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We have countless waterfalls. This one is at the South Coast and the saga say it is hidden gold under it :)
Skógafoss for www.icelandrovers.is & www.mountainguides.is
One of the countless works of art in Florence. We tried to avoid the incredible crowds that gathered around the works of art. For example, we couldn't visit the David because we didn't want to wait in a 300-metre-long queue. But the "pushing man" pictured here, presumably a statue of recent date, would have been accessible.
After countless hours of work I was finally able to finish my Countach model. I really wanted to do the new iteration beside the original one.
These are currently "just" renders, but the real one was test built already and the instructions are in progress :P
Instagram:
Countless candles burn in the pre-dawn darkness around Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Beggars, invalids, cripples and Hindu sadus are part of the throng that surround the temple.
For the story, visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/light-a-candle-boudha...
Capturing birds in flight is one of the most enjoyable forms of photography. Often the images are not distinguishable from the countless other BiF shots. Who Cares! Its great fun being out.
The Pea Island Wildlife Sanctuary is an excellent place to see warblers and much larger birds like the Herons. There were thousands of White Pelicans which originate in Wyoming and come to North Carolina for winter.
After countless hours, months and years of searching, the herp gods finally answered my call and delivered my lifer Pine Snake. At hour 3 of cruising alone, and slowly slipping into that trance that occurs from getting skunked, I finally spot the familiar form of a snake in the sandy road ahead. I was stopped right beside it, looking straight down out my window, before I finally realized what it was, and even then could not believe it.
After more than a decade of planning & countless hours of teamwork, we are overjoyed by the success of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission's attempt to touch down on ancient asteroid Bennu.
What's next for the mission: go.nasa.gov/2TdmDDe
Credit: Lockheed Martin
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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One of countless ancient hamlets lost in the northern Appennines, Emilia Romagna, derelict hamlet La Mirandola stands on the Northern side of the Lamola Valley.
Since pre-Roman times, the valley had been inhabited thanks to its many creeks (supplying fresh water and hydraulic energy) and strategic position (leading to a mandatory pass across the Appennines between the Po valley and Tuscany) and it become a landmark for pilgrins on the route from Santiago to Rome. However, the XX° century marked the end of the many hamlets, scattered across the Valley.
What is it about crossdressing that gives some men a such state of mind that only those of us who feel compelled to do it and get to do it can fully experience?
As I have mentioned, countless times, I am convinced that I was born a crossdresser and it has to do with my brain's wiring rather than any childhood trauma or fetish. I was not forcefully dressed as a girl or" humiliated" in that way at any point in my life, but have memories, from a very early age, about willingly trying on some of my mother's garments and shoes, that obviously did not fit. I am the oldest of four children and the one sister is the youngest, and ten years younger than I. So, there were no big sisters in the picture either. It has always been something I have felt compelled to do and have found ways to do it throughout my life. At first there was the guilt and shame, then the thrill and excitement and, once I came to terms with it, the real peace and enjoyment.
Do I need an answer to the question with which I started this writing? Not really; all I need is self acceptance and ways to express this facet of my being.
Young CDs have it easier today since there is more awareness and even acceptance or tolerance from society. Those who are around my age and older had to go through rough times and many still do. My advice to all is to not try to find an explanation or cure but rather for self acceptance. Once you come to terms with who you are, you will be able to fully enjoy your feminine expression and presentation.
There is always the issue of keeping it in hiding, and that is perhaps the most difficult phase that most of us, older girls, have gone through. At one point or another we have had to hide it from loved ones and, in most cases, from friends, coworkers and other people around us. The fear of being rejected or disowned by loved ones is always too strong an issue to come clean with our spouse and family. I was lucky to confide my "secret" to my wife, for 30 years now, when we were only friends and know that most of our sisters still live in hiding. In my opinion, a loved one will appreciate our telling them and if they really love us they will at least tolerate it within reasonable limits. It is very important that to have clear information from trustworthy sources so that they can draw their own conclusions and realize that we are not gay or want to be women. Please do not take this as encouragement but rather as something to take into consideration.
Feeling AT EASE will only come when the guilt and shame is gone.
_______________________________________________________
¿Por qué travestirse causa tal estado mental en algunos hombres que solo quienes sienten el impulso de hacerlo y llegan a hacerlo pueden realmente experimentar?
