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Qutub Minar, at 74 meters, is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and the second tallest minar in India after Fateh Burj at Mohali. Qutub Minar, along with the ancient and medieval monuments surrounding it, form the Qutb Complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tower is located in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India. Made of red sandstone and marble, Qutub Minar is a 73 meter tall tapering tower with a diameter measuring 14.32 meters at the base and 2.75 meters at the peak. Inside the tower, a circular staircase with 379 steps leads to the top. Qutub Minar station is the closest station on the Delhi Metro.

 

In 1200 CE, Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate started construction of the Qutub Minar. In 1220, Aibak's successor and son-in-law Iltutmish added three storeys to the tower. In 1369, lightning struck the top storey, destroying it completely and Firoz Shah Tughlaq carried out restoration work replacing the damaged storey with two new storeys, made of red sandstone and white marble.

 

Qutub Minar is surrounded by several historically significant monuments, which are historically connected with the tower and are part of the Qutb Complex. These include the Iron Pillar of Delhi, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza, the Tomb of Iltutmish, Alai Minar, Ala-ud-din's Madrasa and Tomb, and the Tomb of Imam Zamin. Other minor monuments include Major Smith's Cupola and Sanderson's Sundial.

 

HISTORY

The construction of Qutub Minar was commissioned by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate in 1199 AD. The minar was built on the ruins of the Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika. Aibak's successor Iltutmish added three more storeys to complete the tower.

 

It has not been established with certainty whether Qutub Minar has been named after Qutbu l-Din Aibak, the emperor who commissioned its construction or Qutbuddin Bakhtiar kaki, the famous Sufi saint.

 

The culture of tower architecture was established in India before the arrival of the Turks. However, there is no evidence on record to confirm that the Qutb Minar was inspired or influenced by earlier Rajput towers. Numerous inscriptions in Parso-Arabic and Nagari characters in different sections of the Qutb Minar reveal the history of its construction. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351–89) and Sikandar Lodi (1489–1517).

 

The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, located to the north of Qutb Minar, was built by Qutbu l-Din Aibak in 1192. It is one of the earliest surviving mosque in the Indian subcontinent. Later, an arched screen was erected and the mosque was enlarged by Iltutmish (1210–35) and Ala-ud-din Khilji.

 

The topmost storey was damaged by lightning in 1368 A.D. and was rebuilt by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Firoz Shah Tughlaq built two floors one of which can be distinguished easily as it was built of white marble. In 1505, an earthquake damaged Qutb Minar and the damage was repaired by Sikandar Lodi. On 1 August 1803, a major earthquake again caused serious damage to Qutb Minar. Major Robert Smith of the British Indian Army renovated the tower in 1828 and installed a cupola to the top of Qutb Minar. The cupola was later taken down under instructions from Lord Hardinge, then Governor General of India and was installed to the east of Qutb Minar, where it rests now.

 

ARCHITECTURE

The Minar is made of red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an. The Minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated be balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. The minar tilts just over 60 cm from the vertical, which is considered to be within safe limits, although experts have stated that monitoring is needed in case rainwater seepage further weakens the foundation.

 

The nearby 7 meters high Iron Pillar from Gupta empire is a metallurgical curiosity. The pillar standing in the Qutb complex has Brahmic inscriptions on it and predates the Islamic minar.

 

ACCIDENT

Before 1974, the general public was allowed access to the top of the minar accessed through a narrow staircase. On 4 December 1981, 45 people were killed in the stampede that followed an electricity failure that plunged the tower's staircase into darkness. Most of the victims were children because, at the time school children were allowed free access to historical monuments on Fridays. Subsequently, public access to the inside of the tower has been banned.

 

IN POPULARE CULTURE

Bollywood actor and director Dev Anand wanted to shoot the song Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukar from his movie Tere Ghar Ke Samne inside the minar. However, the cameras in that era were too big to fit inside the tower's narrow passage, and the song was shot inside a replica of the tower instead. The site served as the pitstop of the second leg of the second season of The Amazing Race Australia, the Australian version of the Emmy-winning series The Amazing Race. This is the first Indian monument to have an E-ticket facility.

 

A picture of the minaret is featured on the Travel Cards issued by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. A recently launched start-up in collaboration with Archaeological survey of India has made a 360 degree walkthrough of Qutub minar available.

