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The Sea Cliff Bridge, 60km south of Sydney, opened in 2005. It cost $52 million to build, apparently.
I am going through my old photographs and organising them, and re-editing some using Photoshop Elements 11.
The sky was finally blue yesterday, so I couldn't resist going for a walk. I discovered that some familiar cliffs were wearing icicle jewelry. They were dripping as the sun displayed them beautifully.
I came home with more than 100 images of the icicles alone. In the end, I chose seven to share here.
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland. About 300' from top to base.
This is a multiheaded (2-screens wide) desktop background. It's actually part of a series of panoramic shots I took, but never bothered to stitch together.
The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's most iconic natural attractions, located on the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare. Rising majestically from the Atlantic Ocean, these dramatic sea cliffs stretch for approximately 14 kilometers (9 miles) and reach heights of up to 214 meters (702 feet) at their highest point, O'Brien's Tower. Formed over millions of years by the relentless forces of nature, the cliffs are composed primarily of Namurian shale and sandstone, displaying distinct horizontal layers that reveal their geological history. The sheer scale and rugged beauty of the Cliffs of Moher offer breathtaking panoramic views of the ocean, the Aran Islands, and the Connemara mountains on a clear day, making them a truly unforgettable sight.
Beyond their striking visual appeal, the Cliffs of Moher are a site of significant ecological importance. They are a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive and are home to a diverse array of seabirds. Thousands of seabirds, including puffins, guillemots, razorbills, and kittiwakes, nest on the precarious ledges of the cliffs, particularly during the breeding season from April to July. This makes the cliffs a prime location for birdwatching enthusiasts, offering a rare opportunity to observe these marine species in their natural habitat. The vibrant ecosystem supported by the cliffs is a testament to the wild and untamed nature of Ireland's Atlantic coastline.
The Cliffs of Moher are also steeped in cultural and historical significance, having inspired countless artists, writers, and musicians. They are a key part of the Wild Atlantic Way, a scenic coastal driving route that highlights Ireland's western seaboard. A well-maintained visitor center, pathways, and viewing platforms provide safe and accessible ways for millions of visitors each year to experience the grandeur of the cliffs. Despite the popularity, the sheer expanse of the cliffs allows for moments of quiet contemplation, offering a profound connection to the raw power and enduring beauty of the natural world.
Part of a herd of goats, walking along near vertical cliffs with the greatest of ease.
Sissi, Crete 2008
On our way to Las Vegas, we took a detour to see the Natural Arches National Park. On the way there, we took what seemed like a very narrow back road. Get this! The map was actually wrong about what road we should have taken to get to this back road, though my husband is so smart about directions that he had a feel the map was wrong even before we took the wrong road that would have led us to nowhere.
Despite this near debacle, what was kind of cool about this road is that the scenery was unimaginably beautiful, probably because it was off the beaten path, though one couldn't tell by the pictures I took since a blue haze seemed to permeate all of them. However, after I took these pictures into my graphics programs and played with the brightness and contrast functions, out popped all of the color I'd hoped to exhibit in them. For I'd never seen such a green river before. I read along the way that it was the Colorado. At times, it looked downright emerald; and the water seemed to be so still that perfect reflections could be seen along the river banks. Also the green seen up along the cliff in front is not grass. It is dirt, which is probably why the river was so green, being my first time ever seeing green dirt.
The amazing thing about these red rock cliffs was that they were so red they looked purple at times. Moreover, the black rock edging looked blue because it was so black. I wondered if this was shale I was looking at... I had no idea. Nevertheless, the way the colors played on each other was mesmerizing; and though snow was dappled here and there, spring had begun to come to life in the deadened shrubbery around it, waking from its long winter's nap.
When I look at this picture, I'm reminded of how Jesus is the Rock and, through all He did for me, He covers me with His Heavenly Water, Blood, and Breath...as this mountainous rock did this little haven. Inside the cove, He has created a spring of His massively wonderful love--even in the midst of the rock. This is where He, the Holy Spirit, and the Heavenly Father invisibly and silently come to me often in my mornings when the troubling haze of unbelief is lifted to share this love with me as we sup together in God's Kingdom. As I play with the contrast and brightness of this love, it also makes His Word pop out in multifaceted colors to me, bringing new life in His Word to me.
These times of mountaintop worship remind me of when Jesus would often be found going off silently to a mountainside by himself to pray and commune with His Father and the Holy Spirit. Afterward, Jesus was empowered to do mighty things (though that wasn't the reason He sought those intimate moments alone. It was solely a wonderful side-effect.) In this particular situation after a mountaintop time, mentioned below, He began to walk on water and actually encouraged one of His disciples to have this same kind of massive faith to walk on it with Him:
After he had dismissed them, he [Jesus] went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from the land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come out on the water."
"Come," he said. (Matthew 14:22-29, NIV)
Jesus' faith was so contagious that he led not only Peter to walk on the water but also led him and John and James to go up on a mountainside with Him to experience what He would experience on those mountaintop moments with His Father and the Holy Spirit:
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one but Jesus. (Matthew 17:1-8, NIV)
Though we were and usually are in such a hurry to get home to our busy little lives after experiencing such beauty in the physical and sometimes even in the spiritual, someday in God's great mercy and grace, we'll be actually able to stop and enjoy the kind of breathtakingly gorgeous scenes that He has waiting for us. This will come to be when the dulling haze of this life is lifted before us and instead the bright and vivid colors of Heaven will envelope us. No longer will my conscious time with Him be spent enjoying His invisible qualities and sporadic mountaintop moments; instead, I will get to enjoy Him eternally without stop completely Face-to-face in true picturesque perfection that far surpasses the beauty of these red rock cliffs.
© Copyright 5-7-2009 Victoria Tribby
Judging by thr distance we were looking from this grass, on the edge of the cliff, must be extremely high
Original shot taken with a Zenza Bronica SQ-A with zenzanon 40mm on Konica-Minolta Centuria 400 film for color prints. Light post processing.
The Palmaria Island. In front of Porto Venere, a small island almost uninhabited.
For a long time it has been the place of a large a marble quarry (the so called Portoro "marble"). After the quarry closed, for years it has been a military property and approacing was forbidden.
My grandfather went to this island when he was just thirteen, to work in the quarry, he remained there for some years. I visit this place in the end of summer 2007. Now what you meet here is an awesome landscape and the ruins of the hills eaten by the quarry.
Thanks to Xippa and Ludomannaro for the boat trip and for the nice visit.
The cliff lift at Saltburn-by-the-Sea is one of the oldest in the world having opened on 28th June 1884 having replaced a vertical lift that was closed in 1883 on safety grounds. This standard gauge funicular railway operates on the water balance system and raises passengers up the 120ft cliff on a gradient of 1:1.33. The bottom station for the lift is situated behind the red and cream painted buildings which are associated with the 1869 pier on which I was stood.