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Shortly after pulling into Skagway AK, the Norwegian sisters Bliss and Joy followed right behind.
My wife and daughter went on a dog sledding excursion which also turned out to be a wonderful tour of the area. I stayed back to see if I could do some hiking and photography. Turns out I should have gone on their excursion.
Skagway is a compact city in southeast Alaska, set along the popular cruise route the Inside Passage. It's home to gold-rush-era buildings, now preserved as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad runs vintage locomotives past the famously steep Chilkoot trail and offers sweeping mountain views during its climb toward Canada.
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on
Jupiter and Mars
from Fly Me To The Moon written in 1954 by Bart Howard and most famously sung by Frank Sinatra in 1964 when the Apollo missions were aiming to reach the Moon
Created for Treat This 92 in the Kreative People group www.flickr.com/groups/1752359@N21/discuss/72157656402866560/
The source image is my own and can be seen in the first comment box below or here
www.flickr.com/photos/lemonart/20286529796/
All photos and textures are my own
Thank you for taking the time to visit, comment, fave or invite. I really appreciate them all.
Built in 1864 and famously blown up by the IRA in 1984, when Margaret Thatcher and others in the Conservative Party were staying there.
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)...Highly strung and hot-tempered, the Robin is one of Europe’s most famously territorial birds. The red (actually orange) breast is a permanent signal to other birds to keep their distance from owner-occupiers, and intruders that breach the defended borders of territories are asking for trouble: battles over land can be tense and violent, very occasionally resulting in death. In the spring and summer it is mostly males that snarl and skirmish, but females join in in the autumn and winter. And a Robin’s ire may not only be expressed towards rivals.
A medium-sized raptor that looks very similar to the Asian Black Winged Kite - apparently the names were changed atleast once. It is known for its distinctive hovering flight and gull-like plumage. It is found in open grasslands, savannas, and marshes across western North America and much of Central and South America.
Their hunting technique is famously called "kiting," where they hover in place against the wind, scanning for small mammals like voles and mice. Once prey is spotted, the kite drops swiftly to capture it. I belive it almost went extinct in California due to shooting and egg collecting, but the last few decades, the species has made a remarkable recovery.
Shot this at the Coyote Hills Regional Sanctuary outside of San Franscisco - the bird tried to hunt a few times, but wasn't successful.
Thank you so much in advance for your views, feedback and faves - very much appreciated.
Stutz’s DV-32 began with the original Stutz Vertical Eight that had debuted in 1926. As the company did not have the funds on hand to design a completely new engine, they had to make do with this mill for five years, continuously fine-tuning and upgrading it. The DV-32 featured the last iteration of the powerplant, which began as a 322-cubic inch former BB engine that had been redesigned by Charles “Pop” Greuter, the dean of the Stutz engineering department, to include dual overhead camshafts and angled valves above the hemispherical combustion chambers. It was this arrangement that gave the engine its lasting title: the “Dual-Valve 32,” for its four valves per cylinder, with 32 in total.
The upgraded engine produced some 156 horsepower, which was about the same horsepower-per-cubic-inch ratio of the Duesenberg Model J, and this was directed to the rear axle through a Warner three-speed transmission. With a lightweight body, as found on the example offered here, a DV-32 was swift, flexible, and capable of not only 90 mph but also outrunning just about everything but the inevitable.
Only about 200 examples of the DV-32 were delivered during Stutz’s waning days, which finally came to an end in 1935 after a valiant attempt at survival through light truck production. The survivors have long been held among the most valuable and desirable of Stutzes, and they are among the most pleasurable automobiles of their era to drive.
THE MONTE CARLO: PART OF THE CHATEAU LINE
The DV-32 was offered with both factory-built and semi-custom bodies, among them “Chateau Line” offerings by Indianapolis’s Weymann American Body Company, American licensees of the French Weymann body-construction method. Charles Weymann’s design employed a hardwood inner structure, similar to other automobile bodies of the era but covered in layers of cotton batting and fabric, with an outer layer of colored Zapron synthetic leather rather than metal. This design was well suited to performance chassis such as the DV-32, as it was flexible and lightweight, with the bonus of being quiet and “squeakproof.” Perhaps the most dramatic Chateau Line offering was the Monte Carlo, a five-passenger sport sedan with an unusually low roofline and windows and a fully integrated luggage compartment within a smoothly curving tail.
