The apple tree in our backyard is, by my estimation, sixty years old. It is probably the result of someone throwing a core to the fence and the seed coming up protected from trampling and mowing by bigger trees. Today it takes up a lot of space by itself and some years it produces a few dozen apples. Other years, like this one, it produces almost none. There are two apples on it, the entire product of the summer's effort, and one of them is so high I will have to leave it for the birds to pick at in the late-winter thaws. But this one I will eat.

Having been on the snowy heights in Glen Coe the previous day, I had planned an easy-ish plod up the long spine of Beinn na Gucaig, above Inchree. The idea was to photograph a wintry Ben Nevis at dawn from a lesser known vantage point. Well, the 'easy plod' turned out to be nothing short of purgatory; a total grind involving frozen long grass giving way to clawing, calf-deep snow; a laborious, soul-destroying hell that threw my totally inaccurate estimations out the window! I was never going to reach my intended position in time for 'golden hour'.

Had I been successful, a little bonus I had banked on was photographing the Ardgour Hills, across Loch Linnhe, later in the morning on my way down. My subsequent failure, however, meant that suddenly Garbh Bheinn was top of the bill. This image would never have been captured had I got my sums correct. Serendipitous.

This one was a “quickie” even without the aid of Photoshop’s amazing Generative Fill……….however, I did use a feature in CS6 which is called; the “Patch Tool”. Not nearly as sophisticated as “GF” but in this instance it worked well enough. There as a big rock on the ground over to the right of where the car now rests. Wanted to take it out. Very rarely used tool but decided to try it out (since I am way behind times with the rest of the graphic arts artists).

The image of the Ferrari was taken at the 2023 Geneva Concours d’Elegance this past August. One of the few pictures I was able to get without throngs of spectators blocking my lens……….

The Background

Enjoy the outstanding photography of Ian Parker shown on his website, “Evanescent Light” - parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/nonscientific_adventures/Evanescent...

The Racetrack is a unique attraction of Death Valley National Park that not many park visitors get to see. It's a dry lakebed in a very remote and beautiful area. On the north end of the lakebed is a rock formation known as the grandstand. Rocks from the grandstand and other nearby formations break off and fall onto the lake. There, they perform feats that make this remote playa world-famous.

My sincere thanks to Ian for graciously allowing one to download and display his superb pictures for personal use and the enjoyment of others. I highly recommend to those viewing this picture to visit Ian’s website and his array of superb pictures. Many are “mind blowing” in my estimation.

Hope ya’all enjoy……..both this picture as well as Ian Parker’s fine photography.

In Alaska, flying is an essential way of life. Large commercial jets need a mile and half of runway and therefore are able to serve only a handful of large airports. Other rural places are commuted by ‘bush planes’, which do fine with shorter gravel runways. On our trip back to Anchorage from Port Alsworth (Lake Clark National Park), we had our seats in a ‘scheduled’ air taxi service. Our pilot was a young energetic man with a sporty Ray-Ban – Lyle. His co-pilot was his dad – Dave – the retired founder of this family-owned airline company, who was co-piloting today just for fun. Lyle had picked up a couple of passengers from Iliamna, a mining village located at the southern end of the Cook Inlet. The name of the village sounded familiar and triggered a geographical estimation in my head… to get back to Anchorage, we were due north-east along the Cook Inlet. Wasn’t there an active volcano along the way? Mt. Iliamna?

‘Are we flying by that volcano?’, I asked loudly over the engine from my last row seat.

Lyle turned around and replied with a mischievous smile, ‘We can.…’

‘Will it be on our left or the right?’, I enquired sheepishly.

With his smile intact, perhaps now a bit more mystified, Lyle asked, ‘Which side do you want it to be?’

Really? We were going to fly-by a volcano? With a gingerly grin and well-rounded, blinking chipmunk eyes, I pointed to my window on the right. The 70-200mm set-up was on me…, ‘if we fly near enough the volcano’, I thought, 'there might be a decent chance of a decent shot.'

‘Please buckle up. We will be in Anchorage in an hour’, Lyle ended our discussion with a formal public announcement and rolled out the Cessna Caravan on the gravel runway. Airborne, we maintained altitude at about two-three thousand feet above the beautiful Alaskan taiga, which was punctuated here and there by a lake, bay, or a snaking river. Soon after, Rishabh dozed off; our day hike earlier had been quite strenuous. I kept photographing the stunning scenery half-heartedly. The air-quality was poor; between that haze and the sub-optimal optics of my windowpane (for photography), most photos were ending up looking devilishly dirty. I will figure something out in Photoshop, I thought, and kept shooting.

Suddenly, we started gaining elevation. A lot of elevation. Perhaps there was a cloud bank ahead and Lyle was pulling up to maintain his line of vision (three miles of visibility is required by law for vision-based flying). Curious, I looked out of the window. Ahead of us, there were no cloud banks. Instead, about 30 seconds dead ahead of our craft was a massive white cone standing above everything else in stark relief against the azure Alaskan sky. We were darting straight towards the 10,016-feet volcano, Mt. Iliamna!

The next few seconds were a blur. I remember panicking, waking up Rishabh, panicking again, fiddling quickly with camera settings, and panicking some more. Outside my window, three quarter of the frame had now been taken up by the snow-clad volcano, and yet, we were not done approaching it! Soon I realized Lyle’s plans. He was about to circle the mighty mountain’s peak from close quarters –real close quarters– at about 60-80 miles per hour!

Darn it… this needed a wide-angle lens, not a 70-200mm!

Never mind the lens, I kept shooting in a frenzy. We had dropped a bit of elevation, the peak was no longer visible, and we were barely 30-40 yards from the volcano. The tip of our Cessna’s high wing was getting too close to the mountain and poking at my sanity. Somehow, time slowed down. I could see the volcano in great details as if I was standing on it. There it was… thickly ice-covered but de-iced down to colorful rocks here and there by the heat of hot steam and volcanic gases escaping large fumaroles skirted in green deposits. I could smell Sulphur. I could feel Iliamna.

1 minute 23 seconds, 35 frames, and a loud hoot later, it was all over. Or, was it? Will it ever be?

View from Jagger Museum over the Kilauea Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Recent activity on Kilauea, the Halema'uma'u Crater Vent has been blowing out tons of toxic gasses - at times an estimation of over 10 times than normal (USGS updates). At night, lava and superheated gasses light up the toxic cloud spewing from the vent (for perspective, the vent itself is nearly 30m across). At times, the vent could be heard as it literally breathed and pulsated. Depending upon the winds, the effects of this gas cloud could be seen locally and across the islands: from the closing of roads within the park (and the closure of the park itself a few weeks ago), to evacuations of nearby towns, to air quality in and around the Hawaiian Islands, most notably in Kona, where a large amount of 'vog' hovered over the city.

This image was taken around 11pm from the observation deck at Jagger Museum, approximately a 3 minute exposure, the moon lit up the barren landscape and gas plume.

Nature Photography by Greg Cope

This was the second shot after "Sunbrellas" which is not too far back in my stream. That one showed the woman approaching further away to the left. The comp here is tighter and has quite a different feel to it in my estimation.

Minolta XD-7 with Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 on Fuji Superior X-tra 400.

Seoul, ROK

2008

Mit diesem Bild beginnt eine neue Serie. Die Kanalstraße ist eine der kürzeren Straßen Pforzheims. Da sie auf meinem Weg in sie Innenstadt liegt, passiere ich sie häufig. Nach und nach sind mir Einzelheiten und Ansichten aufgefallen, die ich begonnen habe zu fotografieren. Es ist eine Art Makrofotografie im übertragenen Sinne. Ich sehe sehr genau hin und bewege mich sehr langsam. Meiner Einschätzung nach entsteht in diesen Fotografien eine neue Realität. Das üblicherweise Ungesehene und Unbeachtete wird sichtbar.

With This picture is the start of a new series. Kanalstraße is one of Pforzheim's shorter streets. I pass there frequently on my way to the town center. Gradually I noticed the details and views that I now started to take pictures of. It's a kind of macro photography in the figurative sense. I look very carefully and move very slowly. In my estimation, a new reality emerges in these photographs. The usually unseen and overlooked becomes visible only through my view.

One of a million shots on Flickr from the 18th Street Bridge. I don't know why, but this location seems to work best in black and white, or night shots. Color, for whatever reason, in my estimation, always falls short. This is a three shot HDR, using the Nik Software suite and Aperture.

WooWoo! #416 on Explore before being dropped!

I got out my little Helios lens for the first time in a long time yesterday - I'd forgotten how much fun it can be, though my metering estimation was a bit hit and miss for a while!

This scene and related chase were a result of everything lining up perfectly, something that doesn't happen too often on Pan Am. The previous night while I was at work, PORU had gone up the Rumford Branch with a pair of high hoods bracketing a widecab GP40, and doing some quick math, and throwing in a hopeful estimation of their departure time from Rumford being between 5 and 6 AM, and an optimistic weather report, I decided to go after them in the morning. I got out of work around 0300, and after a quick stop for some food and caffeine, I made the hour and a half drive out to Rumford, arriving just as they were putting the finishing touches on their train, and starting their brake test.

With their train ready to go about twenty minutes later, and the sun just starting to peek over the horizon, they called District 1 for their Form D west, and I headed out for the first shot of the day. Fast forward about forty-five minutes later, and the sun had risen enough to eliminate most of the shadows, and was still far enough to the north to get some killer lighting along the River Road in Canton, where the road parallels the tracks for about a mile and a half with just fields between the two. With 10 mph trackspeeds, it was easy to nab several different shots in just a few minutes, like this one of them rounding one of the curves, with the foothills near Rumford raising up in the distance.

These are the residential high-rise buildings around the Indian Nations Park, a noble area of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, a central-western state of Brazil in the "cerrado" area. The city is nicknamed "Cidade Morena" in Portugueses ("Swarthy City") in English because of the reddish-brown color of the region's soil. It has a population of 906,092, according to a 2020 IBGE estimate, On the Metropolitan Area, probably around 1 million people. Very hospitable people.

Estes são os prédios residenciais no entorno do Parque das Nações Indígenas, área nobre de Campo Grande, capital do Mato Grosso do Sul, estado do centro-oeste do Brasil na área do cerrado. A cidade é apelidada de "Cidade Morena" em português ("Cidade Swarthy") em inglês por causa da cor marrom-avermelhada do solo da região. Tem uma população de 906.092 habitantes, segundo estimativa do IBGE para 2020, na Região Metropolitana, provavelmente em torno de 1 milhão de pessoas. Pessoas muito hospitaleiras.

Estos son los edificios residenciales de gran altura alrededor del Parque de las Naciones Indias, una zona noble de Campo Grande, capital de Mato Grosso do Sul, un estado centro-occidental de Brasil en el área del "cerrado". La ciudad es apodada "Cidade Morena" en portugués ("Ciudad morena") en inglés debido al color marrón rojizo del suelo de la región. Tiene una población de 906,092, según una estimación del IBGE 2020, en el Área Metropolitana, probablemente alrededor de 1 millón de personas. Gente muy hospitalaria.

Ce sont les immeubles résidentiels de grande hauteur autour du Parc des Nations Indiennes, une zone noble de Campo Grande, capitale du Mato Grosso do Sul, un État du centre-ouest du Brésil dans la région du « cerrado ». La ville est surnommée « Cidade Morena » en portugais (« Swarthy City ») en anglais en raison de la couleur brun rougeâtre du sol de la région. Il a une population de 906 092 habitants, selon une estimation de l’IBGE de 2020, sur la région métropolitaine, probablement environ 1 million de personnes. Des gens très hospitaliers.

