Here I am with Leanna Thomas, looking like we are enjoying an interlude during an opera. In fact, maybe one day will do just that.

I had the great privilege to meet Leanna several years ago after following her Flickr account for years before that. She is more of a stunner in person, if you can believe that, but looks are far from everything. Leanna is such a pleasant person to be around. We had a great conversation and caught up on a few things, a pool of tranquility in the busy buzz of people waiting to attend the gala. We agreed to meet, just the two of us, some time in the Fall. I think that might be the way I go from now on - Keystone is a lovely, lovely event, but my days of going to conferences has come to an end. From this point forward, my plan will be to meet with friends for coffee, tea, or booze, maybe a dinner and a show (to include meeting at The Circular during Keystone, heading to Harrisburg for the day). I'll do the routine hotel photoshoot thing, of course. All told, I suspect perhaps 2-3 brief outings each year.

The rich interactions with friends keeps me sustained during times I don't dress. In fact, I keep in touch with a few friends I've known for many years without the crossdressing element.

I WAS TAGGED! tagged by VintageNerd. Thank you! I've been waiting to be tagged :)

View large on black to see detail :)

LET'S PLAY FLICKR FAVORITES- If I tagged you, you are all the 10 most awesomest people ever!!

I just have to say that I have THE best flickr contacts in the world! if you don't know some of them, then go add them as a contact, cuz I love them :D

I'll try to make this interesting :)

SO here's 10 facts about me

1. I'm a junior in high school, 17 years old (apparently I don't look 17 though- I was told this weekend that I looked twelve- by a 4th grader. How old are you when you're in 4th grade? like 8 or 9? All I gotta say is that she's lucky we were at church, haha :D)

2. My pet peeve is when a public restroom doesn't have paper towels and I have to use the dryer (I mean, really. Is it too much to ask that they put paper towels in there?)

3. I REFUSE to eat rice. I choked on it when I was like, 2. So none for me.

4. I got braces on Dec. 5 2007 and in the 2 years that I have had them, I have never changed the color of my ties...I get teal every time :)

5. I would love to go to an art college, possibly Art Institute of Seattle or Northwest College of Art.

6. For as long as I can remember, I've always put my right earbud in my left ear- it makes more sense to me (I don't know. I think that's a little odd.)

7. I'm half hispanic- my dad was born in Costa Rica and is fully hispanic, and I traveled to Costa Rica with my family for vacation in summer of 2008- I've only recently realized that a month is a LONG time to be in a foreign country.

8. I want to do travel photography or some other type of photography, possibly portraiture maybe?

9. A movie I never get tired of watching is The Notebook- that and While You Were Sleeping :)

10. I would love to eventually meet my fellow Flickrers! :D

this is my sister after we wrapped her in Christmas lights :)

Original view of quilt front-the way it was designed.

TIP: Too many people are trying too hard to be what they not and never will be. Focus on your real life not second life. Do not hide who you are, be proud of it. SL is a place to relax and be creative, bring some fantasies to life, not a place to fake your personality or make up lies just so you can feel better about yourself, trying to glue the missing pieces from your real life in a fantasy world....wont work kids, eventually you`ll get up from the computer and be a person, not a pixel. Get your priorities straight.

Shot on film. Pondicherry, South India 2002.

*I keep thinking about the tsunami in 2004, and all the casualties. All of my photos from Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are from before the tragic event. I can suddenly get tears in my eyes when I look at a photo of a smiling kid that perhaps might never smile again. Then I shake it away, and say: I`m sure he/she is okay!

At the same time it is maybe a wrong personal reflection. I look at a few images of some people I met along the eastern coast, but at the same time it is a true fact that thousands died there, and many many more in other countries.

I will make a warm wish for all the souls that were washed away that day, and send my most honest sympathy for the relatives and friends that lost someone dear.

I also truly hope this fisherman is all right!

A proud man, with a gaze stronger than any tsunami and some extraordinary hands that shows a long hard life of ocean-work.

Copyright © Ioannis Lelakis.

All rights reserved.

*(words previously posted with an older upload of the same man)

Fact!

This was the first week in June, 2004. It had snowed two days before. In fact there was quite a blizzard going on at the Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass. In Aspen it snowed lightly most of that day. The day after the snow fall it was overcast and not too great for pictures. That day most of the snow at the lower levels melted. The next day was clear with snow left just on the bare rocks of the higher mountains. Perfect for getting the contrast of the green grass, budding aspens, snow covered mountains, and clear blue sky.

Facts:

DASH is 5 years old and in Kindergarten

DJ is a GIANT in 3rd grade wearing Mens small & size 8 men's shoes

THROW BACK THURSDAY

3 years ago

DJ was 5 years old (he was basically as small as DASH is now)

Dash was still using a binky

We lived in California

Does that mean Dash is going to be a GIANT too?!!!

100 More Facts You Never Wanted To Know About Lee VonCanon...

This is quite possibly the only picture of me that I can safely say that I just love!

I haven’t seen any of the Godfathers, American History X, Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, Schindler’s List, American Beauty, It’s A Wonderful Life, Terminators 2 and 3 (though I did see the first one last year), Apocalypse Now, Casablanca, Psycho, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Citizen Kane, or Titanic… or pretty much any “classic” movie ever.

I plan on working on that… except Titanic. Not so much on that one.

I have a secret TV crush on Gil Grissom on “CSI”. (William Petersen in real life.)

I also have another secret TV crush on Greg House on “House”. (Hugh Laurie in real life.)

I don’t care what people say; I think House does have a heart.

I also think that he and Cameron are going to get together.

I am addicted to Wikipedia. I couldn’t live without my Wikifixes.

I’m also addicted to PostSecret.

Depending on the situation, I can be incredibly shy when I first meet someone.

I get really excited when the clock turns 11:05, because November 5th is my birthday.

For some reason, I have this deep internal pull to read the classifieds in every newspaper.

I still laugh and (hopefully) always will at sexual innuendos or words like “duty.”

My mom still does, too.

My mom’s hot.

My oldest brother is being deployed to Iraq in late June or early July. When he comes back from his first tour of duty (heh), he’s thinking of going into Ranger school. I worry and cry a lot about him, but I doubt he’ll ever know.

I had my first real, adult conversation with him just last night.

I bought a blue polkadot sundress that ties in the back and I just feel so pretty when I wear it! And I feel like a girly girl, too.

I have recently discovered Regina Spektor and I love, love, love her. Fidelity is my new favorite song.

In addition to her, my recent musical heroes have been John Legend, Jens Lekman, Kings of Convenience, Sigur Ros (always), Seu Jorge (always), Colin Hay, Something for Kate…

I just got the contacts that you can sleep in, so I am so very excited about that.

Baseball season is coming up! Yay! I’m quite happy about that.

The Atlanta Braves are my favorite baseball team and have been since I was a little girl.

I saw a flamenco performance a few weeks ago and have been secretly trying to do it when I’m home alone.

I’m actually going to join a gym (a first) and work out (another first) in a few days.

I’m kind of going on a diet, too. (By far, a first and only.)

I’m giving up Mountain Dew. (Did your heart just sink? Mine, too.)

I call everyone “fatties” but I always forget to explain my personal definition, so a lot of people don’t like me anymore. (Just kidding on that last part.) A fatty is someone who likes to eat or relax or be lazy or whatever. Sitting on the couch and watching Family Guy with a beer and chips is being a fatty. It has nothing to do with actual weight.

I think Family Guy is the most brilliant show and humor that I have ever seen in my life.

I hate flat flavored water. It makes me sick. But carbonated flavored water, I could drink every day for the rest of my life.

Voss water makes the coolest bottles ever. I love their design and have bought something like 5 bottles just to have.

Latinae dico.

I’ve wanted to live in Mexico almost my whole life.

Austin, Texas is very close, too. Oh, how I love food.

I worked on the line in the kitchen at a very nice restaurant and I felt like one of the boys. It was fun, but then I couldn’t afford all the time spent there, so I went back on the floor. I still feel accomplished that I could hang with everyone else, when I can’t cook to save my life.

I do, however, make a mean lasagna, I have recently discovered. Almost as good as my mama’s.

I have decided to learn Spanish. (Anyone wanna help a sister out?)

My favorite lens ever is the 50mm f/1.8, because it’s super cheap and great for low light. But, if I had all the money in the world, I think my new favorite would be the 50mm f/1.4.

I might be coming back to the Canon side of things soon.

My favorite martini is an appletini.

I collect martini glasses.

Of all of the funky designs and colors, my favorite is the simple, plain, classic clear glass.

I have, over the last couple of years, perfected making martinis of all variations.

I have even created several martinis (and other random drinks) that are mighty tasty, if I do say so myself.

My personal favorite is called a Pagan Jesus, in honor of a joke with my best friend.

I have my Buck knife with me at almost all times.

I think blowing your nose is one of the most disgusting things ever. I refuse to do it and suffer through a stuffed up head and nose for as long as it takes to get over.

I haven’t blown my nose in over 10 years. It grosses me out just thinking about it.

I think that the human body is one of the most fascinating, complex, intelligent things ever made and I’m constantly amazed by the little things I discover or learn about it (mostly from watching House, but still…).

Every single different way that people can misspell “tomorrow” drives me a little more insane every day. One M. Two Rs. And there are no As!! Whew. Just had to get that off my chest.

I’m not a “cat person” but my kitten is the coolest freaking thing ever.

My kitten also is best friends with the thigh-high huge boy dog.

She also beats up on the knee-high girl dog sometimes.

I got my first and only sketchbook and set of charcoal pencils recently.

I am not an artist and will freely admit that the only sketches I’ve done, suck.

I get unbelievably (and irrationally) paranoid when there is a car behind me for more than a couple turns. I start mentally weirding out and imagining them just having some freak road rage against me and trying to run me off the road or kill me.

I have the same paranoia (minus the road, keep the rage) with noises around the house. I always think that it’s some random murderer out to get me for some reason.

I love all three of my very, very big, very, very unwelcoming (to others), very, very threatening-looking dogs for both of those reasons.

I can sit and listen to one song on repeat for days on end and not ever get sick of it.

My current few of repeatable playlists, other than Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity” are George Strait’s “The Seashores of Old Mexico,” K-OS’ “The Rain,” and the Finn Brothers’ “Edible Flowers.”

I recently heard about Paul Sanchez (my favorite band member) leaving Cowboy Mouth (my favorite band) and I was so stunned that I just couldn’t talk. It seems trivial to be that big of a deal, but I grew up with this band. Paul was in it for 16 years. I’ve met him and the band multiple times. They were one of the few uniting bonds within my family – we all disagreed and fought sometimes (who doesn’t?) but everyone, regardless of age, musical taste, anything – we all love Cowboy Mouth. My soon-to-be three-year-old sister walks around singing “Voodoo Shoppe.” We are fans. So, that hurt, Paul. You made me sad. But I’ll still see you in concert on your solo tours.

