Sunday, 4 July 2021

The Nansen Mansion

Starfarers, 5.

The centuries-old mansion in Paraguay is "...red-tiled and amber-walled." (p. 33) (We notice red-tiled roofs quite often.)

The plain no longer holds cattle but, instead, there are:

barn, shed and workshop displaying exhibits of the past
insect hordes
anthills
scattered groves
tossing leaves
emus
partridges
thrushes
doves
parrots
vultures
chestnuts
cedars
quebrachos
colorful flowers
a shaded lawn
cool south wind
green odors
staff
tourists
Ricardo Nansen and Hanny Dayan on horseback
early sunlight
thudding hoofs
creaking leather
whispering wind
whistles and trills
grassland to the horizon
immensity
 
Many details in less than a page.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I'm just a bit puzzled. Even if changes in technology made the old ranching methods and tools obsolete, I would expect the Nansen estate to use modern methods of handling cattle.

But I've just barely started rereading STARFARERS.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

I merely paraphrased the text. Maybe other forms of food production have made cattle obsolete.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Such as nanotech being used to make whatever kind of food you want? Maybe!

Ad astra! Sean