The ever expanding collection of The Children of Stories (more to come).

Eastbound CP 200, Vancouver to Edmonton mixed freight, works its way through Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park on the Laggan Sub. The train is rolling downgrade through the foothills country west of Calgary, with the ever-expanding developments surrounding the town of Cochrane taking over the hilltops in the background.

Website | Twitter | 500px | Facebook | Instagram | Getty

Someone enjoying the ever expanding skyline of the City Of London. The building in the center that is under construction is known as "The Scalpel", sticking to the trend that all new skyscrapers need an "interesting" name!

M1 is commonly known as the Crab Nebula and is located in the constellation of Taurus. It's roughly 6500 light years away and about 11 light years in diameter. It is the remnant of a supernova that was recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD and was said to be so brilliant, that it was visible in the daytime sky for over a month. In the center is what remains of the star gone supernova...a small 30km diameter neutron star spinning at 30 revolutions per second and is the brightest persistent gamma-ray source in the sky. The filaments seen here are pieces that remain of the star gone supernova embedded in the ever expanding gas bubble.

My grandpa's apartment

One day I'll find relief

I'll be arrived

And I'll be friend to my friends who know how to be friends

One day I'll be at peace

I'll be enlightened and I'll be married with children and maybe adopt

One day I will be healed

I will gather my wounds forge the end of tragic comedy

I have been running so sweaty my whole life

Urgent for a finish line

And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete

One day my mind will retreat

And I'll know God

And I'll be constantly one with her night dusk and day

One day I'll be secure

Like the women I see on their thirtieth anniversaries

I have been running so sweaty my whole life

Urgent for a finish line

And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete

Ever unfolding

Ever expanding

Ever adventurous

And torturous

And never done

One day I will speak freely

I'll be less afraid

And measured outside of my poems and lyrics and art

One day I will be faith-filled

I'll be trusting and spacious authentic and grounded and home

I have been running so sweaty my whole life

Urgent for a finish line

And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete

Lyrics:Allanis Morissette

Quote by Karl Kraus

An abandoned homestead in Finlay Creek (Ottawa), Ontario, Canada.

With Ottawa ever expanding into the suburbs, it is only a matter of time before this farm will be razed to make way for residential and commercial developments.

What ever happened to Kilroy? Now we have an intrusive ever expanding government watching our every action and word. Beware! Or fight the bastard!

One from the (ever expanding) archive

At 1,482 feet when these towers were completed in 1996 they became the world's tallest structure. However, such is the pace of development and skyscraper construction that these towers now rank 21st in the world in height. Many of the newly constructed structures can now be found in the ever expanding Chinese megacities. In fact these towers are now dwarfed by the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur, the Murdeka 118 which including its spire stands at 2,227 feet. Of course the Burj Khalifa in Dubai rises to 2,722 feet. Regardless of its relegation the twin tower design makes for a most impressive building.

I wonder how much other costs M&S to have their illuminated (broken) sign in this location.

The Killdeer continue to work the ever expanding mudflats at Huntley Meadows. The near drought conditions have left several shallow pools and made for easy picking for the Herons, Egrets and Shorebirds.

The latest addition to the ever-expanding Le Chateau world is now open. Le Chateau Triad Island has the look and feel of an urban Hong Kong-style environment from the 1980s/90s.

There are rentals to suit a variety of budgets. But even if you are not looking for somewhere to live, it's worth a visit.

Though it's largely finished, creator Vic tells me a few other social spots will be added soon. Once those are up, I'll write a proper blog post about it.

SLURL

Perched high above the city, this captivating photo captures the Griffith Observatory as seen from Mount Hollywood, framed by the sprawling Los Angeles skyline in the backdrop. Bathed in golden-hour light, the observatory’s iconic Art Deco domes contrast against the modern, ever-expanding cityscape, symbolizing a timeless dialogue between science and society. The image showcases not just an architectural marvel, but a gateway to the stars set against one of the world’s most dynamic urban environments.

Opened in 1935, the Griffith Observatory was the vision of philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith, who believed astronomy should be accessible to everyone. True to that mission, it has welcomed millions of visitors for free, making it one of the most visited public observatories in the world. Its Zeiss telescope, historic Foucault pendulum, and rich exhibits have sparked curiosity in generations, from curious kids to space enthusiasts. It also served as a vital hub during the space race era, educating the public about missions to the moon and beyond.

Beyond its scientific significance, the Griffith Observatory is a pop culture icon. It has appeared in countless films, most famously Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, whose bronze statue now stands on the grounds. Whether you’re there for the science, the skyline views, or a bit of Hollywood history, the observatory offers a unique blend of education, inspiration, and cinematic nostalgia, making it a must-visit gem in the heart of Los Angeles.

NYAR RS20 pulls a train of Waste Management loads out of Blissville behind #101, the last ex-LIRR SW1001 on the NYAR roster, leading a pair of GMTX GP38-2s. The train is passing the former site of Penny Bridge station which was shut down along with the remaining stations between Long Island City and Jamaica on the Lower Montauk Branch in 1998. The LIRR continued to run a small number of non-stop commuter trains as well as the seasonal Cannonball over the Lower Montauk until it handed over control of the branch to NYAR in 2013.

There are plenty of sights to see here. On the right is Calvary Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the U.S. with over three million burials, on the bottom left is Newtown Creek which makes up a part of the border between Brooklyn and Queens, and in the background is the ever-expanding skyline of Midtown Manhattan with the iconic Chrysler and Empire State Buildings visible just to the right of center. Over 8,000,000 people live in this town, more than the populations of Chicago and Los Angeles combined.

The warm autumn sun bright up the flank of eight former Southern Pacific woodchips cars who's slowly rolls out of track CF10 and into Cascapedia subdivision mainline, pushed by four venerable former Canadian Pacific RS18u.

32 miles of travelling remain for the SFG crew in order to reach Matapédia, the junction point with Canadian National Mont-Joli subdivision.

27 years have passed since the big yellow Borg have absorbed "The Friendly" under it's ever expanding tentacules. There's at least a small fleet of SP's legacy who still enduring daily service in a forgotten part of the Québec province.

SFG 565-02

Milepost 32.5 Cascapedia subdivision

Nouvelle Ouest,QC

October 2nd 2023.

66730 Whitemoor approaches Water Orton in the shadow of HS2's ever expanding Delta junction, the larger River Tame East & West Viaduct towers over the Water Orton Viaduct although it is yet to be seen if the latter will ever see use. For the record the Shed was working 4H61 the 09:31 Wellingborough Up Sidings to Tunstead.

Excerpt from webapp.driftscape.com/map/6e27420e-7511-11ec-8000-bc1c5a8...:

Mother Nature by Natalie Very B: This painting is a direct product of a beautiful collaboration between myself and the participants of the Art Etobicoke mural workshops in the summer of 2020. I was honoured to be the lead of a 4 workshop series where I met with the same group of participants on a weekly basis to make artwork and brainstorm creative ideas.

While we had to meet online and missed the in-person interactions due to the onset of the pandemic, we made it work. Moreover, each participant painted their very own canvas inspired by the values that emerged in the workshop. At the end of the series, I offered potential layouts for feedback from the group, who, in this context, represented the community at large.

In the end, we came up with the current mural design that you can see in front of you.

It was a humbling experience to see the participants thrive in their own unique creativity. I was so inspired by the personal stories of resilience that the community members brought along with them, and the way that they connected with the natural environment.

