Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Elephants On The Hill


















These are the elephants on the hill. Mark Cline, the local artist who created the hot dog man from yesterday's post, made them last year. My husband took little Ella up the hill to see them. Being afraid of heights and having a bad knee, I stayed at the bottom and snapped them with a long zoom. You can see our red car and the view of the city down below. One elephant has a man riding it. This is Hannibal, the historical military commander who marched across the Alps to the homeland of the Romans with 37 elephants. Why? An elephant was the ancient equivilant of a tank, and could cause great destruction with their tusks and trampling opponents. Their smell and noise scared the men and horses. There were no elephants anywhere around that area, and to this day, no one knows where Hannibal got the elephants. It is one of the great mysteries of history. Down in the city, we could look up, see those elephants, and smile. They were whimsical and wonderful, something that gave our small city interest and color. There were favorable comments from as far away as Germany. But in our midst were people who would ruin it all. A small group of townspeople complained and wanted them removed. The town was divided into two groups: for or against the elephants. The small group of nay-sayers won, and the elephants were taken down and driven away. The picture in the paper was a sad one, because in order to transport them, the artist had to cut their heads off. There are always people who want to spoil things for others. I feel sad for these people, because it seems they don't know how to get any joy from life. Their misplaced joy is trying to control and conform others. But the elephants live on in these pictures and in the minds of many, and will live to be gazed upon again in a place where they are more welcome.
"Oftentimes, when people are miserable, they want to make other people miserable, too. But it never helps." Lemony Snicket

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..."Philippians 2:14

9 comments:

DawnTreader said...

Oh this is funny. As soon as I saw the picture it made me think of Hannibal. You might like to read this old post of mine where I mention him. Pity they were taken away from you...

aspiritofsimplicity said...

At first I thought they were real and wondered where on earth you were!! Great pictures. In a way it is good that your knee was bothering you because that way you got a better perspective for photography.
I love that quote from Lemony Snicket. I'm going to post it on my blog so I wont' forget it.

MadSnapper said...

this made me happy when i saw the elephants and happier when I read the story, then sad and mad because they are gone. I wanted to see them for myself. I do hope he finds somewhere to put them.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh My--what a story. Hope the elephants are somewhere else now for people to enjoy. Why is it that it's always the smallest group of loud-mouths who win?????? GADS!

Mark Kline is a creative young man. Glad he is making a name all over the country.

Sorry you couldn't get up that hill---but at least, you captured some great pictures.
Hugs,
Betsy

George said...

It's a shame that the elephants had to be removed -- I thought they looked wonderful on that ridge. I'm glad Ella got to see them up close and personal before they were taken away.

Beverly said...

I didn't know the end of the story...how sad. Why does a small minority rule? What were they hurting? Maybe that's why Ella wanted to be an elephant for Halloween.

SquirrelQueen said...

The elephants looked delightful on the hill. It would make most folks smile to look up and see them. It is always so sad when a group of small minded people get their way and spoil things for everyone else. I hope the elephants found a home elsewhere.

The book on my sidebar is a really good one. I will be reviewing it tomorrow on my blog. I have been exchanging emails with the author and learning more about her, it has been so much fun.

Glenda said...

Love your elephant pics! Sometimes the view from the top isn't always the best! And I like the wisdom of Lemony Snicket!

happily retired gal said...

Marvelous post! I'll have to share this post with my best friend who LOVES elephants the way I love giraffes! Such a shame these had to be moved ...
Hugs and blessings,

The Big Cow - Easter 2024

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