Yesterday we paid another visit to Portland Head Light with more visitors from NY. It was late in the day and good light. This is a panorama of three images made using Photoshop Elements 10.

It is located in Cape Elizabeth south of Portland, Maine.

Portland Head Light is an historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.

Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington, and was completed on January 10, 1791. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination. In 1855, following formation of the Lighthouse Board, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed; that lens was replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced later by an aero beacon in 1958. That lens was updated with an DCB-224 aero beacon in 1991.

Original Fresnel lens

In 1787, while Maine was still part of the state of Massachusetts, George Washington engaged two masons from the town of Portland, Jonathan Bryant and John Nichols, and instructed them to take charge of the construction of a lighthouse on Portland Head. Washington reminded them that the early government was poor, and said that the materials used to build the lighthouse should be taken from the fields and shores, which could be handled nicely when hauled by oxen on a drag. The original plans called for the tower to be 58 feet tall. When the masons completed this task they climbed to the top of the tower and realized that it would not be visible beyond the headlands to the south, so it was raised approximately 20 feet. [Wikipedia]

Muggleswick, Stanhope and Edmundbyers Commons and Blanchland Moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham and Northumberland, England.Three species—merlin, Eurasian golden plover and short-eared owl—are listed in Annex 1 of the European Commission's Birds Directive as requiring special protection.

Reason why this is ignored:-

Bag size:200Brace

Cost:£33000per gun

Guns:9 available, 9 total

We are offering the chance to shoot at one of the top moors in the UK! 200 Brace day at an Estate in County Durham for Full Team. £33,000 + VAT for the day!

Messberghof / Ballinhaus, Hamburg

Named after the prominent ship owner Albert Ballin, the Ballinhaus was one of the first buildings in the Kontorhaus District, built at the same time as the Chilehaus (1922–1924) and based on plans by the architects Hans and Oskar Gerson. In 1938 it was renamed Messberghof (based on its location) following a directive by the Reich Governor Karl Kaufmann that all streets and buildings called after Jews must be given new names. On the inside the building still contains the original entrance hall with this very impressive round stairwell. The floors are made of polished light sandstone plates and the walls are faced with travertine or coloured tiles.

Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Future.Perfect collection/Jordan/Bionica/Jason Wu

Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Classic collection/Jordan/Splendid/Jason Wu

Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Style Directive collection/Jordan/Trust Your Instincts/Jason Wu

Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Foundation collection/Jordan/Fire Within/Jason Wu

Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Exclusives collection/Jordan/Platinum/Jason Wu

Please zoom in to see it in full resolution!

Notice the many ticks (Ixodes ricinus) around the the fore limb. There were fewer on the other side but at least 25 in total. Ticks are always situated at this spot. I guess this is the only spot where there is both room for attack between the scales and where the lizard can nor reach with it's mouth to remove them.

In the UK at the start of our STAY AT HOME directive from our Government. We are allowed to go for one walk a day to keep our bodies and minds healthy. I went out this morning just as the sun was rising, to my place of sanctuary. This was the sight that I beheld. How uplifting in these troubled times.

The rocks to the right of the Portland Head Light was the site of the shipwreck of the British ship 'Annie C Maguire' in 1886. The Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse can be seen in the distance on the right.

Construction of the Portland Head Light began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington and was completed on January 10, 1791; it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine.

And to see you're really only very small

And life flows on within you and without you.

Lyric by George Harrison/The Beatles

Bell Canyon creek, from a hike in late March before the stay home stay safe state directive was made official. Oh the crowds of families with their kiddies in tow that day! It was a challenge to get across the access trail to reach the great wide open and solitary spaces. I mentioned in an email to my son not long ago that seasons don't stop simply because our lives are interrupted. Life goes on, within you and without you.

I packed a tripod for this jaunt, hoping to catch some of those extended exposure water-like-milk images, but I did not pack my neutral density filter, so to avoid overexposure I had to keep things down to about 1/15th of a second and shorter. I also had this notion in my head from some research that the eye refreshes at about 1/20th of a second, explaining why the seconds hand on clocks sometimes seems to go backwards, BUT I was not able to find backup documentation for that anywhere prior to uploading this, so THAT concept/image title went out the door!

For this image, I was able because of the low water level (still melting out of the winter freeze up here) to get onto a flat top boulder mid-stream and set up the composition. By today, the creek will probably be raging and I would be stuck with filming from the creek banks.

Collared Sunbird at aloes in Lower Sabie Camp, Kruger National Park.

