls!  You don't want to miss education, art, and me, do you?  Of course not!

For your viewing pleasure, until next time: