Memorable Eco-Inspired Quotes – Part III: By Illustrious Detectives, Master Spies, Mystery Writers, and Crime Novelists

While it’s great to relax and escape into a murder mystery book or a crime novel, most of us take for granted the strange background settings that make the plot and the characters so memorable – until perhaps – we are suddenly startled by an unexpected quip or passage that reveals the mood of the detective or the master spy or even the author himself. Let’s see then how well you know your murder mystery eco trivia?

1-Quote: “As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor.”
What is the name of this illustrious fictional detective, the crime novel featured and the author of this work?

2-Quote: “What’s this bird, this falcon, that everybody’s all steamed up about?”
What is the name of this illustrious fictional detective, the crime novel featured and the author of this work?

3-Quote: “There is a dead cobra over there. Please do me the kindness of having it removed.”
What is the name of this illustrious fictional detective, the murder mystery featured and the author of this work?

4-Quote: “Where would a wise man hide a leaf? In a forest. Where would a wise man hide a cross? In a forest of crosses. We have a forest of crosses ready-made for us. A forest of priests; a black forest, you might say.”
What is the name of this illustrious fictional detective and which notable English novelist invented him?

5-Quote: “The maid was in the garden, Hanging out the clothes;
When down came a blackbird, And pecked off her nose.”
This old English nursery rhyme was featured in what detective story and who was the detective featured in this crime novel?

6-Quote: “From the noise we heard upstairs you’re obviously going on the theory that Mr Noakes was killed by a herd of buffalo.”
What is the name of this illustrious fictional detective, the murder mystery featured and the author of this work?

7-Quote Exchange:
Villain: “A unique feat of engineering, if I may say so. I designed it myself. The glass is convex, ten inches thick, which accounts for the magnifying effect.

Hero: “Minnows pretending they’re whales. Just like you on this island.”
What are the famous names of both the fictional villain and the fictional world-renown spy and who is the author of this work?

8-Quote: “You’re the perfect choice, Toby…With you as his agent, Polyakov has a cover story that really sits up and works. The big three give you the little sealed packets of chickenfeed, and Moscow Centre thinks you’re all theirs. The only problem arises when it turns out you’ve been handing Polyakov the crown jewels, and getting Russian chickenfeed in return. If that’s the case, Toby, you’re going to need some pretty good friends. Like us. Gerald’s a Russian mole, of course.”
What is the name of this illustrious fictional spy, the espionage novel featured and the author of this work?

9-Quote: “A man who lives with nature is used to violence and is companionable with death. There is more violence in an English hedgerow than in the meanest streets of a great city.” What is the real life name of this English Baroness and crime writer?

10- Quote: “…It will always remain my private persuasion that Nature was absorbed in making cabbages when Mrs. Vesey was born, and that the good lady suffered the consequences of a vegetable preoccupation in the mind of the Mother of us all. ”
Who is the English author of this 19th century passage and the name of the novel he published in 1860?

11-Quote: “Come on, Joe (Leaphorn),” Capt. Pinto said. “I know how that theory works and I buy it. Hard, hot wind blowing gets the birds tired of flying. One too many birds land on a limb. Limb breaks off, falls into a stream, diverts water flow, undercuts the stream bank, causes a landslide, blocks the stream, floods the valley, changes the flora and that changes the fauna, and the folks who were living off of hunting the deer have to migrate. When you think back you could blame it all on that wind.”
Who is this 20th century American author of Navajo mysteries and what is the name of this fictional crime novel first published in 2004?

12- Quote1: ”The plants filled the place, a forest of them, with nasty meaty leaves and stalks like the newly washed fingers of dead men.”
Quote2: ”Even on Central Avenue, not the quietest dressed street in the world, he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.”
Who is this American-born detective fiction writer whose tough detective character speaks in the first person and enjoys chess and poetry? What is the name of this wisecracking “private eye” and what are the names of the two hardboiled crime novels from which these two quotes were taken from written in 1939 and 1940 respectively?

Answers:
1-Sherlock Holmes; The Hound of the Baskervilles; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2-Sam Spade; The Maltese Falcon; Dashiell Hammett
3-Hercule Poirot; Death on the Nile; Agatha Christie
4-Father Brown; G.K. Chesterton
5-A Pocket Full of Rye; Miss Marple
6-Lord Peter Wimsey; Busman’s Honeymoon; Dorothy L. Sayers
7-Dr. No; James Bond; Ian Fleming
8-George Smiley; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; John le Carre
9-P.D. James
10-Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
11-Tony Hillerman; Skeleton Man
12-Raymond Chandler; Philip Marlowe;
Quote1: The Big Sleep (1939) and Quote2: Farewell My Lovely (1940)

So how well did you do? Well, you can make up for any incorrect or missed answers by guessing you know who —the name of the American author of the classic 1845 narrative poem, Quoth The Raven: “Nevermore” which was inspired in part by a talking raven in the historical novel, “Barnaby Rudge” written by the English novelist Charles Dickens back in 1841 —- Yes, none other than Edgar Allan Poe, the inventor of the detective fiction genre!