 

WIKIPEDIA

At the entrance to Acadian Village. I was the only person polking around!

At the Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay during Sakura Matsuri floral display,

At some time in its past, probably while it was part of the Royal Naval Dockyards and during the World Wars I would guess, this doorway appears to have been used for target practice, as those are bullet holes in the surrounding masonry!

 

This round headed doorway is the tower's entrance, and opens onto a small mural lobby, which gives access to a porter's recess, the stair foot and the vaulted basement. This last has had an entresol timber floor, the corbels for which remain.

 

The first floor contained the Hall, which also had a lofty barrel vault, with corbels for another entresol or half-floor. The windows are small and have had stone seats. The large window seen in the previous photo is a 17th century addition. The entresol at this level had its own garderobe with stone seat, in the thickness of the walling. The floor above is not vaulted, but has mural chambers. The garret storey above is roofless.

At Girard, we pick up SEPTA Route 15, operated by PCC II trolleys. Here, trolley #2336 pauses at a stop light. The Girard Street line is operated exclusively by a fleet of PCCs.

At Knocky, 5 ish Saturday

At Login depot.

Think this is R160LDE, new 3/1998. Volvo B10M-62 (48883). Plaxton Premiere 320 (8455) C49Ft

 

Volvo B7R (105446) Plaxton (X6037) C55F, new 9/2005

  

At Predannack on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. March 22nd 2009.

At the muck diving site in Botany Bay, which my dive buddy Gaetano and I frequent, these tube worms - likely annelids - are frequently seen.

 

By Pacificklaus Photography, 2012.

Enjoy more of my photography in "Sex, Drugs and Scuba Diving".

Y112 at Newport Workshops west block during the Steamrail open day

Monday at Carnevale is my favorite day of the whole Carnevale. Arsenale, San Zaccaria, and San Giorgio Maggiore - I was exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel - but it was worth it.

 

The model and photographer group meeting at Arsenale, an old Naval fortress, is one of the best events of the Venice Carnevale. It's always a great experience. I think over 100 models in all types of costumes took part in the event, and even more photographers. I ended up shooting with a number of models in back alleys and lanes - much better lighting, colors, and cool backdrops. I even had a chance to meet several photographers in person that I've been following on Facebook - very nice people but I doubt I'll ever be in their league.

 

After the shoot ended I treated myself to a Spritz and it almost knocked me out. I relaxed for a few hours near San Zaccaria and then went to San Giorgio Maggiore to catch the sunset shoot - what a great way to end the day. Incredible turnout and a nice sunset to boot. Life is good!

 

I took these photos in February 2019.

LEICA M4, VOIGTLANDER 40MM, AGFA?

At Grand Bay Middle School in (you guessed it) Grand Bay, Alabama

Outspoken event at the Southbank Centre in London. Poetry and music from various artists held at the Purcell Room.

 

These photos are of Kadija Kamara a friend of mine who is a rising musical star.

 

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All photographs © Andrew Lalchan

GST day at Flitton Moor removing Himalayan Balsam 18/7/2017 TL0536

Subject: Next Tuesday's Task

Hi All,

I hope you’ve all stopped itching from the nettle stings on Tuesday!

Next Week’s task will be balsam pulling downstream from Flitton Moor and will be led by Andrew (his last day). The site is accessible from Flitton Moor, so meet at the barn at Flitton Moor at 10am (map attached).

The good news is that there are nowhere near as many nettles as at Sandy Smith but there is plenty of balsam and it’s along steep-sided river/ditch banks and the only way to deal with it will be to get in! Fortunately, the water doesn’t look too deep!

Andrew will bring waders to the task but it might be a good idea if everyone could bring wellies – there might be some areas where wellies might be better than cumbersome waders.

There will also be some brush-cutting.

Regards,

Tim

Hello balsam pullers

A thank you from us to whoever removed the doggy doo doo bag on our behalf. We lost track of it when the bags were moved downstream and then forgot to look for it as we left. It wasn't there when Baz went back for it this evening so we must presume a kindly soul disposed of it on our behalf.

The list of emails above is a bit thin - people certainly on task but we don't have emails for them all, e.g. Barbara & Derek. Please forward to anyone you see is missing from our list.

See you soon

Jane & Baz (irresponsible dog minders)

Hi Jane & Baz & fellow Voles

Lola's bag was there when I came back to get my water/tea.

