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The Time Has Come.. Sting namechecks a walrus!

I’ve been a fan of Sting for years. I was really into the Police back in the 80’s, they ares still my favorite group. I’ve listened to Sting since he went solo. You can say what you want about his music, and most people do, but on thing is for sure – Sting has continued to record a LOT of music, in many many different genres, essentially following his passion wherever it leads, whether or not us old 80’s new-wavers agree or not!

Sting has always had an affinity for reggae music, so the only real surprise about his new album with Shaggy, is how long it took for his to come out with a reggae record.

How does this relate to this site? Well, I’ll tell you – I was listening to the full album today and I heard a very familiar phrase…

The time has come, the walrus said… to talk of many things….

You know how the rest of it goes! Or if you don’t – you need to re-read Alice in Wonderland! Anyway, if you get a kick out of Sting’s first mention of a walrus in his music (as far as I know, and I’ve listened to it all…) then check out this track, and the rest of the album is good summer listening too!

Listen to this track on Spotify

Here’s the link to the Album on Amazon


Walrus Ice Cream, Fort Collins, Colorado

walrus ice cream flavor board
Walrus Ice Cream Flavor Board

Now I haven’t been to Colorado, except for jaunts through the airport, at all I think. Well, that’s not true I think I went to a meeting to two in Colorado Springs back in the day… However, I have discovered a reason to go – to visit Walrus Ice Cream! Now, I notice a suspicious lack of clam-flavored ice creams, which should keep the amount of actual walruses down, but I certainly think that all walrus lovers should add this place to their travel bucket (cone?) list!

I love the menu, above, and if they sold T-shirts via their website I would have bought one already. One can only hope that they have them in the shop. I must make an excuse to get to Fort Collins soon, I suppose having family in Denver should be enough….

http://www.walrusicecream.com

About Fort Collins:

Located in northern Colorado, Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University and an outstanding public school system. Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins offers exciting recreational opportunities, unique cultural offerings, and is a regional center for employment and shopping. Throughout the year, live music and entertainment, as well as great local dining, can be found throughout the historic downtown area. Fort Collins offers the convenience of a small town with all the amenities of a larger city. If you are seeking the Colorado lifestyle and a community in which you can reinvent and reinvigorate yourself then Fort Collins is your city.

Visit the Fort Collins website here: http://www.fcgov.com/visitor/

Walrus Adult Costume – hey, it’s “Amazon’s Choice!”

Adult Walrus Costume

Adult Walrus Costume

It’s your lucky day! Here’s he finest adult walrus costume available on Amazon.com – in fact, it’s “Amazon’s Choice“. One pictures Amazon employees flip-flapping around Seattle wearing these, as I type!

  • Material: Fleece (100% polyester).
  • All of our kigurumi costumes are machine washable and can stand repeated cleanings without losing their shape.
  • 100% Original from Sazac the creator of Kigurumi in Japan.
  • Machine washable High quality fiber used in manufacture.
  • Adult Kigurumi are One-Size-Fits-All and Unisex. They are made to be loose fitting and will fit anyone at least five feet tall.
  • New “Adults XL” Size for those 6 feet tall and beyond.

You know you want one. Click here to check it out on Amazon.

I know what you’re asking… What the heck is Kigurumi? Well, I am here to point you to the explanation. WARNING: this involves Japanese pop-culture, so you may not be ready for this level of knowledge… But here we go:

“Kigurumi” comes from a combination of two Japanese words: kiru(“to wear”) and nuigurumi (“stuffed toy”). Traditionally, it referred specifically to the performers wearing the costume, but the word has since grown to include the costumes themselves.

According to Kigurumi-shop.com – and this is my favorite quote from the page – “In addition to pajamas, kigurumi make great everyday clothes.“  (emphasis mine)

So if you want your life to go from “tedious to old school stupendous” you better hit the link above or click on the photo to pick yourself up the greatest walrus costume you can on Amazon!

“The Walrus” – a delightful short film on Vimeo

I check out the various walrus-related videos on Vimeo from time to time. I’ll do a separate post about all the great stuff you can find there. But you should check out this short film – it’s a delightful, experimental film featuring a walrus far from home. NOTE: Walruses should really stop smoking, they have enough trouble as it is.

The Walrus from Luke Randall on Vimeo.

If you are charmed by this movie, you can find the walrus mask here: North Fur FX Walrus Mask

Follow us on Pinterest!

So anyway, we’ve been posting to Pinterest, and we have a number of walrus-related boards with great photos, illustrations, and other walrus content!