A “Shore-Fire” Remedy for the Winter Blues: A Beachcombing Vacation of Sand, Sea Shells, Sea Glass and Glass Fishing Floats along America’s Treasure-filled Coves and Coastal Ways!

It’s that time of year up here in the northeastern quadrant of the USA when warm sea breezes and the soft splash of a royal tern taking a plunge brings back eco-memories of winter breaks in the Florida Keys. But this January, I am going to stay closer to home and renew myself by expanding my sand and sea shell collection to the shores of southern New England and Long Island. And If I am feeling sleuthy enough in a week or two, I shall then attend next month’s glass float scavenger hunt on Georgia’s Jekyll Island held every January and February since 2002 which allows visitors to hunt for colorful hand crafted glass treasures along the beach!

So let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at collectors of sand, sea shells, sea glass, and glass fishing floats and determine which beachcombing activities best suits your plans for a “Beat the Winter Blues” vacation!

-COLLECTING SAND

A collector of sand is called an “arenophile”. For most collectors sand is a tangible reminder of a special outing or exotic vacation – a unique bit of geology and geography encapsulated within its grains that comes in a variety of colors, textures, grain shapes, angularities, and elemental minerals that range from the green grains of olivine, to the clear grains of quartz, to the black grains of magnetite and to the pink grains of garnet. Some collectors look for gemstones in sand and others tiny fossils but for those collectors who are artistically inclined like myself – scooping up sand samples into a reusable plastic storage bag or empty film container is an easy and inexpensive way to bring home eco-memories for my next art project – a sand picture on canvas or a ship-shaped sand bottle. A good place to start meeting fellow sand collectors and swap samples is to join “The International Sand Collectors Society” based in North Haven, Connecticut – www.sandcollectors.org/All_About_Usx.html.

-COLLECTING SEA SHELLS

With over 50,000 types of shells in the world, there is no shortage of places to find a remarkably rich variety of shell shapes, patterns, and colors. However certain beaches in the USA stand out from the rest in their bounty of prize shell specimens. They are as follows:

1- CALIFORNIA – Stinson Beach, Silver Strand State Beach (Coronado Island) & Point Reyes National Seashore
2- FLORIDA – Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Marco Island & the Gulf Islands National Seashore off of Pensacola
3- GEORGIA – Cumberland Island National Seashore
4- HAWAII – Shipwreck Beach on Lanai, Tunnels Beach on Kauai & Waikiki Beach on Oahu
5- MARYLAND – Both Calvert Cliffs State Park & Flag Ponds Nature Park at Lusby
6- NEW YORK – the Great Peconic Bay and Shelter Island nestled at the eastern end of Long island
7- NORTH CAROLINA – Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks
8- OREGON – Bandon in Coos County, on the south side of the mouth of the Coquille River
9- TEXAS – Galveston and San Jose Island
10- WASHINGTON – Point No Point Beach in Hansville on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula – and – Point Roberts in Whatcom County bordered by Canada and the waters of Boundary Bay

For some of these special places, you might want to consider booking a “shelling tour” in advance if your time is limited such as “Capt. Mike Fuery’s Tours” based in Captiva Island, Florida – Check out www.islandinnsanibel.com/things-to-do-sanibel-island/tours/captain-mike-fuerys-tours. And for those of you with the ambitious itch to collect shells outside the continental USA, check out shell collector and guide, Peggy Williams, at www.shelltrips.com and be sure to check the web as well for regional Shell Club offerings. Once again, for those of you with artistic inclinations, sea shells offer limitless possibilities for sea shell craft projects – from sea shell wreaths to sea shell napkin rings – from sea shell Christmas tree ornaments to sea shell picture frames – from sea shell hair clips to sea shell candles and sea shell mobiles and even a sea shell sewn tote bag!

-COLLECTING SEA GLASS

The “Sea Glass Mecca” for collectors around the world is ‘Glass Beach’ located at the town’s edge of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County California. Founded as a military fort prior to the American Civil War, and used as the town dumping ground for discarded glass, appliances, and cars up until 1967, the beach is now covered with lovely smooth shards of sea glass after decades of pounding waves pulverized and polished broken clumps of glassy debris.

In addition to Fort Bragg, California, the top spots for collecting sea glass in the USA include the following:

1-CALIFORNIA – Seaside State Beach & Monterey State Beach in Monterey
2-HAWAII – Glass Beach on Kauai
3-MAINE – Bar Island in Bar Harbor
4-MASSACHUSETTS – Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor
5-*PUERTO RICO – Beaches along Old San Juan Bay & Beaches in Rincon i.e. Antonio’s Beach, River Mouth, Punta Beach
6-WASHINGTON – Rosario Beach on Fidalgo Island & Glass Beach at Port Townsend

*Established as a U.S. Commonwealth in 1952.

Sea glass collecting has grown tremendously within just the last decade as these beach treasures are perfect for jewelry, jar displays, mosaics and other creative projects. Consequently, there are a number of regional sea glass associations and sea glass festivals all across America but a good jumping-off point would be to check out the “North American Sea Glass Association” (www.seaglassassociation.org/) which organizes a yearly conference bringing together collectors, artisans, and retailers – (last year’s conference was held in Long Branch, New Jersey) – and issues a newsletter. Three other great reference guides are the online magazine, “The Sea Glass Journal” (www.seaglassjournal.com), Richard LaMotte’s book, “Pure Sea Glass”, and the “Sea Glass Hunter’s Handbook” by Carole S. Lambert.

-COLLECTING GLASS FISHING FLOATS

Most glass floats remaining in the ocean are drifting in a circular pattern of ocean currents in the North Pacific. These hollow glass balls, once used by fishermen in many parts of the world to keep their fishing nets and lines afloat – (the Norwegian and Japanese glass fishing floats being the most well known) have become so popular in recent years as a collectors’ item for both beachcombers and interior decorators alike that American glassblowers and glass artists are being asked to replicate these glass floats as a way to meet demand. And now Tourism Councils and Chambers of Commerce on both the East Coast and West Coast of the United States have caught onto the idea of enticing vacationers to their area by offering Glass Float Treasure Hunts!

But for those purists, the best places to find glass fishing floats in the USA are on the shores of Oregon at Astoria, Washington state at Long Beach, and at the Alaska Peninsula/Bristol Bay area – particularly after a winter storm during the months of February, March, and April. To learn more, check out “Glass Fishing Floats of the World: The Collector’s Price Guide and Identification Handbook” by Stu Farnsworth and Alan D. Rammer and “Beachcombers Guide to the Northwest” by Walt Pich.

Are you ready now to beat the “Winter Blues”?

Take A Walk On The Wild Side This Year – With Some of The Coolest Eco-Art Destinations in the World for Travelers and Artists Alike!

If you want an authentic travel experience filled with novel art ideas, products, resources, and opportunities that raises your environmental and cultural awareness to a heightened level of thinking and expressiveness – Take a Walk on the Wild Side This Year! – and Check Out Anyone of These Cool Eco-Art Destinations – and Who Knows You May Find An Eco-Inspiration of Your Own Making!

1-Cancun’s Underwater Art Museum– Just off Mexico’s eastern coastline in the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc lies the world’s largest underwater sculpture park – a work-in-progress by British artist Jason de Caires Taylor – who is creating a submerged art gallery made of a series of specialized cement sculptures i.e. ‘The Collector’, ‘The Silent Evolution’, ‘The Archive of Lost Dreams’, ‘The Gardener of Hope’ and ‘Man on Fire’ that have been designed to form artificial reef structures, encourage coral growth, attract marine life (as well as scuba divers and snorkelers), and raise awareness about ocean health. Check out his www.underwatersculpture.com.

2-Western Canada’s Thunderbird Park & The Royal British Columbia Museum – Located side-by-side inside the harbor area of downtown Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada are some of the greatest First Nation’s totem poles ever collected and preserved. These heraldic tall red cedar poles carved with aboriginal family crests and ancestral supernatural beings are the eco-art symbols of a clan’s lineage from a particular array of animals. Other totem poles recount notable legends or events in the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. A number of contemporary totem poles designed, carved, and painted by well-known artists of today are also displayed here. Check out www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/.

3- Sweden’s ICEHOTEL and Sculpture Park – Located in the village of Jukkasjarvi on the shore of the Torne River, right next to the town of Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden in the province of Lapland which sits way above the arctic circle — the artistic ice creations within this hotel and the natural wilderness around it together with the Magnetite-carved sculptures surrounding the hotel make this an eco-art destination like no other. The ice hotel rooms and its famous ice bar are open to guests by mid-December and the ice church and main hall are completed by Christmas. Artists are invited each summer to create something new for the sculpture park of magnetite (iron ore is an abundant local resource) and artists and architects alike are invited each winter under the direction of the ICEHOTEL Art & Design Group to create next year’s version of the ICEHOTEL. This winter season of 2011-2012 there will be 47 rooms in total including 16 Art Suites, 20 Ice Rooms, and 8 Snow Rooms. This hotel location also makes it a good place for skiing, dog sledding, and observing the northern lights. Check out www.icehotel.com.