Dit zijn de residentiële hoogbouw rond het Indian Nations Park, een nobel gebied van Campo Grande, de hoofdstad van Mato Grosso do Sul, een centraal-westelijke staat van Brazilië in het "cerrado" -gebied. De stad heeft de bijnaam "Cidade Morena" in het Portugees ("Swarthy City") in het Engels vanwege de roodbruine kleur van de bodem van de regio. Het heeft een bevolking van 906.092, volgens een 2020 IBGE-schatting, Op de Metropolitan Area, waarschijnlijk ongeveer 1 miljoen mensen. Zeer gastvrije mensen.

Si tratta dei grattacieli residenziali intorno all'Indian Nations Park, zona nobile di Campo Grande, capitale del Mato Grosso do Sul, stato centro-occidentale del Brasile in zona "cerrado". La città è soprannominata "Cidade Morena" in portoghese ("Swarthy City") in inglese a causa del colore bruno-rossastro del suolo della regione. Ha una popolazione di 906.092, secondo una stima IBGE del 2020, sull'area metropolitana, probabilmente circa 1 milione di persone. Persone molto ospitali.

Dies sind die Wohnhochhäuser rund um den Indian Nations Park, eine noble Gegend von Campo Grande, der Hauptstadt von Mato Grosso do Sul, einem zentral-westlichen Bundesstaat Brasiliens im "Cerrado"-Gebiet. Die Stadt trägt den Spitznamen "Cidade Morena" auf Portugiesisch ("Swarthy City") auf Englisch wegen der rötlich-braunen Farbe des Bodens der Region. Es hat eine Bevölkerung von 906.092, nach einer 2020 IBGE Schätzung, Auf der Metropolregion, wahrscheinlich rund 1 Million Menschen. Sehr gastfreundliche Leute.

هذه هي المباني السكنية الشاهقة حول حديقة الأمم الهندية، وهي منطقة نبيلة في كامبو غراندي، عاصمة ماتو غروسو دو سول، وهي ولاية وسط غرب البرازيل في منطقة "سيرادو". ويطلق على المدينة اسم "سيدادي مورينا" باللغة البرتغالية ("مدينة سوارثي") باللغة الإنجليزية بسبب اللون البني المحمر تربة المنطقة. يبلغ عدد سكانها 906,092 نسمة، وفقا لتقديرات IBGE لعام 2020، في منطقة العاصمة، ربما حوالي مليون شخص. أناس مضيافون جدا

これらは、インド諸国の国立公園、カンポグランデの高貴なエリア、マトグロッソ・ド・スルの首都、ブラジルの中西部の「セラード」地域の高層ビルです。この都市は、この地域の土壌の赤褐色のため、ポルトガル語(「スワーシーシティ」)で英語で「シダーデ・モレナ」の愛称で親しまれています。2020年のIBGEの推定によると、人口は906,092人で、首都圏では、おそらく約100万人です。 非常に親切な人々。

Αυτά είναι τα οικιστικά πολυώροφα κτίρια γύρω από το Πάρκο των Ινδικών Εθνών, μια ευγενή περιοχή του Campo Grande, πρωτεύουσα του Mato Grosso do Sul, μιας κεντροδυικής πολιτείας της Βραζιλίας στην περιοχή "cerrado". Η πόλη έχει το παρατσούκλι "Cidade Morena" στους Πορτογάλους ("Swarthy City") στα αγγλικά λόγω του κοκκινωπού-καφέ χρώματος του εδάφους της περιοχής. Έχει πληθυσμό 906.092, σύμφωνα με εκτίμηση της IBGE για το 2020, στη Μητροπολιτική Περιοχή, πιθανώς περίπου 1 εκατομμύριο ανθρώπους. Πολύ φιλόξενοι άνθρωποι.

Électricien, plombier et chauffagiste de formation, Philippe Jourdain est passionné de montres anciennes. Après avoir perdu son emploi il a ouvert au 2, rue de la Cité, une boutique entièrement dédiée à ces objets qu'il connaît et affectionne. Collectionneur, il possède des montres anciennes. Dans sa boutique, il présente une grande partie de sa collection.

La pièce la plus ancienne date de 1830. La plus récente a dû donner l'heure pour la première fois, au début des années quatre-vingt-dix. Dans ce magasin unique à Limoges, Philippe Jourdain achète, vend, restaure, répare aussi les pièces qui lui sont confiées.

Il vend aussi des outils, des livres consacrés aux marques prestigieuses et même un tour d'horloger. La pièce la plus originale vient de Chine. Sur le cadran, Mao lève les bras et ce sont eux qui donnent l'heure.

Sinon, derrière les vitrines marques mythiques comme Lip, Omega, Longine, Zénith entre autres, occupent une place de choix. Comme c'est un grand spécialiste, Philippe Jourdain donne des estimations. Ces expertises sont gratuites.

Trained as an electrician, plumber and heating engineer, Philippe Jourdain is passionate about antique watches. After losing his job he opened at 2, rue de la Cité, a shop entirely dedicated to these objects he knows and loves. A collector, he owns old watches. In his shop, he presents a large part of his collection.

The oldest coin dates from 1830. The most recent must have given the time for the first time, at the beginning of the nineties. In this unique store in Limoges, Philippe Jourdain buys, sells, restores and also repairs the parts entrusted to him.

He also sells tools, books on prestigious brands and even a watchmaker's lathe. The most original piece comes from China. On the dial, Mao raises his arms and it is they who tell the time.

Otherwise, behind the windows of mythical brands such as Lip, Omega, Longine, Zénith among others, occupy a prominent place. As he is a great specialist, Philippe Jourdain gives estimates. These expertises are free.

L'assassin

Selon diverses estimations, depuis 2000, le nombre annuel moyen de décès humains causés par le moustique était d'environ 2 millions. Les humains sont arrivés loin derrière avec 475 000, suivis des serpents (50 000). A titre de comparaison, le terrible COVID 19 qui nous impacte tous a à ce jour fait 219 182 victimes. La femelle Aedes albopictus (moustique tigre) transmet diverses maladies qui peuvent être mortelles comme le chikungunya ou la dengue. En 2005, une épidémie de chikungunya a touché La Réunion faisant plus de 250 morts.