The Monte Carlo was available on DV-32 chassis from 1931 through to 1933. Shortly after production began, a new variant was introduced: the availability of Monte Carlo bodies with more resilient aluminum, no doubt in response to the frustration caused by owners of Zapron-paneled cars over the need for constant repairs. According to the September 8, 1931, issue of The Safety Stutz, these bodies were “special custom built,” indicating that the aluminum paneling was available only to particular customer order.
Today, only two Monte Carlos survive on the last and most-developed 1933 DV-32 chassis, with both being aluminum-bodied. One was donated by the family of its longtime owner, William Abbott, to the Classic Car Club of America Museum, where it is on display today. The second and only privately owned example is that which is proudly offered here.
CHASSIS NUMBER DV-54-1559: THE CONNOISSEURS’ CHOICE
Chassis number DV-54-1559 exhibits several design and styling features that are not known to have been used on other DV-32 Monte Carlos. Most prominently, rather than meeting a traditional cowl, the hoodline is raised slightly and has been extended back all of the way over the firewall to the windshield, creating a so-called “false hood” design similar to that famously used by Raymond Dietrich on Individual Custom Packards of the era. Along with the lowered roofline and relatively low-slung chassis common to the model, the extended hood gives the car an appearance of sinister length and power.
It is no surprise that a car of so many virtues—a unique variant of a desirable semi-custom style on a great performance chassis—would come to be preserved and treasured by enthusiasts. Indeed, the modern history of this Stutz focuses around four great collections, each of which has been highly regarded for the peerless quality of its carefully selected automobiles.
In 1959, the car was acquired from its earliest known owner, Melvin M. Bailey of Wichita, Kansas, by J.B. Nethercutt, a name that needs no introduction among West Coast collectors. Mr. Nethercutt put the Stutz into his stable as acquired and did not get around to restoring it before having the opportunity to purchase his aunt Merle Norman’s successful cosmetics business in 1962. Needing a rapid infusion of cash for the deal, Mr. Nethercutt proceeded to sell his entire 30-car collection en masse to Bill Harrah, the casino magnate and fellow renowned enthusiast, only to be told by his aunt that she had not expected to be paid all at once.
The Stutz remained in Harrah’s Automobile Collection until 1978, the year of Mr. Harrah’s death, and was then sold. Following short-term ownership in the American West, it passed to the next great collector in its history, William Ruger Sr., the Connecticut gunsmith and passionate Stutz enthusiast. In his ownership, the Stutz was featured in the April 1996 issue of Car Collector magazine.
The DV-32 would remain in Mr. Ruger’s family for many years, eventually passing to his son, William Jr., for whom it was beautifully restored by the renowned Fran Roxas in the early 2000s. In a recent telephone conversation, Mr. Roxas recalled that the car began as an excellent and largely original car and was restored with an engine that had been rebuilt with custom titanium con rods, supplied by the talented engineer Mr. Ruger. Upon completion, it was displayed at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it received a class award.
Now today part of its fourth famous collection, the DV-32 Monte Carlo is offered here from the esteemed stable of the foremost living Stutz authority, Richard Mitchell, of Montgomery, Texas. Mr. Mitchell has subjected the DV-32 to only the very best of care, maintenance, and freshening as needed and has continued to show it on a limited basis. Most recently, it was the recipient of an Amelia Award at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Lightweight, powerful, and perfectly designed, the DV-32 Monte Carlo is quite simply the ultimate 1930s sport sedan—and this car, one of only two aluminum-paneled examples, is the ultimate DV-32 Monte Carlo. It is offered with documentation, including a copy of its Harrah’s file and historic images that attest to its superior state of preservation since the earliest days of car collecting, and it stands ready to add another great name to its roster of prestigious keepers.
credit: Sotheby's
BTW, recently sold for $935,000
www.flickr.com/photos/139293117@N06/
with/54109153273
One of the main reasons I wanted to travel to the U.K, apart from escorting Miss to Sheffield University, was to visit my dear friend Paul. We met on Flickr about 8 years ago and discovered we had much in common. He was a ranger along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast of Wales, shared my love of seascape photography and music. As our friendship grew, I had many dreams of visiting Paul, literally as well as figuratively.
