Marilyn's Photos - Oct 19 2026 - The Museum of Bad Art

 

It is Monday so I go to a watercolour painting class. Some people in the group are amazing artists with really beautiful watercolour paintings.  Most of us are not in that group.  On the other hand, we don't paint pictures like the one below, either.  What to think of this very weird and strange painting? It is the prize piece in the Museum of Bad Art, having inspired the Museum's existence. The Museum of Bad Art says the "pieces" in the MOBA collection range from the work of talented artists that have gone awry to works of exuberant, although crude, execution by artists barely in control of the brush.  What they all have in common is a special quality that sets them apart in one way or another from the merely incompetent." Go to Poor Traits and this picture is the one that inspired MOBA.  It turns out that the painting was actually commissioned to remember an aunt who had passed away.  It hung in the living room of her relatives until they sold the house.  It seemed to disappear during the estate clearance. Not much was thought of it by the family.  It turns out that it didn't go directly to the garbage, someone had acquired it and had the painting for 5 years and then did put it in the garbage.  That's when Sott Wilson, OBA's original curator, spotted it and MOBA was "born." Relatives recognized the painting when the museum was written up in a newspaper article5, 5and became charter members of the museum.  They filled in the story of their aunt and the background of the painting.  The description for the next painting is: "Dorothy clicked her heels three times and realized immediately upon opening her eyes that she had returned to an unfamiliar part of Kansas." MOBA has locations in Boston and Quebec City. There could be a location in every single town on the planet, don't you think? The curious and strange website is here.   And today's picture? Doesn't this Koi look like a princess? Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Posts - Oct 18 2026 - And the Latest Dog News

 

Dog news is a great go-to for generally happy ending stories.  The news is smart enough in that regard. But then stories can range a bit when there are celebrities involved.  And we humans like celebrity news.   Here's an interesting headline - All the celebrities who have cloned their dog from Tom Brady to Barbra Streisand.  First up is Tom Brady whose dog died in 2023 and last year he showed off the clone of Lua named June. Barbra Streisand decided on two clones.  And there's Diane von Furstenberg who cloned their late Jack Russell and now has five daughters. (I hope the original was well-behaved - can you imagine 5 bad dogs rather than just one?) The article included her cost - $100,000. Simon Cowell hasn't done it yet but says he's on record that he will clone his dogs.  Finally Paris Hilton cloned her chihuahua and now has two twins. She'll need another purse to put the second one in. Stop there when it comes to Hello News. Stick with the dog stories.  Keep scrolling and the Hello News turns creepy - Mick Jagger's 39-year-old fiancee...Irina Shayk poses topless...Kate Hudson's tiny red bikini... The New York Times had an advice column question a few years ago on this topic.  A couple was breaking up.  She wanted the cloned dog, but he had paid for it - $30,000.  I guess the question itself was there as an entertainment moment given the obvious answer.  Add to that she wanted shared access and had to be told that dogs are property - not people - so aren't subject to custody and access rights.   There's something we're starting to worry about now with AI "tools" - they are not people - they are products so cannot be sued directly. And the organizations owning them cannot be charged with criminal acts - there has to be criminal intent involved.  They can only be the subject of civil lawsuits. No easy advice will be forthcoming from the New York Times.  Do you see a figure at the centre of this paint/wood grunge picture?   Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 17 2026 - Where to put the refrigerator

 

Things to store in the refrigerator.  And then where should the refrigerator be stored?  The New York Times says there are lots of non-food items that should be stored in the fridge.  One of them is super-glue.  Mostly it is about beauty products.  We already know there are medicines that must be refrigerated.   Queue the revised "beauty" bathroom.  Can you imagine having a BeautiFridge in your bathroom?  Only $1,526.  At the bottom of the line from Walmart the Koolatron Cosmetics Fridge.   Look at these two - the first one is almost $3,000 and the second one looks like a Barbie doll refrigerator.  It doesn't have a price listed as it is sold out.  But there seem to be tons of these pink beauty coolers.   And it all looks so neat inside. So I guess K-beauty has been around for a while.  But it does seem new to me and I am entertained by the articles.   They describe mini skincare fridges in bathrooms to chill temperature-sensitive, water-based, and preservative-free cosmetics to extend shelf life and "amplify soothing effects."  This is the place to put your "chilling Korean beauty sheet masks", your essence-soaked pads, and de-puffing tools in their special place. Today's picture is a close-up of a path in a Japanese garden.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 15 2026 - Johnny and Bob