It's always challenging to get shots at the aloes lining the entrance to this popular camp. We shoot from our vehicle as the birds are accustomed to them coming and going here. With winter being aloe-flowering season and peak season for the Kruger National Park, traffic was heavy on this narrow stretch of road when this image was captured. I'd like to dedicate it to my "driver" - my long-suffering husband - who not only has to manoeuvre to and fro to let impatient predator-hunters get past, but also put up with my directives!

© Gerda van Schalkwyk. All rights reserved.

On Explore - October 19, 2022 - Thanks to all my Flickr friends!

Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.

The last time I came across the local squirrels was at the beginning of July. Due to the extreme heat in the region, Caucasian Squirrels are certain to spend very hot hours in their nests. Because I haven't been seen them around very often for more than 2 months.

Today, it was cloudy weather in the North Aegean Region of Türkiye the strong North wind was shaking the olive branches.

I was walking in an olive grove and patiently waiting to see the Caucasian Squirrel. After waiting for about an hour the reward came. Group of squirrels were playing around the pomegranate trees 100 meters in front of me. I was under the olive tree with a wide trunk. I didn't move, waiting for them to climb the centuries-old olive trees and retreat to their den inside the follow in the middle of the tree.

I saw the Mr & Mrs Caucasian Squirrel couple enter their century-old olive tree hollow. I move and started to wait next olive tree trunk, which is about 7 meters away. I had already begun to wait silently for 30 minutes when the male Caucasian Squirrel noticed my presence immediately. Curious male took out his head first, then his half body checked and after making sure then female followed him.

The moment I had been waiting for a long time happened in front of me. Even though I was wearing a camouflage cover, they were aware of my presence. I had to use 1.4 TC for close-up when the light was enough.

Today they made me very happy. I hope you wouldn't mind 14 series of Caucasian Squirrel photos and you'll like it just as much as I do.

The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.

The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.

Description -

Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.

Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".

Physical Description -

Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.

Distribution and habitat -

Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.

The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

Biology and behavior -

The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.

Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.

Conservation -

A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.

This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".

Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.

I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.

© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.

Lens - With Nikon TC 14E II - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f8 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.

I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -

Thanks for stopping and looking :)

Germany, Wedel, Marshland, ...twilight & raising fogg over the peaceful & fertile marshland with a special fresh & “fragranced air” to breathe.

The Wedeler Marsch is the southern part to which the Haseldorfer & Seestermüher Marsch also belong. Together they extend over a length of 22 kilometers along the banks of the Elbe and border directly on the Wadden Sea, which stretches from the Netherlands via Germany to Denmark.

The Wadden Sea is one of the most valuable ecosystems on earth. Huge mud flats that dry out at low tide are populated by billions of organisms, a richly laid table for fish and birds.

The nature reserves of the Wedeler Elbmarsh are protected according to the EU Birds Directive & Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive and are therefore part of Natura 2000, a Europe-wide network of protected areas.

👉 One World one Dream,

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

16 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments

The Ballad of Kepler Van Allen Part 15

The next location Kepler Van Allen's nav computer guides him to is on the outskirts of the Milky Way. As he lands he notices another rover and crew waiting to greet him.

"Welcome to Pinktron outpost 23. We have been expecting you, Mr. Van Allen. We have something for you. That is, for you to deliver to Honest John. This energy focusing lens in neccessary for an important project he is working on. In the Pinktron organization, we strive to look at the galaxy and all its inhabitants through the Lens of Love. This is the reason for our primary directive. We choose to show compassion to all those who are in need. Please take with you this gift of love as you continue to your next destination."

Kepler carefully loads the lens onto his intergalactic rover, and as he lifts off and waves goodbye, he thinks aloud...

to be continued...

Vero is queen.

www.southholdernesscountrysidesociety.co.uk/70163/info.ph...

A lagoon is a body of saline water that is partially separated from the adjacent sea and which keeps a proportion of saltwater at low tide. As well as providing an important habitat for seabirds, waterfowl and marshland birds, lagoons also contain unique invertebrates and specialist plants which make this type of habitat important to the UK’s overall biodiversity.

37 acres of littoral land and saline lagoons was purchased by the Society in 1991, with assistance from English Nature (now Natural England), after almost four years of fundraising and negotiations with the land owner. This area lies immediately south of a 33 acre area, which includes Easington Lagoon, which is owned by the Environment Agency and leased to the Society. A further 22 acres of land to the direct south of the Lagoons was purchased in 2000. This package of land is know as Beacon Lagoons, though has also variously been known as Beacon Ponds, Kilnsea Lagoons and Easington Lagoons. It was initially purchased primarily because of the Society’s interest in the little tern colony situated there.

The BLNR contains a variety of coastal habitats including sand dunes, shingle, salt marsh, saline lagoons and pools. The site is situated on the Holderness coast, 2km north of the Spurn peninsula and south-west of the village of Easington. It holds SSSI designation and is a potential SPA and a proposed Ramsar site because it comprises a variety of important features including:

· Its saline lagoons, which are a UK priority Annex 1 habitat under the EC ‘Habitats Directive’

· Its importance for its colony of over 1% of the British breeding population of little terns on its shingle beach and as a feeding and roosting site for important numbers of migratory birds

· Lagoons are included as a priority feature under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan

· Plants and animals which are either mainly or entirely restricted to a lagoonal habitat. These species include flora and fauna protected under schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).

The SHCS is responsible for the management of the BLNR, with the Spurn Bird Observatory involved in the organisation of the Little Tern Protection Scheme. A Tern warden (kindly funded by BP Exploration) is employed during the breeding season to help protect the birds against predation and from the accidental intrusion of beach users.

The water in the lagoons is strongly saline but not tidal, though storm surges may occasionally temporarily connect the lagoons with the sea. These breaches introduce marine organisms that may survive in the lagoons for several years. There is also an area of non-tidal salt marsh and some low dunes.

The main threat to the flora and fauna of the lagoons is the erosion of the beach by the North Sea and by the rise in sea levels. This ultimately threatens the site with ‘coastal squeeze’ whereby the lagoons will become tidal, eventually eliminating them altogether. It is expected the southern addition will eventually acquire a similar aspect to the present lagoons, which will prolong the life of the habitat and its associated flora and fauna.

Some vulnerable plant species such as Divided Sedge (Carex divisa) and Saltwort (Salsola Kali) occur here, along with Spiral Tasselweed (Ruppia cirrhosa) which is close to qualifying as a threatened species in the near future, and Sea Wormwood (Seriphidium maritimum) which is an Internationally important species.

Invertebrates characteristic of such lagoons as these are found here. Species include the mollusc Ventrosia ventrosa, the crustaceans Palaemonetes varians and Idotea chelipes, and the bryozoans Conopeum seurati. These are just a small example of the many different species in the lagoons.

On this frosty September morning, we had the pleasure of watching Kickstand bugle at close range. The distant hills coated in pine, spruce, and fir provided a dark backdrop to highlight exhaled vapors.

I opted not to warm the scene, as the cool tones in the background help bring me back to the frigid valley early that morning, where the surrounding mountains still blocked the Sun's warming rays.

One of the many mirrorlike lakes in Norway's incomparable fjord country. I swear, there must be some sort of national ordinance or tourist board directive that requires every one of these bodies of water to have a single, small boat floating out in the middle of it. Even on the greyest and cloudiest of days, I find these views irresistible – which, for me, makes long distance travel across the country take forever.

Thanks very much for stopping by. I hope you have a happy Sunday.

Details here

Cute fuzzy baby animals on Easter. Just, not bunnies. Hurray Mentor Graphics campus on a sunny Sunday. On Pandemic stay at home directives it’s a great place to visit - few people, lots of social distancing.

Biesbosch National Park

The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.

The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.

The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.

"Captain's Log Supplemental - on beaming down to a mysterious city in the clouds we encountered a hostile response; while we quickly disabled the white-armoured soldiers their more colourful 'leader' escaped..."

"Captain, there's someone alive in this thing!"

"Can you get him out of there, Bones?"

"Damnit Jim, I'm a Doctor not a stone mason! We'll have to beam him back up to the Enterprise"

"Captain, this is fascinating - though we are in a galaxy far, far away, these soldiers were carrying guns which appear to be nothing more than crudely modified Earth weapons from the mid-20th century..."

Once again Captain Kirk violates the Prime Directive, and in this case completely wrecks another sci-fi franchise (albeit just a film or so before George Lucas does!)

bee on lily flower stamen

Il Matrimandir (parola in sanscrito per Tempio della Madre) è un edificio costruito con un preciso significato spirituale secondo le direttive della Madre ed è chiamato anche l’anima della città.

A suo interno viene mantenuto il silenzio perché favorisce la ricerca interiore.

L’intero spazio che lo circonda, composto da giardini curati, si chiama zona della Pace.

Il Matrimandir è dotato di un impianto ad energia solare.

La cupola geodetica è coperta da dischi d’oro che riflettono la luce del sole.

I quattro pilastri principali che sostengono la struttura e portano alla camera interna sono stati costruiti ai quattro punti cardinali e sono il simbolo dei quattro aspetti della madre come vennero descritti da Sri Aurobindo.

The Matrimandir (Sanskrit word for Temple of the Mother) is a building constructed with a precise spiritual significance according to the directives of the Mother and is also called the soul of the city.

Silence is maintained inside because it favors inner research.

The entire space that surrounds it, made up of well-kept gardens, is called the Peace Zone.

The Matrimandir is equipped with a solar energy system.

The geodesic dome is covered in gold discs that reflect sunlight.

The four main pillars which support the structure and lead to the inner chamber were built at the four cardinal points and are symbolic of the four aspects of the mother as described by Sri Aurobindo.

A dune in the middle of a region shaped by central mountains, which seems very unusual. But indeed, the Schwanheimer Düne is one of Europe's very rare internal thines. The area, which was identified as a nature reserve in 1984 by the country of Hesse. In addition, it has been designated as a protection area since 2003 under the EU's Fauna Flora Habitat Directive

The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) is the only species of frog found in Ireland and is listed as an internationally important species. Frogs are protected under the European Union Habitats Directive and by the Irish Wildlife Act.

Frogs are amphibians which means they can survive in the water and on land. Their body is well adapted to this dual life. Their large eyes bulge out of the top of their head so the frog can keep a sharp lookout for food and danger. The eyes are very sensitive to movement. When frogs leap they draw eyes their back into their sockets to protect them from damage. Frogs have an ear drum behind the eyes and their hearing is good. Nostils in front of the eyes are used by frogs to breathe when they are on land. A frog’s skin is loose on its body and moist. Under the water they breathe through their skin. Skin colour and markings vary enormously. The basic colour ranges from a pale green-grey through yellow to a dark olive-coloured brown. The only regular markings are the dark bars across the limbs, and streaks behind and in front of the eyes. The colourful patterns on the frog’s skin help to disguise it from enemies such as rats, herons and hedgehogs. A frog can also make its skin become darker to match its surroundings. This colour change takes about two hours. Frogs have four fingers and five toes. The webbed feet are like flippers and help the frog to swim away from danger very fast. The frog’s hind legs are very muscular which helps it to swim in the water and leap on land. Each time the frog croaks, the loose skin on his throat expands. Frogs make lots of different sounds, especially in spring during the breeding season when they return to the wetland in which they were born to breed.

Sunny and warm while winter rages elsewhere

Biesbosch National Park

The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.

The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.

The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.

A directive to a musician to perform a certain passage very softly.

pianissimo - like a rose, playing melodies of life......

www.southholdernesscountrysidesociety.co.uk/70163/info.ph...

A lagoon is a body of saline water that is partially separated from the adjacent sea and which keeps a proportion of saltwater at low tide. As well as providing an important habitat for seabirds, waterfowl and marshland birds, lagoons also contain unique invertebrates and specialist plants which make this type of habitat important to the UK’s overall biodiversity.

37 acres of littoral land and saline lagoons was purchased by the Society in 1991, with assistance from English Nature (now Natural England), after almost four years of fundraising and negotiations with the land owner. This area lies immediately south of a 33 acre area, which includes Easington Lagoon, which is owned by the Environment Agency and leased to the Society. A further 22 acres of land to the direct south of the Lagoons was purchased in 2000. This package of land is know as Beacon Lagoons, though has also variously been known as Beacon Ponds, Kilnsea Lagoons and Easington Lagoons. It was initially purchased primarily because of the Society’s interest in the little tern colony situated there.

The BLNR contains a variety of coastal habitats including sand dunes, shingle, salt marsh, saline lagoons and pools. The site is situated on the Holderness coast, 2km north of the Spurn peninsula and south-west of the village of Easington. It holds SSSI designation and is a potential SPA and a proposed Ramsar site because it comprises a variety of important features including:

· Its saline lagoons, which are a UK priority Annex 1 habitat under the EC ‘Habitats Directive’

· Its importance for its colony of over 1% of the British breeding population of little terns on its shingle beach and as a feeding and roosting site for important numbers of migratory birds

· Lagoons are included as a priority feature under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan

· Plants and animals which are either mainly or entirely restricted to a lagoonal habitat. These species include flora and fauna protected under schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).

The SHCS is responsible for the management of the BLNR, with the Spurn Bird Observatory involved in the organisation of the Little Tern Protection Scheme. A Tern warden (kindly funded by BP Exploration) is employed during the breeding season to help protect the birds against predation and from the accidental intrusion of beach users.