If you are not familiar, Pinterest is a social “pinboard” where you can share “pinned” photos, etc with the wider world. Like and share, pin and re-pin, and build a collection of visuals to suit your interest.

If you’re on Pinterest, please follow us using the button below to view all our boards!

Follow Me on Pinterest

It’s a Small World, but There’s Room for a Walrus!

I was recently in Disneyland with my son for a few days of spring break. Of course, I was on the lookout for walruses! Now, I know what you’re going to say – go to Alice in Wonderland, but to be honest – I totally forgot about that one, and plus, with a 17-year-old son in tow, “Alice” wasn’t exactly on our list of must-rides. However, we respect the old-school rides, and made a point to even brave the CRAZY spring break line for Peter Pan. Alas, no walrus to be found.

I have pretty much given up when we decided, on our last night that we had to hit up It’s A Small World, and accept the risk of having the song stuck in our heads for the rest of the evening. We cruised over late at night, after the fireworks and walked right on to the ride. Settling in for what is still one of the longest rides in Disneyland, we started… And found a walrus! 

Yes, I am happy to report that not only is there a walrus in the Eskimo scene on the ride, it’s literally the FIRST creature that you see! So keep your eyes peeled or you’ll miss him/her and you’ll have to go through the ride twice – and that will DEFINITELY stick that song in your head!

Here’s picture proof, and the link to the Disney parks blog post that features this photo.

“it’s a small world” ride-through. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

 

Here’s the link to the “The Cultures of ‘it’s a small world’ at Disneyland Park: North America” article on Disneyparks.com.

Follow a Journey to an Atlantic Walrus Wonderland – Franz Josef Land

Young Walrus Following along
A younger walrus follows the National Geographic media team around Rubini Rock. Photo by Lucie McNeil.

It’s things like this that still, after all these years, get me excited about National Geographic – the magazine that was a staple of every coffee table in every house I grew up in. There’s this place, up in the middle of absolute nowhere, called Franz Josef Land. It’s the sort of place that still draws explorers, since almost no one can get there. You see, Franz Josef Land is probably one of, if not THE most inaccessible island chains (archipelago actually) that there is. Basically, you get to Svalbard – already pretty much at the end of the Earth – and then turn northeast and keep going, and going, until you are about as far from any land mass as you can get. And there you are.

Fans of the walrus have their whiskers perk up when they hear the name Svalbard, since it’s pretty much Atlantic walrus central. One would assume that if you were already in Svalbard, and kept going northeast, one would run into a lot of walrus. One would be right!

National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala is setting off to explore Franz Josef Land, one of the most remote archipelagos in the world, only 900 km from the North Pole. Home to polar bears, whales, seals and more, the team will investigate how global warming may be affecting this crucial ecosystem in ways we still do not fully comprehend.  Follow his adventures throughout the month.

The posts have titles guaranteed to attract a guy like me – “Walruses in the Mist” and “Oh, Give Me a Home Where the Walruses Roam”. There are incredible photos and engaging text snippets. The posts are short, but they give you a feeling for what must be a mystical, albeit cold adventure!

Here’s a link to all the blog posts tagged Franz Josef Land on National Geographic.com’s Explorer’s Journal. I’ll be following along and I hope you will too!

Here’s a link to the Wikipedia page about Franz Josef Land.

Walrus Cupcakes!

 

Walrus Cupcakes

For my birthday this last year, two of the older kids who are very talented cupcake cooks made me a batch of walrus cupcakes! Clearly, I am something less than a professional cupcake photographer, so the total amount of cuteness is not properly communicated in this shot. Also – there’s a high degree of “chocolate sprinkles all over the place” involved here. Still, though – walrus cupcakes!

The book the kids got the recipe they made me was What’s New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion
. If you want a bunch of fun cupcake recipes – I highly recommend this book.

There’s an alternate recipe from the book Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make – and there’s even a YouTube video showing how to decorate the cupcakes.

Welcome to Walrus Island! Amazing pictures…

Copyright Solent/Steven Kazlowski/SeaPics
Copyright Solent/Steven Kazlowski/SeaPics

You have to check out the amazing article that is accompanied by the above picture, and several more, over on http://www.dailymail.co.uk. Taken from a plane about 20 miles out over the Chukchi Sea- which is pretty much walrus central. It must have been an unbelievable experience to see this in real life. I mean, look at all those freakin’ walruses!!

Here’s the link to the full article:

Welcome to Walrus Island: Scores of marine mammals turn iceberg in the ocean off Alaska into floating ‘houseboat’

 

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