*******************************************************************************

The assassin

Taking a broad range of estimates into account, since 2000, the average annual number of human deaths caused by the mosquito was around 2 million. Humans came in a distant second at 475,000, followed by snakes (50,000). For comparison, the terrible COVID 19 that impacts us all has to date claimed 219,182 victims to date. The female Aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito) transmits various diseases which can be fatal like chikungunya or dengue. In 2005, an epidemic of chikungunya affected La Réunion, killing more than 250 people.

© 2013 Alan Mackenzie.

www.alanmackenziephotography.com

Fly resting on a Peppery Milkcap Mushroom in Friston Forest. I recall the temperatures being like summer and many dragonflies prematurely emerging from the chrysalis. Evolution doesn't understand sudden, unseasonal heatwaves; the dragonflies would have perished during the first air frosts.

In other news, British photographic retailer, Jessops has gone into administration and they are no longer accepting pre-paid gift cards. It was therefore fortuitous that I redeemed mine yesterday, as part payment for a Hähnel Giga T Pro II wireless remote controller. The swines at Jessops quite happily accepted gift card purchases until Christmas Eve and now all unredeemed cards are worthless. I had the feeling Jessops wouldn't last the year. My estimations were overly-optimistic, at any rate. It's hard on the 2000 people whose jobs are at risk.

I'm looking forward to putting my wireless controller to good use on deer, foxes and badgers. I'll leave their favourite food out; I will be hidden nearby, waiting to trigger the camera and capture some epic close-ups, like the images you see in National Geographic.

Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug. Today, I was the bug. Estimations had this train leaving Driftwood westbound around 2 or 3pm, but upon arrival in Driftwood at 2:30 it was apparent that they had not yet arrived. I headed west, passed them, and was finally able to get back ahead just in time for this shot. They never made it west in daylight. On the bright side I enjoyed wings at the Driftwood Tavern, got this shot, scouted the area a little bit, and saw some elk. All in all not terrible, but certainly a reminder that once in a while there's a failure in the cards!

Spent some time watching Kingfishers today never tire of these fabulous birds of our water systems such a pleasure to watch let alone photograph. In my estimation they come top of my list and are well worth the wait.

Just on the Eastern side of the Continental Divide, at Pipestone Montana, is a rare geological feature called the Ringing Rocks. When struck with a hammer, the stones ring, similar to striking a thick metal bell. The only other place in the US that I am aware of that has these features is a better known state park in Pennsylvania.

The pile of boulders is, by my estimation, a few hundred feet across and 50-100 feet high. Here I'm at the top looking southeast toward the Continental Divide and Interstate 90, which you can just make out in the right-hand portion of the photo.

BNSF 1112, a Heritage 1 paint C44-9W from the early days of BNSF, crawls to the north (railroad east) end of Craig Siding, which lies between Binney Junction in Marysville, and Oroville. Note the WP-era signaling equipment, still standing strong after decades of use; their age meaning nothing, as they still have many years left before replacement.

BNSF 1112 had come south a few days prior on the H-VAWFRS heading to Calwa Yard in Fresno California. Shortly after arriving, it would be assigned to the BNSF H-BARPAS2-30A. Crews came few and far between it seems, as it took a leisure 3 day trek up to Stockton.

As for myself, I planned on catching this train only a few times. Per usual, this sprouted into a 2+ hour long journey from Marysville, all the way into the Feather River Canyon. Unfortunately, I didn't go too far, as I had to race back to Oroville while on fumes. Lesson learned: don't trust your fuel mileage. Of course I already knew this, but I took the 80 mile estimation as "I have 80 miles left" and not "I have, most likely, around 40 miles left, and should head back for fuel." Well, you live and you learn!

This formation reminded me of a mystical kingdom. Photo taken with a Nikon D70s DSLR camera using a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G DX Lens equipped with a Hoya HMC Super 67mm Skylight [1B] Filter and Nikon HB-32 Lens Hood. In my estimation this combination has rendered some of my best photography. Amazing for a 6 megapixel camera and kit lens.

You just need to imagine first what you want to shoot and then you need to place the required articles accordingly around the subject. For example in case of water droplets; broadly there would be three possibilities, drop just collapsed, about to touch the surface and de-bounce. It is bit difficult to predict these three conditions specifically when viewing through view finder and then result may be miss timed and blurred shots. To avoid this following procedure may be tried out:

1. Place a water pan on level of your camera which must be mounted on tripod.

2. Place a tiny steady object such as nail onto the place of your interest. May be center point of the water pan!

3. Set your camera with working distance allowed by macro lens.

4. Focus the nail as sharp as possible.

5. Set shutter speed faster around 1/200 to 1/300 to freeze the droplets.

6. Set aperture as large as possible, F/5 and 1.200 may give good results.

7. WB=Auto and ISO=100 may give desired results.

8. Once the object is well focused, replace it with a controlled water stream

9. Look this water stream through view finder and ensure whether is in focus or not.

10. Do slight adjustments in working distance if required to get the sharp picture.

11. Reduce down the speed of water stream up till one drop/seconds.

12. Wait and understand for the duration between two consecutive drops and once acclimatize with the frequency of dropping droplets, release the shutter with some estimation.

13. Just collapsed, about to touch the surface and de-bouncing drops can be frozen based upon synchronization of shutter release timing and some time estimation of drops.

Your setup is ready to produce some one of the fantastic shots. You may keep some colorful objects in the back ground to achieve diffused colorful DOF.

All the best.

No prizes for correctly guessing the location of this interesting line up of AC power.

82002 has just whisked our excursion from Manchester Piccadilly to here where 45142 will take over onwards to Starcross. A close look at the numerals of the 82 will reveal they are not exactly in a straight line.

