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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
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.
In my garden. La Ceja, Colombia.
Begonias were described for the first time in 1690 by a French botanist, Charles Plumier, who named them after a fellow French botanist, Michel Bégon. It was the first time a plant was named to honour another botanist, and this later became a tradition when naming a new plant. Eventually the name was set when Linnaeus used it in 1753 in his Species Plantarum.
www.bigbegoniarevival.com/charles-valin/breeding-history-...
I took this photo earlier this afternoon during what can only be described as a truly stunning day. I was on a 1-2-1 tuition day with a regular client of mine and I thought both the Mary's Shell art sculpture at Cleveleys and these wonderful fishing wrecks at Fleetwood were well worth shooting considering that it was a very high tide.
I have visited these wrecks before and on several occasions but I have never ventured into the water so deep (almost waist high) to get a shot before. You really do have to know the area around the boats extremely well for there are several very deep gullies which if you happen to fall into one, you would be in some trouble especially during a very high tide that we had today. But I'm very experienced in this part of the world hence why I feel confident of bringing clients here.
The opportunities to capture some stunning shots of the boats all surrounded is too good to pass up. I hope you all like the photo and FEEL FREE TO SHARE if you fancy. Thanks everyone :D
Canon 5D MK4
Canon 24-70mm f4 @ 24mm
f11
15 secs
ISO100
LEE 0.6 Medium ND Grad filter
Haida Polariser filter
Haida 10 Stop filter
Gitzo GT3543XLS carbon fibre tripod
Gitzo GS3121LVL low profile levelling base
Manfrotto 405 geared tripod head
Mindshift Backlight 26L Bag
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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)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Back to Spitfires! This is a Mk Vc - the 'c' describes the armament load that could be carried in the wing. There was provision for some permutation of 4 cannon and 4 machine guns although, because of the weight, not all could be carried at the same time. A common configuration was 4 machine guns with 2 cannon as in this example. The Mk V Spitfire was essentially a Mk 1 with a more powerful Merlin engine fitted - nominally 1400 hp compared to just over 1000 hp of the original. However, the actual power available to the pilot depended to some extent on the octane rating of the fuel used. Supplies of 100 octane petroleum were imported from the USA; this high octane fuel was not available to the Luftwaffe and had a significant, but not often mentioned, impact on the air war in Europe.
Llangollen .
Last time I visited some years ago , this cottage at the rear ,had an animated monk describing the history of the Abbey, it is no longer there , just a tv screen , much to my disappointment .
Described as "pugnacious" and "boisterous". I find them a challenge to photograph as they disappear and reappear in the marsh reeds. Photographed on the Western Slope, Colorado.
The Winter Palace was the official residence of the Russian Emperors from 1732 to 1917. Today, the palace and its precincts form the Hermitage Museum. Situated between Palace Embankment and Palace Square, in Saint Petersburg, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and altered almost continuously between the late 1730s and 1837, when it was severely damaged by fire and immediately rebuilt. The storming of the palace in 1917, as depicted in Soviet propaganda art and Sergei Eisenstein's 1927 film October, became an iconic symbol of the Russian Revolution.
As completed, the overriding exterior form of the Winter Palace's architecture, with its decoration in the form of statuary and opulent stucco work on the pediments above façades and windows, is Baroque. The exterior has remained as finished during the reign of Empress Elizabeth. The principal façades, those facing the Palace Square and the Neva river, have always been accessible and visible to the public. Only the lateral façades are hidden behind granite walls, concealing a garden created during the reign of Nicholas II. The building was conceived as a town palace, rather than a private palace within a park, such as that of the French kings at Versailles.
The palace was constructed on a monumental scale that was intended to reflect the might and power of Imperial Russia. From the palace, the Tsar ruled over 22,400,000 square kilometers (8,600,000 sq mi) (almost 1/6 of the Earth's landmass) and over 125 million subjects by the end of the 19th century. It was designed by many architects, most notably Bartolomeo Rastrelli, in what came to be known as the Elizabethan Baroque style. The green-and-white palace has the shape of an elongated rectangle, and its principal façade is 215 metres (705 ft) long and 30 m (98 ft) high. The Winter Palace has been calculated to contain 1,886 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases. Following a serious fire, the palace's rebuilding of 1837 left the exterior unchanged, but large parts of the interior were redesigned in a variety of tastes and styles, leading the palace to be described as a "19th-century palace inspired by a model in Rococo style".
Zhang Bichen - You are my only wish
How to describe this kind of feeling
In the moment I look at you
It's that kind of love that
Falls from heaven
I got nothing to hide
Thoughts of you dance on my mind
Once secretly concealed
Hidden in the love of time
This moment is crystal clear
The starry sky illuminates the past and the future
You know this is meant to be
One day you will come to me
The stars are aligned
Say it's forever now
Crystal-like existence
Until a long time later
Our love is true and it's crystal clear
Your smile is like the affection of winter
Gently swirling between our fingers
Lifting up the sky full of flying snow in our eyes
I got nothing to hide
Thoughts of you dance on my mind
Wholeheartedly relying on each other
Loving each other with all our might
This moment is crystal clear
The starry sky illuminates the past and the future
You know this is meant to be
One day you will come to me
The stars are aligned
Say it's forever now
Crystal-like existence
Until a long time later
Our love is true and it's crystal clear
Once lost in the darkness
You always shine through like an angel
Illuminating countless expectations
Through love and pain
Through every day and night
This moment cannot be replaced
You are the future I anticipate
This moment is crystal clear
Crossing through time and the sea of people
You know this is meant to be
You walk towards me in the light
The stars are aligned
Say it's forever now
Crystal-like love
Past, present, forever
You are my only wish in this lifetime
SIM:Goblins Knob
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dulcis/194/138/27
Watyre - A Winter's Waltz
The gorgeous Aplastodiscus leucopygius.
Not the first time, but it is a verry cool feeling realise that the frog i photographed was described by my father, makes me very proud.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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).
Gallt yr Ogof is a subsidiary top of Glyder Fawr, and is the most easterly point in the Glyderau mountain range, not including the hill Cefn y Capel. Gallt yr Ogof is 763 metres high.
It is a sister peak to Y Foel Goch, which is located on the ridge heading west to Glyder Fach. As its name suggests there is a cave to be found on the cliffs on the precipitous eastern side of the peak.
This veiw is from Snowdon which is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is the busiest mountain in the United Kingdom and the third most visited attraction in Wales; in 2019 it was visited by 590,984 walkers, with an additional 140,000 people taking the train. It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna.
The rocks that form Snowdon were produced by volcanoes in the Ordovician period, and the massif has been extensively sculpted by glaciation, forming the pyramidal peak of Snowdon and the arêtes of Crib Goch and Y Lliwedd. The cliff faces on Snowdon, including Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, are significant for rock climbing, and the mountain was used by Edmund Hillary in training for the 1953 ascent of Mount Everest.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crib_Goch
A recently described new species of Drosera. These have been recorded from scattered locations in Perth Hills as well as some much further south at Yilliminning. Sometimes these are found growing around granite outcrops, others in low sandy shrub-lands. The flowers are quite small - only around 10 mm across. The dark colour of the petals makes them very attractive but difficult to find in the field. The calyx shines with a bronze metallic gold. This is one of the exciting species recognised and described in the revision of the Drosera microphylla complex and this one was named for the Horts. Look out for these flowering during mid-late August.
P2 refers to the West Australian DBCA Parks and Wildlife priority flora code. Drosera hortiorum is classified as rare but not endangered at this stage. These are found growing in a National Park as well as in Water Authority Reserves generally considered safe conservation areas. Fred
It was on 28 Sept 2019, a morning life with windy, cloudy and raining. Put on the shoes, thighten the laces, covered with the hood to repell all the distubances. Steps were taken and a target was determined, as promised. As the steps went further, the wind and rain went stronger as expected - still missing the light from the sun. Miles by miles were taken by running without concerning the noises. About the half of the journey, the pace was stop by a light that suddenly appeared. Wasn't expected to be guided by the light but become gratefull in a sudden. A subconcious mind reacted and reminded that how bad the life may seem, there always a hope. This picture was taken during the described ocassion. Happy weekend.
Is often how Snow Buntings are described - but you have to be if you spend most of your time in the Arctic Circle.
Another Proud American
----------------------------- JESUS ✝️ SAVES-------------------------------
SALVATION THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST - ALONE!
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
❤️❤️ IT'S ALL JESUS AND NONE OF OURSELVES! ❤️❤️
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the SALVATION of everyone WHO BELIEVES: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD IS REVEALED, a righteousness that is by FAITH FROM FIRST TO LAST, just as it is written: "THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH." (Romans 1:16-17)
16 KNOW that a man is NOT justified by observing the law, but by FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH in CHRIST and NOT by observing the law, BECAUSE BY OBSERVING THE LAW NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED. (Galatians 2:16)
1. Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2. BY THIS GOSPEL YOU ARE SAVED, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5. and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8. and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
7. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9. I am the gate; whoever enters through me WILL BE SAVED. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10. The thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL. (John 10:7-10)
1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:1-13)
Jesus came to bring spiritual LIFE to the spiritually dead and set the captives FREE! FREE from RELIGION, ERROR and outright LIES, so WE might serve THE LIVING GOD! In SPIRIT and in TRUTH!
So you'll KNOW, and not think you're to bad for God to love. The Christian LIFE isn't about how good WE are, because NONE of us are! It's about how GOOD JESUS IS! Because JESUS LOVES US, so much he died in our place and took the punishment for all of our sins on himself. The wages of sin is DEATH, and Jesus took the death WE so richly deserved for us and died in our place. The good news is, there's no more punishment for sin left. WE, you and I were all born forgive as a result of the crucifixion of God himself on the cross that took away the sins of the whole world. All we have to do is believe it, and put your Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. That my friends is REAL UNCONDITIONAL LOVE! YOU ARE LOVED. ❤️ ✝️ ❤️
For the best Biblical teaching in the last 2 centuries! Please listen to and down load these FREE audio files that were created with YOU in mind. It's ALL FREE, if you like it, please share it with others. ❤️
archive.org/details/PeopleToPeopleByBobGeorgeFREE-ARCHIVE...
CLICK ON THE LETTER "L" TO ENLARGE.
My THANK'S to all my Flickr friends who've favored and/or commented on my photos, I very much appreciate you're kindness! ❤️
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Described by Rudyard Kipling as the 'eighth wonder of the world', Milford Sound was carved by glaciers during the ice ages. Milford Sound is breathtaking in any weather. The fiord's cliffs rise vertically from the dark waters, mountain peaks scrape the sky and waterfalls cascade downwards, some as high as 1000 metres. When it rains in Milford Sound, and it often does, those waterfalls multiply with magnificent effect.
If I were to describe my dream summerhouse, I would probably describe a Swedish cabin like this. I've always had a passion for Sweden, and having visited it quite a few times on holidays I always admired the little red wooden cabins, so I really enjoyed this project, trying to make it as realistic and idealistic as I can remember.
Quite a time since I've last posted, but I just had to get this post perfect! Besides that I have been working on some sets and smaller vehicles, so you can definitely expect a few great posts somewhere this year. I might also make a 'normal' post of this build showcasing the entirety, which is a pretty large freeform, and this scene doesn't cover everything.
I want to thank everybody on Discord and Instagram who helped me so much, and due to their feedback I was able to get it just as I imagined it. Also very proud of the way it turned out with Photoshop, I'm pretty inexperienced in editing, but with a lot of trial and error and some help and criticism I was able to make it look perfect.
Difficult to describe how beautiful the Lake District was looking today and was so busy exploring, I didn't really make many photographs....tut, tut!
Having never been to Buttermere before, the initial sunrise was flat and I was a little disappointed but, as the sun burned through the clouds, it began to illuminate the scene so I thought a panoramic was in order. Just stunning colours in Borrowdale and could've stayed there all day wandering around in awe!
It's somewhat difficult to describe how amazing this piece is, so I recommend to anyone who happens to be in the Bay Area to go and see this fantastic work of art for yourself at SFMOMA. Magical...
First described in mediaeval times, snails have long been used to protect precious belongings from being stolen. Thieves would find the valuables covered in slimy mucus - hence the origin of the term 'sticky fingers'. Potential thieves would pick up the slime on their hands, leading to arrest.
The image shows a Canon lens hood being protected by a snail, for Macro Mondays theme 'Photography Gear'.
No snails were harmed in the process of making this photograph.
View from Crib Goch.
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).
The classic traverse of Crib Goch from East to West leads up from the Pyg track to a ‘bad step’, where hands and feet are both needed briefly. It is followed by ascent to the arête, before tackling three rock-pinnacles to a grassy col at Bwlch Coch. This first part of the ridge is exposed with precipices below, having resulted in several fatalities, even of experienced mountaineers. the Snowdonia National Park Authority describes it as ‘not a mountain for the inexperienced’. It is also possible to ascend Crib Goch's North Ridge, which adjoins the main ridge. The route is far more difficult in high winds or frozen ground, and so it's recommended that walkers check the weather forecast beforehand.
It is possible to ascend Crib Goch from Bwlch y Moch SH663552 or from Nant Peris, an ascent via Cwm Beudu Mawr.
From the col the ridge rises again, joining the main Snowdon ridge via the sister peak Garnedd Ugain in the west. Here the path meets the Pyg Track (which descends to Pen-y-Pass) at Bwlch Glas (marked by a large standing stone), before the final climb to Snowdon summit. To the south of the arête lie the lakes of Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw. To the north is the Llanberis Pass. Crib Goch is classed as a Welsh 3000er and is also often climbed as the first part of the Snowdon Horseshoe, which goes on over Garnedd Ugain, Snowdon and Y Lliwedd, before returning to Pen-y-Pass.
Crib Goch is one of the wettest spots in the United Kingdom, with an average of 4,473 millimetres (176.1 in) rainfall a year over the past 30 years.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Today's historical letter described the events surrounding the "shot heard round the world", and the events at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. This was one of my first interests in history, and I often remember loving the many different movies set around this period.
I find it fascinating even now to read the texts of the famous and maybe more so the obscure people you never got to read about. I had never heard of Major Pitcairn, but I found his views quite intriguing!
Theme: Letters We Write
Year Fourteen Of My 365 Project
this pic is priceless to me words cant describe the emotion in the room!!!! very first hug ever!!!!!!!!
Finally, in this short series… this is the view from Montacute House of the North Garden, which is bordered by clipped yew trees.
What’s interesting about this is the fact that the footprint of a parterre has been superbly mown into the lawn, creating an echo of the Tudor layout of this space.
The National Trust describe Montacute House, in Somerset, as “a statement of wealth and power, designed to impress both passing visitor and local villager”. Well, it’s certainly that.
The house and gardens were completed in 1601 by Sir Edward Phelips, a successful lawyer who, having made his fortune, turned to politics. He was involved in the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh in 1603, and he opened the prosecution against Guy Fawkes in 1606 when he was Speaker of the House of Commons. He died in 1614.
Wikipedia describes these animals as very shy and nocturnal. Evidently the ones at O'Reilly's can't read.
O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, Queensland, Australia
Scottish folklore tells us that a Beithir should be approached very carefully as it is described as “The largest and most deadly kind of Serpent” and is equipped with a venomous sting. If a person is stung by the Beithir then they must head for the nearest body of water, if they reach it before the Beithir does then they are cured, but if the monster reaches it first then the victim is doomed and turned into stone…………….so be very careful when visiting.
#418
The edge of the rise prior to the sprawling Iron Age site of Ulaca is alive with vivid boulders. The shot is taken from before the sites final rise and so still high above the fluvial plane below. One has a throne carved into its top, and the way the natural mineral erratic's, some visible on the horizon of this image, are 'appropriated' by culture and passage coheres with other iron age sites in the greater area.
The site features a sauna, and as you sit in its two well worn stone-carved chairs (see later), aside the larger and still steamy 'changing room', you 'hear' the conviviality and sweat of a pre Roman spirit of cleanliness and pride. The sauna is a practical space that is described on Wiki Fr as an 'initiation' space. If a community of a sample 500 people each use the facility once a week, then everyone could access for 30 minutes for just a 12 hour day, perhaps not the best description of the concept of 'initiation'. Likewise for Wiki Fr, the site's monolithic stairs (see below) are described as being there for 'sacrifices'. Stairs do exist with summits used for sacrifice, but this vivid explanation adds a cold breath over other possible usages, from a meeting point for local 'bigmen' from the valley below, to a vivid waiting space for pre Gladiator specialist warriors; a meeting point for traders, to a loci for spiritual rites of passage and an arena for speech, specific oratory and controlled song - and indeed many of the above according to context and time and date.
The shot is a montage using a Takumar 35mm at the first bounce of dawn. The exposure has been brightened a tad to return the image to my memory of the light.
AJ
I never thought one article of clothing could describe a person completely. I do believe this says all that needs to be said about myself.
Described as the jewel of the pond, there's only a few birds that rival the Wood Duck's handsome plumage. Common in marshy ponds and wetlands, wood ducks nest high in a tree cavity somewhere in a nearby woodland. The chicks are born and have to make a leap of faith to the forest floor before mom ushers them to the water where they are raised for the rest of the summer.
The Red-vented Bulbul, described as noisy and gregarious, is notorious for eating orchid buds and many kinds of fruit so they have become a serious agricultural pest. They are common on Oahu but birds reaching other islands have been controlled. Taken on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Many thanks for your visit and comments. They are very much appreciated.
This image “Sunset in Flinders Lane” was my submission for the Artists Down Under magazine monthly theme of “The Tim Palmer Technique”.
Tim Palmer is another member of the Awake artists group, and this technique results in stylised cityscapes and can be described briefly as follows;
- Start with a city scene and stretch it out vertically to make it larger and more dramatic
- Duplicate that and give it a vertical motion blur for even more drama and assign it a blend mode.
- Experiment blending in other duplicates, possibly after running them through other filters (eg Stylize > Find Edges) or running it through a Topaz or Nik filter.
- Blend in other “ghosted” city images (maybe motion blur those as well) or simply blend in an enlarged duplicate of the main image.
- Fix anything that looks funny. Layer in any extra details.
- Add any post production toning (eg Color Lookup adjustment layers, and maybe add a vignette.
This image, and two others of mine, and a Photoshop article I have written are in the August magazine which you can find here if interested.
This old weathered shell is one I brought back from one of our many trips to Baja California, Mexico over the years.
Lighting: The first thing I did was clean the shell and then give it a light coating of vegetable oil. This was a two light setup. The main light was a Yongnuo manual flash in an 8.6 inch Lastolite soft box hand held at camera right and the other was a second Yongnuo manual flash for back lighting in a Rogue grid at camera left behind the shell. The strobes and my tripod mounted camera were triggered with a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other shells, flowers, fruit or stuff that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set. For each image in the set, and there are over 1500 of them, I describe how I set up the lighting for that particular shot. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157628079460544/
Other shells that I have photographed over the years are in my creatively named Shells album. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157626043932290
Motoring through Thwaite, Yorkshire Dales. Described as, "probably the oldest and toughest regular event for old cars, motorcycles and light commercials certainly in Britain", the Beamish run is approaching it's 50th year and follows some of the routes used by manufacturers to test the same vehicles when originally built.
Unfortunately the event has been cancelled the last two years due to the COVID virus.
I've described the South Shore as the Duneland Essence on more than one occasion on here, and many many more times than that in real life conversation. While I'm grateful for the unique photo opportunities the Double Track NWI project is bringing, I can't help but feel sad that the centuries-in-the-making interurban feel will effectively die with it. That is what I, and most others that I know, will miss the most. Scenes such as this, an electrified commuter railroad coming within 25' of a house, and but up against multiple backyards with nothing in between the two. This isn't some two-times-yearly used branchline for railcar storage, though I've always felt this location certainly gives that impression. You might notice the basketball hoop in the backyard of the blue house - sure enough, a few minutes before this was taken, the local youth were playing a friendly game that resulted in their ball landing right in the middle of the gauge multiple times.
But, as I mentioned, I have to be grateful that there are still -some- opportunities available to photograph trains in these places, and with so much work going on, what you can frame up are often subjects you could almost never see before the project began. This train was no exception.
The current infrastructure has had the capability to run electrified passenger trains many times a day between mileposts 33.0, where we are here, and 44.0 near Dune Park. Now, this stretch has been completely deenergized - overhead electric, signals, everything is now dark. Instead of doing 79 miles per between Michigan City and Chesterton, all train movements are now warrant-controlled, restricted to 25mph max, and all road crossings between the two mileposts are considered out of service, requiring all trains to stop before proceeding at each. Thankfully, a very small amount of CSS freight trains and the occasional work train on the NICTD side are all that pass through this stretch. This is a bit different though.
NICTD is still offering options for passengers to be bused between stations at Michigan City and Dune Park (out of the work zone, where business is still as usual). As a result, the passenger trains now begin and terminate at Dune Park, where they can be serviced at the base level - mostly just janitorial tasks. But, like everything in life, it's only a matter of time before something more serious requires attention from a shop - in this case, the South Shore's shops in Michigan City.
To take care of this, the passenger guys have been doing occasional ferry moves of EMUs between the two locations through the work zone, and here is one such example. My favorite motor on the South Shore period (freight and passenger considered), NICD 1001, with all its nose light excellence, was the power this morning with five EMUs for Dune Park. The crew has just received their track warrant to pass the dark signal directly behind me, and are treating me and my camera to quite a smoke-filled show getting their train back up to speed... smoking is another nice trait about this unit. The horn ain't bad either!
And thus completes another caption that is entirely too long. I should try writing a book sometime or something, so many words would look a lot less awkward in one...
La tundra
se describe como la región biogeográfica polar, cuya vegetación es de bajo crecimiento más allá del límite norte de la zona arbolada.
Es un bioma que se caracteriza por su subsuelo helado, falta de vegetación arbórea o, en todo caso, de árboles naturales, lo cual se debe a la poca heliofanía y al estrés del frío glacial; los suelos, que están cubiertos de musgos y líquenes, son pantanosos, con turberas en muchos sitios. Se extiende principalmente por el hemisferio norte: en el extremo norte de Rusia, Alaska, norte de Canadá, sur de Groenlandia y la costa ártica de Europa.
The tundra is described as the polar biogeographic region, the vegetation of which is low growing beyond the northern limit of the wooded zone. Mi fotografía ha sido tomada en Noruega.
It is a biome that is characterized by its frozen subsoil, lack of arboreal vegetation or, in any case, natural trees, which is due to the low heliophany and the stress of the freezing cold; the soils, which are covered with mosses and lichens, are swampy, with peat bogs in many places. It is mainly spread over the northern hemisphere: in the extreme north of Russia, Alaska, northern Canada, southern Greenland, and the Arctic coast of Europe.
My photograph has been taken in Norway.
Let me say a huge thank you, for over than 8 million visits that I receive in networks. But please do not leave one of those big logos, that are flooding in flickr .
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How to Expose Shots in the Dark:
OK, so now I will describe my technique for properly exposing shots in the dark. I begin with my last shot as my baseline. I’ve got the composition I want, and the settings I used were 30 seconds at ISO 6400 with the lens wide open at f/3.5. For this shot, I want to have less noise and more star trails. I’ve decided to keep the aperture wide open so the only settings I will be adjusting will be the shutter speed and ISO. This keeps things simple.
A couple of things to keep in mind about shutter speed and ISO: 1) All other things being equal, doubling the exposure time lets in twice as much light. Conversely, halving the exposure time lets in half as much light. 2) All other things being equal, doubling the ISO setting lets in twice as much light. Conversely, halving the ISO setting lets in half as much light.
OK, now supposing I want to keep my exposure the same, I need to keep the light equation in balance as I make my adjustments and here’s the thoughts going through my head: If I change the ISO to 3200 from 6400 I will be letting in half as much light (actually, I’m turning the gain down on my sensor making it half as sensitive). To keep the exposure the same, I then need to double my exposure time to 1 minute. Good, different combination of settings but I will have the same exposure. Now I keep on going. I can change my ISO to 1600, again halving the sensitivity, so I double the exposure time again to 2 minutes. Back in balance. Halve the ISO again to 800, double the shutter time again to 4 minutes. Halve the ISO again to 400, double the exposure time to 8 minutes. And one more time I halve the ISO to 200, and double the exposure time to 16 minutes.
So here I am. I’m at ISO 200, which is the setting on my camera that has the optimum signal to noise ratio, and if I take a 16 minute exposure it will be exposed exactly the same as my test shot.
Now I’m going to make one more judgment call before I take my shot. My test shot was a little bit underexposed. I want this shot to be a little brighter. Doubling the exposure time again to 32 minutes would make it one f-stop (or EV [exposure value]) brighter but I don’t want it that bright. I think maybe 1/3 to 1/2 an f-stop will be just fine. I decide to add another 5 minutes to my exposure. That’s right in the range I want, and I know that at these long exposure times a minute more or less isn’t going to make a huge difference.
So I’ve decided on a 21 minute exposure at ISO 200 and f/3.5. I know this is going to be a perfect exposure, and I’m in a beautiful location so it’s going to be epic. I go back into my menu and turn the long exposure noise reduction back on. I put my camera in bulb mode and using a cable release I open the shutter. Bonus tip: Having a cheap $10-$20 digital watch is priceless when doing night photography. They have a stopwatch and a light. I start my stopwatch when I start my exposure and now all I have to do is wait for 21 minutes and enjoy the view. Sometimes the wind dies down and I can hear the brook babbling… sometimes I babble back.
OK, my stopwatch hits 21 minutes so I go over to my cable release and close the shutter. Since I’ve got the noise reduction on I’ll have to wait another 21 minutes for it to take the dark frame. I sit back down and resume my conversation with the melt water flowing through the rocks beneath me. OK, after 42 minutes my picture is done and Voila!!
Final Thoughts: So I can go out there and just wing it with night shots. It’s not that difficult considering there’s a pretty wide margin of error on long exposures. Using this technique, however, I’m able to get the exposure I want with a minimal amount of trial and error. I hope this tutorial helps folks interested in night photography. I’ll probably post some more tips later. Cheers!
21 minute exposure, f/3.5, ISO200
Dallol is a volcanic explosion crater (or maar) in the Danakil Depression or Afar depression in the Afar region in the north-east Ethiopia. The place around this crater is also called Dallol depression and it’s one of the lowest places of the earth, reaching the 48 meters below sea level. Near there are the salt mines 122 meters below sea level and the lake Asale which reaches the155 meters below sea level.
Dallol crater was formed during a phreatic eruption in 1926, and numerous other similar craters dot the salt flats nearby.
The term Dallol was coined by the Afar people and means dissolution or disintegration describing a landscape made up of green acid ponds (pH-values less than 1) iron oxide, sulfur and salt desert plains. The area resembles the hot springs areas of Yellowstone Park but appears to be more wide-stretching (I’ve never been there – it’s what wikipedia says…).
Dallol and Danakil desert are of the hottest places year-round anywhere on Earth (comparable with the Dasht-e Lut desert in Iran).
Temperatures reached up to an all-time high of 64.4°C (148.0°F) in the 1930's.
The climate varies from around 25 °C (77 °F) during the rainy season (September–March) to 48 °C (118 °F) during the dry season (March–September). Only the Awash River flows into the depression, where it ends in a chain of lakes that increase in salinity.
There are no roads. Dallol is also one of the most remote places on Earth.
The only regular transport service is provided by camel caravans which travel to the area to collect salt or by 4x4 in the salt plains…
The Afar Depression (also called the Danakil Depression or the Afar Triangle) is a geological depression near the Horn of Africa (in the Great Rift Valley which is a continuous geological trench of approximately 6,000 kilometres that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in south-east Africa ).The Afar Depression overlaps Eritrea, the Afar Region of Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Afar is also very well known as one of the cradles of hominids, containing the Middle Awash, site of many fossil hominid discoveries; Gona, site of the world's oldest stone tools; and Hadar, site of Lucy, the fossilized specimen discovered in 1974 (nearly 40% complete skeleton) of Australopithecus afarensis (afarensis = AFARensis).
Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago. The discovery of this hominid in 1974 was significant as the skeleton shows evidence of small skull capacity akin to that of apes and of bipedal upright walk akin to that of humans, providing further evidence that bipedalism preceded increase in brain size in human evolution. In 1994, a new hominid, Ardi was found, in Afar region again, pushing back the earliest known hominid date to 4.4 million years ago !! Details of this discovery were finally published in October 2009…
Captured from the forward deck of Sapphire Princess soon after a passing shower, on the first day of a recent cruise from Singapore, Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore, owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. At its opening in 2010, it was billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion, including the land cost.
To the right of frame, The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel. Described by its operators as an observation wheel, it opened in 2008, construction having taken about 2½ years. It carried its first paying passengers on 11 February, opened to the public on 1 March, and was officially opened on 15 April. Wikipedia
Described on the website as one of worlds great bridges, if you see it first hand it would be hard to disagree. Magnificently spanning the Avon Gorge, it was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but unfortunately wasn't finished until 1864, 5 years after his death.
Not much to describe this other than "another boring silver TRAXX along the Maintal", but made slightly less boring by the fact it is operated by LINEAS who aren't too common along this busy freight artery.
This machine, built by Bombardier (now Alstom) is owned by AKIEM who are a big provider of locomotives to private operators. Their electric fleet was almost exclusively TRAXX until 2023 when the first of 100 newly built Siemens Vectrons was delivered.
LINEAS started out as the freight arm of the Belgian national railways (B Logistics) but the majority share was sold to a private investor - with SNCB retaining a minority stake - and rebranded as LINEAS.
Thungersheim, July 2023.
I picked these succulent flowers from the garden this afternoon, and brought them inside to photograph, where it's easier to control the light.
This was a two light setup using Yongnuo manual strobes in 8.6 inch Lastolite soft boxes positioned in front of the flowers, on both sides, and pointing at the center at a 45 degree angle for even lighting. The strobes and my tripod mounted program were triggered with a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other plants, flowers, fruit or thingys that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set. For each image in the set, and there are over 2000 of them, I describe how I set up the lighting for that particular shot. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157628079460544/
Other cactus and succulent plants that I've photographed, and there are over 500 of them, can be seen in my creatively named cactus and succulent album.
No words to describe this magic phenomenon, I’m really lucky to capture the whole event, thanks for viewing #TotalEclipse2024 #derekdiscovery
Calm, quiet, peaceful, simple, majestic, genuine, spiritual, kindness, unaffected, warmth, respectful, storytellers. These are all words I'd use to describe Bhutan and the Bhutanese. There are a few words missing, I know.
Bhutan is called Druk Yul - Land of Thunder Dragon.
Because of the violent and large thunderstorms that whip down through the valleys from the Himalayas, Bhutan is known as the Land of Thunder Dragon. The sparkling light of Thunderbolts was believed to be the red fire of a dragon. The Druk is the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national symbol. It appears on the flag, holding jewels representing wealth.
The tiny kingdom of Bhutan is nestled high in the Himalayas between China, Nepal and India. To find it on a map you really must search and fly into Paro the plane's pilot carefully negotiates between mountains taller than you've ever seen.
Map Showing Location of Bhutan.
I've never been more at peace with everything than when visiting Bhutan. The culture and traditions are genuine; the people warmer than any visitor could ever expect; the landscape towers over life; and the architecture transports you a thousand years back. Nothing is for "show" in Bhutan. What you see is real in every way. There is no pretence and there is no keeping up with anyone else.
Our world changes rapidly, yet while Bhutan progresses, it is a country mostly unaffected by modernity.
I help aspiring and established photographers get noticed so they can earn an income from photography or increase sales. My blog, Photographer’s Business Notebook is a wealth of information as is my Mark Paulda’s YouTube Channel. I also offer a variety of books, mentor services and online classes at Mark Paulda Photography Mentor
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Great Linnaeus describes two family members of our plant: Urens and Insipida, and then this Oleracea under the name Spilanthes, devised by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin (1727-1817). But curiously he doesn't remark on the 'Electric' quality of this little daisy which hails from Central South America (Brazil and Paraquay). Whence its name in English: Para Cress.
A more complete and rather more fascinating description is given by Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck (1744-1829) in his Encyclopedia of 1785. Under the generic name 'Bidens' he describes it as numbing the mouth and causing an excess of saliva. In English it's sometimes called the Toothache Plant because chewing the buds or flowerheads masks any oral pain. And its taste - as I discovered, too, this morning - has an electric quality to it. In fact, I didn't just carefully chew a single floret but brashly popped an entire bud: an hour later my mouth was still numb...
San Miniato al Monte is a basilica in Florence, central Italy, standing atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany and one of the most scenic churches in Italy. There is an adjoining Olivetan monastery, seen to the right of the basilica when ascending the stairs.
St. Miniato or Minas was an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army under Emperor Decius. He was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit and was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates of Florence. The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther was called upon him but refused to devour him. Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, he is alleged to have picked up his head, crossed the Arno and walked up the hill of Mons Fiorentinus to his hermitage. A shrine was later erected at this spot and there was a chapel there by the 8th century. Construction of the present church was begun in 1013 by Bishop Alibrando and it was endowed by the Emperor Henry II. The adjoining monastery began as a Benedictine community, then passed to the Cluniacs and then in 1373 to the Olivetans, who still run it. The monks make famous liqueurs, honey and herbal teas, which they sell from a shop next to the church.
The interior exhibits the early feature of a choir raised on a platform above the large crypt. It has changed little since it was first built. The patterned pavement dates from 1207. The centre of the nave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding Cappella del Crocefisso (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed by Michelozzo in 1448. It originally housed the miraculous crucifix now in Santa Trìnita and is decorated with panels long thought to be painted by Agnolo Gaddi. The terracotta decoration of the vault is by Luca della Robbia.
The crypt is the oldest part of the church and the high altar supposedly contains the bones of St Minias himself (although there is evidence that these were removed to Metz before the church was even built). In the vaults are frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi.
The raised choir and presbytery contain a magnificent Romanesque pulpit and screen made in 1207. The apse is dominated by a great mosaic of Christ between the Virgin and St Minias on its vaulted ceiling dating from 1297; the same subject is depicted on the façade of the church and is probably by the same unknown artist. The crucifix above the high altar is attributed to Luca della Robbia. The sacristy is decorated with a great fresco cycle on the Life of St Benedict by Spinello Aretino (1387).