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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
Onryō are described as the souls of the deceased who died a particularly slow and agonizing death, often caused by murder or disease. The feeling of injustice and the resulting urge for revenge is so strong at the moment of death that the spirit is caught in this spiral of anger and restlessness and cannot pass to the afterlife
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
Having described the situation in Czechia, I only feel like our home country of Poland is an interesting comparisson to make when it comes to single carriage deliveries.
As far as I remember, PKP Cargo officially removed single carriage deliveries from their services in 2011. Since then, the strategy was almost abandoned and the company transports bulk materials almost exclusively. The very few single-carriage deliveries aren't really organised as a system and are a real pain for PKP Cargo, which is why meeting local cargo trains is such a rarity over here.
The trains, as opposed to the classic system, also don't run on year-long schedules, and instead they are ordered on demand, which makes them very irregular. One such train is the local cargo train from Zajączkowo Tczewskie to Starogard Gdański Przedmieście, where PolPharma's pharmaceutical company is located.
By sheer luck, I managed to get a picture of the train on its return journey from as TKS 553048/9 Starogard Gdański Przedmieście - Zajączkowo Tcz. ZTB. The haulage that day was done with the retro-painted SM42-741, due to a defect on one of the modernised 6Dg locomotives - another stroke of luck! The pictured train is about to pass the passenger stop in Rokitki Tcz. with its one tank wagon, made for transporting hihgly concentrated sulfuric acid. Given the fact that the train runs around once a month, or even less frequently, I'm happy that I even managed to see it.
Photo by Piotrek/Toprus
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.
Described as the longest-lived butterfly in North America living as long as eleven to eighteen months. Unlike most other butterfly species the Mourning Cloak spends most of its life as an adult butterfly (not larva or egg).
It is most often seen in early Spring because it survives the harsh winter months as an adult. Spring is the most likely time to see it basking in the sun and defending its territory against intruders (such as a photographer). It is not attracted to flowers, but loves to land on your head or your outstretched arm and stays there for a while.
During the hot summer months the Mourning Cloak disappears, estivating to preserve energy, hiding in tree cavities and in other sheltered places. They have only one brood. It is always a very lucky day to see a freshly minted individual during the early summer months.
Jumping spiders use their legs to pounce on their prey, which is typically other insects. Amazingly, jumping spiders don't have special leg muscles, like grasshoppers, to help them leap. They propel themselves by suddenly changing the blood flow in their body. Terminix
Jumping spiders or the Salticidae are a family of spiders. As of 2019, it contained over 600 described genera and over 6000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among arthropods and use it in courtship, hunting, and navigation. Wikipedia
Crib Goch is described as a "knife-edged" arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name means "red ridge" in the Welsh language.
The highest point on the arête is 923 metres (3,028 ft) above sea level. All routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering routes in winter or scrambles in summer—meaning that they must cross "graded territory" as defined in Steve Ashton's Scrambles in Snowdonia. The easiest of these lines (the ‘bad step’ part of the route) is given a scrambling grade of Grade 1 (the most difficult being Grade 3—routes more difficult than Grade 3 are considered rock climbs).
Stockentenpaar | Pair of mallards
Their behaviour is described in the well-known German children's song ‘Alle meine Entchen’. Here are the lyrics:
Alle meine Entchen
Schwimmen auf dem See
Schwimmen auf dem See
Köpfchen in das Wasser
Schwänzchen in die Höh'
My translation:
All my little ducklings
Are swimming on the lake
Are swimming on the lake
Their heads are in the water
Their tails up in the air
This song has the simplest melody imaginable: upload.wikimedia.org/score/0/q/0ql2zr3n5lzbcbfxcl5w8mssf9...
I took this photo in the Floridsdorfer Wasserpark in Floridsdorf, the 21st district of Vienna.
Tenant describing the old apartment block he has been living in since the days of the German Democratic Republic.
Coade stone was stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments of the highest quality that remain virtually weatherproof today.
When describing the interior of the Siena Cathedral, in Tuscany, Italy, the word "ornate" is a bit of an understatement. No flash photography allowed, so it was a bit of a challenge.
Want to see this photograph on your wall? Get in touch via peter@peterhill.au or at peterhill.au/contact/
Described by Sir David Attenborough as ‘one of the 12 wildlife wonders of the world’, the Bass Rock is a sanctuary for gannets, hosting over 150,000 of them during peak breeding season. Not only is it the closest bird sanctuary to the mainland, but it also saw the first ornithologists, who gave the gannet the scientific term Sula Bassana or Morus Bassanus.
My daughter described this photo as a chef's kiss. I had to look it up.
NOUN
" a gesture in which a person kisses the tips of their pinched-together fingers and thumb and then waves the hand with the fingers splayed, in order to indicate that something is excellent"
Taken in Humber Bay Park West, Toronto, while I was on a walk with 3 of my friends. Thanks for visiting, much appreciated.
Der Schwarzmilan oder Schwarze Milan (Milvus migrans) ist ein etwa mäusebussard-großer Greifvogel aus der Familie der Habichtartigen (Accipitridae). Im Gegensatz zum nahe verwandten Rotmilan (Milvus milvus), dessen Brutgebiet sich im Wesentlichen auf Europa beschränkt, hat der Schwarzmilan ein riesiges Verbreitungsgebiet, das neben großen Teilen der Paläarktis weite Bereiche des indomalaiischen Faunengebietes sowie Australasien einschließt. Entsprechend dieser weiträumigen Verbreitung werden bis zu zwölf Unterarten beschrieben, von denen sieben als allgemein anerkannt gelten.
The Black Kite (Milvus migrans) is an approximately buzzard-sized bird of prey of the hawk family (Accipitridae). In contrast to the closely related Red Kite (Milvus milvus), whose breeding range is essentially limited to Europe, the Black Kite has a vast range that includes large parts of the Palearctic, wide areas of the Indo-Malayan faunal region and Australasia. In accordance with this wide distribution, up to twelve subspecies are described, seven of which are generally recognised.
Mark Twain described the Heidelberg Castle in his 1880 travel book A Tramp Abroad…
“A ruin must be rightly situated, to be effective. This one could not have been better placed. It stands upon a commanding elevation, it is buried in green woods, there is no level ground about it, but, on the contrary, there are wooded terraces upon terraces, and one looks down through shining leaves into profound chasms and abysses where twilight reigns and the sun cannot intrude. Nature knows how to garnish a ruin to get the best effect."
Heidelberg Castle is a ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps.
The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is located 80 metres (260 ft) up the northern part of the Königstuhl hillside, and thereby dominates the view of the old downtown.
The earliest castle structure was built before 1214 and later expanded into two castles circa 1294; however, in 1537, a lightning bolt destroyed the upper castle. The present structures had been expanded by 1650, before damage by later wars and fires. In 1764, another lightning bolt caused a fire which destroyed some rebuilt sections.
* * * * *
Mark Twain beschrieb 1878 in seinem Buch Bummel durch Europa das Heidelberger Schloss folgendermaßen:
„Um gut zu wirken, muss eine Ruine den richtigen Standort haben. Diese hier hätte nicht günstiger gelegen sein können. Sie steht auf einer die Umgebung beherrschenden Höhe, sie ist in grünen Wäldern verborgen, um sie herum gibt es keinen ebenen Grund, sondern im Gegenteil bewaldete Terrassen, man blickt durch glänzende Blätter in tiefe Klüfte und Abgründe hinab, wo Dämmer herrscht und die Sonne nicht eindringen kann. Die Natur versteht es, eine Ruine zu schmücken, um die beste Wirkung zu erzielen.“
Das Heidelberger Schloss ist eine der berühmtesten Ruinen Deutschlands und das Wahrzeichen der Stadt Heidelberg. Bis zu seiner Zerstörung im Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieg war es die Residenz der Kurfürsten von der Pfalz. Seit den Zerstörungen durch die Soldaten Ludwigs XIV. 1689 und der Sprengung durch französische Pioniere am 6. September 1693 wurde das Heidelberger Schloss nur teilweise restauriert. Nachdem am 24. Juni 1764 Blitze die teilweise renovierte Anlage in Brand gesetzt hatten, wurde die Wiederherstellung aufgegeben. Die Schlossruine aus rotem Neckartäler Sandstein erhebt sich 80 Meter über dem Talgrund am Nordhang des Königstuhls und dominiert von dort das Bild der Altstadt. Der Ottheinrichsbau, einer der Palastbauten des Schlosses, zählt zu den bedeutendsten deutschen Bauwerken der Renaissance.
Christ is described at Chora as "Land of the Living"
[Χώρα των ζώντων]
music:
Medieval Byzantine Nativity chant (Kathismata of Christmas).
Title: "Μυστήριο ξένον" (Wondrous Mystery)
Service: Matins of Nativity
Performers: Greek Byzantine Choir
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.
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photo:
inner narthex dome with Genealogy of Christ
from the Cycle of Christ's Infancy and Ministry
Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, Istanbul
www.columbia.edu/cu/wallach/exhibitions/Byzantium/html/bu...
Chora Museum, Chora Monastery (Contantinople)
Μονή της Χώρας, Μουσείο Χώρας, Κωνσταντινούπολη
Kariye Müzesi, Kariye Camii, Kariye Kilisesi, Istanbul
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chora_Church
www.columbia.edu/cu/wallach/exhibitions/Byzantium/
www.byzantium1200.com/chora.html
www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-st-savior-in-...
www.doaks.org/library-archives/icfa/moving-image-collecti...
Papilio dardanus, the African swallowtail, mocker swallowtail or flying handkerchief, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (the swallowtails). The species is broadly distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The British entomologist E. B. Poulton described it as "the most interesting butterfly in the world".
Wings of the Tropics, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website as a “pint-sized predator of birds, small mammals, and insects,” northern shrikes are unique among the song birds for their dietary preferences. Their hooked bills, resembling those of raptors, enhance their ability to kill and shred the flesh of their vertebrate prey. They are capable of capturing more prey than they can eat at a given time, and will impale animals on thorns or short branches for later consumption. They will also kill relatively large prey using this same technique, lowering the time and energy it takes to dispatch them.
I cannot quite describe which is more special, seeing the sun first rise and light up the orange canyon walls or having an entire National Monument to yourself. Either way, it made for one very beautiful and special morning. Colorado National Monument is one of the lesser known beautiful places in Colorado as it is farther away from all of the big mountains and ski resorts that Colorado is known for. However, it is still definitely worth stopping to see if you are out in the Western part of the state. I am very thankful I got to make this side detour over here and witness such an incredibly beautiful and special morning that the Lord had made!
Described by Winston Churchill as one of the most beautiful places he knew, Castle Tioram, pronounced 'Cheerum' is located on a rocky tidal island, Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart in the Western Highlands on the west coast of Scotland. Tioram is the Gaelic word for dry and the island is only accessible at low tide across a sandy spit. It stands where the waters of Loch Moidart and the river Shiel meet.
Tioram Castle was the seat of power of the medieval Lord of the Isles and is the ancestral home and former seat of the Macdonalds of Clanranald. It was strategically located guarding the movement between the southern Hebrides and Skye or the outer isles. It also monitored the inland route past Loch Shiel. The castle was the main fortification protecting Moidart, Rum, Eigg, Canna, the Uists and Barra.
Tioram Castle was burnt on the orders of the last chief of the direct line when he set off to join the ill-fated Jacobite uprising of 1715. The idea was to keep it out of the hands of the Hanoverian forces. The castle was never restored and has been unoccupied since then. It is regarded as the most significant symbol of the rise and fall of the Lordship of the Isles, still visible today. Undoubtedly it is the most beautiful.
The curtain wall of the castle is believed to be from the 13th century. The tower and other interior buildings are from the 14th to 16th century. A five-sided structure whose high walls have rounded corners, its shape is in keeping with the natural outline of the island. There is no access to the buildings because of the risk of falling masonry.
The Sky Road on Ireland's west coast is described as a 20 km jaw-dropping scenic loop near Cliftden and is part of the stunning Wild Atlantic Way. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather so we could see across the turquoise waters out to the many small islands to the west. We had a wonderful day driving north from Galway, up through Connemara National Park where we visited Kylemore Abby and on up to Aasleagh Falls. Breathtaking scenary.
acrylic on canvas, 70 x 100 cm
This work describes the current situation on social media where Western countries impose cultural ànd political censorship by proxy on their citizens.
It must be compared with the witch hunt of the Nazi regime
It is based on personal experience (my tweets are hidden under the message "offensive tweet", Flickr removed my painting "Dein Kampf" as a group photo (I replaced it with "Das radikal Böse"), on Facebook I regularly cannot request personal profiles, the operation of my PC is sabotaged, etc.
The censorship against the silenced majority is supposed to make you believe that you have lost.(Naomi Seibt, Jan 12, 2021)
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Jan Theuninck is a Belgian painter
www.boekgrrls.nl/BgDiversen/Onderwerpen/gedichten_over_sc...
www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.be/wiki/index.php/Yperite-Jan...
www.graphiste-webdesigner.fr/blog/2013/04/la-peinture-bel...
charterforcompassion.org/belgium
Cornell describes the Virginia rail as a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. They remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. This one was heard, then barely seen at Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina.
Dactylorhiza majalis (Orchidaceae) 195 24
This species was first described from Dresden, Germany by Reichenbach in 1828 and was initially ascribed the title Orchis latifolia which after several reclassifications became the Dactylorhiza majalis we are familiar with today. Its name refers to the month of May which although accurate, is very much at the start of what is an early flowering season for an essentially montane member of the Dactylorhiza genus.
Dactylorhiza majalis is a widespread species with a range throughout the central European alpine region from northern Spain through to the Dolomites and the mountains of eastern Europe, possibly as far as Russia. It can be found in damp or wet conditions on alkaline or mildly acidic substrates in lowland sites or upland areas up to a height of approx 2000 meters.
It is a species that can vary greatly in its vegetative characteristics but seems to be strangely consistent in flower formation, despite frequent genetic ingression by other similar species from within the genus. The plant itself is robust and the inflorescence, although sturdy is not particularly tall or dense, carrying flowers that are not strikingly marked and appear to be more uniformly purple than Dactylorhiza alpestris which has a distinct and more extensive white peripheral area surrounding the stigmatic cavity.
The leaves are normally dark green and heavily spotted with purple or dark brown blotches on the upper sides, though this cannot be taken as diagnostic as there are recorded examples of both non spotted examples and those with heavy double sided blotching.
Source: John and Gerry's Orchids of Britain and Europe
Observers repeatedly described Hopkins as stooping down to study wet sand or blades of grass or little blue flowers.
… It was not unusual for nineteenth-century poets to associate nature with heightened emotional states, or even to bind it to the notion that God himself may have written nature like a book. This book could reveal the divine to those who had eyes to read. Keats had coined the phrase “egotistical sublime” to describe Wordsworth’s enhanced self-consciousness in the presence of nature. Hopkins, on the other hand, instressed the sublime to enhance his other-consciousness…
… Ultimately readers would find in Hopkins’s words a refreshing, liberating way of receiving and holding the body of God.
-The Gospel in Gerard Manley Hopkins Selections from His Poems, Letters, Journals, and Spiritual Writings Edited by Margaret R. Ellsberg Foreword by Dana Gioia
These four adjectives aptly describe one of my favorite birds, the Steller's Jay. The Steller's Jay in this image is the Rocky Mountain form with a white streak above the eye and a partial white eyering.
Photographed at about 8,200 ft. near Powderhorn Ski Resort, Grand Mesa, Colorado.
Bloopers and Re-edits
In concluding this current series of night photographs I thought I'd describe some of the problems involved in choosing the right edit for a night shot - colour and black and white. My first version of this shot in December 2019 can be seen for comparison here: www.flickr.com/photos/luminosity7/49215280311/in/album-72...
This is the entrance gate to Luna Park in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda. It was built in 1912 and has Australia's oldest wooden roller coaster, The Scenic Railway (the second oldest in the world), which runs around its boundary.
Well, strictly speaking this is another shot of the same scene. The first blooper I made in my initial selection was to take no account of the compositional advantages of people in the photograph. Four years ago I simply didn't understand how important people can be as elements in a frame. If you want an artistic model for this, look at some of the Australian artist Jeffrey Smart's paintings, especially "Cahill Expressway" (1962). www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/3000/
That single figure makes the painting.
So you'll see in 2019 I overlooked two key figures that add interest to this scene. The first on our far left is the man standing with cap in profile against that wall that is bathed in yellow light (What is he doing? Waiting for someone?). The second figure on our far right is running from the bus towards the entrance of Luna Park. But in 2019 I chose the RAW file which neglected the foreground activities and design on the concrete. Both critical to the balance of the composition.
The second (and frankly, most embarrassing) blooper has to do with balancing the colours. In the 2019 version they are a total mess. Where did all that blue in the face come from? I am much more concerned now for accuracy of colour rendition whilst still happy to play them up for effect (we don't want a bland view that merely reproduces what our eyes can see). But unless the colours are balanced (and getting a white balance first is critical for this) and the exposure levels are congruent with the actual scene, all sorts of problems emerge.
There are more than enough problems in night colour photography as it is. And one of the reasons why I think most night shots are easier to process in black and white, is that you get fewer artefacts - or unwanted results - and when you do you can hide them to a large extent. Part of the reason I chose to produce such a dark version in 2019 was an attempt to hide some of these artefacts. In fact all I needed to do was get the colour balance right in the first place. This re-edit is a much truer version of the original scene and most importantly, the atmosphere.
Hydrangea sp. Frecuentemente encontrada en jardines mexicanos. Se describen aproximadamente cuarenta y tres especies en el género Hydrangea, la mayoría del este y sur de Asia.
Hydrangea sp. Extensively cultivated in Mexican gardens. Approximately forty-three species are described in the genus Hydrangea, mostly from East and South Asia.
(Calicalicus rufocarpalis)
This species, first described in 1997, was the last, from her list of over 8000 species, observed by Phoebe Snetsinger before the car accident that claimed her life.
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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.
So, you may find:
- All the photos for this trip Madagascar (2023) (174)
- All the photos for this order PASSERIFORMES (3553)
- All the photos for this family Vangidae (Vangídeos) (24)
- All the photos for this species Calicalicus rufocarpalis (4)
- All the photos taken this day 2023/11/15 (7)
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As already earlier described I am not really a peoples photographer. I always feel a little bit embarrassed when doing it, but in Central Asia there were so many situations with lovely people, heartbreaking situations, or people that show the vulnarability of life, that it was difficult to shut my eyes.
This shot is somewhat funny, but also it shows that life in these areas can be tough. People make long days to earn a little bit of money, so sometimes the body is just too tired to keep going.
For me the remembrance of the wonderful people in CA is something I will never forget in my life, and it has changed my opinion of these countries (and people in general) in a definitive way. This shot is to honor them.
20 September 2019 I came back from my journey over a part of the Silk Road to and through Central Asia. 4 months of traveling through 14 countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran) before I flew home from Teheran. An impressive journey in countries that are extremely beautiful, with lovely and welcoming people and diverse cultures and history.
Intense traveling with more than 20000 kilometers in our mobile home on sometimes roads that hardly could be called that way. We saw many villages and cities (some wonderful, others very ugly), countries that are transforming from the old Soviet era into something more related to older cultures and the way people live, often funded by oil readily available around the Caspian sea. We saw the amazing mountains south of the Black Sea, the wonderful Caucasus, and the high mountains in the far east close to China with peaks over 7000 meter, and not to forget the (Bulgarian) Alps!
We crossed the great steppe of Kazakhstan. a drive of at least 5000 km, the remnants of lake Aral, once one of the biggest lakes of the world, saw a rocket launch from Baikonur (this little part is Russian owned), we crossed many high mountains passes, and drove the breathtaking canyon that comes from the Pamir, beginning at ca 4500 meter, and going down for ca. 400km to an altitude of 1300 meter, driving for 100's of kilometers along the Afghan border.
And then the numerous lakes with all sorts of different colors from deep cobalt blue to turquoise, and one rare spectacle in Turkmenistan where a gas crater is burning already for more than 40 years. And finally and certainly not the least to mention an enormous amount of wonderful, hospitable and welcoming people. The woman often dressed in wonderful dresses, and bringing a lot of color in the streets of almost of all countries we visited.
‘Puddling’ is one of the type of descriptors that uses the name of a typical place where an activity occurs to describe the activity itself. In fact, ‘puddling’ is the way butterflies (or at least certain species of butterfly) extract minerals needed for many things, especially reproduction. As many of us know, sugar water is a great way to get by, but more complex nutrients are needed if we want to do anything more complex.
The nutrients extracted from whatever the butterfly finds as its source (manure, dead animal carcasses, puddles) are passed on in the reproductive process to help build healthy young. In this case, a White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis - the subspecies in my area is arthemis again, hence the double naming) uses minerals along the side of a country road. It had rained, but in some cases the butterfly can spit up to help facilitate the extraction.
This was taken on a very remote country road during a walk to look at wildflowers and insects, camera in hand. I did have to lie down on the shoulder to get this perspective, but I was not alone and had a person watching for cars (there were none) and it was along a straight patch with high visibility.
...feathery opal.
Described as "terrestrial pigeon", it is indeed as terrestrial as the Australian opals. This charming bird embodies for me the gentleness of pigeon nature. It is rather shy and prefers shady sheathing, so I was startled when it landed on a tree only a few meters away from the trail I was walking.
(Phaps chalcoptera)
Described by Alexander Wilson in 1810: "This delicate little species is now, for the first time, introduced to public notice .... On the borders of streams and marshes, among the branches of the poplar, it is sometimes found....the front and upper part of the head is of a fine verditer blue...". Seen at Abbotsford Rd. Port Huron SGA.
Steinbeck describes this spot in his novel Cannery Row. I always think of Doc Ricketts, the marine biologist model for Doc in the book, whenever I walk by, in his gum boots, collecting specimens among those rocks.
Pacific Grove
California
“I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history, and if I don't stop writing that history at some quite arbitrary point, there's no reason why I should ever stop. There is something new to be chronicled every day. Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.”
C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
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
Hard to catch best describes the Batten Kill Railroad. This ultra neat shortline has been high on my priority list for years. Everything about it screamed rustic railroading, from scenery, motive power, track, buildings, you name it.
Sadly its not an easy railroad to catch in action. With only one regular customer near Salem, NY, the only time they move is when Pan Am delivers cars, and when Cargill needs them. Or if you're really lucky, a MoW move or car storage move. Even with the advent of social media, I was not lucky enough to chase it on my first visit in 2018.
During my 2019 New England/fall foliage road trip, I made it a point to put the Batten Kill as the highest priority shortline of the trip, so much so I would be prepared to sacrifice another shortline for the cause.
Thanks to a heads up of cars to be picked up at Eagle Bridge over the weekend, I took a gamble, scarified the MA&N, and headed east from Utica to Salem to hook up with the train. The intel turned out to be good! The crew switched Cargill for a few hours before taking a cut of empties south to the interchange. The highlight of the chase was the Hoosic River bridge shot. Despite the VERY lousy weather, and catching a cold from it in the process, grabbing the Batten Kill on glass was a dream come true.
The Timna Valley is located in southern Israel in the southwestern Arabah, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the Gulf of Aqaba and the town of Eilat. The area is rich in copper ore and has been mined since the 5th millennium BCE. There is controversy whether the mines were active during the Kingdom of Israel and the biblical King Solomon.[1]
A large section of the valley, containing ancient remnants of copper mining and ancient worship, is encompassed in a recreation park.
In July 2011, the Israeli government approved the construction of an international airport, the Timna Airport, in the Timna valley.
Copper mining[edit]
Copper has been mined in the area since the 5th or 6th millennium BCE.[3] Archaeological excavation indicates that the copper mines in Timna Valley were probably part of the Kingdom of Edom and worked by the Edomites, described as biblical foes of the Israelites,[4] during the 10th century BCE, the period of the legendary King Solomon.[5] Mining continued by the Israelites and Nabateans through to the Roman period and the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, and then by the Ummayads from the Arabian Peninsula after the Arab conquest (in the 7th century CE) until the copper ore became scarce.[6]
The copper was used for ornaments, but more importantly for stone cutting, as saws, in conjunction with sand.[7]
The recent excavations dating copper mining to the 10th century BCE also discovered what may be the earliest camel bones with signs of domestication found in Israel or even outside the Arabian peninsula, dating to around 930 BCE. This is seen as evidence by the excavators that the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Jacob and Esau were written or rewritten after this time seeing that the Biblical books frequently reference traveling with caravans of domesticated camels.[8]
Modern history
Scientific attention and public interest was aroused in the 1930s, when Nelson Glueck attributed the copper mining at Timna to King Solomon (10th century BCE) and named the site "King Solomon's Mines". These were considered by most archaeologists to be earlier than the Solomonic period until an archaeological excavation led by Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University's found evidence indicating that this area was being mined by Edomites, a group who the Bible says were frequently at war with Israel.[10][11]
In 1959, Professor Beno Rothenberg, director of the Institute for Archeo-Metallurgical Studies at University College, London, led the Arabah Expedition, sponsored by the Eretz Israel Museum, and the Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology. The expedition included a deep excavation of Timna Valley, and by 1990 he discovered 10,000 copper mines and smelting camps with furnaces, rock drawings, geological features, shrines, temples, an Egyptian mining sanctuary, jewelry, and other artifacts never before found anywhere in the world.[12] His excavation and restoration of the area allowed for the reconstruction of Timna Valley’s long and complex history of copper production, from the Late Neolithic period to the Middle Ages.[13]
The modern state of Israel also began mining copper on the eastern edge of the valley in 1955, but ceased in 1976. The mine was reopened in 1980. The mine was named Timnah after a Biblical chief.
Geological features
Timna Valley is notable for its uncommon stone formations and sand. Although predominantly red, the sand can be yellow, orange, grey, dark brown, or black. Light green or blue sand occurs near the copper mines. Water and wind erosion have created several unusual formations that are only found in similar climates.
Solomon's Pillars
The most striking and well-known formation in Timna Valley are Solomon's Pillars. The pillars are natural structures that were formed by centuries of water erosion through fractures in the sandstone cliff until it became a series of distinct, pillar-shaped structures.[6]
American archaeologist Nelson Glueck caused a surge of attention for the pillars in the 1930s. He claimed that the pillars were related to King Solomon and gave them the name "Solomon's Pillars".[citation needed] Although his hypothesis lacked support and has not been accepted, the name stuck, and the claim gave the valley the attention that helped bring about the excavations and current national park.
The pillars are known as the backdrop for evening concerts and dance performances the park presents in the summer.[15]
Mushroom
The Mushroom is an unusual monolithic, mushroom-shaped, red sandstone rock formation known as a hoodoo. The mushroom shape was caused by wind, humidity, and water erosion over centuries.[15] The Mushroom is surrounded by copper ore smelting sites from between the 14th and 12th centuries BCE.[6]
Arches[edit]
The Arches are natural arches formed by erosion, as well, and can be seen along the western cliff of the valley. Arches are not as rare as Solomon's Pillars and the Mushroom, and similar structures can be found in elsewhere in the world. The walking trail that goes to the Arches also goes past the copper mine shafts.[6]
Source Wikipedia
Jericho, described as laid-back and bohemian, is a neighbourhood near central Oxford.
We had a lovely stroll along the canal, and found a very pleasing brew pub to have lunch. All in all, a very pleasant day.
[Explore # 262]
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Happy Macro Mondays, HMM !!
"Plastic"
Blue light backlighted plastic foam
The Great Pacific garbage patch, also described as the Pacific trash vortex.
The Ocean Cleanup is a foundation that develops technologies to extract plastic pollution from the oceans and prevent more plastic debris from entering ocean waters.
The title describes the area surrounding New Albin aptly, and here we see an AC44 pair, CSXT 52 and NS 4255, lead Canadian Pacific train 694(?) southbound, south of New Albin, IA, just a bit north of Kains siding, through that territory of the railroad. The next big opening up into farmland heading south from here is around Harpers Ferry. Until then they'll continue skirting the Mississippi and its contributing streams and adjacent sloughs and wetlands. Pretty sure this guy came empty from the mines out near Sparta or Tunnel City, WI to load these 2 bays at Pattison in Clayton, IA--Iowa's only frac sand mine that has enough output to warrant rail traffic. I miss foaming up here. Taken on the Canadian Pacific Marquette Subdivision on 9/24/22.
Das Schwarzkehlchen (Saxicola rubicola) ist ein kleiner Singvogel aus der Gattung der Wiesenschmätzer (Saxicola) und der Familie der Fliegenschnäpper (Muscicapidae). Die beiden nächstverwandten Arten, das Afrikaschwarzkehlchen (Saxicola torquatus) und das Pallasschwarzkehlchen (Saxicola maurus), galten früher als Unterarten, wurden aber durch Ewan Urquhart und Adam Bowley im Jahr 2002 als selbständige Arten klassifiziert. Die hier beschriebene Art wird zur Unterscheidung daher zuweilen auch Europäisches Schwarzkehlchen genannt. Das Schwarzkehlchen gilt regional als ein stark gefährdeter Vogel. Der Gesamtbestand ist aber mit 2.000.000 – 4.000.000 Brutpaaren (Birdlife International) derzeit nicht gefährdet.
The stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) is a small songbird from the genus Saxicola and the flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). The two closest related species, the African stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) and the Pallas's stonechat (Saxicola maurus), were previously considered subspecies, but were classified as independent species by Ewan Urquhart and Adam Bowley in 2002. The species described here is therefore sometimes referred to as the European stonechat to distinguish it. The stonechat is regionally considered a highly endangered bird. However, the total population of 2,000,000 - 4,000,000 breeding pairs (Birdlife International) is currently not endangered.
© all rights reserved by B℮n
Bagan formerly Pagan is an ancient city from the 9th to 13th centuries,. The city was the capital of Myanmar. Bagan is one of Myanmar’s main attractions. It was the capital of Bagan empire, where Theravada Buddhism was the main religion. The area also known as the Bagan Archaeological Zone, occupies an impressive 26-sq-mile area. Marco Polo described Bagan as one of the finest sights in the world. Despite centuries of neglect, looting, erosion, regular earthquakes, not to mention questionable restoration, this temple-studded plain remains a remarkably impressive and unforgettable vision. Bagan’s kings commissioned more than 4000 Buddhist temples. The Ananda temple we visisted is considered to be one of the most surviving masterpiece of the Mon architecture. This impressive temple has also been titled the Westminster Abbey of Burma. Also known as the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. During the 1975 earthquake, Ananda suffered considerable damage but has been totally restored. It is said to have been built around 1105 by King Kyanzittha.
Located just east of the city walls of Old Bagan, Ananda Pahto was the first of the great temples at Bagan and is one of the most largest and most beautiful. This symmetrical masterpiece was built around 1105 AD by a king inspired by tales of visiting Indian monks. The legend saying that there were 8 monks who arrived one day to the palace begging for alms. They told the king that once, they had lived in the Nandamula Cave temple in the Himalayas. The King was fascinated by the tales and invited the monks to return to his palace. The monks with their meditative powers they showed the king the mythical landscape of the place they have been. King Kyanzittha was overwhelmed by the sight and had a desire for building a temple which would be cool inside in the middle of the Bagan plains. After the construction of the Ananda temple, the king executed the architects just to make the style of the temple so unique. The whole architectural ornamentation is implemented in stucco-carving. Beautiful interior Buddha Statues can be seen in the niches from birth to death depicted in the passage. A Buddhist temple with bright, white cream-colored walls. Photo of a meditating monk holding alm bowl for donation in the corridor of the Ananda temple.
De stad Bagan is één van de vroegere hoofdsteden van Myanmar, en is gesticht in het jaar 849. Het was de hoofdstad van het Bagan-rijk, waar het Theravada-boeddhisme het belangrijkste geloof was. Bagan is één van de absolute top bezienswaardigheden van Myanmar. Een reis naar Myanmar zonder tussenstop in Bagan is gewoonweg ondenkbaar. Bagan wordt niet voor niets vaak op één lijn geplaatst met Angkor. Bagan, dat is 42 km² bezaaid met tempels. Er zijn er meer dan 4400 in totaal. Dat is waanzinnig veel. Ondanks dat deze rijkdom al lang is verdwenen worden er tegenwoordig nog steeds nieuwe tempels bijgebouwd. In 1975 zijn er echter veel tempels afgebroken bij een grote aardbeving in Myanmar en vandaag de dag zijn nog steeds niet alle gebouwen hersteld. Tijdens ons bezoek aan Bagan huurden we fietsen. We fietsen langs alle bijzondere boeddhistische tempels in Bagan. De Ananda tempel is een prachtige tempel die wel eens de Westminster Abbey van Myanmar wordt genoemd. Behalve omwille van zijn sublieme architectuur, is de tempel ook gekend omwille van de 4 gigantische gouden staande boeddhabeelden, eentje voor elke windrichting. Hier moet je vooral komen bij volle maan tussen half december en half januari. Want dan wordt er een driedaags religieus festival gehouden waar duizenden boeddhistische pelgrims op afkomen. De grote boeddhistische tempel heeft heldere, crèmekleurige muren. De muren zijn versierd met gevels, kroonlijsten, halfzuilen en raamlijsten. Tijdens de aardbeving van 1975, leed Ananda tempel aanzienlijke schade, maar is volledig hersteld. Foto van een mediterende monnik met een kom voor aalmoezen in de passage van de tempel.
The first European to describe these plants was Philibert Commerçon, a botanist accompanying French Navy admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnavigation of the Earth, and first published by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789. It is possible that the first European to observe these plants was Jeanne Baret, Commerçon's lover and assistant, who was an expert in botany. Because she was not allowed on ship as a woman, she disguised herself as a man in order to make the journey (and thus became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe)
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