View allAll Photos Tagged EASILY
Easily one of the most important words if you learn German. I can't stand it though. I hate the guts of it! I request its use be regulated more heavily. If not full on outlawed. Banned.
Mail from Camille :
"I hope this is easily understood, my friend. If not, no problem!
I've been tagged by Monkey Girl (Jo's Fo's). Now I'm tagging you.
Here's the deal:
1. Sit down.
2. TAKE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF RIGHT NOW. Don't primp, just snap one!
3. Upload it now.
4. Tag 5 people to do the same.
Run now - and grab your camera
If you don't like this kind of thing, please don't feel pressured to do it!"
You have read the message sent to me by my dear friend Camille.
It is 20 hours 20 evening after dinner, I took my bath and am now in pajamas, no makeup, no contact lenses, my glasses only for shortsightedness (I do not explain the size of glasses, it's awful!). So I am not the best of my presentation, at least I can not be more natural (laughs). So it is a moment of relaxation and I used this time to go on flickr, I discovered a message and now you know which one.
I have 2 options: play the game or ignore it.
The goal of the game is to take the picture immediately when you read the message no matter what situation you are. So this is how I was reading you dear Camille.
I hope my friends that you have understood the situation and also, I ask some friends that I will not appoint me want too, but of course you are totally free not to accept, I do not keep in rigor. So good luck and I look forward to the surprise of your photos .......
To let you free without pressure, I do not write your names here, I just send you a mail !
I decided to have a break and of course my subject decided to join me. I unhooked my waterproof cover and tripod and sat to have lunch. "Take your Camera".
I could easily have cropped out the Tripod and Cover but this is more of a lesson than a Photograph.
From Wikipedia:
The Kaikōura Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench. The town owes its origin to this effect, since it developed as a centre for the whaling industry. The name Kaikōura means 'meal of crayfish' (kai – food/meal, kōura – crayfish) and the crayfish industry still plays a role in the economy of the region. However Kaikōura has now become a popular tourist destination, mainly for whale watching (the sperm whale watching is perhaps the best and most developed in the world) and swimming with or near dolphins. There is also a large and readily observed colony of southern fur seals at the eastern edge of the town. At low tide, better viewing of the seals can be had as the ocean gives way to a rocky base which is easily navigable by foot for quite some distance.
It is also one of the best reasonably accessible places in the world to see open ocean seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, including the Hutton's shearwater which nests high in Kaikōura mountains.
The last one in this mini kingfisher series is the sister species to the green kingfisher is the smallest in South America. found mostly east of the Andes south of Eqadour, it is also relatively shy. From eBird:
Tiny kingfisher of shady forest streams and mangroves. Often darts away when disturbed, but can be confiding if approached quietly and usually perches fairly low over the water. About half of the size of Green Kingfisher, and easily distinguished by rusty underparts and poorly contrasting pale neck collar (bright white on Green Kingfisher). Female has a narrow green breast band, lacking on male.
Easily the most fragile build of mine, this is not exactly a model for a great range of poses.
The embodiment of the element hydrogen. The color scheme came from the range of colors of stars, Red to Yellow to Blue, which is represented by the color transition on the model. Since stars are made up of mostly hydrogen, where the vast majority of hydrogen in the universe is found and the reason stars can actually sustain themselves, it seemed like a pretty good fit. The two orbs can be either two stars or two hydrogen atoms or two protons. The fire/flame design for this came from not only the star motif but also the Hydrogen molecule being very flamable.
The model uses technic/bionicle pieces to make up most of it with a handful of system parts for extra detailing and add texture to the lower part.
This was made as an entry in a competition on the Bionicle subreddit.
AN INTERESTING LOOKING WATERFALL ON THE RODDLESWORTH RIVER, THE WATERFALL CAN BE EASILY SEEN FROM THE BROAD WOODLAND PATH. IT BEST VIEWED FROM STREAM LEVEL, BUT WITH STEEP BANKS ON BOTH SIDES MAKES THIS QUITE DIFFICULT. THE WATERFALL IS FORMED OVER AN OLD GEOLOGICAL FAULT MAKING A LOVELY CASCADE.
Easily identified by the spectacular band of absorbing dust partially obscuring its bright nucleus, M64, or the Black Eye galaxy, is characterized by its bizarre internal motion. The gas in the outer regions of this remarkable galaxy is rotating in the opposite direction from the gas and stars in its inner regions. This strange behavior can be attributed to a merger between M64 and a satellite galaxy over a billion years ago. M64 is a relatively isolated spiral galaxy 17 million light-years away in the mildly northern constellation of Coma Berenices, about 5 degrees away from the bright star Arcturus. (text from NASA Goddard)
Made possible by the help and generosity of Larry Parker, head gaffer.
Mount: MYT
Scope: Vixen VCL200 @ F6.4
Camera: QSI 683
L:R:G:B = 19:3:3:3 hours
Taken from Santa Rosa CA
Reprocessed December 2022
the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light :-)
― Plato
HFF!!
rose, little theater rose garden, Raleigh, north carolina
The South Island oystercatcher is easily identifiable as a pied oystercatcher – a large wader with striking black and white plumage, long red-orange bill, and red legs.
