The Hoopoe

... is about 10 to 12 inches long - about the size of a crow - and has a slightly curved beak and that wonderful crown, which it usually wears laid back but whips up when excited. I saw one in Kashmir one summer; first you would hear the "hoop-hoop-hoop" call, and then it would swoop down onto the front lawn to search for insects or lizards. When it flies, the black and white on its wings flashes. 

This mosaic dyptych is now showing at the new Bolivar Art Gallery in Sarasota, at 506 S. Pineapple in the Burns Square area. The gallery is open First Friday evenings for the monthly Art Walks; also Tuesday through Thursday 11-5 and Friday/Saturday 11-6. I had a tough time finding small raised letters to incorporate into my mosaics; the H, P and E in this mosaic are from a child's alphabet learning kit, but they are actually a little larger than I really wanted; the Os are brown jade rings. The craft stores have mostly tiles with letters on them, like Scrabble tiles; if anyone knows where to find raised letters, I'd be very grateful to hear about it!