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The Abandoned Pennhurst Asylum
May 25th, 2014
Some info on this historic location:
“Pennhurst is the scariest place I have ever seen. Period. I have traveled all over the country visiting haunted places and attractions and nothing compares to this incredible, dilapidated campus. Last October, I was approached by the owners of Pennhurst Associates, and asked if I would like to be a partner in their haunted attraction. At first I was skeptical because everyone thinks this industry is easy, with a “get rich quick” attitude, and we all know how much work is involved and how hard it is to be successful. I was really skeptical…until I visited Pennhurst. The day I drove into this huge complex of brick structures, I was hooked. I knew this place had the potential to be the greatest haunted attraction ever. With a ton of money, corporate sponsors, the right build crew, and a great plan, Pennhurst Asylum could come to life and entertain the hard core haunters. Not only does this place have an incredible ambiance, a built in cult following, and a treasure trove of unique props, it has a history; a history riddled with accusations of torture, abuse and neglect. A history of mental patients chained to the walls in dark tunnels, children left for years in cribs, sexual abuse by the staff and even murder. All this happened behind the walls of Pennhurst State School, Spring City, Pennsylvania.
Pennhurst was constructed and opened in 1908 as a state school for the mentally and physically disabled. Pennhurst's property was vast, covering 120 acres. Created to house over 10,000 patients at a point in time, Pennhurst was one of the largest institutions of its kind in Pennsylvania. Half of Pennhurst's residents were committed by court order and the other half were brought by a parent or other guardian. It was devoted strictly to the care, treatment and education of the disabled. Originally named Pennhurst Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic, it finally was just called Pennhurst State School. Pennhurst employed a large number of staff to help assist in maintaining the facility. This staff included a board of trustees, medical staff, dental staff, and specialists in psychology, social services, accounting, and various fields of education. The grounds of Pennhurst included a 300-bed hospital, which had a full nursing staff and two surgeons on call at all times. Others at Pennhurst included members of the clergy and farming experts who grew most of Pennhurst's food . Pennhurst was an essentially self-sufficient community, its 1,400-acre site containing a firehouse, general store, barber shop, movie theatre, auditorium and even a greenhouse. The buildings of Pennhurst were named after towns in Pennsylvania such as Chester and Devon. The original buildings were designed by architect Phillip H. Johnson. All of Pennhurst's electricity was generated by an on-site power plant. A cemetery lay on the property, as well as baseball and recreational fields for the residents. Many of Pennhurst's buildings were strictly for storage; however, the majority were dormitory and hospital-style living quarters for the residents. Many of the buildings had security screens that were accessed on the inside, to prevent patients from escaping, or jumping to their deaths. Most of the stairwells had security fences to keep patients from jumping over the railings. Many of the buildings are linked by an underground tunnel system designed for transportation of handicapped patients to and from the dormitory, recreational buildings and dietary.
Pennhurst was often accused of dehuminazitation and was said to have provided no help to the mentally challenged. The institution had a long history of staff difficulties and negative public image, for example, a 1968 report by NBC called "Suffer the Little Children". Pennhurst State School was closed in 1986 following several allegations of abuse. These allegations led to the first lawsuit of its kind in the United States, Pennhurst State School and Hospital vs. Halderman, which asserted that the mentally retarded have a constitutional right to living quarters and an education. Terry Lee Halderman had been a resident of the school, and upon release she filed suit in the district court on behalf of herself and all other residents of Pennhurst. The complaint alleged that conditions at Pennhurst were unsanitary, inhumane and dangerous, that these living conditions violated the fourteenth amendment, and that Pennhurst used cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the eighth and fourteenth amendments. After a 32-day trial and an immense investigation, prosecutors concluded that the conditions at Pennhurst were not only dangerous, with physical and mental abuse of its patients, but also inadequate for the care and habilitation for the mentally retarded. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also concluded that the physical, mental, and intellectual skills of most patients had deteriorated while in Pennhurst.
In 1986, Pennhurst was ordered closed, and began a program of de-institutionalism that lasted several years. Once the buildings were closed, they began to rapidly deteriorate from lack of heating, moisture invasion and vandalism. Thousands of people began to illegally tour the property spray painting everything in sight and breaking all the glass in the place. Theft was rampant and the destruction of the property was in full swing. Patients were thrown out and a large homeless contingent developed in the area.
Pennhurst fell into complete ruin as the complex was shut down. Buildings were abandoned as they were, with patient’s clothes and belonging strewn about. Furniture, cabinets and medical equipment were left to decay as if someone had just got up and walked out the front door. This is the place that will eventually resurrect into one of the most studied properties in the ghost hunter media, and will become an amazing haunted attraction.
As I research the history of this place, I begin to realize the potential of Pennhurst as an intriguing location for a haunted attraction. This place is really haunted. Several reputable Ghost Hunter groups have documented audible recordings, temperature changes, and unexplained movement of objects in the buildings of Pennhurst. This is the kind of environment I want to build the next generation of haunted house; a proven haunted location.
My team, headed by John Brady, Shawn Sieger, Jim Souflous, Todd Beringer, Rob Sieger and others search the complex for valuable props. We wander deep into the tunnels that stitch the complex. We move into the basements of maintenance buildings, storage areas, dormitories and dietary in search of unique items that will set this haunt apart from all other. We find a huge electro-mechanical device that has to be the control for the electrotherapy department. It is so old that it used electrical tube circuits developed in the 30’s. Insulators and other unrecognizable devices are strewn about the room. This is a huge find. As we cruise through the old abandoned hospital, we harvest giant 48” surgical lights that are suspended from the rotting ceilings. They are mounted on tracks that allow the lights to be moved to focus on the unsuspecting patients. These will be perfect in the rooms for our haunt. We find medical cabinets, drawers, storage lockers, operating tables are everywhere. This is a veritable treasure trove of props for our attraction. As we move through the dark corridors, with flashlights moving side to side, I can’t keep the feelings of growing anticipation from my mind. I know there is something out there but can’t put my finger on it. I come around the corner and enter a small room to the right, and there it is; the morgue. I recognize it because it has two drawer slides and a refrigeration unit on top. This is what we came here to find. This will be one of the most unique features of our attraction; a real morgue scene. Stainless steel tables with large drains, stainless steel cabinets, lab equipment and a real, 1930’s autopsy table! I am blown away by this scene. I can picture the thousands of customers coming through our attraction knowing that everything in here is REAL. My arms have gooseflesh!
Back at the Administration building, construction is moving forward. All the asbestos has been abated, the floors have been repaired, roof repaired, windows replaced, and structural inspections have been completed. The building is safe for use as an amusement building. Now the hard work of turning this into one of the most complex haunted houses is under way. A full electrical upgrade needs to be completed. Smart lighting, imbedded audio systems and fiber optical controls will be installed. Pneumatic infrastructure will be run throughout the building so props can be installed in any room. A lot of work must be completed in a few short months in preparation for the 2010 season.
We want this attraction to be a full experience of Pennhurst, but we need to work the audience up slowly so they won’t chicken out right away. This place is so creepy, that we need to get the ticket sales completed before they see the complex. A state of the art POS system will be installed by Interactive Ticketing, and can handle the thousands of expected customers. This system will track every ticket sold, and with the aid of digital scanners that are integrated with the internet, and keep track of each customer. Once the customer has bought their ticket, they will be guided to the walkway that surrounds the complex. This walkway will act as a huge queue line to the main entrance of the haunt, but will take them on a tour around several other buildings before entering the Administration building. As the customers walk the 800’ long walkway, they will experience the vastness of Pennhurst. With over 10 buildings in view, most in bad condition, they will be able to witness the downfall of this once beautiful campus. The once beautiful courtyards are now overgrown and the children’s playground equipment lay rotting all around. As the people approach the Admin building, they will be diverted to the side and then around to the front and into the main entrance. A large stone portico greets the crowd as they are ushered into the attraction. A unique feature of Pennhurst will be the museum. Many local residents have a strong feeling that the memories of the atrocities that occurred here should be preserved in some way so that they will not re-occur in the future. With this in mind, we felt that the construction of a Pennhurst Museum was in order. We have reconstructed four rooms on the first floor that will act as an indoor queue line and, at the same time, teach the public about the history of this magnificent place. With high tech videos, historical photos and artifacts from the past, the customers will be able to go back in time and witness the rise and fall of Pennhurst, as it happened. As they move slowly through the museum, they will notice that the rooms are beginning to decay. By the time they enter the great corridor the building has fallen into disrepair. This is when they will enter the scariest haunted house imaginable.