It is distinguished from the pied morph of the variable oystercatcher by a white lower back, more white on the wing, and a demarcation line of black and white further forward on the breast, and from the pied oystercatcher of Australia by a longer bill and shorter legs, as well as the forward demarcation line of white on the back being pointed rather than square. It is 46 cm in length; its wingspan is 80–86 cm; it weighs 550 g
This image was taken at Otehei Bay, in the Bay of Islands, on the North Island of New Zealand
Answers rarely come easily, often you have to go to lengths to get what you're looking for. The more you look, the deep the answer becomes. In the end, you start questioning yourself, do you really want to know this truth? Is it worth your very soul? Proceed at your own peril, for you are treading into that which many will not follow or help.
Easily recognized large birds with a black head and neck, and a white "chinstrap". They are the most common and widespread waterfowl species across North America.
Seen at Dodge #4 State Park
Gauras spread easily and I found many shoots in my garden... I cautiously took a few of them from the ground and installed them in old cans, then brought them to 2 of my colleagues.... other colleagues were envious and asked for a few gauras...
It is hard to photograph them easily, it's very awkward since they are on top of the arbour. They are getting big and have become eating machines!
The adult butterfly is easily recognised by its dark brown wings that are spotted white along the margins. The male's forewing has a bow-shaped hind margin, while the female's is straight.
The Common Crow Butterfly is found in Queensland and northern New South Wales, and also occurs across northern Australia as far west as Onslow in Western Australia. It has on occasion extended its range as far south as Victoria, and pupae have been found in Cootamundra and Kandos, New South Wales, which are west of the Great Dividing Range. It has been found in Alice Springs, Adelaide and Lord Howe Island. It has also been common at times in Sydney (1947-48; 1954-55 and more recently).
Adult Common Crow Butterflies overwinter together for protection in large aggregations of one to two thousand butterflies. The butterflies go into a dormant state in which they live on their fat reserves and nearby nectar sources until warmer weather returns. These aggregations occur in sheltered coastal sites and on offshore islands in the tropics and subtropics of northern and eastern Australia.
The Common Crow Butterfly has a strong scent that may allow predators to identify it as inedible. It also produces (from chemicals in its food plants) toxins so strong that eating just one butterfly may induce a bird to vomit. However, not all birds are sensitive to the toxins, and common invertebrate predators and parasites such as spiders, dragonflies, flies and wasps suffer no ill effects from eating these butterflies.
The adult butterfly has a life span of 11 - 13 weeks. The adults feed upon nectar from various flowering plants, including eucalypts.
See more at: australianmuseum.net.au/common-crow-butterfly#sthash.Fxg1...
The distinctive Crested Caracara “combines the raptorial instincts of the eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the vulture” Called ignoble, miserable, and aggressive, yet also dashing, stately, and noble, this medium-sized raptor, with its bold black-and-white plumage and bright yellow-orange face and legs, is easily recognizable as it perches conspicuously on a high point in the landscape. In flight it can be distinguished by its regular, powerful wing-beats as it cruises low across the ground or just above the treetops. Known locally in some areas as the “Mexican buzzard”, the Crested Caracara is an opportunist and is commonly seen walking about open fields, pastures, and road edges, feeding on a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate prey, as well as on carrion, often in the company of other avian scavengers. The name “caracara” is said to be of Guarani Indian origin, traro-traro, derived from the unusual rattling vocalization that the bird utters when agitated. A common subject of folklore and legends throughout Central and South America, the Crested Caracara is sometimes referred to as the "Mexican eagle."
I found this one along Canoe Creek Road finishing off some "Road Kill", in Osceola County, Florida.
Easily one of the most bizarre commonly seen caterpillars, the Curve-lined Owlet wobbles wildly as it walks... but never loses its grip on the surface at hand! Amazing how it can balance on the end of a single pine needle...
I can easily see how people can die in the desert. From movies and things, you kind of get the sense that you might be able to cross 50 or so sand dunes per day. But I think you’d be lucky to cross 5. And you can’t ever see anything coming… just and endless sea of sand. I came over the crest of this hill (luckily I was on a camel) and saw the edge of this welcoming-looking tent!
- Trey Ratcliff
Click here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Necessity is the mother of invention, yes? I needed some clothing reference and also to flex some atrophied shutterbug muscles. This is one of the products of that experiment.
Easily one of my top 3 favourite sunsets I've captured. Witnessed an intense red glow literally appear in seconds in front of my eyes. Awe-inspiring.
As this unfortunate German Wasp has discovered, in nature a careless hunter can sometimes easily find that it has itself become the prey.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Southwest Florida
USA
From Wikipedia -
The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) (sometimes placed in its own genus Ajaja) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in South America mostly east of the Andes, and in coastal regions of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, the Gulf Coast of the United States and on central Florida's Atlantic coast Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge adjoined with NASA Kennedy Space Center.
This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups. The spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. It feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and very small fish ignored by larger waders. In the United States, a popular place to observe roseate spoonbills is "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Roseate spoonbills must compete for food with snowy egrets, great egrets, tricolored herons and American white pelicans.
The roseate spoonbill nests in shrubs or trees, often mangroves, laying two to five eggs, which are whitish with brown markings. Immature birds have white, feathered heads, and the pink of the plumage is paler. The bill is yellowish or pinkish.