Mother Nature is understanding, inclusive, strong, and holds knowledge that is inaccessible to humans. She inspires our actions and guides us towards good decisions, reminding us of humility and respect for all living creatures. Mother Nature lives among us, but also in the darkness of the ever-expanding, unseen universe. She resides in the stars and walks the earth with gratitude. She is the ultimate role model by offering us the values of gentleness, perseverance, and kindness.

I hope that whoever passes by my mural can feel the power of a resilient community of creative human beings.

Damian - at last!

These large, flashy southern clubtails are the only forceptails in Georgia and have been flying at a lake near my house for the last few late-summers. This is as far north as a population has been found in the Southeast - though their range runs up the Atlantic coast as well. With the mountains a short drive to our north - will they ever expand northward? I keep an eye out for them. I noticed one record out there from Tennessee. These are at the same nearby lake where Big bluets turned up last Fall.

They do love to perch (thankfully) but they gravitate to the water's edge below vegetation and facing water - makes getting photos a bit of a challenge. They've got great faces but it's tough to get that angle.

>> at the dam down the road, yesterday - several males were perching & defending territory. They are big showy clubtails - holding their red-yellow tips raised as they fly & perch - like a candle! And those eyes! One of the best treats of late-summer for sure.

Excerpt from the plaque:

Telefon by Erwin Eisch

Pioneers of the Studio Glass movement, Erwin Eisch and Marvin Lipofsky have promoted the use of blown and mold-blown glass for sculpture since the 1960s. The two artists have had a lasting influence on the development of studio glass in the United States and around the world.

The gold Telefon, misshapen and cartoonish, reflects a sense of humor and exaggeration typical of Pop and Funk Art in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Almost immediately after it was made, this sculpture by Eisch became symbolic of the beliefs shared by many early studio glass artists. These beliefs-radical for their time-included the notions that glass was a material capable of sculptural expression, that vessels could become separate from function, and that the relationship between craft and fine art should not be based on mutual exclusion, but on an open and ever-expanding dialogue.

“Search your heart and see. The way to do is to be.”

- by Lao Tzu:

Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsxUDjfhj5Y

Let It Be by The Beatles (rehearsal)

MINDFUL

You carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders.

Let me be the one to lift it to a feathered weight.

An angel on your shoulder with wings that carry you

is worth more than a thousand baying hounds for blood.

We look to the same direction, my eyes all seeing;

yours blinkered and blind from seeing too much;

a wry derisive smile hovering around your lips,

“Familiarity breeds contempt” hisses the wing-ed serpent,

perched upon the golden helmet that once fit your head,

when all your thoughts were simpler and occupied less room.

Life is more complex now in this ever-expanding world

of new ideas and ways in which to “simplify” our lives,

yet actually pull us further into the mouth of the serpent.

The higher we climb the farther there is to fall

and all those treasured memories are left far behind us,

along with all the people we have loved and lost,

yet still we cling to what we know, not what we had.

It's fear, not hope, that drives us ever forward;

fear of never being good enough; of never reaching full potential,

but stay awhile, be still, my friend and contemplate today;

this one unerring moment in which all is perfect.

Just slow your breath and listen to the beat of your heart;

it's perfect rhythm is in tune with everything that you are.

Let negative thoughts drift softly in and out of your conscious mind;

acknowledge them and release them to the ether.

Concentrate on your breath, close your eyes;

tilt your face gently upward towards the sun.

Let the warm mellow sunlight modulate your unique Circadian rhythmn.

You once thought yourself a child of Arcadia,

but none of it really matters except the present.

This one precious moment, not in the man-made concept of time,

which differs from man to man, but this moment which is timeless,

which frees you from the pain of struggle;

allows you to feel rested and replaces the fear in your heart

with hope and nurtures your soul to lift your spirits,

until there is no seperation between you and the world around you.

You are in perfect harmony, at one with nature and all that has gone before

falls away and all that you were striving for now makes no sense at all

and what is left is all that you are, all that you need be

and you are at peace with yourself and with the world.

No fights to fight, no arguments to reason, no struggle to survive.

This is peace; the ultimate and it is there for everyone.

It is within us even before we are born

and it remains with us, true to our core for all our days,

but we have to let it surface, free it from the torment so we can just BE

because doing less means being more...

- AP – Copyright remains with the author

'copyright image please do not reproduce without permission'

This early 15th century 'Caraval' carries the name 'Orion Star' and is used for the transport of goods along the Mediterranean trade routes.

In 1486 Florence and Venice had widely accepted trade agreements and benefit of each others reach within the ever expanding worldwide trade routes.

Apart from creating the shape of this ship, the sails and the color scheme, the real challenge was to recreate the symbol of florence; the iconic fleur de lis.

Personally, I think this worked out pretty well 😁

_____________________________________

Some background story;

I chose this type of ship because it fits within the time frame and the characteristics of the venice laguna of that time (not deep and many sandbanks).

The caravel had a stern rudder and a raised forecastle and sterncastle. Caravels had a typical length-to-beam ratio of 3.5:1 with a shallow draught. It was also highly manoeuvrable and fast. All of these characteristics made the caravel ideal for exploring unfamiliar waters and coastal shallows where larger ships might easily have become stranded on sandbanks or damaged by rocks.

Let me know what you think and thx for stopping by 🙌

#lego #toy #toys #moc #afol

#legocreator #legotutorial #legodesign #legomoc #legotutorials #legophotography #legomania #legogram #legofan #legominifigures #venice #italy #venezia #italia #florence #firenze #legobrick #legoship #ship #caravalship #caraval #15thcentury #fleurdelis #modelship #model #legobricks #legomodel #brickbuilding

Nikon d810a

85mm

ISO 5000

f/2.8

Foreground: 28 x 10 seconds

Sky: 92 x 30 seconds

iOptron SkyTracker

Hoya Starscape filter

This is a 120 shot panorama of the Milky Way above North Dandalup Dam, about an hour south of Perth in Western Australia.

As you might have guessed from the title, this is the second image I have taken from this exact spot. The first can be seen here which was taken back in 2017 when I had yet to use a tracker and before I had upgraded to a full frame, astro modded camera. You can see the difference both pieces of equipment make with more prominent airglow and h-alpha regions. You can also see an increase in light pollution, probably a result of the ever expanding human presence as well as the increased light capturing abilities of the tracker and camera.

Beautifully designed with layered platforms, lofts, towering pillars and the ever expanding penthouses of a massive towers built by an alien race on a distant planet perhaps envisioned by Roger Dean. But this is nothing more than an illusion created by the flow of a fresh water spring delivering sediment under a brine sea. The stunning and incredibly intricate structures now sit atop the surface of the desert where they will quickly dissolve back into the sand from which they formed. This is one of the most incredible natural formations I have ever come across while doing photography in the Eastern Sierra.

© Darvin Atkeson

Yosemite Landscapes

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Crazy Tuesdays - Footwear

These 'Irregular Choice' blue and red floral 'Abigail's Party' tie-up shoes belong to my daughter Haley......who just loves quirky shoes.

Irregular Choice was created by Dan Sullivan in 1999 as a reason to stand out from the crowd.

Back in the late 90's Dan saw that the footwear market was becoming very neutral and black, yet there was a global demand for something different and individual, something to wear with pride.

From embellished heels, ornate wood carvings, tiny intricate charms and lavish fabrics, to the memorable colour combinations, everybody has an Irregular Choice favourite shoe or story.

Each year Dan creates over 600 different styles, and is constantly jotting down styles, photos and sketches, it’s an ever expanding creative process reaching to what is now over 10,000 different options.

Irregular Choice has evolved with great strides over the past decade. The brand is now sold through hundreds of stockists around the world, and has nine of its own stores across the globe, with more in the pipeline.

