Queen of the Nile

I am the Goddess of a thousand names and infinite capacity.All Her gifts are mine. All Her powers reside in me.

I am graceful, flexible, playful, and affectionate. I radiate the warmth and light of the glorious sun.

I am a protectress of women and children,a guardian of the wild. I focus my aim on my heart's desire and draw it to me.

I balance my powers of thought and my emotion. I choose the path I walk. The torch of my reason is illumined by my brilliant intuition.

I offer healing and transformation to all in need. I hold the power to shape my world.

Truth, justice and law are the natural order of my universe.Harmony arises as I attune to my divine will.

Home Sweet Home

The Labrador has a dense, short coat that repels water and provides great resistance to the cold and water. Labradors come in 3 colors; black, yellow and chocolate. Black is the most well known color and it is dominant in Labradors. Black was also the color commonly preferred and bred for up until more recent times. It should be noted that the colors chocolate and yellow have been noted in the original St. John's dogs from the Newfoundland. They are recessive genes and were referred to as the color 'liver' or sometimes 'golden'.

As recessive colors the yellow and chocolate pups would occasionally appear in litters throughout time. During the earlier breeding programs these 'off colors' were often 'culled' until they were finally accepted by the British and the American Kennel Clubs and registered. Some people still favor blacks saying they are the best Labradors. We think it is more personal preference as long as you have a good well balanced pedigree and breeding program behind your dog.

The Labrador retriever must be from Labrador, right? Not so, however. From all accounts Labs originated in Newfoundland. The name assignment may have resulted from a geographical association since Labrador is situated just northwest of Newfoundland and the sub-arctic waters of the Labrador Current flow down the east coast of insular Newfoundland. The name may also be explained by the origin of the word Labrador, Portuguese for yeoman or laborer and the Spanish word for workmen, Labrador’s. A related connection could be the village in northern Portugal called Castro Laboreiro where the dogs that guard livestock bear a striking resemblance to Labrador Retrievers.

There is a bit of mystery about the ancestors of the Labrador, appropriate perhaps given the amazing versatility of the breed. After all, how could one dog be so adept at such a wide variety of jobs, be capable of working under very harsh conditions and also have one of the friendliest personalities around? From the men who began to use the Newfoundland region for fishing in the mid to late 15th century, a rough and often seedy sort, to the aristocratic English gentlemen who refined and preserved the breed in the 19th century, the people responsible for the development of the lab were themselves a remarkably diverse group.

Size: 6 x 8 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $75.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Mountain Lion (cougar)

Cougar babies look and act like kittens, but they are called cubs. Of course, they belong to the cat family.

Baby cougars are bigger than kittens. They weigh about a pound when they are born. They are born covered with fur and, like kittens, they are blind.
Cougars have from one to five cubs at one time.

Young cougars are about two years old before they have enough hunting skills to catch their own food. Adult cougars care for them until they are able to live on their own.

Although cougar cubs are cute and cuddly-looking, they are dangerous and should never be approached in the wild. The young cubs will scratch and bite in self defense, and their mothers will attack anyone approaching their young.

When Lewis and Clark crossed America, cougars could be found nearly anywhere. Today, they are found mostly in the western United States and western Canada. Idaho is the home of many cougars.

An adult cougar may be five feet long or longer, not including its tail, which is two to three feet long. A full-grown cougar can weigh about 200 pounds.
Cougars are called by different names in different areas of the country. Other names are mountain lion, catamount, panther, and puma.

Cougars hunt at night, often traveling long distances. Mainly they kill deer and elk, and sometimes a bighorn sheep. They seldom kill calves, sheep, or other livestock.

Cougars keep hidden while stalking their prey, then leap out onto the animal. They are important to nature because they weed out weak, sick, and old prey.

Size: 5 x 7 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $50.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Free Spirit

Peaceful is the valley
where the Indian maiden walks.
In morning skies above her
a Raven soars and squawks.

The village of her people
lies quiet and serene
as her moccasins trudge narrow paths
through meadows lush and green.

She knows ancestral spirits
will protect her and will guide
as the trail leads her much higher
along the mountainside.

Gathering roots and berries
to preserve through winter’s cold,
the maiden sings of ancient wars,
of young men brave and bold.

She rests by flowing waters
as sunlight streaks her hair,
with fingers dipping in the brook,
wild creatures gather there.

The fox, the deer, the Antelope
join her without sound,
fearing not the Indian girl
sitting soft upon the ground.

The mighty oak she leans against
is losing leaves but strong,
and she feels at one with nature
while summer is now gone.

Size: 8 x 10 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $300.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Grizzly

The grizzly bear is a North American subspecies of the brown bear.

These awe-inspiring giants tend to be solitary animals—with the exception of females and their cubs—but at times they do congregate. Dramatic gatherings of grizzly bears can be seen at prime Alaskan fishing spots when the salmon run upstream for summer spawning. In this season, dozens of bears may gather to feast on the fish, craving fats that will sustain them through the long winter ahead.

Brown bears dig dens for winter hibernation, often holing up in a suitable-looking hillside. Females give birth during this winter rest and their offspring are often twins.