I ramble.

I love picture frames, but I don’t actually use any.

The living room (and eventually the whole house) is covered with unframed, random pictures, wall-to-wall, stuck on with photo stickers. Polaroids, expired film, Holga shots, digital prints, big, little, otherwise. It looks very, very cool.

I drive a green Chevy Malibu.

I really want my brother’s blue Chevy 2500. Uffff. I love it.

I might be buying my first horse next year. I grew up with horses, but this will be the first one that I have gone out and bought.

I think DING! from Southwest is the greatest invention ever.

I think that satellite broadband (thank you, God!), contact lenses, Post-It notes, and autodrafting are tied for a very close second.

I like buying cards for no reason and giving them to the people I love.

The first three days of my period, my lower back absolutely just kills me (and makes me want to kill). Nothing that I can take will stop the pain, so I usually settle for naps.

I can down tequila like it’s water (think “Frida”) but gin gets me after the second drink (think “cheap date”).

I love day planners and organizers (and buying them) but I just never use them after the first week or two.

I wear size 10 in shoes, size 8 in dresses, size 10 in pants.

All natural: 36-28-38

I’m hopefully buying a Hassleblad in a few months.

I think this is beautifully perfect. (Except number 30. That’s just downright wrong.)

I like porn. :)

I am a text messaging badass.

I love getting French pedicures, but I’ve only had maybe 4 in my life. I think they’re continental and sexy.

I love the word continental and I want to be it.

I think Victoria’s Secret’s clothes are better than their lingerie.

I love listening to songs in foreign languages.

I’ve always wanted rooms in my dream house with floor-to-ceiling walls of whiteboard, mirror, chalkboard, magnet, corkboard, aquarium, and so many Polaroids that the wall can’t be seen behind them.

I’ve also always wanted to have the ground be grass and the ceiling be glass and have kind of a greenhouse thing going on. Can’t you see it? You’re excited.

Regarding toilet paper: over, not under.

I have four birthmarks. Two super tiny ones (just a little smaller than a dime) on my thigh and hip, a very light (invisible to everyone but me), but big one on the inside of my left calf, and a dark, very visible, incredibly ugly one on the back of my neck. I despise that one.

Rarely am I self-conscious (I mean very rarely), but I almost always put my hair up (if I do put it up) in a way that will still cover the ugly birthmark on the back of my neck.

I play Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” and Colin Hay’s “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” as loud as I can whenever I’m sad.

90% of the time, my first drink of a martini makes me sneeze.

I could sit and watch my dogs fight over ice cubes for hours. It’s the funniest thing in the world to me.

Music (in case you didn’t get that from half of this list!) makes me incredibly happy. If I burn a new CD, it’s like all the problems in life go away.

Having a full tank of gas makes me feel invincible.

I like reconnecting with lost friends.

I also tend to give up on friends that I’ve lost contact with.

Jen is the best girl friend I have ever had in my life. She has stuck with me, unconditionally, since we became friends. And I love her for it.

I want four kids, God willing.

I have the first boy name and the first girl name chosen already.

I am addicted to favoriting pictures on flickr, but I’ve just simply stopped commenting. (I’m sorry…)

I have never been this happy in my life.

This is a sequel to this. Hope you enjoy!

This image has got a somewhat different meaning in a way that this image doesn't have a different meaning today as it has yesterday. It rather is something that used to happen four years ago during our first year living in our home.

We used to live outside a lot during our renovation year. Our chicken Mia loved to join us with meals outside. She was harassed a lot by our rooster Bram and she stayed with us for protection. Since we moved into the house she hasn't been that present around us. Also the fact that Bram isn't around anymore helped and that his son Loeki has accepted Mia she's been living a chickens life more and more.

Seeing her joining us for tea the other day was reliving old times and such a delight.

Wien 2020 |

Covid-19

Cape Town, 27 October 2000

Service de transport de l'agglomération nancéienne (Stan, operated by Keolis Grand Nancy): in the city of Nancy, in addition to an extensive bus network, there is a guided trolleybus line of the Bombardier TVR type. This system uses a central guidance rail, with retractable trucks on the vehicles. Implemented only in two French cities (Caen and Nancy), several technical problems have limited their development. In fact, Caen suppressed its TVR line in 2017.

The Nancy line has a length of 11.3 km, although only 60% of the route uses the central guidance rail (between Gérard Barrois and Callot, and in both terms). In the remaining 40%, the vehicles run as conventional trolleybuses guided by the driver. It was inaugurated on January 28, 2001, and is scheduled to be replaced by a tram, as is already being done in Caen.

The fleet for this line consists of 25 double articulated trolleybuses of 24.5 meters (numbers 1 to 25), with Alstom electrical equipment and a diesel engine to continue circulating in the absence of power, or to access the garages.

Here we see the trolleybus number 22 in the Point Central stop, working a service in the line 1 to Essey, Mouzimpré.

Well this sucks big time...

No, it’s not because of someone on here...

Or drama

Or because I hate Flickr as a service...which I’m kinda close to hating.

In fact, you guys are the best and I appreciate the support.

....but...there’s always a but right? It’s time for a little time off. I probably won’t be posting anything. I’ll check the app because well...I’m bad at stuff. But exams are coming up and those are a big pain in the butt.

So no uploads probably until May 15...which means halted progress on Spider-Man...which is chugging along slowly to completion. The next arc I mean. I’m proud of it so far, but I have to finish and review/rewrite it.

Thanks again!

Cape Town, 27 October 2000

Case Study 113 : Warning, these are the raw, bare unusual occurrences as originally chronicled. Some names, times, places and some facts have been, of course, altered.

Name: Angelica D circa 192__

Subject: an unscrupulous light-fingered body thief

Event: Posh Wedding Reception

Place: Upstate New York

Time: Warm early Autumn Saturday

Angie Being Receptive

Story line:

Angie had heard about the affair, a wedding, from a list of prospective functions provided by a discreetly paid contact. It was being given for the only daughter of a wealthy politician (as if there were any non-wealthy ones!) Angie had happily invited herself to the affair, carefully dressing up in her best for the special occasion!

**

Wedding receptions were by far Angie’s favorite hunting grounds. During the season there could be anywhere from upwards of 20 high end affaires every weekend in the bigger cities, and always 2 or 3 in even the smallest of towns.

Wedding s were usually easy pickings: free food, drink and entertainment, and seldom worn jewelry made for a ready-made mix for Angie to ply her trade. For Angelica D. was a uniquely skilled pickpocket, specializing in the removal for profit of the expensive jewelry worn by the (usually be -gowned) women and young ladies’ who hauntingly dwelt in societies upper crust!

So Weddings, by their nature, were the desirable choice for Angie. One only had to avoid the Bride, her Bridesmaids, and their court, which were usually the major focus of any security present. However, there were plenty of opportunities to be had by employing her special bag of tricks on the outlaying fringe.

Angie had arrived early at the mammoth facility, to scout out the establishment and to scope out who was wearing what. Used to these affairs either being feast or famine, she could quickly tell that in this one there was cooking up a devouring banquet.

**

After Angie had entered the mammoth reception room it did not take her long to spy her first plump prospect, nicely loaded with possibilities. It was a lady, bearing a haughty look, who had been making a b-line through the crowd as way was parted for her. She was wearing a luxuriously long rusty coloured sable fur coat that hid most of her long crimson -red satin gown. What Jewels were visible, ears, fingers and wrist, were all flashing with pricy fire. In tow she held the hand of a young girl, obviously her daughter, wearing actual makeup, which, along with her fetching gown and brite jewelry, made her appear far older than she was. A handsome man , looking like the actor William Powell in a tux, followed behind the pair, husband and father, Angie presumed. She shadowed the little family as they swished their way to a corner table, conveniently located by a rear exit, for a better look over. Her fingers had started with an all too familiar tingle as she took it all in.

**

The husband helped his wife out of the sable, laying it carefully along a bench against the wall. Angie was not disappointed. A silver necklace of large matched diamonds gracefully encircled her throat. A dazzling blood ruby and diamond brooch held up the center of her gown, positioned just below the bust line. Brooches, like this one, were worth a lot once fenced, but its placement required a little more dexterity and skill than she was willing to risk. In actuality, Angie had only attempted twice before to take a brooch pinned to a gown in this fashion. She had only been successful one of those times, only to find out it was a pretty piece of paste.( Years later, as Angie’s talents became more polished, relieving ladies of their dangling brooches, like this blood ruby, became her specialty.. the Eds.) Angie’s eyes moved on. The rest of the snooty lady’s jewels matched her necklace. Long earrings, free clipped, dangling brightly from her earlobe s. A pair of wide ruby bracelets clasped tightly home around elegant red elbow length satin gloves, sparkled devastatingly, matching her brooch. Her long fingers were home to a pair of ruby and diamond rings and a third ring set with a gold band and a vulgarly large solitaire diamond.

**

Angie’s attention turned to the daughter, whom had been helped by her Father , squirming, from the chocolate coloured satin cape that she had been wearing. The youngster, all of about 10, was wearing a cream coloured long puffy sleeved dress with a brown satin sash encircling her waist that matched her Cape. The young lady possessed impossible large bright eyes. The only thing that held more shine than those doe like eyes had been the antique rhinestone diamond necklace that fell dripping ever so invitingly down the front of the precious little imp’s rich glossy gown. The rest of her matching rhinestones (obviously belonging to the child’s mother) consisted of an engaging display of a bracelet, pair of dangling, screwed on clasp earrings, and matching rings encircling a chubby finger one on each hand. It all gleamed brightly, invitingly from her svelte girlish figure. A large round pin held her sash up in place; it sparkled with what looked like a ring consisting of one caret diamonds, as unlikely as it was they could be real.

**

The two females of the family presented a pretty package indeed. Not one to pass up an invite that alluring, Angie walked by , with the pretext of heading to a back exit behind the table the little family had staked, just so she could get a closer peek.

**

Angie’s practiced eye took in a wealth of information during the few seconds it took her to walk up and pass the group, so involved with themselves they never even looked her way. Her attention focused upon the young mother first scoping head to toe.

**

Angie scrutinized the brooch; it was definitely worth the effort. In her mind’s eye, Angie envisioned the mother as a stumbling drunk “bumping into” Angie. Fingers whisking along the slippery lustrously softness of the gown, as the lady was steadied. Angie would accept the women apologies and the pair would part their ways, Angie from the young mother, and the magnificent brooch from the rich satiny red gown. But then the mother raised her head, looking up past Angie, towards a commotion being made behind her. Typical Angie thought, she doesn’t recognize me, so I don’t exist, like some sort of servant. But it was as she caught the young mother in full profile that she realized this lady looked strikingly similar to another woman who had been wearing an expensive dress of teal charmeuse that Angie had had been having a long conversation with, while relieving the woman’s finger of a costly diamond sapphire ring. It had happened only just last weekend at a formal function, and Angie figured she may have not recognized her in passing, but may if Angie were to use one of her approaches again with the intent of taking some of her jewelry, he memory may be jarred, and she may remember her missing ring. This was why Angie only allowed herself to ply her trade for no more than a month in any given place per year. This was from a lesson she had learned early on in her career. And so, for that reason alone, Angie decided to, at least temporarily, abandon any designs she had on the young mother’s brooch, allowing her devious intentions to evaporate from her mind like smoke on the wind. There were plenty more fish in the sea she told herself.

**

Angie still allowed herself a quick appraisal of the squirming 10 year old. She admired the glossy dress of slippery satin that her mother had conveniently dressed her daughter up in, as it fell spilling down to her black open toed shoes. Angie’s fingers started to tingle; this was a perfect tickling gown. Angie liked to think of any long dress or gown that swept down to a females heels as a” tickling gown”. All it took was a strategically placed foot timed with a well place nudge to send the chosen victim tumbling. During the ensuing diversion, Angie would use her long subtle fingers to swiftly probe along the gowned figure, tickling she like to call it due to the tingling sensation of the usually rich material of the victim’s attire. In this fashion, a pre-targeted piece of valuable jewelry could then be easily acquired, no matter what its placement had been on the unfortunate female. If only the chatty youngster had something on better than rhinestones. It was a crying shame to have a child that young dolled up like an adult, but not wearing adult jewels.

**

Angie continued to walk past, unseen, and went out the door. She found herself in a large serenity garden of roses and shrubs, surrounded by a 10 foot high well-trimmed hedge. The sort of garden one usually found in those days around upscale Churches. The only exit was a gate leading onto the parking lot on the side of the church. Here was positioned a solitary, lonely guard in a neat little guard hut. In the opposite, far corner was a statue of Cupid, arrow drawn, standing above a display of blooming moss roses at the end opposite to the gate. There was always potential in places like these.

**

Angie had started to walk over to the Cupid statue when she heard the exit door open. Turning, she saw the young girl, whose mother’s brooch Angie had been scoping out, looking out the door. She snuck through, running out alone, silky tickling gown swishing out behind her. Her heart leapt to her throat as she watched the girls rhinestones sparkle radiantly. She actually turned to head towards the path the unsuspecting child was running up, flexing her fingers as she contemplating a little warm up practice. Angie watched as the dolled up imps necklace flashed with pinpricks of coloure as it bounced to and fro as she ran happily up the path .Angie turned her back to the girl, waiting to hear the telltale click of her heels come up just behind her. She would then move, bumping into the girl as she passed, tripping her to the ground. After which Angie would help her up, removing the girl’s fancy necklace in the process. Come to Mama Angie whispered under her breath, waiting to make her move as the skipping heels grew ever louder.

**

But then Angie froze, hearing the clicking of the exit door again opening behind her. She checked her stride letting the daughter slither past without a glance. She headed again towards the statue, watching her prize move on ahead. Then she heard the father in the background calling out to his little princess. The youngster turned, and ran back, beaming at Angie as she passed. Angie smiled back, her eyes again traveling to the girls neckline, and the sparkling jewelry the outlined her throat. It had been a silly thought she chided herself, as the girl passed from view. If only the necklace had been real, and the father about ten minutes later in discovering his daughter absence. It would have been an unbelievably easy pluck and she could be out the gate before anyone was the wiser. And the best part was that they would probably believe the scampering girl had just lost it in the garden. And, while the parents were looking about, Angie would have been free to renter to ply her trade again. As it was, it was silly of Angie, risking her opportunity on a child’s bauble worth a mere pittance compared to some of the other offerings so readily being flaunted this evening by her adult counterparts.

**

Angie continued her casual stroll through the Garden, happily playing over in her mind some of the jewels that she would like to see adorning the female guests inside, and the scenarios she may be using to acquire them

**

Finding herself approaching the guard hut, she allowed herself a glance back. Jealously she watched the father, who had caught and was carrying his slippery attired daughter, heading back inside. How Angie wished she had been the one carrying the squirming little imp, it would have been like a smorgasbord, with jewels instead of food. Pity her mother had not put the good stuff on the daughter, she sighed to herself. Tonight she would have to work for her butter. She walked past the bored guard, nodding at him, receiving a rather lecherous look in return. A smile was forming across her cunning face, for now it was time to get down to the real business at hand.

**

The affair turned out to be quite a showcase for the very rich. Who were indiscreetly flaunting their riches, trying to outdo one another, probably for the benefit of the politicians’ attention? Certainly not for the attention of the designer satin gowned and flashy diamonded daughter, whom most of the guests hardly knew, or had ever met.

**

Angie always felt like a little kid in a candy shoppe at these lavish affairs.

She spent the first part of the reception mingling and thoroughly enjoying the show her the reception’s guests were u wittingly putting on. Angie, wearing no jewels herself, was something of an anomaly compared to her fellow guests.

**

There were over a thousand luxuriously coloured, squawking female birds and their young chicks pompously displaying valuable finery, oblivious of the cat amongst them waiting to pounce. Angie patently mingled, watching as the adult guests had their fill of food and drink.

Once their guard began to relax, Angie raised hers’, her probingly skillful fingers now more than prepared to begin and ply her trade. For the more they imbibed, the less guarded they were, both about themselves and their female offspring. Angie would start with the adults, 2 or 3 of the right pieces of jewelry, once acquired, and would mean she could call it a night and have enough to support her for a solid month. If she came up empty in that department, her back up would then center on the female off-spring, daughters and nieces.

Most of said offspring would be by then scattered about, aware that their parents were no longer paying them any heed, exploring and playing, sporting their fancy satin gowns, silken dresses, and their dainty jewelry, ripe for the picking. Giving pickpockets like Angie endless opportunity to ply their trade on them, once they had finished working through the adults. Or if the thieves were beginners, plenty of easy practice while “learning the ropes!”

**

Now, when Angie herself was just starting out as a young pickpocket, she stumbled across a treatise written by a man using the pseudonym “Gaston Monescu”. Written around 1826, entitled the Cutpurse: skilles, artes and Secretes of the Dip, it covered the various tactics and moves used by master pickpockets.

Angie had studied it religiously, especially a ploy called the “Necklace Flimp.” This tactic was primarily used for body thieves working alone. Angie had been surprised to learn that a pickpocket could raise his/her skill level above just acquiring wallets. Having the ability to lift a woman’s necklace amazed her, not to mention the profit that could be realized. With practice, Angie had found that not only was it a good technique for acquiring necklaces, but it worked for other pieces of worn jewelry as well.

It was relatively simple process, but took a long time to master.

First part was to employ psychology and watch the potential victim for the unique movements and quirks in their personality and actions that could provide an opportunity for her skills. Then observe the selected piece the victim wore, for value, type of clasp, make, and accessibility. The second part was to employ a bump, slip, or grasp, and in one motion, flick open the studied clasp and send the piece away from the body by either pulling and palming, or dropping it to the floor or ground for retrieval later. If she was noticed, it was “sorry, miss, very clumsy of me” “here let me get if for you, no harm done?” Then walk away and let the waters settle before trying yet again (sometimes even on the same person!)

Angie had practiced the jewelry flimp until she had the technique totally mastered. Starting out first on specially dressed up mannequins in her apartment, than trying it on small pieces of cheap baubles worn by real women in crowded streets and stores. Then on younger, less guarded, better jewelry wearing young girls attending proms and social dances. Young looking for her age at the time, Angie had fit right in amongst them. Then, finally, she graduated to lifting the better jewels of the older, wealthy women attending society’s finer parties and receptions. And it was this path that led her here today, and would also lead several unlucky females to report missing jewelry to their respective insurance companies.

**

See Album “Angie having a Ball” for additional background on our master thief with the light fingers.

**

Angie now eagerly employed those useful talents learned from monsieur Monescu’s little pamphlet at the wedding reception. She mingled freely, carrying around a drink that never touched her lips. She watched and learned, her trained eyes missing very little. Soon, like that hypothetical kid in a candy shoppe, Angie’s head was spinning from so much to choose from that she really could not make any easy choice. So, she waited and watched patiently, knowing opportunity would knock.

**

Then, like it usually happened with Angie, the first genuine opportunity unexpectedly presented herself. Angie literally was run into a rather awkward, spindly lady in thick glasses clad in a fetchingly expensive costume consisting of a thick silver satin blouse with hanging ruffles down its front, combined with a long rustling tiered skirt that swept down to the top of her open toed silver high heels. Her diamond jewelry shone with exuberant flames as they caught the light from the many chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceiling. The lady expressed frantically her apologies, placing a hand with well ringed fingers on Angie’s shoulder, where they sparkled merrily. No worries Angie said smiling, her eyes taking it all in without appearing to move. She let the frazzled lady leave, allowing her a head start, it was only sporting to do so.

**

Angie shadowed her quarry for a while, seemingly rewarded for her efforts when the lady managed to spill a bit of her drink down on her skirt. In a show of flashing silvery satin and diamonds ,she retreated and disappeared into a nearby powder room, with Angie following eagerly, opportunity knocking.

**

As Angie grabbed onto the closing powder room door, a mid- twenty something girl in a deep green velvet gown came out. Her only jewelry was a wide diamond bracelet wrapped around a wrist of the matching long green gloves she wore. Angie caught it out of the corner of her eye, realizing that it was as expensive as it was bright. But it was her friend, a willowy short haired pretty young thing in a glamorous Chocolate Satin gown that made Angie’s jaw drop. Her jewels, like her friends, were also sparse, but enormously pricy. The long white satin gloves that graced her hands and arms also held matching bracelets, thin, but each one worth the effort. But her real eye catcher was the row of authentic, one caret white diamonds that were rippling exquisite fire along her throat. Angie held the door for them, nodding to as they passed. Noses in the air, they did not appear to notice Angie. Then, with the ladies backs to her, Angie abandoned Miss silver satin and turned to follow. Angie got in behind the two with the intention of getting a closure examination of the clasp of the fiery diamond necklace Miss Chocolate satin was wearing.

**

However, Angie never got her closer look. For at that moment the tossing of the bride’s boutique was announced and Angie was overwhelmed by a mad dash of single ladies heading for the bride. On a lark she allowed herself to be swept along, losing sight of Miss Chocolate satin, but found herself right smack behind Miss Green velvet and her cheerfully sparkling diamond bracelet, a beautifully expensive piece that would have cost someone a king’s ransom. Angie’s fingers began their all too familiar tingling, eager for a chance to acquire jewelry that valuable, but not for any king, just for herself!

**

Though the night was still relatively early, and Angie still had visions of those exquisite rippling diamonds of the pretty Miss in chocolate satin on her mind, she simply could not pass up this opportunity. Angie wedged herself close behind her chosen victim as the multitude of hopeful young women pressed forward to try their luck. As the Bride teased her guests before getting ready to toss her bouquet of white and red roses, Angie expertly scrutinized the bracelet as it dangled from the green velvet glove. When the bride finally turned her back and raised her arms every one of the richly clad single women’s eyes was focused on the bride’s bouquet, Angie’s eyes were fixated on the bracelet. With the music playing loud, the crowd giggling and laughing, and all eyes focused on the gorgeously outfitted young long haired bride, Angie again felt opportunity knocking. Her pulse beating in rhythm with the music, she made ready to seize the chance when it presented itself. The roses flew through the air and all the women raised their hands high, looking all for the world like being involved in a stick-up. Angie timed it perfectly, snapping the clasp, and snatching the bracelet easily away from the gloved wrist of its owner as she raised her arms high to grab at the boutique. In her excitement, shared by everyone, Miss Green velvet ( who did not catch the bouget of roses) never felt a thing. Angie had smirked as she left the giggling group, stowing securely the purloined diamonds, as she imagined what it would have been like to watch that group robbed in a mass stick-up. The money that some enterprising soul could have made from that haul would have been astronomical.

**

She went to the open bar, lighting her first cigarette; she ordered her first real drink of the night. She could feel the coolness of the weighty bracelet in its hiding spot, and Angie, pleased with herself, calmly sipped her drink as she relished in the moment. The toss of the Brides Boutique was, in Angie’s experienced opinion, one of the three common events occurring during a wedding reception that were fertilely prime times for pickpocketing. (Editor’s note.. Miss D. mysteriously never divulged what she considered the other two prime events to be….)

**

She looked about without a worry in the world, coolly watching the antics of some of the younger women on the dance floor. She spied the young miss in the green velvet gown over in a corner talking in an animated fashion with several other women. Green velvet gown’s now bare velvet glove, apparently not noticed by anyone but Angie. One of her group was displaying some bright emeralds peeking through the long silver fur she was wearing, obviously she was leaving, and she was talking excitedly about something to the group formed around her! Nowhere in sight was Miss chocolate satin, too bad, Angie would have loved another peek before leaving.

Angie watched around the room causally, as the cold bracelet pressed expensively against her figure from its hiding spot. She eventually lost track of green velvet and her friends while finishing her drink. Setting down the empty glass, she decided it was time to call it a night. The bracelet now in her possession was easily worth as much as the 2 or 3 separate pieces she usually acquired at functions like these, added together! And, she needed her rest, Angie had a couple of plans the next day, one revolving around the female guests who would be attending an upscale afternoon prom fashion show a, the other, an evening opera performance (invited guests only, and her contact had managed to supply a ticket, at a hefty price!) No rest for the wicked, Angie told herself.

**

On her way out of the main lobby, she found herself leaving behind the very lady in green velvet whose bracelet was now in Angie’s possession. She was with the same gaggle of her similarly dressed friends, including the one exhibiting the emeralds. However, miss chocolate satin was still not visible. They were laughing and joking as they collected their assorted pretty wraps, obviously heading for a nightclub. If she had not already relieved one of them of a bauble, Angie might have invited herself along, if only to have a go at some emeralds. Angie hesitated about leaving withy them, then shrugged, followed the group out the door past the pair of bored rent a cops.

**

She remembered thinking, as she followed the elegant young princesses ,their fluid gowns peeking from under their various furs and wraps, how shallow the very rich could be. She wondered if Miss Green velvets friends had even noticed that she had had diamonds around the wrist of her glove, let alone that they were now missing. She wondered how long it would be before the bracelets loss was discovered. She figured it would be several hours, long enough for its owner not to be sure what place they had been lost. As young Miss Green velvet fancy gown and her friends turned right outside the exit, Angie turned left, heading towards the guard hut at the entrance to the garden.

She decided not to follow them but rather circle around the outside of the garden to give her victim time to leave.

**

That simple decision to make a left turn proved to be a major turning point in Angie’s fortunes that evening.

**

As Angie passed the hut guarding the entrance to the serenity garden, she noticed it was deserted.

It was as she was looking it over, that she heard the sounds of clicking heels moving fast, followed by the sounds of a young girl giggling. On the alert she stole to the backside of the hut, soon spying a splash of something blue and silky between the gaps of a couple of large bushes. Her senses on their highest peak, she began to move cautiously in, hoping the female making the noise would be in need of aid and comfort perhaps.

**

She soon spotted a young lady of about 14 bending over, hands on her knees as she panted heavily. Her back was to Angie, and what pretty back it was. She was nicely attired in a long gown of shiny material dyed deep blue like an afternoon, cloudless summer sky. The gown cascaded down along her petite figure, spilling out on the ground around her feet. Her hair was pulled back, easily displaying a pair of small diamond and sapphire earrings, not rhinestones for this one, but the real McCoy. Around one finger was a gold ring with sapphires, and from her left wrist dangled a thin silver bracelet with a row of diamond chips, both pretty, both valuably real. But it was her last piece of visible jewelry that stole the show. It hung, swinging to and from her neck on a thick braided chain of solid silver. On its end, like a hypnotists prism, was a silver pendent in the shape of a flower, with 1 inch long, pear shaped real diamonds as petals and a fully 2 inch in circumference center stone of deep sea blue. Angie watched it, her eyes following it for a full minute, its expensive fire sealing its own fate as Angie began flexing her fingers. Angie took her eyes off of it and looked around to see why the princess had been running. But all was still as the girl continued to peek through the branches towards the back door leading into the hall. Angie silently approached, and walking up to the pretty miss she bent down and in a friendly tone, asked who she was running from.

**

I played a joke on my sister, and now I’m hiding from her, piped the girl breathlessly, as Angie placed a hand upon the girls shoulder in a conspiratorial fashion, said shoulder made silky soft by the gowns half sleeve.

**

I know a better place where you can hide from her, Angie whispered in the girl’s ear, the dangling earring ever so close to her lips. The girl looked up, smiling, and Angie pointed towards the guard hut, and as the girl looked, Angie’s fingers glided up along the silky shoulder and lifted the thick silver chain up from the back of the gowns’ scooped collar. Come Angie said, and as the girl rose Angie’s fingers nimbly flicked open the chains’ lobster clasp, holding onto the clasp as the other end of the chain slipped down, allowing the pendent to slide free and fall onto the grass at the girls feet, where it lay shimmering. Angie moved her hand to the girls shoulder, squeezing it, while slipping off the braided silver chain with her other hand, whisking it back and away from the guileless young girl. Angie led her princess away from the spot and walked with her to the guard’s hut, still empty, where she had her hide neath the counter.

**

Angie turned and went back to claim the pendent, there still was no sign of any sister. She secured the pendent, joining it with the chain and bracelet, and headed deeper into garden. Her plan was to watch the hut and see which way the girl went after getting bored waiting. But as she skirted the perimeter her plans were changed when, upon rounding a corner of the path at the far end, she saw yet another back belonging to a solitary lady in her late thirties, clad in a long slinky yellow coloured gown of expensively shiny taffeta, bending over to smell the yellow roses on a bush. Instinctively Angie knew two things about her. One was that whatever jewels this lady would be wearing, they would be expensive, and the other was that with an expensive gown like that; the lady would undoubtedly be wearing her jewels. Angie suddenly became aware that her fingers were tingling, as an all too familiar whelming feeling again delightfully washed over her.

**

Angie found herself automatically turning back onto the garden path. She headed around the women and went down to the cupid’s statue, where now out of sight, she carefully hid the purloined bracelet, and still warm fiery pendent and its ‘fancy silvery braided chain..

**

She then headed towards the unsuspecting flower admirer. The ladies’ long brunette hair had fallen, flowing down the backside of her shiny taffeta gown. Angie could see rings and a bracelet gleaming as she was holding up the rose to her face. A long double rope of pearls hung swaying deliciously from her throat. Coming up behind her Angie stood watching; calculating until the lady rose and with a start realized she was not alone.

**

Pretty Angie said, her eyes on the pearls now draping down the front of her marks yellow gown. They are lovely, are they not? The damsel responded thinking Angie was referring to the roses. Just like the ones in the park, my husband and I walked through on our way to catch a cab today. Actually, I meant your dress Angie said complimentary. Thank you the lady practically squealed, I love the way it flows, and she swirled it about to show Angie, who got an eyeful of sparkly jewelry for her efforts. As she continued engaging the women in conversation, Angie decided upon attempting for the woman’s necklace of pearl. Seeing opportunity knocking when Yellow Taffeta pulled her long hair forward so it hang down the front of her gorgeous gown, laying silkily over one shoulder, nicely exposing the pricy necklaces clasp. Angie looked around, they were alone, out of site of the opposite end of the garden where the inside door was, and the guards hut with it’s pretty occupant.

**

Angie, using the marks interest in roses to her advantage, managed to steer the capricious damsel in shiny yellow over to the cupid’s statue. There, she placed a hand upon a silky taffeta covered shoulder, and pointed down to the shrub of moss roses growing at the foot of the statue . When she stooped down to get a closer look, Angie’s fingers whisked from her marks shoulder to the clasp, in a single effort with two fingers, lifted it by the clasp, and snapped it open. At that moment the mark cried “spider” and jumped up, backing into Angie, who watched helplessly as the pearls fell down from the damsel’s throat and slipped along the front of the yellow taffeta gown. They fell with a soft plop unto the ground at their mistress’s feet. Angie tried to lead her away, hoping to come back and reclaim the necklace. But as Angie pointed to another rose bush some distance away, the lady took a step forward, instead of back, planting her feet right onto the pearl necklace. Hey she exclaiming, what’s that, looking down to her high heeled foot? Oh, my pearls the lady squealed again, a glittering hand shooting to feel around her throat. Angie reached down, and reluctantly retrieved them from the base of the rose bush for the squealing lady in yellow . My husband would not have been pleased if I had lost these, she said as Angie held them, feeling their pricey smoothness.

**

She asked if Angie could help her put them on, my maid usually does this sort of thing, you know. Angie reluctantly complied, re- hanging the pearls as the pretty damsel held up her hair, and reluctantly redid the clasp. The Damsel thanked Angie by embracing her in a full hug, her diamond and pearl earring hitting Angie’s cheek. But Angie’s arms were being held by the hugging woman, so Angie was able to only watch the tantalizingly close earring sway free. Angie left yellow-gowned damsel in the garden, getting nothing for her efforts other than the feel of an expensive gown of the likes she could probably never afford to own.

**

With the pretty damsel hovering around the cupid statue, Angie decided to go back into the reception hall until the coast was clear. She carefully looked towards the Guards hut, and seeing that the guard had returned, figured the girl, so fetchingly clad in blue, had been rousted out, so that loose end was probably tied up. She just had to keep a careful eye out. The quite valuable bracelet and pricy necklace with its pendent were well hidden; there was absolutely no danger of someone stumbling over it.

**

Truth was, Angie had found her appetite wetted and once again visions of a lady in chocolate brown satin exhibiting a row of flashy diamonds, teased her thoughts. An accomplished pickpocket like herself had a couple of well-practiced ploys she could utilize to obtain a tight fitting necklace from its mistress. In addition, Angie was now determined to find her and to risk a try. She had really nothing to lose.