In September last year, we spent a week in Paul’s home where he played chauffeur and tourist guide taking us to his favourite haunts. Standing at this viewpoint, looking down at Dunraven Bay beach, a shiver ran down my spine and I was extremely emotional. I felt I knew this beach and coastline intimately from Paul's Flickr stream and vivid descriptions. But it didn’t prepare me for seeing it for myself with Paul beside me. I recall saying it was one of the most beautiful coastlines I had ever seen. It certainly beat the Cliffs of Moher by far (Controversial I'm sure !)
The Sherpa and Paul hit it off famously, drinking beers and talking music late into the night, long after I retired to bed.
Some dreams do come true.
Last week I dreamt Paul came to visit me Down Under ;-)
What a wonderful surprise! It had been years since a migratory Purple Finch graced my feeder. When you have been looking at House Finches for a long time, the delicate pinkish tint of the male Purple Finch jumps right out. No brown streaks on the flanks just purple. Roger Tory Peterson famously described the bird as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.” One male and 5 females were here for 1 day.
Jimi Hendrix famously said, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace
Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The village is located in the community of Penrhyndeudraeth, on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, 2 miles (3.2 km) south east of Porthmadog, and 1 mile (1.6 km) from Minffordd railway station. Portmeirion has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously as "The Village" in the 1960s television show The Prisoner. Wikipedia
A train on the famously slow (now former) Pan Am putzes its way north towards Leads Junction near Lewiston, Maine.
Khao Phing Kan, famously known as James Bond Island, is a striking limestone karst formation in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. Towering cliffs, emerald waters, and lush greenery surround this magnificent island. Its dramatic landscape gained global fame from the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Kodiak Island, Alaska, U.S.A.
The bald eagle became the official symbol of the United States in 1782, when it was chosen to appear on the Great Seal of the young nation. Revered for its strength, independence, and majestic presence, the bald eagle was seen as a fitting symbol for a young country asserting its sovereignty. Although Benjamin Franklin famously preferred the turkey, the eagle prevailed due to its native roots in North America and its powerful symbolism.
Wishing all my fellow Americans a Happy Independence Day!
(Original title: "Bradley"
Wikipedia: Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species is a member of the genus Accipiter, sometimes referred to as true hawks, which are famously agile, relatively small hawks common to wooded habitats around the world and also the most diverse of all diurnal raptor genera. As in many birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female. The birds found east of the Mississippi River tend to be larger on average than the birds found to the west. It is easily confused with the smaller but similar Sharp-shinned hawk.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Spirit of Haida Gwaii is the largest, most complex, and best known of Bill Reid’s sculptures. The work depicts a canoe filled with thirteen entangled ethereal beings, the majority of whom are non-human and of mythical Haida origin: the Raven (Xhuuya), the Wolf, the Eagle, the Frog, the Bear Family, the Beaver, the Dogfish Mother, and the Mouse Woman (Quaganjaat). Three humans are aboard: the Bear Mother, the Chief (who sits at the centre holding his staff), and the “Ancient Reluctant Conscript,” as Reid has described him, who paddles humbly alongside all the others.1 The sculpture has been seen as both a portrait of Reid himself and as a depiction of the condition of life on Earth as seen through his eyes. Of it he wrote, “The boat goes on, forever anchored in the same place.”2 The cast of characters depicted in the Spirit of Haida Gwaii provides an index to themes embodied by Reid throughout his lifetime, and several that appear in his works.
Spirit of Haida Gwaii is a keystone of Reid’s legacy and came to be featured as a permanent installation in three major settings. It was originally commissioned for the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., but Reid famously halted work on the project in 1987 in a gesture of solidarity with the Haida people, who were blockading the British Columbia government’s logging practices on Athlii Gwaii (Lyell Island). The 1986 clay maquette was enlarged to a full-scale clay model in 1988, and the following year it was cast in plaster for further refinement. By 1991 the Tallix Foundry in New York State had poured the first bronze casting, which was given a black patina and installed in the Embassy’s courtyard with the title Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Black Canoe. In 1993 a second casting was poured, this time finished with a green patina. This piece was installed in 1996 in the Vancouver International Airport with the title Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe. The original plaster is on permanent display at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. In tribute to Reid, Spirit of Haida Gwaii, along with The Raven and the First Men, 1980, Mythic Messengers, 1984, and the serigraph Xhuwaji—Haida Grizzly Bear, 1990, were featured on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill from 2004 to 2012.