Grizzly bears are powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose.

Grizzlies are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, lending them their traditional name.

Despite their impressive size, grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles (48 kilometers) an hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs.

Grizzlies once lived in much of western North America and even roamed the Great Plains. European settlement gradually eliminated the bears from much of this range, and today only about 1,000 grizzlies remain in the continental U.S., where they are protected by law. Many grizzlies still roam the wilds of Canada and Alaska, where hunters pursue them as big game trophies.

Size: 6 x 8 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $65.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Water Bird

In the wetlands of East Africa, lives the crane, which is often called crested crane. Several species exist, but the crested crane -sometimes referred to as the Uganda crane- is the most common. It is mostly found in tall grasses and cultivated areas, but breeds mainly in wet areas such as marshes. The crane is widespread in Uganda's numerous swamps and estuaries and is indeed the national symbol.

Despite sitting on Uganda's court of arms, the elegant crested crane is considered endangered. In most parts of East Africa, suitable breeding habitats are increasingly being converted to agricultural use and the crane is now confined to very few areas. In addition, the crane has a most peculiar social behavior, which in some way further jeopardizes its long-term survival. Cranes practice true and perhaps absolute monogamy. Often, they are found in pairs and share strong bonds that are never broken, even unto death. When one of a pair dies, the other never pairs up again for the rest of its life.

Size: 8 x 10 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $75.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Bird of Paradise

The bird of paradise is closely related to the bowerbird and crow and belongs to the family Paradisaeidae. There are 43 species, 35 of which are confined to New Guinea. There are 3 species in the Moluccas and several species of the less spectacular riflebirds in eastern Australia. Spaniards in the 16th century coined the name bird of paradise when magnificent bird skins were brought to Europe aboard Magellan's ship, Victoria.

These are medium-sized birds, perhaps crow-sized, and are remarkably beautiful. They have strong feet adapted for perching, and bills of various shapes. The trailing plumes, short velvet-like feathers and beautiful collars are used by the male in their courtship dance. The females, in comparison, are very plain. The males have established territories where they dance for the females. The dances are as remarkable as the birds. Perched on a branch, the birds sway and crouch or stand erect, tilt forward and backward, some even hang upside down. Every species has its own type of dance.

Birds of paradise live in forests and frequent the high treetops or lower scrub. The open nest is built in tree branches and sometimes in holes. The female handles nest-building, incubation of the one or two eggs that are orange streaked with brown, and raising the young. The males are polygamous. Their diet consists of insects, worms, small vertebrates and also fruits and seeds. The voice is quite plain. The best known and most beautiful are the members of the genus Paradisea. The Great Bird-of-Paradise, Paradisea apoda, of Aru is a rust reddish brown on the back, the head is yellow, the throat is emerald-green. It has long tufts of golden-orange feathers on the sides. The two elongated central tail feathers are very thin. When courting it spreads its wings and hangs upside down.

Iridescent breast shield, golden whiskers, and six wire like crown plumes mark a Carola's parotia, a rarely seen bird of paradise.

Count Raggi's bird of paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) is found in the rain forests of Papua New Guinea, is known for its wild and frenzied dances done to court the drab females. Its coloration is fiery red, yellow head and green around the bill and a dark throat.

Size: 8 x 10 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $200.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Wise

Newly crowned national bird, the Hoopoe, may not be kosher or particularly hygienic, but it is fit for a king. The Hoopoe is Israel's national bird.

Due to its association with King Solomon, the bird is traditionally viewed in a positive light. According to Jewish folklore (as well as the Koran), the hoopoe helped lead King Solomon to the Queen of Sheba. Unsure about the queen's purity and motives, Solomon confided in the bird and trusted its advice. The king also praised the hoopoe's observation techniques and called it "wise."

If you noticed an orange/pink, unusual looking bird with a striking crest on its head you had probably been lucky to have seen the Hoopoe, a stunning migratory visitor. The Hoopoe is quite an unmistakable bird, it has bright orange plumage, and it flies rather like a woodpecker and has a striking orange crest, black and white markings along with a long, slender and pointed beak.

The Hoopoe can generally be seen on garden lawns strutting comically, searching for worms and other small insects which are its favorite food. The Hoopoe is a relative of the kingfisher family and is a frequent summer visitor to the Mediterranean, migrating to the tropics in winter.
The Hoopoe's bright colors, sweeping flight pattern and orange crest makes it a striking feature.

The Hoopoe's crest can be raised when the bird is alerted and makes for an unusual spectacle during the spring and summer months when they are more visible.

The Hoopoe's call is what has given the bird its name, as it makes a "Hoo - poo" sound and the Hoopoe's call symbolizes the arrival of spring. Curiously, even the Chinese regard the bird as being a messenger of springtime. In Islam the Hoopoe has close links with King Solomon, who reputedly spoke with animals and the French call ignorant, unintelligent people "Hoopoes" as they consider the bird to be slightly stupid.

Size: 5 x 7 canvas (not framed)
This item sells for $75.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock