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SPECIAL NOTICE FOR DOGS, NO TRESPASSING, NO EXCEPTION WILL
Pobre " Manchas " no lo dejan entrar sin excepción alguna al condominio donde vive. Le pusieron el letrero a su altura para que lo pueda leer bien.
Sometimes less is more.
The exception of course is in love. More is always More.
Palm Springs is hot this time of year. And I’m from California and I’m still amazed that people live out in this part of the desert, and it’s thriving out there.
They actually made a reality series about this hotel, The Parker in Palm Springs. I will have to admit, it’s the most amazing hotel (photographically) I’ve ever been to. Probably have a few more shots from here in the coming days, even though it was only a 3 hour shoot.
Time for a CPK salad.
Damselflies are the smaller cousins of dragonflies and there are two easy ways to tell them apart. First, damsels have more separated eyes while dragonflies have them closer together.
Second, when resting, dragonflies keep their wings perpendicular to their body while damsels fold them away abov the abdomen.
But of course there has to be exceptions. The emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) like this one and the rest of the members of Lestidae are known as spreadwings, because, even if they are damsels they like to keep their wings spread out.
This is a female (the males are blue) and I found her covered in dew in the early morning in the Hemmesta sjöäng wetland.
Due to her being stationary, I managed two shots and combined them into one focus stack using Zerene Stacker.
Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/49517182158/
Part 2 (a 2 shot focus stack) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50061842473/
you are the only exception
you are the only exception
you are the only exception
you are the only exception
but I know you'll be gone in the morning.
I had 3 failed shoots today. this was my pathetic best.
CN L536 rolls south through Kenwood with a matching pair of Illinois Central SD70’s ultimately going to Kirk Yard in Gary. This train comes from Glenn yard and primarily uses these SD70’s with today being no exception. 12/22/24
Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Australian Pelican
Scientific Name: Pelecanus conspicillatus
Description: There are seven species of pelicans in the world, all of which are similar in shape and, with one exception, are primarily white in colour. Males are larger than females. The most characteristic feature of pelicans is the elongated bill with its massive throat pouch. The Australian Pelican's bill is 40 cm - 50 cm long and is larger in males than females. Pelicans have large wings and a wingspan of 2.3 m - 2.5 m. Pelicans have an extremely light skeleton, weighing less than 10% of their total body weight.
Distribution: The Australian Pelican is found throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea and western Indonesia, with occasional reports in New Zealand and various western Pacific islands.
Habitat: Pelicans are widespread on freshwater, estuarine and marine wetlands and waterways including lakes, swamps, rivers, coastal islands and shores.
Seasonal movements: Pelicans are highly mobile, searching out suitable areas of water and an adequate supply of food. Pelicans are not capable of sustained flapping flight, but can remain in the air for 24 hours, covering hundreds of kilometres. They are excellent soarers and can use thermals to rise to considerable altitudes. Flight at 1,000m is common, and heights of 3 000 m have been recorded. By moving from one thermal to the next, pelicans can travel long distances with a minimum of effort, reaching air speeds of up to 56 km/hour.
Feeding: The bill and pouch of pelicans play an important role in feeding. The bill is sensitive and this helps locate fish in murky water. It also has a hook at the end of the upper mandible, probably for gripping slippery food items. When food is caught, the pelican manipulates it in its bill until the prey typically has its head pointing down the pelican's throat. Then with a jerk of the head the pelican swallows the prey. The bill is delicately built. The lower jaw consists of two thin and weakly articulated bones from which the pouch hangs. When fully extended, the bill can hold up to 13 litres. The pouch does not function as a place to hold food for any length of time. Instead it serves as a short-term collecting organ. Pelicans plunge their bills into the water, using their pouches as nets. Once something is caught, a pelican draws its pouch to its breast. This empties the water and allows the bird to manoeuvre the prey into a swallowing position. The pouch can also serve as a net to catch food thrown by humans, and there are sightings of pelicans drinking by opening their bill to collect rainwater.
The Australian Pelican may feed alone, but more often feeds as a cooperative group. Sometimes these groups are quite large. One group numbered over 1,900 birds. A flock of pelicans works together, driving fish into a concentrated mass using their bills and sometimes by beating their wings. The fish are herded into shallow water or surrounded in ever decreasing circles.
Breeding: Breeding depends on environmental conditions, particularly rainfall. Pelicans are colonial breeders with up to 40 000 individuals grouping on islands or secluded shores. Breeding begins with courtship. The female leads potential mates (two to eight or more) around the colony. As the males follow her in these walks, they threaten each other while swinging their open bills from side to side trying to attract the female's attention. The males may also pick up small objects, like sticks or dry fish, which they toss in the air and catch again, repeating the sequence several times. Both sexes perform "pouch-rippling" in which they clap their bills shut several times a second and the pouch ripples like a flag in a strong breeze. As the courtship parade progresses, the males drop out one by one. Finally, after pursuits on land, water or in the air, only a single male is left. The female leads him to a potential nest site. During the courtship period, the bill and pouch of the birds change colour dramatically. The forward half of the pouch becomes bright salmon pink, while the skin of the pouch in the throat region turns chrome yellow. Parts of the top and base of the bill change to cobalt blue, and a black diagonal strip appears from the base to the tip. This colour change is of short duration, the intensity usually subsiding by the time incubation starts. The nest consists of a scrape in the ground prepared by the female. She digs the scrape with her bill and feet, and lines it with any scraps of vegetation or feathers within reach of the nest. Within three days egg-laying begins and eggs are laid two to three days apart. Both parents share incubation and the eggs are incubated on their feet. The first-hatched chick is substantially larger than its siblings. It receives most of the food and may even attack and kill its nest mates. A newly hatched pelican has a large bill, bulging eyes, and skin that looks like small-grained bubble plastic. The skin around the face is mottled with varying degrees of black and the colour of the eyes varies from white to dark brown. This individual variation helps the parents to recognise their chick from hundreds of others. The chicks leave their nests to form creches of up to 100 birds. They remain in creches for about two months, by the end of which they have learnt to fly and are fairly independent. Wild birds may live between ten and possibly 25 years or more.
Minimum Size: 160cm
Maximum Size: 180cm
Average size: 170cm
Breeding season: At any time of the year
Clutch Size: 1 to 3 eggs
Incubation: 35 days
Nestling Period: 28 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2021
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
Damselflies are the smaller cousins of dragonflies and there are two easy ways to tell them apart. First, damsels have more separated eyes while dragonflies have them closer together.
Second, when resting, dragonfllies keep their wings perpendicular to their body while damsels fold them away abov the abdomen.
But of course there has to be exceptions. The emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) like this one and the rest of the members of Lestidae are known as spreadwings, because, even if they are damsels they like to keep their wings spread out.
This is a female (the males are blue) and I found her covered in dew in the early morning in the Hemmesta sjöäng wetland.
Due to her being stationary, I managed two shots and combined them into one focus stack using Zerene Stacker.
Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/49517182158/
Part 2 (a 2 shot focus stack) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50061842473/
@ Showa Kinen Park / Tokyo, Japan
No eternal life.
--
Thank you for visiting.
Don't use this image without my explicit permission.
Please refer to tag about equipments.
2次利用の際は事前に声をかけて下さい。
使用機材に関してはタグを参照してください。
Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Australian Pelican
Scientific Name: Pelecanus conspicillatus
Description: There are seven species of pelicans in the world, all of which are similar in shape and, with one exception, are primarily white in colour. Males are larger than females. The most characteristic feature of pelicans is the elongated bill with its massive throat pouch. The Australian Pelican's bill is 40 cm - 50 cm long and is larger in males than females. Pelicans have large wings and a wingspan of 2.3 m - 2.5 m. Pelicans have an extremely light skeleton, weighing less than 10% of their total body weight.
Distribution: The Australian Pelican is found throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea and western Indonesia, with occasional reports in New Zealand and various western Pacific islands.
Habitat: Pelicans are widespread on freshwater, estuarine and marine wetlands and waterways including lakes, swamps, rivers, coastal islands and shores.
Seasonal movements: Pelicans are highly mobile, searching out suitable areas of water and an adequate supply of food. Pelicans are not capable of sustained flapping flight, but can remain in the air for 24 hours, covering hundreds of kilometres. They are excellent soarers and can use thermals to rise to considerable altitudes. Flight at 1,000m is common, and heights of 3 000 m have been recorded. By moving from one thermal to the next, pelicans can travel long distances with a minimum of effort, reaching air speeds of up to 56 km/hour.
Feeding: The bill and pouch of pelicans play an important role in feeding. The bill is sensitive and this helps locate fish in murky water. It also has a hook at the end of the upper mandible, probably for gripping slippery food items. When food is caught, the pelican manipulates it in its bill until the prey typically has its head pointing down the pelican's throat. Then with a jerk of the head the pelican swallows the prey. The bill is delicately built. The lower jaw consists of two thin and weakly articulated bones from which the pouch hangs. When fully extended, the bill can hold up to 13 litres. The pouch does not function as a place to hold food for any length of time. Instead it serves as a short-term collecting organ. Pelicans plunge their bills into the water, using their pouches as nets. Once something is caught, a pelican draws its pouch to its breast. This empties the water and allows the bird to manoeuvre the prey into a swallowing position. The pouch can also serve as a net to catch food thrown by humans, and there are sightings of pelicans drinking by opening their bill to collect rainwater.
The Australian Pelican may feed alone, but more often feeds as a cooperative group. Sometimes these groups are quite large. One group numbered over 1,900 birds. A flock of pelicans works together, driving fish into a concentrated mass using their bills and sometimes by beating their wings. The fish are herded into shallow water or surrounded in ever decreasing circles.
Breeding: Breeding depends on environmental conditions, particularly rainfall. Pelicans are colonial breeders with up to 40 000 individuals grouping on islands or secluded shores. Breeding begins with courtship. The female leads potential mates (two to eight or more) around the colony. As the males follow her in these walks, they threaten each other while swinging their open bills from side to side trying to attract the female's attention. The males may also pick up small objects, like sticks or dry fish, which they toss in the air and catch again, repeating the sequence several times. Both sexes perform "pouch-rippling" in which they clap their bills shut several times a second and the pouch ripples like a flag in a strong breeze. As the courtship parade progresses, the males drop out one by one. Finally, after pursuits on land, water or in the air, only a single male is left. The female leads him to a potential nest site. During the courtship period, the bill and pouch of the birds change colour dramatically. The forward half of the pouch becomes bright salmon pink, while the skin of the pouch in the throat region turns chrome yellow. Parts of the top and base of the bill change to cobalt blue, and a black diagonal strip appears from the base to the tip. This colour change is of short duration, the intensity usually subsiding by the time incubation starts. The nest consists of a scrape in the ground prepared by the female. She digs the scrape with her bill and feet, and lines it with any scraps of vegetation or feathers within reach of the nest. Within three days egg-laying begins and eggs are laid two to three days apart. Both parents share incubation and the eggs are incubated on their feet. The first-hatched chick is substantially larger than its siblings. It receives most of the food and may even attack and kill its nest mates. A newly hatched pelican has a large bill, bulging eyes, and skin that looks like small-grained bubble plastic. The skin around the face is mottled with varying degrees of black and the colour of the eyes varies from white to dark brown. This individual variation helps the parents to recognise their chick from hundreds of others. The chicks leave their nests to form creches of up to 100 birds. They remain in creches for about two months, by the end of which they have learnt to fly and are fairly independent. Wild birds may live between ten and possibly 25 years or more.
Minimum Size: 160cm
Maximum Size: 180cm
Average size: 170cm
Breeding season: At any time of the year
Clutch Size: 1 to 3 eggs
Incubation: 35 days
Nestling Period: 28 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2021
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
Most churches and cathedrals offer many photogenic opportunities and the cathedral at Southwell, Nottinghamshire called Southwell Minster is no exception. These magnificent stained glass windows are a joy to behold and can be appreciated by anyone of any religion!
A fitting entry to this weeks Window Wednesday!
We had been experiencing typical Alaska weather; clouds and intermittent misty rain. Sunny days are the exception, not the usual. Our stay at the first scheduled lodge (where there can be prime views of Denali) was not different. Thick clouds. No view of the "the Mountain".
