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The autumnal equinox occurred this year (2015) at 4:21 A.M. EDT on Wednesday the 23rd of September. That exact time seems so matter of fact, but I’m pretty certain I was asleep when it fell, and I never heard a thing. There are still a little over 28 days until winter solstice on December 21st at 11:48 P.M. EST, but autumn has pretty much done its thing here in North Carolina. With a few nights in at under freezing temperatures, and cold fronts with wind and rain, there are few leaves that have not already been driven from their trees.
On the surface, that seems somewhat of a harsh reality… but is it really? So many places throughout this state touched by autumn were no less than brilliant this year, and I was blessed by its splendor. It’s somewhat amazing to think that these wonderful autumnal effects are actually due to leaves dying… I can only hope to go out in a blaze like that. And, having been evicted by the wind, their beauty doesn’t just blink out… their color adds a joyful blanket wherever they fall! Joyful, that is, until it’s time to grab the rake and round them up.
I wonder… would you have known what this was without the one vivid leaf? The pressure of a hydraulic pins it to a rock just below the surface of the Eno River, yet even in the throes of death, its beauty not only speaks, but gives definition to the whole.
I’d be willing to bet that you wish there were times that others knew that there was more to you than just what comes to the surface… but that shouldn’t keep you from offering that beauty that’s just below the surface. Chuck Swindoll tells a moving story about an act of kindness in his sermon Loving What’s Kind. A cab driver picks up a woman who moved slowly and asked him to take the long way around to her destination. The driver took the time to ask her why. She explained she had no family and was headed to a hospice. She wasn’t expected to live much longer. In that moment, the driver decided to spend the day with this woman, and not charge her a fare.
I love this story because, much like this picture, it reminds me I don’t know the whole story. It’s so easy to make assumptions and judgments about others’ motives and actions when I have no right to. What if instead of assuming the worst I choose to be kind? What if I decide to be the person who makes a total stranger’s day? Since hearing this story I’ve wondered what if I was the person to pick up this woman. Would I have bothered to look beneath the surface?
Here are some reasons Chuck says we aren’t kind:
•Kindness takes extra time and we’re all in a hurry
•Kindness makes us put ourselves in someone else’s place and we’re all selfish (it doesn’t come naturally or easily)
•Kindness calls for compassion and we are by nature preoccupied and intense
•Kindness occasionally includes forgiveness but it’s so much easier to hold a grudge
Joyce and I have invited many others to my big family Thanksgiving throwdown (it’s a southern thing), including Chinese nationals (Duke University students) who have never experienced a traditional Thanksgiving typical of American families, though “typical” may be a bit of a stretch where my family’s concerned… it should be fun not only just to express, but share how God still sheds His grace on us and why we are thankful for it. I hope you can find a way to show some goodness and beauty from below the surface.
A photo taken from below the stone arch bridge last fall. If only there were still trains using this, eh?
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC).
The museum is situated in the Palau Nacional build in 1929.
Barcelona, 2007.
These three young folks (see other two below) were in the Village last year as part of some sort of larger meetup.
Part of my Street Portraits Series
Abajo el pico!
Los pelícanos son muy conocidos por la inmensa bolsa que tienen en la parte inferior de su largo pico. No es cierto lo que dicen que en la bolsa mantienen los peces que atrapan. Tampoco retienen agua dentro de la membrana flexible que constituye tal bolsa. Sólo la usan como si fuera una red para pescar. Pero como no tiene aberturas, atrapan un gran buche de agua donde con suerte se encuentra algún pez. De inmediato expulsan toda el agua y se tragan su presa, cosa de poder seguir pescando.
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Below the peak!
The pelicans are known for the huge bag they have on the bottom of its long beak. It is true what they say on the bag keep the fish they catch. Nor hold water within the membrane is such a flexible bag. Just use it like a fishing net. But as it has openings, grab a big mouthful of water which is hopefully a fish. Immediately expel all the water and swallow their prey, something to be able to continue fishing.
© 2009 Jose Miguel
On the Mill Creek by the weir dam below Salway Park. The walking trail connects Northside with the ball fields across from Spring Groove Cemetery.
Sunrise itself was quite disappointing this morning, so I tried my wife's mantra of "What have I got?" and came up with this. Taken on the lower deck of Whitby's west pier extension, the side lighting was quite nice. I wanted to include the subtle lighting in the sky, away from the sunrise.
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Fotografia feta amb la Hasselblad SWC, fabricada el 1976; Ilford FP4+ revelat amb HC110 dilució b, durant 7:30 minuts.
Sembla que aquest 2025 finalment començarà la construcció de la Façana de la Gloria, la frontal i darrera per construir, de la Sagrada Familia. Les obres han de durar uns deu anys i amb tot, encara queda pendent la qüestió del pont que hauria de cobrir el carrer Mallorca davant la façana...
www.elnacional.cat/ca/barcelona/construir-facana-gloria-s...