Every Irregular Choice customer has their own favourite designs, and with such a huge collection to choose from each season there is always something to tempt every shoe addict.

I really enjoy being with these two (it's a good job, given that I'm their dad!)

They make me laugh.

A lot.

Together, they are hilarious; their jokes, however silly and often outrageous, are so funny. They make up silly songs, most often about their dad and his ever-expanding mid-rift. And one can't help but get caught up in their infectious laughter!

It's not all laughs though. The boys - that they are, often mean fights and arguments ensue - and any resolve would, at first, be done through gritted-teeth.

So, this image was taken last night, after their gymnastics training. We decided to stop at a local park before coming home, to make the most of the setting sun.

Some had mentioned a vertical compo. You guys should know me well enough to know I can't not shoot vertically:) Here it is. I'm particularly happy with this one.

If you'd like to see the horizontal version you can do so here: www.flickr.com/photos/knottyy/2528893034/

A wonderfully long and tiring shoot with a client who is a fabulous dancer from Brazil. One of the hardest things to do was just find a place to shoot downtown where some rent-a-cop wouldn't have to put down his twinkie and come yell at us. Thanks to Jeremy Center for letting me borrow some of his ever expanding arsenal, and to maginashun for just holdin it down and being Mark.

If you'd like to check out this wonderful dancer more or are in the Seattle area and need a great Samba teacher, you can reach her here: www.myspace.com/thaisebr

Seattle, WA

5D

17-40L

Hitech .3 Soft GND

W.L. X1600 into 22" Beauty Dish from 8 o clock

W.L. X1600 Gridded from 4 o clock

www.strobist.com

PLEASE VIEW LARGE. AND HIRE ME:)

Museums - The British Museum

The British Museum was founded as a ‘Universal Museum’. Its beginnings are bequeathed from the will of Sir John Sloane. He amassed 71,000 items, manuscripts, books and many natural history items. He has a statue in the London Physic Garden, Chelsea.

In 1753 King George II gave his Royal Assent to build the Museum, the body of trustees chose Montagu House for its location. This was purchased from the family for £20,000. Ironically Buckingham Palace was rejected as being too expensive and the location, unsuitable.

The first exhibition for scholars was opened in January 1759. In those early days, the Library took up the whole of the ground floor, the first floor a large part was taken up by the Natural History collection.

In 1763 the Natural History collection was reclassified using the Linnaean System, after Carl Linnaeus, famous Swedish botanist. This made the Museum a centre of learning for European natural history scholars.

In the oncoming years there were many new additions particularly in the Library, David Garrick plays (approx. 1000) were one example but it wasn’t until 1772 when the first real quantities of antiques were purchased. This was the collection of Greek vases from Sir William Hamilton. More items came into the Museum. In 1778 objects from Capt. Cooks round-the-world voyages were brought back and donated. By the early 1800’s it was clear that further growth was not possible, furthermore there were signs of decrepitude and overcrowding.

In 1802 a building committee was set up. The upshot was that the Old Montague House was demolished and work began on the new building in 1823. It’s original intention was for a Library and Picture Gallery but this was changed because another new gallery was commissioned in 1824 (The National Gallery). So this building now housed the Natural History collection, the building work was completed in 1831.

Whilst this building work was going on items still came into the museum. In 1802 King George presented the Museum with the Rosetta Stone, (this was the key that opened the lock to deciphering hieroglyphs). In this period from 1802 – 1820 there were many gifts and purchases of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture.

Because of the overwhelming number of objects coming into the museum, it was decided to move the whole of the natural history collection to The Natural History Museum in Kensington. In 1847 over 20,000 books were bequeathed by Sir Thomas Grenville (former trustee). These arrived in horse-draws carts, all 20 of them.

From 1840 – 1900 there were many new sources of objects coming into the Museum. Partial Tombs from ancient Lycia, more Assyrian artefacts from excavations, a valuable collection of antiquities belonging to the Duke of Blacas, (this collection the French government at the time refused to buy so instead it was sold to the Museum for FFr1.2m in 1867). In 1881 came a collection of armour, from William Burges and in 1897 another bequest, this time of Finger rings, drinking vessels, porcelain, Japanese inro and netsuke from A. W. Franks, curator and collector.

More pressure for room for the ever expanding collection culminated in the purchase of 69 surrounding houses. The first stage of construction began in 1906.

Over the years there have been many changes to the internal rooms in the museum itself. The Classical and Near East, The Duveen Gallery which was destroyed during WWII, now bought back to its best.

Notable additions to the museum include in 1939 ‘The Sutton Hoo’ treasures from the Anglo Saxon burial ship. In 1972 The Tutankhamun Treasures exhibition attracted over 1.6 million people. Also in that year Parliament passed a resolution to establish a British Library. This was a real necessity as 1.25 miles of new shelving was needed to house the books coming into the Museum on a yearly basis. However it wasn’t until 1997 that the books actually left. Redevelopment of the space took place and was opened in 2000 as the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Great Court’.

From those original days of 1753, the British Museum has 13 million items, The natural History Museum 70 million and the British Library has 150 million. An impressive collection of items. I have merely scratched the surface. Definitely worth the visit and don’t forget, it’s F R E E.

The lowlands of South Carolina are not lost in the ever expanding city of Charleston.

Foggy mornings are quite common along with the delicate harmony of sights and smell that the lowland presents.Charleston harbor is quite beautiful. I took this photo at dawn.

One of my favorite slogans is the “never again” of the Jewish people. It is a cry of freedom and self-determination. It represents a clenched fist against the historic suffering of their nation and those who would find any kind of pretext to reenact it. It is a clear message to current and upcoming tyrants: The Jews will not forget the lessons of the holocaust and the grievous pain and humiliation endured by their ancestors, from Babylon to Auschwitz.

This has to be, however, the moment in history when it is the hardest to recite that beautifully rebellious slogan with any proud defiance. It so happens that the zealot whose political platform is all about keeping the people of Israel safe has miserably failed to deliver on that promise and is now at large trying to save face by bombing civilian households and condemning another nation to deprivation and famine.

Oh how difficult it is to say “never again” as the bombs fall and Palestine suffers. Oh how callous does that beautiful utterance sound when the people who know firsthand what it is to be deprived and brutalized stay so quiet while their home-made tyrants deprive and brutalize the tribe next door. Oh how dirty does it feel to recite those two words when the zeitgeist seems to show that all the pain and deprivation endured by the Jewish nation across history has not resulted in the right amount of compassion for the other Semites across that ever expanding imaginary border. #ceasefirenow #gaza

John Steinbeck wrote about the tide pools and how profoundly they illustrate the interconnectedness of all things, folded together in an ever-expanding universe that's bound by the elastic string of time. He said that one should look from the tide pool to the stars, and then back again in wonder. — Robyn Schneider

The Harry Potter CMF Series 2 has some great minifigs, with some even better accessories. Professor Pomona Sprout is not one of those.

The figure itself is a nice update on the 2011 minifig, but the Screaming Mandrake she's holding, is not the one she is packaged with. (It's the one from the last series that came with Neville; Who's getting a catch-up lesson today, because Pomona is an awesome teacher like that)

Instead, the Pomona minifig includes a printed 1x1 round brick, two of the green plant stems, and whilst she has a wand, she doesn't have a handle for her cauldron.

As AFOLs, we've come to expect a lot from the CMF minifigures, so those little omissions count for a lot. It means this is one for completionists only.

Because for the Hogwarts fans,

with the ever expanding range of Hogwarts classrooms, it's only a matter of time till we get a Herbology Classroom, and an updated Professor Pomona, which means it might be worth holding on.