**

It took almost an hour of hunting amongst the now well liquored, gaily mingling crowd before Angie could admit to herself that there was absolutely no sign of the willowy lady in the stunning chocolate satin gown. Damn she thought to herself, those diamonds were something special. She shrugged it off, reciting in her mind a wicked little mantra of hers, “Another one who got away, a chance to lose her jewels to Angie on another day!” She strolled about pondering on what her next course of action could be. There had been no sign of the pretty girl in blue whose necklace Angie now had hidden away, and Miss Green Velvet was definitely out of the picture, so she felt that it was still safe to try to pluck one last bird or chick. In her hunt for the brown, Angie had seen several inviting prospects; one lady(purple satin, diamonds), two girls( ivory silk, pearled pin; red satin, gold necklace set with chips of precious stones), and now was weighing the risks.

It was at that point she once again espied the thickly bespectacled awkwardly introverted young lady invitingly wearing the thick silver satin ruffled blouse, which she had been tailing much earlier. And as Angie watched here, she again accepted the invitation. Her prey had appeared on the dance floor, being led around by a rather charming young man. That would make a dandy consolation prize Angie drooled to herself happily as she took in the sparkling show put on by the dancers jewels.

**

Angie looked her over, reacquainting herself with the jewels she so nicely was displaying. A pair of long earrings cascaded down from her earlobes where they precariously held on by antique silver claps. Angie relished the opportunity to “flimp” pairs of earrings like these. Heavily jeweled, each one was worth a tidy sum. Angie mulled this as she continued to study the jewels of her appealingly dressed new target.

**

The girl’s only ring was a solitaire diamond of at least 3 carets on a thick solid gold band worn vulnerably loose on her un-gloved, bare ring finger. A wide silver cuff bracelet with what appeared to be at least seven rows of matching, shimmering diamonds was dangling around her left wrist (she was right handed Angie observed) . The bracelet had a habit of lying over her sleeve, and Angie could see that it was a costly tiffany piece, whose clasp was exceptionally easy to flick open. A diamond pendent hung swinging from her satiny ruffles, held by an extravagantly thick silver chain with a simple , small eye in hook clasp. The Diamonds in the pendent were as shimmery as stars plucked from the night’s sky.

Angie remembered reading that in a poem from a book she had picked up years earlier in a library, while stalking a young mother in a satin dress, wearing an authentic Gruen Watch on one wrist, and a bracelet of diamonds on the other, that had gone into the library in pursuit of her young son running inside. Like that young mother, It was obvious that this lady in silver satin was not accustomed to wearing jewels, and that set probably spent most of their days lying in a safe. Angie licked her lips as she imagined what the other contents of that safe might look like

**

Angie moved in to allow herself a much closer appraisal of her potential victim’s jewels.

The young lady was totally oblivious to anything but the rather surprisingly strikingly handsome man who to all appearances was her Fiancée, who was holding her ever so close. But Angie was able to see enough of what she wanted to. The young Ladies’ thick satin blouse shone richly in the lights, moving like glistening wet liquid silver, while from her waist spilled the long black skirt with satiny tiers that swished and swayed nicely along her figure as she uneasily danced. Her jewels were bursting with colour as they played hide and seek with Angie’s watchful eyes. From all appearances, they were a mismatched couple. He seemed to know everyone and moved with a confident air, she was just the opposite. It made an enticingly intriguing package indeed for someone with Angie’s skills.

**

Silver Satin was the perfect “Gaston Monescu” type of mark, a perfect combination of classic mannerisms, clothing and Jewels worth anyone’s efforts to take. This was the only fly in the ointment that Angie observed. For by the bar she could see that two other sets of eyes were watching the same young lady in shiny satin and blazing diamonds. Angie intuitively knew they were drooling over acquiring jewels she was wearing.

**

She had noticed the pair of young men in loose fitting suits when they had entered a little earlier about the same time as Angie’s reappearance. They were obviously casing the jewels of any woman, young, or old, who walked past them. Angie knew their type, simple thieves, with no real skills outside of holding a knife in a dark alley to the throat of their victim while they unceremoniously searched and stripped them of their treasures. Angie saw that they were whispering amongst themselves and instinctively knew they were watching and waiting for the fetchingly clumsy silver clad lady clad loaded with diamonds, to leave the “establishment”.

**

She is mine Angie whispered, possessively snarling the words under her breath. She looked around as she thought about how best to handle the situation. Her eyes opened wide as she saw a familiar woman waiting by the coat checkroom. Perfect she purred, placing an unlit a cigarette in her mouth and heading over the bar.

**

She sauntered up next to them and ordered a drink, catching their eyes she asked for a light. As they obliged she took a pull and puffed out smoke, asking in a casual tone, “how about my jewels? Boys!” They could see perfectly well that she was not wearing any, and one snarled, “What’s your game, sister?” Angie snarled back in her best cop like manner, “We know what you boys are up to, and we suggest you both call it a night!” “Yer no cop sister”, they challenged, calling her bluff,” what’s your angle!” Angie calmly looked towards the entrance, perfect she mused as she saw their eyes follow hers, “Maybe not” she stated, “but see that lady being helped into the black mink?” “The shiny yellow dame?” one of em asked? “ “yes”, Angie replied taking a puff on her cigarette before going on, “ well that man’s she’s with used to be mine .” “ Now, I aint one to hold a grudge, but, those pearls she’s waltzing around with are worth plenty. And her rings, they are an easy two grand alone.”

**

Angie could tell she had captured their interest, and that they were now paying rapt attention to the lady in the thick yellow taffeta gown whose necklace Angie had almost acquired in the serenity garden. One of them looked at Angie, a suspicious look crossing his mug, “What’s innit for you sister?!” He demanded. Angie looked at him, dripping with sarcastic innocence. “Nothing brother, other than to make sure the jewels of the dame who stole my husband get home safely .” “I just worry,’ Angie went on, “there is a park in front of their residence and that dame in yellow likes to stroll through it to smell the roses after their cab drops them off.” They watched the couple leave, her expensive yellow gown sweeping provocatively at her gold high- heeled shoed feet. Angie looked them in the eyes and said smoothly, “ Gentlemen such as yourselves may want to do a good deed and follow them home to make sure some miscreant doesn’t spot her in those valuable jewels and mink. Not to mention her man’s gold watch and three hundred sawbucks in his wallet!” Angie winked at the pair, “If you catch my drift.” She added.

**

Still not totally convinced about what Angie was selling them, but equally unsure over who Angie was, both men got up and quickly headed towards the main exit as the last slip of an expensive yellow taffeta gown disappeared through the door. Smugly, Angie puffed on her cigarette as she watched them leave.

**

It was then that a hand was placed on Angie’s shoulder from behind.

**

She froze for a split second, before becoming aware of the soft mummer of satin, and of a slender finger was home to a sparkling sapphire ring. Angie smiled and turned around, facing the girl. Pardon me ma’am, she says politely, but do you remember me? Of course dear, Angie gushes while beaming at the forlorn looking miss in the fetching blue gown; I met you in the garden. Yes she confirms, but I lost my necklace somewhere and I was wondering if you remember if I had it on when we met? Angie’s heart leapt, bless this babe in the woods, thinking her necklace had merely been lost, never suspecting that someone like, say, Angie could have been the cause. She absolutely adored the trusting nature of rich girls this age. For that aspect of their purity had allowed Angie, far too easily sometimes, to lift many a jewel from well attired unsuspecting young princesses like this one. Who was now standing before her, miserable, her desirable diamond and sapphire earrings dangling ever so beckoningly, her sad puppy eyes pleading ever so sweetly, and her missing necklace closer than she could ever imagine.

**

No dear, I did not see you with a necklace, Angie lied coolly, as she reached out and stroked the girl tenderly alongside her face, her fingers touching one of the earrings. Angie was looking her fully in the eye, you didn’t lose anything else, and did you dear she asked with a concerned tone. The girl checked her earrings, bracelet and ring (Angie smiled to herself, silently thinking thanks for the info kid!) But when she spoke, it was with hopeful words laced with honey, If you want, I can help you look, my dear. The girl’s eyes lit up for a second, thank you ma’am, I wanted to, but papa said to wait until tomorrow when the light is better.

Angie smiled winningly, don’t worry dear, I’m sure its somewhere in the garden. Someone will find it, she promised, thinking to herself maliciously, and keep it for their own profit!

**

Thank you Ma’am she chirped, at the encouraging words that had been spoken, luckily she could not hear the ones Angie was thinking to herself, and turning moved off, her scrumptious gown swishing pleasantly around her silver heels. Angie watched, as the girl disappeared in the crowd Angie marked her direction.

**

Angie Imagined if the girl had accepted her offer, and she had left with the vulnerable, unguarded princess to search in the garden, and in the process help relieve her of her remaining jewels. There would be enough light with the gas lamps that lined the paths in the garden. Enough light, so that as Angie helped the princess look, her fingers could slip ever so delicately slip in and search along her shiny sky blue gown.

**

Angie licked her lips slowly as she fantasied about the search. The girl bending down to look under a bush, Angie placing her knee sharply in a certain spot below the girl’s armpit, temporarily numbing her upper body. Allowing Angie enough time to pull off both her earrings without feeling it,( this also worked well on working off broaches placed in upper parts of gowns and dresses, not to mention necklaces!) The bracelet would be no problem; it would be the easiest and probably the first, snatched off while the rich girl’s attention was easily diverted away. Since she was not wearing silky gloves, her ring would be the trickiest, but manageable, by either having her walk too close to a water fountain and hopefully having her get her fingers wet, or by simple holding onto her hand and tripping her by stepping on her gowns hem. And just like that, Angie would become that much richer, the rich girl that much poorer. And it all would be done without giving the girl any additional stress, like say she had run into the two muggers Angie had chased off. They may not have been content with just the jewels of a girl dressed as she was that they had found wandering alone in the gardens at night.

**

As Angie excitedly thought about these things, she had trained her focus back upon her original meal ticket, whom for the second time that evening had almost been allowed to slip through Angie’s light fingers. Watching with half lidded eyes, the still dancing couple not unlike a wolf watches lambs, waiting for one to make an ill-fated move away from the flock. The lamb’s fate was sealed, when a vivacious blonde in a long wispy silken dress cut in on the dancing couple. Asking miss silver satin’s fiancé for a dance. He obliged, leaving his shimmering fiancée unaccompanied, nakedly exposed to the wolf that was Angie.

**

More than one way to skin a cat Angie thought, tingling from the thrill of the hunt her prey, now in a reachable situation. She happily headed towards the spot where Miss silver satin had moved off to. A small table, located conveniently by a powder room. One the way she grabbed a half full glass of red wine off a table. Angie circled around young miss silver satin, taking a position up about two table lengths behind her. She casually scoured the area; most of the nearby tables were deserted.