Como he mencionado, innumerables veces, estoy convencido de que nací crossdresser y que esto es a causa de la manera en que mi cerebro está cableado y no tiene que ver con algún trauma de infancia o fetichismo. Jamás fui forzada a vestir de nena cuando era niño o "humillado" de esa manera en mi vida, pero tengo recuerdos, de muy temprana edad, en los que por mi propia voluntad me ponía prendas y zapatos de mi madre aunque me quedaban enormes. Soy el mayor de cuatro hermanos y la única mujer es la menor , con 10 años menos que yo; por lo que tampoco existió el factor "hermana mayor". Siempre he sentido este impulso y, a lo largo de mi vida, he encontrado la manera de hacerlo. Al principio me producía la vergüenza y la culpa, luego era la emoción y éxtasis y, una vez me acepté como soy, vino la verdadera paz y disfrute.
¿Necesito tener respuesta a la pregunta con la que inicié este texto? En realidad, no; todo lo que necesito es esa auto-aceptación y oportunidades para expresar esta faceta de mi ser.
Los CD jóvenes la tienen más fácil hoy ya que hay más difusión, tolerancia y hasta aceptación por parte de la sociedad. Quienes somos de mi generación o anteriores, tuvieron que pasar por etapas difíciles y muchos las siguen padeciendo. Mi consejo es que no intenten de encontrar una explicación o cura sino que se acepten como son. Una vez dejan de sentirse culpables y se aceptan como son, podrán verdaderamente disfrutar a plenitud de su manifestación y presentación femenina.
por supuesto que siempre está el asunto de mantenerlo en secreto y este es, sin duda, el aspecto más difícil por el que la mayoría de nosotros, los CD mayores, hemos tenido que pasar. En algún momento u otro de nuestras vidas hemos tenido que ocultarnos de seres queridos, y en la mayoría de casos, de amistades, compañeros de trabajo y personas a nuestro derredor. El temor a ser rechazados o desconocidos por seres queridas es demasiado fuerte como para confiarlo a nuestras esposas o familiares. Yo tuve la suerte de haberle confiado "el secreto" a mi esposa, con quien llevo 30 años de matrimonio, cuando solamente éramos amigos y sé que muchos CD siguen viniéndolo en secreto. En mi opinión, un apersona amada apreciará que les confiemos esta parte de nosotros y si verdaderamente nos aman, al menos lo tolerarán dentro de ciertos límites. Es muy importante tener argumentos de fuentes confiables para que puedan comprender que no somos gay ni queremos ser mujeres, al momento de explicar. Por favor no tomen esto como motivación pero sí como algo a tomar en cuenta.
Nos sentiremos A GUSTO, hasta que la culpa y la vergüenza se hayan ido.
The velvet seats of this grand auditorium, bathed in an eerie, amber glow, whisper tales of countless nights spent in the company of phantoms. Each seat, a crimson throne, has cradled a thousand souls, all lost in the rapture of the stage's sorcery.
This photo captures more than just empty chairs; it's a mausoleum of memories, where the specters of laughter, tears, and applause are eternally etched into the fabric. The atmosphere is thick with the ghosts of performances past, the air still vibrating with the echoes of a final standing ovation.
The lone seat left up, as though someone has just departed, or perhaps it awaits a solitary spectator, a phantom patron of the arts, whose presence is as elusive as the fleeting nature of fame. It's a scene that could be right out of one of my own twisted tales – a setting where the line between the living and the departed blurs, where every performance is a seance calling forth the spirits of thespians long gone.
The image itself, a scene set in suspense, like the moment before the curtain lifts to reveal a world where drama and reality dance macabrely hand in hand. It's a beautiful capture of the stillness that screams of past life, each thread in the crimson upholstery holding a story, a secret, a silent scream for an encore that will never come.
Keep capturing these silent stories, for every picture is a silent play, awaiting a discerning eye to hear its wordless tale.
I have driven past Eilean Donan Castle countless times but can only think of a couple of times when I've stopped to take any photographs. I think it's because I've seen so many excellent photos of the castle that I didn't see the point of adding another to the list unless it was going to be equally brilliant. I had been living on Skye for four years before I took a single photo of the Old Man of Storr for similar reasons. Now I'm not claiming that either of these photos is brilliant. They are nice enough but not exceptional. However, we were in the area, had some time and I was keen to try out my new to me Leica M-P Typ 240, so here they are. Please note that the lenses recorded on the exif data are not correct. The ones I tag are the right ones.
We've driven by the sign for Obsidian Dome countless times on trips up and down US Highway 395. We finally took the short road and spent a couple of hours exploring -- well worth a side trip, and a place to return to in cooler weather for a longer hike.
Obsidian Dome is a mile-long 300 foot high lava dome that is part of the Mono–Inyo Craters volcanic chain located in the Inyo National Forest. The Dome is essentially a big pile of shiny black volcanic glass that was formed by an explosion (a Phreatic Blast) when magma reached the water table,turned the water to steam, cooled and then turned to rock. The eruption date for Obsidian Dome is one of the best constrained prehistoric eruption dates in the world. Using tree rings, geologists have found that the eruption occurred in late summer 1350 CE.
There is not a lot of color in the formations to the left of the trail, so I've converted to black and white. The shine is from the fractured rock turned to glass by the heat of the explosion -- also known as obsidian.
Hope you have a lovely day whenever you see this. Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- I appreciate them all.
© Melissa Post 2015
All rights reserved. Please respect my copyright and do not copy, modify or download this image to blogs or other websites without obtaining my explicit written permission.
Over the years I've spent countless hours in the mountains in remote places and almost always alone. When you do that you soon realize that snakes and other critters or rednecks and goobers are the least of your concerns. The real worry is falling...falling in a bad way where help is required. I had not fallen in years. I'm not afraid to climb up and over things but I'm extra careful in doing so. I mention it because in taking this picture I had a bad fall. In an instant I was airborne and the next crashing hard against a rock and whacking my head. Oddly enough my first thought was to surrender to the fall. But as I was wondering if I was going to pass out I quickly realized it's raining and my camera is in my hand. I took the shot and got back to my car to sulk over my stupidity.
Saturn’s rings, made of countless icy particles, form a translucent veil in this view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
Saturn’s tiny moon Pan, about 17 miles (28 kilometers) across, orbits within the Encke Gap in the A ring. Beyond, we can see the arc of Saturn itself, its cloud tops streaked with dark shadows cast by the rings.
This image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 12, 2016, at a distance of approximately 746,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Pan.
The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Let’s be honest: it’s not a great period for the First Order. Among the countless failures the one that hurts most is the defection of one of their Stormtroopers. Not because they can’t put another person in charge of their base’s sanitation duties (that’s not a big deal since their base blew up lol) but because it proved the flaws in their “recruitment” system.
Kylo Ren, between crying for Vader and smashing thing around with his Lightsaber, came up with an idea.
“Perhaps the Supreme Leader should consider using a clone army” he said and this time Snoke listened to him and ordered the creation of clone army putting Kylo in charge of the project (that should say it all lol)
The first stage was about choosing a template for the clones and here came the first problems. Apparently no one worthy enough of being a template had the desire to deal with those wannabe Galactic rulers but Kylo never gives up and at last he found the “perfect” genetic material, the one of… Jar Jar Binks!
What? Jar Jar Binks?! Yes, you read right: the Clumsy Creature himself :)
They began the production of the first unit but the results were, well, not very encouraging lol :)
Jar Jar Phasma and two Jar Jar Troopers are ready to hunt down the “Resistance scum” but apparently they have to familiarize with their weapons first, what do you think?
Ok, maybe it’s unnecessary since they will never learn lol :)
I hope you like this parody image :)
May the Brick be with You :)
I blame, rather credit, my photographic compositions on countless prowls of artwork, be it in public installations, mall galleries, hotel lobbies or museums. My perspective of art is shaped by a relentless urge to experience masterpieces firsthand. So I gushed watching this group of friends appreciating and discoursing this painting together. Of course, I wasn't so unlucky either as when in NY, I always get to visit museums, watch plays and visit parks with a good friend from way back when. (And she pays for the tickets always!)
viewing Salvador Dali's Crucifixion, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, uptown Manhattan, New York, the US
Words to ponder on Good Friday: the Siete Palabras in colloidfarl.blogspot.com.
China, Harbin, City Impressions, Venus, a wedding dresses store with a Venus ice sculpture on the street in front of the store at Central Street.
Heilongjiang Province, the most northeast part of China, when viewed on a map has the shape of a swan. Its capital city is Harbin, with almost four million residents, located south of Heilongjiang. Not only for its special position, but also as the centre of Heilongjiang's political, economic, educational & cultural life, Harbin is described as the pearl beneath the swan's neck. Lying on the east of the Songnen Plain, what is more, Harbin plays a vital role in communications between South & North Asia as well the regions of Europe & the Pacific Ocean.