ZackHerrmann's shows are always a remarkable surround experience of visual and aural vibrance. His newest exhibit, entitled 'Linda Cluster: Entomology,' opened today at The Hannington Arts Foundation.

Zack's art pieces range from surreal, abstract, and representational insect projects to a 60 meter high wall simply dripping with stunning paintings, vivacious colours and ever expanding particles. Zack wove a mesmerizing blend of music and sound effects at the opening: Bulgarian choral music fused with drummy beats, orthodox chants with atonal orchestrations, and he even slid in one of his custom Bjork remixes.

Please visit this month to experience Entomology. Upon arrival at the Hannington Arts Foundation landing zone you'll have the ability to teleport to any of the six locations which feature new exhibits from individual artists.

ZackHerrmann's Entomology

😄 HaPpY CrAzY Tuesday 😄 and a Happy New Year everybody! :-)

Museums - The British Museum

The British Museum was founded as a ‘Universal Museum’. Its beginnings are bequeathed from the will of Sir John Sloane. He amassed 71,000 items, manuscripts, books and many natural history items. He has a statue in the London Physic Garden, Chelsea.

In 1753 King George II gave his Royal Assent to build the Museum, the body of trustees chose Montagu House for its location. This was purchased from the family for £20,000. Ironically Buckingham Palace was rejected as being too expensive and the location, unsuitable.

The first exhibition for scholars was opened in January 1759. In those early days, the Library took up the whole of the ground floor, the first floor a large part was taken up by the Natural History collection.

In 1763 the Natural History collection was reclassified using the Linnaean System, after Carl Linnaeus, famous Swedish botanist. This made the Museum a centre of learning for European natural history scholars.

In the oncoming years there were many new additions particularly in the Library, David Garrick plays (approx. 1000) were one example but it wasn’t until 1772 when the first real quantities of antiques were purchased. This was the collection of Greek vases from Sir William Hamilton. More items came into the Museum. In 1778 objects from Capt. Cooks round-the-world voyages were brought back and donated. By the early 1800’s it was clear that further growth was not possible, furthermore there were signs of decrepitude and overcrowding.

In 1802 a building committee was set up. The upshot was that the Old Montague House was demolished and work began on the new building in 1823. It’s original intention was for a Library and Picture Gallery but this was changed because another new gallery was commissioned in 1824 (The National Gallery). So this building now housed the Natural History collection, the building work was completed in 1831.

Whilst this building work was going on items still came into the museum. In 1802 King George presented the Museum with the Rosetta Stone, (this was the key that opened the lock to deciphering hieroglyphs). In this period from 1802 – 1820 there were many gifts and purchases of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture.

Because of the overwhelming number of objects coming into the museum, it was decided to move the whole of the natural history collection to The Natural History Museum in Kensington. In 1847 over 20,000 books were bequeathed by Sir Thomas Grenville (former trustee). These arrived in horse-draws carts, all 20 of them.

From 1840 – 1900 there were many new sources of objects coming into the Museum. Partial Tombs from ancient Lycia, more Assyrian artefacts from excavations, a valuable collection of antiquities belonging to the Duke of Blacas, (this collection the French government at the time refused to buy so instead it was sold to the Museum for FFr1.2m in 1867). In 1881 came a collection of armour, from William Burges and in 1897 another bequest, this time of Finger rings, drinking vessels, porcelain, Japanese inro and netsuke from A. W. Franks, curator and collector.

More pressure for room for the ever expanding collection culminated in the purchase of 69 surrounding houses. The first stage of construction began in 1906.

Over the years there have been many changes to the internal rooms in the museum itself. The Classical and Near East, The Duveen Gallery which was destroyed during WWII, now bought back to its best.

Notable additions to the museum include in 1939 ‘The Sutton Hoo’ treasures from the Anglo Saxon burial ship. In 1972 The Tutankhamun Treasures exhibition attracted over 1.6 million people. Also in that year Parliament passed a resolution to establish a British Library. This was a real necessity as 1.25 miles of new shelving was needed to house the books coming into the Museum on a yearly basis. However it wasn’t until 1997 that the books actually left. Redevelopment of the space took place and was opened in 2000 as the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Great Court’.

From those original days of 1753, the British Museum has 13 million items, The natural History Museum 70 million and the British Library has 150 million. An impressive collection of items. I have merely scratched the surface. Definitely worth the visit and don’t forget, it’s F R E E.

Watched by a sizeable gallery, the latest dual mode electro-diesel additions to the ever expanding GBRf fleet, 99001 and 99002, are towed through Leicester by stablemate 66307 'Ipswich Town' working 0Q66, the 13.53 light engine move from Avonmouth Hanson Sidings to Leicester Locomotive Inspection Point.

Museums - The British Museum

The British Museum was founded as a ‘Universal Museum’. Its beginnings are bequeathed from the will of Sir John Sloane. He amassed 71,000 items, manuscripts, books and many natural history items. He has a statue in the London Physic Garden, Chelsea.

In 1753 King George II gave his Royal Assent to build the Museum, the body of trustees chose Montagu House for its location. This was purchased from the family for £20,000. Ironically Buckingham Palace was rejected as being too expensive and the location, unsuitable.

The first exhibition for scholars was opened in January 1759. In those early days, the Library took up the whole of the ground floor, the first floor a large part was taken up by the Natural History collection.

In 1763 the Natural History collection was reclassified using the Linnaean System, after Carl Linnaeus, famous Swedish botanist. This made the Museum a centre of learning for European natural history scholars.

In the oncoming years there were many new additions particularly in the Library, David Garrick plays (approx. 1000) were one example but it wasn’t until 1772 when the first real quantities of antiques were purchased. This was the collection of Greek vases from Sir William Hamilton. More items came into the Museum. In 1778 objects from Capt. Cooks round-the-world voyages were brought back and donated. By the early 1800’s it was clear that further growth was not possible, furthermore there were signs of decrepitude and overcrowding.

In 1802 a building committee was set up. The upshot was that the Old Montague House was demolished and work began on the new building in 1823. It’s original intention was for a Library and Picture Gallery but this was changed because another new gallery was commissioned in 1824 (The National Gallery). So this building now housed the Natural History collection, the building work was completed in 1831.

Whilst this building work was going on items still came into the museum. In 1802 King George presented the Museum with the Rosetta Stone, (this was the key that opened the lock to deciphering hieroglyphs). In this period from 1802 – 1820 there were many gifts and purchases of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture.

Because of the overwhelming number of objects coming into the museum, it was decided to move the whole of the natural history collection to The Natural History Museum in Kensington. In 1847 over 20,000 books were bequeathed by Sir Thomas Grenville (former trustee). These arrived in horse-draws carts, all 20 of them.

From 1840 – 1900 there were many new sources of objects coming into the Museum. Partial Tombs from ancient Lycia, more Assyrian artefacts from excavations, a valuable collection of antiquities belonging to the Duke of Blacas, (this collection the French government at the time refused to buy so instead it was sold to the Museum for FFr1.2m in 1867). In 1881 came a collection of armour, from William Burges and in 1897 another bequest, this time of Finger rings, drinking vessels, porcelain, Japanese inro and netsuke from A. W. Franks, curator and collector.

More pressure for room for the ever expanding collection culminated in the purchase of 69 surrounding houses. The first stage of construction began in 1906.

Over the years there have been many changes to the internal rooms in the museum itself. The Classical and Near East, The Duveen Gallery which was destroyed during WWII, now bought back to its best.