Knowing the band would stop playing soon for the evening; most of the couples were out on the dance floor. All in all, the situation presented the perfect opportunity for some one of Angie’s persuasion.

**

Angie watched as the young lady picked up a glittery silver clutch and opening it, started to search inside. Angie moved swiftly, catching up behind her , tripping intentionally into her, splashing some wine onto the front of the silver satin blouse as the unfortunate lady dropped her purse in surprise. Oh my gosh, I did not see you, miss silver satin pleaded apologetically to Angie, more concerned over Angie’s feelings than her soiled satin blouse. Angie accepted her apology and, producing a lacey silk handkerchief, began to wipe themselves both down.

Angie’s practiced eyes swiftly took it all in. Miss silver satin’s pretty earrings swaying out vulnerably from her long straggly hair as it fell into her face. The clasp of her necklace was also exposed and within easy grasp. A s she reached out for the floor to steady herself, Angie’s eyes took in the sparkling ring on her now wetted finger and then watched the wide bracelet with its’ easily open able clasp slip up glitteringly over her sleeve.

The girl, now thoroughly flustered, started to rise, tripping over her slippery long skirt( with no help from Angie) Angie caught her, taking advantage of the split second opening she had been waiting for and Angie took it, making her selection as she steadied the poor thing with one hand, as the other caressed along a slick silver satin back. Angie’s long supple fingers darted in and deftly did their trick, this time with no spiders interfering. She quickly removed her chosen glittery prize from the distracted lady, who never noticed so much as a prick as Angie removed the expensive piece from her person in the confusion.

**

Angie secreted he shiny jewel as she helped miss silver satin collect herself. Than they rose, and Angie happily accepted miss silver satin profuse and obviously well used, apology. Then, as she fumbled nervously with her thick glasses, Angie laid a calming hand upon her shoulder, her fingers relishing in the richness of her victims sleek ruffled blouse. Miss silver satin was by now so distracted and embarrassed that Angie was all but assured of a clean get away.

However, as an extra measure of caution Angie intentionally jarred silver satin’s elbow of the hand steadying her eye glasses. Thus sending her glasses falling from her face to the floor with a small clatter, then Angie kicked them under a table before the startled lady could react. Angie offered to help, but the lady implored that she was okay, just needed to find her glasses. Angie left as Miss silver satin started to frantically grope around for her glasses, her silver blouse and remaining jewels shimmering brightly along their miserable mistress..

Angie took her leave, knowing that once she found her glasses, Miss silver satin would flee for sanctuary into the ladies powder room, buying her more than enough time for Angie to make her escape. Taking one last look over the dance floor, she blithely saw that miss silver satins fiancé was still in the clutches of the vivacious blonde-haired girl, still safely out of the picture. Angie made her way with purpose to the rear exit leading to the garden that she had used earlier, intending to head out into the serenity garden to collect the hidden bracelet and pendent, adding them to her purloined plunder.

**

As she walked amongst the mostly deserted tables, her mind went to the woman in yellow taffeta and imagined that right about now she would be standing with raised arms and a forlorn look. Ruefully wincing as the man who was holding her mink busily stripped those luscious pearls from the neckline of her tight gown, as the shiny yellow material gleamed in the moonlight! Serves her right for being afraid of spiders, Angie thought unforgivingly.

***

Angie’s mind also went to the poor young princess in blue with the missing necklace. She looked towards the area she had headed, opposite of the back exit to the garden. She reluctantly decided not to push her luck, there was a sister and parents to contend with, and she really had no time left. So she decided to call it a day, a rather successful day, and made her way to retrieve her loot.

**

Angie had now reached the now deserted table by the back exit where the lady in the crimson gown and blood red rubies had been earlier, along with her rhinestone encumbered 10 year old daughter and handsome husband.

**

She paused between the table and the bench, something was not quite right, She eyed the area around the dance floor for any signs of trouble that may be centered on the quite valuable jewels now in her possession. All was quiet, except for a little murmur behind her. Turning she looked at the bench and was shocked to discover the soundly asleep ten year old, using the long rusty sable fur as a blanket. What have we here, Angie thought, licking her lips wickedly?

**

Angie pursed her lips, checking the coast; spotting the young girl’s parents, still on the dance floor, a safe distance away the other side of the room. No sign of miss silver satin. No one else was nearby. Perfect. She went over, bending down so the table hid her. The child looked so vulnerably innocent, sound asleep as she lay on her side, facing Angie. She was clutching an arm of the sable like a warm fuzzy teddy bear, her ring sparkling. Angie gently tugged the mink from the girl’s clasp, and gradually pulled until the fur swished away from along the inert silken figure on the bench, where it fell into a pile on the floor. The child looked very innocent, very vulnerable, like a sleeping princess. An earring lay exposed over one shoulder, her necklace dangled down slightly askew from her slender throat, the pin holding her sash, all of which shone brightly now that it was exposed to the low lights of the ballroom, still called out. Too bad, Angie thought to herself, too bad the mother had not dressed her little doll in real diamonds.

**

Angie again looked to the dance floor; she could see the mother’s jewelry twinkling brightly as the child’s parents danced close, very unaware of anything else but themselves. She looked back over the girl, contemplating. But the song was winding down, Angie stooped to pick up the sable, bird in hand she thought, and placing the rich fur over her arm, stood just as the song ended. Looking at the exit door, so near and yet so far, she started to hasten to it, but checked herself as the band immediately started another, rather slow song that Angie knew quite well.

**

She hesitated, incredibly, everyone was staying on the floor for the final dance, she looked back at the bench, and the sleeping imps exposed jewels still shined, tempting her to come for them. Angie knew that she would only have about four minutes. Always open to new challenges, Angie chose to answer that sweet little invite that the necklace was extending out to her. Checking once again to make sure the parents was still obliviously dancing; she laid the mink down by the door and eased back to the bench. Kneeling down, Angie began to perform the delicate operation.

**

Lifting up the necklace she gently tugged it loose from around the sleeping child’s neck until the clasp appeared. She subtly flicked open the clasp, then shamelessly slipped the necklace from around its perch on the little whelp’s throat. It flickered like some slithering shiny snake, glittering as it came away. Like taking candy from a baby, Angie drooled happily, as she let the necklace run along her fingertips while watching the sleeping princess for a few seconds.

**

Her fitted cream coloured dress shimmered with expensive richness in the shadowy light. The poor thing was so soundly asleep after her long exhausting day that Angie figured she could have peeled the dress off her without causing a stir. This for a pickpocket would be the ultimate test, the pinnacle of her criminal class. But, Angie thought; if she ever had the opportunity to do so, it would have to be worth her while, like a shiny gown, an appealing sky blue gown with half sleeves and scooped collar. And the jewels would be sapphire drop earrings, bracelet and ring, not plain rhinestones. She licked her lips at the enticing thought of such a perfect “coup fera”, than told herself to get back to work, time was money.

**

She slipped her hand along the satin cape being used as a pillow and felt under the girls head until she felt the cold earring she was laying upon. Deftly undoing the screw she pulled it free, watching with delight as it came out from underneath.

**

Angie than, gently lifted, and nimbly stroked back the girl’s ultra-soft hair, exposing her long silvery earring. She pulled the jewel out and laid it out upon the child’s shoulder, where it lay, shimmering vibrantly. Then she reached in with her fingers and began unscrewed its clasp. Pulling it free she added it to her growing collection. She next lifted the hand that had held the warm sable, gently prying open her clenched fingers. The sleeping child never stirred. Angie gently slipped off the glittering ring. She then peeled back a silky sleeve, checking for the bracelet, finding her wrist was bare. The rest of the jewels were hiding securely on the side she was laying upon. Smiling wickedly to herself, an idea popped into Angie’s head.

**

The music was now almost to the halfway point, and Angie thought for a brief second that she should leave . Another quick scan assured her the coast was still clear, and Angie decided to press her luck, eagerly going back to work, putting her idea into motion.

Angie fingers felt along the sleeping child’s waist until she located the brooch. Quickly unfastening the brooch from the chocolate satin sash, she pulled it out. Watching as the diamonds caught fire and burst into vibrant life, unusually vivid for plain rhinestones she thought contemplatively. Angie plopping it in with the growing pile of the sleeping girls purloined baubles. Again reaching in along the warm waist, Angie gradually tugged at the now undone sash. The sleeping girl, unconsciously obliged by turning over on her other side, as the sash was pulled away.

**

Her arm with the ring and bracelet was now exposed. Lifting the arm , and peeling back the puffy sleeve, Angie found and unclasped the bracelet, slipping it away, then allowing it to dangle in triumph before letting it join its purloined mates. Then lifting the child’s hand she pulled at the ring, it was a little tight. Angie licked her fingers, and moistened the girls finger, than began slipping the ring off ever so gently from the along her finger. Almost there, Angie thought, as the ring joined its abducted companions in her pocket.

**

As Angie finished pocketing the last of the girls jewels, her victim whimpers something discernible in her sleep, her small hand feeling to pull up the missing warm sable she had been using as a blanket. Angie quickly looked around, spying a cheap linen coat hanging on a nearby hook, she grasped it and laid it over the stirring girl, stroking her for a precious few seconds. Then rising, calmly Angie snatched a shiny purse from the table, and moved off, unbelieving of her luck. She reclaimed the sable fur, and strolled out the door without looking back.

**

As Angie closed the door she heard the last notes of the song waning from inside. She licked her lip, that was close, but her luck had held. Now all that remained was to visit the Cupid Statue In the garden to reclaim her other prizes. As she reached the statue, Angie realized that she still had the child’s satin sash in her hand.

She smiled as she tied it, blindfolding the cupid statues eyes. Retrieving and pocketing the now stone cold diamond bracelet, and the young Princess in blue’s necklace with its shimmering pendent, she slowly looked around, the cost was clear. Angie coolly made her way to the gate, the bored guard offering to help her with the mink she was carrying. , Angie stopped, and handed it to him. Then turning, allowed him to help her on with it. He puffed out his chest as Angie gave him a sweet smile; she thanked him, then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

**

Angie disappeared from view into the foggy evening, relishing the warmth of the sensuous sable. Happily contemplating the small fortune in jewels it had been in contact with earlier that evening, and also the small fortune she had walked out of the reception with in her possession.

**

The guard watched the spot for some time where the pretty lady in the expensive fur had vanished in the mists. He fantasized for a good few minutes, wondered what had been behind the enchantingly secret smile she had given to him.

Excuse me, sir?, a female voice coming from the garden startles him, he had never heard anyone coming.

He turns, catching an eyeful of a long glamourous, brown satin gown, worn fetchingly by a willowy short haired pretty young thing. Diamonds blazed from around her throat, caught by the gas lights, and from around her white satin gloved wrists as she raised her hands in a pleading fashion.

