What is tapa cloth?

Tapa cloth is an unwoven kind of bark cloth made by soaking and pounding the soft inner bark of the paper mulberry and certain other trees.  It is the traditional fabric of Polynesia.  Tapa cloth was once widely used for clothing and mats on the islands of the South Pacific.

While modern woven cloth has replaced the traditional native tapa cloth, it is still manufactured on such islands as Tonga and Fiji for special ceremonial occasions.

To make tapa cloth, the tapa maker carefully peels off the white inner layer of mulberry bark and soaks it in water.  The water-soaked bark is then pounded on a log with a wooden club until the narrow strips widen into the proper width and thickness. 

By pasting overlapping edges with glue made from plant roots, the tapa maker fashions sheets of larger sizes.  The tapa cloth is then decorated with dyes made from plant juice.– Dick Rogers

What is a timberline?

Some mountains have trees growing clear to their tops, but on many high mountains there is a line above which trees stop growing.

The place where trees stop growing is called the “timberline”.  Trees don’t grow above it because they cannot survive the freezing temperatures there.

Above the timberline the mountainside is likely to be a cold desert with only patches of lichens, moss and stunted vegetation twisted by the strong winds of the mountain tops.

Here, the bitter cold keeps the water in the ground frozen for much of the year, and bigger plants cannot get enough water.

Just  below the timberline the tall pine forests stand alone.  There tough, needle-shaped leaves can withstand the icy winds and harsh living conditions on the cold mountainside better than the broad-leaf trees can.

The timberline is much higher on some mountains than on others.  It depends on the climate, and latitude.

What is the Statue of Liberty made of?

The Statue of Liberty is one of the United States’ most famous monument. This colossal statue of a robed lady with a torch in her raised right hand and carrying a tablet in her left, stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.  It is made of more than 300 copper sheets over a steel and iron framework. 

It was designed in 1881 by a French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, and was presented to the people of the United States as a gift from the people of France.  Working from a model only 49 inches high, Bartholdi worked up a full-sized wood and plaster model which was divided into sections. 

Next, thin copper sheets were hammered over the wooden molds and shaped to their contours.  The copper shells were then bolted to the central framework.  The statue was taken apart from shipment from France and reassembled in the United  States.  Even though it is hollow, the statue weighs 225 tons.  It is 151 feet tall. – Dick Rogers

How was the grand canyon formed?

One of the great natural wonders of the world is Arizona’s Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.  The whole gorge is 217 miles long and, from rim to rim, 4 to 18 miles wide.

One of the most amazing things about it is that it was made by a river!  Almost hidden between the canyon walls a mile below, the rushing waters of the Colorado River, with the help of many smaller rivers flowing into it, carved out this great chasm in the course of millions of years.

Even now, the ceaseless cutting continues to carve deeper into the canyon floor.  Erosion from wind and rain have increased the size of the ever-widening, many-colored rock formations that resemble a fairyland of towering peaks and castles.

Color change with the shifting shadows and the changing light.  The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919. – Dick Rogers