Notable additions to the museum include in 1939 ‘The Sutton Hoo’ treasures from the Anglo Saxon burial ship. In 1972 The Tutankhamun Treasures exhibition attracted over 1.6 million people. Also in that year Parliament passed a resolution to establish a British Library. This was a real necessity as 1.25 miles of new shelving was needed to house the books coming into the Museum on a yearly basis. However it wasn’t until 1997 that the books actually left. Redevelopment of the space took place and was opened in 2000 as the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Great Court’.

From those original days of 1753, the British Museum has 13 million items, The natural History Museum 70 million and the British Library has 150 million. An impressive collection of items. I have merely scratched the surface. Definitely worth the visit and don’t forget, it’s F R E E.

.

For the first time in awhile, I got off my ever expanding derrière, and went to the Japanese garden. I'm so glad that I did. It won't be long before the trees are past their autumn colors. The expected wind started up in late morning. It's supposed to be windy and cold across New Mexico for the rest of the week.

I am always fascinated with the ishi-dōrō lanterns that are scattered through the garden.

CHS, Inc. has some stepped up their switch power game, employing a pair of switch units at the ever-expanding elevator complex in Mahnomen along the CP Detroit Lakes Subdivision. Canadian Pacific has been extending the old passing siding and other trackage in town to accommodate lengthy grain trains. Former CP 1518, now NPR 1518, is stationed at CHS along with CHS 1 up from Callaway.

Museums - The British Museum

The British Museum was founded as a ‘Universal Museum’. Its beginnings are bequeathed from the will of Sir John Sloane. He amassed 71,000 items, manuscripts, books and many natural history items. He has a statue in the London Physic Garden, Chelsea.

In 1753 King George II gave his Royal Assent to build the Museum, the body of trustees chose Montagu House for its location. This was purchased from the family for £20,000. Ironically Buckingham Palace was rejected as being too expensive and the location, unsuitable.

The first exhibition for scholars was opened in January 1759. In those early days, the Library took up the whole of the ground floor, the first floor a large part was taken up by the Natural History collection.

In 1763 the Natural History collection was reclassified using the Linnaean System, after Carl Linnaeus, famous Swedish botanist. This made the Museum a centre of learning for European natural history scholars.

In the oncoming years there were many new additions particularly in the Library, David Garrick plays (approx. 1000) were one example but it wasn’t until 1772 when the first real quantities of antiques were purchased. This was the collection of Greek vases from Sir William Hamilton. More items came into the Museum. In 1778 objects from Capt. Cooks round-the-world voyages were brought back and donated. By the early 1800’s it was clear that further growth was not possible, furthermore there were signs of decrepitude and overcrowding.

In 1802 a building committee was set up. The upshot was that the Old Montague House was demolished and work began on the new building in 1823. It’s original intention was for a Library and Picture Gallery but this was changed because another new gallery was commissioned in 1824 (The National Gallery). So this building now housed the Natural History collection, the building work was completed in 1831.

Whilst this building work was going on items still came into the museum. In 1802 King George presented the Museum with the Rosetta Stone, (this was the key that opened the lock to deciphering hieroglyphs). In this period from 1802 – 1820 there were many gifts and purchases of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture.

Because of the overwhelming number of objects coming into the museum, it was decided to move the whole of the natural history collection to The Natural History Museum in Kensington. In 1847 over 20,000 books were bequeathed by Sir Thomas Grenville (former trustee). These arrived in horse-draws carts, all 20 of them.

From 1840 – 1900 there were many new sources of objects coming into the Museum. Partial Tombs from ancient Lycia, more Assyrian artefacts from excavations, a valuable collection of antiquities belonging to the Duke of Blacas, (this collection the French government at the time refused to buy so instead it was sold to the Museum for FFr1.2m in 1867). In 1881 came a collection of armour, from William Burges and in 1897 another bequest, this time of Finger rings, drinking vessels, porcelain, Japanese inro and netsuke from A. W. Franks, curator and collector.

More pressure for room for the ever expanding collection culminated in the purchase of 69 surrounding houses. The first stage of construction began in 1906.

Over the years there have been many changes to the internal rooms in the museum itself. The Classical and Near East, The Duveen Gallery which was destroyed during WWII, now bought back to its best.

Notable additions to the museum include in 1939 ‘The Sutton Hoo’ treasures from the Anglo Saxon burial ship. In 1972 The Tutankhamun Treasures exhibition attracted over 1.6 million people. Also in that year Parliament passed a resolution to establish a British Library. This was a real necessity as 1.25 miles of new shelving was needed to house the books coming into the Museum on a yearly basis. However it wasn’t until 1997 that the books actually left. Redevelopment of the space took place and was opened in 2000 as the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Great Court’.

From those original days of 1753, the British Museum has 13 million items, The natural History Museum 70 million and the British Library has 150 million. An impressive collection of items. I have merely scratched the surface. Definitely worth the visit and don’t forget, it’s F R E E.

Museums - The British Museum

The British Museum was founded as a ‘Universal Museum’. Its beginnings are bequeathed from the will of Sir John Sloane. He amassed 71,000 items, manuscripts, books and many natural history items. He has a statue in the London Physic Garden, Chelsea.

In 1753 King George II gave his Royal Assent to build the Museum, the body of trustees chose Montagu House for its location. This was purchased from the family for £20,000. Ironically Buckingham Palace was rejected as being too expensive and the location, unsuitable.

The first exhibition for scholars was opened in January 1759. In those early days, the Library took up the whole of the ground floor, the first floor a large part was taken up by the Natural History collection.

In 1763 the Natural History collection was reclassified using the Linnaean System, after Carl Linnaeus, famous Swedish botanist. This made the Museum a centre of learning for European natural history scholars.

In the oncoming years there were many new additions particularly in the Library, David Garrick plays (approx. 1000) were one example but it wasn’t until 1772 when the first real quantities of antiques were purchased. This was the collection of Greek vases from Sir William Hamilton. More items came into the Museum. In 1778 objects from Capt. Cooks round-the-world voyages were brought back and donated. By the early 1800’s it was clear that further growth was not possible, furthermore there were signs of decrepitude and overcrowding.

In 1802 a building committee was set up. The upshot was that the Old Montague House was demolished and work began on the new building in 1823. It’s original intention was for a Library and Picture Gallery but this was changed because another new gallery was commissioned in 1824 (The National Gallery). So this building now housed the Natural History collection, the building work was completed in 1831.

Whilst this building work was going on items still came into the museum. In 1802 King George presented the Museum with the Rosetta Stone, (this was the key that opened the lock to deciphering hieroglyphs). In this period from 1802 – 1820 there were many gifts and purchases of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture.

Because of the overwhelming number of objects coming into the museum, it was decided to move the whole of the natural history collection to The Natural History Museum in Kensington. In 1847 over 20,000 books were bequeathed by Sir Thomas Grenville (former trustee). These arrived in horse-draws carts, all 20 of them.

From 1840 – 1900 there were many new sources of objects coming into the Museum. Partial Tombs from ancient Lycia, more Assyrian artefacts from excavations, a valuable collection of antiquities belonging to the Duke of Blacas, (this collection the French government at the time refused to buy so instead it was sold to the Museum for FFr1.2m in 1867). In 1881 came a collection of armour, from William Burges and in 1897 another bequest, this time of Finger rings, drinking vessels, porcelain, Japanese inro and netsuke from A. W. Franks, curator and collector.

More pressure for room for the ever expanding collection culminated in the purchase of 69 surrounding houses. The first stage of construction began in 1906.

Over the years there have been many changes to the internal rooms in the museum itself. The Classical and Near East, The Duveen Gallery which was destroyed during WWII, now bought back to its best.

