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Sunday, December 08, 2002

Fellow Belleekers !!  (lettre # 6.6)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!

** CHAPTER NEWS !! **

Our NEWEST Chapter, the Keystone Chapter in Pennsylvania, 
now has their Newsletter posted at :

http://www.geocities.com/irishtke223/keystonechapter.htm

Besides a wonderful newsletter, they have included a GREAT 
picture of their Inaugural Members !!

AGAIN, WELCOME ABOARD Keystone Chapter !!

** NASTY'S IN YOUR BACKYARD !! **

Ever wondered what's out there, crawling, climbing and 
creeping about in your backyard ??

Again, in doing some research on the Web, I discouvered 
this VERY exciting Site !! 

Unfortunately, like MANY of the Sites about, this one is 
ALSO restricted to the United States !!  SORRY about that, 
I'll ATTEMPT in the future to seek out 'truly' International 
Sites !!

http://www.enature.com/localguide/localguide_dangerous.asp

Within my OWN Zip Code area, the Pacific Northwest, 
specifically, the Puget Sound Area, there are NO less 
than 113 Poisonous or Dangerous Animals !!  And I thought 
I was afraid of the dark !!

** WHAT'S A DEL ?? **

Have you ever found yourself JUST 'sitting around' 
discussing the bits and bytes of the Internet ??  AND 
WORST of all, EVERY word seems to be a simple moniker 
constructed of meaningless 2 to 4 characters ??  Well, 
here's a Site you can BookMark the next time you require 
a reference for those unknown entities !!  

Matisse's Glossary of Internet Terms !!

http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html

** 2003 COLUMBIA CHAPTER CONVENTION !! **

If you're NEW to the World of Belleek Collecting or an 
'Old Hand' Affectionardo, the 'Host' Columbia Chapter of 
Oregon has promised ALL Belleekers a WONDERFUL excursion 
to the BEAUTIFUL Pacific Northwest !!

Pat, the Convention's organizer, has recommended that 
you plan to either arrive a few days early or schedule 
several days following the Convention as the Chapter is 
offering some exquisite tours of the Pacific Northwest 
and surrounding regions !!  Check out the 'brief' tour 
synopses at my Site for additional information !!

Complete information, including Registration Forms, can 
be located thru the EVENTS Page on my Web Site, address 
below, OR directly thru the following Link :

http://delyicious.magix.net/public/conv_2003.html

Again, if the above Link is NOT Clickable, simply 
EDIT/COPY then EDIT/PASTE it in your Browser and GO !!

** FOSSIL BELLEEK !! **

With the announcements of this years Nobel Prize 
Recipients, I have the Honour to Announce the Belleek 
Find of the Year, appropriately, presented to the World 
Renowned Paleontologist Dr. N. Gary Lane, Professor, 
Indiana University (Retired) and his lovely daughter 
Susan !!  Due to their painstaking research, a recent 
discouvery has brought to light a Fossil Belleek 
Crinoid !!  I quote directly from Susan :

"I noticed from your Website Link at the bottom of your 
E-mail that you are interested in old examples of Belleek 
Eggcups. I recently acquired one of the most unusual in 
terms of design. It's a bit of a long story.

My father is a paleontologist, now retired from Indiana 
University. He has specialized in fossils called crinoids; 
marine filter-feeding animals related to starfish and sea 
urchins. Since the time I was a very young girl, my family 
would go out collecting crinoid fossils. 

A few years ago, I managed to purchase a 1st Period 
Anchorite Candlestick Holder. When it arrived in the 
mail, I looked at it and immediately thought, "Gee, it 
looks like a crinoid." I really couldn't believe it was 
a Belleek crinoid until my sister came by, took one look 
at the candlestick holder, and said, "Susan, is that 
supposed to be a crinoid?"

Since we were meeting our parents for a father's day lunch, 
I decided at the last minute to take it along and show my 
dad. He not only was certain that the central part of the 
holder was based on a fossil crinoid, but was actually able 
to identify the specific species of fossil that was used as 
a model. He remarked that to get all the details accurate, 
the person who designed the thing certainly had to have a 
decent knowledge of paleontology and to have studied that 
specific fossil. I suspect that Mrs. Armstrong must have 
had a hand in the matter, since she seems to have had an 
interest in science. Interestingly enough, the species of 
crinoid on the Anchorite Candlestick holder is the most 
common crinoid in England, but is not found in Ireland at 
all. I believe that the Armstrongs were originally from 
London. 

You can see what he wrote up on the candlestick holder on 
his Website, if you're interested. It is probably the most 
scientific description of Belleek you have ever seen. 

http://www.crinoid.org/eucalyptocrinites.htm

Anyway, my dad thought that he was getting it for father's 
day!! I had to shoot down that idea immediately. Told him 
he wasn't getting the candlestick holder, that instead he 
was getting that nice cheese basket over here. Well, I had 
paid several hundred dollars for the darn thing. Didn't 
occur to me that I was supposed to give it away. We ended 
up laughing about it, and I lent it to him for several 
months to show everyone in the Geology Department. 

What's this to do with eggcups? While looking through a 
reference book of Belleek - I think it was one of Marion's 
paperbacks - I saw an eggcup that looked like just like 
the crinoid on the candlestick holder, and a few weeks ago, 
I managed to get it on E-Bay!!!! It is exactly like the 
central part of the candlestick holder, only the top is 
made for holding an egg, not a candle. 

This leaves me with a big dilemma. Should I be a GOOD 
daughter and give my dad the very old, rare Belleek 
Eggcup, or should I be a BAD daughter and keep it like 
the candlestick holder? He has never shown the slightest 
interest in Belleek until the day I showed him the holder, 
but he has spent most of his life studying crinoids. 

Haven't made up my mind yet. 

I am including a photo of the eggcup, in case you are not 
totally bored with the story."

EDITOR's Note :  Since I DO NOT practice the publishing 
of others photos, I have included here, for your perusal, 
a picture of the Anchorite Nitestick from my Connection !!





          A WONDERFUL example of a 1st Period
            Belleek Anchorite Candlestick !!
      Note, the 'multi-coloured' Shamrock Design !!

Susan continues, and again, I quote :

"I bet no one has known of the Anchorite Candlestick 
Holder - fossil connection in over a century, although 
its name does give a clue. In England, crinoid stem 
segments are sometimes called St. Cusbert's beads (they 
are called 'Indian beads' in the US). St. Cusbert was a 
religious hermit who lived alone on a tiny little island 
off the English coast, and supposedly made a rosary out 
of the stem fossils. The word ANCHORITE means a hermit. 
Hidden message, anyone???"

(Another) EDITOR's Note : Additional research discouvered 
this fascinating Site !!  The Anchorite's Cell !! 

http://www.stmarymagdalene.fsnet.co.uk/anchorite.htm

A final quote from Susan :

"Probably should get the story out. It could be another 
hundred years before there is another Belleek Collector 
and Paleontology Professor in the same family. Think of 
those odds!

Susan

PS if anyone comes up with any other fossil Belleek, his 
E-mail address is lane@indiana.edu "

And THANK YOU Susan for the Education !!  If ANY other 
readers out there have an item they would like to share 
with their fellow Belleekers, your Editor will ALWAYS 
find the space for its inclusion !!

Belleekingly,

Del E. Domke, Belleek Consultant
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue,  WA    98008-2711
U.S.A.

Telephone :  1 (425) 746-6363
Message :    1 (425) 746-6363
FAX :        1 (425) 746-6363 
E-mail :     delyicious@comcast.net
Web-site :   The Beauty and Romance of Irish Belleek  (or) : 
              http://delyicious.magix.net/public/index.html