ADAPTED BEAUTIFULLY to living at sea, with long narrow wings, and its feet placed far back on its body for afficient swimming. UNFORTUNATELY this makes life on land difficult, it can not walk easily and tends to be very ungainly on land, SHUFFLING and sometimes SLEDGING along on its belly. Which makes it easy prey for PREDATORS, such as Great-backed Gulls, hence the large number of carcasses around SKOMER ISLAND .... To minimise this danger, MANX SHEARWATERS nest in underground burrows, and only come or leave the island at the pitch black of night. Something you will never forget, the sound at night as they return, thousands of whirring wing-beats, weird, strangled coughing calls, sounds more fitting for a Alfred Hitchcock creepy film. ESTIMATED 120,000 breeding pairs. MY BEST GUESS is this one saw the dimmed wardens lights, and got disorientated, came down next to the building, and hence was saved from the Gulls, other wise I would not got to see one ! It was gone the next day, can only hope it made it back to sea!
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THANK YOU for your support and kind comments, it is very appreciated indeed, please stay safe, happy clicking, God Bless. .....................Tomx
Masai Mara National Reserve
Kenya
When looking at hippos that are vegetarian, who would even think of them as dangerous.
Although hippos may look friendly, they are definitely one animal you do not want to cross. Easily frightened and extremely aggressive, hippos will not hesitate to attack a human, especially if one of its young babies is near.
Hippos pose the biggest threat to those living on the continent of Africa, there are 3,000 human deaths per year from hippos. More deaths than from crocodiles.
Easily accessible and high up on a ridge less than a mile to the Pacific! I think the most impressive aspect is their altitude in relation to their proximity to the Pacific (about 1 mile) with Damnation Creek carving out a perfect trap for the fog to be directed into....definitely a special place to be
From my set entitled “Roses”
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607214064416/
In my collection entitled “The Garden”
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A rose is a perennial flowering shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species. The species form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp thorns. Most are native to Asia, with smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Natives, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance. [1]
The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with sharply toothed oval-shaped leaflets. The plants fleshy edible fruit is called a rose hip. Rose plants range in size from tiny, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach 20 metres in height. Species from different parts of the world easily hybridize, which has given rise to the many types of garden roses.
The name originates from Latin rosa, borrowed through Oscan from colonial Greek in southern Italy: rhodon (Aeolic form: wrodon), from Aramaic wurrdā, from Assyrian wurtinnu, from Old Iranian *warda (cf. Armenian vard, Avestan warda, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr).[2][3]
Attar of rose is the steam-extracted essential oil from rose flowers that has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose water, made from the rose oil, is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Rose hips are occasionally made into jam, jelly, and marmalade, or are brewed for tea, primarily for their high Vitamin C content. They are also pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. Rose hips are also used to produce Rose hip seed oil, which is used in skin products.
The leaves of most species are 5–15 centimetres long, pinnate, with (3–) 5–9 (–13) leaflets and basal stipules; the leaflets usually have a serrated margin, and often a few small prickles on the underside of the stem. The vast majority of roses are deciduous, but a few (particularly in Southeast Asia) are evergreen or nearly so.
The flowers of most species roses have five petals, with the exception of Rosa sericea, which usually has only four. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. Beneath the petals are five sepals (or in the case of some Rosa sericea, four). These may be long enough to be visible when viewed from above and appear as green points alternating with the rounded petals. The ovary is inferior, developing below the petals and sepals.
The aggregate fruit of the rose is a berry-like structure called a rose hip. Rose species that produce open-faced flowers are attractive to pollinating bees and other insects, thus more apt to produce hips. Many of the domestic cultivars are so tightly petalled that they do not provide access for pollination. The hips of most species are red, but a few (e.g. Rosa pimpinellifolia) have dark purple to black hips. Each hip comprises an outer fleshy layer, the hypanthium, which contains 5–160 "seeds" (technically dry single-seeded fruits called achenes) embedded in a matrix of fine, but stiff, hairs. Rose hips of some species, especially the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa), are very rich in vitamin C, among the richest sources of any plant. The hips are eaten by fruit-eating birds such as thrushes and waxwings, which then disperse the seeds in their droppings. Some birds, particularly finches, also eat the seeds.
While the sharp objects along a rose stem are commonly called "thorns", they are actually prickles — outgrowths of the epidermis (the outer layer of tissue of the stem). True thorns, as produced by e.g. Citrus or Pyracantha, are modified stems, which always originate at a node and which have nodes and internodes along the length of the thorn itself. Rose prickles are typically sickle-shaped hooks, which aid the rose in hanging onto other vegetation when growing over it. Some species such as Rosa rugosa and R. pimpinellifolia have densely packed straight spines, probably an adaptation to reduce browsing by animals, but also possibly an adaptation to trap wind-blown sand and so reduce erosion and protect their roots (both of these species grow naturally on coastal sand dunes). Despite the presence of prickles, roses are frequently browsed by deer. A few species of roses only have vestigial prickles that have no points.
Roses are popular garden shrubs, as well as the most popular and commonly sold florists' flowers. In addition to their great economic importance as a florists crop, roses are also of great value to the perfume industry.
Many thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use; most are double-flowered with many or all of the stamens having mutated into additional petals. As long ago as 1840 a collection numbering over one thousand different cultivars, varieties and species was possible when a rosarium was planted by Loddiges nursery for Abney Park Cemetery, an early Victorian garden cemetery and arboretum in England.
Twentieth-century rose breeders generally emphasized size and colour, producing large, attractive blooms with little or no scent. Many wild and "old-fashioned" roses, by contrast, have a strong sweet scent.
Roses thrive in temperate climates, though certain species and cultivars can flourish in sub-tropical and even tropical climates, especially when grafted onto appropriate rootstock.
Rose pruning, sometimes regarded as a horticultural art form, is largely dependent on the type of rose to be pruned, the reason for pruning, and the time of year it is at the time of the desired pruning.
Most Old Garden Roses of strict European heritage (albas, damasks, gallicas, etc.) are shrubs that bloom once yearly, in late spring or early summer, on two-year-old (or older) canes. As such, their pruning requirements are quite minimal, and are overall similar to any other analogous shrub, such as lilac or forsythia. Generally, only old, spindly canes should be pruned away, to make room for new canes. One-year-old canes should never be pruned because doing so will remove next year's flower buds. The shrubs can also be pruned back lightly, immediately after the blooms fade, to reduce the overall height or width of the plant. In general, pruning requirements for OGRs are much less laborious and regimented than for Modern hybrids.
Modern hybrids, including the hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, modern miniatures, and English roses, have a complex genetic background that almost always includes China roses (R. chinensis). China roses were evergrowing, everblooming roses from humid subtropical regions that bloomed constantly on any new vegetative growth produced during the growing season. Their modern hybrid descendants exhibit similar habits: Unlike Old Garden Roses, modern hybrids bloom continuously (until stopped by frost) on any new canes produced during the growing season. They therefore require pruning away of any spent flowering stem, in order to divert the plant's energy into producing new growth and thence new flowers.
Additionally, Modern Hybrids planted in cold-winter climates will almost universally require a "hard" annual pruning (reducing all canes to 8"–12" in height) in early spring. Again, because of their complex China rose background, Modern Hybrids are typically not as cold-hardy as European OGRs, and low winter temperatures often desiccate or kill exposed canes. In spring, if left unpruned, these damanged canes will often die back all the way to the shrub's root zone, resulting in a weakened, disfigured plant. The annual "hard" pruning of hybrid teas, floribundas, etc. should generally be done in early spring; most gardeners coincide this pruning with the blooming of forsythia shrubs. Canes should be cut about 1/2" above a vegetative bud (identifiable as a point on a cane where a leaf once grew).
For both Old Garden Roses and Modern Hybrids, any weak, damaged or diseased growth should be pruned away completely, regardless of the time of year. Any pruning of any rose should also be done so that the cut is made at a forty five degree angle above a vegetative bud. This helps the pruned stem callus over more quickly, and also mitigates moisture buildup over the cut, which can lead to disease problems.
For all general rose pruning (including cutting flowers for arrangements), sharp secateurs (hand-held, sickle-bladed pruners) should be used to cut any growth 1/2" or less in diameter. For canes of a thickness greater than 1/2", pole loppers or a small handsaw are generally more effective; secateurs may be damaged or broken in such instances.
Deadheading is the simple practice of manually removing any spent, faded, withered, or discoloured flowers from rose shrubs over the course of the blooming season. The purpose of deadheading is to encourage the plant to focus its energy and resources on forming new offshoots and blooms, rather than in fruit production. Deadheading may also be perfomed, if spent flowers are unsightly, for aethestic purposes. Roses are particularly responsive to deadheading.
Deadheading causes different effects on different varieties of roses. For continual blooming varieties, whether Old Garden roses or more modern hybrid varieties, deadheading allows the rose plant to continue forming new shoots, leaves, and blooms. For "once-blooming" varieties (that bloom only once each season), deadheading has the effect of causing the plant to form new green growth, even though new blooms will not form until the next blooming season.
For most rose gardeners, deadheading is used to refresh the growth of the rose plants to keep the rose plants strong, vibrant, and productive.
The rose has always been valued for its beauty and has a long history of symbolism. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love referred to as Aphrodite and Venus. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret — derived from this ancient Roman practice.
Early Christians identified the five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ. Despite this interpretation, their leaders were hesitant to adopt it because of its association with Roman excesses and pagan ritual. The red rose was eventually adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Roses also later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary.
Rose culture came into its own in Europe in the 1800s with the introduction of perpetual blooming roses from China. There are currently thousands of varieties of roses developed for bloom shape, size, fragrance and even for lack of prickles.
Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses (including Isis and Aphrodite), and is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. 'Rose' means pink or red in a variety of languages (such as Romance languages, Greek, and Polish).
The rose is the national flower of England and the United States[4], as well as being the symbol of England Rugby, and of the Rugby Football Union. It is also the provincial flower of Yorkshire and Lancashire in England (the white rose and red rose respectively) and of Alberta (the wild rose), and the state flower of four US states: Iowa and North Dakota (R. arkansana), Georgia (R. laevigata), and New York[5] (Rosa generally). Portland, Oregon counts "City of Roses" among its nicknames, and holds an annual Rose Festival.
Roses are occasionally the basis of design for rose windows, such windows comprising five or ten segments (the five petals and five sepals of a rose) or multiples thereof; however most Gothic rose windows are much more elaborate and were probably based originally on the wheel and other symbolism.
A red rose (often held in a hand) is a symbol of socialism or social democracy; it is also used as a symbol by the British and Irish Labour Parties, as well as by the French, Spanish (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Brazilian, Dutch (Partij van de Arbeid) and European socialist parties. This originated when the red rose was used as a badge by the marchers in the May 1968 street protests in Paris. White Rose was a World War II non violent resistance group in Germany.
Roses are often portrayed by artists. The French artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté produced some of the most detailed paintings of roses.
Henri Fantin-Latour was also a prolific painter of still life, particularly flowers including roses. The Rose 'Fantin-Latour' was named after the artist.
Other impressionists including Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne have paintings of roses among their works.
Rose perfumes are made from attar of roses or rose oil, which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam distilling the crushed petals of roses. The technique originated in Persia (the word Rose itself is from Persian) then spread through Arabia and India, but nowadays about 70% to 80% of production is in the Rose Valley near Kazanluk in Bulgaria, with some production in Qamsar in Iran and Germany.[citation needed]
The Kaaba in Mecca is annually washed by the Iranian rose water from Qamsar. In Bulgaria, Iran and Germany, damask roses (Rosa damascena 'Trigintipetala') are used. In the French rose oil industry Rosa centifolia is used. The oil, pale yellow or yellow-grey in color, is sometimes called 'Rose Absolute' oil to distinguish it from diluted versions. The weight of oil extracted is about one three-thousandth to one six-thousandth of the weight of the flowers; for example, about two thousand flowers are required to produce one gram of oil.
The main constituents of attar of roses are the fragrant alcohols geraniol and l-citronellol; and rose camphor, an odourless paraffin. β-Damascenone is also a significant contributor to the scent.
Quotes
What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet. — William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet act II, sc. ii
O, my love's like a red, red rose/That's newly sprung in June — Robert Burns, A Red, Red Rose
Information appears to stew out of me naturally, like the precious ottar of roses out of the otter. Mark Twain, Roughing It
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses. — James Oppenheim, "Bread and Roses"
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose — Gertrude Stein, Sacred Emily (1913), a poem included in Geography and Plays.
Solana
Going for something more cinematic than usual.
These are intended to be viewed to this song, so give it a listen.
They spook easily. The least little movement or noise they are on the run. They ran from down in our yard up the hill and down Road 506 towards the neighbour's house.
I may not always have time to thank you all for your visits and comments but rest assured, that I do read them and am very appreciative that you took the time to pop by and see what I see here "North of 7" in Rural Eastern Ontario (North Frontenac Township) or, where ever else I might be with my camera now that I am retired and loving it.
Ⓒ Sharon Wilkinson aka Sharon’s Shotz, All Rights Reserved
The large white wall on right is the Thangka Wall which is nine floors high was built by the First Dalai Lama in 1468. The wall displays the images of Buddha on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May every year following the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. The images are so large that one can easily see it in Shigatse City. Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet
Bear Lake is about half in Idaho and half in Utah. This photo was taken from the west side of the Utah end of the lake between Laketown and Garden City. The rocky bottom can be easily seen through the crystal clear water and there are sandy areas nearby that make it popular with swimmers in the summer. Of course everyone tries to see the famous Bear Lake Monster from here.
It’s always compositionally satisfying when the sky mimics what’s happening in the land. Here the steely blues, greys and whites of the landscape are echoed in the sky. Colour and form, if not exactly mirrored, are pleasingly complementary. A little mist over the distant mountains reinforces the sense of recession in an image (shot from the deck of the ship) that might otherwise lack depth. Although I don’t always consciously articulate these things to myself at the time, I’m convinced we learn to recognise these patterns through practice and repetition, so that eventually we react intuitively to their presence. These instincts, such as they are, served me well in Svalbard, where much of my time was spent shooting hand-held from a moving vehicle. I will admit, I missed my tripod and looked forward to those few occasions we made landfall. We old dogs don't take easily to new tricks!
Nikon Z7, 100-400/4.5-5.6 VR S. Original photograph copyright © Simon Miles. Not to be used without permission. Thanks for looking.
Easily viewed to the north from Courthouse Towers view pulloff in Arches National Park, the Tower of Babel is best photographed for maximum detail from the Courthouse Towers viewpoint in the morning when the light is in the east.
This photograph was shot at a pull-off south of The Organ - which is the structure along the right edge.
[Explore August 14, 2015 #44]
Once you've found a sufficiently dark spot and sorted out your focus and composition (both of which you can easily do by taking a few short, high-ISO exposures), taking star photos is actually pretty easy. The processing....not so much. But I'm learning...a little.
I hope your holiday shopping is completed (or at least started). I managed to get away with only one trip to the mall this holiday season, and that's pretty awesome in my book.
_______________________________
Thank you for stopping by. In case you got here as a result of a search for HDR and/or Nikon D800 photos:
> All my HDR photos can be found here.
> All my D800 photos are right here.
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This is just a COOL helicopter! I'm not easily impressed with any type of machine, but I do like this cargo helicopter that has been flying around Gold Beach for weeks. It carries a big water tank and presumably is involved in fighting the large wildfire in the area that has been burning since July 12.
While I was photographing it (through a fence), I got into a conversation with a gentleman who told me about the history of these helicopters being used in the Vietnam War. Instead of the water tank they would carry modular units that could be set down quickly as a field hospital. He had been a pilot.
I hate people who when asked a question too easily give up on the answer and say "Don't know". Especially at work. My mother always said, if I didn't know an answer, "Think". And it is surprising what you can remember if you try.
I seem to remember once being asked if I enjoyed living dangerously. It was something I hadn't considered before. I had until then just accepted life is dangerous full stop, and I had often been wreckless without even thinking about it. But now I was being asked, as if I had to make a choice, if I wanted to make it extra dangerous.
So, it was a phrase that cropped up more often in my mind after that. And I would ask myself if I was living more dangerously. But normally as soon as I thought about it I was distracted and my mind went elsewhere.
