"Spot-A-Sherlockium"

Sometimes one can find items with Sherlockian associations by browsing around in second-hand and curio shops. Here is a pair of pince-nez. Even though technically rimless, there is a little gold in the "pince" part of theses specs.

In that same shop we came across one of Mr. Holmes retirement companions (this one must have been on steroids!).

Although not strictly canonical, we couldn't pass up taking a photo of this London "phone booth" just outside an Irish pub in Savannah. The Irish flag is in prominence, but if you peek around the edge, you'll see a Union Jack, too.

Once in a great while you run across a truly great Sherlockium! Here are two of them (that'd be, then, "Sherlockia," wouldn't it?). Eminent Sherlockians Ira Block and Nancy Beiman grace the streets in Savannah.

Actually, the picture above was posed. What happened was that Nancy Beiman most graciously invited us and the Blocks for a visit Savannah and have dinner with her. Here we see (R to L) Joel Senter (Carolyn is taking the picture), Mr. and Mrs. Ira Block, and our hostess, Nancy Beiman. We are preparing to order dinner at one of Savannah's premier restaurants, "Lady and Sons." Now here we have several Sherlockia in one place!

OK, it's a golf course! Mr. Holmes exhibited a knowledge of golf in GREE and John Neligan came to Brambletye Hotel under the cover of wanting to play golf (BLAC).

There were a lot of animals on the golf courses, mostly alligators. We don't recall any canonical reference to alligators, but we did have a local golf rule that if your ball landed near a 'gator, you could have a free drop on the other side of the fairway. But, then, there were a lot of deer, too. This one is whole, but there were deer heads on the wall at ABBE, so if we just look at the anterior part of the deer, we feel that this counts as a proper Sherlockium, too.

Speaking of animals on the golf course, here is another one. Now you might say, "Senters, this is just a bird, big deal!" No, no, this is not just a bird, this is a cormorant. You know, like in VEIL when Watson commented on the case involving ". . . the politician, the light house, and the trained comorant." We are pretty sure that the one pictured here is not trained, though, unless it was trained to avoid having its picture taken. It kept ducking (or "comoranting") under water and emerging in the most unpredictable places!

And, speaking of VEIL and the ". . . politician, the light house, and the trained comorant," we ran across this light house Sherlockium from that same reference while crossing Hunting Island, SC. Of course, there is also Mr. Holmes's comment to Dr. Watson in NAVA about English boarding schools, "Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future!" It was an off-election year, so we never did find a politician.

We ran across this guy in Bellingrath Gardens near Mobile, AL. And for this one we don't even have to make the stretch to "The Lion's Mane," which, of course, didn't involve a lion at all. How about Sahara King who did that number on Eugenia Rounder's face (VEIL)? Or, Leon Sterndale (DEVI) who was a lion hunter? Or, Count Sylvius (MAZA) who shot lions in Algeria.

Here is a Dixieland jazz band holding forth on Jackson Square in New Orleans. You might well say, "There is no canonical reference to a jazz band!" We believe that to be correct, but read on!

BUT, when the jazz band is joined by Chicago's eminent Sherlockian, Don Izban, forming a one-man "second-line," no one can reasonably challenge our contention that we did spot another genuine, indeed even distinguished, Sherlockium!

We certainly couldn't overlook a
"footprint of a gigantic hound!"

And for a Sherlockium spotter's piece de resistance in Nashville, TN

Left is an exterior view of The Sherlock Holmes Pub in Nashville, TN. Right is an interior view of the bar area of this delightful place. Great fish and chips, great beer, and the folks who work there actually speak British!

Here at the legendary Sherlock Holmes Pub in Nashville, we were hosted by a collection of fine Sherlockians from the Nashville scion , The Scholars of the Three Pipe Problem (of which we are members, too). On your left we see (l to r) Joel Senter, Sherlockian author Bill Mason, Cindy Mason, and the legendary Billy Fields. On your right, (l to r) David Bradley, Tom and Anita Feller, Gael Stahl and Carolyn Senter. We do appreciate the genuine Southern hospitality that the Scholars of the Three-Pipe Problem showed us. It was a great joy to have such fellowship and the opportunity to "spot" so many "Sherlockia" in one place!

So as you can see, "Spot-A-Sherlockium" is a fun game that anyone can play with others, or even alone! We don't recommend, however, that you play while actually doing the driving!

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