81002 in the background is in between duties along with an unknown 86. All that can be said is that it is an 86/0 and it is wishful thanking that it might be 86002.

Drivers in both seem to be prepared for the "off".

One of the joys of New Street is the variety of different routes that can be taken on the approach. It wasn't always the case that a loco change for the SW had to have the AC removed first. There was always the prospect of coming in or out either direction.

On this occasion, 82002 has treated us to a run past Bescot I think.

Scenes such as this featuring the BR AC fleet have long gone. It may have been a bit bland - apart from the pre 86 locos. Or AL6 as they initially were designated. When it came to performance, it was another matter. Small wonder that AC power was seen as the future with diesel power a stop gap between that and the retiring steam locos.

The mileage accumulated could be massive and the estimation of such puts individual locos in the category a darned good investment. It is estimated that a well used AC loco could have possibly accumulated around 11 million miles in its lifetime. They were available 24 hours a day.

Creating a photographic composition of previous works of art, as part of the work of documenting my works already and in the future.

A bunch of keys to measure

Sketches, drawing, and design, in different techniques.

Pen and ink, pencil, gouache, and watercolor.

The eighties, and also 2009.. and after.

I have always drawn while listening to music. Many times over the years through the radio.. simply due to convenience while sitting for a long time sometimes for many hours to draw, without getting up.

In recent years, I need music more, without the broadcaster's texts between songs. Since chatter is not always appropriate.

While painting I cannot speak, as this is the way of painting I learned, due to the work of the brain.

And if I still had to talk while doing it, I would prefer to put my brushes aside, so as not to make a mistake in the painting. For example, dip the brush in the coffee, instead of water.

Since I don't really sing, but I enjoy music a lot, and I can't even hum while painting... I occasionally enjoy whistling, it's possible while painting.

In my estimation, the period when the drawings above were drawn, is the period when I stopped playing music and was drawing, painting much more, in fact, all my time was dedicated to drawing painting, and designing. Which was, is LOVE for me.

And this is probably why I chose to mention musical instruments and notes in a different way, in creation.

This is also the period when I listened to music while painting, in which I also started whistling, while painting.

I could not combine talking and drawing. Draw and whistle yes.

Thanks for visiting.

In respect to the safe private life, of the individual & artist in particular.

Copyrights (c) Nira Dabush.

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The Shock of the New

This is another series of my images, this time that show how Modern Architecture has inbedded itself with the more Traditional styles. Some successful, some not to my estimation. But we’re all different in our tastes, you may even like them yourselves.

Photograph was taken from the car window as my husband drove toward Fayetteville, Tennessee. My estimation is that we were on Hwy. 231 just south of Shelbyville, Tennessee.

This has to be one of the simplest things in the world. 4in wide, 16ft 5in long, and 4ft off of the floor. Deceptively simple. Confoundingly difficult, and mentally exhausting. Can't tell you how many times I've cringed watching gymnasts performing skills on this simple device. Beautify, graceful skills. Only to be thwarted by a misplaced toe here, or a slightly off-center launch there. Just today, Rachel was on this beam, beside a girl with amazing talent, and watched in horror as the girl ever so slightly missed getting her toe firmly on the beam landing a skill she's landed hundreds of times before in practice. In her tumble on the way down, and in an effort to soften the inevitable crash landing four feet below, the girl's foot shot back wildly toward the un-moving beam, where upon contact, the big toe sustained a incapacitating injury, most likely broken in my estimation. This, after training for the last year, and after having only one meet this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this young lady in hopes it is not serious.

I’ve been told most women would agree that one key to a harmonious marriage is good communication between a man and a wife. The needed amount of communication, however, seems to vary a lot in the estimation of each sex.

Due to enforced, poorly paid labor during my young farm years, sitting on the bare steel seat of an old Case tractor that had no muffler, I roamed the fields from early spring until the ground was frozen too hard in the fall to plow anymore.

For this, I received the generous gift of developing hearing problems as I got older.

A few years ago at the encouragement of a woman I know who got tired of hearing the words “what did you say?” I got my first hearing aids. It was wonderful. I remember the first time I got out of my car at Walmart early in the morning to shop and on the way in, I heard the chirping of birds for the first time in quite a while.

But it didn’t take too long for the aids to get me in trouble. I was having a casual conversation with a friend of mine and innocently said having hearing aids wasn’t all positive. I related my right ear had the worst deficit and that handicap had come in handy at times, especially when my main squeeze and I were traveling in the car.

Unknown to me, that squeeze was standing behind me and heard that comment.

I was reminded of that incident when I saw this tree swallow communicating with one of the iron sand hill cranes adorning the entrance of the Irving and John Anderson County Park not far from North Branch.

(Photographed near Cambridge, MN)

The 6th Arte em Peças held on Paredes de Coura, the annual exhibition that my LUG, Comunidade 0937, organizes every year took place on the last weekend of May and on the first of June. It was a blast! I was responsible for the Enchanted Forest display featuring my Bluewater castle, Wedgwood House, Morisledge Cottage, Green Lake Tower Ruins and other MOCs that I made for it. Special thanks to Hugo Santos www.flickr.com/photos/hugosantos0937/ who build the wonderful green roof church and elaborate the display' s scheme (were all the buildings would be, were the rivers would pass, etc).

It has 6 by 14 Baseplates (48x48 studs) and my estimation is that it has more then 500.000 parts.

Every single Baseplate has some texture and elevations and many are elevated 10 or more bricks to give more sense of depth.

The landscape came out a little poor as I ran out of parts for trees and vegetation. I would have liked to give it a sense of a more thick and full forest, but it was not possible. Also, my intention was to put a lot more minifigs, specially on the village center with more activity situations, but I just didn't have the time.

I would like to thank my buddies of 0937 for helping me in every way that they could. This was only possible because of the effort of many.

Hope you like it!

Samburu National Reserve

Kenya

Africa

This reticulated giraffe is looking to you to help save these graceful creatures from extinction. Currently there are only 15,780 of these giraffes left.

Today is World Giraffe Day. Most giraffe species are currently endangered. Some of the causes are Habitat Loss , Poaching, and Human Population Growth.

In 1999, it was estimated that over 140,000 giraffes existed in the wild, estimations as of 2016 indicate that there are approximately 97,500 members of Giraffa in the wild, down from 155,000 in 1985.

If you’re interested in making a donation to help save giraffes or just want more information as to their plight, visit – giraffeconservation.org/

_____________________

Happy Father's Day too.

I found out that there was no shortage of eagles in the northwest when I moved there in the mid 70s. You just had to know where to look. I read Silent Spring when I was in Los Angeles and held the notion that they were all but extinct. However, when I began working on the Pitcher Ranch west of Silver Lake, Oregon, I quickly changed my mind.

The calving cows were fed in fields sheltered by old, towering aspen trees along Bridge Creek. One of my jobs that first winter was to ride through the herd to make sure that all the newborn calves got up and nursed.

One day on my rounds, I happened to glance up at the tree tops. There must have been 20 Bald Eagles calmly perched in close proximity. It did not take me long to figure out why they were there. Once a calf starts nursing, it's mother quickly forgets about her afterbirth. She may or may not return to nibble on it but the eagles were there to make sure it didn't go to waste.

I have been researching poems on eagles of late. They are largely a disappointment. Either they're way too romanticized or they are simply inaccurate portrayals based on my observations. Even Robinson Jeffers, who wrote so well about the Big Sir wilderness, fell short in my estimation. The best one was Walt Whitman's "The Dalliance of Eagles."

This Japanese tanka I wrote depicts very precisely an experience I had. It may not be great but at least it isn't "sappy!"

Ranch Hand and Eagle

1

“Is that an Eagle,”

I asked myself and my horse,

“on a wheel-line wheel?”

I rode up. It did not fly

but glanced at the placenta.

2

Klamaths still kill them

and claim their right to in court.

Rachel Carson sent

nest raiding biologists.

Ranchers shelter and feed them.

I found these in a newly washed out area along the river while kayaking... flakes left from the making of arrowheads, (knapping) by indigenous peoples probably 500 to 1500 years ago. The summer rain has raised the water in the Green Swamp some 4-5 feet in the last 3 weeks. (by my estimation) In a lot of places near Dade City, Florida... you couldn't tell where the main channel of the river was. Water as far as you could see...

Withlacoochee River, Florida

A big fellow with a huge heart.

#tabby #cat #nature #passion #portrait

If you want to buy this image, please contact me on artenucci@hotmail.com

Thank you for all visits, comments and favorites.

All rights reserved.

A three year old Eagle in my estimation. Looks like it has been battered around a bit by high winds.

Jerusalem, Israel: A young boy, not older, in my estimation, than about eight, or nine, apparently challenging himself, to sidle precariously along a narrow ledge surrounding a park… (1/2)

When shooting dolphins in the bait balls it is difficult to rely only on the basic visual indications - dolphins attack bait ball at high speed and when you notice it it is likely too late to push camera trigger. It is good to know where pod of dolphins is before they start to charge, and rely on long low frequency scream they make while accelerating for estimation of timing of trigger release. It also helps to set strobes to the configuration which will allow multiple shots per second which will give better chance of capturing good scene.

We went to the bottom of Palouse Falls via the route which descends the Palouse River Canyon a quarter mile south of the falls. It was fun to be down at the level of the river. The sound and sight of the Palouse River falling 186 feet was awe-inspiring.

The height of the drop of the waterfall depends on the flow of the river which varies with the seasons resulting in estimations of the height of the falls from 175 to 200 feet. The Northwest Waterfall Survey sets the height at 186 feet.

Photo used by the non-profit organization, the MIND Institute, located in California, USA. As part of a math project, they are compiling a workbook containing photos of many interesting things which middle school kids can utilize to learn Mathematics visually; in addition, the workbook will provide a fun approach in educating these kids about the importance of estimation skills in life.

It is interesting, but a likely fallacy, in my estimation, that humans form bonds on a different, or "higher level" than non-human animals. Most certainly, cooperation has played a major role in the evolution of our species, and in our softer, less tangible aspects, things we might call spirits, or souls. For me, it is no less in a non-human animal. They bond, show affection, cooperate, and have lives that are just as significant as ours. The Universe does not single us out as the "most important" animal - only we are arrogant enough to do that. What we can do, with the skills we have developed, is help other non-human animals to cope with the deleterious impacts we have made on their health and environment. We can use our knowledge and technologies to help them recover, and to build a world that is more harmonious for all. May we do this readily, and with reverence to them, and the Great Spirit that gave them an Earth home.

Very red would be my estimation of this male seen in our backyard.

These are the residential high-rise buildings around the Indian Nations Park, a noble area of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, a central-western state of Brazil in the "cerrado" area. The city is nicknamed "Cidade Morena" in Portugueses ("Swarthy City") in English because of the reddish-brown color of the region's soil. It has a population of 906,092, according to a 2020 IBGE estimate, On the Metropolitan Area, probably around 1 million people. Very hospitable people.

Estes são os prédios residenciais no entorno do Parque das Nações Indígenas, área nobre de Campo Grande, capital do Mato Grosso do Sul, estado do centro-oeste do Brasil na área do cerrado. A cidade é apelidada de "Cidade Morena" em português ("Cidade Swarthy") em inglês por causa da cor marrom-avermelhada do solo da região. Tem uma população de 906.092 habitantes, segundo estimativa do IBGE para 2020, na Região Metropolitana, provavelmente em torno de 1 milhão de pessoas. Pessoas muito hospitaleiras.

Estos son los edificios residenciales de gran altura alrededor del Parque de las Naciones Indias, una zona noble de Campo Grande, capital de Mato Grosso do Sul, un estado centro-occidental de Brasil en el área del "cerrado". La ciudad es apodada "Cidade Morena" en portugués ("Ciudad morena") en inglés debido al color marrón rojizo del suelo de la región. Tiene una población de 906,092, según una estimación del IBGE 2020, en el Área Metropolitana, probablemente alrededor de 1 millón de personas. Gente muy hospitalaria.

Ce sont les immeubles résidentiels de grande hauteur autour du Parc des Nations Indiennes, une zone noble de Campo Grande, capitale du Mato Grosso do Sul, un État du centre-ouest du Brésil dans la région du « cerrado ». La ville est surnommée « Cidade Morena » en portugais (« Swarthy City ») en anglais en raison de la couleur brun rougeâtre du sol de la région. Il a une population de 906 092 habitants, selon une estimation de l’IBGE de 2020, sur la région métropolitaine, probablement environ 1 million de personnes. Des gens très hospitaliers.

Dit zijn de residentiële hoogbouw rond het Indian Nations Park, een nobel gebied van Campo Grande, de hoofdstad van Mato Grosso do Sul, een centraal-westelijke staat van Brazilië in het "cerrado" -gebied. De stad heeft de bijnaam "Cidade Morena" in het Portugees ("Swarthy City") in het Engels vanwege de roodbruine kleur van de bodem van de regio. Het heeft een bevolking van 906.092, volgens een 2020 IBGE-schatting, Op de Metropolitan Area, waarschijnlijk ongeveer 1 miljoen mensen. Zeer gastvrije mensen.

Si tratta dei grattacieli residenziali intorno all'Indian Nations Park, zona nobile di Campo Grande, capitale del Mato Grosso do Sul, stato centro-occidentale del Brasile in zona "cerrado". La città è soprannominata "Cidade Morena" in portoghese ("Swarthy City") in inglese a causa del colore bruno-rossastro del suolo della regione. Ha una popolazione di 906.092, secondo una stima IBGE del 2020, sull'area metropolitana, probabilmente circa 1 milione di persone. Persone molto ospitali.

Dies sind die Wohnhochhäuser rund um den Indian Nations Park, eine noble Gegend von Campo Grande, der Hauptstadt von Mato Grosso do Sul, einem zentral-westlichen Bundesstaat Brasiliens im "Cerrado"-Gebiet. Die Stadt trägt den Spitznamen "Cidade Morena" auf Portugiesisch ("Swarthy City") auf Englisch wegen der rötlich-braunen Farbe des Bodens der Region. Es hat eine Bevölkerung von 906.092, nach einer 2020 IBGE Schätzung, Auf der Metropolregion, wahrscheinlich rund 1 Million Menschen. Sehr gastfreundliche Leute.

هذه هي المباني السكنية الشاهقة حول حديقة الأمم الهندية، وهي منطقة نبيلة في كامبو غراندي، عاصمة ماتو غروسو دو سول، وهي ولاية وسط غرب البرازيل في منطقة "سيرادو". ويطلق على المدينة اسم "سيدادي مورينا" باللغة البرتغالية ("مدينة سوارثي") باللغة الإنجليزية بسبب اللون البني المحمر تربة المنطقة. يبلغ عدد سكانها 906,092 نسمة، وفقا لتقديرات IBGE لعام 2020، في منطقة العاصمة، ربما حوالي مليون شخص. أناس مضيافون جدا

これらは、インド諸国の国立公園、カンポグランデの高貴なエリア、マトグロッソ・ド・スルの首都、ブラジルの中西部の「セラード」地域の高層ビルです。この都市は、この地域の土壌の赤褐色のため、ポルトガル語(「スワーシーシティ」)で英語で「シダーデ・モレナ」の愛称で親しまれています。2020年のIBGEの推定によると、人口は906,092人で、首都圏では、おそらく約100万人です。 非常に親切な人々。

Αυτά είναι τα οικιστικά πολυώροφα κτίρια γύρω από το Πάρκο των Ινδικών Εθνών, μια ευγενή περιοχή του Campo Grande, πρωτεύουσα του Mato Grosso do Sul, μιας κεντροδυικής πολιτείας της Βραζιλίας στην περιοχή "cerrado". Η πόλη έχει το παρατσούκλι "Cidade Morena" στους Πορτογάλους ("Swarthy City") στα αγγλικά λόγω του κοκκινωπού-καφέ χρώματος του εδάφους της περιοχής. Έχει πληθυσμό 906.092, σύμφωνα με εκτίμηση της IBGE για το 2020, στη Μητροπολιτική Περιοχή, πιθανώς περίπου 1 εκατομμύριο ανθρώπους. Πολύ φιλόξενοι άνθρωποι.

Le Kapellbrücke était le plus ancien, et, après celui de Bad Säckingen, le plus long pont couvert en bois d'Europe.

Le nom de Kapellbrücke (pont de la chapelle) s'explique par la proximité de la chapelle Saint-Pierre. Construit en 1333, il est reconstruit en 1994 après un incendie.

Le pont figure dans la chronique d'Etterlin en 1507 ce qui permet d'avoir une estimation de sa forme à l'époque.

Le pont a été encore raccourci en 1898 lors de la construction d'un quai sur les rives du lac.

La Wasserturm se trouve au milieu du pont. De forme octogonale, elle mesure 34 mètres de haut et aurait été construite aux alentours de 1300. Elle abrita anciennement les archives et les objets précieux de la ville, mais servit également de prison et de local de torture.

The Kapellbrücke was the oldest and, after the one in Bad Säckingen, the longest covered wooden bridge in Europe.

The name Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) derives from its proximity to St. Peter's Chapel. Built in 1333, it was rebuilt in 1994 after a fire.

The bridge appears in the Etterlin Chronicle in 1507, which allows us to estimate its shape at the time.

The bridge was further shortened in 1898 during the construction of a quay on the lake shore.

The Wasserturm (Water Tower) is located in the middle of the bridge. Octagonal in shape, it is 34 meters high and is believed to have been built around 1300. It formerly housed the city's archives and valuables, but also served as a prison and torture chamber.

