photo by suzanne * July 24, 2012
* So, "What is this mammoth creature?", you ask'?
* I say, "Why, it's an 'armillary'!"
* You: "Armillary?"
* Me: "Yes, a sphere made up of rings representing celestial longitude and latitude."
* You: "What is it used for?"
* Me: "It is used to map the constellations, demonstrating the motion of the stars around the earth. There are 6 exterior parts (or rings) of this sphere that represent the circles of the heavens."
Oh, what the heck!!! Here's a diagram of one.
~ Armillary ~
It is said to have been invented by the Greek Astronomer Hipparchus
* "So, what's this got to do with your photo?" you ask.
As we got closer to the structure, we could see that this colossal sphere was atop a small building-somehow attached so as to anchor the crude structure. It turns out that this is an ironworks company owned by a couple of guys, and, it's been here since 1985!
Aaron Ornamental IronWorks * Fort Worth, Texas
~photo by Suzanne
I had occasion to sift through the Aaron Ornamental Iron Works website, and was pleasantly amazed at the work they do.
This awning is 'Fabulous'!
Beautiful 'balcony boxes'!
'Ornate, ornate, and ornate! Gorgeous door!
Is this a stairway, or what? Awesome!
Who'd have thought all of this beautiful stuff could be designed and produced in that little building with tin siding? Well, wonders never cease (as my mom says)!
Some of their projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area include:
* The Fort Worth Mint
* Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
* Six Flags Over Texas
* Medical City Dallas
And, they are still up and running, committed to excellence in the iron work industry. It looks to me as though they have a lot of excellence under their belts. It is a very impressive portfolio, loaded with plenty of artistic and engineering talents for this Fort Worth landmark!
Oh....what about my bauble? Well, I have found that the 'armillary' is also used in garden design. And...I HAPPEN to know that 'what's-her-name' over at MyTexasGardens has a concrete column, about 3 feet tall, just sitting way out in the back forty of her yard-with nothing to do. Maybe we can shame her into adding another feature to her garden!!! How about it Susan?
Here are 2 examples of what you can do with these interesting trinkets:
Very 'old world' and classy!
Elegant
Isn't it amazing what you can learn from just one photograph? I have to tell you, I had no idea what an 'armillary' is! And, I must confess, even tho I read about it, I didn't totally understand all of the scientific terminology, but, I did pick up on some of it, thankfully so!
"Involve me, and, I learn."
~Benjamin Franklin
***
Thank you so much for stopping by to see what I am up to on this hot, dog-day of summer. Actually, (guilty as charged) I have been watching the Olympics in the evenings, and, enjoying all of the games. Consequently, I have neglected my blog reading, and, I am backtracking to catch up-is there an Olympic event for blogging? Nah! Congratulations to all of the medal winners, and, to those who qualified to participate. The competition was pretty stiff!!! The gymnastics were pretty intense, and, I detected a bit of poor sportsmanship (specifically in the women's gymnastics), but, all in all, I have the utmost respect for teams who displayed respect for others, and, represented their countries proudly! I've also enjoyed getting to see some of beautiful London! I loved seeing The Tower of London and the bridge over the Thames-please take me there, someone!
***
Wow! Let Me Thank:
wikipedia
yahoo images
google
*do all of the above references mean I needed help with this post?
does a bear...?
this little tidbit was emailed to me by a co-worker
~ thank you Jeff!
Be safe...see you next time!
