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Numerous lakes I have seen, and some are very spectacular. Lake Balaton is one of them. I had heard of the name, that sounds somewhat mystical to me (don't know why, but maybe for that reason it is mystical).
We were lucky because the weather that morning was fantastic, and Lake Balaton showed its immense turquoise color. Main reason for it, Balaton is rather shallow. The picture was taken from the hillside town Tihany, nice but also very touristic.
A month ago I came back from my journey over a part of the Silk Road to and through Central Asia. 4 months of traveling through 14 countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran) before I flew home from Teheran. An impressive journey in countries that are extremely beautiful, with lovely and welcoming people and diverse cultures and history.
Intense traveling with more than 20000 kilometers in our mobile home on sometimes roads that hardly could be called that way. We saw many villages and cities (some wonderful, others very ugly), countries that are transforming from the old Soviet era into something more related to older cultures and the way people live, often funded by oil readily available around the Caspian sea. We saw the amazing mountains south of the Black Sea, the wonderful Caucasus, and the high mountains in the far east close to China with peaks over 7000 meter, and not to forget the (Bulgarian) Alps!
We crossed the great steppe of Kazakhstan. a drive of at least 5000 km, the remnants of lake Aral, once one of the biggest lakes of the world, saw a rocket launch from Baikonur (this little part is Russian owned), we crossed many high mountains passes, and drove the breathtaking canyon that comes from the Pamir, beginning at ca 4500 meter, and going down for ca. 400km to an altitude of 1300 meter, driving for 100's of kilometers along the Afghan border.
And then the numerous lakes with all sorts of different colors from deep cobalt blue to turquoise, and one rare spectacle in Turkmenistan where a gas crater is burning already for more than 40 years. And finally and certainly not the least to mention an enormous amount of wonderful, hospitable and welcoming people. The woman often dressed in wonderful dresses, and bringing a lot of color in the streets of almost of all countries we visited.
A few days ago, during the last hour or so of sunlight, I went to Vandusen Botanical Garden to admire the remaining flowers in their gardens and some of the leaves that are beginning to change colours. While I was there, I took this shot of some lavender. Although I am sad to see the end of summer, I am looking forward to a beautiful, colourful fall and I am hopeful for a short, mild winter.
(Replaced using DPP instead of ACR for the conversion)
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 250
Previously,
15 years ago, the North Pole Express ran up the former New York Central Saginaw branch from Owosso to Chesaning. The train was much smaller in those days, and most of the trip was between 10 and 20 mph. The Saginaw County fairgrounds in Chesaning hosted the North Pole. A few years later, the decision was made to move the North Pole over to Ashley and run up the ex Ann Arbor mainline instead, somewhat due to deteriorating track conditions on the branch north of Oakley. SRI volunteers actually invested a lot of time and money into track work between Oakley and Chesaning in order to continue running 1225 up there, but eventually it became more than they could feasibly do. While the ex AA line is nice, the old NYC was more straight north/south and offered some interesting photos, like the classic Michigan Bean Co elevator in Henderson.
Interested in purchasing a high-quality digital download of this photo, suitable for printing and framing? Let me know and I will add it to my Etsy Shop, MittenRailandMarine! Follow this link to see what images are currently listed for sale: www.etsy.com/shop/MittenRailandMarine
If you are interested in specific locomotives, trains, or freighters, please contact me. I have been photographing trains and ships for over 15 years and have accumulated an extensive library!
A happy gathering on Otaki Beach (New Zealand) a hundred years ago. My restoration and colorization od Leslie Adkin´s image in the Museum of New Zealand archive.
Ōtaki Beach spans the stretch of coastline between the Ōtaki River and the Waitohu Stream in the Wellington Region, with a residential community of both permanent and holiday homes. The beach is popular for surfing, swimming, recreational fishing, horse riding, walking and photography.
When I post this, it is winter - and night - in New Zealand. The weather is cooler than in the picture:
3°C°F
Precipitation: 2%
Humidity: 90%
Wind: 1 m/s
Sometimes you hike up a mountain, get both feet soaked crossing a river, get lost, and then find that one waterfalll you had been looking for, only to get home and find that all your photos were terrible. You got skunked. Then other times, you are in just the right place, at just the right time, the batteries are full and the memory card is ready, and you get magic. There are some shoots when you come home with so many keepers that you feel spoiled! That was this shoot. I live in Oregon. I love the State, but I have to say, we are not the best when it comes to Christmas lights. Sorry, it's true. So, to get the full experience and we drove all the way out to Idaho, where they seem to get it right. This is Caldwell. This was actually about 3 years ago in Caldwell, but I got so many great images that I keep going back to that well for Christmas images.