Notable additions to the museum include in 1939 ‘The Sutton Hoo’ treasures from the Anglo Saxon burial ship. In 1972 The Tutankhamun Treasures exhibition attracted over 1.6 million people. Also in that year Parliament passed a resolution to establish a British Library. This was a real necessity as 1.25 miles of new shelving was needed to house the books coming into the Museum on a yearly basis. However it wasn’t until 1997 that the books actually left. Redevelopment of the space took place and was opened in 2000 as the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Great Court’.

From those original days of 1753, the British Museum has 13 million items, The natural History Museum 70 million and the British Library has 150 million. An impressive collection of items. I have merely scratched the surface. Definitely worth the visit and don’t forget, it’s F R E E.

We went to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest near Bishop, California. It is home to the oldest trees in the world - some of the bristlecone pines exceed 4000 years of age.

We left after sunset. Driving into the beginning of the night I noticed a faint red line going straight up into the sky facing south. I stopped our van so that we could watch this unusual scene. The line turned into a red glow - at that time I knew it was a rocket launch. I suspected a SpaceX launch from southern California, but was not sure. The red glow turned into a white cone. The cone grew and grew to an enormous size - it's the ever expanding exhaust gases, illuminated by the sun.

Later on I found out that it was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 07:21 pm local time. It successfully delivered Argentina's SAOCOM-1A Earth-observation satellite to orbit.

I took this handheld shot with the f/0.95 Dream Lens. To get a sense of scale of the exhaust gases, the wide side of this image has about a 40° angle of view based on the 50mm lens on the full frame Sony A7 II camera. Assuming it is located at a 45° angle above the horizon, and the launch site is 220 miles away, I estimate that the exhaust gases cover a distance of about 300 miles, or 500 km! It was a jaw dropping event.

I processed a soft HDR photo from a RAW exposure, and carefully adjusted the color balance and curves. I welcome and appreciate constructive feedback.

Thank you for visiting - ♡ with gratitude! Fave if you like it, add comments below, like the Facebook page, order beautiful HDR prints at qualityHDR.com.

-- ƒ/0.95, 50 mm, 0.8 sec, ISO 1250, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95, HDR, 1 RAW exposure, _DSC4063_hdr1sof3c.jpg

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography

Christianity’s influence permeates western civilization, reaching into every nook and cranny of our history and culture. The Bible, Christianity’s scripture, is likely the best-selling book of all time. Even as American society has become more secular and many Americans turn away from organized religion, the Bible itself is available in an ever-expanding variety of languages, translations, and editions with all manner of supplements for its readers.

This exhibit explores not the history of the Bible itself but the history of the printing of the Bible. It begins with Gutenberg and other early printers in continental Europe, then moves across the English Channel to examine the publication of Bibles in England, Wales, and Scotland. The exhibit then turns its attention to Bibles and related scriptures, some in English, some not, in the American colonies and later the United States.

All of the Bibles in this exhibit are the property of Swem Library, except the Aitken Bible of 1782, which is the property of Bruton Parish Church but is normally stored at Swem. We thank Bruton Parish for permission to display it.

THE BIBLE IN ENGLISH AND WELSH

Wyclif’s Bible

John Wycliffe (?-1384) was a theologian and minister in England who challenged the authority of the Catholic Church in secular affairs, questioned the wealth of many monastic orders, and objected to other points of Catholic doctrine. He argued that the Bible, not the pope, should be the supreme authority. Under his leadership in the 1380s, a group of scholars translated the Latin Vulgate Bible into vernacular English. He apparently translated the New Testament, while others translated the Old Testament and Apocrypha. This translation was not printed but copied by hand, and approximately 250 partial manuscripts of Wyclif’s Bible survive today. The book presented here, the Biblia Pauperum, contains 38 woodcuts of Jesus’s life, accompanied by the related text from Wyclif’s Bible.

Tyndale’s Bible

William Tyndale (ca. 1494-1536) was an English minister and scholar who moved in humanist circles. English Catholic authorities, suspicious that he could pose a challenge to the Church’s authority, denied his 1523 request for permission to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew texts rather than the Latin Vulgate, as Wycliffe had done. Tyndale moved to the Continent in 1524 and proceeded to translate the New Testament anyway, relying in part on the Greek and Latin texts of Erasmus. In 1526, printers in Worms and Antwerp published Tyndale’s New Testament, which was smuggled into England. English authorities burned most copies, and Cardinal Wolsey condemned him as a heretic. They believed Tyndale was too influenced by Lutheranism, as seen by his choice of words (e.g., “congregation” not “church” and “senior” or “elder” rather than “priest”) and by the prefaces to his publications. Tyndale went into hiding and began translating the Old Testament. He published several parts of the Old Testament in English, and the books were again smuggled into England. Before he could finish the entire Old Testament, local authorities in Antwerp arrested him, trying to cooperate with the English government. Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536.

The edition of Tyndale’s New Testament on display here dates from 1550. Its relatively small size made it useful for personal study. Tyndale’s translation had a tremendous effect on the later and better-known King James Version (KJV). A 1998 study found that of the KJV text, 84% of the New Testament and 75.8% of the Old Testament (for the books that Tyndale had translated), were taken directly from Tyndale’s version.

The Great Bible

Ironically, within a few years of his death, William Tyndale’s influence in England was strong. In 1537, King Henry VIII through his secretary Sir Thomas Cromwell authorized the publication of an English Bible for use in the newly-established Church of England. Tyndale’s occasional collaborator, Myles Coverdale (ca 1488-1569), became the editor. Coverdale had produced a complete printed English Bible in 1535, using Tyndale’s translations and adding some of his own. Coverdale did not have Tyndale’s mastery of Greek and Hebrew, so he translated from the Vulgate Latin and German versions of the Bible. Coverdale and another man named John Rogers again used Tyndale’s translations in an edition of the Bible known as Matthew Bible, published in 1537. For the version Cromwell appointed him to prepare, Coverdale turned to the Matthew Bible, making many additions from the Latin Vulgate to mollify conservatives. Published in 1539 in Paris and then London, this version became known as the “Great Bible” because of its large size. It was meant to be used in churches. Queen Elizabeth I authorized the publication of additional editions of the “Great Bible” in 1562 and 1566. The edition on display here dates from 1566. The “Great Bible” was superseded by the Bishops’ Bible, first published in 1568.

Welsh Bible

Queen Elizabeth I in 1563 ordered the bishops in Wales to produce Welsh editions of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer and distribute them to all parish churches by 1566. There was no complete translation of the Bible into Welsh extant, even in manuscript form. The bishop of St. David’s, Richard Davies (ca 1505-1581), supervised the work and translated some of the New Testament himself. Much of the translation, however, was the work of William Salesbury (ca 1520-ca 1584), the pre-eminent Welsh scholar of the day and a Protestant who had suffered greatly during the 1550s reign of Catholic Queen Mary. Printed in London in 1567, the volume on display here is the first edition of the Welsh New Testament; the whole Bible would not be available in Welsh until 1588.

The Geneva Bible: The Bible of the English People on the Eve of Colonization

From 1553 to 1558, a Catholic, Queen Mary I, reigned in England. Many Protestant scholars and ministers fled to Europe for refuge, with a number, led by John Knox, settling in Geneva, one of the great strongholds of Protestantism, especially Calvinism. Influenced by the work of Théodore de Bèze (see Case 2) and Robert Estienne (see Case 1), these refugees produced an English Bible of extraordinary influence. William Whittingham (ca 1524-1579), an English scholar who was John Calvin’s brother-in-law, supervised the project. The Geneva Bible, first printed in 1560, made the latest scholarship and scholarly tools available to the laity: variant translations, headnotes, division into chapters and verses, annotations, text figures and maps, and so on. The first and many subsequent editions were printed in quarto size rather than folio and in readable Roman type rather than blackletter. The Geneva Bible became, in the words of one modern scholar, “the family Bible” of English-speaking people. It also is known as the “Breeches” Bible, because it described Adam and Eve making breeches for themselves when they realized they were naked.