She continues, pointing to a young girl in a smashing blue satin gown, bending over looking for something in the bushes. My sister lost her necklace and pendent while playing around here earlier, did you or anyone find it? She asked in a rather seductive tone of voice9 not a common, it was her regular voice)

No lady, no one turned in a necklace. Thank you sir, and she turns away, her gown flowing out behind her.

He watches for a minute as she and her sister both move elegantly down the path, continuing their search.

He sighed, and turns away, babysitting rich dames he mutters under his breath, what a dismal way to make a living. Why won’t this affair ever end he asked himself, as he reached for his silver pocket watch to check the time. Damnations he said, not finding it nor its chain and fob, must have dropped it in the alley earlier where I had gone for a nipper from his flask. He sauntered off quickly to the alley located in the direction Angie had disappeared, abandoning his post.

Soon after, a pair of dark figures who had been walking on the opposite side of the street, and had stopped to loiter when they spied the guard talking to some posh broad in a shiny brown dress, saw the guard leaving his post. They quickly stole with sinister intent across the road and entered into the gardens, disappearing into the darkness.

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

This ended up being Angie’s first big score, She got more for the rhinestone set then she had imagined, the small brooch taken off the brown satin sash had proved to have real diamonds in its center! Also the princess in silky sky blue’s pendent and chain had fetched a nice tidy sum. The jewels lifted from the ladies in Green and Silver also realized quite a handsome profit, as did the sable and purse.

if one includes the real diamond ring slipped off the finger of a silky dressed debutante from the prom show and her rather nice haul of a slim pearl necklace and diamond pin from the Opera, the whole weekend was unimaginably successful.

**

From the profit realized, she had been able to spend a pleasant month away in Monte Carlo, even indulging in the purchase of a rich red wine coloured taffeta gown to wear.

Which she pleasantly found that, when paired with her deftly acquired collection of dripping rhinestone diamond jewelry, she attracted wealthy young males with expensive gold watches and fat wallets like honey bee drones to a bright moss rose.

**

She also enticed a long raven haired, Miss, richly clad in emerald silk, to enter into her snare.

But Angie did not make an entirely clean get away. For the last jewel to be taken was the girl’s brooch , and before Angie could hide it with the rest, the girl spotted its’ glitter in Angie’s hand, and with a gasp had looked down on her dress at the now vacant spot where it had been dangling ever so provocatively for Angie all evening.. Angie smiled at the girl as she had looked up in confusion. The girl had placed a hand to her throat, startled when feeling it bare of her necklace. She looked at Angie in hurt confusion, her eyes wide with fright. Angie placed a finger to the girl’s lips, hushing any fuss she may have been thinking of making over her missing jewelry, and turning her back to the forlorn miss, Angie left, not looking back….

**

But that was a story for another day, so we were promised by Angie, giving us an all too familiar look of devious satisfaction at making us wait.

.************************************************************************************

Editor’s Notes:

Our Thanks to Mr. J. Gardner for pointing out the existence of Mr. Monescu’s 1826 guide

If you enjoyed our little story, please like and leave a comment.

And if you wish, describe what intrigued you the most about it…

Thank You

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

Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives

All rights and copyrights observed by Chatwick University, Its contributors, associates and Agents

No Part of this can reprinted, duplicated, or copied be without the express written permission and approval of Chatwick University.

These photos and stories are works of fiction. Any resemblance to people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

As with any work of fiction or fantasy the purpose is for entertainment only, and should never be attempted in real life.

We accept no responsibility

Facts about the Prinsengracht I picked up whilst drawing this:-

1) "Prinsengracht" means "Prince's Canal" and is named after the Prince of Orange, William I.

2) Anne Frank House - the canal house in which Anne and her family hid from Nazi persecution during WWII - is located along the Prinsengracht.

3) It is the longest of Amsterdam's canals.

4) The Western church is located here and has witnessed the burial of Rembrandt, as well as the marriage of the former Queen of the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix.

5) The Dutch taxing system of the 17th century taxed on the basis of width; the wider the area used beside the canal, the more one was taxed, hence the long, narrow houses standing shoulder to shoulder which line the canal.

This was, in fact, one of the ponds where I normally fish ... most of the surface was thinly coated in ice, except along the Northern edge which was in sunshine ... the trees are reflections in the water ... the bubbles are from Carp rolling along just under the surface ...

And just what do we really know about any thing. I think about his fact a lot.

Mike

Look me up on Facebook.

Let me know you know me from here.

I begin my photographic creative journeys with my son AJ at my side because he adds inspiration into the visual experience. I attach several objects to a mobile in our living room and turn up some music. Then I basically dance with my camera in hand, hoping to catch the wonderful flickers of beautiful colors, shapes and movements from the spinning and dancing motion that takes place. Then I use my Macintosh computer with Photoshop to enhance several images and combine them into the final composite prints. Some of the images are not composites but are always enhanced in some way that I feel might be beautifully aesthetically pleasing images to enjoy. These images can really feel and look as if they have been painted by a magic brush. I feel a rush of great joy in seeing one printed and hung on the wall. I feel like they sing, dance and play for my eyes and consider the finished works to be fine art photography. What intrigues me most about all photography are the colors, shapes, and patterns which give me mini vacations and provide great rest and relaxation. My great hope is that I can also offer this same joy to everyone who see my photographs. When it comes to making lasting images and having a great investment in photographic art, the best prints possible are now found to be on aluminum. The colors are vibrant and the luminescence is breathtaking. The detail and resolution are incredible. So you will get from my abstracts just fantastic eye popping art . Paper based prints will last about 20 years. The Aluminum prints are about 150 years for the true color stability. This makes it possible for even your grandchildren to enjoy them. But the best part is this can be a great investment for your love of photographic art. Some of my prints are in limited editions. If you would like to make an investment in my art prints for yourself, please let me know.

AJ Patnode - A Journey of Hope (documentary):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR7m8QFcmRM

This shows how we do the Camera work:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmjVVGraUVw

AJ'S blog:

www.ajpatnode.com

If somehow 66 and 145 could show up tomorrow, I'd have gotten the entire diesel heritage fleet in the last 3 days... The inbound engineer didn't pull down as far as normal and a freight went by on 2 so I didn't get the shot that I wanted. Tack on the fact that the outbound flicked on the brights the second he saw me walk up with the camera and I was all sorts of screwed. I forced an awkward super-wide wedgie out of the deal.

I got tagged maany times so I decided to make this 10-facts-thing and I tagged some people :)

1. I love bracelets and nailpolish (perhaps you already noticed xD)

2. I like God.

3. I take my camera with me everywhere I go.

4. I love Nevershoutnever.

5. I'd like to play piano.

6. Later I'll travel a lot.

7. I love things like rainbows, globes, (hot air-) balloons, muffins donuts, umbrellas,...

8. When I'm ready with school, I want to study art.

9. I love to watch Scrubs.

10. I don't read often, I get bored of it really fast.

Reykjavik, Iceland

So I recently got tagged and by convention I'm to provide twenty facts about myself, because society today loves to know more about peoples affairs.

1. I'm British and of course as you'd expect I drink a large amount of tea as a result. I am just a walking stereotype.

2. Everyone calls Batman the greatest superhero. They're wrong, that's Superman. Anyone who thinks Batman could wipe the floor with Superman in a fight is an idiot

3. I'm curious about Batman v Superman but equally terrified. Dark, gritty and monotone may suit the Dark Knight but not the Man of Steel. Hopefully it's simply a case that they chose a few scenes just to show off Batman. Alas I fear that may not be the case. I'm also worried that in the Man of Steel sequel Superman is going to be forced to play second fiddle so Batman can sell tickets.

4. I am still not a fan of Aquadrogo, but unlike most of the internet which has now done a U-turn with the first picture of him in the suit, I was rather interested in Batfleck when he was first announced.

5. Despite all my bashing I do love the character of Batman.

6. Honestly I don't blindly hate on the New 52 like most kids these days. I actually think it's a nice idea and some of the stories have been splendid. I would highly recommend Scott Snyder's Batman, Geoff John's brief run on Superman as well as the ongoing Justice League series. I also recently picked up the Martian Manhunter comic. That's great as well and I'd recommend you take a look.

7. My favourite Marvel character is Magneto. I just find him compelling as a character and love his friendship with Charles Xavier. The fact that I love McKellen/Stewart and Fassbender/McAvoy in the roles probably helps as well.

8. I'm a massive fan of Star Trek the Next Generation and genuinely think a great idea for a television series would be something of a similar format onboard an Imperial Star Destroyer. Get on it Disney.

9. Shock and horror. Superman is my favourite DC character. But the friendship between Batman and Superman is quite possibly my favourite relationship in comics.

10. Honestly I don't follow Marvel too much in the comics. I know bits and bobs but not much, I honestly follow them more on the big screen. Speaking of the big screen my favourite MCU film is a three way tie between Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man and The Avengers.

11. For the longest time Iron Man held the spot of my favourite character in the MCU but honestly with the Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron Captain America has grown on me. I'm not even American and he makes me feel patriotic. I'd possibly go so far as to say he's maybe my favourite. It will sure be interesting when he and Stark find themselves on the opposite end of the argument.

12. I don't watch too much tv but anyone who knows me knows how much I love Doctor Who. I also enjoy watching Sherlock, Breaking Bad, Star Wars Rebels and of course the Bruce Timm era animated series.

13. Star Wars Rebels is a brilliant tv show. If you claim to be a Star Wars fan you should enjoy it, if not what's wrong with you.

14. My personal favourite film of all time is Empire Strikes Back. I really have to take my hand off to that film.

15. I'd happily argue that some of the greatest superhero films are sequels.

-Superman II

-Spiderman II

-X2: X-men United

-Captain America: The Winter Soldier

-The Dark Knight

16. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace broke my heart when I first saw it.

17. I miss Christopher Reeves. He was the definitive Superman. That being said I think Henry Cavill is good in the role as well. Hopefully he'll have better material to work with in the future.

18. Arkham Knight has consumed the last four days of my life.

19. I originally only took up the role of Batman for the DC Comics Stories group so I could write 'When World's Collide' but since then I've had an absolute blast writing him. I love writing Superman as well, though there is no doubt he is far more difficult to write for. Writing the Justice League comic is slowly making me go grey.

20. I doubt anyone will read all twenty facts. I wouldn't. But seriously thanks if you did read this it means a lot to me that you care <3.

This is the part where I tag people to have them provide twenty interesting facts about themselves so here we go!

- Brandon (TheFilmGMR)

-Sam (The_Lego_Guy)

-Michael ([Stubbs])

Facts

The building contains five levels of parking and 33 floors at a height of 337.00 feet.

The Floridian was purchased for $96 million in February 2004 by Carlyle/DKE Floridian LP and was converted to condominiums.

Unit prices range from US $450,000 to $690,000 as of summer 2005.

Outdoor amenities include a lap pool, swimming pool, and a public bayside walkway.

According to developers, the building was constructed under budget.

Four pyramid finials top the building's cap.

The building contains one to three bedroom floorplans.

Inland units offer views over Biscayne Bay and toward downtown Miami; oceanside units offer views over South Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

The building contains twelve units per typical floor.

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

www.emporis.com/buildings/128245/the-floridian-miami-beac...

Crow or more likely Raven patrolling River Valley

All of these "crow" / raven shots dated 05-Apr-14 were taken Saturday morning when it was 0 C and my fingers were getting stiffer by the moment. I was on a steep incline and worried that I might take a tumble down, so I actually took most of these shots lying on my back. :-)

By the look of his feathers, he's been thru a few battles.

Crow or Raven: You be the judge.

Addendum Easter 2014

Christine Moor (by the way, she's the ultimate crow whisperer, go check her site, superb crow and raven pictures) has been kind enough to bring to my attention some of my "crows" may in fact be ravens. After poring over various references for the last couple of days and looking at I don't know how many pictures and comparing bill, wings and tail structures, I think she has a strong case.

The point of most confusion for me is the tail which for a crow is fan like and for a raven wedge like. Having become hypersensitive to the issue, I took a look at the tails of the birds that I see in the neighborhood and see them be a wedge at one moment and at the next moment as they make a turn or slow down, the tail changes to a fan.

Raven is much bigger and has a bigger bill that's kind of bowie knife shaped and covered with more hair. Even at that when I look at pictures, and knowing which is which, I sometimes cannot easily tell the difference by only looking at the bill.

Crow has five fingers (we don't count the most forward one) vs a raven's four. These fingers (outer edge of wing) on the raven are longer, skinnier and further apart.

Ravens have longer wings that are more swept back. Ravens have shaggy elongated feathers on their throats.

Ravens like to soar for extended periods of time over cliff like surroundings and also enjoy aerial flips which crows don't do. All my pictures were taken on top of the river valley which at that location is very cliff like.

Ravens stay year round and crows migrate to warmer climes in the winter.

I used to be under the impression that if it's in the city and you see more than two, it's a crow. Christine has thoroughly crushed these pre-conceived and perhaps somewhat dated notions by pointing out that ravens indeed do very well in the city and are known to hang out in groups of more than two.

Ok, so let's turn to this pic. Finally an easy one, I think. Huge bill bowie knife like, wedge shape tail and four fingers, I guess we'll give this one to the ravens.

You be the final judge.

The Blue Tit is a popular and easy to recognise garden favourite. With its small size and distinctive blue and yellow plumage , the Blue tit is a regular garden visitor that’s wide spread throughout the British Isles and mainland Europe. The Blue Tit is a member of the Tit family of birds , Paridae . Usually resident , the bird does not migrate and in fact most stay within a short distance from where they hatch , typically less than 20 miles.

The Blue Tit is around 12 cm long with a wingspan of 18 cm and weighs between 11- 20 g . With a blue crown and dark line passing through the eye, with white cheeks to the chin. The forehead and a bar on the wing are white. The nape, wings and tail are blue and the back is yellowish green. The underparts is mostly yellow with a dark line down the abdomen. Both male and female adult birds have a similar appearance.

The Blue tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall, or stump, or an artificial nest box, competing with Great Tits and House Sparrows for nesting sites. The same hole ( nesting site ) is returned to every year, and when one pair dies another pair will takes possession of the nesting site. It is estimated that there are 3,300,000 breeding pairs in the UK.

The successful breeding of chicks is dependent on sufficient supply of green caterpillars as well as satisfactory weather. Breeding seasons may be affected badly if the weather is cold and wet between May and July, particularly if this coincides with the emergence of the caterpillars on which the nestlings are fed.

Eggs are small in size, 14–18 mm in diameter. The egg size does vary, depending mostly on the size of individual females and habitat . The nesting material is usually moss, wool, hair and feathers, and the eggs are laid in April or May. The number in the clutch can be very large with seven or eight eggs laid by a single female. During the incubation period, female blue tits perform all of the incubation, however the male feeds the female during this time.

The Blue Tits diet is made up of small insects and spiders during the summer months supplemented by fruit , nuts and the young buds of trees and plants. The bird has adapted and evolved the ability to digest milk and cream and is an acrobatic favourite on bird feeders up and down the country.

Read more at www.wildonline.blog

Ежегодно 21 марта во всем мире отмечается Всемирный день людей с синдромом Дауна. В 2018 году празднование этого дня пройдет в 13-ый раз начиная с 2006 года. Каждый год празднование проходит под лозунгом, который отражает важные аспекты жизни людей с синдромом Дауна.

Лозунг 2018 года — WhatI Bring To My Community (Чем я могу помочь своему сообществу). Основная цель организаторов — предоставить людям с синдромом Дауна возможность быть вовлеченными в общественно-политическую и культурную жизнь общества, влиять на ситуацию в школе, на работе, в спорте и СМИ.

В декабре 2011 года Генеральная Ассамблея объявила 21 марта Всемирным днем людей с синдромом Дауна (A/RES/66/149). Генеральная Ассамблея постановила что зтот День будет отмечаться 21 марта каждый год начиная с 2012 года и предложила всем государствам-членам, соответствующим организациям системы Организации Объединенных Наций и другим международным организациям, а также гражданскому обществу, включая неправительственные организации и частный сектор, надлежащим образом отмечать Всемирный день людей с синдромом Дауна, с тем чтобы повышать уровень информированности общественности о синдроме Дауна.

Синдром Дауна является одной из форм естественно развивающейся врожденной геномной патологии, распространенной во всех регионах мира и часто ведущей к изменениям моторики, физических характеристик и здоровья.

Жизненно важное значение для роста и развития больных имеет адекватный доступ к медицинскому обслуживанию, программам раннего вмешательства и инклюзивного образования, а также проведение соответствующих исследований.

Morning after a storm. A few clouds left, but clear, and beautiful. Despite the fact that it was Memorial Day Weekend and the park was stuffed with people, at 7 in the morning you have the park to yourself.

Canon 5D Mark II

ISO 50

Canon EF 24-105 F4 @ f11, 24mm, 1/13 sec.

Cir Pol

Tripod

Greg will be back next week with more disturbing facts.

What do you know about the Moon? This set of infographics illustrates the most frequently asked questions and facts about Earth’s natural satellite.

ESA is teaming up with international partners to explore the Moon as a destination for both robotic missions and human explorers.

Orion, the NASA spacecraft, will bring humans farther than they have ever been before relying on the European Service Module to return humans to the Moon and take advantage of the new technology for human space transportation. ESA is providing service modules that will provide propulsion, life support, power, air and water, and control the temperature in the crew module.

Luna-Resurs is a partnership with the Russian agency Roscosmos that will carry European technology to land precisely and safely on the Moon and to drill into the surface to extract and analyse samples of the lunar terrain.

The Agency is looking at how we could extract and process local resources into useful products and services, such as drinkable water or breathable oxygen on the Moon.

The Heracles mission could take of in 2028 to allow us to gain knowledge on human-robotic interaction while landing a spacecraft on the Moon to collect samples with a rover operated from an orbiting lunar gateway and send the samples back to Earth.

Credits: ESA

credit: patton oswald

1. time travel 2, 2. eyewitness, 3. past - present, 4. double take

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Check our accessible text here.

The Moon is believed to be around 4.5 billion years old, born from a giant collision of a Mars-sized object with the young Earth early in the Solar System’s 4.6 billion year history.

Image description: Moon with a birthday cake on top showing 4.5 billion years.

Credits: ESA

Tony: I told Knox to update this thing before I left... how did she manage to get three viruses... -_-

Yay, my 10 facts on Tony! I'll put his full backstory up soon which will explain most of this in more detail but for now...

1. The height thing: he technically qualifies as a little person (just), though he doesn't have any form of dwarfism. In fact he's never actually been diagnosed with anything

2. He's incredibly smart and extremely gifted with computers, but his social skills are very lacking. He shows signs of aspergers but some parts of his personality don't fit the spectrum so again he's never actually been diagnosed

3. He considers Knox his first true friend and is immensely loyal to her (even if she is hopeless with computers)

4. He's not sure what his sexuality is. Lin's theory is that he is asexual, Dexter thinks he's technosexual (attracted to computers), Knox says he's "whatever the hell he wants to be so leave him alone!"

5. Before he moved up to Canada to help Knox with her project, it had been over a year since he left his house. He had food delivered and did everything else on-line, he just never saw the need to leave.

6. When he's not working on the computer his other hobby is reprogramming video games, he and Knox first bonded over a game of Mario with machine guns

7. He's not a full RIOT agent like Knox or Wolf, instead he does work for them on contract in exchange for protection from the government (if they knew what he was doing with Knox his contract would be shredded and RIOT would stop protecting him)

8. He gets a very small monthly pay from RIOT but never has to worry about money. He set a program running several years ago that steals tiny amounts from large bank accounts and supplements his income with far more than he needs

(Dexter has been trying to get him to set up the same program for himself)

9. The second bedroom in Knox's apartment is technically his, but he never uses it. He claims he can't sleep without his computer system near him so he sleeps on the couch in the living room. Knox offered to get him a computer screen colored night light but he says it's not the same, besides he's small so the couch works fine for him

10. He practically lives off hot pockets and microwave meals, he's benefited from Knox dating Dexter since Dex refuses to eat that stuff and often cooks for all three of them

Bonus:

11. He is the walrus ^-^

P1001745 (2)

Anthonius Johannes (Anton) Geesink (Utrecht, 6 April 1934 - there, 27 August 2010) was a Dutch judoka, world and Olympic judo champion and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

On Tuesday we set off for Plymouth from home on Mary’s first long ride. It was about 320 miles and we took in The Forest of Dean and Dartmoor on route. A long day with some challenging roads, not helped by the fact we were riding into a low sun for the last couple of hours. Great work from her.

Hollow Coves - Fact or Fiction (Official Audio)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8dBmGnXbjY

Location :Barcelona

Nikon 85 mm f/2.8 PC Micro-Nikkor

www.naturfotograf.com/85ts_review.html

American photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971) was known for going to great lengths to get the shots she wanted. Her eerie portraits of off-beat subjects made her one of the more unique photographers of her time. Unfortunately, she also battled with depression and was known to have violent mood swings. Shortly after divorcing her husband, Allan Arbus, she sadly took her own life in 1971.

This portrait of two girls (not sisters) wearing identical raincoats, whom Arbus photographed together in Central Park, NYC, was taken in 1969...two years before her untimely death.

American writer and filmmaker Susan Sontag (1933–2004) once wrote that Arbus' photographs were derived from the contrast between their lacerating subject matter and their calm, matter-of-fact attentiveness. This quality of attention...the attention paid by the photographer and the attention paid by the subjects to the act of being photographed...created the moral theater of Arbus's straight-on, contemplative portraits.

This portrait is part of the vast collection, owned by art collector Andy Pilara, at the Pier 24 Photography Museum located on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California.

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