 

I wonder why Johnny Carson came to mind.  Maybe it was that Freddie Mercury/Dolly Parton fake video.  Then I wondered about Bob Hope and Johnny Carson together.  There's so much gossip available through AI now - it reports anything and everything from anywhere - all kinds of stuff.  That's what makes me think AI is currently more gossip than fact.  With that in mind, I wondered who was considered the better Academy Awards host?   Bob Hope hosted/co-hosted 19 times between 1940 and 1978.  It was those deadpan quips and affectionate skewering of Hollywood stars that has made him generally considered the number one Oscar host of all time. His most memorable line in 1975 - "Welcome to the Academy Awards, as they're known in my house, Passover." Johnny Carson hosted the Oscars 5 times between 1979 and 1984.  He had a smooth persona on-stage and like Hope had a ribbing style that was funny without being mean.   I think of him having the dead-pan style as well.  But he isn't considered one of the top hosts.  There isn't an all-time quote that I've found so far. The Oscar Hosts have been ranked and the article I read said Billy Crystal was the number 1 host.  Bob hope is ranked as the second.  The summary includes: Third is Whoopi Goldberg, then Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, Hugh Jackson, Ellen Degeneres, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, John Stewart, Johnny Carson - finally found him in the rankings.  That's a little trip down memory lane and the golden era of movies and television. Here's the Grand Oak at Victoria and Greenlane in Vineland.  I have removed all the buildings, and distractions in the background. So while it looks like a grand tree, the buildings actually show how massive it is.  One of those heritage trees. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 15 2026 - Weighing in on Pumpkins

 

There are a few "biggest vegetable" contests around the world.  They mostly go on weight - the heaviest.  Is it a surprise that it is England that is considered the champ of the champs in producing the biggest in the world.  A beetroot weighing 26.02 kg, a sunflower head weighing 7.808 kg, a cucumber measuring more than 7.5 metres.  The longest dandelion/weed root was 1.127 metres.  The BBC article on all the winners is HERE.  We're partial to pumpkins and it was awarded this year for a 3,156 (1,432.5 kg pumpkin from Rhode Island.  It is the first to cross the 3,000 pound weight.  What I most enjoy about the pumpkin contest is that it is at Half Moon Bay, California.  We've driven along Highway 1 in the autumn and see the pumpkin field next to the ocean.  It is a magical combination.   Take a look at how much has changed in a century of pumpkin records. The first giant pumpkin on record was grown by William Warnock from Ontario and it was 365 pounds at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. He was the expert for decades. The most recent cultivar that is used is Dill's Atlantic Giant selected by Howard Dill and likely descended from "Mammoth".  Besides genetics, agricultural techniques maximize the growth.  I expect those are the secret moments.  Here's the stunning progress through the decades. 1900: William Warnock (Canada) – 400 lb (181 kg) 1980: Howard Dill (Canada) – 459 lb (208 kg) 2006: Ron Wallace (USA) – 1,502 lb (681 kg) (First to break 1,500 lbs) 2009: Christy Harp (USA) – 1,725 lb (782 kg) 2012: Ron Wallace (USA) – 2,009 lb (911 kg) (First to break 2,000 lbs) 2021: Stefano Cutrupi (Italy) – 2,702.9 lb (1,226 kg) Early October 2026: Ian Paton (United Kingdom) – 2,856.8 lb (1,295.8 kg) (Nicknamed "Bagheera") Mid October 2026: Ron Wallace (USA) – 3,156 lb (1,431.5 kg) (First over 3,000 lbs) Don't you think this is an amazing accomplishment!  What about a Pumpkin salt watercolour moon and koi fish in the Half Moon Bay? Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com