There were at least 140 editions of the Geneva Bible printed between 1560 and 1644, and it was the first Bible printed in Scotland (in 1579). Archbishop William Laud banned the printing or importation of the Geneva Bible in 1637, and it fell into complete disfavor with the Restoration of 1660, due to its ties with Puritans.

Swem’s Geneva Bibles: Pocahontas’s Own?

Swem has three copies of the Geneva Bible. The two on display on the top shelf date from 1589 and 1605/1611. The copy on the lower shelf dates from 1580. It belonged to the family of John Rolfe, Pocahontas’s husband, and has a Rolfe family coat-of-arms. Pocahontas became a Christian before her marriage to Rolfe in 1614 and may have handled this Bible.

The King James Version

At the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, James I brought together representatives of the Puritan faction of the Church of England with more traditional Anglicans, as represented by various members of the Church’s hierarchy to resolve some of their differences. The Conference called for a new English translation of the Bible to replace the Bishops’ Bible and answer some of the Puritans’ objections to it. Forty-seven scholars worked in six groups—two each at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster--on the translations beginning in 1604. While they translated from the Greek and Hebrew texts, they closely consulted previous English editions and much of the language was that used by William Tyndale in his version many decades earlier. By 1611, the new edition was ready to go to press.

The official printer was the King’s Printer, Robert Barker of London, although he farmed out some of the printing to others, creating a financial mess that took decades to resolve. Since the book was meant to be read in the churches rather than for private devotions, Barker printed it in folio size rather than a smaller size, and he used a blackletter font rather than the more legible roman font. Smaller editions in roman font appeared in the next few years, but the Geneva Bible remained more popular for home use for at least several decades.

On display here are a leaf from the first edition in 1611 and a bound volume that has a 1611 New Testament and a 1613 Old Testament. Most of the surviving 1611 editions, such as Swem’s, vary slightly from each other due to the different printers Barker used.

Note: This version of the Bible today is typically called either the King James Version or Authorized Version, but those names were not used in print until the 1800s. Because it had virtually no notes, unlike the scholarly Geneva Bible, it popularly was called the “Bible without notes.”

From the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary. See swem.wm.edu/scrc/ for further information and assistance.

The Alteration of 1578 must've been a lucky turn of worldly if not religious events for the Butchers' Guild of Amsterdam. That 'Alteration' is the term used to describe the quite sudden transition from Catholicism to Protestantism of the city and its bureaucracy. The Alteration made it possible to turn ecclesiastical properties to public use. in 1583, the Butchers, cramped for space to serve the ever-expanding city, were given the former chapel of St Peter's Almshouse, for their new Great Meat Hall. After two centuries (1779) it had to be renovated, and it lost its purpose around the middle off the nineteenth century.

Except for this marvellously decorated spout gable, the facade today is not very exciting - at least to me. Spout gables ('tuitgevel' in Dutch) were used especially for buildings devoted to merchants and trade. Here this quite wonderful trio of oxen clearly indicates the manner of business of this building's denizens. Of course, their own spouting days are over...

A lockdown stroll around Attenborough nature reserve on the 13th November 2020 and a view across one of the transformed gravel workings.

In 1929 large-scale commercial gravel extraction began around Attenborough and would continue for the next ninety years. The extraction formed deep lagoons and as the extraction moved away from the works the gravel was transported by barge through the ever-expanding network of lagoons. In 1965, an application from the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) looked to fill the lagoons with ash from Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. However, by this time, the pits were already well-known for their wildlife interest and extensively used by local fishermen and birdwatchers, with records starting around 1948. Due to the strength of local feeling the CEGB withdrew their application and the ash was taken to Fletton, Peterborough. Discussions then began with the site’s then owners, Trent Gravels Ltd, about the future for the lagoons and it was agreed to develop the site as a nature reserve in parallel with contined gravel extraction. The opening ceremony as a nature reserve was in 1966 and was performed by David Attenborough. Gravel extraction has recently finished and the works are being demolished, whilst the nature reserve now welcomes around 500,000 visitors per year and is regarded as one of the best sites in the UK to see kingfishers.

Shinnecock Reservation: L.I., NY: Labour Day Powwow, September 2006.

Shinnecock Tribe

Rte 27-A, Montauk Hwy

Southhampton, NY 111968

631-283-6143

State recognized; (no BIA office liason - seriously ridiculous!)

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Shinnecock Indian Nation: An Ancient History and Culture.

Since the beginning, Shinnecock time has been measured in moons and seasons, and the daily lives of our people revolved around the land and the waters surrounding it. Our earliest history was oral, passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, and as far back as our collective memory can reach, we are an Algonquin people who have forever lived along the shores of Eastern Long Island.

Scientists say we came here on caribou hunts when the land was covered with ice. But our creation story says we were born here; that we are the human children of the goddess who descended from the sky. It was she, the story goes, who caused the land to form beneath her feet from the back of Great Turtle, deer to spring forth from her fingertips; bear to roar into awakening, wolf to prowl on the first hunt. It was she who filled the sky with birds, made the land to blossom and the ponds and bays to fill with fish and mollusks. And when all was done, the Shinnecock, the People of the Shore, appeared in this lush terrain. We are still here.

As coastal dwellers, we continue to prize the bounty of the sea, the shellfish, the scaly fish, which for thousands of years provided the bulk of our diet. We were whalers, challenging the mighty Atlantic from our dugout canoes long before the arrival of the big ships, long before the whaling industry flourished in the 19th century.

In the 1700's, we became noted among the northeastern coastal tribes for our fine beads made from the Northern quahog clam and whelk shells. The Dutch, who arrived on our shores before the English, turned our beads (wampum) into the money system for the colonies.

The Shinnecock Nation is among the oldest self-governing tribes of Indians in the United States and has been a state-recognized tribe for over 200 years. In 1978, we applied for Federal Recognition, and in 2003, we were placed on the Bureau of Indian Affairs' "Ready for Active" list.

Traditionally, decisions concerning the welfare of the tribe were made by consensus of adult male members. Seeking to shortcut the consensus process in order to more easily facilitate the acquisition of Indian lands, the Town of Southampton devised a three member trustee system for the Shinnecock people. This system of tribal government was approved by the New York State legislature in February of 1792. Since April 3, 1792, Shinnecock Indians have gone to the Southampton Town Hall the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April to elect three tribal members to serve a one- year term as Trustees. In April of 2007, the Shinnecock Indian Nation exercised its sovereign right as an ancient Indian Nation and returned to one of its basic Traditions: it bypassed the Southampton Town Hall and for the first time since 1792 held its leadership elections at home, where they will remain.

The Trustee system, however, did not then and does not now circumvent the consensus process, which still remains the governing process of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. Major decisions concerning the tribe are voted yea or nay by all eligible adult members, including women, who gained the right to vote in the mid-1990s. Also in that period, the Shinnecock Nation installed a Tribal Council, a 13 member body elected for two years terms. The Council is an advisory body to the Board of Trustees.