In fact, I tried to shoot a different Christmas light image this year, but Oregon got me again. There is a covered bridge about an hour and half form where I live that gets a full Christmas decorating every year. I called the City to see when they would be up, she told me, so we headed out to shoot it. Well, I guess I got the info wrong, because there were no lights. So tried again the next weekend, only to find that the official lighting of the bridge was the next day. Oh Oregon. So about $150 in gas and 6 hours of my life would never get back, I still have no image of that bridge. If you want Christmas, go to Idaho.
My house is built on hallowed ground and land that was reclaimed from the sea. It suits the essence of me and calms my spirit to walk in my garden knowing that it was left for many years, an abandoned place until the house was built and the stony and sandy ground where nothing much grew except ancient plants; wild flowers that blew in on the wind. Then someone planted trees from all four corners of the earth and plants that should not have survived began to flourish as if the roots of these trees breathed new life into the earth. There have been only a few guardians of this magical place and I am honoured to be the current guardian. At first I tried to plant what I liked; tried to enforce my will on this holy place, but in time I realised something … you cannot force a garden to grow; to bend to your will. A garden evolves slowly over time of it's own accord mostly and we, as guardians, should allow it to guide us. In this way I have found peace and happiness here and I embrace the changes of my ever-evolving garden. I seldom buy anything new to plant. I wait for the winds; I wait for the seasons; I witness the changes and I grow and evolve as a person in much the same way as my garden does. It is a joy to anticipate each new season; each new wind; and to see what appears. There is always something unexpected appearing. Life is full of surprises; of serendipitous moments. I wonder sometimes about these old trees. I think whoever planted them was guided and perhaps the garden welcomed the dappled shade on what once was a desert. Certainly I feel myself sometimes directed to introduce a new species. Perhaps I am guided also by a hand that I cannot fathom. We are not meant to understand everything. If we allow ourselves to just be, we may find, without effort, how our path unfolds with relative ease. I have found this to be the case. All those years of struggle and now I can just let go … it really is that easy to be content.
p.s. I was compelled reluctantly to remove a Laburnum tree that I thought might be harmful to my cats. I had always wanted such a tree with it's beautiful yellow flowers … but in it's place a Forsythia grew with a profusion of yellow flowers. I did not plant it! Magic? Yes, I believe so! : 0)
“I like gardening. It’s a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself. “
– Alice Sebold
Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbx6aXhocew
IN ABANDONED PLACES - Raison d'Etre
Please enjoy the unique experience of this video.
Lieber Rolf, ich denke du wirst diesen Film zu schätzen wissen! : 0)
“We leave our footprints in a place to mingle with the echoes of all that went before; our heartbeats; our rhythm; the patterns of our lives.” - AP
I wander in the wilderness
my garden of delights
a jungle by the turquoise sea
a land so flat; the moon at night
shines down with silvery fingers
and touches the ground with magical spells
and come the breaking dawn of morning
all ills are banished and all is well
the dark and mysterious creatures
who loiter in the dusk
emerge in brilliant sunshine
with all-seeing eyes; an elephant tusk
protrudes and scythes the longest grasses
parts the meadow like the ancient sea
leaving behind a trail of crimson
flowers of sorrel and sweet harmony
reigns here as the King of the Jungle
seeks solace in the afternoon siesta
ignores the urban sounds outside
these walls; these trees; a back-firing Fiesta
alerts the songbirds from their idle rest
they flitter and flutter from tree to tree
and as I lie within the striped hammock
I swing and sing low to the sound of the breeze
a mist arises suddenly; springs up from the sea
settles a cloak; an air of mystery
around the shoulders of myself and the limbs
of the ancient trees as I sip my Pimms
I can barely keep my eyes from closing
the warmth of the air so cloying and deep
I find myself falling gently to the humming of bees
as I lapse now into a soundless sleep
I awake to find the blue sky black
lit by a billion diamonds or more
an infinite guide is laid out before me
the wisdom of ancient celestial stars of yore
some say when we see them
they have already died
long ago before our ancestors
what does this imply
do our eyes deceive us
or are we psychic or perhaps
we are more knowledgeable than we realise
all we need falls easily into our laps
but still we often ignore
the instincts that are given
override them; divide them
dilute them; we're driven
to only see clearly to the end of our noses
we fail to stop often to smell the scent of the roses
take stock; stand still
absorb the nature of all living things
for in this garden I discovered
nature brings happiness and happiness brings
peace of mind; plentiful bounty
the sweetest fruits of the earth
the love that will bind us
circumnavigate the world's girth
here I find every day all that I need
the flora; the fauna; all that set seed
and I've no desire to be anywhere else
as much as I desire to be here
in this garden full of Heaven
there is love; there is goodness that I hold dear
from the humblest of creatures
find the beauty in a fly
sing so loud like a blackbird
view the world through a child's eyes.
- AP - Copyright © remains with and is the intellectual property of the author
Copyright © protected image please do not reproduce without permission
My artwork is a blend of 4 of my photographs taken in my garden
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
It can happen to anyone, from any walk of life.
20 years ago I had a career that I was incredibly proud of, saving lives, I had a home, mortgage, car and disposable income. I was confident and, even though I hate to blow my own trumpet, I was incredibly good at the work that I did.
I was, however, bullied, harassed, abused, belittled and ostracised by management and many colleagues in a toxic environment where this behaviour had spread like a cancer. This went on daily for 13 years. I thought that I was 'ignoring' it and just knuckling down in my work. I didn't know, until it was too late, that this was damaging both my physical and mental health.
After some time off due to a stress breakdown I returned and the bullying turned into a witch hunt. They succeeded. My mental and physical health had been destroyed. I was wrongly advised to resign by a union that had representatives embedded in management. I was too unwell to pursue any means of recompense.
Losing my career lead to my first Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy attack. This one was nearly fatal.
I have suffered from Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) for at least 20 years as a direct result of this. Only finally receiving help for the condition last year after years of medical denial because the establishment at the time did not understand the connection between non-life threatening instances and PTSD despite mounting evidence. Thankfully it is much better understood today.
The bullies took my career, my confidence, my identity, my physical health, my mental health and now they have taken my relationship and my home. My ex being unable to cope with my PTSD and reacting to it in a way that was making it worse in a cycle that just destroyed our relationship.
Now, unable to work and unable to claim benefits for the moment, unwell, terrified and struggling at times to cope with basic life things, I am facing this horrendous situation that is so daunting there are times that my thoughts go to a very dark place.
I never imagined any of this would happen to me. I was on top of the world back in the early 2000s. The best time of my entire life.
Maybe I deserved this. Maybe I did something terrible in a former life. I don't know. I can't make sense of it.
I don't want to give up just yet. I want to fight back. I just have so little actual physical support. PTSD can cause isolation. Distrust. Withdrawal.
I have lost my few best friends since moving to Scotland for numerous reasons outside of my control. My family are 300 miles away and offer just loving thoughts. I am on my own.
On Friday I will be completely on my own for the first time in 20 years. This time without the confidence and abilities I had back then. I have to try and find them but without safety, comfort and familiarity I face an impossible task. It can take monumental effort just to cook a simple meal. PTSD is a terrible thing to have.
I am sharing my story as I don't know when or how I will return to Flickr.
Photography has been my recovery. My saviour from PTSD. An adrenaline kick from street photography, the excitement of the edit when you return home. Sharing my photographs with you and taking time to enjoy your photographs. The Flickr routine has kept my sanity and been an important part of my day for years now. I fully intend to return but the odds are against me at least for the moment.
Some of you wanted to help by donating towards the expensive Internet costs I will face in temporary housing.
I hate asking for help but please know that I am incredibly grateful for the help that I have received, both financially and otherwise. Just knowing that people care is a help in itself.
If you wish to keep in touch with me via WhatsApp while I am unable to get my PC online then please Flickrmail me your contact details. (bearing in mind that over the next few days my time is limited).
My PC will be packed tomorrow so I may make one more post before I go. I'll make sure it is a happier picture.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am profoundly thankful for the friendships and acquaintances that I have made here. You are all wonderful, awesome people. Thank you.
Homelessness can happen to anyone.
This car I came upon during a visit to the Vinales Valley. The car is owned by a Cuban professional photographer who was taken photo's of Cuban models throughout the valley. Obviously his car is beautiful shape as was the shape of his beautiful Cuban models!
I have not been able to upload photo's lately as my laptop failed a few weeks ago & had to transfer everything from my old hard drive to my new laptop.
Please view & enjoy (L)
On the Premužić trail we reached the grassy plateau below Seravski vrh, continuing our trip southwards. This is the view back towards Rožanski kukovi, which we left an hour ago.
seen on this day eight years ago
in a back alley in New Westminster.
I am now reminded to go search out
more hollyhocks, a favourite flower
that I am unable to grow ... grrr :)
- I have never seen a porcupine in our area,
there are raccoons and skunks though.
Fifteen years ago, Mike and Pete Peverett, my Dad Tim Franz and I made one of the most memorable trips to the Quebec Cartier Mining Railroad. While the other three undoubtedly got much better photos than I did, my 13-year-old self was able to nab a few keepers, including this one of a trio of M636s hauling another trainload of ore to Port Cartier. Within a year, most of the Alcos would be gone. I'd give anything to see this again. October 2001.
... the Princess of Norway, since renamed Princess Seaways, sails up the Tyne to her berth. The original photograph was taken on 3 February 2008.
This week in SSC:
"This week's challenge is to take an image which depicts time, the passing of time, or something that is associated with time."
This is an image I took of a picture that hangs in our house. It was purchased over 30 years ago at a local second-hand shop for a dollar. Unfortunately the artist is unknown. Whenever I look at it, I'm transported to another time long ago.
...and for "Sight and Sound"
James Taylor from his "Mud Slide Slim" album (1971)
A few days ago we had the extremely rare opportunity to see the Northern Lights in The Netherlands with super strong solar activity. This photo was captured in the North along the coast of Den Oever. I had been wanting to capture the Aurora in my homeland since forever, and I am glad I finally did it!
The 12/16/2019 theme for Macro Mondays is Hand Made.
The Flickr Lounge, red, green or red & green
These ornaments were made by my wife's mother 50 years ago. And every year for nearly 40 years she sent us an ornament or two, and now our tree is loaded with her ornaments. She also bought a tree for us in 1967, when we moved to California, and we still use that same tree. We call it Gramma's tree.
A few days ago, the above art work appeared overnight on an outside wall of Reading Prison which has stood empty since it closed at the end of 2013. There was immediate speculation it was the work of the street artist Banksy whose identity has never been confirmed despite the fact his numerous works have appeared at various locations over a long period of years.
The paintings often form a social message and can be controversial. Reading Prison is very much a controversial place – it is owned by the Ministry of Justice who have been trying to dispose of it for the last 7 years. For them one of the problems is the property is designated a grade II listed building which means it cannot be demolished or substantially altered without prior consent from the Local Authority – Reading Borough Council. There have been calls for it to be used as a public amenity such as a theatre or arts facility and a deal to redevelop it has fallen through so in effect there has been little or no progress for 7 years.
Yesterday Banksy confirmed it was his art work although he did not shed any light on who the figure was supposed to be. Much of the local view is that it is a representation of Oscar Wilde, the Victorian actor, writer and poet who was incarcerated there from 1895 to 1897 – probably the prisons main claim to fame.
It is questionable as to whether the painting helps or hinders the current deadlock although it has provided some amusement for local residents in what is otherwise a depressing time!
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Grateful thanks to everyone who has looked at my photostream and commented and/or faved this photograph. Your interest is very much appreciated.
Most important of all, continue to keep safe during these uncertain times!
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Two days ago I went after chickens and found only a sunset, so today I have no flying bird , no feathered friends !
Thank you for your visits, favs and comments !
This one was way off the beaten path and gave me the feeling that it had not been visited in many years. I loved the rusted fences, old sun bleached wooden fences, the bleached dilapidated buildings, general dishevelment and especially the unusual red barn, probably sustained by the metal roof. Some of the utility posts are tilting on their way towards earth, which is always fun to see.
More pictures of detail will follow.
Funny how you said it was the end, yeah
Then I went did it again, yeah
I told you long ago, on the road
I got what they waitin' for
I don't run from nothin', dog
Get your soldiers, tell 'em I ain't layin' low
You was never really rootin' for me anyway
When I'm back up at the top I wanna hear you say
He don't run from nothin', dog
Get your soldiers, tell 'em that the break is over
A small eerie cabin, built on the rocks is now abandoned. When walking through Yellowknife’s Old Town, you’ll notice this theme of people building structures on rocks. Building on rock was so popular because there was really no other choice due to the lack of flat ground in the area. The area this cabin was built on is know by locals as “The Rock”, which held water tanks to supply Old Town residents with water. I was out on a evening photoshoot with my dad when we were intrigued by this small cabin. Make sure to check out Michael Ewen’s photo of this small eerie cabin!