I have no idea why a few days ago a few bars of a tune popped up in my head. Just out of nowhere. I don't think I had heard it for at least 30 years. The music had a Far Eastern feel to it, some keys on a piano...da da de dah de daah! It rang through my head over and over and I just couldn't place it. It came from somewhere a long way back. Da da de dah de daah!
It bothered me that I couldn't remember. Da da de dah de daah! And then this morning the notes floated over my mind yet again. Da da de dah de daah!
Then something clicked and I remembered it was from a film. And with some extra thinking thought it might have been set in Vietnam or Cambodia.... a war film.
And every time it rang in my head da da de dah de daah, I thought and thought.
Then, out of the haze, something emerged and I remembered Mel Gibson was in the film. One of his earlier ones.
So, from there it was easy. I googled all Mel Gibson films and then I knew.
Da da de dah de daah! It was from 1982.
The film title?
"A Year of Living Dangerously"
Is that weird or what?
The theme tune L'Enfant by Vangelis. Here it is www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsBOxDM_Vek
Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated.
Galah
Scientific Name:Eolophus roseicapillus
Description: The Galah can be easily identified by its rose-pink head, neck and underparts, with paler pink crown, and grey back, wings and undertail. Birds from the west of Australia have comparatively paler plumage. Galahs have a bouncing acrobatic flight, but spend much of the day sheltering from heat in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Huge noisy flocks of birds congregate and roost together at night.
Similar species: The Galah is generally unmistakable, but in flight may resemble aGang-gang Cockatoo in shape.
Distribution: The Galah is one of the most abundant and familiar of the Australian parrots, occurring over most of Australia, including some offshore islands.
Habitat: The Galah is found in large flocks in a variety of timbered habitats, usually near water.
Feeding: Galahs form huge, noisy flocks which feed on seeds, mostly from the ground. Seeds of grasses and cultivated crops are eaten, making these birds agricultural pests in some areas. Birds may travel large distances in search of favourable feeding grounds.
Breeding: Galahs form permanent pair bonds, although a bird will take a new partner if the other one dies. The nest is a tree hollow or similar location, lined with leaves. Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young. There is high chick mortality in Galahs, with up to 50 % of chicks dying in the first six months. Galahs have been recorded breeding with other members of the cockatoo family, both in the wild and captivity. These include the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, C. galerita.
Calls: The voice is a distinctive high-pitched screech, 'chi-chi'.
Minimum Size: 35cm
Maximum Size: 36cm
Average size: 36cm
Average weight: 337g
Breeding season: February to July in the north; July to December in the south
Clutch Size: 3 to 4
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2018
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy
Easily one of the most photographed deep sky objects, M51 never ceases to amaze me. My first ever astrophoto in 2012 was of this galaxy, and I've shot it pretty much every year since, constantly improving on what had come before. This year was no different other than the amount of data I had.
I shot this over many nights in the spring and early summer despite having a lot of cloud cover to deal with. Overall, I had about 12 hours of data, but much of that didn't quite measure up due to clouds blowing through, deteriorating my images. It look me quite a long time to go through hundreds of images manually to weed out the obviously bad stuff until I had just shy of 8 hours of data. Then finally in stacking, I whittled that down even further.
This is the final image with 6 hours, 10 mins of data made up of a mix of 3 and 5 minute exposures.
-= Tech Data =-
-Equipment-
Imaging Scope: Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P
Mount: Celestron CGX
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 1600MC-Pro
Filter: SCT Duo Narrowband
Focus: Pegasus Astro Dual Motor Focuser
Guide Camera: Orion SSAG
Guide Scope: Starfield 60mm guide scope
Dew Control: Kendrick
Power: Pegasus Astro Pocket Power Box
- Acquisition -
∙ 6H 10M of mixed 3 and 5 minute exposures.
Calibration:
∙ Darks: Master darks for each subframe length
- Bias: Master bias from my bias library (stack of 100 exposures)
- Software -
Acquisition / Rig Control: Sequence Generator Pro
Stacking: Astro Pixel Processor
Processing: PixInsight
Post Processing: Photoshop CC
Shot at the Camden Lake Provincial Wildlike Area near Moscow, Ontario.
Schweiz / Berner Oberland - Niesen und Thunersee
seen on the way to Morgenberghorn
gesehen auf dem Weg zum Morgenberghorn
The Niesen is a mountain peak of the Bernese Alps in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. The summit of the mountain is 2,362 metres (7,749 ft) in elevation.
It overlooks Lake Thun, in the Bernese Oberland region, and forms the northern end of a ridge that stretches north from the Albristhorn and Mannliflue, separating the Simmental and Kandertal valleys.
Geography
Administratively, the summit is shared between the municipalities of Reichenbach im Kandertal to the southeast, and Wimmis to the west and north. Both municipalities are in the canton of Bern.
The summit can be reached easily by using the Niesenbahn funicular from Mülenen (near Reichenbach). The construction of the funicular was completed in 1910.
Alongside the funicular is the longest stairway in the world, with 11,674 steps. It is only open to the public once a year for a stair run event.
Originally the mountains name was Yesen. «An Yesen» transformed to Niesen. Yesen is yellow gentian and still flowers on the Niesen to this day. Because of its shape, the Niesen is often called the Swiss Pyramid.[citation needed] The Niesen may have influenced some modernist paintings by Paul Klee, in which an abstracted pyramidal form is seen.
