Sunday, January 28, 2007

An Uncanny Resemblance

Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) (Rebel)
(Click pictures for larger view)
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"One may smile, and smile, and be a villain." ~ William Shakespeare (English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)
The winter has been mild with daytime temperatures into the sixties and even seventies; the weather has tricked the redbuds into blooming ans the occasional daffodil as well. Thursday, I made a trek over to Mt. Trashmore Park with the Rebel and new lenses. There are always ducks and geese and seagulls there, waiting for food. White geese, mallards, coots and a rare Canadian goose were playing and the ever present seagulls and crows were dueling for perching rights on the parking lot lamps. This Muscovy duck was the only one of his kind in the group and he was quite the show off. Above he was preparing to stand tall and flex his wings, when I caught him in this "Phoenix" pose. Below, he strutted and spread his wings as an angel, the black angel.
It was at this moment I felt a pang of recognition. This creature looks vaguely familiar, I thought. After observing some of his rather boisterous behavior that I won't go into here, it hit me! This fellow looks (and acts) like the ultra villain in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; that strange red and black faced evil creature with horns protruding from his head.... yes, Darth Maul, a Sith? (I didn't see this movie but the action figures were all over the toy section in Target.) I'll see what you think....
Duck Maul? Or........

Darth Maul (Sith).


Well, what do you think? Can you see a family resemblance?

Update: Before you answer that... Have you ever tried to look at the pictures in one of those holographic books, the kind with a picture hidden in a chaotic mixture of color and geographic patterns or even other pictures? Some can't do it. Some can immediately see the hidden picture. I can usually see them but only by letting my focus go, vision blur a little and relaxing. I stop trying to see the picture and then it appears. I did that with this picture, then cropped to what I saw and found........ (click read more below)

I would say just look at the mottled red area, blur a bit and let the image appear. Do you see the dog with the big black nose and greying muzzle, who is riding a roller coaster with his big ears flying back in the wind? I do!

Usually dogs and cats go to Friday's Ark, but I think "Duck Maul" deserves his day on the Ark as well. Hope they can make him behave! (end of post)

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