On top of the weather that we were experiencing, Denali apparently affects the weather around it, and is more often than not shrouded in clouds anyway.
We hoped that we’d get a quick view of Denali as we embarked on a 4-5 hour bus trek into the six million acre park. Full access by road has been hampered by a rockslide that occurred in 2022. The bus driver informed us that (more) clouds blocked the usual views and that 70% of people who visit the park do not see Denali. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we wouldn’t see the 'Great One', as Alaskans have called it for centuries.
Then, as we were travelling back out of the park, the clouds parted long enough for us to enjoy this view from about 70+ miles away. It’s only a fraction of it. The base and the peak are still hidden. The afternoon light obscures it, as if it’s part of the clouds.
Still, it was a wonderful feeling to be a part of the 30%.
In the notes I’ve provided for these “peeps in the ‘hood” and “street where I live” Flickr albums, I usually write that I don’t include photos of drunks, bums, or homeless people. But since this photo is an exception to that self-imposed policy, I thought it would be a good idea to see how often it has happened; and by searching for “homeless” as a tag attached to my photos, I found that there are just under 50 in my overall Flickr archives of roughly 50,000 photos. Only about 7,000 of those photos are “public,” so you probably won’t even see a lot of the homeless people that I’ve photographed; but I hope that the ones you do see show a respectful and fairly sympathetic perspective.
Of course, not everyone does feel respectful or sympathetic toward the homeless people they see on the street; and that is just as much true here in New York City as it is in other cities across the country and around the world. New Yorkers are constantly being pushed, shoved, bothered, accosted, and harassed for money; and many of us have grown rather cynical about the presence of beggars, panhandlers, and other forms of homeless people. Indeed, just yesterday there was an article in our New York Post newspaper about a 43 year old former theater stagehand who says that he “rakes in up to $200 an hour” from kind-hearted New Yorkers by panhandling outside Grand Central Terminal (see “ New York City panhandler says he makes $200 an hour").
Obviously, I don’t know how common this situation really is. And I don’t know how many people are begging for money simply to buy more alcohol, drugs, or whatever pushed them onto the streets in the first place. I certainly have had the experience of seeing the same person in the same spot, day after day, always asking for a quarter or a dollar to buy some food. And I have had the experience — as have many well-intentioned people — of offering to bring an allegedly hungry person into a deli or MacDonald’s to buy him/her some food that can be eaten on the spot, only to have the offer scornful rejected. And I have to admit that I, too, have experienced the knee-jerk reaction that the homeless people on the street should just “get a job” and “work for a living,” in order to function in society the way most of my friends and I have done throughout our lives.
But I’ve been around for a long time now, and I’ve lived in this city for a long time; and while I may have only 50 photos of homeless people in my Flickr archives, I’ve seen several hundred more, if not several thousand. And while some may be phonies or scam artists, it seems to me that many of these people are overwhelmed and broken by the circumstances in which they find themselves. It may have been drugs or alcohol that pushed them over the edge; but it may also have been mental illness (or PTSD), or a physical injury, or an abusive spouse, or a string of bad luck that they didn’t anticipate, and simply couldn’t handle. I’ve also seen enough TV documentaries to appreciate that, in most cases, people don’t “flip” overnight from productive members of society, to people on the street. For most, it’s a long, slow, gradual descent into a world that they never imagined would happen to them. For others, I suppose, it may be a continuation of a life that was miserable even when they were children.
I don’t have the time, or the psychological energy, to stop and talk to every one of these people I see on the street. And if they were truly gifted con artists, I’m sure they could convince me that they were a victim of unfortunate circumstances, no matter how cynical a New Yorker I might be. Anyway, I only have a second or two to make a snap judgment as I walk by; and sometimes I decide to give them a dollar, or a pocket full of coins, while other times I shrug and just keep walking.
But I’m also a strong believer in the old adage that “what goes around, comes around”; and even though I think of myself as strong, tough, resilient, and resolute … I also realize, after seeing so many broken people on the street, that it could happen to me, too. Years ago, I stumbled across a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde called Pay It Forward, and while I don’t practice it as much as I should, the principle has stuck with me.
So, every time I see someone like this man on the street, I say to myself: pay it forward. Make someone’s like a little better today. Repeat.
***********************************
Sometime in 2014, I created Flickr album for photos that I had started taking with my iPhone5s; and a year later, in the fall of 2014, I started a new Flickr album for photos that I’ve begun taking with my iPhone6, and iPhone6+. But progress doesn’t stop (at least with Apple): as of October 2015, I’ve upgraded once again, to the iPhone6s and 6s+ (yes, both of them) and this new album contains photos created with those camera-phones
In last year’s Flickr album, I wrote, “Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, it’s hard to walk around with a modern smartphone in your pocket, and not be tempted to use the built-in camera from time-to-time. Veteran photographers typically sneer at such behavior, and most will tell you that they can instantly recognize an iPhone photo, which they mentally reject as being unworthy of any serious attention.
“After using many earlier models of smartphones over the past several years, I was inclined to agree; after all, I always (well, almost always) had a “real” camera in my pocket (or backpack or camera-bag), and it was always capable of taking a much better photographic image than the mediocre, grainy images shot with a camera-phone.
“But still … there were a few occasions when I desperately wanted to capture some photo-worthy event taking place right in front of me, and inevitably it turned out to be the times when I did not have the “real” camera with me. Or I did have it, but it was buried somewhere in a bag, and I knew that the “event” would have disappeared by the time I found the “real" camera and turned it on. By contrast, the smart-phone was always in my pocket (along with my keys and my wallet, it’s one of the three things I consciously grab every time I walk out the door). And I often found that I could turn it on, point it at the photographic scene, and take the picture much faster than I could do the same thing with a “traditional” camera.
“Meanwhile, smartphone cameras have gotten substantially better in the past few years, from a mechanical/hardware perspective; and the software “intelligence” controlling the camera has become amazingly sophisticated. It’s still not on the same level as a “professional” DSLR camera, but for a large majority of the “average” photographic situations we’re likely to encounter in the unplanned moments of our lives, it’s more and more likely to be “good enough.” The old adage of “the best camera is the one you have with you” is more and more relevant these days. For me, 90% of the success in taking a good photo is simply being in the right place at the right time, being aware that the “photo opportunity” is there, and having a camera — any camera — to take advantage of that opportunity. Only 10% of the time does it matter which camera I’m using, or what technical features I’ve managed to use.