Anyway what a day, even though the gang finished earlier than usual it was just as well. It was boiling hot and very sticky. You were all a bit smelly too but you were magnificent in victory. I shall not forget Jim's giant leap and wrestle with several big stands of HB across a ditch filled mainly with un-fathomed amounts of ooze covered by a layer of Equisetum (Horsetail) or hearing about Jim's vanishing into another pool where they had to call the RNLI to drag him ashore. Or the happy look on Merv's face relating the joy of submerging into the same primordiall ooze or Dave & others who gallantly waded from Flitton Bridge toend of the track. Then there was Maryla, determined to get her full wack of HB in the 1&1/2 hours available to he, roped on a very steep bank grabbing each plant with a wicked glee, take that you naughty naughty HB you. Well you get my drift, the Voles were down and dirty but unbowed.

A bit of the atmosphere in my snaps at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Sadly we had to say farewell to Andrew who has moved on to pastures drier than Flitton Moor.

Take care & see you next week?

JP (Pitzy)

Lovely coffee shop on Brick Lane - great atmosphere with everyone bunched in together. Plus wifi access so we could get my friend's new iPhone registered online via my laptop (she doesn't have internet at home yet).

 

A little while earlier in the afternoon I met Gilbert and George.

EB Z train on the UP with a KCS Belle 3rd out at MP 217 east of Beaver IA on the Boone Sub.

At Shuler's BBQ in Latta, South Carolina.

at Saturday Market, October 1, 2016

At the end of Lower High Street is this pedestrian subway / underpass. With colourful art work.

 

Probably added in the last few years.

 

At the top of Stourbridge Town Centre. Above is the ring road carrying Bath Road.

 

In the triangle between Bath Road, High Street and St John's Road.

 

Back through here again.

 

Rocks amongst the trees.

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1754 m above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park.

 

The lake's abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have also been introduced.

 

The lake's level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. In 2013, the lake received an alarming increase in the water levels that led to the migration of flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search for food supply.

 

Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in the Maasai language. Lake Nakuru National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961. It started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs.

At the European Parliament in Brussels, in the heart of the EU, first-year Master in Management students at ESCP Europe Business School experience a unique moment in their student career: the Start@Europe two-day study trip.

 

Representing 52 nationalities, 850 students from the six ESCP Europe campuses come together to role-play as Members of the European Parliament. Find out more: bit.ly/2zafM3X

A clear night at Crewe station in September 1984, and pioneer Class 40 no. 40122, aka D200, stands outside the diesel depot. Photographed with an Olympus OM10 camera with the aid of a tripod.

At Kalam, which is 32 km from Bahrain and about (2,072 metres/6,800 feet) above sea level, the valley opens out into a fertile plateau. This is the place in Swat Valley that has warranted the title ”Switzerland of Asia”.

 

Discover more: tourswat.com/kalam/

Class 09 09018 was used fro a rare lines charter at the Bluebell Railway on 1st September 2013. Here she departs from platform 4/5 at Horsted Keynes on route to East Grinstead.

Boeing 737/8 of Xiamen Airlines at Bangkok-BKK, Thailand, 03/03/20.

Trees at Century College Stormwater Education Island in the West Campus parking lot after 5 growing seasons.

 

The 10 trees are supported by 270 Silva Cell frames and 810 Silva Cell decks that were installed in summer 2009, shortly before tree planting. The Silva Cells are also an integral component of the stormwater management that takes place on the site, which functions as a stormwater education island with educational signage on-site to inform students and the public of the stormwater management taking place before their eyes, and beneath their feet.

 

The trees each receive 810 cubic feet of soil, which also function to store stormwater that enters into the system via a storm inlet in the parking lot north of the island as well as through the porous concrete around the trees and porous pavers and asphalt surrounding the island. Read more about the stormwater dimension to this project in this case study.

 

This project was awarded the MN ACEC Grand Award and the MSPE Seven Wonders of Engineering Award.

At Villa Limonitsa, Tsilivi, Zakynthos.

www.redcarpetreportv.com

 

Mingle Media TV and our Red Carpet Report host, Kristyn Burtt, were at the Art of Television Costume Design Exhibition Hosted by Television Academy and FIDM last night to speak with Emmy Nominees about their creations and to FIDM’s spokesperson, and fashion designer, Nick Versos.

 

The exhibition honors the work of this year's Emmy®-nominated Costume Designers, Costume Supervisors and Assistant Costume Designers. Highlighted with Emmy-nominated costumes from 9 television shows, the exhibition includes over 100 costumes from a total of 24 shows.

 

The FREE exhibit will be open from Tuesday, August 21, 2018 through Saturday, October 6, 2018. Hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday/Monday. For more info visit www.FIDMmuseum.org

 

Outstanding Period Costumes

The Alienist

The Crown

Genius: Picasso

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outlander

 

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes

 

Game of Thrones

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Westworld

 

Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming

 

Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert

 

Emmy-Nominated Costume Designers:

Sharen Davis, Westworld

Cynthia Summers, A Series of Unfortunate Events

Sonu Mishra, Genius: Picasso

Paul Tazewell, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert

Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:

 

twitter.com/TheRedCarpetTV

www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV

www.youtube.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

 

About THE TELEVISION ACADEMY’S Art of Television Costume Design

12th annual “Art of Television Costume Design”exhibit featuring more than 100 Costumes from 24 Featured Shows that reflect a total of 121 Emmy Nominations. See them and other fan favorites at FIDM / Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

 

For more of Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report coverage, please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook here:

www.minglemediatv.com

www.flickr.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

www.twitter.com/minglemediatv

 

Follow our host Kristyn on Twitter at twitter.com/KristynBurtt

At the conference we all got to create our own balloon waiters. Here they are all lined up ready to serve.

This photo of Milo & me was taken at Christmastime 2005, our last one together, so it turned out. He was an amazing little dog....

 

Milo came into our family when he was 7 weeks old. I had no intentions of having a Jack Russell Terrier...I guess because it seemed to be the trendy or typical thing to do if you were an equestrian and I don't usually follow the crowd. My blacksmith told me one day when he was shoeing my horse, that his mother-in-law's JRT was due to have pups soon and he gave me her number to call. Not understanding why he insisted even after I told him I didn't want a pup...I held onto the number anyway.

 

So of course I called her eventually, when the pups were around 3 weeks old. There were 5 puppies, all of them mostly white with black markings on their heads/faces, except the largest one, who had beautiful caramel markings on his head/face and on his body. I brought my son Josh with me to see the puppies and he actually chose that one pup out of the 5 to be the one we would take, if we should decide to get one. The dogs' owner took note and tentatively held him for us in case we decided to add a JRT to our menagerie. A couple weeks later we went back to visit the pups again and the owner told us that another person wanted the same pup and offered her double the amount of money for him but she had refused the offer because she had been saving him for us. Good thing, because we had already fallen in love with him.

 

He was originally named "Frasier" by the breeder but Josh and I decided he should be either "Mickey" or "Milo". At that time there had recently been a movie released titled "The Adventures of Milo & Otis" which is how he thought of it, even though it was actually the cat in that film named Milo. It was shortly thereafter that someone brought to our attention the movie "The Mask" that had a JRT named Milo in it. No matter, most of our Milo's movie references were to "Wishbone" anyway. I'd no idea how popular the Jack Russell Terrier breed had become until then.

 

The next couple of weeks were hard to get through as we waited eagerly for the time to come and bring our new baby home. There, we had 2 horses, a Blue-Tick Coonhound, a cat, a guinea pig, a couple of chinchillas, a bird, and probably some other critters like mice or fish at the time. We always had pets of different sorts. Adding a puppy would surely be a challenge but wouldn't make that much difference in the scheme of things. Or so I thought.

 

Milo was from the start, a most endearing character. Full of life, personality, sense of humor, charisma, energy, loyalty, and compassion. I'd never known a dog so smart or so tuned in to the people around it before he came along. Our family went through a lot of major life changes during his lifetime. We moved far away from our home state, then again twice more. The kids grew up and left home, and he was with me through my empty nest syndrome. He really was my best friend. Ever the muse, he was the topic of a popular informative entertaining website "Magnificent Milo's Doghouse" for a few years and developed an online presence that brought him a bit of 'celebrity' status in real life dog circles.

 

When he was 9, he had his first grand mal seizure. I had told our local veterinarian a year prior to this event that Milo seemed to be acting 'off'. His head was tilting to the right, he was oddly twitching occasionally, his gait had become abnormal and he sometimes acted as if he had headaches. The vet didn't believe in my theory that he may have a brain tumor so he ignored it, even after that first seizure occurred. He said that it is highly unusual for a dog to have a brain tumor and that we should just wait it out and not go "chasing zebras".

