Three for Thee.

CURIOSITY NUMBER ONE:
I'd never heard of Kit Williams until these illustrations attracted me while I browsed in the best bookstore ever. (I will miss Oracle Junction like one of my own teeth when we move.) Kit's book Masquerade is like nothing I'd ever seen, and when I read the following on the back cover, I was thoroughly bewitched:

Somewhere in Britain Jack Hare lost the Moon's gift, the golden hare shown above, adorned with precious stones and faience, a rare compound used by the ancient Egyptians to grace the Pharaohs. This extraordinary jewel, made by Kit Williams out of 18-carat gold, lies buried in a ceramic container bearing the following inscription:

"I am the Keeper of the Jewel of
MASQUERADE
which lies waiting safe inside me
for you or Eternity."

The precise location of the jewel is told in Masquerade by means of clues both visual and verbal. The jewel will belong to whoever discovers its hiding place. No knowledge of British geography is required. Kit Williams has said that the riddle could be solved by a child of ten as easily as by a college graduate.

Solutions to the riddle can be sent to Kit Williams c/o Schocken Books. Kit Williams will send, at his expense, an airline ticket to England to the person who solves the riddle.

Someone solved the book's riddle and unearthed the buried treasure two years later. Kit was on hand to watch. The Hare was later put up for auction at Sotheby's. Kit attempted to buy his work back but dropped out of the bidding when it reached 6,000 pounds. It sold for a staggering 31,900 pounds to an anonymous bidder. The ignominious ending to the story is this: the person who "found" the Hare was later unveiled as a fraud and a cheat. Even worse, two genuine treasure-seekers had solved the riddle fair and square, without the use of metal detectors and the help of Kit's ex-girlfriend in the dead of night, but their letter containing the correct answer arrived two days after the fraud's did. Argh!

Scroll down to the bottom part of this page to see pictures of Mr. Williams. His eyes are at odds with each other and stare in opposite directions. Plus, he's most agreeably bearded.

CURIOSITY NUMBER TWO:
The Winchester House grew and grew until the death of its mistress. The construction seems without purpose-- stairways lead to ceilings, windows sit ensconced in floors, and doors open to reveal blank walls. The story is that she hoped to stay Death's hand by constant building. The aerial view of this house is incredible.

CURIOSITY NUMBER THREE:
We are enjoying the bounty of garden harvest, the girls do strange and endearing things each day, we went to Alabama Swamp (a swamp!) for a church picnic (a picnic!), and I've posted nary a snapshot.