With an asylum theme in mind, and real, antique hospital equipment on hand, we began to build our attraction. We painted the entire interior with a special barrier sealant that encapsulates any lead paint and is also 100% flameproof. Rotted flooring has been replaced, and roof leaks have been plugged. We install MDF board as a wainscote and paint it to look like the marble that was part of the original building, but stolen long ago. We want an old time feeling to envelope the customers; a feeling of going back in time. The first room you enter is the intake office, complete with a psychiatrist giving you the Rorschach test, otherwise known as the ink blot test. As the Dr. engages the crowd, slides flip by on a large screen. After the intake, you enter the de-lousing showers, where shower heads spew out a combination of fog, air and CO2, giving it a cold feel. Other rooms include the dietary unit with copious use of existing cafeteria items like tray holders, rolling carts, plastic ware, cups, plates, tables and ovens. Pneumatic and actor scares abound in this haunt as there are a large number of great setups and hiding spots throughout the building. Moving upstairs, we have a large room with the ceiling removed. It shows the expansive architecture of the building, and the roofline looms over 35’ above your head. The focus in this room is the old, female actor in the corner, who is sitting in a vintage wheelchair. She is spot lighted with down lighting that also shows beds, furniture and other belongings. As she distracts the crowd, a switch is flipped and flood lights reveal the height of the ceiling, filled with another animatronic surprise.
Another part of the building is an area that has suffered a moderate fire. Door frames and headers are charred, and the smell of burnt wood is still perceptible. The area that was burned housed two sound proof cells; small rooms where patients could be locked away and their screams could be totally muffled. The floors, walls and ceilings are 6” thick with heavy insulation stuffed between the studs. The interiors are lined with sound proof tiles, and the exterior is sheathed in another layer of sound proofing. Even the doors are 8” thick and insulated. As you walk into these rooms, you can feel the air get heavy, the sounds deaden and you can imagine how the patients felt being locked up in the pitch dark with no one hearing your screams.
As you can imagine, the really cool rooms are left for last. With tons of great, original props, we build out sets that appear to be real operating rooms. One room is set up to be themed as a lobotomy operating room. Steel tables, medical cabinets and surgical equipment are everywhere. Actors bring off the scare and make this scene believable. The next room is our autopsy chamber. This room is decorated with the original equipment we found in the old hospital. The cabinets mounted to the walls are stainless steel, and look brand new, even after 50 or more years. The large sink structure, with an industrial size in-sinkerator, and long overflow drain, is up against the far wall. On the right is the original two drawer morgue unit, moved here from the hospital basement, and restored to its original form. The drawers roll out as easily as they did when first installed, and the refrigeration unit above the drawers adds to the realism of the scene. To top it off, an antique autopsy table stands in the center of the room. I bought the table at a funeral home auction 15 years ago and it has now found a new home. Overhead is a huge surgical style lamp, measuring over 40” across, and fitted with a friction gear that allows one to direct the light in any direction.
Another great room design we are using is the shock therapy room. This room has tile walls and floor, large overhead lights (harvested from the depths of building c) and the original electroconvulsive shock therapy machine retrieved from the hospital. Most modern ECT machines deliver a brief-pulse current, which is thought to cause fewer cognitive effects than the sine-wave currents which were originally used in ECT. Our machine is of the sine wave type, and caused unconsciousness and convulsions for 15 to 30 seconds. It is a large stainless steel console with dials and meters, and long electrode leads still attached. Our shock table is hinged in the center, and can tilt down for easy loading and unloading of the patient. The table has a latch where the actor can drop the foot of the table and attack the audience. This coupled with bang sticks, strobe lights, fog machines and a blistering 400 watt soundtrack make this one of the premier rooms at Pennhurst. In all, Pennhurst Asylum will have 18 complete rooms, not including the 4 room used in the museum. All of these rooms are highly detailed to be realistic in every way.
We have really strived to mix fact with fiction, folklore with fear, to come up with some of our unique room designs. There have been accounts of an old dentist chair that was located in the deep recesses of Mayflower, one of the more notorious dorms at Pennhurst. This chair is a little different than the ones you and I are used too; it has restraining straps attached to the arms, legs and headrest. This chair was reportedly used to remove the teeth of patients that were prone to biting the staff here. Imagine yourself being strapped into this device and having all your teeth ripped out without any kind of medication. This is just one more example of how unique this location is.
The most intriguing part of Pennhurst is their tunnel complex. All of the buildings on the campus are connected by above ground walkways with tunnels under them. These tunnels are 10 feet high, 8 feet wide and thousands of feet long. Concrete floors, tile walls and concrete ceilings create an incredible echo effect at certain intersections. In fact, I have looked behind myself several times to see if there is someone following me a few feet back. The echoes are so distinct you can hear whispers from hundreds of feet away.