(Wikipedia)
Lake Thun (German: Thunersee) is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland named after the city of Thun, on its northern shore. At 48.3 km2 (18.6 sq mi) in surface area, it is the largest Swiss lake entirely within a single canton.
The lake was created after the last glacial period. After the 10th century, it split from Lake Brienz, before which the two lakes were combined, as Wendelsee ("Lake Wendel"). The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Finsteraarhorn at 4,274 metres (14,022 ft) above sea level.
Lake Thun's approximate 2,500 square kilometres (970 sq mi) catchment area frequently causes local flooding after heavy rainfalls. This occurs because the river Aare (German: Aare), which drains Lake Thun, has only limited capacity to handle the excess runoff. The lake is fed by water from Lake Brienz to the southeast, which is 6 metres (20 ft) higher than Lake Thun, and various streams in the Oberland, including the Kander.
In 1835, passenger steamships began operating regularly on the lake. Ten passenger ships, operated by the local railway company BLS AG like Blümlisalp, serve the towns of Interlaken and Thun; the Interlaken ship canal and Thun ship canal connect the lake to Interlaken West railway station and Thun railway station respectively.
Following World War II and up until 1964, the Swiss Government disposed of unused munitions into Lake Thun. The quantity of munitions dumped is reported to be from 3,000 to more than 9,020 tons.
(Wikipedia)
The Morgenberghorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland. It lies at the northern end of the chain between the valleys of Frutigen and Lauterbrunnen, north of the Schwalmere.
(Wikipedia)
Der Niesen ist ein 2362 m ü. M. hoher Berg im Berner Oberland, südlich des Thunersees. Er wird gelegentlich als Wimmiser oder auch als Thuner Hausberg betrachtet.
Der Niesen fällt durch seine markante kegel- oder pyramidenartige Form auf. Ursprünglich hiess dieser Berg «Yesen», eine Bezeichnung für den Gelben Enzian (Gentiana lutea), der heute noch am Berg blüht. 1906 wurde mit dem Bau der Niesenbahn begonnen. Am 15. Juli 1910 wurde die Niesenbahn eröffnet und Niesen Kulm damit erschlossen.
Tourismus
Der Niesengipfel ist bekannt für sein Panorama und ist ein beliebtes Ausflugsziel für Bergwanderer. 1856 wurde ein erstes Gasthaus auf Niesen Kulm erbaut. Die Gäste bestiegen den Niesen zu Fuss. Wohlhabende liessen sich von Pferden und Maultieren oder auf Sesseln, die von vier Männern getragen wurden, auf den Niesen bringen. Für die 1700 m Höhendifferenz, von Wimmis auf den Niesen, verdiente ein Träger 8 Franken am Tag. Ein Mietpferd kostete 15–20 Franken. Der Berg ist auch Motiv eines bekannten Aquarells von Paul Klee aus dem Jahr 1915.
Niesen-Treppenlauf
Neben der Niesenbahn führt mit 11.674 Stufen die längste Treppe der Welt auf den Gipfel. Diese Treppe wird lediglich für den jährlich stattfindenden Niesen-Treppenlauf geöffnet. Der Start ist auf 693 m ü. M., der Höhenunterschied 1669 m und die Distanz 3404 m. Die Steigung in der 1. Sektion ist maximal 66 %, in der 2. Sektion 68 %. Die Zahl der Läufer ist auf 220 beschränkt.
Streckenrekord:
Damen: Agnes Zellweger, Bern, 1:07:07 (2005)
Herren: Emmanuel Vaudan, Evionnaz, 0:55:58 (2011)
Wetterregel
Im Zusammenhang mit dem Niesen wird eine allerdings auch für unter anderem den Luzerner Hausberg Pilatus beanspruchte Wetterregel zitiert:
Hat der Niesen einen Hut, wird das Wetter gut.
Hat der Niesen einen Kragen, darfst du es noch wagen.
Hat der Niesen einen Degen, gibt es sicher Regen.
Niesenschatten
Zwischen dem 20. November und dem 20. Januar wirft der Niesen bei klaren Wetterbedingungen einen riesigen dreieckigen Schatten auf die Gemeinde Spiez. Die Sonne verschwindet ab 14 Uhr hinter dem Niesen-Gipfel. Später erscheint sie wieder auf der westlichen Bergseite. Es scheint dann so, als ob die Sonne den Berg herunterrollen würde. Das Phänomen ist am 21. Dezember, wenn die Sonne ihren tiefsten Stand hat, am grössten.
(Wikipedia)
Der Thunersee ist ein Fjordsee im Berner Oberland am nördlichen Alpenrand. Der See ist 17,5 km lang und max. 3,5 km breit. Seine Fläche beträgt 47,85 km²; damit ist er der grösste nur in einem Kanton liegende See der Schweiz. Die maximale Tiefe beträgt 217 m.
Geschichte und Geographie
Nach der letzten Eiszeit bildete sich dort, wo heute zwei Seen liegen, der so genannte Wendelsee. Durch Ablagerungen von Geschiebe der verschiedenen Bergbäche (vor allem durch den Lombach und die Lütschine) entstand ungefähr in der Mitte des Sees eine Ebene, das Bödeli. Diese Schwemmebene, auf der heute die Gemeinden Interlaken, Matten und Unterseen liegen, teilte den See in den Thuner- und den Brienzersee. Seit der frühen Bronzezeit befanden sich im nördlichen Becken des Thunersees Pfahlbauersiedlungen, die sich über ein Areal von mindestens 15'000 m² verteilten.