Harbin was the birthplace of Jin, 1115-1234 & Qing, 1644-1911 Dynasties, the latter of which had a very considerable influence on modern Chinese history. At the end of the 19th century, Russia built the terminus of the Middle East Railway here. Later, more than 160,000 foreigners from 33 countries migrated to Harbin, promoting the development of a capitalist economy in the city. The economy & culture of Harbin achieved unprecedented prosperity at that time & the city gradually grew into a famous international commercial port. Assimilating external culture, Harbin created its unique & exotic cityscape. The majestic St. Sofia Orthodox Church & Zhongyang Dajie each built in a European style have the effect of bringing you into an 'eastern Moscow'. Even though you are sure to be attracted by various exotic buildings, the Dragon Tower which embodies the wisdom of the Chinese people is a must on your journey.
Besides these rich cultural heritages, Harbin is favoured with beautiful natural scenery. Based on meandering Song Hua River & subject to severe low temperatures in winter, done to -30°C, when I took this Pictures the Temperature varied between -20°C & -26°C but with dry air, Harbin boasts a unique ice & snow culture.
The impressive "Ice & Snow Festival" is the greatest & unusual one in the world, therefor Harbin is also called the "Ice City".
Also the large Siberian Tiger research centre, with about 500 tigers & a few other species, does a important work to prevent this species from extinction. The Research centre can be visited, tours in small a bus are available, passing through wide natural, separated, sections, however the focus point is to save the tigers.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
15 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Here I am posing with my BF Christina. We’ve been out together countless places over the years.
Compared to some young girls who travel with credit cards, ID and cash only – Christina’s handbag seems cavernous. That is not unusual for her, nor me.
You see, I consider a woman’s purse a personal magical mystery filled with everything possibly needed for an average day/evening of survival.
Everyone thinks that Mary Poppins’ bag was so intriguing and special, when really every woman on the planet has a purse similar to its style and capacity. A woman is never under prepared and is always ready for anything, and the items found in her purse reflect just that. While a woman’s purse is usually a bag of wonders, secrets and mystery, here’s a list of useful items that can usually be found in mine.
Mask
Emergency whistle
Mints
Mini-flashlight
Toothbrush or floss
Tissues
Small knife
Pens
Cash
Sunglasses
Phone and charger
Hair bands
Bobby pins
Perfume
Nail file
Facial blotting paper
Band-Aids
Compact mirror
Girl things like tampons.
Advil
Metro pass
Credit cards
Powder and Kabuki brush
Concealer
Photo ID/DL
Starbucks card
Lotion
Receipts
Granola bar
Straws
Lipstick
Safety pins
Hair comb
Hand sanitizer
Calling cards and case
Different items are included for special occasions. A veil for church for example, or a pair of ballet flats if wearing heels.
It all fits!!!!!
Curious now. How does yours compare?
Based on the size of her purse, Christina could easily have more than this!
Nora
Over countless millennia, the forces of nature have created an awe-inspiring landscape using simple tools such as wind, water, heat and cold.
This photo was taken by an Asahi Pentax 6 X 7 medium format film camera and Super-Takumar/6X7 1:2.4/105mm lens with a Zenza Bronica 67mm SY48•2C(Y2) filter using Adox CHS 100 II film, the negative scanned by an Epson Perfection V600 and digitally rendered with Photoshop.
The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadow of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light.- J. R. R. Tolkein
Aloha kākou! Hello, all, and welcome again to The Wylde. We've come here to show some wonderfully beautiful trees from *Thus Magic* available at Fantasy Faire at their Faire store at Avalon. Now, obviously, no, Thus Magic isn't marketing these as Telperion and Laurelin, rather as Silver & Golden Trees of Myths and as Ancient Mythical Tree of Gold. But you'll forgive me for thinking instantly of the lost trees of fair Valinor.
I think that I could talk these up, but they're best served by the pictures. Or best by visiting them yourself -- you can see them at The Wylde. They make a fantastic centerpiece or accent piece to a build.
Aeon's pose is Sky Magic 3M from Astalianda (Faire store in Avalon)
Let me say just a couple words about what I'm wearing. While the outfit is an older piece from Caverna Obscura and the wings were a treasure found from Aii & Ego a couple years ago, there's some jewelry here that is featured at the Faire that I want to highlight. The armlet, neckpiece, and tiara are from [Drunken Brokkr], and are not only beautiful but have some very nice texture huds that allow you substantial customisation options. I've already included the pieces in several outfits. Stop by the Drunken Brokkr Faire store in Samsara and look for the Thyria Tiara, Necklace, and Bracers. They're each sold separately, although there may be a pack with all included?
I hope you all feel welcome to stop by The Wylde and take a look at these beautiful trees. And while you're at it, visit The Nightgarden. Both are places to come and explore and enjoy. And if you're interested, I do contract out for sim landscaping along those lines. Send me a message if that interests you.
A hui hou kākou! I will see you around the Faire!
Pictures were taken in The Wylde
Nacon's Ghost windlight was used.
The scene features:
•*Thus Magic* -- Silver & Golden Trees of Myths
•*Thus Magic* -- Ancient Mythical Tree of Gold Faire store at Avalon
I am wearing:
•[Drunken Brokkr] -- Thyria Necklace Faire store in Samsara
•[Drunken Brokkr] -- Thyria Tiara Faire store in Samsara
•[Drunken Brokkr] -- Thyria Bracers Faire store in Samsara
•aii & ego -- Starfire Angel Wings Faire store in Thunnus Bay
•*AvaWay* -- Georgia Armlets
•Caverna Obscura -- Anais Skirt, Sleeves, Top
•Analog Dog -- Squeeze Hair•DS'ELLES -- Clemence (Ambre) skin
•Mayfly -- Luminous Twilight Forest eyes
•[GA.EG] -- Barbara mesh face
•Maitreya -- Lara mesh body, petite add-on, hands and feet
After countless hours of work I was finally able to finish my Countach model. I really wanted to do the new iteration beside the original one.
These are currently "just" renders, but the real one was test built already and the instructions are in progress :P
Instagram:
After countless reschedule because of clashing busy schedule.. We finally made time =D Introducing, Miss Trang Cao.
More to come =]
On This Last Sunday Of 2013 And The Upcoming New Year Of 2014, May Faith Light Your Way And Joy Fill Your Heart, On This Lords Day And Always ....
May You Know The LORD, Is Still The Good Shepard, And HE Does Love HIS Sheep....
Happy UPCOMING NEW YEAR .. To You And Yours...
And Many Countless Blessings Too !!!!
Blessings Over- Flowing,
Cindy Lou
when a countless people providing love for Humanity...is a countless wonders that is visible and heartfelt to all...
I spent countless hours trying to find this place on a previous trip to Iceland. This time, thanks to SECRET PROJECT EOSX, I was able to find it effortlessly. It was just as amazing as I hoped it would be.
The hardest part was the road at 2 AM. It was one of those perfectly straight country roads that goes straight into the sun. And I mean straight. It was exactly in the middle of my steering wheel, and there was no escaping it. The visor, my hand, nothing, nada, could block that sun, so I had to drive about 5 miles per hour and look out the window. It was all very unsettling… if you have driven in this situation, then you know what I mean!
- Trey Ratcliff
Read the rest of this entry (and see a new video I made with Leo Laporte on This Week in Tech) here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Season of Tilt
Week 18, Saturday
In nature life has no moral. There is no good or bad, and in every moment countless beings give birth, languish and die without reason. Sometimes the possibilities of life are eaten by others even before they get a change to take their first steps. The cycle of life is very much characterized by the suffering. If you are a religious type you probably think suffering is some way sanctified by moral order given from God - and everything goes towards good no matter how contradictory it might seem. If your reasoning follows scientific discourse you probably believe in 'order of nature' or increasing diversity catalyzed by the natural selection as explained by modern evolutionary synthesis. Either way, the tragic thing is that the suffering has no demonstrable meaning. With God, meaning of suffering lies whatever one happens to believe at the time and within evolution theory suffering has no function either - even if dying has a fundamental meaning for natural selection to work. It seems that in intellectual and spiritual way it is very difficult to accept that suffering doesn't have any meaning and it cannot be morally explained by either religion or science. But it can have an aesthetic meanings for us: it's only when we find ourselves suffering we touch the essence of life as it is and has been millions of years for most of beings in nature. Only then can we come to understand what it means to be one of them - suffering is the only shared experience for all living things and therefore it forms the essence of existence from which the respect for life can be build. To be alive is to suffer.
---
Using Lensbaby optics has definitely been a very interesting adventure. Being manual focus, having an option to tilt the lens and having several optics with different distinctive characteristics has surely been a trail off the beaten path. What I like to say is that Lensbaby consciously offers something different from 'industry standard' of photography today: readymade program modes, autofocus, sharp lenses, intelligent metering, digital sensor and other 'taken for granted things' which makes it possible to take better and better pictures. In short, it's a bit of a different philosophy and breaking conventions is always a somewhat controversial move. It would be tempting to describe these differences between Lensbaby and other conventional approaches in a hierarchical manner, placing Lensbaby above and for experienced users only. But I don't want to do that, because it would intellectually a dishonest move. Instead I would like to say that Lensbaby is a different approach to photography and a tool for different job. Sometimes best tool for the job is the DSLT with fast AF-lenses. Sometimes it's Lensbaby. Sometimes it's a pinhole camera. Sometimes it's camera in your mobile phone. There is no best or worst because of diversity, but I have to give credit to Lensbaby that after using their optics I've come to realize that there is loads of possibilities beyond 'the industry standard'. There are aesthetic possibilities beyond 'the standard look' and there are different philosophies of photography at play. This has got to be one my best realization with Lensbaby optics and I'm glad that I have had actually a chance to realize it.