The water in the lagoons is strongly saline but not tidal, though storm surges may occasionally temporarily connect the lagoons with the sea. These breaches introduce marine organisms that may survive in the lagoons for several years. There is also an area of non-tidal salt marsh and some low dunes.

The main threat to the flora and fauna of the lagoons is the erosion of the beach by the North Sea and by the rise in sea levels. This ultimately threatens the site with ‘coastal squeeze’ whereby the lagoons will become tidal, eventually eliminating them altogether. It is expected the southern addition will eventually acquire a similar aspect to the present lagoons, which will prolong the life of the habitat and its associated flora and fauna.

Some vulnerable plant species such as Divided Sedge (Carex divisa) and Saltwort (Salsola Kali) occur here, along with Spiral Tasselweed (Ruppia cirrhosa) which is close to qualifying as a threatened species in the near future, and Sea Wormwood (Seriphidium maritimum) which is an Internationally important species.

Invertebrates characteristic of such lagoons as these are found here. Species include the mollusc Ventrosia ventrosa, the crustaceans Palaemonetes varians and Idotea chelipes, and the bryozoans Conopeum seurati. These are just a small example of the many different species in the lagoons.

© Brian Callahan 2010 All rights reserved.

Please View On Black

The 56 room mansion, named Fairlane after an area in County Cork, Ireland, the birthplace of Mr. Ford's foster grandfather, Patrick Ahern.

Fair Lane is neither the largest nor the most opulent house of its era. Mr. Ford was proud of his simple tastes and felt no need to flaunt his substantial wealth. He cautioned the architects against building lavishly; the residence's total cost was not to exceed $250,000. Despite this directive, at the time of completion the building cost $1,875,000. Interior decorating cost an additional $175,000 with property development and landscaping adding another $370,000 to the final bill. By January 1916, the Fords were completely settled into their new home.

Holmegaard mose, near the town of Næstved in southern Zealand, my name is Jørgen Hauge, the last approx. 3 years ago I started photographing landscapes, (I use DSLR cameras such as Pentax, Nikon and others) in the municipality of Næstved, there are many beautiful places in the municipality I try to focus on by photographing what I see and think is beautiful and hopefully there are others who see these pictures and like them and maybe go out into nature themselves and experience life in a beautiful new way. Holmegård raised bog is Denmark's second largest raised bog. The best-preserved parts of the raised bog, where peat has not been cut, are approx. 35 ha (marked in pink on the map. In addition, there are approx. 300 ha of forested peat bog, which after 2007 has been cleared of trees, which are the remains of an original approx. 700 ha raised bog. The part of the raised bog, as defined on the map above, covers approx. 550 Ha. The bog is owned by the three estates Holmegård Estate, Gisselfeld Kloster and Broksø estate. The vast majority is owned by Holmegård estate, part of the north-east (Tyvkrogen) is owned by Gisselfeld Kloster and Broksø estate owns the north-west (Kvierum). Mosen is located in Næstved municipality, although the northernmost part is in Faxe municipality.

It was protected in 1987 and in 2007.

The entire bog is covered by the EC Bird Protection Directive and the majority of the raised bog is also covered by the EC Habitats Directive.

Access conditions: The easiest way to get to the bog is from Holmegaard Glasværk or from Fensmark Skov.

At Fensmark Skov, it is a small parking space, from where you get down to the bog along the forest path, which splits in two. If you go straight ahead, you will come down in the central part of the marsh by the lookout tower (see photos). If you go to the left, you will come to the eastern part of the bog. There approx. 500 meters down to the bog.

At the glass factory, the tour goes around the glass factory and you quickly come out on line 8 road. If you go west you come directly to the lookout tower and if you go north-east you come to the more vegetated part of the bog. Thank you for watching www.holmegaard-mose.dk

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Kyoto Railway Museum

Kyoto, Japan

04-11-24

Cherry trees in bloom. Just the right amount of clouds in a perfect sky. A classic steam engine about to chug along the track. Can you say "perfect capture"?

The JR Shinkansen bullet train arrived in Kyoto shortly after noon. I couldn't check into my hotel that early but got my bag tagged and I departed for the subway station to visit the Gion district, one of the older areas of the city.

After four days in Tokyo, I knew the Tokyo subway system pretty much by heart, but now I was in a new city, with new subway lines to learn. Thanks to Google maps, it's not that difficult, even in a foreign country, to get around. However I misread a station directive, and got on the right platform number but caught the wrong train at my transfer, and ended up back at Kyoto Station, where I began.

I did get to see Gion a few days later, but that first afternoon, after having messed up the subway trip, I decided to see what was closer and within walking distance of my hotel, which was only two blocks from the station.

I visited the Higashi Hongan-ji Temple and walked a good half hour to get to the Kyoto Railway Museum. I absolutely love trains, and Japan knows trains!

This is a fully restored (as were all 54 railway vehicles at the museum) 1939 Kawasaki Sharyo steam engine.

I remembered seeing on one of the videos I watched on Japan travel before my trip that there was a railway museum but I didn't have it listed on my itinerary. I'm glad I didn't get to Gion that afternoon, because I got to see a lot of wonderful trains instead! You gotta admit, this is a great photo too. I almost boarded the train, but realized it would be better to take photos of it letting off steam!

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Haceta Head Lighthouse, Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.

Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington, and was completed on January 10, 1791, using a fund of $1,500, established by him. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination. In 1855, following formation of the Lighthouse Board, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed; that lens was replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced later by an aerobeacon in 1958. That lens was updated with a DCB-224 aerobeacon in 1991 (Wikipedia.)

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LENS TEST: PENTAX smc Pentax-FA 28mm f2.8 Soft

A trip to Koenji.

The one and only weather temple in Japan, Kisho (weather) Shrine. Koenji, Tokyo, Japan. © Michele Marcolin, 2023. K1ii + Smc Pentax-FA 28mm f2.8 Soft

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Army Weather Department of Imperial Japanese Army was organized in Suginami ward (Mabashi district) in Apr 1944. In those days, strategy was developed on the basis of weather condition. So Kisho (Weather) shrine was founded as a purpose of hit of weather forecast.

After World War Ⅱ, GHQ issued the "Shinto Directive (Termination of State Shinto)" and State Shinto was abolished. However due to omission of investigation, Kisho (Weather) shrine finally remained.

After breakup of Army Weather Department, all the people concerned together discussed about relocation matter of Kisho (Weather) shrine.

Mr.Minoru Yamamoto (Grandfather of current Chief Priest) finally accepted relocation of Kisho (Weather) shrine to site of Koenji Hikawa Shrine from site of Army Weather Department.

Due to an old and decaying of shrine building, current Kisho shrine building was founded in June 2004, as an 55th anniversary of relocation to Koenji Hikawa Shrine.

(from the temple homepage)

Portland Head Light is located on Cape Elizabeth, south of Portland Maine. Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine.

Taken 7/29/10 at Fort Williams Park Cape Elizabeth Maine

Biesbosch National Park

The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.

The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.

The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.

The recall notice wasn’t a surprise, she knew more difficulties were arising back in Home System, but still, to stand on the command deck of HDF Ioria and read the actual text, to peel away the layers of arcane formality in directives sent from the Curiate Assembly, and to realize that she was going back, left her conflicted. She wanted, so very much, to return to her world, but she knew it was not at all as she remembered.

It had been over five standard years since she had stood on the surface of her beautiful world, a world of tranquil jungles, vast warm seas, and with three cities that steered their growth up into vast spires. Her last look at the surface was fleeting, as she taxied her Dart and rocketed into a suborbital trajectory to intersect with HDF Elliptic Harmony. It bothered her immensely that she was no longer sure what she saw as she departed Home. Of course, at the time, there was no indication that the growing violence in the cities would explode into the worst civil war in Home’s history. For her, the Infection War was three years of tenacious attrition periodically flaring into brief and violent combat between capital ships. And it ended when their leader, now known disparagingly as the Last Consul, had ordered a full bombardment of Home from space. The traitors were destroyed. The cost: a beautiful world in ruins.

Almost as soon as the war was over, but before the full magnitude of the Bombardment became clear enough that the Last Consul was deposed, Lt. Commander Kyle was sent on a mission into deep space. The change from the crowded, war damaged HDF Elliptic Harmony to the isolation of the cobbled together ship was a shock she never truly got over. HDF ships are designed to be tightly knit social units, made all the closer by three years of war. Being alone, and being so far from Home System, it was a terrible punishment whether or not that was the official reason for her mission. But even more than the isolation, was the time she had to think. She had done many things in the Infection War which she wished she had not done, although she could not regret these things, not at first, since she was following the dictates of duty, the traditions of the HDF and the True Path of Dua Nera. Now, two years later, it wasn’t so simple. Regrets. Duty. She no longer knew if she had done the right things, especially at the end of the war.

She was different now, that was clear, in ways which would have appalled her just a few years before. Time among the Outsiders had changed her manner, softened it in some ways. First, soon after reaching the Botany Bay Station she realized she would need to soften her manner because the chaotic Outsiders were difficult to deal with otherwise. But now it was more than that. She respected them. Some of them. She even respected aspects of their civilizations. It was all too obvious that things needed to change in Home System, and, perhaps, there were elements of other cultures that should be considered. The thought made her laugh. Before arriving on Botany Bay Station she would have shot an HDF officer who made such a statement.

Individuals had mattered to her, another surprise. On the Botany Bay Station there had been much to learn from Jubilynn and Shyaa. She didn’t agree with everything they believed, and she had grave doubts about the Bastet. But they were worth defending, and she would do so again if she was needed. There was a mix of absolutism and tolerance in how Jubilynn ran her station, and later, the successive Botany Bay Colonies on Al Raquis and now Gaia. For a long time she couldn’t understand how those attitudes meshed, and then she realized that, for herself, this might have been the point. Not everything had to always fit into a set scheme, and not everything had to even make sense. Perhaps that was how she needed to look at her own actions in the Infection War. Regrets vs. Duty: it wasn’t a clear choice, and it never could be.

There were others, Outsiders who she brought aboard her ship HDF Glisette. There was Mei (poor Mei), and Mint (now off and prospering), and more. And, of course, Julia. Pretty Julia. There were also those she had encountered and interacted with, from piratical traders from 34 Tauri to leaders on Al Raquis. So many, and all so different. Not like Home, where conformity was woven deeply into social fabric of society.

She thought of all this as she prepared her latest ship, HDF Ioria, for the return to Home System. HDF Ioria had been designed for science, but it would be turned into a warship. Her mission to obtain technologies from other cultures had been partially successful, but not enough to continue in deep space. Home System was in the Sagittarius Rift, the only developed garden world between the Sag and Orion arms. Home was like an island between two land masses, each of which held a powerful potential enemy. Home was the strategic key to controlling access from one arm to the other. For three centuries Home had used subversion, rapid military strikes, and diplomacy to keep the two enemies sufficiently occupied that they would not look on the conquest of Home as a desirable goal. That was difficult before the Infection War but now, with the industrial centers largely destroyed and the Home Defense Fleet at one quarter effective strength, these enemies were probing closer and closer.

Commander Kyle smiled, not at the prospect of another war, but because her mission had found something more powerful than a new ftl drive core. She had found Julia. A beautiful woman from 34 Tauri, brought aboard HDF Glisette, a perfect companion, and ‘adopted’ into the culture of Home. Julia the café owner was now Lt. Julia, an officer of HDF. There would be one more war with the old HDF, with those single mindedly concerned with duty and the traditions of Home, ready – often too ready – to sacrifice themselves. Soldiers like herself. The rebuilding of Home was going to require more than material reconstruction, Home now needed those like Julia, those who had perspectives that reached across to other societies. Julia and those like her would not dilute the culture of Home, they would evolve it, push it forward so that no longer would Home be an isolated island, but part of the Galactic community with allies and trading partners.

Commander Kyle Inniatzo di Synthica of the Home Defense Fleet -- formerly second-in-command of the 1st Squadron/Suborbital Strike of HDF Elliptic Harmony of the 2nd Response Force; formerly commander of HDF Glisette; currently in command of HDF Destiny and HDF Ioria; awarded Commendation of the Fleet Commander three times; awarded Commendation of the Curiate; awarded other Commendations and Citations with combat honors in the Chian Spires engagement, Midway Dawn engagement, Fractal Bloom engagement, and other engagements, of the Infection War -- was going Home with the greatest gift she could bring her people. The future.

"Today we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology, where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of any contradictory true thoughts. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death, and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!" — Big Brother

I celebrated my 21st birthday when the original Apple Macintosh personal computer was introduced.

Media:

* YouTube: 1984, a television advertisement directed by Ridley Scott.

* Wikipedia: 1984 (advertisement)

Tualatin Fred Meyer, 11:51 PM.

Camera: Samsung NX1000

Lens: Samsung NX 30mm f/2

Exposure: 1/250 sec., f/3.5, ISO 100

Biesbosch National Park

The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.

The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.

The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.

Links and info at softpawthefairycat.blogspot.com/2021/03/directive.html

United States Court House

Portland, Oregon

Oriental Seagull RP-M grade 2 photographic paper - used as paper negative. Single multi-pinhole (5) exposure: 33 seconds

The building was designed in 1929-1931 by native Portland architect Morris H. Whitehouse. Whitehouse developed the plans for the courthouse from directives formulated by federal agencies. Jules Henri de Sibour of Washington, DC, was the consulting architect and James A. Wetmore served as the Supervising Architect of the Treasury.

Construction: 1932-1933

Landmark Status: listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Located at 620 SW Main Street

Architectural Style: Renaissance Revival

Prominent Feature: Art Deco interior

Primary Materials: steel frames, reinforced concrete, and sandstone veneer

With continual bad behaviour and troopers going AWOL, the 255th infantry company is in need of some serious correction, which is why the Commander himself has decided to pay them a visit. As the nervous Officer is hoping everything will go well, one trooper has already forgotten the "eyes forward" directive!

Germany, Wedel, Marshland, ...”wild life” at a moat with duckweed in the endless calm, peaceful & fertile marshland with a special fresh & “fragranced air” to breathe.

The Wedeler Marsch is the southern part to which the Haseldorfer & Seestermüher Marsch also belong. Together they extend over a length of 22 kilometers along the banks of the Elbe & border directly on the Wadden Sea, which stretches from the Netherlands via Germany to Denmark.

The Wadden Sea is one of the most valuable ecosystems on earth. Huge mud flats that dry out at low tide are populated by billions of organisms, a richly laid table for fish & birds.

The nature reserves of the Wedeler Elbmarsch are protected according to the EU Birds Directive & Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive & are therefore part of Natura 2000, a Europe-wide network of protected areas.

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www.southholdernesscountrysidesociety.co.uk/70163/info.ph...

A lagoon is a body of saline water that is partially separated from the adjacent sea and which keeps a proportion of saltwater at low tide. As well as providing an important habitat for seabirds, waterfowl and marshland birds, lagoons also contain unique invertebrates and specialist plants which make this type of habitat important to the UK’s overall biodiversity.

37 acres of littoral land and saline lagoons was purchased by the Society in 1991, with assistance from English Nature (now Natural England), after almost four years of fundraising and negotiations with the land owner. This area lies immediately south of a 33 acre area, which includes Easington Lagoon, which is owned by the Environment Agency and leased to the Society. A further 22 acres of land to the direct south of the Lagoons was purchased in 2000. This package of land is know as Beacon Lagoons, though has also variously been known as Beacon Ponds, Kilnsea Lagoons and Easington Lagoons. It was initially purchased primarily because of the Society’s interest in the little tern colony situated there.

The BLNR contains a variety of coastal habitats including sand dunes, shingle, salt marsh, saline lagoons and pools. The site is situated on the Holderness coast, 2km north of the Spurn peninsula and south-west of the village of Easington. It holds SSSI designation and is a potential SPA and a proposed Ramsar site because it comprises a variety of important features including:

· Its saline lagoons, which are a UK priority Annex 1 habitat under the EC ‘Habitats Directive’

· Its importance for its colony of over 1% of the British breeding population of little terns on its shingle beach and as a feeding and roosting site for important numbers of migratory birds

· Lagoons are included as a priority feature under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan

· Plants and animals which are either mainly or entirely restricted to a lagoonal habitat. These species include flora and fauna protected under schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).

The SHCS is responsible for the management of the BLNR, with the Spurn Bird Observatory involved in the organisation of the Little Tern Protection Scheme. A Tern warden (kindly funded by BP Exploration) is employed during the breeding season to help protect the birds against predation and from the accidental intrusion of beach users.

The water in the lagoons is strongly saline but not tidal, though storm surges may occasionally temporarily connect the lagoons with the sea. These breaches introduce marine organisms that may survive in the lagoons for several years. There is also an area of non-tidal salt marsh and some low dunes.

The main threat to the flora and fauna of the lagoons is the erosion of the beach by the North Sea and by the rise in sea levels. This ultimately threatens the site with ‘coastal squeeze’ whereby the lagoons will become tidal, eventually eliminating them altogether. It is expected the southern addition will eventually acquire a similar aspect to the present lagoons, which will prolong the life of the habitat and its associated flora and fauna.

Some vulnerable plant species such as Divided Sedge (Carex divisa) and Saltwort (Salsola Kali) occur here, along with Spiral Tasselweed (Ruppia cirrhosa) which is close to qualifying as a threatened species in the near future, and Sea Wormwood (Seriphidium maritimum) which is an Internationally important species.

Invertebrates characteristic of such lagoons as these are found here. Species include the mollusc Ventrosia ventrosa, the crustaceans Palaemonetes varians and Idotea chelipes, and the bryozoans Conopeum seurati. These are just a small example of the many different species in the lagoons.

\\:DIRECTIVE_1:=Maintain the Facility.

Quick NXT motor collab with Ivan using Stud.io's Build Together feature.