A Miner and His Penguin
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. That really is a miner with a penguin. According to several sources, the penguin represents the artist and his sense of displacement in the desert. Why it’s there with Shorty Harris (the miner), I’m still not entirely certain. Of course, there’s story that says when Shorty got drunk (as he often did), he’d see penguins instead of elephants. I don’t know which story is true, nor does it matter. What I do like is the whimsy of the miner’s flightless little companion. I think everyone should have a whimsical companion, even if it’s an imaginary one.
Also of note: based on the description of Harris in various sources, he sounded much like Rob (I only wish he’d lived as long as Shorty), which is even more amusing when you consider my otherworldly experience across the road from this statue.
I thought ‘…she always comes up with such interesting titles for her posts…’ and then I saw that sure enough, it’s a miner and a penguin. :biggrin:
Comment by Pam — 2009/04/17 @ 05:40
Well spotted on that first one. Like!
Comment by Jan — 2009/04/17 @ 07:28
Sometimes literal is just as good, Pam
Jan, thank you. I thought it was pretty good, too
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/04/17 @ 07:58
And for Pam, “Un minero y su pingüino”
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/04/17 @ 08:17
Photos like this make me miss the California desert.
Comment by diamond dave — 2009/04/17 @ 09:18
You may have the desert. I’ll keep the beach.
I like the desert for a little while and then I need something cooler.
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/04/17 @ 09:23
Isn’t Shorty Harris the miner that they buried standing up? I can’t remember in what Louis L’Amour book I read that but he was generally very accurate in his history factoids.
Comment by Peter — 2009/04/17 @ 11:16
None of the stories I’ve read about Shorty tell of him being buried standing up. However, I have read that he was once placed in a coffin on a pool table while he was passed out.
That’s from the GBR Essay.
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/04/17 @ 15:11