“And now, with the recent advent of the iPhone5s, there is one more improvement — which, as far as I can tell, simply does not exist in any of the “professional” cameras. You can take an unlimited number of “burst-mode” shots with the new iPhone, simply by keeping your finger on the shutter button; instead of being limited to just six (as a few of the DSLR cameras currently offer), you can take 10, 20, or even a hundred shots. And then — almost magically — the iPhone will show you which one or two of the large burst of photos was optimally sharp and clear. With a couple of clicks, you can then delete everything else, and retain only the very best one or two from the entire burst.
“With that in mind, I’ve begun using my iPhone5s for more and more “everyday” photo situations out on the street. Since I’m typically photographing ordinary, mundane events, even the one or two “optimal” shots that the camera-phone retains might not be worth showing anyone else … so there is still a lot of pruning and editing to be done, and I’m lucky if 10% of those “optimal” shots are good enough to justify uploading to Flickr and sharing with the rest of the world. Still, it’s an enormous benefit to know that my editing work can begin with photos that are more-or-less “technically” adequate, and that I don’t have to waste even a second reviewing dozens of technically-mediocre shots that are fuzzy, or blurred.
“Oh, yeah, one other minor benefit of the iPhone5s (and presumably most other current brands of smartphone): it automatically geotags every photo and video, without any special effort on the photographer’s part. Only one of my other big, fat cameras (the Sony Alpha SLT A65) has that feature, and I’ve noticed that almost none of the “new” mirrorless cameras have got a built-in GPS thingy that will perform the geotagging...
“I’ve had my iPhone5s for a couple of months now, but I’ve only been using the “burst-mode” photography feature aggressively for the past couple of weeks. As a result, the initial batch of photos that I’m uploading are all taken in the greater-NYC area. But as time goes on, and as my normal travel routine takes me to other parts of the world, I hope to add more and more “everyday” scenes in cities that I might not have the opportunity to photograph in a “serious” way.”
***********************************
Okay, so now it’s October of 2015, and I’ve got the iPhone 6s/6s+. The the camera now has a 12-megapixel lens (instead of the older 8 MP version), and that the internal camera-related hardware/firmware/software is better, too. Obviously, I’ve got the newer iOS9, too, and even on the “old” phones, it now supports time-lapse videos along with everything else.
I’ve still got my pocket camera (an amazing little Sony RX-100 Mark IV, which replaces the Mark III I had last year), and two larger cameras (Sony RX-10 II, and Sony A7 II), but I have a feeling that I won’t even be taking them out of the camera bag when I’m out on the street for ordinary day-to-day walking around.
That will depend, obviously, on what kind of photos and videos the iPhone6s/6s+ camera actually capable of taking … so I’m going to try to use at leas one of them every day, and see what the results look like …
Like I said last year, “stay tuned…”
This was an example of a pattern that was both typical and unexpected: tight stretch pants, a bright stretchy t-shirt ... and high-heel shoes? There may be some straightforward explanation for this dress style, but it wasn't obvious.
While almost everyone walking past had a simple, straightforward combination of pants/dress, shirt/sweatshirt, jacket, and shoes -- there was also a "pattern" consisting of a number of odd exceptions. Strange hats (sometimes tinfoil), strange shoes, strange pants ... all kinds of strange things. It makes you wonder whether people actually pay any attention to the clothes that they throw onto themselves, or whether it's a deliberate attempt to gain attention on the street.
**********************
As I’ve mentioned in a couple of recent Tumblr blog postings, I’m working on an exercise for a new class that I’ve started taking at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in the fall of 2015.( You can see the earlier Tumblr postings here. and here.).
In addition to taking a bunch of photos (see the other Tumblr postings for details and descriptions of what the photos are supposed to illustrate), we also have the task of editing our images down to a maximum of 10 “presentation images” that we will share with the ICP class next week. When our instructor, Joanne Dugan, asked me last week if I anticipated having any problems with this aspect of the assignment, I shrugged and said, “No, I do this all the time …”
Well, yes and no: I do do a lot of editing/winnowing of my photos before deciding which ones should be shared with anyone else. But I had forgotten that I also do a lot of cropping, color-adjustment, tweaking, and general post-processing before I upload my photos to Flickr, Facebook, or even Instagram. For this particular ICP exercise, we were also told not to crop the photos, and not to do any post-processing. That makes things a lot more difficult …
On the other hand, part of the exercise is to assemble and share a maximum of ten photos that collectively tell a “story” of some kind – and to “tell” that story with anywhere from a word, to a sentence, to a paragraph for each of the photos. That makes things a lot easier … after all, if a photo has to be presented in isolation, then it truly stands alone. And it is intended to be viewed without any accompanying text, then it really stands alone. There’s nothing wrong with that; indeed, one might argue that that’s the whole point of photography: a picture should “tell” a story all by itself, without any extraneous verbiage to “explain” what might not be obvious to the viewer.
But not very many things exist in complete isolation of the rest of the universe, especially in today’s interconnected world. I suppose some people would debate that point quite vigorously; and some people might argue that a photograph of a person, place, or thing should be able to “stand alone” without anything else. I certainly have seen photos that fall into this category, and I suppose I’ve taken a few like that, too. Or, maybe if I never intended my photos to be considered in complete isolation from one another, perhaps that’s how some people prefer to look at them …
But for me, that’s a pretty rare phenomenon. Almost always, I find myself telling a story. The photographs obviously present one “dimension” of the story, in a visual form; and I’ve been trying to remind myself lately that videos can present can present one, and sometimes two, additional dimensions (motion and sound) that can add enormously to the viewer’s understanding and appreciation of the underlying story.
But even if one uses only traditional photos, I find that it’s almost impossible for me to crate (or make, or take) one photo by itself; invariably, I take dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands, which collectively tell a story. It may be a story about someplace I’ve been, or some event in which I’ve participated, or some individual (or group of individuals) that I want the viewer to know and appreciate in more detail than would be possible to communicate in a single photo.
And then there are the words … maybe it’s because I spend part of my time as a writer and teacher that I find it almost impossible not to augment my photos with words. Lots of words. Indeed, sometimes far too many words; and sometimes clumsy words, or the wrong words. And I do realize that there are times when the situation would be improved if I would just shut up, and let the photograph do all of the communication. But for better or worse, I guess I’m a photojournalist.
With that in mind, I began the process of editing the photos for my recent ICP assignment. Here’s what I found:
1. It’s not as easy as one might think, when you start with a large number. I began winnowing the original images when I had 2,700 (after 9 days of shooting), and I still had 5 days of shooting left).
2. It’s much more difficult than I had imagined, given the constraints of my ICP class: no cropping, no post-processing, and a maximum of only 10 images. I’ve worked within those constraints for the final images that I’m submitting to the ICP class; but for these Flickr uploads, I’ve ended up with 40-45 images – and they have been heavily cropped, tilted, color-corrected, noise-dusted, and tweaked in various other ways. C’est la vie…
3. Using the collection of photos to “tell a story” is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I’m including these background notes in all of the photos that get uploaded to Flickr … because I’ve learned (form past experience) that some visitor will zoom in on just one particular photo, without necessarily looking at all of them, and/or without seeing the overall notes for the entire album. And I don’t think I’ll find it difficult to write a few sentences to provide the background details for each photo … but whether they “flow” and create one overall, coherent “story” remains to be seen.
4. Aside from a narrative “story,” there are some “themes” that I noticed throughout this entire two-week exercise. The most significant one was exactly what I had anticipated: patterns. If you are lucky enough to sit in the same spot at the same time, day after day, you see the same rhythms, the same people, the same repetitions of life’s little actions and emotions. Many people have the opportunity to see these patterns, because they do follow the same schedule, day after day, on their way to their job or their school. But some of us have irregular routines, and any, most of us don’t pay any attention. If you slow down, and pay attention, you’ll see the patterns.
But sometimes the pattern involves uniqueness – i.e. strange and unusual people or events that seem to happen only once. But I have to keep reminding myself that my visits have lasted only two weeks; if I was here for a month, or a full season, or perhaps an entire year – then perhaps I would see these strange incidents repeating themselves
5. Another theme – which I did not anticipate, but was delighted to see – was the pervasive sense of affection and caring between and among everyone on the street. Mostly it was apparent in the interactions between parents and children; but sometimes it was between dog-owners and the dogs they were walking; sometimes it was between friends who happened to be walking along together; and sometimes it was between complete strangers and me, as the strangers would smile and nod and say “hello” if they noticed I was watching them. It was a great experience.
Kentucky Lake Campground site 13.
Most observers know that jays seldom limit themselves to one peanut at a time. These guys were no exception; unfortunately, my shots illustrating that behaviour did not turn out as well as the ones I've posted.
I rarely post two images in one day, but am making an exception here. I know photos of litter have limited appeal. I'm sort of compulsive with photography - I shoot just about everything. The current image set kind of fascinates while also repelling me. This particular shot has always intrigued me, so the back story may be worth telling...
It was a wet day in November and I was poking around the forest with a macro lens, looking for fungi to photograph. Something white caught my eye, resting atop an ancient red-cedar stump. I realized right away it wasn't a mushroom.
It was a book. It had been out there for a while. The pages lay open, and rain had thoroughly soaked them so that they were stuck together, returning to pulp. I worked in a pulp mill for two years in the 1970s, so I know what wood pulp looks like.
The ink was smeared, the words mostly illegible. An abstraction. I photographed it as such, with tripod and macro; fascinating. Now here's the kicker - and some of you may have guessed what the book was. It was a Bible. Why would someone do this? Was it an act of faith? An attempt to share The Word? Was it sacrilege? A political statement, however obscure? I have no idea.
Last year I posted a rodeo shot and received a scolding from someone who shouted at me from across the world that this was abuse, adding, "Shame! Shame on you!" As if I were responsible for the event I was photographing. So... if anyone feels angry that I would take this picture and share it, maybe stop and think for a moment. I am a reporter: I observe and report. This is a found object. Make of it what you will.
Photographed in Goldstream Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Photographed at Columbia Park, Kennewick Washington on one of the few days with clear blue sky. Today may be an exception to overcast sky.
IMG_0959
With the exception of a shortlist article covering the best of April, TMAXparty 2017 is all but over. Long Live TMAXparty!
At the risk of film party fatigue, it;s time to announce our next celebration: it’s time for #NEOPANtastic.
As ever, the rules are simple:
Shoot a roll or sheet of any...
Large version at: emulsive.org/articles/neopantastic/welcome-to-neopantasti...
Filed under: #Articles #Neopantastic #Fuji #NEOPANtastic
[CZ] Jeskyně Býčí skála - vstup
[EN] With the exception of the Days of Open Doors, the Bull Rock Cave is not open to the public. The Bull Rock Cave (jeskyně Býčí skála) is located in the Josefov area of the Křtiny Valley in the central part of the Moravian Karst. It represents approximately a half of the total length of the Jedovnice Creek cave system. The system is ca. 15 km long, second longest in the Czech Republic. It is located under the Rudice Plateau, 60 - 220 m beneath the surface. The 3.8 km long (straight length) Rudické propadání is the ponor cave. The Bull Rock Cave is the resurgence (emergence) cave. It consists of several distinguished units, each of them bearing its own name. The first section of the cave, the Old Bull Rock Cave, represents a paleo-resurgence passage of the underground Jedovnice Creek. However, during extraordinary floods it also serves as an active karst spring.
The Bull Rock Cave is frequently called "the most memorable cave of the Moravian Karst", mostly on the account of its prehistory. The Southern Branch yielded evidence of Paleolithic (Magdalenian) settlements. The entrance part, called the Hall (also Entrance Hall, Hallstatt Hall, Předsíň in Czech), is the site of the famous "Hallstatt burial". The burial was discovered by Jindřich (Heinrich) Wankel, M.D., in 1872.
The cave is also a well-known paleontological station. In addition, it belongs to the best studied caves in the Moravian Karst as far as cave biology is concerned. More than 2000 bats regularly winterize in the cave, making it one of the largest such places in the Czech Republic. The bibliography of the Bull Rock Cave begins in 1663 and is probably the most extensive of all caves in the Moravian Karst.
Systematic speleological exploration of the Bull Rock Cave began in 1902. It was carried out by members of the Verein der deutschen Touristen in Brünn, Gruppe für Höhlenforschung (VDT-GfH, a German caving group in Brno). In 1912, the cavers focused their attention on the key problem - the then terminal point of the cave, the Šenkův (Šenk's) siphon. In 1920 their effort was crowned with a success - the overcoming of the siphon and the discovery of the New Bull Rock Cave with the underground Jedovnice Creek. Since 1947, namely from 1973 to 1985, Czech cavers gradually discovered the underground stream of the Jedovnice Creek between the New Bull Rock Cave and the Rudické propadání. They also have discovered the underground course of the creek between the Bull Rock Cave, the Bar (Barová) Cave and the springs in Josefov.
A rare exception on our recent visit to the Military Cemetery, on the same site as the former Chapel, were these daffodils planted beside a grave. Mostly the green landscape just shows rows of white headstones. Soldiers of many nationalities are buried here and the information on some of the headstones is just a name.
"Netley Military Cemetery is a permanent military cemetery, the property of the Ministry of Defence. The cemetery was at the back of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital and was used during both wars for burials from the hospital. The cemetery contains 637 First World War burials but only 35 from the Second World War. In addition to the Commonwealth graves, there are a number of war graves of other nationalities including 69 German graves dating from the First World War.
source: Commonwealth War Graves Commision
With one exception, all these 23 images (#0826 through #1063) were created on 9 November 2013 at a branding on a cattle ranch in Lake County, Oregon.
I am attempting to post these as a sequence, from beginning to end.
Lake County, Oregon was my home for four and a half years. I am a city guy from San Francisco. As a consequence all this "cowboy stuff" was always of great fascination.
The kids are told to stay out of the way so that they do not get hurt.
If you want to see these images in order, go to the Album:
www.flickr.com/photos/brockhampton-usa/albums/72157657236...
Except for a handful of notable exceptions the SOO GP30 fleet took on a rusty appearance as the 80's progressed. 709 was one of the worst for rust/dirt and faded paint. I caught it in all its glory in the hole at Gilchrist on February 10, 1984 leading a better looking 704 on 910 as they await the arrival of 909 before continuing on to Sault Ste. Marie. The white cab door occurred on a couple GP30's and U-boats in the late 70's as someone at Shoreham decided it was easier/cheaper to swap the door from the back of cab(where apparently the weather strip was in better shape) to the front to try to keep out drafts rather than replace the weather stripping.
click for black, then click F11 (thanks M. Seidman) for large. And remember to hit F11 again when you're done.
Majestic Durham Cathedral Night shot Alanpt2016©
Built between 1093 and 1490, Durham Cathedral, with the exception of the upper parts of its towers, the eastern extension known as the Chapel of Nine Altars, and the large west window of 1341, is entirely Norman and is regarded by Alec Clifton-Taylor as "the incomparable masterpiece of Romanesque architecture". The interior is “overwhelmingly impressive”.The western Lady Chapel known as the Galilee Chapel is a unique Norman building different in style to the cathedral itself. The view of the cathedral from the south west is particularly famous because of its “incomparable setting” on a steep promontory above the River Wear.
Durham Cathedral has been featured in the Harry Potter films as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where it had a spire digitally added onto the top of the famous towers.
This fellow sang us a song. "Many sparrows are challenging to identify, but this one is a striking exception, with its bold face pattern and broad, white-edged tail. Lark Sparrows favor areas with bare open ground and scattered bushes, habitats that are more common in the West and Midwest than in the East; they often forage conspicuously out in the open. When going from place to place, they tend to fly higher than most sparrows, giving a sharp callnote as they pass overhead." Audubon
Les Arcs 1600 21/01/2017 16h28
Mister Bloomingdales is liking the view at this altitude of +1600 meters at Bourg-Saint-Maurice. With perhaps the top of the Mont Blanc somewhere in the background.
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino, it is a part of the huge Paradiski system which is under ownership by Compagnie des Alpes, a French-listed company owning several other ski resorts as well as theme parks.
The five areas—Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950, and Arc 2000—are situated at an altitude spanning from 810 to 3226 metres, although skiing is mostly possible above 1200 metres. The ski area consists of 106 runs, 54 lifts, and 200 kilometres of descent. The highest peak in the resort is the Aiguille Rouge (Red Needle) from where is a 7 km long piste with 2026 metres in vertical drop down to the Village Villaroger. Since the opening of the Vanoise Express cable car in December 2003, Les Arcs has become part of the Paradiski group of ski-connected resorts, which also includes the La Plagne area. Paradiski in total has 425 km of pistes.
Les Arcs has the reputation of being one of the original French "mega-resorts". All of them have a convenient, large, and varied network of pistes. Les Arcs has the specificity of a unique "avant-garde" modernist architecture labelled as "heritage of the 20th century". Most of its resorts are built following this modernist architecture, with the exception of latest—Arc 1950—which is built following the traditional architecture in the Alps and also with a more defined village ambiance.
At 1600 metres, this is the lowest of the resort areas and is linked directly to the Bourg Saint Maurice TGV train station by the "Arc en Ciel" funicular railway. The journey time is approximately 7 minutes and many trains also call at two intermediate stations, serving the villages of Montrigron and Les Granges. It is connected to the other villages by regular free shuttle buses and ski lifts. Arc 1600 was the first area to be built on and is referred to as "Arc Pierre Blanche". Arc 1600 now has 30 shops, hotels and meeting rooms to offer its guests.
[ Source and more information: Wikipedia - Les Arcs ]
Photo "Explored" on 01/03/2017, #303.
Stellar nurseries are cloudy and dusty places that shine brightly in infrared light. The G305 star-forming complex is no exception. It features a number of bright, intricate gas clouds heated by infant stars in their midst. In this spectacular image by ESA’s Herschel space observatory, these star-forming hotspots stand out in a blue tone that contrasts with the red-brownish colour of cooler regions.
While there are several star-formation sites dotted throughout this scene, the most striking ones surround the dark, heart-shaped area in the top right of the image. Hidden at the centre of the dark region lie the massive star WR48a and its two neighbours, stellar clusters Danks 1 and 2. All three play an important role in triggering the formation of new stars, even if they themselves are relatively young objects no older than a few million years (for comparison, the Sun is around 4.6 billion years old).
Strong winds and radiation from WR48a and the high-mass stars in the two clusters have pushed away the gas remnants from the cloud where they originated. The swept-away gas, gathered together at the edge of the heart-shaped bubble, is now forming new stars.
Using Herschel, astronomers have identified 16 sites where high-mass stars are forming in this stellar nursery. The region is one of the brightest and most plentiful star-forming complexes in the Milky Way, and an ideal ground to observe and study massive stars at different stages of formation and evolution.
The G305 complex is about 12 000 light-years away and gets its name from its location at around 305º longitude in the plane of our Galaxy. In the night sky, it appears near the Coalsack Nebula, a large interstellar cloud of dust visible to the naked eye and located in the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross. A very prominent dark nebula, Coalsack shows up in the southern skies as a black patch against the bright, starry backdrop of the Milky Way.
This image, obtained as part of Hi-GAL – the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey, combines observations at three different wavelengths: 70 microns (blue), 160 microns (green) and 250 microns (red).
Launched in 2009, Herschel operated for four years observing at far infrared and submillimetre wavelengths. This spectral range allowed it to observe the glow of dust in gas clouds where stars are born to investigate this process and observe their early evolution.
Credits: ESA/Herschel/PACS, SPIRE/Hi-GAL Project. Acknowledgement: UNIMAP / L. Piazzo, La Sapienza – Università di Roma; E. Schisano / G. Li Causi, IAPS/INAF, Italy
Damselflies are the smaller cousins of dragonflies and there are two easy ways to tell them apart. First, damsels have more separated eyes while dragonflies have them closer together.
Second, when resting, dragonfllies keep their wings perpendicular to their body while damsels fold them away abov the abdomen.
But of course there has to be exceptions. The emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) like this one and the rest of the members of Lestidae are known as spreadwings, because, even if they are damsels they like to keep their wings spread out.
This is a female (the males are blue) and I found her covered in dew in the early morning in the Hemmesta sjöäng wetland.
A retro place in Greenville, SC.
My attention was especially drawn by the two men in front--they seemed to me so characteristic. Perhaps father and son? . . .
I confess that I feel public candids are an invasion of privacy, which is why I take so few of them. But I made an exception here. I hope the two gentlemen will forgive me. I show them as fine examples of local people.
EXPLORED. Thanks, friends.
Deception by Chop Zuey, worth rising from the dead for details @ thefallenpath.wordpress.com/2018/10/30/deception-there-ar...
Watch this video!
youtu.be/VrI0pZa5YgU - from the makers of the beer
One of my resolutions this year is to stop drinking beer. I will however make exceptions for some certain foreign beers that I've never tasted and the home brews like that of Katipunan Craft.
I actually helped out in making this certain brew, "Christmas in our Malts" which has the taste of chestnuts
Otherwise.. it's a permanent goodbye to San Miguel Beer
It starting to seem like nearly all of my photos uploaded lately were shot in Venice and this will be no exception. This is another shot from my trip to Venice back in mid september and is still one of my favorite days at the beach since arriving in Los Angeles. It was my second time in Venice in two days after the brutal sunny summer ended and I could've have chosen much better conditions if I wanted to. For the most part, much of this trip was perfect. The previous night had a really colorful, constantly changing sky and sunset and conditions were amazing for all sorts of shooting but on this night, the tide was even lower, winds calm, and a mostly consistent sunset. The cloud layers seen didn't alter much, outside of slow drifting and the color on the horizon stayed well lit even as it changed to darker hues.
A big difference on this night was that I really wanted more people wandering through frame--something I never thought I'd hope for--so I could get some variation on a mostly static view. The water level was as low as I've seen here and it seemed like no matter where I set up on the shoreline, I was in the full reflection and it felt like I was standing on a giant mirror. Other people noticed this as well, and I saw plenty of them crouched on the shore looking at their reflection or or taking images of the shore with their phones rather than just the sunset. Normally the way around those rocks is from behind them as waves often crash against the end, but the tide level receded well before it so quite a few people took advantage of this, and entered into frame as a result.
I posted at least one of a similar scene to this but this shot was taken about 5 minutes. The people in the other image were well down the beach or wherever they wandered off to at this point and this particular shot has a bit more detail and better lighting in the foreground and right side. I did have a bunch of images from this night that suffered from some odd glare and it may have been from a slightly off circular polarizer which I generally leave on at sundown and occasionally bump when making adjustments. The last 2 visits here--one during a really stormy afternoon and then the last trip on just a gross, gloomy, colorless day--were much different than the other trips since back in September. The tide has gotten dramatically higher on each subsequent visit and on the last trip, I didn't really get any reflections at all which was such a letdown. I'm optimistic for some more favorable conditions this week. It looks like it will be some degree of cloudy nearly every day and hopefully the afternoon skies will help give me some indication of what to expect at sundown and leave me with enough time to drive somewhere interesting. I'm anxious for another night like this one!
WHEN & WHERE
Venice Beach
Venice, California
September 20th, 2016
SETTINGS
Canon T4i
EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
@18mm
ISO 100
f/10
1/10th second
CPL
I rarely photograph trains here despite working a mile away but made an exception because I wanted to photograph 1030. While waiting around I shot 14 trains in 50 min including four different models of locomotive...I suppose it's not that boring after all!
Here's the sixth train I lensed, inbound Keolis/MBTA train 012 from Rockport is crosing the drawbridge over the Charles River on Main 2 into North Station with F40PH-3C 1064 shoving on the rear.
For now the last relics from Boston and Maine days remain clustered here including the vintage dwarf signals, the drawbridges and the tower itself which was built during the B&M's 1926-1932 reconfiguration of the terminal and the then new Boston Engine Terminal. The two story steel frame and brick structure replaced an earlier tower located on the south side of the Charles. It was placed in service on September 27, 1931 with an original electrical board containing 211 levers! Until 2021 the drawbridge operator still worked out of it but today it serves no purpose at all.
The two bascule bridges also date from that same year when the navigable channel of the Charles River was shifted 300 feet to the north of its former route to allow the platforms at North Station to be extended. At the time of their construction two additional spans were built just to the west with a total of 8 tracks crossing the river serving 22 platform tracks vs only 10 today.
All of this is on borrowed time however, as the MBTA is embarking on a nearly one billion dollar project to replace the aging and failure prone spans and reconfigure Tower A. Ultimately these last vestiges of the Route of the Minuteman will fall to the wrecking ball and cutting torch and three new vertical lift spans are supposed to rise in their place allowing for six tracks to cross the river and the addition of two more platform tracks.
Rising above at left can be seen the obelisk towers and cable stays of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial suspension bridge built in 2003 as part of the infamous Big Dig project that saw Interstate 93 removed from its elevated pathway through the heart of the city and buried beneath it.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Wednesday September 24, 2025
They say the weather is very changeable in Scotland , which I've always found to be true, today being no exception, the day started off in a full on blizzard in Glencoe and I didn't even get the camera out at sunrise as you couldn't see a thing, driving was hazardous to say the least as well as just narrowly missed an oncoming lorry on the A82 which had swerved onto my side of the road to avoid a large ice deposit off a previous lorry right into my path, luckily it missed me.
Headed out again after breakfast through it once again and decided to head South towards Taynuilt and Oban, once out of the snow it just didn't stop raining, all day apart from a few moments at Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe where I managed a few shots. After spending the afternoon in Oban I decided to scout out the best vantage point for Castle Stalker for a better day as the advertised viewpoint is really poor in my view, once I found my spot the rain was easing off but the weather was still pretty poor with low cloud, and hardly any light apart from a promising tiny patch
over towards Mull, with nothing spoiling I decided to just wait here on the offchance of a break.
about 40 minutes it really picked up and I was rewarded with what turned out to be a phenomenal sunset, this image was just the start of it before the sun had fully dropped under the large bank of cloud at the top of the frame, the light was just sublime, there is no way you could have envisaged this sunset at the start of the day or even an hour before, just goes to show you really cannot predict the changes in the weather up here off sight alone, I'll post a few more of these images in the coming weeks as they are quite different, the afterglow after sundow was a stunner as well with some great pinks and purples kicking off over the loch. Spent about 2.5 hours here and loved every minute of it, only realised how cold I was once I'd got back to the car!
With the Exception of a few figs these are simply updates. Most of these updates are small so I'll keep these short.
Arsenal: Gave him a painted Hood Piece and the Hawkeye head.
Sebastian Blood: New figure. Simply Lord Business' torso and a head idk who.
Green Arrow: Gave him the Boxing glove arrow and I've started using silver Arrows instead of gunmetal.
Onamonapia: Gave him a completely black torso. Last time I posted him it was a black torso I borrowed from another figure.
Cupid: I'm annoyed that I forgot to order more quivers but here she is! Based off of her Comic appearance with some tweaks! I used Pink ponytail hair, A lone Ranger head(?) a painted Leia Torso and Brickforge Bow and Gauntlets!
Thank you guys for supporting my stream!
comment down below what you think! :)
With the exception of three former EMD SD45 demonstrators, which were informally traded to sister Dereco railroad Erie-Lackawanna, the Delaware and Hudson roster was entirely Alco and GE until the formation of Conrail. When that occurred on April 1, 1976, the D&H became owner of twelve former Lehigh Valley GP38-2’s, twenty former Reading GP39-2’s, and twenty brand new lightning stripe GP39-2’s. Here one of each team up to lead a 66-car train out of the west end of Allentown yard.
Having flown the whole Family (with the exception of a Daughter-In-Law who stayed behind to look after a dog and an International Student!) to Whangarei to spend the weekend with Mrs Lance's elderly mother, we all went out for lunch on the banks of the Whangarei Marina!
We couldn't have wished for a more picturesque setting! Although not especially a Christmas scene as such, this scene does sum up a New Zealand Summer, namely boats (for some!), warm sunny days, flowering flax bushes, hardy New Zealand Cabbage Trees and bright crimson blossom on Pohutukawa (which is affectionately known as New Zealand's Christmas Tree because it flowers at this time of the year!).
Something to hum along to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRAFe6WwLA
And right now, Mrs Lance joins me in wishing you all a very blessed and joy-filled Christmas, and safe and happy New Year celebrations. Thank you for all the kind Comments left beneath my photos throughout the last 12 months, and thank you also for sharing your photos with me.
In closing, an especially big "Thank You" for being a Flickr Friend throughout the last 12 months. Your friendship (wherever you are in the world) is greatly appreciated and valued, and I look forward to keeping in touch with you throughout 2017!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Because the route chosen by the Shenandoah Railroad followed its namesake Shenandoah Valley through Virginia and avoided the Blue Ridge to the east and Allegheny Ridge to the west only minor grades were encountered with two exceptions. The northbound ruling grade is 1.6% on Lofton Hill beginning at Vesuvius where the line passes over the divide from the James River to the Shenandoah River watershed. Norfolk and Western installed US&S color position light block signals on this route in the 1920s and operated trains using a timetable schedule and train orders. Double track was added for 3.1 miles from Vesuvius north to Pkin during CTC implementation in 1944 to increase operating capacity.
Today, Norfolk Southern extends far beyond the regional interchange locations of the past and this route acts as a secondary mainline predominately for manifest trains. Although NS has been slowly replacing the classic N&W signal hardware, some remains. Broken coupler knuckles on the ground near the at the north end of double track indicate the challenge of starting a train on Lofton Hill after meeting a southbound at Pkin.
On the final evening of 2024, several lines of rain showers passed from west to east over the Shenandoah Valley. The sky cleared briefly and the setting sun dropped under the next approaching wall of cloud. The NS dispatcher in Atlanta has cleared a path south down Lofton Hill for manifest 15T from Allentown, PA to Irondale, AL. The southbound signal at Pkin displays Diverging Clear and the “Y” turnout at the north end of double track is lined to Main #1.