A British gentleman in Norway (c. 1900). Graham Blandy was his name - that is the only information about the Oslo photographer Gustav Borgen´s portrait in the Norsk Folkmuseum archive, here shown with my colorization. I think one can presume that he was British, but whether he lived in Norway, or was just a visitor, I have not been able to find out. The date is my estimation, but I again invite suggestions from people who perhaps can say something based on the style of his clothing.

A trip to master Greybeard’s house was always an ordeal. They might say say nice things about him off in the court of Northania, but I’m quite sure that none of those fools had ever spent more than a minute in his presence. Me on the other hand, I’d had more than my fill.

But here I am again, for all my complaining on the road for another day lectures, and insults from a cranky old man who’s far past his prime. But I know it’ll be worth it, because one day I’ll be the best. One day, I’ll be the teacher. One day, I won’t have to take orders from an old man – I’ll be giving them. I wonder what my pupils will call me…

Well, I decided to take a stab at some castle building - an area where I don't really have a lot of expertise - and so reworked my first castle themed creation I posted over on Mocpages (not visible here on flickr due to it being terrible). The reworked version presents my first real foray into a theme I'm looking forward to building in again. I hope you enjoy!

More views and a look at the previous version can be found over on mocpages

Soli Deo Gloria!

NoBo JMT Section 2015

Same peak with no highlight. Framed differently, another Ansel Adams cover photo, "Junction Peak". Note, the rock formation at the end of the snow by my feet, is in the photo Ansel took, lower right corner. Missed Ansel's location by 50'. Not too bad for an estimation off of google earth.

Finnish boat designer and builder Eino Antero Bergius (1884 - 1978) took this picture (here shown restored and digitally hand colorized by me) of two motor cruisers designed by him. The Vapriikki Museum, which owns the original B/W image) gives a wide date frame, 1920 - 1939. My estimation is that Bergius took the photo in the early 1920s.

The museum does not give any additional information about the boats, but based on another of Bergius´s images, the motor yacht on the right appears to be his own (nameless) boat, built in 1920 at his yard in the city of Tampere (located in Finland´s Lake District).

Bergius´ boat (12.80 m x 2.1 m) had a 40 hp engine, which gave it a speed of ab. 11-12 knots.

My understanding is that Bergius built a number of similar yachts primarily intended for use in the Lake District. Regrettably none of them seem to have been saved. His own yacht was burned in a Midsummer bonfire in the end of the 1950s.

I have not been able to find very much information on Bergius as a boat designer and builder. He is today more known as an excellent amateur photographer. The Vapriikki Museum has a collection of ab. 5000 negatives by Bergius.

Bergius had a good technical education. He graduated in 1907 as a Master of Science (Technology).

Civaux, a village with a population of about 1000, has a history rooting very deep. Humans populated the area already, when stepp bisons and mammoths were hunted. Many "pre-historic" artefacts have been excavated in and around Civaux, proving that this place was inhabited over tens of thousands of years.

A settlement stood on the site of the village in Gallo-Roman times, and there are still traces of Roman temples. Excavations have revealed the sites of a theater (capacity 3000), a fortified camp, and the foundations of many villas.

This has been a place of very early christianisation. A funeral stele has been found dating to around 400, a pagan temple and a very early baptisterium were excavated next to the church. The polygonal apse was probably built as well around 400, what actually means that this church, dedicated to Saint Gervais and Saint Protais is one of the oldest in France.

At that time a kind of pilgrimage must have developed. The relics of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais had been miraculously discovered by Saint Ambrose in Milan in 386, so the saints got very popular in Merovingian times, but that does not explain the enigma of Civaux. The village stands in the center of a huge merovingian necropolis.

As many sarcophagi were sold as water basins or troughs in later time, the exact number of graves is unknown. Serious estimations are between 10.000 and 20.000 graves.

There are parallels to nearby Saint Pierre in Cauvigny (16 kms north). The same colours as in Chauvigny were used here during the restauration of the interior. At least one of the capitals is very similar to one in Saint Pierre, but some carvings are absolutely unique. The nave dates back to the 11th century, the apse more than 600 years older.

Two birds drinking from a chalice ("Communion cup") probably a symbol for the Eucharist. This icon can often be found in Ronanesque churches. Sometimes there are griffons instead of birds.

﹕ Sud Lipez, Bolivie

« Une Immensité Salée »

ㄨ Le Salar d’Uyuni en chiffres c’est 11000km² de superficie soit deux départements français. Né il y a près de 14000 ans suite à l’évaporation du lac préhistorique Michin, il est situé à 3658m d’altitude avec une profondeur allant jusqu'à 120m. Couvrant, d'après une estimation, 60 milliards de tonnes de sel, le salar produit également la quasi moitié des ressources planétaire en Lithium.

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Garnet Peak | San Diego County, California

© Kent Mercurio

After my Ricoh camera died, I spent the weekend shooting with my phone. It is a liberating experience, in my estimation. I wrote in a recent blog post, jtinseoul.wordpress.com, about my feelings on the topic.

In Seoul, South Korea. December 2015.

Two African Giraffe giving me the stare across the Savannah. I am not happy with the foreground but still not experienced enough to know how to fix the textures/refraction in the bushes so any advise from you post-production pros?

The giraffe has intrigued various cultures, both ancient and modern, for its peculiar appearance, and has often been featured in paintings, books, and cartoons. It is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Vulnerable to extinction, and has been extirpated from many parts of its former range. Giraffes are still found in numerous national parks and game reserves but estimations as of 2016 indicate that there are approximately 97,500 members of Giraffa in the wild, with around 1,144 in captivity.

The South African giraffe (G. c. giraffa) is found in northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and south-western Mozambique. It has dark, somewhat rounded patches "with some fine projections" on a tawny background colour. The spots extend down the legs and get smaller. The median lump of males is less developed.