Schooners lined up today for the start of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. It was an overcast day with only a 5-7 knot wind so not a very dramatic start but still wonderful to see. This year there are 17 schooners actually racing and a few more that were anchored near the starting line. The race started with canon shot at 13:30 and by 20:00 they had barely gone 40 nautical miles. Will be a long night for this 115+ mile race.

The race is a fund raiser for bay conservation. Some of the vessels contributed but are not racing this year. Though most are from the mid-Atlantic states, we do have one competitor from the UK as well.

More pictures to come! Be sure to check out the whole set.

Left to right

When & If (yellow sails)

Principles

Liberty Clipper (dark green hull)

Lady Maryland (pink hull)

The race can be tracked here

www.baltimoremarinecenters.com/About-BMC/Schooner-Race-Tr...

List of the vessels here

www.gcbsr.org/fleet-2016

In Japan a tōrō is a traditional lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. In Japan, tōrō were originally used only in Buddhist temples, where they lined and illuminated paths. Lit lanterns were then considered an offering to Buddha.

The Garden sits nestled in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis for locals and travelers alike. Designed in 1963, it encompasses 12 acres with eight separate garden styles, and includes an authentic Japanese Tea House, meandering streams, intimate walkways, and a spectacular view of Mt. Hood. This is a place to discard worldly thoughts and concerns and see oneself as a small but integral part of the universe.

Born out of a hope that the experience of peace can contribute to a long lasting peace. Born out of a belief in the power of cultural exchange. Born out of a belief in the excellence of craft, evidence in the Garden itself and the activities that come from it. Born out of a realization that all of these things are made more real and possible if we honor our connection to nature.

(japanesegarden.org/about-portland-japanese-garden/)

June 6 is the day of 6x6.

Quick comparison of today's state of the art twin lens camera and historical one. Today's iPhone 11 has 12MP camera on its back and is around 20 times thinner than Rolleicord however ,as for image quality, Schneider lens and kodak film generate obviously fine, richer image than current technology generates.

In this 60 years technology and digitalization made us easy to take, store and share photography but they did not contribute enough to photography quality.

Excerpt from webapp.driftscape.com/map/4060ecae-7510-11ec-8000-bc1c5a8...:

Untitled by Cheyenne Gold: I migrated to Canada from Trinidad as a child with my parents and siblings and we settled in North Etobicoke, eight minutes away from this mural location. For newcomers, it is very important to keep in touch with elements of home and feeling represented, and I remember not feeling represented and frankly misunderstood as someone from a small island. So I saw this mural as an opportunity to contribute to the visibility of Caribbean culture and I asked myself what would I have liked to see on a wall when I was a young immigrant Caribbean child growing up in this neighbourhood. I chose to depict a recognizably natural Caribbean scene of an island silhouette and a sky full of texture, colour, and contrast through a familiar tie-dye pattern, that would hopefully appeal to children and families. Elements of international travel are also highlighted in this piece to represent the resilient journeys embarked upon by Caribbean migrants.

Caribbean people represent a plethora of cultures, in Trinidad specifically a majority are descendants of Africa and India post-colonialism, and even after centuries of adversity and linear migration, people of the Caribbean diaspora seem to always successfully revive their identity even when “home” is outside of the Caribbean region. Thus, to me, Caribbean migrants, of whom make up the second largest ethnic group of North Etobicoke, are naturally resilient.

A visit to New Jersey Transit's mainline brought a lot of backlighting and a couple of extras contributing to the maintenance of way operations.

Will eventually contribute organic matter to the forest soil. For now it is home to moss and ferns.

At Northern State Recreational Area east of Sedro Woolley, WA..

Jerash, the Gerasa of Antiquity (Ancient Greek: Γέρασα, Hebrew: גַ'רַש), is the capital and largest city of Jerash Governorate (محافظة جرش), which is situated in the north of Jordan, 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital Amman towards Syria. Jerash Governorate's geographical features vary from cold mountains to fertile valleys from 250 to 300 metres (820 to 980 above sea level, suitable for growing a wide variety of crops.

In the latter Ottoman period, the city of Jerash's name was abandoned and changed to Sakib, yet this was not a permanent development, as the name "Jerash" reappears in Ottoman tax registers by the end of 16th century.

A strong earthquake in 749 AD destroyed large parts of Jerash, while subsequent earthquakes along with the wars and turmoil contributed to additional destruction. Its destruction and ruins remained buried in the soil for hundreds of years until they were discovered by German Orientalist Ulrich Jasper Seetzen in 1806. He began excavation and a return to life of the current Jerash by inhabitants of older villages. 70 years later, this was followed by the Muslim community, Circassians, who emigrated to Jordan from the Caucasus in 1878 after the Ottoman-Russian war. Subsequently a large community of people from Syria came to the area at the beginning of the 20th century.

Gerasa es el nombre de una antigua ciudad de la Decápolis. Sus ruinas representan una de las ciudades romanas más importantes y mejor conservadas del Próximo Oriente, y se ubican en la región de Gilead, al noroeste de Jordania.

Recientes excavaciones muestran que Jerash ya estaba habitada durante la Edad del Bronce y la Edad del Hierro (3200 a. C. - 1200 a. C.). Después de la conquista romana, en el año 63 a. C., Jerash y sus contornos fueron anexionados a la provincia romana de Siria, y más tarde se integró en la Decápolis. En 90 d. C. se incorporó a la provincia de Arabia, que incluía la ciudad de Filadelfia (actual Ammán). Los romanos garantizaron la paz y la seguridad en el área, lo que permitió a sus habitantes dedicar su tiempo y sus energías al desarrollo económico y a la construcción. En la segunda mitad del siglo I, la ciudad de Jerash alcanzó una gran prosperidad. En 106 el emperador Trajano construyó calzadas que atravesaban las provincias, lo que incrementó las actividades comerciales de la ciudad. Adriano visitó Jerash en los años 129-130. Una inscripción latina registra la dedicatoria religiosa hecha por miembros de la guardia imperial que invernaron allí. El arco de triunfo -o Arco de Adriano- fue erigido para solemnizar la visita.

Jerash, situado 48 quilômetros ao norte de Amman, é considerado um dos maiores e mais bem preservados lugares da cultura romana no mundo, fora da Itália. Atualmente, suas ruas colunatas, banhos, teatros, praças e arcos permanecem em condição excepcional. Dentro dos restos das muralhas da cidade, arqueólogos encontraram as ruínas de estabelecimento datadas na época posterior ao Neolítico, indicando a ocupação humana nesta localidade para mais de 6500 anos. Isto não surpreende sendo que a área é situada idealmente para a habitação humana. Jerash, é bem abastecida de água, e sua altitude de 500 metros proporciona-lhe um clima temperado e uma excelente visão sobre as áreas mais baixas que rodeiam a cidade.