Year of the Alpha – 52 Weeks of Sony Alpha Photography: www.yearofthealpha.com
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We had seen countless images of the Moulton Barns on the web & these iconic barns were the reason, we so much wanted to visit the Grand Tetons National Park. There is a lot that you can admire about the place, like the jagged & towering Tetons range in the background, the antiquated logged barns, the peace & tranquility that this place emanates, but the nights out here are really special. We went on a full moon night, when the Barn & the Tetons shone with a serene luminescence. There were a few coyotes in the bush, which howled eerily at the moon & we were glad there were no wolves instead.
Countless Shopping Malls, Tons of Traffic, Lots of People, Loads of Tasty Street Food & Restaurants... TST is electric!
After countless hours spent standing in the cold with camera in hand watching Snowy Owls since mid-December, I finally encountered a cooperative bird (my 5th of the year) for some good in-flight shots (more to come).
An interesting story in the Washington Post about this year's irruption: www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-snowy-ow...
Beautiful autumn colours.
Lake Ezezers, Latvia.
Fantastic
Lake with countless islands.
"Also known as Lake Jēsis or Lake Iesis, this is the lake in Latvia which has the largest number of islands. Many literary sources and encyclopaedias in the 20th century claimed that there were 69 islands in the lake, but that was an exaggeration, because apparently the authors took sandbars overgrown with reeds and other plants to be islands. The true number is approximately two times lesser. The largest number of islands can be found in the north-eastern part of the lake. The largest one is Lielā Lāča (Big Bear) Island (45 ha). A farm was on the island at one time. The islands and the oak trees that are on the shores of the lake – the Piļoru and Pahatnīku stands of trees – are in a restricted environmental reserve."
Info by celotajs.lv
The end of the day
So, we’ve come to the end of the day, our stinking form smelling of sweat and bug spray, soiled heavy from countless cornfields and ditches and the threat of losing our boots in the deep delta mud as we waded through to get just the right angle.
We’ve been caked in dust as we struggled to breathe it in on the High Plains, and struggled to breathe at all on the high Atacama.
The straps of backpacks cut heavy into the shoulders of the hearty as they slog through the snows and heft their gear hither and yon across the highlands and into the shadows of canyons deep that weave about the ancient peaks.
We’ve raced across the heartland as we chased and paced our quarry, tires slapping joints on old backroad blacktops keeping time with high-horsepower thoroughbreds rolling tonnage up on the high iron, cylinders banging and turbostacks howling to the heavens, shutters clicking along through rolled-down windows as the landscape whizzes by.
But now, in the last light of day, as FRED flashes off into the twilight, the battery indicator on Nikons and Canons and Sonys flashes down to one bar---
And so does ours.
We passed the flagstop of Weary long ago.
There’s a key in our pocket to the Roundhouse Motel, and a hot meal at Judy’s Café along the way.
Somewhere, back over there, back over the horizon, there’s another headlight piercing through the ever-darkening scape, shining off gleaming railheads that fan out in every direction of the compass, and our imaginations.
What will it be?
GEVO?
EMD?
Hotshot intermodal or some lowly coal drag?
One doesn’t know.
But, in the end, it really doesn’t matter, does it?
We come for the show.
We come trackside, a pilgrim on the great retreat seeking salvation, to be washed in the sanctity of hot diesel exhaust, a throbbing baptism of internal combustion amid high decibel levels and a rumbling and quaking of the very grounds we walk on, trumpets punctuating the choir on high, echoing throughout the sanctuary as the hogger pulls the chord for the distant grade crossing, the pounding of a galled wheelset as it fades off on the wind an odd stand-in for the click and clack of the jointed rail in our youth.
We come for that---our youth, the rails and crossties a direct connection to it and our innocence, before all the complications of life fouled the injectors and threw monkey wrenches into the cogs, and we got dirt on our hands and under our nails.
But, Oh! The memories!
We ponder them for a bit, and to them we add the new ones, and fold up our missalette and place it back firm against our breast.
It’s time to go.
Yet, amid our reverence of the here and now, as the crown of the sun seeps below the land, draining all the glorious glow from the heavens and from the earth, that last wonderous light, when we give the day back to night, we’ll smile.
Yep---
You bet we’ll smile.
©Rick Malo
*Originally published in Railroad Heritage Magazine*
...thanks to the many well-preserved scaffolding, you could explore the building from countless angles.
About the series (to which the Photo above belongs)
All photos of the series were shot at an abandoned garbage-incineration-plant. The plant is located near the city of Fürth (Germany) and was, according to information from the Internet, a pilot project of a famous German technology group. The stated goal was: via the smoldering of garbage, the city should be supplied with electricity.
But: the whole project became a big catastrophe. First, the costs exploded. In 1990, the cost was estimated at € 16 million, by 1995, the used sum had doubled and ultimately the total cost amounted to € 125 million! In addition, there was more trouble. A protest was formed among the citizens of Fürth, the plant was privatized, the hope for profit did not materialize and numerous incidents occurred right from the start. Already shortly after the commissioning in the year 1997 the operators had to fight with numerous complications (on a website of the city of Fürth are listed: material accumulation, software failure and release of smoldering gas). Already in 1998, after four weeks running time, the incineration plant came to a bitter end. With the occurrence of a material jam an important drum seal was destroyed and a cloud of toxic smoldering gas could escape. 73 people were injured and the plant was shut down forever.
In June 2018, 20 years after the shutdown, the owner announced the demolition of the complex. Some of the facade has already been torn open (at the beginning of July 2018), the view of the steel skeleton on one side is generously exposed.
Sources (in German):
www.fuerthwiki.de/wiki/index.php/M%C3%BCll-Schwelbrennanlage
www.nordbayern.de/region/fuerth/der-tag-an-dem-die-giftwo...
Highly recommended (including old sketches and already demolished parts of the building):
gesichterderstadt.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/die-mull-schwe...
About the post-processing
For editing I've used the Lightromm plug-in "Silver Efex Pro". More precisely: Preset Nr. 28 (in German: "kühle töne"), but partly with adjustments: I didn’t use the artificial grain nor the frame of the preset and sometimes I omitted the blue color filter. The selected sequence of photos should give the viewer the impression of a walk through the complex and it corresponds mostly to the actually gone way.
Countless candles burn in the pre-dawn darkness around Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.
For the story, visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/light-a-candle-boudha...
Great Bray:
The Plains are home to countless numbers of unnerving and unnatural beasts, creatures, and monsters. Great lumbering mammoths plod along in a barely concealed rage while the lithe and savage Plain Tusks hunt with a relentless pursuit. The way of crude life on The Plains is a constant struggle between life and death. The weak are left behind and the strong ravage all before them.
In this land of ferocious cruelty and utter savagery, the apex predators traverse the wide range of the plainland, dominating all below them. The monstrous and brutal Taurocaur crush their prey with muscled limbs and fists. The large and barbarous herds of the Centecaur thunder across the open ground, riding down all who flee from their wrath. The feral Warbull Mammoths trample those who threaten their herd and impale them in tusks and horns. To be the apex predator in this savaged land is to rule supreme.
There is, however, a beast that stands above the rest. A creature of such ancient and cruel savagery that they are considered not but horrid tales to scare the children of the villages. But these rare beasts do exist, and when the Brayherd sounds the horn of the hunt and the many beasts gather for the bloodletting, this monster emerges to be the first in the carnage.
Known as Great Brays by the ritualistic shamans of the many herds that roam The Plains, these creatures are feared and respected by all of the herd. None know where these beasts roam their paths, only that they emerge when only the largest and most savage of Brayherds are formed. They answer to none, not even to Gourocaur the Great Beast, for their are more ancient and primordial than all they look down upon. They do not lead the herd, but live a solitary life, deeming all those below them to not be fit for the bloodletting that inevitably occurs when they emerge.
Standing taller than even the largest of mammoths, these great creatures of cloven hooves are a terror on the battlefield. Possessed with the insatiable bloodlust of the Taurocaur, but expressing the vile cunning of the Plain Tusks, the Great Brays are blessed with both unparalleled martial prowess and a savage intellect.
Thick muscles rippling beneath a hairy hide, the Grear Brays charge across the battlefield with a speed that should not naturally be found in a creature so large. They are anything but natural. Commonly wielding a pair massive axes that can sever the head of even the great fire drakes of the south, the Great Brays cleave through any and all battle lines. They grow sets of immense and crude horns that sprout and twist from their thick skulls, and these horns are no less deadly upon the field of battle.