Der Inhalt des Thunersees beträgt rund 6,5 km³. An der den See durchfliessenden Aare, die an seiner Nordspitze den Thunersee verlässt, liegt die namengebende Stadt Thun.
Bei Normalwasserstand liegt der Seespiegel auf 557,8 m ü. M. Der Thunersee hat ein Einzugsgebiet von 2500 km². Bei längeren, starken Niederschlägen trat der See über die Ufer, da die Abflusskapazität der Aare beschränkt war. Seit 2009 ist ein Hochwasserentlastungsstollen in Betrieb, der eine zusätzliche Abflusskapazität von 100 m³/s aufweist. Die vorausschauende Regulierung des Abflusses aus dem Thunersee und die Staufunktion des Thunersees ersparen der tiefergelegenen Stadt Bern einige Überschwemmungen.
Der maximale Abfluss ohne Stollen beträgt 345 m³ pro Sekunde, der mittlere Abfluss liegt bei 110 m³/s. Sein Hauptzufluss, die Aare, wird im Südosten vom 6 Meter höhergelegenen Brienzersee gespeist.
Wie in anderen Schweizer Seen wurde auch im Thunersee zwischen 1945 und 1964 Munition versenkt, Schätzungen gehen von 4500 Tonnen aus.
Die Fischart Kropfer ist im Thunersee endemisch.
Wirtschaft und Tourismus
Von der Fischerei im Thunersee leben mehrere Berufsfischer. Im Jahr 2001 betrug ihr Gesamtertrag 53'048 Kilogramm. In Faulensee betreibt die Fischereiaufsicht des Kantons eine Fischaufzuchtanlage. Mit dem Einsetzen von Fischen werden sowohl Artenförderung betrieben als auch menschliche Eingriffe kompensiert.
1835 betrieben Johannes Knechtenhofer und seine Brüder das erste Dampfschiff, die Bellevue, auf dem See. Heute betreibt die BLS Schifffahrt eine Flotte von zehn Schiffen, darunter den historischen Schaufelraddampfer Blümlisalp sowie von 2001 bis 2003 das weit über die Region hinaus bekannte Drachenschiff (umgebautes Motorschiff Stadt Thun).
An den Ufern des Thunersees wird in den Gemeinden Thun, Spiez, Oberhofen und Hilterfingen Weinbau betrieben. Weisse Sorten sind Müller-Thurgau und Chardonnay, rote Sorten sind Garanoir und Pinot Noir. Das Rebbaugebiet Thunersee besitzt seit dem 1. Januar 2008 den gesetzlichen Status einer AOC.
Seit 2011 wird rund um den Thunersee ein 56 Kilometer langer Panorama-Wanderweg angelegt, mit mehreren grossen Hängebrücken.
Kulturelle Rezeption
Felix Draeseke komponierte 1902/03 Der Thuner See. Landschaftliches Tongemälde für großes Orchester.
(Wikipedia)
Das Morgenberghorn ist ein 2249 m ü. M. hoher Berg am Südufer des Thunersees im Berner Oberland in der Schweiz. Es liegt im Westen des Saxettals.
Der Gipfel des Morgenberghorns ist nur zu Fuss erreichbar. Der Aufstieg erfordert keine Bergsteigerkenntnisse, jedoch Trittsicherheit. Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten bestehen ab Leissigen und Aeschi über den Nordwestgrat und von Saxeten aus über den Rengglipass und den Südgrat. Der Nordostgrat von Interlaken aus weist sehr schmale und ausgesetzte Stellen auf und ist keine offizielle Aufstiegsroute.
Südlich des Morgenbergs erhebt sich die Schwalmere (2777 m ü. M.), durch den Rengglipass (1879 m ü. M.) getrennt.
(Wikipedia)
Easily interrupted...got side-tracked when pulling out some of the ingredients for my dinner. Dinner waited a few minutes while I tested out a still life shot.
Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are easily recognizable and are native to parts of the United States and Mexico. They are also commonly referred to as redbirds, red cardinals, common cardinals, or simply, cardinals. Only the males of this species possess the characteristic bright red color. Females are duller olive or brown colored, which helps them avoid notice while incubating eggs. These beautiful little birds are relatively widespread. Like many other bird species, cardinals get their bright coloration from their diet. Many of the berries and seeds that these birds consume contain carotenoid pigments. These pigments are converted to the red coloration you see in adult male birds. Religion played a part in the naming of this bright-colored bird. European settlers saw the bright red plumage and were reminded of the red vestments worn by Catholic cardinals. The crest of this species is also reminiscent of the pointed headgear of some higher Catholic officials. Bird feeders are a strong attractant for these birds. The best way to attract this species is by providing black-oil sunflower and safflower seeds in your bird feeder.
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The song thrush is easily recognised by its speckled brown-on-cream breast. It is often heard before it is seen, as it is one of the main songsters of suburban New Zealand, with a very long singing season. Thrushes sing from a high branch, at the top of a tree or on power poles and lines. Their distinctive song comprising a wide range of notes, with each phrase typically repeated 2-3 times in succession. They are common throughout mainland New Zealand and nearby offshore islands, also Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Snares Islands and Auckland Islands. Thrushes frequent a wide range of lowland and hilly habitats including suburban gardens, farmland, woodlands and some forests. They feed mostly on the ground on earthworms and snails, also insects and berries. Song thrushes were introduced from England, and were released widely in New Zealand from 1867.