4-Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Art-In-Residency Program – Situated up in Eastern Canada, Located off the northeastern coastline of Newfoundland and Centered around old fishing cabins that have been converted into art studios – lies the Fogo Islands where visual artists, filmmakers, writers, artists, musicians, curators, and thinkers from around the world are now being invited to come “to create a world-renowned destination for artistic, cultural, ecological and culinary pursuits” – “a rural renaissance” model – within this endangered rugged community of 2700 people. Inspired in part by Zita Cobb, President of the Shorefast Foundation, and in keeping with the islander’s unique cultural and natural resources, the goal is to make Fogo Island (and the Change Islands) a leading “geotourism” destination and by so doing develop an alternative sustainable economy that will support community innovation and cultural resilience. Already being built is a boutique hotel, an eco-art gallery, and a locavore-focused restaurant. Check out www.shorefast.org/ and www.artscorpfogoisland.ca/.

5-Michigan’s Rabbit Island Eco-Art-In-Residency Project – Located three miles off the northern shore of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula on the edge of Lake Superior lies an uninhabited 91-acre island recently purchased by a New York City-based physician named Rob Gorski who together with London-based Andrew Ranville, the Principal Artist-in-Residence, and ‘The Keweenaw Land Trust’, plan to turn this deserted place into a sustainable artist residency – “a chance to creatively explore ideas related to the absence of civilization in a well-preserved microcosm”. Plans have already been made for buildings using the island’s own stone and wood including a sauna, a treehouse studio, and an amphitheater made of fallen sugar maples. For more information, check out www.rabbit-island.org.

6-Denmark’s Tranekaer Int’l Centre for Art and Nature (TICKON) – Located within the magnificent park grounds of Tranekaer Castle, a 13th century fortress on the Danish island of Langeland – is an outdoor gallery of environmental sculptures that is continually evolving – animated by the wondrous landscape of this 60 acres castle park. Artists featured include Chris Drury, Andy Goldsworthy, David Nash, Jorn Ronnau, Alan Sonfist, Herman de Vries, Nils-Udo, Hermann Prigann, Marc Barbarit & Gilles Bruni, Patrick Dougherty, and Guiliano Mauri. For more information, check out www.langeland.dk or contact – mail@alfiobonanno.dk.

7-New Zealand’s Connells Bay Sculpture Park – Located at the south-eastern end of Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, a luxurious rental beachfront cottage is quietly nestled in amongst 60 acres of rolling farmland and unique New Zealand sculptures “where art and nature are united to create special spaces for site specific sculpture”. Tours are given by appointment only which features some of New Zealand’s best artists including Graham Bennett, Chris Booth, Phil Dadson, Neil Dawson, Paul Dibble, Kon Dimopoulos, Fatu Feu’u, Regan Gentry, Christine Hellyar, Virginia King, Gregor Kregar, Barry Lett, David McCracken, Cathryn Monro, Peter Nicholls, Julia Oram, Phil Price, Bob Stewart, Richard Thompson, Jeff Thomson and Denis O’Connor. This collaboration of artist and environment grows each year with new temporary sculpture installations and three new photographic exhibitions displayed at the park every other year. For more information, check out www.connellsbay.co.nz.

8-South Korea’s Mt. Yeonmisan Nature Art Park – Ever since 2004, the “Yatoo”, the Korean Nature Art Association hosts a biennial international nature art exhibition around Gongju city of Chungnam Province in South Korea – known as the ‘Geumgang Nature Art Biennale’. For three weeks artists from all over the world live together and create their nature art works at Mr. Yeonmisan Nature Park. Their works are open to the public thereafter and constantly change based upon their life cycle. During the ‘pre-Biennale’ period of 2009 alone, more than 200 pieces from 135 countries were submitted for consideration by the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Geumgang Nature Art Biennale. The final selection was made using a strict screening process, whereby the submissions were whittled down to 20 Korean artists and 17 foreign artists from 15 nations. Food, accommodations, as well as transportation costs were provided by the biennale organizers. The next biennale is due to take place this year between July 25th and August 17th and the theme this year will be “Nature, Human Being, and Sound”. The entire Nature Art Park will be open for viewing on August 19, 2012. For more info, check out www.natureartbiennale.org/.

Are you Ready Now for Your Next Eco-Art Traveling Vacation?