Almost revered as beast-gods by others of the Brayherd, the Great Brays are all that it means to be part of the herd: insatiable bloodlust, a sense of savage cunning, and pure devotion to vicious carnage.
The Central Market of Phnom Penh is a unique Art Deco building and a Phnom Penh landmark. It is a large market constructed in 1937 in the shape of a dome with four arms branching out into vast hallways with countless stalls of goods. The Central Market was designed by French architect Jean Desbois (1891 Cherbourg -1971 Lorient).
After Countless attempts and many dissapointments i finally got an image i was proud of. Hope you all enjoy
Paying Attention
Wandering back through time recently, as I opened countless timeworn envelopes of faded photographs, I found a previously unseen picture of 'Taid' my grandfather, stood years before I was born, in the exact spot where we often stop now whenever we're down in Cornwall. West Looe to be specific. And now I come to think about it, the exact same feeling occurs when we're in other places, way too numerous to mention.
The feeling, not something men would normally talk about, for obvious reasons, is one of a tingling sensation up and down the spine and spreading over the top of the head. Like many such bodily sensations, it comes without explanation or clear rational, it just nudges, subtly as though to say, “Pay attention 007!”
Another such place where the nudge occurs is pictured in the photo attached; The Royal Albert Dock, as it's known these days. And through another spot of digging and delving into the hand-me-down possessions Taid had carefully left before his departure to places unknown back in 1984, I found records of his working life in Liverpool, just a mile or so up the road from Albert Dock at George Hadfield's dockside factory on Lightbody Street, Bootle.
In the photo, looking Northwards through the gaps in the pillars from Atlantic Pavilion towards Hartley Bridge, the Maritime Museum now occupies the building that once housed the offices of a Mr Richard Abel of Runcorn. Mr Abel ran a sand and gravel business as well as a boatbuilding yard in Runcorn where generations of his family built Mersey Flats, the region's famous wooden barges.
Serendipitously, or coincidentally if you’re that way inclined, another poignant photo had already turned up, this time of the Women War Workers in 1917 at George Hadfield's factory. They're stood aboard a Mersey Flat barge, shovels in hand. And I can’t help wondering, as I stand in Albert Dock and look towards where Mr Abel’s office was, if Taid had also visited Albert Dock through the course of his work. The ‘Pay Attention’ nudge is strong here.
No doubt if we do enough digging into the dusty records held in Liverpool’s various historical archives, we’ll find out for sure if there was in fact a trading connection between George Hadfield’s and Richard Abel’s businesses. All I can say for certain is that every time I work on the project or think about Mersey Flat OAKDALE and her maritime heritage in and around Liverpool, the thoughts are always accompanied by the nudge, let's call it a very strong sense of having been here before.
As Yogi Berra, the American baseball catcher once famously said, “It’s like deja vous all over again!”
1199 M. Fuxing Rd., Shanghai
To understand the fiasco of China's epidemic prevention, please read these reports:
www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2822%2900...; cn.nytimes.com/business/20220525/china-covid-zero/dual/
To know what has happened in Shangai since March, 2022, watch these videos: youtu.be/DGL29gU_I8o , youtu.be/HQxJBhR5ZzU, and read these stories: www.nytimes.com/2022/05/06/business/shanghai-xinjiang-chi..., www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/business/china-zero-covid-xi.html and www.voanews.com/a/foreign-businesses-consider-leaving-chi...
On 31 March, cordons have been up all along the streets of the city centre, and in a few hours, steel plates will be erected in their places to enclose each block.
For more than ten days, countless horrible things have happened in Shanghai. Many people, especially the elderly, have fallen on hard times and even lost their lives, and those who resisted, even those who just openly expressed their plight, were punished, for example by being arrested. I hope that all is well with this elder.
Grey Comma - Polygonia progne
Hello Everyone!
I have observed countless birds, bees, and butterflies either nectaring on the blooms, or eating the seeds of dandelions. If you truly care about the Earth, you must learn to care for ALL of Earth's flora and fauna, including dandelions.
Many consider dandelions to be a weed, a pest, a scourge to their bright green lawns. Well, I figure it this way ... The dandelion has a purpose in our ecosystem, just as every living thing does. Please don't use herbicides to destroy this very important food source.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message. If it impacts just one person on this beautiful planet of ours, I would be so very happy!
HAPPY EARTH DAY 2018
A heartflet thank you for your views, comments and faves! Discussion and constructive criticism are always welcome! Have a wonderful Earth Day!
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