As the guests are scared out of the last room in the Asylum, they find themselves in a large foyer with paintings and photographs on the walls. This is the queue line for the tunnels. Once through the lines, the guests are ushered down a long set of stairs and into the basement. Once there, with a temperature drop of at least 20 degrees, they are let through the double doors that lead to the exit…900 feet away. Scenes and actors appear at intersections along the way. Glass jars with cages around them contain the only lighting down here, and they are all connected to commercial lighting controls that are programmed to flicker, dim and occasionally go completely dark. We also added several subsonic bass tubes that cannot be heard, only felt. This will induce an uneasy feeling in all who enter the tunnels. Special chicken exits have been designed into the tunnel system and I’m sure will be used many times. This will be the scariest part of this attraction. The best part of the tunnel system is that it will contain our guests on their way back to the main entrance. People coming into the show along the walkways above will hear the screams emanating from the tunnels below them. They will hear the reactions to our show before they even enter the walkways leading to our haunt. What better way to elevate the anticipation and fear level than to hear, first hand, how scary this place is. If this place is scary to seasoned haunters, imagine how the general public will feel.
Another unique feature of Pennhurst is that it is really haunted. Featured on the Travel Channel, the Ghost Adventures crew have recorded many strange voices, noises and unexplained movement and documented this in their shows. The Pennhurst Ghost Tours, open to professional and amateur ghost hunters, has been a huge success, with recordings, photos and accounts of physical contact throughout the Pennhurst complex. So, if you want to get scared, come to Pennhurst Asylum. You may even witness the supernatural… whether you want to or not.”
Go to you bosom: Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.
William Shakespeare
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Rose from last autumn...
We do not loosen our hands' intertwining
(Not caring so very much what she supposes),
There when she comes on us mistily shining
And grants us by silence the boon of her roses.
Robert Frost
Okay! None of you asked for it but here it is! My thoughts on SHAZAM The Movie :)
Holy freaking cow! They did it! DC actually made my boy Billy B his own movie and it wasn’t absolute trash! :D
YEAH!
I absolutely loved it! If this is the road DC is going down, I’m all in! Bring on Hoppy The Marvel Bunny! Give me Uncle Marvel! I want it all! :P
Wow! They committed to the corny-ness of Captain Marvel but it wasn’t cheesy! They poked fun at how ridiculous it all was and put a lantern on the cheesiness and the dumb costume and the magic and the goofy nature of it all and it was perfect! :P
Plus I’ve got to give them credit for is that WB stuck to their guns and put this in the DCEU. Billy Batson and Jared Leto Joker are in the same universe and that’s just bonkers to me! :P
And I gotta say, Asher Angel’s “SHAZAM” has to be one of the best so far! He belts that magic word like there’s no tomorrow and I freaking loved it!
Also can we talk about Jack Dylan Grazer’s facial acting for a second? That kid is so expressive and he played Freddy so well! I gotta wonder though how he managed to get all of his fan gear though. Like does Aquaman have a PR guy in Philly that screen prints t-shirt’s for him? Do toy companies in the DCEU make replicas of throwing stars from all the other murderous vigilantes in the world?
Also can someone explain to me how Batman and Superman (two majorly controversial political figures in BvS) are now your average kids toy? Batman branded people like cattle and burned people alive! Superman destroyed a city and then got stabbed by cave troll! I find that they’re now a kids play thing much harder to believe than the magic doofus in red tights and a cape :P
Okay sorry, back on topic!
In a similar complaint I had with Aquaman, I feel like the pacing for the movie could have been a little better though. It wasn’t as bad as Aquaman clearly, but they could have cut some of the contrived Sivana origin stuff maybe, but I don’t know. Those scenes still had a purpose in the end so yeah it's a toss up.
I’ve read the New 52 book cover to cover on multiple occasions so where some of the story fluffing came in to play it felt jarring. It was inevitable to fill in the gaps and simplify the narrative but it still bugged me a little though.
Also, I really had a hard time buying the baby Billy scenes and his Mom. I get why they were there, but like, did they need to be? Like a few lines of dialogue would have also been fine, but I guess that final scene with his Mom was one of those pivotal points in the story too so I get it. It’s just that plot thread with his Mom may have been the weakest of the bunch but it was a necessary one. But naming her CC Batson was nice touch! :)
The rock of eternity set was incredible! From the Sins along the wall, to the big dumb lighting bolt poster! It wasn’t a kitschy/artsy version of the batcave or a spaceship fortress of solitude. It was the real deal! :D
And they freaking did Mister mind!!!! Oh my gosh!
Again, I need to reiterate that Will Smith’s Deadshot and Mister Mind now exist in the same universe what the actual heck! :P
Oh and I enjoyed the workaround when The Wizard referred to Black Adam and his people as just “The First Champion”. It worked and got the point across in a nice tidy way without saying “Hey remember like five years ago when we said we’d maybe kinda sorta cast Dwayne as The Reverse Shazam someday never?! ...uh yeah we’re not talking about that right now... he’s too busy hanging out with Jason and some other bald muscle-y fellas or like being a zoo keeper for a wolf with wings or something… yeah… we don’t know either...”
Can I say though, they made some bold choices with Dr Sivana! The dude is a super genius, so of course he’d find a way back to The Rock of Eternity! It was another neat work around from the source material for him to go head to head with The Wizard like that. Also this squeaky-clean glam and broody Sivana gave me the vibe that he belonged in a band and was “too cool for you” all the time.
I mean if we were to go comic book accurate Sivana, I still think either Wallace Shawn or Danny Devito would could have played him perfectly tbh, but over all, Mark Strong made an interesting new version out of him that I don’t really mind (though I still like his Sinestro WAAAAAY better!)
Another thing I really enjoyed about the movie was how the humor didn’t feel forced. It came up in good moments and didn’t kill the drama with quips, or wasn’t over saturated by lovey adored and never irritating topical 80s references.
“Stupid adult hands!” Loved it! :P
I also liked how they managed to squeeze in classic Batson phrases in an almost cynical way! Like bratty Billy would totally say Gee Whiz and Golly Mister ironically! It made so much sense and worked really well in execution!
Like yeah man... this movie just felt nice. Like it felt like what all these movies are trying to feel like. It was fun and emotional but dumb and also it new it was dumb but it still played with the genre in a fresh way. Here’s hoping we can get an appearance from Bulletman or some other Fawcett characters in the sequel :P
I know this ‘review’ was bit all over the shop but these are just the things I was thinking and I wanted to share them with you all! Plus, I’m just proud that one of my favorite superheroes got the best movie he could have gotten and that’s pretty great :)
ALSO HIS NAME IS CAPTAIN MARVEL AND I’LL FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH ME! I MEAN IT’S THE CAPTAIN MARVEL FAMILY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! THEN THERE’S CAPTAIN MARVEL JR AND MARY MARVEL AND UNCLE MARVEL! I MEAN UNCLE SHAZAM SOUNDS JUST AS DUMB BUT LIKE COME ON! THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY I HATE THE NEW 52 SO DARN MUCH! I MEAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD BECK NAMED THE WIZARD SHAZAM! HE CALLS UPON HIM FOR THE POWERS OF HIS MAGIC! LIKE HOW WOULD BILLY EVEN INTRODUCE HIMSELF TO ANYONE EVER LIKE I MEAN COME ON DID ANYONE THINK THIS THROUGH?! BILLY BATSON IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE CAPTAIN MARVEL AND YOUR WRONG IF YOU TRY TO CORRECT PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET LIKE ME… oh wait
Okay I’m done. Review’s over! Go home!
SHAZAM! :D
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You should check out my Patreon if you want to see even more Brickheadz! I've shared a bunch of photos on how I built Tawky Tawny's head and torso, some photos of all my Marvel Family BHz, plus a photo of my entire BHz collection on display (like no joke, every single one of them)!
Besides that, there's other behind the scenes posts shared every single week, like stuff that's not Brickheadz if they aren't your jam :)
So check it out ya mooks!
Also tell me what you thought of SHAZAM the movie! Let me know if it was any good or not and that I'm not just being biased! :P
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This old fella and his new kit was asking for it this morning....and he fucking got it a couple of waves later...only advice I can give you sir...work with the tide ....not against it...
So latest jack pic ask to what music do we listen and I think it could be nice to answer here
Well, I got many favorites song but if need to select one it will be believer-imagine dragons cause it representes me with that thing about pain and blah blah blah, my favorite singer will be twenty øne piløts, I like their letters and melody (lane boy) also I like Shawn Mendez a little I like stitches and treat you better
Old song will be hooked and feeling or sweet dreams
A song that I want for make and edit is young god, gasoline and treat you better from Halsey and Shawn Mendez (savifrost, yep I have an obsession)
"What's so scary about a supervillain?" You may ask, well, maybe it's the fact that this one isn't supposed to exist in real life, ok maybe that's not really scary, it is pretty cool though, and this guy does too. I pretty much based him off his general appearance, I edited a new Batman cowl which actually took a surprising amount of work, and I made his cape from paper.
“So what is your story?” Nahla asked while idly and in bored fashion flipped through a random book sitting upon one of the desks.
“I’m just an Elf.” Solarawen replied, eyes shifted slightly over her left shoulder to the tiefling. “Don’t touch that.”
“Well, to look at you one would guess that but there is something a bit more about you. I see the scars along your shoulders and hands, what caused those?” Of course not listening to being told to stop touching things, she continued to flip through the pages while plopped into one of the not so comfortable wooden chairs. A soft protest of a squeak came from her shoulder where a small primate did it’s best to hide from the large white owl upon the elf's shoulder. Though Thalk’s golden eyes never left the small morsel’s position. Solarawen closed the book she had in her hands, a hesitant glance at the scars spoken of before she placed the book back and pulled another. “I mean, if I am going to be doing work for you the least you could do is give me a little information.”
“Information you would then turn and sell to someone else? After I am paying you gold to give me information on others?” Her tone did not sound accusatory, in fact it was rather even and blase throughout most of the conversations Nahla had with her.
“Gold is easy for me to come by,” A slight wave of the tiefling’s hand to dismiss the idea. “I’m curious and want a story instead. Your story. I mean, it isn’t like anyone is going to ask about you. No one even knows you yet nor do they probably care to. You’re just some random student so far. And even if they did, What would I tell them? A pretty elf had some curiosity but lacked the social skills to get to know them? I’d probably die and your story would die with me in the process of asking around. So why not? It is all the payment I am asking for. I’d say that is fair.” There was a sigh, that caused a smirk to curl on Nahla’s lips. She knew that sigh well enough to know she was about to get what was asked for.
A clap of the book and Solarawen turned around walking over to the table with an expression that Nahla couldn’t quite read. It wasn’t exactly annoyance nor was it amusement. In fact, something about it seemed almost sinister or devious in a way. That couldn’t be right, elves weren’t like that. So she thought.
“So what do you want to know?” The question posed as she settled down in a chair across the table. “About the scars? Or about where I am from? You have my name and my general information already. What is it you so desire that you would refuse gold in turn?” The tiefling licked her lips and leaned forward. The book in front of her was already forgotten and shoved to the wayside.
“Tell me about the scars. I’ve not seen scars like those before. How did you get them?”
“By meddling in magic before I was ready.” Nahla’s eyes squinted at the answer.
“Come on… More details, please.” Another sigh and the tiefling’s smile would grow to show her pointed teeth.
“When I was young I fell in love with a male who, in turn, fell in lust with me. All he wanted to do was have relations. Meanwhile I was trying to think of a future we both could have. Perhaps the naive nature of a younger self. While he was feeling me up, I was planning children and a home. I was daydreaming about how the introduction of him to my family would go. While that introduction got postponed time and time again. His choice of course. Until it could no longer be postponed because I was with a child.” Nahla raised a brow but was now intently listening.
“Everyone in Silverymoon knows my family are purists. Only elven blood in the family. As it turned out, my… choice in a male partner was not full elven blooded. He knew this of course, but chose to have his fun and when it came to the consequences… Well, he did not want to face the wrath of my mother for a child that would be… impure.” By this point of the story Nahla’s features changed slightly. Brows furrowed and head tilted with a hint of confusion in the expression on her face. She’d never heard of such a thing. The elves she had met throughout her life, at least the ones above ground, seemed to be tolerant if not loving of all life.
“So, this… partial elf decided that instead of facing down life as an outcast with me… because I would be exiled due to my child of course and lose everything. He decided to attempt to erase his mistake. To defend myself and my child I attempted to protect myself with magic I had not yet mastered. My mother caught us in the midst of battle and threw a chain lightning spell. She couldn’t have known what it would have done. At least I tell myself that. She was just trying to separate us. It killed him.” Solarawen nodded slightly. “And the baby. It went through one of my hands and out the other, which is where these scars came from. Instead of having me healed she insisted that the marks be left as a lesson. To what, I am not sure of. She claimed to not attempt magic without properly studying it first. Of which is true, had I studied it things might have gone differently. I might have chosen different spells or just misty stepped away and escaped with my and my baby’s life.” There was an awkward silence that followed before Solarawen stood back up and returned to the shelves she had been looking through already.
“I’m so sorry, Solarawen…”
“Don’t be. You now know I am not a simple naive elven maiden. Now, to business. I want to know of all the deity priests and priestesses within waterdeep. Just general information. I am not one for detailed stories.”
“As you wish.” Nahla stood up and brushed herself off. Though she agreed to it, she most likely would not seek out Solarawen again. Something about her didn’t seem right, and that instinct was what kept the orange haired tiefling intact for most of her life thus far. “You’ve a pleasant evening.” A polite bow of her horned head as she started to make her way out of the tower library. Thalk’s golden eyes stayed upon her and her little friend until they rounded the corner of a bookshelf.
“You too.” Solarawen muttered into yet another book. She was not a fool. She knew she’d never see the tiefling again. She’d have to find another way to gather information.
. . . to see the pink cast! Me out on the deck with all the junk out there! No mistaking the pink! :)
Here is the description of how this is one as some of you are asking.
The glasses were attached to a piece of plexiglass on a slider that is slide to a stop at which point the water splashes. The water never splashes the same way twice and timing as I found out is key. Thanks to a friend of mine for sharing her set up and knowledge with me yesterday. Her slider was completely a DIY that her husband made for her.
All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 8 October 2015. Friend Sandy had asked if I wanted to go with her to join friends down at the Irrigation Canal in the city, for a birding walk. This was a long walk - three and a half hours - along both sides of the canal. As you can see in this image, it was a beautiful fall day with enough trees still dressed in gold to give some colourful reflections. The water level was very low, creating just a narrow strip of water with a wide mud bank on either side, that had attracted a number of Greater Yellowlegs and a single American Golden-plover. The latter was a new bird for me and, though I could only get a very distant, poor shot, I've posted it this morning. To me, a juvenile American Golden Plover looks so similar to a juvenile Black-bellied Plover (from photos I've seen), but the ID for the bird we saw was given as American Golden-plover. Much of the time, there were pale, dead grasses in the background and this bird was almost impossible to see.
I don't often see Hooded Mergansers and, when I do see one, it's always a long way away. They are quite spectacular ducks, especially the males, who have a crest at the back of their head and can raise this black and white "hood" or lower it (as in this photo). These two guys just did not want to raise their impressive crests.
"“Hooded” is something of an understatement for this extravagantly crested little duck. Adult males are a sight to behold, with sharp black-and-white patterns set off by chestnut flanks. Females get their own distinctive elegance from their cinnamon crest. Hooded Mergansers are fairly common on small ponds and rivers, where they dive for fish, crayfish, and other food, seizing it in their thin, serrated bills. They nest in tree cavities; the ducklings depart with a bold leap to the forest floor when only one day old." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_Merganser
The list of the 31 bird species seen (not all by me) from our leaders, Dan and David:
1. Canada Goose - 60+
2. Mallard - 150+
3. Northern Shoveler - 1
4. Green-winged Teal - 2
5. Hooded Merganser - 3 males
6. Common Merganser - 20+
7. Double-crested Cormorant - 4
8. Bald Eagle - 1, immature
9. Red-tailed Hawk - 1 (Harlan’s subspecies)
10. Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (4 dark phase, 1 light phase)
11. AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
12. Killdeer - 1
13. Greater Yellowlegs - 38+
14. Long-billed Dowitcher - 11
15. Ring-billed Gull - 400+
16. Herring Gull - 2
17. Rock Pigeon - 32+
18. Downy Woodpecker - 1
19. Hairy Woodpecker - 2
20. Northern Flicker - 2
21. Merlin - 2
22. Black-billed Magpie - 15+
23. American Crow - 6
24. Common Raven - 2
25. Black-capped Chickadee - 7
26. White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
27. American Robin - 8
28. European Starling - 18+
29. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2
30. American Tree Sparrow - 1
31. House Finch - 1
...if I ask people pose, if people pose neither I nor my camera see them as they are, open, natural and beautiful, as they are!
...so, I almost never ask, unless I have to.
Today, I spoke with a friend of mine that is twenty years my senior and we talked about important matters that shall remain to ourselves. I will say however, that I told him about my connection with nature and that I was always so moved by even the little things going on all about me.
He said that, "I was blessed to show reverence to God's great work".
I thought about that throughout the rest of my work day and thought it was a cool thing to say. Nature is pretty amazing and it certainly is a huge part of my life. Perhaps more important than I know :)
Asking the question... what if this had really happened in our history on a mass scale?
Models: PJ Walker and Horace Silver
This is an ASK 13 glider, registration D-4681, short before touchdown at Braunschweig, Germany (EDVE). This upload kicks off a short series of aviation pictures I took in Braunschweig in summer 1999 and summer 2000.
Taken with a Nikon F4E and a Sigma 400/5.6 AF ED attached, Ektachrome Elite 100, digitized from a print.
For those interested some data of the Schleicher ASK 13:
General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 8.18 m (26 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 16.00 m (52 ft 6 in)
Height: 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 17.5 m2 (188 ft2)
Aspect ratio: 14.6
Wing profile: Göttingen 535/549
Empty weight: 290 kg (640 lb)
Gross weight: 480 kg (1,060 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 200 km/h (125 mph)
Maximum glide ratio: 28
Rate of sink: 0.81 m/s (160 ft/min)
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
This truck parks in front of the house all the time even tho I have ask him to please not park there.. He comes to see Alan and I don't know if he's family or not but there are other places to park that doesn't block my view and mailbox.. One of these days he's gonna get in trouble because I'll tell him that I'm going to have it towed ... Happy Truck Thursday, Everybody!!!
Love Valley
The length of the Love Valley is 4900 meters. Although the entrance to the valley is not very suitable for vehicles, it is still accessible here. The moment you squeeze your teeth, you will be waiting for a beauty that will never regret you. Right after the landing, the water that comes in front will make your work difficult. However, the only time you have survived this short zone is to remove this pleasure. The most important feature of Cappadocia and the Love Valley and the elements that make this place wonderful are the fairy chimneys. Different sizes, colors, and even the impressive expression of light, these views will make you fall in love with yourself. It looks like the hats of the Smurfs we're fans of. Time travel between vineyards and fruit trees lasts approximately 2.5 hours. If you are accustomed to nature walks, you are sure to remember your moments happily after this region where you can finish in a short time with a slight tempo. But even if you say “I am not used to nature walking “, you will not even understand that you are tired of the beauty of the region. Whatever your choice, you will see it worth it.
This is another shot from the last batch of images from my D5100. Since I now switched to Canon as my 2.nd camera, I guess I will find out if it is the camera or the monkey behind it which causes problems.
The image was taken in Asker last week around sunset. I have previously posted a shot from this location which I like a lot.
www.flickr.com/photos/lars1387/8645966913/
Due to the fact that the sun sets behind some hills, the glorious last rays can not be captured in Asker.
Thanks for stopping by.
All comments are appreciated
Alastair asked me to help design a CD cover for him. This was one of the dozen or so I came up with.
I ask your indulgence twice.
First, I hope you will read this...please indulge me.
Second, an explanation of this photo needs your indulgence as well.
This has been a pretty bad year. From early spring the pandemic has dramatically limited...well...almost everything. My usual three-seasons daily driver, seen above, has remained parked and covered. Then, to add to the awfulness, on August 10 we had the almost armageddon-like inland hurricane -- derecho -- the 140mph winds of which destroyed so very much in my city. Driving a low-slung super sports car like this was LITERALLY impossible.
By my birthday, mid-October, we had already had three snowfalls, including one substantial one. These cars are not winter driving cars...nor are they much fun in the cold; we've already had too many sub-freezing temperatures.
So today...US election day...we got 'Indian Summer'. Temps into the 70s. Blue sky, bright sunshine. Who could resist taking the car out. Plus, by this date there are still likely to be some migrating waterfowl visiting the lake, so there I went, and had to take the car, top dropped.
Finally, over the last months we've been bombarded to the point of mania by all of the political advertisements and shenanigans. Getting out and escaping...first to the lake, and then on the road a bit...best medicine possible.
This weather is supposed to stay around for some days. Here's hoping. And I hope you enjoy the photo of of one my passions.
Life on earth is a temporary assignment.
The Bible is full of metaphors that teach the
brief, temporary, transient nature of life on
earth. Life is described as a mist, a fast runner,
a breath, and a wisp of smoke. The Bible says,
“For we were born but yesterday. . . . Our days on
earth are as transient as a shadow.”
To make the best use of your life, you must
never forget two truths: First, compared with
eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is
only a temporary residence. You won’t be here
long, so don’t get too attached. Ask God to
help you see life on earth as he sees it. David
prayed, “Lord, help me to realize how brief my
time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am
here for but a moment more.”
Repeatedly God’s Word compares life on
earth to temporarily living in a foreign country.
This is not your permanent home or final destination.
You’re just passing through, just
visiting earth. The Bible uses terms like alien,
pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler
to describe our brief stay on earth. David said,
“I am but a foreigner here on earth,” and St.
Peter explained, “If you call God your Father, live
your time as temporary residents on earth.”
- Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life