 

One day when I was up in Gainesville, Florida to visit my daughter, I had driven by the Veterinary College there and got an idea to call them to ask for advice. I spoke to a neurologist there who after hearing me describe his symptoms for only a minute that she suspected Milo had a meningioma of his right forebrain. She told me that they could do an MRI to find out and if that he did have a meningioma that they could do a procedure called Stereotactic Cyberknife Brain Surgery to treat it. People also get meningiomas and have them treated this way but it was something new to offer it for treatment in animals.

 

The MRI proved her theory correct and we set him up for the pioneering treatment protocol that had only been used on about 60 animals in the world thus far. He had to go in for a CT scan as well pre treatment to set alignments on the equipment for the Cyberknife surgery. There were no incisions made. The procedure consisted of anesthesia so that Milo would not move during the treatment. The procedure is essentially a series of multiple thin and pointed rays of radiation that aim directly at the center of the tumor so that the radiation does not destroy any healthy, neighboring brain tissue.

 

Milo was given a timeline of 6 months' to 3 years' extension on his lifespan. He gained 9 more months. Even though meningiomas are not considered malignant, they can cause death because they put pressure on the brain, causing many other problems. A tumor on the meninges (which is the membrane around the brain that holds the cerebrospinal fluid in) grows in a spider legs like fashion which makes it difficult to eradicate completely. The thin extensions (legs) cannot be radiated successfully without damaging the meningeal tissue itself. Therefore, those parts of the tumor remain and enable the tumor to regrow after treatment.

 

Some patients are good candidates for secondary treatments of meningiomas but Milo was not. Even though he had the surgery, he had to remain on anti seizure meds. He had been on Phenobarbital for over a year to control his seizures and the medicine was taking its toll on his liver. The doctors switched him over to Potassium Bromide as an alternative method to control seizures, but this medicine gets processed through the kidneys. Milo had a mild chronic kidney disease since he was 2 that deteriorated further as he aged. He started on a special diet for his kidneys when he was 8, which helped him tremendously. However, the Potassium Bromide could only be a short term treatment for the seizures because of its ill effect on his kidneys. The only other option for the seizures was going back on Phenobarbital, despite the damage it had done to his liver. My hope is that there will one day be more options for treatment of seizures. Sadly, we ran out of choices for keeping Milo healthy and had to euthanize him during his last, fateful seizure.

 

Multiple organ failure due to the effects of the tumor as well as the medicines is what essentially claimed his physical being. But, it is his undying presence in spirit that keeps him alive in my heart. I feel so fortunate to have been blessed with him in my life for the time he could be here. He did have some times in his last year when he was not feeling well, but amazingly, considering his circumstances, he led a very active and happy life despite it all. He loved going for rides in the car, the dog parks, playing tennis, doing agility, walking, doing tricks, and having his photo taken. This photo is not the best quality, technically speaking and he wasn't giving his typical 'smile'...... but it is priceless in that Milo insisted on me picking him up to be in the photograph, even though I didn't want to on account of being in a hurry, and my dressy outfit. We were on our way out to see the Imperial Symphony Orchestra in their Christmas production when we decided to quickly snap a few photos of all of us in our fancy attire. I remember telling Milo to 'wait' while we got through the first images and then I caved in to his persistence, swept him up into my arms and got this memorable shot, thankfully.

 

I say, just enjoy every little aspect that you possibly can of each situation. It is true, you really never know what tomorrow brings. Don't be afraid to love completely, to give unselfishly, to be as true and real as you may be, to abandon your guard courageously, to "feel" honestly, or to be as human as maybe even your own little dog exemplifies. Life, for what it brings is perhaps bittersweet at times, but so worthy of the living! May you all be blessed at some point in your life with a grand friend like Milo :)

  

At my mom's wedding. My daughter, Chloe and I. #flybywedding September 12, 2015 at 11:49AM flic.kr/p/yKx1ME

At 110km long, Shell Beach is one of only two beaches in the world made completely out of shells.

 

The shells on this beach are all the small cockle species Fragum erugatum.

 

The beach forms a sustainable resource as the shells concrete together and are cut out in blocks and used as a naturally insolating building material.

 

Shell Beach, Shark Bay, WA.