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Picture taken with a Hasselblad SWC, made in 1976; Ilford FP4+ developed in HC110 dilution b for 7:30 minutes.
It seems that construction of the Façana de la Gloria (Glory Façade), the front and last to be built, of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona will finally begin in 2025. As you can see, this is still a blank provisional façade, that only gives cover to the inside of the church. The works should last about ten years and yet, the question of the pedestrian bridge that should cover Mallorca Street in front of the facade still remains...
sagradafamilia.org/documents/20142/1000561/Booklet_08.pdf...
The Manhattan Bridge, as seen from a pebbly beach in Brooklyn, as a cloud bank rolls in from the west. A twenty-five-second exposure. If you look closely, you can spot the Empire State Building.
B+W 10-stop ND and Hoya Circular Polarizing Filters – both 52mm lens-mounted.
Thanks for stopping by, and for the continued kind comments and favorites: they are much appreciated. Have a great weekend.
Wheely Down, near Warnford.
I thought that I would go for a short drive to see cornfields and trees, as i have not been out cycling as much as usual as strained foot several weeks ago.
see previous
in album link below and eg
☁️ANGELIC AT DREAMDAY + GIVEAWAY
Hi angels! Back with a spooky event release 🎃
The “Frankie” hair comes with a fun hairstyle and optional highlights controlled by the HUD. Hairbase is skinless, BOM only, and fitted for Genus Project & Evo X!
Repost and comment your iw user below for a chance to win the hair!
Now available at Dreamday! Link in bio!
Here in Barnet the average winter temperature does not usually fall below 2 degrees C (35.6 F) so the recent cold blast -5 degrees C (23 F) was a bit of a shock. This is a series of 5 photos taken in the cold weather
International Mountain Day
11 December .Glaciers, vast reserves of ice and snow found across the planet, are far more than frozen landscapes - they are lifelines for ecosystems and communities, holding around 70 percent of the world's freshwater.
Their accelerated melting represents not only an environmental crisis but also a humanitarian one, threatening agriculture, clean energy, water security and billions of peoples’ lives. Their retreat, driven by rising global temperatures, is a stark indicator of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost increase risks such as floods, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides or enhanced erosion and sediment, endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure. Kala Patthar is the spot for those who wish to see an up-close unobstructed view of Mount Everest. And at 5,643 meters, is higher than four of the seven summits. Because of the topography, the Lhotse wall blocks Everest from most vantage points. Mt Everest stood really tall from where i am . The right-most peak is Mt Nuptse (7,861 m/25,791 ft ) .Mt Everest (29,031 ft / 8,849m) is the visible peak behind the left ridge of Nuptse. Lho La ( 6,006 m/19,705 )located left to Everest .Self Photo , and many thanks to everyone who took the trouble to view comment or fave .
[english below]
Besuch der Flussschifferkirche.
Der Herr ist mein Lotse. Ich werde nicht stranden. Er leitet mich auf dunklem Wasser und führt mich auf der Fahrt meines Lebens.
Er gibt mir neue Kraft und hält mich auf dem rechten Kurs um seines Namens Willen.
Und geht es auch durch Unwetter und hohe See, fürchte ich mich nicht, denn du bist bei mir, deine Güte und Treue sind mir Schutz. Du bereitest mir einen Hafen am Ende der Zeit. Du beschwichtigst die Wellen und lässt mich sicher segeln.
Die Lichter deiner Güte und Freundlichkeit werden mich begleiten auf der Reise des Lebens, und ich werde Ruhe finden in deinem Hafen immerdar.
Amen!
++++++++++++++++
The Lord is my pilot, I shall not drift,
He lighteth me across the dark waters,
He keepeth my log.
He guideth me by the star of holiness for His Name’s sake.
Yea, though I sail ‘mid the thunders and tempests of life,
I shall dread no danger, for Thou are near me.
Thy love and Thy care, they shelter me.
Thou preparest a harbour for me in the homeland of eternity.
Thou anointest the waves with oil; my ship rideth calmly.
Surely, sunlight and starlight shall favour me on the voyage I take,
and I will rest in the port of my God forever.
Amen
Cuando las temperaturas bajan de -13ºC todo se vuelve azul menos los rayos de sol que intentan cambiar el paisaje
When temperatures descend from -13 ° C all blue becomes less sunlight trying to change the landscape
The famous methane bubbles of Abraham Lake.
I make a yearly pilgrimage to this spot, which is one of the best places to see the bubbles in the Rockies due to the incredibly windy nature of the region that blows all of the snow off the ice. Case in point: the winds were about 60km/h when we were out shooting this sunset, and were strong enough that if you put down your tripod and let go, it would slide in a mad dash away from you across the ice!
The bubbles themselves are methane from plant life on the lake floor that gets frozen on its way towards the surface. They are absolutely fascinating, and I easily spend hours shooting on every visit!
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