My dear sister emigrated to Australia 50 years ago, this was taken with a very simple camera then and this copy was photographed from the snapshot with her i/pad, little did we think that this would be possible all these years ago.
And now thanks to modern technology we can be in touch with each other and share our lives.I am so thankful for this
From five years ago, on a gorgeous sunny December 25, 2016. Back then a Christmas gift of the sun setting along the St. Lawrence River. Unable to go canoeing today as it was freezing rain most of the day and very icy outside. Better to stay inside with family all day on Christmas.
A couple months ago, I bought and scanned a slide of MARC GP39H-2 #73 taken as it was being delivered to MARC in early 1988. I thought it was the earliest, cleanest picture of the #73 until I laid eyes on this slide. Taken at MK Rail in Boisie on October 27th 1987, the #73 is so fresh, not all of the stenciling and lettering is complete! What a fresh picture of my favorite MARC unit.
This slide also took a bit of work, since it was mounted in the frame so that the rear of the engine was sliced off. I had to open the mount carefully, reposition the positive, and seal the mount back up It was worth it since now you can see the whole engine.
Norman E Anderson photo, JL Sessa collection.
I'm standing on the I40 spur bridge west of Winslow at what is truly one of the most iconic photo locations in all of western railroading. But the shot you will instantly recognize is the view looking to the west. Here is one of my takes on that iconic vista in case you missed it when I originally posted it some time ago: flic.kr/p/2iz1H2Q
But this is the view looking east on modern day BNSF's Seligman Sub near MP 287.9 on the former Atchison & Topeka Santa Fe Railway mainline. Just another in the near constant parade of intermodal trains is accelerating through the interlocking at West Winslow after they pull away from their crew change destined for a sprint across the desert on the famed Transcon 290 miles to the end of their run just across the Colorado River into California at Needles.
Winslow, Arizona
Thursday May 17, 2012
About a week ago, the three young Chipmunks emerged from their den for the first time to see their new world. One has it's back to me as it tries to go back down into the safety of it's home.
We had watched ma Chipmunk taking birdseed and such down the hole in the yard for a while and figured it won't be long now before the young show themselves. So, here we have another welcome family of Chipys to frolic around the yard and enjoy the offerings we can give them for a happy and peaceful existence.
Young Eastern Chipmunks
Backyard, Watertown, WI.
June 6, 2022
I photographed this scene 4 days ago with my infrared camera at Santee Lakes.
I used my converted Nikon infrared camera to take this image.
I've been taking infrared images for at least 18 years with a total of 3 different cameras. It's much easier to take infrared images digitally that it was in the film days. I used Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro 2 to convert the image to black and white.. Other infrared images that I've posted on Flickr can be seen in my Infrared album.
www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/albums/72157600507865146
Other images that I've taken at Santee Lakes can be seen in my Santee Lakes album.
www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/albums/72157627547766547
I have an album with over 200 black and white images in my cleverly titled Black And White Album.
www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/albums/7215764498960693...
This is another vertical version of the same wooden staircase of Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Toronto, Ontario, Canada I posted earlier.
If you want to see a previous version please follow this link -
www.flickr.com/photos/63649137@N06/29047467022/in/datepos...
A new lens means an obligatory drive around the countryside, can't use the lens before testing it. Why not test the unknown lens with equally unknown film, which expired some 16-17 years ago!? What could possibly go wrong!? Well, at first, somehow I managed to turn the manual ISO override to 6400, which took me half of the roll to realize that. After that, I reverted ISO override to box speed, like the film didn't sit somewhere for the last decade and a half. That could explain the non-linear tonal response of the film - those shadows are pretty dark!
Taken with Nikon F100 film camera, with Nikon AF Nikkor 28–85mm F3.5–4.5 zoom lens, on a roll of expired Fujicolor C100 film.
Scanned with my trusty Plustek OpticFilm 8100 dedicated film scanner, using VueScan 9.
🎉 Thank you all for pushing this photo into Explore at #254 at one point in time. Yay!