47293 passes Milton Keynes Central with a southbound tanker train on 5 June 1993. The tank wagons are very distinctive and I'm sure somebody can identify the working. 47293 was another 47 that only ever carried two numbers. New as D1995 in April 1966 it was withdrawn from BS in January 1999 and cut up at EMR Kingsbury in July 2007.

I thought I got there too late. My feet were placed squarely on the blacktop parking lot at one of my favorite soul places, a space I have been to recently but haven’t been to, ever, to simply be and write.

 

Sam and I used to come here during his home school day to collect wood and explore and we still come here so he can ride on the tire swing and we can throw rocks into the river. We have explored the area fully and know it pretty well from those moments, but I wanted to come to know this place intimately by connecting to it quietly, with my body connected to its body, my soul connected mindfully to its center.

 

The autumn-colored leaves I would kick away from the foot path were long gone, returned to the Earth. Their crunchy selves had surrendered completely and I had missed that process.

 

Then I stepped into a spot off the path, by a small stream to sit and write and I realized I hadn’t missed the process at all. I stepped onto what looked like Earth and instead, I was stepping into a pile of leaves that was choosing to merge with the soil. My choice to take a moment or two or sixty to be in a space of quiet soulfulness was graciously allowing me to become a part of the process, too.

 

I discovered how deeply they had piled themselves up, creating a soft sofa and pillows just for me so that I could sit upon them and experience them, their luscious returning-to-dirt-scent. They seemed to giggle as I sat down with my paper and pink notepaper and trusty black mirado warrior and started to move it, contentedly, along the page.

 

In that moment it was as if the leaves hugged me, welcoming my reality to rise up and meet my longing, leftover from months ago when I was in a time of profound sadness, a time when I wasn’t able to settle into their crackly, crisp newly fallen selves. Instead, I got to sit upon their softened not quite moist selves.

 

It was then that I heard the unsurrendered leaves, the ones still on the trees that pushed against one another, applauding my return. It is like those leaves held on, bravely, past their amber-golden time to their withered crusty selves so I could hear my message.

 

Divinity says, “Be with me. Trust. Follow my lead. Don’t try so hard, but do know the strategy that works best, beloved one.”

 

I felt an exclamation point rise up as two trucks rumbled past and the wind blew and suddenly I was aware that my stomach was telling me of its hunger.

 

The exclamation was part celebration as I heard the words “Beloved one!” and knew Divinity meant me.

 

I sat, still, for a moment, just being with the leaves and the trees and the water. I heard a frog singing her song. I smiled in gratitude.

 

I wrote:

 

Sometimes surrender comes quickly and sometimes the holding on, like the crusty withered leaves held on, is the surrender. It is in the unknowing of whether or not its right or wrong and being ok with it no matter which way the judgment or comparison lands that holds the power of truth.

 

Today, do I go deeper? I asked. Do I go further on the path, closer to the larger parts of the river, or did I get what I was supposed to get here, on my leaves-turning-to-dirt sofa.

 

I smelled the leaves below me, supporting me. I heard the wind play my ears like a drum and the grass and leaves pirouetting and doing a grande jete or many grande jetes. I watched a plane use the air as a mattress. A man with a grey covered hood covering his head and speckled deck shoes covering his feet walked silently behind my surrendered leaf throne.

 

SUVs and pick up trucks a stone’s throw away rumbled past, separated by steel from all this wonder right here, oh so close.

 

Did any of the drivers or passengers capture the bright pink of my shirt out of the corner of their eye, strikingly out of context in this place I sat, deeply entrenched in awe?

 

It doesn’t matter whether they do or do not, but I prayed for each of them anyway.

 

I realized then that although I hadn’t gone deeper on the path, I had gone deeper.

 

My heart was swollen with joy.

 

I wasn’t too late. I was right on time.

 

Mclaren M8F Can Am Sportscar.

 

All of photographs published here are copyright © Anthony Fosh All Rights Reserved. They may not be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or the Internet without my written permission

Me on a recent bike ride to my old High School. Back then it was called John K. Ossi - Burlington County Vocational-Technical High School or Ossi Vo-Tech for short.

khartoum, sudan, africa

early 1976

 

street life, omdurman

 

part of an archival project, featuring the photographs of nick dewolf

 

© the Nick DeWolf Foundation

Image-use requests are welcome via flickrmail or nickdewolfphotoarchive [at] gmail [dot] com

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