A história de Jerash é uma mistura do mundo greco-romano da bacia mediterrânea, e das antigas tradições da Arábia Oriental. De fato, o próprio nome da cidade reflete esta interação. Os habitantes Árabe-Semitas mais antigos, que habitavam na área durante o período pré-clássico do primeiro milênio BCE. chamavam sua aldeia Garschu. Os romanos posteriormente helenizaram o antigo nome árabe de Garschu para Gerasa, e a Biblia refere-se "à região dos Gerasenos" (Mk 5:1; Lc 8:26). No fim do século 19, os habitantes árabes e circanos dos pequenos estabelecimentos rurais transformaram a Gerasa romana em Jerash árabe.

Let me take you on a brief musical journey through my past... music has always been one of the most important components of my life. My dad is a guitarist and music lover, and his huge blaring stereo (all 500w of it) provided a constant background to my childhood. The first LP I bought was a Beatles compilation when I was about 8.

At the age of 10 I was in awe of Adam Ant. A year later I was a mod, dancing to The Who, The Jam and The Small Faces (and the odd bit of ska) at the local youth club.

By the time I got to my mid teens I was getting into metal (the heavier the better). Then later on indie, industrial, goth, etc. etc... But in between all that from the age of 12 to 14 I was really into this new style of music which you may have heard of called 'Hip Hop'.

My dad got me into rap in 1982, when he imported the first Grandmaster Flash album ('The Message') - his love of funk also contributing heavily (Prince Charles (the other one), George Clinton, early Prince, etc). But when rap really started breaking into the mainstream in the mid-80s, I lapped it up.

I would watch the movie 'Breakdance' on repeat play until the video broke; practice my (dire) human-beatboxing; and listen to my three favourite 12" singles:

- '(Nothing Serious) Just Buggin' ' by Whistle ;

- 'Bang Zoom! Let's Go Go!' by The Real Roxanne with Hitman Howie Tee;

- and the seminal 'The Show' by Doug E Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew (otherwise know as 'that song with the Inspector Gadget hook').

And here they still all are... complete with original price tags (£2.79p - from E.G.S and Son in Wakefield).

For a few years rap got better and better - and it almost seemed like it was growing and maturing with me (with the likes of Public Enemy and NWA). Which just makes me feel really bitter about all of the self-centred, 'Bitch/Ho/Bling' crap of the last fifteen years or so... But I guess it happens to all musical genres as they are subsumed by the marketing gurus and money men. The originators remain pennyless - but their morals intact - while the insipid pretenders milk the cash cow until it's dry. Give me Melle Mel over Jay Z anyday.

Gah... anyway. Listening to these EPs now just makes me feel young and FRESH all over again. Check it- check it out.

(Oh, and new prescription shades y'all!)

Podyjí National Park (Czech: Národní park Podyjí) is a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It protects near-natural forests along the deep Dyje River valley. It is a biom whose well-preserved state is unique in Central Europe. It connects to the smaller Nationalpark Thayatal in Austria.

Podyjí National Park is characterized by extraordinary scenery, being home to features such as rocky amphitheatres, cliffs, meanders, detritus fields, impervious ravines, several types of heatland adorned with muilti-coloured layers of thermophilic plants, or alluvial plains around the river Dyje. The division of the valley along the river Dyje creates two distinctive ecological regions and thus contributes to the high biological diversity of the park.

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Did make a weekend (boat) trip across the Podyjí national park in late October to find it empty and silent on and around the Dyje river.

We were lucky with the weather: peak of autumn colours and delicate sunlight created a really fairy-tale atmosphere. It was (sometimes) cold on the river, however still very beautiful.

The Ontario County Courthouse is located in Canandaigua, New York, United States. The United States v. Susan B. Anthony trial took place in this courthouse in 1873. It is a contributing property to the Canandaigua Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

🇫🇷 Le décor pourrait être en rapport avec une tradition locale, aujourd’hui oubliée, concernant l’origine d’une relique de la croix conservée au monastère, à moins qu’il n’ait fait allusion à une cérémonie religieuse exaltant la croix et sa signification pour des militaires. Si l’on en est réduit aux hypothèses, il est sûr en revanche que cette croix fut l’objet d’une dévotion importante L’image de Constantin et Hélène, qui réaffirme la dévotion portée à la relique du saint Bois, est liée au panneau des donateurs (les donateurs qui ont contribué à l'aménagement de ces églises, sont remerciés par leur portrait et leur nom inscrit (ou non).

Cette fresque est peinte sur la voute

version noir et blanc auteur inconnu

www.flickr.com/gp/philippedaniele/92C25G19S9

🇬🇧 The decoration may be related to a local tradition, now forgotten, concerning the origin of a relic of the cross kept at the monastery, unless it alluded to a religious ceremony exalting the cross and its significance for soldiers. If we are reduced to hypotheses, it is certain that this cross was the object of an important devotion The image of Constantine and Helena, which reaffirms the devotion to the relic of the Holy Grove, is linked to the donors' panel (the donors who contributed to the development of these churches are thanked by their portrait and their name inscribed (or not).

This fresco is painted on the vault

Black and white version Author unknown

www.flickr.com/gp/philippedaniele/92C25G19S9

🇩🇪 Die Verzierung kann sich auf eine heute vergessene lokale Überlieferung beziehen, die sich auf die Herkunft einer im Kloster aufbewahrten Kreuzreliquie bezieht, es sei denn, sie spielte auf eine religiöse Zeremonie an, bei der das Kreuz und seine Bedeutung für die Soldaten erhoben wurden. Wenn wir uns auf Hypothesen beschränken, ist es sicher, dass dieses Kreuz Gegenstand einer bedeutenden Verehrung war. Das Bild von Konstantin und Helena, das die Verehrung der Reliquie des Heiligen Hains bekräftigt, ist mit der Stiftertafel verbunden (den Spendern, die zur Entwicklung dieser Kirchen beigetragen haben, wird durch ihr Porträt und ihren Namen gedankt (oder auch nicht).

Dieses Fresko ist auf das Gewölbe gemalt

Schwarz-Weiß-Version Autor unbekannt

www.flickr.com/gp/philippedaniele/92C25G19S9philippedaniele/92C25G19S9 ...

🇪🇸 La decoración puede referirse a una tradición local hoy olvidada, que se relaciona con el origen de una reliquia de la cruz guardada en el monasterio, a menos que se refiera a una ceremonia religiosa en la que se exaltó la cruz y su significado para los soldados. Si nos limitamos a las hipótesis, es seguro que esta cruz fue objeto de una veneración significativa. La imagen de Constantino y Helena, que refuerza la veneración de la reliquia del Santo Hain, está asociada con la tabla de los donantes (a los donantes que contribuyeron al desarrollo de estas iglesias se les agradece a través de su retrato y su nombre (o no). Este fresco está pintado en la bóveda.Versión en blanco y negro Autor desconocidowww.flickr.com/gp/philippedaniele/92C25G19S9

🇮🇹 La decorazione può riferirsi a una tradizione locale oggi dimenticata, che riguarda l'origine di una reliquia della croce conservata nel monastero, a meno che non si riferisca a una cerimonia religiosa in cui la croce e il suo significato per i soldati erano esaltati. Se ci limitiamo a ipotesi, è certo che questa croce fosse oggetto di una significativa venerazione. L'immagine di Costantino e Elena, che conferma la venerazione della reliquia del Santo Bosco, è collegata alla tavola di fondazione (ai donatori che hanno contribuito allo sviluppo di queste chiese viene riconosciuto il merito attraverso il loro ritratto e il loro nome (o anche no). Questo affresco è dipinto sulla voltaVersione in bianco e nero Autore sconosciutowww.flickr.com/gp/philippedaniele/92C25G19S9

Seen on the stump in the forest. It was easy to see because of it's bright colour :)

Scrambled egg slime (Fuligo septica) is a species of plasmodial slime mold, and a member of the Myxomycetes class. Slime molds were formerly classified as fungi but are no longer considered part of that kingdom. Although not forming a single monophyletic clade, they are grouped within the paraphyletic group referred to as kingdom Protista. Many slime molds, mainly the "cellular" slime molds, do not spend most of their time in this state. When food is abundant, these slime molds exist as single-celled organisms. When food is in short supply, many of these single-celled organisms will congregate and start moving as a single body. They feed on microorganisms that live in any type of dead plant material. They contribute to the decomposition of dead vegetation, and feed on bacteria, yeasts, and fungi. For this reason, slime molds are usually found in soil, lawns, and on the forest floor, commonly on deciduous logs. Fuligo septica's plasmodium may be anywhere from white to yellow-gray It is common with a worldwide distribution, and it is often found on bark mulch in urban areas or woodlands after heavy rain or excessive watering. Their spores are produced on or in aerial sporangia and are spread by wind.

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Żółty śluzowiec na pniaku w lesie. Rzucał się w oczy tym swoim jaskrawym kolorem :)

Wykwit piankowaty (Fuligo septica) – gatunek śluzowca. Śluzowce dawniej zaliczano do grzybów, potem do protistów grzybopodobnych. Z przyczyn historycznych w podręcznikach traktowane są jako klasa roślin zarodnikowych, a w szczególności grzybów. Jednak bliższe są grupom typowo zwierzęcym. Wskazuje na to występowanie form ruchomych. Podczas cyklu rozwojowego śluzowców występują dwie formy: mobilny pełzak (myksameba, pływak) oraz ruchliwa śluźnia. Ponieważ nie są bezpośrednio spokrewnione ani z roślinami, ani ze zwierzętami, ani nawet z grzybami, niektóre ich cechy przypominają cechy roślin, grzybów albo zwierząt. Żywią się bakteriami, grzybami (nieraz pochłaniają całe owocniki grzybów), pierwotniakami. Ich stadium wegetatywne stanowi wielojądrowa śluźnia, która pełza za pomocą nibynóżek. Wykwit piankowaty tworzy cytrynowożółte, śluzowate, bezkształtne plazmodium, które nie zawiera chlorofilu i nie posiada błon cytoplazmatycznych. Jest rozprzestrzeniony na całej kuli ziemskiej. Zazwyczaj rośnie na martwych pniakach, pniach drzew, opadłych liściach i innych resztkach roślinnych, ale może rosnąć również na żywych roślinach. W Polsce spotykany jest głównie w lecie i jesienią, po deszczach i jest pospolity na terenie całego kraju.

"We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives."

- Gary Zukav

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Thanks a lot for visits and comments, everyone... !

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

Excerpt from the plaque:

The Last Shift by John McCaffrey: This piece was produced to honour and celebrate the many men and women of Collingwood who contributed their skills during a lifetime of work building ships at the “The Yard” (1883-1986)

60040 passes Attenborough working 6M57 07:15 Lindsey-Kingsbury (taken using a pole). Finally nailed this one after too many failed attempts to remember, clouds, WiFi failure, flat batteries, lost USB cable, sheds have all contributed to it taking so long to get it right

Published:

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Church_of_The_Nativit...

mcb.org.uk/general/muslim-council-of-britain-reaffirms-ar...

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The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity is a basilica located in Bethlehem in the Palestinian West Bank. The grotto it contains holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land.

The church was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great a short time after his mother Helena's visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325-326, on the site that was traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Jesus.[3][4] That original basilica was likely built between 330-333, being already mentioned in 333, and was dedicated on 31 May 339. It was destroyed by fire during the Samaritan revolts of the sixth century, possibly in 529, and a new basilica was built a number of years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565), who added a porch or narthex, and replaced the octagonal sanctuary with a cruciform transept complete with three apses, but largely preserved the original character of the building, with an atrium and a basilica consisting of a nave with four side aisles.

The Church of the Nativity, while remaining basically unchanged since the Justinianic reconstruction, has seen numerous repairs and additions, especially from the Crusader period, such as two bell towers (now gone), wall mosaics and paintings (partially preserved). Over the centuries, the surrounding compound has been expanded, and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters, comprising three different monasteries: one Greek Orthodox, one Armenian Apostolic, and one Roman Catholic, of which the first two contain bell towers built during the modern era.

The silver star marking the spot where Christ was born was stolen in 1847. Some assert that this was a contributing factor in the Crimean War against the Russian Empire. Others assert that the war grew out of the wider European situation.

Since 2012, the Church of the Nativity is a World Heritage Site and was the first to be listed by UNESCO under 'Palestine'.

A 250-year-old understanding among religious communities, the Status Quo, applies to the site.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity

This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, depicts a special class of star-forming nursery known as Free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules, or frEGGs for short. This object is formally known as J025157.5+600606.

When a massive new star starts to shine while still within the cool molecular gas cloud from which it formed, its energetic radiation can ionize the cloud’s hydrogen and create a large, hot bubble of ionized gas. Amazingly, located within this bubble of hot gas around a nearby massive star are the frEGGs: dark compact globules of dust and gas, some of which are giving birth to low-mass stars. The boundary between the cool, dusty frEGG and the hot gas bubble is seen as the glowing purple/blue edges in this fascinating image.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Sahai

NASA image use policy.

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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Clonmacnoise is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th century it had close associations with the kings of Connacht.

Saint Ciarán founded the monastery in the ancient territory of Uí Maine at a point where the major east–west land route meets the River Shannon after crossing the bogs of Central Ireland known as the Esker Riada. The strategic location of the monastery helped it become a major center of religion, learning, craftsmanship and trade by the 9th century; and together with Clonard it was one of the most famous places in Ireland, visited by scholars from all over Europe. From the ninth until the eleventh century it was allied with the kings of Meath. Many of the high kings of Tara (ardrí) and of Connacht were buried here.

Clonmacnoise was largely abandoned by the end of the 13th century. Today the site includes nine ruined churches, a castle, two round towers and a large number of carved stone crosses and cross-slabs. The Irish government's Office of Public Works manages the preserved ruin. An Interpretive Centre is open to the public, the graveyard is in use and religious services take place in a modern chapel.

In 544 Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon, arrived at this location with seven companions. (Saint Ciarán is not to be confused or conflated with St. Ciarán of Saigir, patron of Osraige). Here he met Diarmait mac Cerbaill, who later became the first Christian crowned High King of Ireland. Together they built the first church at the site. This was a small wooden structure and the first of many small churches to be clustered on the site. In September 549, not yet thirty-three years of age, Ciarán died of a plague, and was reportedly buried under the original wooden church, now the site of the 9th-century stone oratory, Temple Ciarán. This location was particularly important because here the major east–west land route through the bogs of central Ireland along the Eiscir Riada (an esker left by the receding glaciers of the last ice age) crossed the River Shannon.

According to Adomnán of Iona, who referenced the testimony of earlier abbots of Iona who had known Columba, St Columba visited the monastery at Clonmacnoise during the time when he was founding the monastery at Durrow. While he was there he prophesied about the future debates in the churches of Ireland about the dating of Easter and claimed that angels had visited the monastery at Clonmacnoise. While he was there, a young monk named Ernéne mac Craséni (who would later be famous in Ireland) tried to touch Columba's clothes while Columba was not looking. However, the saint immediately noticed and grabbed the boy by the neck, told him to open his mouth, and then blessed him, saying that he would teach the doctrine of salvation.

Towards the close of the seventh century a plague carried off a large number of its students and professors. Clonmacnoise's period of greatest growth came between the 8th and 12th centuries. It was attacked frequently during these four centuries, most often by the Irish, the Vikings and the Normans. The early wooden buildings began to be replaced by more durable stone structures in the 9th century, and the original population of fewer than ten men grew to perhaps 1,500 to 2,000 by the 11th century. Although the site was based around a core of churches, crosses, graves and ecclesiastical dwellings and workshops, it would have been surrounded by the houses and streets of a larger secular community, the metalworkers, craftsmen and farmers who supported the monastic clergy and their students. Artisans associated with the site created some of the most beautiful and enduring artworks in metal and stone ever seen in Ireland, with the Clonmacnoise Crozier (on display in the National Museum of Ireland) and the Cross of the Scriptures representing the apex of their efforts. The Book of the Dun Cow, a vellum manuscript dating to the 12th century, was written here and its main compiler, Máel Muire mac Céilechair meic Cuinn na mBocht was reputedly murdered in a Viking raid in 1106.

By the 12th century Clonmacnoise began to decline. The reasons were varied, although attacks by the Vikings (under Turgesius) and the Normans contributed. Without doubt the most debilitating factor was the growth of the town of Athlone to the north of the site from the late-12th century.[citation needed] Athlone became the main trading town for the midlands of Ireland, and the most popular route for crossing the Shannon, as well as the best-defended settlement in the region. People migrated north from Clonmacnoise to Athlone, and along with the population decrease went much of the support that the site needed to survive, and former allies began to recognise the decline in the site's influence. The influx of continental religious orders such as the Cistercians, Franciscans, Augustinians, Benedictines, Cluniacs, etc. around the same time fed into this decline as numerous competing sites began to crop up. Ireland's move from a monastic framework to a diocesan one in the twelfth century similarly diminished the site's religious standing, as it was designated the seat of a small and impoverished diocese.

In 1552 the English garrison at Athlone destroyed and looted Clonmacnoise for the final time, leaving it in ruins.

The monastery ruins were one of the stops on the itinerary of Pope John Paul II during his visit to Ireland in 1979.

Smoke from forest fires all over the western U.S. contributed to this photo.

The Engadine is a paradise for hikers in autumn.

The valley has plenty of sunny days, and it has mineral springs and a very pleasant climate. Piz Bernina is the only four-thousander in the eastern Alps (4,049 m. altitude). Piz Palü, Piz Corvatsch, Corviglia and Diavolezza are among its other well-known peaks and skiing areas.

Engadin St. Moritz has a fascinating cultural heritage - Romansch as its official main language, German spoken in St. Moritz, Italian in the neighboring valleys, French at the Club Med, lots of English for example at the Cresta Run, cricket and polo. Giovanni Segantini and the Giacomettis, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wagner, Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, Arturo Toscanini, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan and many other famous personalities from the worlds of the arts and culture have contributed to the myth und nimbus of this valley. 'Schlittedas', 'Chalandamarz', an own architectural style (the 'Engadine house'), and the famous Engadine nut tart are also a part of it all.

Built in 1895, this Gothic Revival-style building was built for the Conklin family, and features a red brick exterior, bonnet roof with exposed rafter tails, blind gothic arches, rusticated stone sills and lintels, first floor retail storefronts with decorative cornices, one-over-one and casement replacement windows, a stone base and recessed brick panels around many of the second floor windows. The building is a contributing structure in the State Street Historic District, listed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places.

Early science results from NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter portray the largest planet in our solar system as a complex, gigantic, turbulent world, with Earth-sized polar cyclones, plunging storm systems that travel deep into the heart of the gas giant, and a mammoth, lumpy magnetic field that may indicate it was generated closer to the planet’s surface than previously thought.

This image shows Jupiter’s south pole, as seen by NASA’s Juno spacecraft from an altitude of 32,000 miles (52,000 kilometers). The oval features are cyclones, up to 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) in diameter. Multiple images taken with the JunoCam instrument on three separate orbits were combined to show all areas in daylight, enhanced color, and stereographic projection.

Read more: go.nasa.gov/2rEgNhT

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Betsy Asher Hall/Gervasio Robles

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The Hubble Space Telescope has snapped the closest images yet of the sky's latest visitor to make headlines, comet NEOWISE, after it passed by the Sun. This is the first time Hubble has photographed a comet of this brightness at such resolution after this close of a pass by the Sun.

This ground-based image of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was taken from the Northern Hemisphere on July 16, 2020. The inset image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on Aug. 8, 2020, reveals a close-up of the comet after its pass by the Sun. Hubble’s image zeroes in on the comet’s nucleus, which is too small to be seen. It’s estimated to measure no more than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) across. Instead, the image shows a portion of the comet’s coma, the fuzzy glow, which measures about 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) across in this image.

The comet photos were taken after NEOWISE skimmed closest to the Sun on July 3, 2020, at a distance of 27 million miles (43 million kilometers). Other comets often break apart due to thermal and gravitational stresses at such close encounters, but Hubble’s view shows that apparently NEOWISE’s solid nucleus stayed intact.

Comet NEOWISE is considered the brightest visible from the Northern Hemisphere since 1997’s Hale-Bopp. It’s headed beyond the outer solar system, now traveling at a whopping 144,000 miles per hour. It will not return to the Sun for another nearly 7,000 years.

Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI, Q. Zhang (Caltech); ground-based image copyright © 2020 by Zoltan G. Levay, used with permission

www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/hubble-snaps-close-up-o...

NASA image use policy.

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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Contributing to the potent, ethereal magic present was this happy coincidence.

Possibly a slightly jarring composition, the picture still had to be taken for obvious reasons.

The utter contrast to mundane daily life that these experiences gift to the onlooker cannot be stressed sufficiently. The usual melancholy kicked in as I gazed in wonder at my situation: the impossibility of 'bottling it all up' & taking some of it home proving to amplify an already raised state of emotion.

To see more views of Harrogate, in Yorkshire, please click

"here"!

I would be most grateful if you would refrain from inserting images, and/or group invites; thank you!

Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters and RHS Harlow Carr gardens. Nearby is the Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate grew out of two existing smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th century. It is consistently voted as one of the best places to live in the UK and in 2013 a poll by Rightmove of 40,000 people found that Harrogate was the happiest place to live in the United Kingdom. In 2013 Harrogate was declared to be the third most romantic destination in the world, beating off rivals including Paris, Rome and Vienna. Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt. The town became known as 'The English Spa' in the Georgian Era, after its waters were discovered in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries the 'chalybeate' waters (i.e. containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town. The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means "a citadel famous for its springs." The name Harrogate is first attested in the 1330s as Harwegate. It seems to derive from Old Norse hǫrgr 'a heap of stones, cairn' + gata 'street', in which case the name presumably meant 'road to the cairn'. Before the discovery of its iron and sulphur rich water, Harrogate comprised two hamlets, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, close to Knaresborough. The first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby, who found that water from the Tewit Well possessed similar properties to that from the springs of the Belgian town of Spa, which gave its name to spa towns. The medicinal properties of the waters were publicised by Edmund Deane. His book, Spadacrene Anglica, or the English Spa Fountain was published in 1626. Harrogate developed a spa town following the enclosure of surrounding lands in 1770, when 200 acres (0.81 km2) were reserved as a public common, the Stray, which has remained a spot for picnicking, kite-flying, outdoor games and local football matches. To provide entertainment for increasing numbers of visitors the Georgian Theatre was built in 1788. Bath Hospital (later the Royal Bath Hospital) was built in 1826. The Royal Pump Room was built in 1842. In 1870, engineering inventor Samson Fox perfected the process of creating water gas, in the basement laboratory of Grove House. After constructing a trial plant at his home on Scarborough Road, making it the first house in Yorkshire to have gas lighting and heating; he built a town-sized plant to supply Harrogate. After he made Parliament Street the world's first route to be lit by water-gas, newspapers commented: "Samson Fox has captured the sunlight for Harrogate." After donating the towns first fire engine, and building the town's theatre, he was elected mayor for three years, an unbroken record. The site of Tewit Well is marked by a dome on the Stray. Other wells can be found in Harrogate's Valley Gardens and the Royal Pump Room museum. In 1893 Harrogate doctor George Oliver was the first to observe the effect of adrenaline on the circulation. In 2007, two metal detectorists found the Harrogate hoard, a 10th-century Viking treasure hoard, near Harrogate. The hoard contains almost 700 coins and other items from as far away as Afghanistan. The hoard was described by the British Museum as the most important find of its type in Britain for 150 years.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Another great street artist contributing to the "Brighton Mural Madness"

Jerash is the capital and the largest city of Jerash Governorate, Jordan, with a population of 50,745 as of 2015. Located 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital of Jordan, Amman.

The history of the city is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean Basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. The name of the city reflects this interaction. The earliest Arab/Semitic inhabitants, who lived in the area during the pre-classical period of the 1st millennium BCE, named their village Garshu. The Romans later Hellenized the former Arabic name of Garshu into Gerasa. Later, the name transformed into the Arabic Jerash.

The city flourished until the mid-eighth century CE, when the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed large parts of it, while subsequent earthquakes (847 Damascus earthquake) contributed to additional destruction. However, In the early 12th century, by the year 1120, Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus ordered a garrison of forty men stationed in Jerash to convert the Temple of Artemis into a fortress. It was captured in 1121 by Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed.

Jerash was then deserted until it reappeared in the Ottoman tax registers in the 16th century. It had a population of 12 households in 1596. However, the archaeologists have found a small Mamluk hamlet in the Northwest Quarter which indicates that Jerash was resettled before the Ottoman era. The excavations conducted since 2011 have shed light on the Middle Islamic period as recent discoveries have uncovered a large concentration of Middle Islamic/Mamluk structures and pottery.

In 1806, the German traveler, Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, came across and wrote about the ruins he recognized. In 1885, the Ottoman authorities directed the Circassian immigrants who were mainly of peasant stock to settle in Jerash, and distributed arable land among them.

The ancient city has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations which commenced in 1925, and continue to this day.

Be the first to kick start your generous support and fund my production with more amazing images!

Currently, I'm running a crowd funding activity to initiate my personal 2016 Flickr's Project. Here, I sincerely request each and every kind hearted souls to pay some effort and attention.

No limitation, Any Amount and your encouraging comments are welcome.

Crowd funding contribution can be simply direct to my PayPal account if you really appreciate and wish my forthcoming photography project to come alive.

Please PayPal your wish amount to : men4r@yahoo.com

Email me or public comments below your contribution amount for good records with your comments and at final day, at random, I shall sent out my well taken care canon 6D with full box n accessory during random draw to one thankful contributor as my token of appreciation.

Now, I cordially invite and look forward with eagerness a strong pool of unity zealous participants in this fundermental ideology yet sustainable crowd fund raising task.

Basically, the substantial gather amount is achievable with pure passion n love heart in photography and not necessary be filty rich nor famous to help me accomplish raising my long yearning photography career, a sucking heavy expense that been schedules down my photography making journey had inevitably, some circumstances had badly fall short behind racing with time and inability to fulfill as quickly in near future consolidating good fund .

Honestly, with aspiration and hope, I appeal to urge on this media for a strong humanity mandate through good faith of sharing and giving generously on this particular crowd funding excercise to achieve my desire n is not just purely a dread dream , is also flickers first starter own crowds funding strength turning impossible into reality through this pratical raising method that I confidently trust it will turn fruitful from all your small effort participation, every single persistency will result consolidating piling up every little tiny bricks into an ultimate huge strong living castle.

In reality, I have trust and never look down on every single peny efforts that been contributed as helpful means, turning unrealistic dream alive is the goal in crowd funding excercise, No reason any single amount is regard to be too small when the strength of all individual wish gather to fulfill my little desire to make exist and keep alive. .

I sincerely look forward each and every participants who think alike crowds funding methodlogy works here no matter who come forwards with regardless any capital amount input be big or small , please help gather and pool raise my objective target amount as close to USD$10K or either acquisition from donation item list below:

1- ideally a high mega pixel Canon 5DS ( can be either new or use ok)

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Last but not least, a photography journey of life time for a trip to explore South Island of New Zealand and Africa.

.

My intended schedule may estimate about 1 month round trip self drive traveling down scenic Southern Island of New Zealand for completing the most captivating landscape photography and wander into the big five, the wilderness of untamed Africa nature for my project 2016 before my physical body stamina eventually drain off.

During the course, I also welcome sponsor's to provide daily lodging/accommodation, car rental/transportation, Fox Glacier helicopter ride and other logistic funding expenses, provide photographic camera equipments or related accessories .

Kindly forward all sponsors request terms of condition n collaboration details for discussion soon.

Great Ocean Drive- the 12 Apostle's

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These two vehicles are part of a quirky art installation of over 40 trucks, cars and buses planted in the desert dirt outside of Goldfield, Nevada.

Some descriptions of the place call it the "International Car Forest of the Last Church." It was the vision of Mark Rippie and artist Chad Sorg. Rippie owned the land and invited Sorg to assist in realizing his dream in 2011.

Sorg lived on the property for about a year painting the vehicles which Rippie planted in the ground. Other artists were also invited to contribute. Sorg and Rippie had a falling out in 2013 and Rippie ordered Sorg off the property. Sorg returned to Las Vegas where he continues to practice his art.

Rippie went to prison for two years on federal firearms charges in late 2013 for purchasing firearms after falsely attesting he had NOT been committed to a mental institution. He had spent time in a mental health facility and had numerous run ins with law enforcement which culminated in his federal prison stay.

Currently Rippie, age 70, lives in Pahrump, Nevada. The future of the car forest is unknown. When we visited, it appeared the place was first and foremost an ATV playground. The painted rusting vehicles remain enigmatic.

December snow melt contributing to turbulent flow over Minnie Falls.

La Rábida, Huelva (Spain).

After two months of navigation, they began to be scarce the food, and the crews thought about rebelling.

Tras dos meses de navegación, empezaron a escasear los víveres, y las tripulaciones pensaron en amotinarse.

ENGLISH

On the evening of August 3, 1492, Columbus departed from Palos with three ships; one larger carrack, Santa María, nicknamed Gallega (the Gallician), and two smaller caravels, Pinta (the Painted) and Santa Clara, nicknamed Niña (the Girl). (The ships were never officially named). They were property of Juan de la Cosa and the Pinzón brothers (Martin Alonzo and Vicente Yáñez), but the monarchs forced the Palos inhabitants to contribute to the expedition. Columbus first sailed to the Canary Islands, which was owned by Castile, where he restocked the provisions and made repairs, and on September 6, he started what turned out to be a five-week voyage across the ocean.

Land was sighted at 2 a.m. on October 12, 1492, by a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana (also known as Juan Rodríguez Bermejo) aboard Pinta. (Columbus would claim the prize.) Columbus called the island (in what is now The Bahamas) San Salvador, although the natives called it Guanahani. Exactly which island in the Bahamas this corresponds to is an unresolved topic; prime candidates are Samana Cay, Plana Cays, or San Salvador Island (named San Salvador in 1925 in the belief that it was Columbus's San Salvador). The indigenous people he encountered, the Lucayan, Taíno or Arawak, were peaceful and friendly. In his journal he wrote of them, "It appears to me, that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion." He also wrote of them, two days after landing, "I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased."

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#First_voyage

--------------------------

CASTELLANO

Cristóbal Colón, en representación de los Reyes Católicos de España, realizó cuatro famosos viajes desde Europa a América en 1492, 1493, 1498 y 1502. En el primero de ellos llegó a América el 12 de octubre de 1492, a una isla de las Bahamas llamada Guanahani, cuya exacta localización aún se discute. En el tercer viaje llegó a territorio continental en la actual Venezuela.

El primer viaje de Colón se inició en Palos de la Frontera, el 3 de agosto de 1492. La escuadra colombina estaba formada por las carabelas Pinta, Niña y Santa María. Para el equipamiento de las naves fue decisiva la colaboración de los hermanos Pinzón, que participaron también en el viaje. Colón se dirigió hacia las Canarias y desde la isla de Gomera se lanzó a la travesía del Atlántico (6 de septiembre). El 12 de octubre llegó a la isla Guanahaní (Walting, en las Bahamas), a la que llamó San Salvador. Arribó después a la isla de Cuba, bautizada con el nombre de Juana, y posteriormente a La Española. El 25 de diciembre encalló la carabela Santa María y con sus restos construyó un fuerte llamado Navidad, en el que dejó una pequeña guarnición. Con las dos naves restantes, la Pinta y la Niña, emprendió el viaje de retorno (16 de enero de 1493). Durante la travesía las dos naves se separaron. Colón llegó a Palos el 15 de marzo y marchó a Barcelona para informar a los reyes de su descubrimiento.

Fuente: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descubrimiento_de_Am%c3%a9rica

Santuario Itsukushima

Si dice che sia stato eretto nel 593 presumibilmente da Saeki Kuramoto durante il regno dell'imperatrice Suiko (592–628 d.C. ).

Tuttavia, l'attuale santuario è stato popolarmente attribuito a Taira no Kiyomori , un importante nobile della corte imperiale e successivamente cancelliere, che contribuì notevolmente alla costruzione del santuario durante il suo periodo come governatore della provincia di Aki nel 1168.

Un altro famoso mecenate del santuario fu Mori Motonari , signore del dominio Chōshū, che fu responsabile della ricostruzione dell'honden nel 1571.

Itsukushima Shrine

It is said to have been erected in 593 presumably by Saeki Kuramoto during the reign of Empress Suiko (592–628 AD).

However, the present shrine has been popularly attributed to Taira no Kiyomori, a prominent imperial court noble and later chancellor, who greatly contributed to the shrine's construction during his time as governor of Aki Province in 1168.

Another famous patron of the shrine was Mori Motonari, lord of the Chōshū domain, who was responsible for rebuilding the honden in 1571.

_MG_3114m

This large artistic creation is simply called 'Pig'. It has two slots on its side for money,...inside it is a sign that reads "This is a community fund - you can contribute if you like ". This exhibit is one of many that are on show throughout Hull City Centre for the Freedom Festival event..

www.flickr.com/groups/2389839@N23/

The Black Bat Flower (Tacca chantieri), also known as Black Bat Flower, Cats Whiskers, Devil Flower, Bat Head Lily, Bat Plant, Devil’s Tongue, Black Tacca, and Voodoo Flower, is an exotic plant native to Southeast Asia. Its unique and intriguing features make it a standout in the world of ornamental plants.

The most striking characteristic of the Black Bat Flower is its distinctive blooms. These flowers, deep purple or nearly black, closely resemble a bat in flight, with ruffled wings and long, hanging filaments. The overall effect is both mysterious and gothic, contributing to the plant's allure.

Blooming primarily in spring and lasting until early autumn, the Black Bat Flower adds a touch of drama to gardens or indoor spaces. Even when not in bloom, the large and attractive leaves provide an ornamental backdrop.

In its natural habitat on the forest floor in tropical regions, Tacca chantieri thrives in well-draining, rich soil with high organic content. Partial shade or filtered sunlight is preferred, and maintaining consistently moist soil is crucial for its optimal growth.

Cultivating the Black Bat Flower may require attention to specific care requirements, including humidity levels and protection from direct sunlight. It is suitable for container gardening indoors, making it a popular choice for those looking to enjoy its exotic beauty in various climates.

The plant's unique appearance has led to cultural interpretations and symbolic meanings, with associations to mystery and the supernatural in some cultures. Overall, the Black Bat Flower stands out as a captivating and extraordinary addition to gardens and indoor spaces, providing a touch of the exotic and intriguing to any environment.

Yesterday I purchased a 500 piece puzzle at the local bookstore. Amazingly, all the girls contributed to its assembly. Skye did a fantastic job!! It took us about 2 hours.

My SB600 speedlight was next to the puzzle at lower left.

Do yourself a favor and view this one large!

#1 on Explore for Saturday, March 22, 2008!! Thank you everybody.

As a B&B host (not an Air BnB Superhost! no thanks) I get asked many questions: where to go, what to see, what's the weather going to do today, etc? Fortunately, having an interest in photography has helped me in that, as I regularly recce the area to check roads, where deer are, highland coos, etc, and taste the local whisky so that I know!

Sometimes I'm powerless to help. When people (French) travel from the south of France to the Scottish Highlands and then decide it's too far to go 25 miles to explore the end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Or they only bring white trainers and no walking boots with them as if expecting to only walk on city pavements and not across unspoilt and rugged Mother Nature. I despair sometimes with the lack of 'nous' or planning. Of course they also expect to get up late and then set off for a day trip of all of Skye....and haven't even thought to book a ferry in peak season.

Some, a few, arrive better prepared, some with teenage kids more interested in staying in the room and playing Call of Duty on the Playstation. To them, I might say, why not go far off the beaten trail out to Glendrian?

Your kids can get some lungfulls of pure, fresh highland air, some exercise and some education (why do people come here with big plastic bottles of Highland Spring water bottled from some drain near the Ochil Hills near Glasgow? How could it be more pure than what we have come out of the mountains around here? At least I'm reasonably confident our water hasn't already passed through several other human beings, and only filtered after flowing through the whole sewage system and chemically recycled).

Glendrian is an abandoned crofting township in the centre of the Ardnamurchan peninsula centred on grid reference NM480687. It is a Scheduled Monument, Historic Scotland describing it as “of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of post-medieval settlement and economy. Although only abandoned in the 1940s the settlement incorporates information for the earlier expansion and contraction of the community who lived here. The buildings are varied in date and style and contain evidence for the complex history of settlement on the site.”

Glendrian’s lands occupy the eastern half of the low land within the circle of hills formed by the main ring dykes of the Ardnamurchan Tertiary Volcanic Complex. Even in winter, when the vegetation has died back, the buildings are difficult to see.

But take your teenagers out there and ask them to imagine it was their home, completely isolated and cut off in the low land where there is total silence within the circle of hills formed by the main ring dykes of the Ardnamurchan Tertiary Volcanic Complex. There's no road to it. No electricity. The running water is in the form of a burn along the bottom of the shallow valley. No shops. And apart from feeding and tending to the animals kids still had to go to school in Kilchoan, six miles over the hills. And they didn't have modern water and windproof clothing to cloth them as they walked to school in winter darkness, and rain, hail and snow. And shock-horror: tell your teenagers they had no phone signal or wifi either!

People lived in Glendrian until the 1940's until the convenience of motorised transport links, shops and electricity lured them to living in towns and villages. 80 years on, if they were still alive would they move back, valuing the quality of life in Glendrian: no noise, no traffic, no crowds, no crime, no rape, no knife crime - a peaceful way of life? That's what 'civilisation' should be. Indeed the movement of people to live in towns and cities has heralded the end of civilisation! A visit to Glendrian can teach modern youth, and city and town folk a lot! I scuttled off home before the rain arrived.

A more comprehensive history of the settlement is here : heritageardnamurchan.co.uk/glendrian/

The Park Avenue Armory installed 92 trees to honor Yoko Ono on her 92nd birthday. This is the largest installation of her ongoing "Wish Tree" in North America to date. Visitors are encouraged to contribute to the installation by writing their wishes on cards and tying them to the trees, creating and participating in Yoko Ono's project.

Happy Bench Monday

Germany, Wedel, the River Elbe near Hamburg,

one of the remaining last few fish trawlers on the Elbe.

Fishing on the Lower & Outer Elbe is of considerable importance for the region & with its environmentally friendly technology, is exemplary within the European Union.

The preservation of fisheries also serves environmental protection, because it ensures a lasting interest in sufficient water quality, biodiversity & efficiency of the aquatic habitats, it can thus contribute to an improvement in water ecology.

👉 One World one Dream,

🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over

17 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments

Clustered at the center of this image are six brilliant spots of light, four of them creating a circle around a central pair. Appearances can be deceiving, however, as this formation is not composed of six individual galaxies, but is actually two separate galaxies and one distant quasar imaged four times. Data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope also indicates that there is a seventh spot of light in the very center, which is a rare fifth image of the distant quasar. This rare phenomenon is the result of the two central galaxies, which are in the foreground, acting as a lens.

The four bright points around the galaxy pair, and the fainter one in the very center, are in fact five separate images of a single quasar (known as 2M1310-1714), an extremely luminous but distant object. The reason we see this quintuple effect is a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. Gravitational lensing occurs when a celestial object with an enormous amount of mass – such as a pair of galaxies – causes the fabric of space to warp. When light from a distant object travels through that gravitationally warped space, it is magnified and bent around the huge mass. This allows humans here on Earth to observe multiple, magnified images of the far-away source. The quasar in this image actually lies farther away from Earth than the pair of galaxies. The galaxy pair’s enormous mass bent and magnified the light from the distant quasar, giving the incredible appearance that the galaxies are surrounded by four quasars – when in reality, a single quasar lies far beyond them!

Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaged the trio in spectacular detail. It was installed on Hubble in 2009 during Hubble Servicing Mission 4, Hubble’s final servicing mission. WFC3 continues to provide both top-quality data and fantastic images 12 years after its installation.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, T. Treu; Acknowledgment: J. Schmidt

NASA image use policy.

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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Verdigris patina contributed by lichen on a fence

Apollo 11 Mission image - View of the Lunar Module at Tranquility Base. Image taken by Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong during the Apollo 11 Mission. Armstrongs shadow is visible in foreground.

Credit: NASA

NASA image use policy.

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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The New York State Capitol is the capitol building of the U.S. state of New York. Housing the New York State Legislature, it is located in the state capital city Albany as part of the Empire State Plaza on State Street in Capitol Park. The building, completed in 1899 at a cost of $25 million (worth approximately half a billion current dollars), was the most expensive government building of its time.[citation needed] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, then included as a contributing property when the Lafayette Park Historic District was listed in 1978. The following year it was declared a National Historic Landmark

i thought this dress looked a little snow white-y so me and mr happy apple got together for some pictures

Child's Dress: Goodwill

Happy Apple: yard sale

Patent flats: gift from an old friend

long time favorite-r, first time contributer

The McDermott Motors Building (seen in the photograph above) was built in 1928, and designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by noted Waco architect Milton Scott. The building has served as an upscale automobile dealership, a National Guard Armory, and an assembly plant for warplanes during World War II. The building also embodies a method of construction and an architectural style that are distinctive of an era, reflecting the community, its economic climate and progress. As McDermott Motors (opened as a new building on November 1, 1928), Fort Fiske Wright (leased from McDermott in 1931 as the National Guard Armory until all units were activated for WWII in 1941 and named for a revered local officer who had died a hero's death on the battlefields of France during the Great War, and North American Aviation (leased in 1943 to aid in production of the B-24 "Liberator", sometimes known not so affectionately as the "Flying Boxcar", making it the site of one of Waco's most significant contributions to the country's industrial war machine), activities at this site contributed substantially to the commercial and military history of this area of Waco, Texas.

After the most noteable tenants as described above, this building was once again used as an automobile dealership selling Plymouths and DeSotos, Hill Printing and Stationery which kept arge printing presses and bookbinders upstairs while maintaining a showroom of

office supplies and commercial furniture downstairs, and a brief period as an outlet for unclaimed and damaged freight after the very destructive tornado of 1953. McDermott's building then languished vacant for nearly 20 years until it was finally sold to Homer Owen who soon opened "Rhema The Way", which manufactured and distributed 'inspirational gift items' for gift shops, department stores and religious bookstores. This business remained in the building through a couple of ownership's until 1988 when it became Caritas of Waco, a new local second-hand store. During the night of April 10, 2000, a very destructive fire engulfed the thrift shop and ended its time in the building. Since that time (2001), the building underwent renovation and today serves as the home of Hole in the Wall, a full-service printing, apparel and marketing company.

The McDermott Motors Building was nominated for and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on January 14, 2004 under criterion A in the areas of Commerce and Military, and under criterion C in the area of Architecture, at the local level of significance. All of the information above (and much more) was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration that can be viewed here:

catalog.archives.gov/id/40973007

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Excerpt from stcatharines.ca:

The Former Maple Leaf Rubber Company Building (Lincoln Fabrics) at 63 Lakeport Road, built in 1898, is the largest remaining structure from Port Dalhousie’s industrial past, and is highly visible in several key views. It formerly had a second wing and tower. The business was on the site from 1886, employing as many as 300, the present building was built after an 1898 fi re. From 1915 to 1927 it was operated as Canadian Consolidated Rubber company, closing after opening of the Fourth Canal ended shipping to the site. Since then it has been occupied by several industrial enterprises, Lincoln Fabrics from 1955 to 2016. It contributes to the District as the largest surviving industrial building, as an important landmark visible from several vantage points, with heritage attributes including its relationship to the former Welland Canal, its Edwardian brick facades, regularly spaced double hung windows with elliptical tops on all facades, the large brick chimney, the brick corbelling at the roof line, the traces of the former Maple Leaf Rubber Company sign on the brickwork, loading doors and gates, as well as traces of the former above grade walkway-link. It is important to conserve whole and insitu. Early photographs indicate a cornice on the east side, now missing. Modern additions are non-contributing and may be demolished.

The Rape of Proserpina, more accurately translated as The Abduction of Proserpina, is a large Baroque marble group sculpture by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, executed between 1621 and 1622, when Bernini's career was in its early stage. The group, finished when Bernini was just 23 years old, depicts the abduction of Proserpina, who is seized and taken to the underworld by the god Pluto. It features Pluto holding Proserpina aloft, and a Cerberus to symbolize the border into the underworld that Pluto carries Proserpina into.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the newly appointed Cardinal-nephew, Ludovico Ludovisi, possibly as a means of gaining favour. The choice to depict the myth of Proserpina may relate to the recent death of Pope Paul V, or to the recent empowerment of Ludovico. Bernini drew inspiration from Giambologna and Annibale Carracci for the sculpture, which is the only work for which preparatory material survives. The Rape of Proserpina is made of rare Carrara marble, and was originally placed on a pedestal, since-destroyed, with a poem by Maffeo Barberini. It has been praised for its realism, as the marble mimics other materials like flesh. The detail is notable; for instance, a trickle of tears contributes to the expressiveness of Proserpina's face.

Built to satisfy even the hungriest SUV's. Just one of many oil refineries in Edmonton,Alberta, Canada. Don't worry the corporations that run these assure us that they are clean and in no way contribute to the climate upheaval.

Ajantha and Ellora caves

The Ellora and Ajanta caves are excellent examples of ancient rock-cut cave temples. They are located in Maharashtra, India, and are designated by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites. These caves were constructed in two phases, and the gap was almost four centuries between them. The first phase of the construction of caves was done around 2nd century, while the second phase were constructed by the Vakatakas and the Guptas. These caves are also known for their exquisite paintings on the walls. The theme of these painting generally depicts the incidents from Buddha's life, Bodhisattvas and the Jatakas.

I am really amazed, how the artists at that time have carved a whole cave out of a rock. The paintings are beautiful and still exist even after 1250 years

Although the construction of the Ellora and Ajanta caves was highly contributed by the Buddhist monks, the followers of other religions like Hinduism and Jainism also played a very important role in it. The caves provided a serene and peaceful environment, and this site is one of the most outstanding rock-cut caves in India.

A view of the South State Street side of the William Brown Building in Rockford's West Downtown Historic District. Designed in 1889-91 and completed in 1892, the William Brown Building was one of the last major commercial buildings completed in Rockford between the Panic of 1893 and the Roaring Twenties. The building, named in honor of Judge William Brown, a successful lawyer and politician in the city who died during construction, is representative of the Romanesque Revival style that evolved from Henry Hobson Richardson who, along with Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, are often referred to as the "Trinity of American Architecture." The style was inspired by the ancient Romans (1066-1200), but it was Richardson's personal interpretation and adaptation that accounts for the originality and importance of the work.

The William Brown Building's significant features of the style include its rusticated red stone base surrounding a monumental arched entry, monochromatic smooth red brick facing the upper stories, grouped windows recessed within the arches supported by pilasters, and rounded turrets. Occupying the prominent corner of South Main and Chestnut streets, the William Brown Building location was a result of the increased development on the west side of the river after the construction of the Chestnut Street Bridge in 1890. The building is one of the last remaining significant Romanesque Revival buildings in Rockford. Sadly, the name of the architect has been lost to history.

For its role as a significant local example of Romanesque architecture, the William Brown Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The building was also listed as a contributing property when the West Downtown Rockford Historic District was created in 2007. Now converted into studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom rental lofts, the building is now known as the William Brown Lofts.

Joseph Aspdin of Leeds patented Portland Cement on 21 October 1924. While it revolutionised modern building, it has also contributed significantly to global warming. Nevertheless, it is not only still much in use but also being further developed to be more eco- and user-friendly as well as self-cleaning.

John Smeaton of Leeds is thought to have created the first modern concrete, a mixture of limestone and clay which was resistant to water, whilst he was preparing his work on the Eddystone Lighthouse around 1755.

Joseph Aspdin on Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Aspdin

Archaeologists working on the site of Brunel’s Great Western Dockyard development next to Brunel’s ss Great Britain, have discovered what is thought to be the first ever substantial use of Portland cement in the construction of a major building.

www.culture24.org.uk/history/archaeology/industrial+archa...

Originating in Leeds

www.mylearning.org/jpage.asp?jpageid=719&journeyid=200

The development of Portland Cement

www.buildingconservation.com/articles/prtlndcmnt/prtlndcm...

The history of concrete and cement

inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blconcrete.htm

Portland Cement on Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_cement

Ordinary Portland Cement with extraordinarily CO2 emissions. What can be done to reduce them?

www.buildingforafuture.co.uk/autumn05/ordinary_portland_c...

Self-cleaning concrete

www.cement.org/tech/self_cleaning.asp

John Smeaton on Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Smeaton