26-February-2023

Describing the Bora, an orographic wind, therefore local, katabatic, therefore falling from areas at higher altitudes, ALWAYS coming from E/NE towards W/SW, would require a degree thesis and in any case would never be complete.

I've been traveling around all these areas for the past 40 years, but I always discover something new, so I won't go into the specifics of the area, which has so many variables and unknowns (within a very few kilometres, there are areas where it doesn't blow, despite being similar and contiguous to those around, where instead it even prevents standing), but a brief general description.

The Bora (international term in Italian), called Bura in Croatian and Burja in Slovenian, is considered the strongest and most frequent local/orographic wind in the Mediterranean (once there were dozens of episodes like this every winter and as many in the other seasons combined), but in some episodes, close to 200km/h, is probably one of the strongest orographic winds in the world at SEA LEVEL. It can be compared, at least isobarically, to the winds that are generated along the Atlantic coast of Greenland, which "fall" from the frozen plateau to the ocean, when the strong Greenlandic thermal anticyclone is present, in the heart of the island.

The Bora generally activates when a mass of cold and stable air, coming from the EAST or NORTH/EAST, tends to press on the Dinaric Alps and the eastern Julian Alps, seeking an outlet towards the sea where, in the meantime, a depression is generated.

Within a few hours between the Dinaric watershed and the coast (generally around 6-15km in northern Croatia and 20-25km for Trieste) a strong isobaric gradient is created between the high pressure in the 'danubian hinterland and low on the Adriatic, to the point of having a difference of 15hpas in a few kilometers of thickness.

This generates the wind, but then it is the orography that makes it gusty, violent, irregular; this happens because the colder air is denser than that which rises from the sea and tends to be channeled into the Dinaric gates (the first is actually in the Julian Pre-Alps, Cividale area) which are (at least) 9 from north to south, but the main ones are certainly the "Triestina" one (from Postojna-Ravbarkomanda), the one Podkraj-Col-Vipava (Vipavska dolina) the one from Gornje Jelenje towards Grobnik (Rijeka racetrack), the one from the Lić-Fužine plain towards Bakarac-Kraljevica and Most Krk and the Senj one, from above Vratnik pass.

Channeling itself and physically rolling down the mountains/reliefs, the wind strengthens by friction, turbulence and depressurization, thus becoming the Bora.

You're one in a million , Once in a life time.

*Miss-BlueBerry-Cheese-Cake.

I miss u, berry much.

"Two hundred miles of engineering impossibilities" were the very words used by CPR's general manager William C Van Horne in the early 1880s to describe what lie ahead for the construction crews building their part of the main along the rugged shores of Lake Superior. It would be logical to think that a route along the lake shore would be void of gradient, but this is far from the truth. In numerous locations the ruggedness of the shoreline dictated the track take an inland course. This resulted in a series of grades where the line climbed away from Lake Superior. The steepest of these grades is Neys Hill on the Heron Bay Sub where the average grade is 1.04 percent eastbound and 0.9 for westbounds. Grades reaching 1 percent and curves of up to six degrees occur in numerous locations throughout the length of the route.

Here train 406 has just come off the large bridge over the Little Pic River and is just starting up Neys Hill. You can see the track in the distance clinging to the side of the hard rock ridge above the river as it climbs toward Middleton. The rear cars were disappearing behind the ridge as the lead unit came around the far curve. I imagine today's humongous trains fit this whole scene!

It was easy to write this caption as I stole the info from an article I wrote on the line that appeared in the June 1999 CTC Board magazine. Gosh that seems so long ago....

Described by eBird as "Heard more often than seen" ...

The last time I photographed one was in 2019: flic.kr/p/2hqHvCs

Aymanam, Kottayam, Kerala, India

Zeiss Contax 25mm f2.8

DXO Film Pack Elite

Preset modified: Ilford Pan F Plus 50

On their website, Ilford describes the film as “suitable for bright conditions from sunny days to controlled studio lighting.”

This film might be the smoothest, sharpest film. It’s incredibly sharp and brings out so many fine and intricate details in the images.

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Farm in St-Pierre, Orleans Island.

The island had long been inhabited by Indigenous peoples. The Hurons called it Minigo (meaning "Enchantress") because of its charm. The French explorer Jacques Cartier first set foot on the island in 1535 near the present-day village of Saint-François. And called it Île de Bascuz (from Bacchus) because of the abundance of wild grapes growing on the island. Officials later changed the name to Île d'Orléans in honour of the second son of King Francis I, who became Henri II, Duke of Orléans.

#2278

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Described as the largest sand sculpture event in the world,the International Sand Sculpture Festival or Festival Internacional de Escultura em Areia (FIESA) has been held in Pêra, Algarve, Portugal annually since 2003. The site at 37.1289°N 8.3310°WCoordinates: 37.1289°N 8.3310°W occupies 15,000 square metres (3.7 acres). Each year about 60 artists use 35000 tons of sand to create 50 works of art. The exhibition is also open in the evenings with atmospheric lighting

On previous photo I have described Domino as No.3 national sport. That is of course debatable. There are many snacks available (at least were pre-pandemic). I do not think any of the street snacks are doctor recommended. The snacks have local names, which are not in any dictionary. If you want them you just point. I tried few. Did not like any. It does not mean anything. If you like sweet, oily, fried, you may find them irresistible. The little worms the lady is eating were pretty bad, but I asked two kids if they want those and they happily took them. The murals in Habana Vieja are very good. This one is by Picasso from 1962. Just kidding. Beto and Vatica Betares from Argentina; January 2014.

En la foto anterior he descrito Domino como deporte nacional No.3. Eso es, por supuesto, discutible. Hay muchos bocadillos disponibles (al menos antes de la pandemia). No creo que ninguno de los bocadillos de la calle sea recomendado por un médico. Los antojitos tienen nombres locales, que no están en ningún diccionario. Si los quieres solo apuntas. Probé pocos. No me gustó ninguno. No significa nada. Si te gustan los dulces, los grasos, los fritos, puede que te resulten irresistibles. Los gusanitos que se está comiendo la señora estaban bastante malos, pero les pregunté a dos niños si los querían y se los llevaron felices. Los murales en la Habana Vieja son bastante buenos. Este es de Picasso de 1962. Es broma. Beto y Vatica Betares de Argentina; Enero 2014.

971. 2019-Nov 30; P1320004, Havana; Upload 2022-March 10. Lmx -ZS100

Described as the finest view in England. Hard to argue!

Bibury in Gloucestershire was described by William Morris (1834-96), the textile designer, artist, poet and craftsman, as "the most beautiful village in England". And, all these years on, it surely must still lay claim to that accolade.

Set in the Cotswolds region, this is Arlington Row in Bibury, a picture-perfect terrace of cottages built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. It was converted into a row of weavers' cottages in the 17th century, and today they are owned by the National Trust, who lease all but one to private tenants. Number 9 is available as a holiday rental.

Opposite the cottages (and in the foreground here) is a boggy water meadow known as Rack Isle, also owned and administered by the National Trust. And heading away from Arlington Row is Awkward Hill – nobody quite knows why it was so named, apart from the fact that it’s a steep climb!

All in all, Bibury is a picturesque and rewarding village to visit. But I can’t help thinking that to live here, among the hordes of tourists, must be a nightmare.

As described several days ago, adult Least Bitterns feed their young by gathering baitfish in their gullets and regurgitating the food into the chicks' gaping beaks. Here is how it looks in practice with mama on the right and baby on the left, poking mama's throat to trigger the action.

Described as the greatest railway journey in the world, this 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. Starting near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, it visits Britain’s most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig; passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, Loch Morar and the shortest river in Britain, River Morar, finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis.

It is a commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Indigenous to Central America, it was described as a new species in 1834. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who is credited with introducing the plant to the US in the 1820s. Poinsettias are shrubs or small trees, with heights of 0.6–4 m. Though often stated to be highly toxic, the poinsettia is not dangerous to pets or children. Exposure to the plant, even consumption, most often results in no effect, though can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Wild poinsettias occur from Mexico to Guatemala, growing on mid-elevation, Pacific-facing slopes. One population in the Mexican state of Guerrero is much further inland, however, and is thought to be the ancestor of most cultivated populations. Wild poinsettia populations are highly fragmented, as their habitat is experiencing largely unregulated deforestation. They were cultivated by the Aztecs for use in traditional medicine. They became associated with the Christmas holiday and are popular seasonal decorations. Every year in the US, approximately 70 million poinsettias of many cultivated varieties are sold in a six-week period. Many of these poinsettias are grown by the Ecke family business, which serves half the worldwide market and 70% of the US market. is a shrub or small tree, typically reaching a height of 0.6–4 metres. The plant bears dark green dentate leaves that measure 7–16 centimetres in length. The colored bracts—which are most often flaming red but can be orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled—are often mistaken for flower petals because of their groupings and colors, but are actually leaves. The colors of the bracts are created through photoperiodism, meaning that they require darkness (12 hours at a time for at least five days in a row) to change color. At the same time, the plants require abundant light during the day for the brightest color. The flowers of the poinsettia are unassuming and do not attract pollinators. They are grouped within the cyathia (small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, or false flowers). Nothing is known about pollination in wild poinsettias, though wasps are noted to occasionally visit the cyathia. 31872

Taiwan’s religion describes it like this,

The earth is like a school, human beings learn on the earth, birth and death...birth and death...repeated countless times.

There is a woman on the Internet who claims to be from Venus,

There was another person who had contact with aliens,

Bob Dean, a retired American noncommissioned officer,

They use a similar method to describe.

Bob Dean said: The future of mankind is brilliant.

★ If the image is blurred, Please click refresh !

好孩子…歡迎來到地球

台灣的宗教這樣形容，地球像是一所學校，人類在地球上學習，出生死亡…出生死亡…重複無數次，網路上有一位自稱來自金星的女人，還有一位曾經接觸外星人，美國退役士官長鮑勃‧狄恩，他們使用類似的方法進行描述。鮑勃 ‧狄恩說：人類的未來是輝煌的。

★如果圖像模糊，請點擊重新整理！

... dear Friends,

perhaps everyone believes that this is Venice...

yes, of course, this is Venice in the postcards, Venice in dreams, the magic, romantic, poetic Venice which everyone has in mind and in heart; Venice described by the memories of tourists coming back from a magic romantic vacation... Venice in many photos tourists have in their libraries but...

yesterday this magic, poetic, romantic, artistic town, the most beautiful town in the world has given all her fragility...

187 cm high water caused all this...

for everyone who wish to know what is Venice, the Venice which is in serious danger,

please, follow the following links:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXkoAQ0Wd4g

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD72juU7ql8

www.veneziatoday.it/cronaca/acqua-alta-record-venezia-12-...

www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2019/11/12/news/maltempo_meteo_...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh-76Gfq_4w

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxxNhPy3Hlw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKTm53YdamQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-rlNzsNE4A

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_bBPYCrlPY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_bBPYCrlPY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9yR36NbLgs

© All rights reserved

Fazenda Grotão - DF, Brazil.

Described by Charles Darwin, Myiobius is a genus of birds found in the Neotropical region.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Suborder: Tyranni

Family: Onychorhynchidae

Genus: Myiobius Darwin, 1839

Species: M. atricaudus Lawrence, 1863

Binomial name: Myiobius atricaudus

Nachts mit dem Fahrrad durch Zürich und 'mal eben aus der freien Hand fotografiert, erinnerten mich die Lichtreflexe auf dem Wasser an die Kirchenfenster von Chagall (werde ich noch bringen) im hier auch zu sehenden Fraumünster (ein Bild vom Frauenbad - sprich "Frauenbadi" - mit nächtlicher Männerparty werde ich auch noch bringen) ...

The title is a play on words. As you know in German there are three articles, "das" for neuter, "der" for masculine and "die" for feminine, while you have only one article "the" *.

The river you see here is called "die" Limmat and is therefore feminine and my title describes the black nocturnal river bed of her ...

* The British Isle had several invasions in its history, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, Romans, just to name a few, and to make life easier for the integrating invaders the grammar was simplified in the common language confusion, and freed from "gender", which is why today you never know when communicating with English speaking people if they are talking about a female friend or a male friend and so on ...

;-) ...

_MG_211150_pa2

Glen Lyon has been described as Scotland’s longest, loneliest and loveliest glen. Stretching for over 30 miles, it was once home to over 2,000 people. Today, the Glen’s residents number fewer than 100.

Follow the Fortingall Way to Fortingall village. Just after the village turn right on to the twisting single track road that runs through the glen. The road is initially hemmed in by high mountains and hugs the wooded banks of the River Lyon. Just after the four-arched Bridge of Lyon you’ll see a deep chasm known as MacGregor’s Leap where, in 1565, the chief of the Clan MacGregor reputedly escaped a group of pursuing Campbell's. This commanding view was taken from the dam over looking the spillway, you can see the single track road that leads you all the way back to Fortingall.

It's almost my daily commute. So that's it with the description;). LOL. Hey, luckily you don't have to go to the office that often. ;) For us, the home office was well known even before Covid. But let's get to the photo. Oh, you probably already know that. The strange Alexanderplatz, meanwhile, there is also a lot of building going on here. If politics doesn't get involved again, things could look different here in two to three years. I have to stop myself laughing, hey, the Berliners now have an advantage. Because they know what I mean. It's way too late here again. Enough written. Just discover for yourself and have fun.

james blake — assume form ♫

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EOSR | RF35mm f/1.8 IS STM

Exposure: ƒ/11 | 6″s ISO 50

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This image is subject to full copyright © Please do not use my images on websites, blogs, or in other media without express written permission. It is not permitted to copy, download,

reproduce, retransmit, modify, or manipulate my photos.

F̶̅G̅. 2021 © all rights reserved

I often try to describe where I live, and find it hard to adequately do so. I think I have found the answer in "unspoilt". There are few roads, and little infrastructure. Electricity has been threaded through the forests and over the mountains but it is hardly visible. There are four tiny village shops. One petrol pump. That's over an area of approximately 130 square kilometres. There are native humans skulking in the trees. About 2000 of them spread very thinly. So many houses are invisible in the landscape. Mr Bean has one and is a regular visitor. Ardnamurchan is regarded as the most remote west highland peninsula.

This is a beach called "Singing Sands" because of the sound generated by grains of sand moving over each other. It's a fair walk out to this place, but out of shot there were probably a dozen folk playing on the sand or swimming in the sea, down at the southern end. I heard the sand 'singing' as I shuffled my weary legs back towards the forest. Apparently it is something to do with the shape of the grains of the sand and moisture....but anyhow it didn't seem like a very musical song they were singing to me! In the foreground of the shot are some of the patterns I look for, for my sand art pictures. You can see where the black grains come down off the volcanic rocks and flow in little streams down over the white sand. It's not so easy to find a picture in the patterns!

Want to explore this area? Stay at Innes House Bed and Breakfast. www.booking.com/hotel/gb/innes-house-b-amp-b.en-gb.html?l...;

It would be unjust to describe my performance when confronted by my favourite woodland sugarcoated in hoar frost and light snow as running around like a headless chicken, I used my intimate knowledge of the wood to target area’s that were more enhanced by the conditions. However on looking back on my time using all the daylight hours afforded me in a Northumberland December, I don’t think I made best use of it. I feel I spread myself too thin, with the result I didn’t get the quality of photographs that these special conditions deserved and the odd keeper is supplemented with many examples of chaotic dross. Still I’ve been out too many times getting nothing to start complaining about a day where I captured 3 or 4 treasured memories. One of my favourites is this giant oak, stood in a frozen valley which doesn’t get any direct sunshine for a good 4 months of the year putting on a winter fashion show. I got a lot of snow down my wellies trying to carefully get in position to snap this beast strutting its stuff.

Chidorinoki or Zigzag Tree is the Japanese name for this tree first described in the west in the 1840s by Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1867) and Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini (1797-1848). I've often mentioned both scientists in these pages, the first a wide-ranging and adventurous traveling doctor - a specialist in things Japanese -, the second a hardworking taxonomist. They had an excellent collaboration.

The Bee on Zigzag's leaf is a solitary Red Mason Bee, Osmia bicornis. It's a male as you can see from the white facial hair. Moreover, he lacks the two headhorns that these Osmian females sport. But such a handsome fellow!

In the inset Zigzag's hanging flowers.

When I asked her to describe herself, she said " ... gregarious, sensitive, hopeful ..."

Available light was from the kitchen windows. Attempting to get deeper richer tones, I shrank the aperture too much, with ISO 6400 a by-product, and, of course, a lots of noise! I have not tried to clean that up in these images. Instead, I resorted to sepia in two of the shots, resulting in the noise being slightly less obvious.

I find it quite challenging to attend to all the technical necessities while chatting with the subject. But, being housebound now, portrait and bird photography are two horizons for growth I can take on. Am sharing with you my maiden efforts, with all their imperfections. Elizabeth is beautiful and I hope to invite her to sit for me again after I have a little more experience with portrait photography.

Felis manul was the scientific name used by Peter Simon Pallas in 1776, who first described a Pallas's cat that he had encountered near the Dzhida River southeast of Lake Baikal. Several Pallas's cat zoological specimens were subsequently described:

Felis nigripectus proposed by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1842 was based on three specimens from Tibet.

Otocolobus manul ferrugineus proposed by Sergey Ognev in 1928 was an erythristic specimen from the Kopet Dag mountains.

Otocolobus was proposed by Johann Friedrich von Brandt in 1842 as a generic name. Reginald Innes Pocock recognized the taxonomic rank of Otocolobus in 1907, described several Pallas's cat skulls in detail and considered the Pallas's cat an aberrant form of Felis.

In 1951, John Ellerman and Terence Morrison-Scott considered

the nominate subspecies Felis manul manul to be distributed from Russian Turkestan to Transbaikalia;

F. m. nigripecta to be distributed in Tibet and Kashmir;

F. m. ferruginea occurring from southwestern Turkestan and the Kopet Dag mountains to Afghanistan and Balochistan.

Since 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the Cat Specialist Group recognises only two subspecies as valid taxa, namely:

O. m. manul syn. O. m. ferrugineus in the western and northern part of Central Asia from Iran to Mongolia;

O. m. nigripectus in the Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan.

After reading about a unique waterfall located within what was described as a slot canyon less than 90 minutes from home, I knew I had to see it for myself.

Directions ended with: "At the end of the trail, follow the manway (unofficial trail) up, around the first waterfall, climb a small rock wall, and hike the remainder of the way to the next falls in the streambed". This translated into: Geezers like me will be sore the next day and will need to make an offering of a full dose of Ibuprofen to the trail gods.

Bailey Falls is located near Greeneville, TN in Cherokee National Forest, past Margarette Falls on the West Fork Dry Creek and is further divided into an upper and lower falls. The lower falls are shown here, with the top of the upper falls visible here as the first drop. The Lower Falls are 20 feet in height and the canyon section surrounding the plunge pool being perhaps 8 feet in width. With the rhododendrons overhanging the canyon from both sides it had a cave-like appearance. What it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty. There is only here. There is only now, and it is good. Off Trail Zen.

Hard to describe the music of 'Petunia & the Vipers’. It's country, it's western swing, jazzy, ballads; simply good time music that leaves smile on your face. The concert just flew by so very quickly. I did not know the band, but one of Toronto most talented musicians got involved and it became a show, which you should not miss. Trombone Charlotte was the Toronto addition. Petunia lured her on their next stop to New Orleans, LA, where her star got even more shine.

'Petunia and the Vipers' was at 'Horseshoe', a Toronto institution since 1947. The leader of the band is amazing guitarist, vocalist and jodelist Petunia (Ron), who ended up playing with 5 strings (or was it just 4?) on last few songs. With Trombone Charlotte on stage playing, singing and off stage dancing, Joseph Abbott on clarinet, sax and guitar, Paul Townsend on drums, Liam McIvor on Fender steel guitar plus the man with a hat, Aaron Harmonsen on bass.

389. Horseshoe P1210279; Taken 2024-Sept 25. Upload 2024-Dec 02.

Izumo was described in the Japanese mythology as Ashihara Nakatsukuni (葦原中国 kingdom in the plain of reeds). The plain is now completely converted to rice paddy.

The Izumo plain is an alluvial land created by rivers that carried soil from the mountain to the south to connect a mountainous off-shore island to the north. Mountains in the distance used to be the island.

There are two blackish lagoons that used to be the sea in the Izumo plain, namely, Shinjiko (宍道湖) and Naka'umi (中海). Matsue City, the capital of Shimane prefecture is located between the two lagoons.

Cañón del Rio Lobos, Soria.

El Parque Natural Cañón del Río Lobos, ubicado en las provincia de Soria y Burgos, está considerado como uno de los paisajes más bellos de España por la espectacularidad de su relieve, un singular espacio sobre el eje de un profundo cañón de escarpados farallones.

En su interior destacan extensos bosques de sabinas y pino laricio, además de su riqueza faunística, destacando las parejas de buitres leonados, siendo importante reserva de esta especie, águilas reales, alimoches y halcones. Entre los mamíferos abundan los corzos, jabalíes, ardillas, nutrias, tejones y gatos monteses.

Un lugar donde hacer un hermoso recorrido a pie, que nos dirige entre paisajes a la ermita de San Bartolomé, uno de los enclaves más importantes- y sorprendente en su entorno- de la orden de los caballeros templarios, a partir de la cual podemos contemplar este cañón en todo su esplendor; acompañados en el camino por el río Lobos, con nenúfares flotantes, aguas que aparecen y desaparecen intrigando al caminante. Sin duda, una belleza sin palabras, que solo descubriremos en su visita.

The Cañón del Río Lobos Nature Park, situated in the provinces of Soria and Burgos, is considered to be one of the most beautiful landscapes in Spain, renowned for its spectacular relief, formed by a deep ravine surrounded by sheer walls rising up to rocky peaks.

It is home to dense forest masses of junipers and cluster pines as well as a wealth of fauna, including pairs of griffon vultures. It is also an important reserve for golden eagles, Egyptian eagles and falcons. The mammals include large numbers of deer, boars, squirrels, otters, badgers and wildcats.

This is the ideal choice for a delightful walk amongst spectacular scenery leading us to the Chapel of San Bartolomé, one of the most important’ and surprising due to its setting ’ sites of the Order of the Knights Templar, and from where we can admire the ravine in all its splendour. The trail follows the course of the River Lobos, with its floating water lilies, as the water intriguingly vanishes from sight before suddenly reappearing. Beauty that cannot be described in words, and that visitors simply have to see for themselves.

The Heritage Council describes the Mount Gould Police Station thus:

The Mount Gould Police Station opened in the 1880s as a centre for police protection for Murchison pastoralists. In the late 1890s early 1900s, the police were concerned with checking cattle and sheep killing by the local Aboriginals. The buildings consist of the main station, which originally had a separate kitchen, lock-up, stone-lined well and a grave. Iron bars, to which prisoners were chained, are still set in the walls of the lock-up. On 3 June 1987, the restored Mt Gould police station was dedicated to all the pioneers who settled the district.

No mention of the treatment of the First Nations people who were often made to walk in chains to Carnarvon, some 450 kilometres away. Imagine doing this in the summer heat where the temperatures can exceed 40 °C.

Nor any mention of the Wajarri people, who had their own complaints regarding the disruption of water supplies and native wildlife by the pastoralists.

We camped here overnight. It still lingers in my mind, giving me an ill feeling. There is a feeling, a spirit about this place. I was happy to move on early the next morning.

Gascoyne Murchison Outback Pathway Exploration July-August 2020 - #GMOPE 54.

Felis serval was first described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the following serval zoological specimens were described:

Felis constantina proposed by Georg Forster in 1780 was a specimen from the vicinity of Constantine, Algeria.

Felis servalina proposed by William Ogilby in 1839 was based on one serval skin from Sierra Leone with freckle-sized spots.

Felis brachyura proposed by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1841 was also a serval skin from Sierra Leone.

Felis (Serval) togoensis proposed by Paul Matschie in 1893 were two skins and three skulls from Togo.

Felis servalina pantasticta and F. s. liposticta proposed by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1907 were based on one serval from Entebbe in Uganda with a yellowish fur, and one serval skin from Mombasa in Kenya with dusky spots on its belly.

Felis capensis phillipsi proposed by Glover Morrill Allen in 1914 was a skin and a skeleton of an adult male serval from El Garef at the Blue Nile in Sudan.

The generic name Leptailurus was proposed by Nikolai Severtzov in 1858. The serval is the sole member of this genus.

In 1944, Pocock recognised three serval races in North Africa. Three subspecies are recognised as valid since 2017

L. s. serval, the nominate subspecies, in Southern Africa

L. s. constantina in Central and West Africa

L. s. lipostictus in East Africa

Described by auto experts as “the Mona Lisa of American historic automobiles,” it became the first U.S.-built car to win an international auto race when it captured the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup. The Locomobile was aptly named as it was built as strong as any locomotive. It was built for nearly 30 years in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It had a reputation as one of the finest and most carefully built cars ever manufactured in the United States. It was also one of the most luxurious and most prestigious — and the most expensive. Everything about the Locomobile bespoke elegance. Its massive body gleamed with innumerable layers of paint, each hand-rubbed to a gleaming finish.

More here on the car for those interested:

flic.kr/p/2qqsQvr

Capturing the last light on the day. Late Autumn sundown.

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 kilometres (854 mi), into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual discharge at its mouth is 112 cubic kilometres (27 cu mi) or 3,550 cubic metres per second (125,000 cu ft/s), and each year it discharges about 20 million tons of sediment into the ocean.

Naming:

The river is named after Simon Fraser, who led an expedition in 1808 on behalf of the North West Company.

History:

On June 14, 1792, the Spanish explorers Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés entered and anchored in the North Arm of the Fraser River, becoming the first Europeans to find and enter it. The existence of the river, but not its location, had been deduced during the 1791 voyage of José María Narváez, under Francisco de Eliza.

The upper reaches of the Fraser River were first explored by Sir Alexander Mackenzie in 1793, and fully traced by Simon Fraser in 1808, who confirmed that it was not connected with the Columbia River.

The lower Fraser was revisited in 1824 when the Hudson's Bay Company sent a crew across Puget Sound from its Fort George southern post on the Columbia River. The expedition was led by James McMillan. The Fraser was reached via the Nicomekl River and the Salmon River reachable after a portage. Friendly tribes met earlier on by the Simon Fraser crew were reacquainted with. A trading post with agricultural potential was to be located.

By 1827, a crew was sent back via the mouth of the Fraser to build and operate the original Fort Langley. McMillan also led the undertaking. The trading post original location would soon become the first ever mixed ancestry and agricultural settlement in southern British Columbia on the Fraser river.

In 1828 George Simpson visited the river, mainly to examine Fort Langley and determine whether it would be suitable as the Hudson's Bay Company's main Pacific depot. Simpson had believed the Fraser River might be navigable throughout its length, even though Simon Fraser had described it as non-navigable. Simpson journeyed down the river and through the Fraser Canyon and afterwards wrote "I should consider the passage down, to be certain Death, in nine attempts out of Ten. I shall therefore no longer talk about it as a navigable stream". His trip down the river convinced him that Fort Langley could not replace Fort Vancouver as the company's main depot on the Pacific coast.

Much of British Columbia's history has been bound to the Fraser, partly because it was the essential route between the Interior and the Lower Coast after the loss of the lands south of the 49th Parallel with the Oregon Treaty of 1846.] It was the site of its first recorded settlements of Aboriginal people (see Musqueam, Sto:lo, St'at'imc, Secwepemc and Nlaka'pamŭ), the site of the first European-Indigenous mixed ancestry settlement in southern British-Columbia (see Fort Langley), the route of multitudes of prospectors during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and the main vehicle of the province's early commerce and industry.

In 1998, the river was designated as a Canadian Heritage River for its natural and human heritage. It remains the longest river with that designation

Information from Wikipedia

Stay healthy

Happy Clicks,

~Christie (happiest) by the River

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Charles Lindbergh - Quote.

Described as "perhaps the most notable wooden Orthodox church in Finland", St Nicholas' Church in Joensuu, the second largest Orthodox parish in Finland after Helsinki, was built in 1887.

It is located at one end of Kirkkokatu (Church Street) - the Lutheran parish church is at the other end.

This species is described as vulnerable:

Red-necked Amazon

(Amazona arausiaca)

Photo taken on the island of Dominica, Lesser Antilles Islands:

A chunky and gregarious resident of wet upland forests; often found in flocks of up to 15 birds. Its green body, bluish head, and orange-red spot on upper chest readily separates this species from the Imperial Parrot, the only other parrot sharing its range, as well as parrot species commonly kept in captivity. The largely blue underwing, often seen in flight, is also distinctive. Calls include a shrill “chur-lu-weeek” with the final note louder and higher pitched, plus a shrill, almost trilled, “cureeek.”

I'm not sure how to describe this scene ;-)

I described a pure natural garden yesterday, and here's another example. Not a plant out of place up in the mountains.

I can't really begin to describe what the weather has been like here today other than to say we've had Hollywood-style rain and it feels like midnight! Of course, I had planned a high key image for today. I probably should have had a rethink, but I just went for it. Madness!

Anyway, sadly the lack of light has all but robbed my little butterfly brooch of its delicate blue and brown hues. The wings and lower part of the body are saphiret, the thorax is a clear paste and I'm not sure about the eyes. They're either garnet or, probably more likely, red paste. I've become a bit obsessed with saphiret for some reason, but I don't often find anything I can afford. It's a rare type of glass that was produced in the town of Gablonz, Czechoslovakia for a very short time in the early part of the 20th century. The saphirets in this butterfly are particularly pale and delicate, but the colours are definitely there ... when there's some light!

I don't know much about the little pink pot, but I found it a while ago in the Lewes Antiques Flea Market. It's likely also from the early part of the 20th century. My trusty dried Hydrangea flowers are making a welcome return because everything outside is SOGGY. :)

You might describe this LF Faith Dress & Fur Stole as making a provocative statement and intended to make someone feel sexual desire. I don’t know about you, but for me this dress raises the temperature in the room significantly.

Yesterday, being sexy was about particular grooming, tight-fitting clothes and makeup. Today, we understand that being sexy has more to do with a certain je ne sais quoi, an elusive pleasing quality.

Although science has tried to measure what makes a person more appealing, most of us know that attractiveness can’t be boiled down to algorithms. Real sexiness is in the eye of the beholder. Wearing this dress however certainly adds to warming one's eyes, of course.

This sexy Faith Dress Outfit comes with Gown, Fur Stole, and Diamond Panties. It also features a HUD which offers you 10 color choices for the Dress & Stole with 8 colors for the Diamond Panties.

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Christmas is described as a time of peace and joy, but for many, it brings feelings of sadness and abandonment. It is for those that I share this image of a unique tree. For me, it is a symbol of perseverance and hope.

This is an ‘Ohiʻa Lehua tree. It is the most common native endemic tree found in the state of Hawaiʻi, meaning it is found there and nowhere else in the world. Amazingly, it has adapted to grow directly in lava rock. Those who have experienced lava know that its shards are hard and sharp. Nice to look at, lava is inhospitable terrain. But the seeds of the ‘Ohi’a Lehua blow in the wind and settle in cracks in the lava, and find a way to survive, creating beauty along the way..

Hawaiians utilize the hardy tree for building houses, canoes, spears, while the flowers are used in lei and sung about in chant and hula. Flowers are considered sacred to the goddess of lava and volcanic eruptions, Pele.

These trees are home to many native insects and even rare native tree snails! The ʻōhiʻa lehua flowers are an important food source for birds, they sip the nectar from the red blossoms and glean insects in bark and leaves.

There are many versions of a legend about the ʻOhiʻa Lehua tree. One is of a couple who were madly in love- a man named ʻŌhiʻa, and a woman named Lehua. One day the volcano goddess Pele, taking the form of a beautiful woman, saw ʻŌhiʻa and was attracted to him. However ʻŌhiʻa refused Pele because he was in love with Lehua. Pele in her fit and fury, then turned ‘Ōhiʻa into a tree. Lehua, hearing of her lover being gone, asked the gods to turn her into a flower so she could be with him, which they did. To this day, if you pick the lehua blossom from the tree, it is said that it will rain because the two lovers have been separated.

Sparky described this one as the shot of the day which is a bold statement to make for a Shed photo, but it was great to capture recent German arrival and Beacon Rail Leasing liveried 66797 (operated by GB Railfreight).

The Euro shed is seen passing through the idyllic scenery of Barrow-upon-Trent with the 6X44 11.10 Bescot-Toton departmental, the "X-Ray" denoting the inclusion of out of gauge points carriers in the consist.

I can’t describe to you what a welcoming sight this was the night I decided to go exploring at dusk by myself with my camera, after docking near shore whilst on a Murray River houseboat with 10 friends. I’ve never had the best sense of direction, and a few quiet beers during the day didn’t help fine tune that sense at all. No phone reception, only had thongs on my feet (flip flops for our American friends), being devoured by mosquitos and who knows what other little critters in the dark. After a couple of hours lost, the lights of the houseboat were a most welcome sight , a beacon of safety, warmth, beer and friends. Would I do it again? Without a moments hesitation 😉

The 10 of us on the boat were all good friends but started to drift apart. Too much pier pressure I guess. Someone started playing Maroon 5 , which we didn’t think appropriate. Still, whatever floats your boat. Thankfully a near disaster brought us all back together. We went too close to a Bluetooth obstruction, started to sync. Brought back the words the hire guy had told me when I asked do houseboats sink very often? He said usually just once. Had to find a boating equipment sale to fix things up, was quite an oar deal. And one of the guys hurt his tooth, but luckily we found a tooth ferry! But happy to report that friend-ship prevailed and I’m now a recovering aquaholic 😀

Hope everyone is having a good run into Christmas, cheers

"I want to make coming home your favourite part of the day. I want to leave tiny little words lingering in your mind, on nights when you’re far away and can’t sleep. I want to make everything around us beautiful; make small things mean a little more. Make you feel a little more. A little better, a little lighter. The coffee is warm, this cup is yours. I want to be someone you can’t live without."

~ Charlotte Eriksson

The only way that it can describe why I love these abandoned old time capsules of homes is that it is the closest that I will ever come to "time travel." There's a fascinating world out there.

Newly described and separated from what is now known as the Eastern Spiny Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus asper). N. eromanga is found west of the Central Queensland "downs" country from south of Mt Isa through Winton and down to about Windorah in the Eromanga basin for which it is named.

This specimen is from Dajarra, Queensland, Australia

After a very long and exhausting day of work, I went out to my favorite lake spot to be with Jesus. It was absolutely beautiful as the storms came through as the lighting and drama in the clouds was stunning! I went over to the other side of the lake to be greeted by this beautiful sky that the Lord made. As I was over in the woods it began to pour down rain and thunder. I sheltered in the woods for a bit and as I walked back I got more and more drenched by the rain. I began to thank the Lord because it reminded me of the abundance of His love raining down on me and His voice is described like thunder and as I heard the thunder I could feel completely surrounded by the presence of the Lord!

No words to describe, Perfect.

He did accidently drop fish to ground. We noticed how precisely he ate head first, rest of fish in contact. Except for a few Talon marks on body.

Some days I have to pinch myself as a photographer living in a city like London. It's ever changing skyline is a delight to explore but there are some iconic locations that whenever I see them, and trust me I've looked at this composition of the Millennium Bridge and St Pauls Cathedral literally hundreds of times over the years, that just keep pulling at my eye. I've taken a variation of this shot literally tens of times, probably more, but every day is different. Different skies, different light, different cameras, different lenses, different focal lengths - it's always worth shooting again.

This was taken back in October and I was shooting this old Leica lens on a mirrorless Olympus camera for the first time. It may sound like an expensive setup however it is anything but. The Olympus is a ten year old 16 megapixel camera, not very impressive by today's standards, and the 90mm lens, while it may have Leica written on it is at least 50 years old and can be had on eBay for around a hundred pounds (I paid £85 for my copy). I can't describe the pleasure I get from handling these old manual focus lenses, it's so different than using a modern auto-focus lens. They aren't particularly sharp in comparison but then I ask myself, how sharp does sharp have to be? I know many will disagree but for me this picture is sharp enough and the joy I get from using that old lens far outweighs any disappointment I may have of producing a picture that is not razor sharp. My joy of photography is as much to do with the taking of the pictures, the getting out there and walking with my camera, as it is to do with the pictures I produce, strange as that may sound. Perhaps that's why film photography has become such a staple in my life.

Olympus OMD-EM10 Mkii

Leica Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8

Someone once described trees as "poems written upon the sky." Exactly!

This tree is another example of a Norfolk Island Pine, and I photographed it while visiting New Zealand. I composed this image while visiting New Zealand. It is a picture of a Norfolk Island Pine, framed by a cloudy sky. Someone once described trees as "poems written upon the sky," and I found this tree to be an example of this. I also consider this tree - its symmetry almost perfect - to be a fine example of 'architecture in nature'.

The Norfolk Island Pine, is not a pine, but rather a member of a related genus. It is found throughout the South Pacific. The first European known to have sighted Norfolk Island was Captain James Cook. In 1774, on his second voyage to the South Pacific in HMS Resolution, Cook noted the presence of large forests of tall, straight trees that appeared to be suitable for use as masts and yards for sailing ships. However, when the island was occupied in 1788 by convicts transported from Britain, it was found that Norfolk Island pine trees were not resilient enough for such use and the idea was abandoned.

In the late 1950s, a trial shipment of Norfolk pine logs was sent to plywood manufacturers in Sydney, New South Wales, with the hope of developing a timber export industry on Norfolk Island. Although the plywood companies reported excellent results, the industry was deemed not sustainable by the Norfolk Island Advisory Council, which decided to reserve timber production for local use. The timber is good for woodturning and, together with the similar Cook pine, is extensively used by Hawaiian artisans.

Most often my method is a simple attention to God combined with a general sense of hunger for God. I find myself often attached to God with the great sweetness and delight of an infant at the mother's breast. I hesitate to use the expression, but the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there is as if I were at the bosom of God at all times. Sometimes my thoughts wander away from God by necessity or infirmity. But soon an inner desire brings me back to God. This inward yearning is so delightful and delicious that I am ashamed to describe it.

-The Practice of the Presence of God In Modern English, Brother Lawrence Translated into Modern English by Marshall Davis