Today, we number over 1300 people, more than 600 of whom reside on the reservation adjacent to the Town of Southampton on the East End of Long Island. While our ancestral lands have dwindled over the centuries from a territory stretching at least from what is known today as the Town of Easthampton and westward to the eastern border of the Town of Brookhaven, we still hold on to approximately 1200 acres.

With modest resources, we have managed to build a community to help us better meet the demands of an ever expanding and intrusive world. In addition to the Shinnecock Presbyterian church building and its Manse, our infrastructure includes a tribal community center, a shellfish hatchery, a health and dental center, a family preservation and Indian education center, a museum, and playgrounds for our children. Also on our list of recent achievements is the design and development of an official Shinnecock Indian Nation flag and an official seal.

Our skilled craftspeople and fine artists find employment within the Tribe as well as the surrounding area. The number of tribal members holding advanced degrees in law, business, medicine, social sciences and liberal arts continues to grow, and tribal members hold positions of responsibility in all areas, including teaching, banking and counseling, both within and outside the Shinnecock community.

One of the earliest forms of economic development that the Shinnecock Nation undertook was to lease Reservation acreage to local area farmers for their crops, mainly potatoes and corn. While the project did bring in a small income for the Tribe, the resulting damages from pesticides leaking into the ground water and polluting our drinking water supply were enormous. We had great expectations for our shellfish hatchery (Oyster Project) but brown tide and general pollution forced it to close before it had the chance to develop into the business enterprise it was planned to be. In the summer of 2005, the Tribe began reseeding parts of its waterways with oysters, and celebrated a renewal harvest of Shinnecock chunkoo oysters at the Tribal Thanksgiving Dinner, November 2006.

At the present moment, the Shinnecock annual Powwow is the economic development project of record for the Shinnecock Nation. Revived in 1946 as a benefit for our church, the Powwow has evolved into an event that hosts thousands of visitors. But we are at the mercy of the weather. For the past two years, rainstorms have forced us to drastically revise our budgeting plans. We are now exploring Indian Gaming as a means of attaining the much needed self-sufficiency that will enable us to perform the sacred duties laid out for us by the Ancestors — to protect, manage and maintain the Shinnecock Indian Nation.

By Bevy Deer Jensen

Shinnecock Nation Communications Officer

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For more information on the Shinnecock Nation, please visit: www.shinnecocknation.com/

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photography: a. golden, eyewash design, c. 2006.

Part of a recently ever-expanding collection of insanity.

Museums - The British Museum

The British Museum was founded as a ‘Universal Museum’. Its beginnings are bequeathed from the will of Sir John Sloane. He amassed 71,000 items, manuscripts, books and many natural history items. He has a statue in the London Physic Garden, Chelsea.

In 1753 King George II gave his Royal Assent to build the Museum, the body of trustees chose Montagu House for its location. This was purchased from the family for £20,000. Ironically Buckingham Palace was rejected as being too expensive and the location, unsuitable.

The first exhibition for scholars was opened in January 1759. In those early days, the Library took up the whole of the ground floor, the first floor a large part was taken up by the Natural History collection.

In 1763 the Natural History collection was reclassified using the Linnaean System, after Carl Linnaeus, famous Swedish botanist. This made the Museum a centre of learning for European natural history scholars.

In the oncoming years there were many new additions particularly in the Library, David Garrick plays (approx. 1000) were one example but it wasn’t until 1772 when the first real quantities of antiques were purchased. This was the collection of Greek vases from Sir William Hamilton. More items came into the Museum. In 1778 objects from Capt. Cooks round-the-world voyages were brought back and donated. By the early 1800’s it was clear that further growth was not possible, furthermore there were signs of decrepitude and overcrowding.

In 1802 a building committee was set up. The upshot was that the Old Montague House was demolished and work began on the new building in 1823. It’s original intention was for a Library and Picture Gallery but this was changed because another new gallery was commissioned in 1824 (The National Gallery). So this building now housed the Natural History collection, the building work was completed in 1831.

Whilst this building work was going on items still came into the museum. In 1802 King George presented the Museum with the Rosetta Stone, (this was the key that opened the lock to deciphering hieroglyphs). In this period from 1802 – 1820 there were many gifts and purchases of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture.

Because of the overwhelming number of objects coming into the museum, it was decided to move the whole of the natural history collection to The Natural History Museum in Kensington. In 1847 over 20,000 books were bequeathed by Sir Thomas Grenville (former trustee). These arrived in horse-draws carts, all 20 of them.

From 1840 – 1900 there were many new sources of objects coming into the Museum. Partial Tombs from ancient Lycia, more Assyrian artefacts from excavations, a valuable collection of antiquities belonging to the Duke of Blacas, (this collection the French government at the time refused to buy so instead it was sold to the Museum for FFr1.2m in 1867). In 1881 came a collection of armour, from William Burges and in 1897 another bequest, this time of Finger rings, drinking vessels, porcelain, Japanese inro and netsuke from A. W. Franks, curator and collector.

More pressure for room for the ever expanding collection culminated in the purchase of 69 surrounding houses. The first stage of construction began in 1906.

Over the years there have been many changes to the internal rooms in the museum itself. The Classical and Near East, The Duveen Gallery which was destroyed during WWII, now bought back to its best.

Notable additions to the museum include in 1939 ‘The Sutton Hoo’ treasures from the Anglo Saxon burial ship. In 1972 The Tutankhamun Treasures exhibition attracted over 1.6 million people. Also in that year Parliament passed a resolution to establish a British Library. This was a real necessity as 1.25 miles of new shelving was needed to house the books coming into the Museum on a yearly basis. However it wasn’t until 1997 that the books actually left. Redevelopment of the space took place and was opened in 2000 as the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Great Court’.

From those original days of 1753, the British Museum has 13 million items, The natural History Museum 70 million and the British Library has 150 million. An impressive collection of items. I have merely scratched the surface. Definitely worth the visit and don’t forget, it’s F R E E.

Monday, August 28, 2023 was a momentous day on CSX's RF&P sub. For the first time, Amtrak trains 89 and 90 were led by the new long distance chargers. I felt like it was important to go capture the history of the moment, as it's certainly a big change in American railroading. We see the majority of the east coast long distance trains through here, so there's no doubt we'll be getting familiar with these new machines. While I don't love the European design influence in the new locomotive, it is nice to see a major investment as so many of the P42's seem to be getting TIRED. Hopefully this will improve the experience for crews, passengers, and keep the ever expanding Virginia service growing. There's no doubt this sharp scheme, a nice departure from the blue and silver on the 42s, photographs pretty well.

We went to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest near Bishop, California. It is home to the oldest trees in the world - some of the bristlecone pines exceed 4000 years of age.

We left after sunset. Driving into the beginning of the night I noticed a faint red line going straight up into the sky facing south. I stopped our van so that we could watch this unusual scene. The line turned into a red glow - at that time I knew it was a rocket launch. I suspected a SpaceX launch from southern California, but was not sure. The red glow turned into a white cone. The cone grew and grew to an enormous size (see previous photo) - it's the ever expanding exhaust gases, illuminated by the sun. Later on, the big gas cloud became dimmer and dimmer, and you could see the rocket climb higher and higher into orbit. I took this handheld shot with the f/0.95 Dream Lens. It was a jaw dropping event!

Later on I found out that it was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 07:21 pm local time. It successfully delivered Argentina's SAOCOM-1A Earth-observation satellite to orbit.

I processed a soft HDR photo from a RAW exposure, and carefully adjusted the color balance and curves. I welcome and appreciate constructive feedback.

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-- ƒ/0.95, 50 mm, 0.6 sec, ISO 2000, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95, HDR, 1 RAW exposure, _DSC4070_hdr1sof1j.jpg

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography