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Balancing Rocks in the Ottawa River.
Remic Rapids Park is situated on the shore of the Ottawa River, Ottawa, Canada.
To enhance the park’s beauty, artist John Felice Ceprano has created balanced rock sculptures on the river’s edge since 1986. The artist uses fossilized and colourful rocks found on the shore to build these sculptures by hand. They provide a free and exploratory public art experience that complements the park’s natural setting.
"smile on saturday" theme "balancing act".
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT AND FAVES
ON THE REACTIONS I WILL TRY TO RESPOND BACK
With such long legs and an uncooperative tree limb, it takes a balancing act to find the perfect perch to rest upon.
I’ve been collecting beach glass for as long as I can remember!
Piled up for Smile on Saturday theme, Balancing Act.
HSoS 😊
Brought to you By Mamere and CORDEWA!
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[Mamere] Globe Water Bottle - Dispenser decoration globe that includes a holdable glass with animated or static bento poses. originally for Cosmopolatin event can now be found @ Main Mamere Store
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CORDEWA Unisex Idol Set - Fatpack includes 3 jacket Textures, 5 Jean Colours, 5 shoe colours with 2 laces and Sock HUD options and 5 metals as well as Show/Hide options for the socks.
Babies act out when they're hungry, cold, tired. They do this for survival.
Marilu Henner
Waxwing birds are not true long-distance migrants, but wander erratically outside the breeding season and move south from their summer range in winter. In poor berry years huge numbers can erupt well beyond their normal range, often in flocks that on occasion number in the thousands.
A new Waxwing family in the tree about 50' outside our balcony.
My wife caught this one!
"I vanish into poetry as the sunlight mingles with the mist
I spy a boat across the water as I greet the sunrise in a lover's tryst." - AP (inspired by Oleg)
Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaouEHiuuYM
VANISHING ACT - LOU REED
FLOAT IN TO A MIST
Take me now
while I am up
while I am down
while I have happy news to read
and sad news that I found
let me float into a mist
and vanish from the Earth
let me fly above the clouds
and see below the fields where birth
and death flow side by side
like the strongest river and sea of yellow flowers
and hope and faith walk hand in hand
show me how this promised land
softens and hardens beneath my feet
like sand and toffee apples cracked
and parched and suffocating defeat
self-deprecating and all I lacked
was time to heal
and time to be me
to run and laugh
to fly high and free
but you gave me an anchor to my life
and you gave me free will
and I squander these gifts
and I still get ill
but who is there who will take my hand
and who is there left who will understand
that here on earth is the promised land
but we break our promises
like we break the wind
and we take the love for granted
and give so little back and so much binned
what becomes of the seeds that are never planted
I could tell you I was sorry
I could try to make it right
but I don't deserve the chance
my broken wings are ever-ready for fight or flight
so let me go now gently
let me float into the mist
it's too little
it's too late
to wonder if I will be missed
what will make me happy
what will make me smile
I give to you my everything
I run that extra mile
but nothing that I do can ever
make up for the gaps
the silences
the way I run
the things in me that don't relax
so now I sit here crying
but am I crying for you or me
I do not like pity in any form
life and love is such a mystery
and I feel like first night in dorm
homesick lovesick puppy dog tales
and tears trickling like Niagara
Falls and fools and spout like whales
the little lies you whispered to me
were the sweetest and the ones that cut
and for all I know that I am foolish
I could see we were wedged deeply in a rut
but what is the answer I do not know
I have no purpose or place to go
yet I find myself dreaming and distancing like
Virginia Woolf in sheep's clothing
pockets ladened heavily as the shroud
shrink wraps around me the fear and the loathing
loses it's lofty wafty transparency
as I float into a mist to meet my destiny
and the mist is half of mistake
and the other half is take
and I hope for goodness sake
I will come to my senses before I wake
oh why do so many words sound the same
but when they are written look really quite different
I am just as I am but “somehow different” (Thank you Dieter)
and I remain just the same I am not indifferent
but in or out or roundabout
all roads lead to Rome or roam
spinning the wheel and tossing the dice
a spinning wheel's yarn twined hearts to bring them home
and now I am at the water's edge
my barefeet stepping into the foam
who will prevent me will it be a mistake
as I float into a mist
the earth beneath my feet doth shake
as I float into a mist …
- AP - Copyright © remains with and is the intellectual property of the author
Copyright © protected image please do not reproduce without permission
Contrary to the poignant emotions evoked in my poem, I am pleased to say that the feeling was fleeting as are all emotions aren't they ; 0) I would like to share with you some good news.
On my birthday I received from my doctor long-awaited news. Earlier this year I underwent a small procedure and a biopsy was taken. I was told to expect cancer and now I learn that it is benign, so I am once again thanking God for a miracle. If I had to store my miracles in a box, I would require a very big box! : 0) I have a small scar from the stitches. It's a bit bumpy still, but is fading already. I like to touch this scar and remind myself of all the joys in my life and all the love and light that surrounds me and how each and every day is a miracle.
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili...
If you're interested, you'll find a more detailed closeup here (it's the 8th photo from the top): www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi...
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (it's very brief but pretty unusual: a tiny wall lizard attacks two young great tits): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQqkSsyrm7E
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: MY LONG AND ARDUOUS JOURNEY TO BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
If you've set yourself the challenge of exclusively shooting the wildlife in your own back yard, you might find - as I did - that bird photography is really, really hard.
It's not that reptiles are easy to photograph either, mind - but at least the ones in my garden stay (for the most part) on the ground, and one can learn how to carefully approach them with a camera. They're also clearly egoists, which from a photographer's point of view is is a great character trait: if a lizard detects a human in its vicinity, it's only interested in saving its own skin, and it won't alarm its buddies.
But birds... oh man. Over the years, my feathered friends and I have developed a lovely routine that now defines our peaceful co-existence. As soon as I as much as open a window (let alone the door), I'm instantly greeted by an eruption of panicky fluttering and hysterical shouts from my garden: "SAVE YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND FLY FOR YOUR LIVES: THE HAIRLESS, PINK MONSTER IS COMING!!! (Yes, I speak bird, and I know that this is exactly what they are shouting 😉).
Needless to say, with the exception of the redstart I already showed here, all my efforts to get the kind of detailed shots I usually strive for with my nature photography ended in complete failure and utter disillusionment. I was ready to give up on stalking the winged misanthropes in my garden altogether, but then winter came - and changed everything.
One day this past January I observed my neighbor Signora P - a kind, elderly Italian lady - putting something on the low garden wall in front of my house. At first I thought she was just putting some treat there for her cat Romeo; the young tom patrols that wall constantly (it's his favorite spot in the garden, and during the warmer months he usually lurks in the thick foliage next to it to prey on lizards).
But once I detected a lot of movement on that wall through my window, I understood she had put a little pile of bread crumbs there; she was feeding the birds who soon arrived in flocks. This was certainly well-intended on my neighbor's part, but her noble action came with a catch, and I'm afraid quite literally.
When I took a stroll through my garden the next day I discovered a suspicious amount of feathers on the ground next to the wall. Romeo had apparently switched from his low-calorie summer diet (lizard) to more energy-rich meals consisting of "fowl" (it was winter after all, so from a nutritionist's point of view this made sense).
I would find fresh traces of Romeo's victims (mostly feathers, but also the odd wing) in my garden over the following days; so my first intuition that my neighbor was feeding her cat hadn't been that far off after all, as Romeo was now clearly being "served" fresh birds on a daily basis. And although the hungry visitors seemed to be aware of the danger and became slightly more prudent, they just couldn't resist the tasty snacks Signora P put on that wall - and neither could Romeo.
It was obvious that I had to act, but talking to my neighbor - who is as stubborn as she is kind - would have been futile, I knew that much. I pondered the matter long and hard - until a light bulb went off in my head. The idea was genius. If successful, what I had in mind would not only increase the birds' chances of surviving Romeo's appetite, but also greatly benefit my own photographic endeavors.
I started to enact my master plan the very next day by buying a giant bag of bird feed (consisting mainly of sunflower seeds) from the store. Then I dragged a huge piece of a tree trunk (approx. 120 cm in height) that we normally chop firewood on in the shed out into the garden and emptied almost half of the bag's content on top of it. Signora P's buffet for birds (and cats) was about to get some serious competition 😊.
My reasoning was as follows: not only would the birds be lured away from the fatally low garden wall to a place where they were safe from the cat - there was nothing around that tree trunk that provided cover for a predator, and the birds had a nice 360° view around it at all times - but I was also able to photograph them while hiding in the shed.
However, in order for my plan to work there was one little extra measure I had to take, and it was one that risked lowering my own life expectancy considerably once the owner of the property - my mom - discovered it. You see, our shed is completely windowless, so if I wanted to use it as a blind, I had no choice but to cut a hole into one of its wooden walls... which I promptly did (I figured all's fair in love - and photography 😉).
Granted, I have absolutely zero carpentering skills, and it showed. That hole was an ugly mess: the shed's wall seemed to have had an encounter with Jack Nicholson's ax-wielding lunatic character from the film 'The Shining'. Needless to say, I was incredibly proud of my work (I mean, come on: there now was a hole where before there wasn't a hole, and it was big enough for the lens of my camera to peek through, so it was mission accomplished as far as I was concerned).
Now all I had to do was wait for the birds to discover the tree trunk. In the meantime I started to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable confrontation with my mom and go through possible explanations for that splintering hole in the wall (it was either gonna be a rabid woodpecker attack or an emergency rescue mission with a feeding tube for a little kid that had accidentally locked himself inside the shed - both seemed valid options, though I slightly preferred the locked-in kid due to the involved drama and heroism 😉).
A whole day went by, and not a single bird visited the sunflower seeds. I had expected that it might take a few hours until the first of the ever curious great tits or blue tits would show up, but given how tiny my garden is, an entire day seemed excessive. Then another day came and went: the birds kept flocking to the bread crumbs on the wall, and my tree trunk kept collecting dust. To add injury to insult, a few fresh feathers on the ground were proof that Romeo was still feasting.
It was incredibly frustrating: I provided my winged guests with a much better view - plus a higher chance of surviving the cuisine - than Signora P's place; I risked (almost) certain death at the hands of my own mother (OK, the act of vandalism on the shed I had committed for my own benefit, but still), yet the birds kept ignoring me.
Then, after three days, just before sunset, I spotted a single blue tit on the tree trunk picking away at the sunflower seeds.
When I got up the next morning I immediately realized that the loud noise that accompanies each and every tit activity had shifted from the wall to the shed. At last the dam had broken: there was a flurry of movement around the tree trunk, and I counted at least 5 different species of birds feasting on the sunflower seeds.
From day 4 onward my plan worked beautifully: the birds now indeed mostly ignored Romeo's "snack wall" and kept to the tree trunk. And yes, I was able to play peeping tom from behind the shed's wall and photograph them!! 😊
Thus, dear readers, I finally managed to produce some acceptable bird photos, and I had even saved my feathered friends from a deadly foe in the process. All through winter and spring I took advantage of my new bird hide, and in late May I started mixing some cherries with the sunflower seeds. The idea was to attract a Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), and as you can see, it worked!
It took me almost three weeks and more than a few tricks to capture that clever fella, but given how long I've been rambling here already, that's a story for another day. As for my mom, she still doesn't know about the hole in the wall, so please don't snitch! 😉.
I hope you like the photo and wish you all a wonderful weekend! Many greetings from Switzerland, and as always: let me know what you think in the comments 🙏 😊 ❤!
P.S. if anyone has their own funny tale about the obstacles we photographers are prepared to overcome for a desired photo, please write it in the comments: I love such stories 😊
I am what I am, full of flaws, full of wrongs. I speak my mind too much and hurt people I have never even met. I do it as a defense act, I think. I feel threatened and react that way.
I say what I think, and I often make huge mistakes. but this is me. the only way i can avoid hurting you is by ignoring you.
St George in the East
Situated in Cannon Street Road, Whitechapel, London E1 0BH.
It was built between 1714 and 1729 with the funding from an Act of Parliament. It is one of the six London churches designed and built by famous architect Nicholas Hawksmoor.
The church was very expensive to build, at the cost of nearly £20k, it was designed to seat over 1,000 people.
In and around 1800, major work was done on the entrance steps. In 1820 a new vault was added, also the churchyard was drained. In 1829 the church was re-roofed. In 1871, box pews were removed in order to install new seating.
In 1880, 5 Venetian glass mosaics were installed in the apse, illustrating passion and resurrection scenes. The organ which was in poor state had to be rebuilt and between 1881-1886 this was completed by the firm Gray and Davidson.
In 1941 during the blitz the church received a direct hit from a bomb. The interior was destroyed by a severe fire that swept through the building. Fortunately the walls and towers survived intact. The mosaics were also saved but had to be restored.
A new interior was completed in 1964, designed by Arthur Bailey. The design, a much more simple plan.
Scenes from the film ‘The Long Good Friday’ were filmed in and around the churchyard.
This Collared Dove struggled negotiating the fence...first time I've seen one with brown eyes - garden
Not sure who this is, but the pose is fantastic. Obviously, I shouldn't come any closer than this... Really made my day! (Squirrels-2021-8015.jpg)
Balancing Act - Pulled this image from 6 years ago. Not a subject I photograph frequently, but a very elegant species. The new software really brings old files to life.
Species: White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Canon EOS 7D Mark II + EF 400mm f5.6L + 1.4x III Extender, Handheld
Settings: 1/1000s, ISO: 800, f/8 @896mm
Tattoos by Lottas Act
In 2008 nam het toenmalige ACTS 3 locomotieven van de serie 1600 in dienst. Hiermee konden de zware containertreinen uit Leeuwarden en Veendam gereden worden, die eerst in handen waren van een 1200 en een 6700.
Op de winterse ochtend van 27 November 2010 passeert de van Railmotion gehuurde 1606 Steenwijk met aan de haak een vol beladen Leeuwarden shuttle onder nummer 50063 vanuit Leeuwarden naar Ijsselmonde. Vanaf Ijsselmonde zou een dieselloc de trein verder rijden het Rotterdamse havengebied in.
Inmiddels is alles aan deze foto verleden tijd, de Leeuwarden shuttle rijdt niet meer, HUSA heeft haar spooractiviteiten gestopt, en de 1606 rijdt inmiddels bij RRF in het fraaie ‘hommel’ jasje onder het nummer 4401.
... for the Carnation. It's Act I for the button because it's the first time I've photographed it. :)
The button is French and dates from the 1900s. It's hand painted and has areas of both champlevé and guilloché enamel.
What kind of fashion is this flash infatuation
Is all this admiration mutual?
Need no lessons in emotional starvation
That look in her eyes is too good to be true
So now you got a good reason
(Now you got a good reason)
Yeah, but you just gotta learn
(You really oughtta learn)
Is what makes the world turn
Stand up, stand up
The more you do it, the less you fall down
Stand up, stand up
Put your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground
Stand up, stand up
For the time of your life, you turn it up loud
Stand up, stand up
Ghosts in the photograph, never lied to me. I’d be all of that. A false memory, would be everything. A denial my eliminent. What was that for?
Try to be bad.
Smile on Saturday theme: Red & Round!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to view, comment, and fave my photo. It’s really appreciated. 😊
Auswahlfoto:
Für“Smile on Saturday“ am 10.04.2021.
Thema:“ Balancing Act“.
Thanks for views,faves and comments:-)
Who knew that it is so difficult to balance Dolly Mixtures! After multiple collapses I had to enlist the help of my patient engineer husband to build my Dolly Mixture pyramid! Between the builder and the photographer we managed the balancing act!!!!!
Balancing Act - This backyard Bobcat may not be wearing Air Jordans, but he's certainly got hops like a prime MJ!
Bobcats have longer hind legs than front legs and it's amazing how much jumping power they can generate from a standstill.
Recently, I've enjoyed capturing images of wildlife in urban settings. I think there's great value to showing how wildlife navigates the built environment and showcasing their importance to urban ecosystems.
Species: Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Location: California, USA
Equipment: Canon EOS R3 + RF 100-500mm IS
Settings: 1/800s, ISO: 10000, f/7.1 @500mm, Handheld, Electronic Shutter
...this little lady bug is precariously balanced atop a still life of clear marbles and plastic forks...I think she is looking for her reflection on the shiny surface below!