, I bought the land with whale vomit."
Thinking that he was pulling my leg I asked him if I'd heard him right and learned that it was true. One day, while walking along a beach in Australia, he found a huge clump of ambergris. To find ambergris is not only rare but to recognize it as ambergris and know its value is unbelievable. For Peter, it was a gift from the gods. He was at a crossroads in his life and looking to start something new.
Peter gathered up the ambergris and started contacting perfumers from all over the world to sell his treasure. Offers came from the four corners of the Earth, but in the end, he sold it for an enormous amount of cash to a group of Indonesian businessmen
Instead of squandering his wealth, he bought a huge parcel of old-growth forest where he could live, and love and protect nature. His love for trees inspired his Pooktre Growing Art Trees
It was a pleasure to meet Peter, his partner Becky, and their little baby, affectionately called Bubbles, at their rustic and comfortable home.
Peter is not just lucky. He is also very talented, and I am excited that we will be able to show his art in the Growing Village Pavilion
I asked Peter how he could be so lucky to find wealth in whale vomit and soon-to-be world fame from Expo 2005. Peter answered humbly: "I think if you like and take care of nature, it sort of returns the favor."
Shukan ST: May 14, 2004
(C) All rights reserved
- vomit
- 吐いた物
- miso-barrel treehouse
- ミソだるでできたツリーハウス(ジョンさんの自宅)
- dull
- つまらない
- amazing
- 驚くべき
- recognize
- 分かる
- washed up on 〜
- 〜に打ち上げられた
- substances
- 物質
- sperm whale
- マッコウクジラ
- ambergris
- 竜涎香(マッコウクジラから採取する香料)
- ancient times
- 古代
- Persian
- ペルシアの
- emperors
- 皇帝
- bathed in 〜
- 〜に入浴した
- jewelry
- 装身具
- perfume
- 香水
- gracious
- 優美な
- royalty
- 王族
- rarest
- 最も珍しい
- is harvested from 〜
- 〜から採取されている
- carcasses
- 残骸
- comes floating in 〜
- 〜から流れてくる
- fur balls
- 毛玉
- cough up
- 咳をして吐き出す
- all sorts of indigestible stuff
- 消化できないいろいろなもの
- belches up
- げっぷして出す
- oily
- 油っぽい
- gooey
- ねばねばした
- bakes
- 焼く
- odoriferous
- 芳香を放つ
- properties
- 特性
- are brought out
- 引き出される
- photochemistry
- 光化学
- rancid
- 油焼けした
- aroma
- 香り
- moss
- コケ
- fade
- 消える
- Perfumers
- 調香師
- fragrances
- 香気
- fascinating
- 魅力的な
- multi-talented
- 多才な
- grows 〜 out of 〜
- 〜を育てながら〜に成形する
- mirror frames
- 鏡の枠
- prune trees
- スモモの木
- Nestled in 〜
- 〜に埋もれるように位置する
- secluded
- 人里離れた
- woodware
- 木製の品
- jeweler
- 宝石職人
- 〜 by trade
- 〜が本業で
- orchard of superb growing art
- 素晴らしいグローイングアートの作品が生えている場所
- couldn't help but 〜
- 〜せずにはいられなかった
- to start with
- 手始めに
- was pulling my leg
- 私をからかっていた
- (had)heard him right
- 正しく聞き取れていた
- clump of 〜
- 〜の塊
- was at a crossroads in his life
- 人生の岐路に立っていた
- gathered up 〜
- 〜を拾い集めた
- treasure
- 宝
- from the four corners of the Earth
- 世界の隅々から
- enormous amount of cash
- 巨額の現金
- squandering
- 無駄遣いする
- (a)parcel of 〜
- 〜の一区画
- inspired 〜
- 〜のきっかけとなった
- affectionately called 〜
- 愛情を込めて〜と呼ばれている
- rustic
- 田舎の
- soon-to-be world fame
- まもなく手にする世界的名声
- humbly
- 謙虚に
- it sort of returns the favor
- 何と言うか、お返しをくれるんだ