In 1929 a Shetland pony was gifted by Princess Louise, the Regiment's first Colonel-in-Chief. Originally named "Tom thumb", it was decided the pony should have more imposing name, so he was renamed "Cruachan" after the battle cry of the Campbell Clan (who had raised the Argyllshire Highlanders in 1794)
If we look back at the history we see there were popular and well-loved Shetland pony mascots: Cruachan I, Cruachan II, Cruachan III, and Cruachan IV.
More here:
argylls.co.uk/theregimentalmascotnamesafterabattlecry/
Cruachan II was stationed at Stirling Castle, he was presented to the Regiment in 1952 by Mrs Betty Hyde. Cruachan II became the new regiment mascot just in time for him to march at the head of the Battalion on the Unit’s return from the Korean War and the Far East. At this parade, tens of thousands of people lined Princes Street in Edinburgh to welcome the men home to Scotland and Cruachan II behaved excellently despite it being his first public appearance. He was taller than Cruachan I and he liked to be outdoors, normally grazed on a hill throughout the year.
His routine included visits to the wards of the local hospital and as a reward he would have one or two beers that he could finish in seconds. He also got to travel to many countries including Germany and Cyprus with the Battalion, and he famously bit through a glove worn by Queen Elizabeth when she went to pet him during a parade. Cruachan II retired in 1979 until he died five years later in 1984.
Happy Bench Monday!
A large migratory raptor famously known for its love of honey. We sighted it roosting several times this season and on this day believe it was just starting its day.
The bird migrates all the way to North China during summers and comes back during the winters. Some say its a resident bird of the country though some of them are migrant. This is similar to Bonelli's Eagle which also migrates, but is a resident bird of the country. The bird hunts for smaller prey, birds, reptiles and often attacks honeycombs as well.
This link below is an award winning picture of the OHB attacking a hive. This is not shot by me or linked to me in any way.
(twitter.com/NatureIn_Focus/status/1157690087229939712/pho...)
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback.
In the 1990s, Amtrak had a fleet of EMD F40PH locomotives that were in need of a replacement. Amtrak partnered with General Electric to make the "Genesis" series of locomotives, however due to delays Amtrak needed a fleet of new locomotives to be put in service while the new P40DC (later P42DC) locomotives were being built. This is when GE turned to their previously made B32-8 and modified it with passenger specs and a wide cab to make the P32-8BWH.
Being delivered and entering service in 1991, these dash 8s found themselves running on everything alongside the soon to be retired F40PHs. These new units were famously nicknamed "Pepsi Can" as the paint scheme applied to these did somewhat resemble a can of Pepsi. Of the 20 that were delivered two would get sold off to Caltrans, and these would become CDTX 2051 and 2052, which quickly became very famous. Around the turn of the century, the dash 8s would find themselves being painted into the Phase IV paint, and by this point worked mostly alongside the Genesis series with the last F40PHs being retired around 2002. However, it wouldn't take long before Phase IV was phased out, and by 2016 Amtrak 515, the last Phase IV, would head to Beech Grove, IN to get the Phase V paint.
The delivery of the Genesis locomotives marked the point where the dash 8s would be seen on just about anything. Unlike the dash 8s, the P40DCs and P42DCs were designed basically only for mainline running as these had a cowl body, this made the dash 8s a universal unit as these don't have a cowl body which made them more preferable for switching while also still being good for running trains. Eventually, this would find the dash 8s being stuck as switchers and on MOW work, although sometimes still being put on the mainline. On top of this, Amtrak California's two dash 8s would be retired from mainline service in 2018, with 2052 being completely dead and 2051 becoming the Oakland yard switcher where it still runs today.
In 2016, a new competitor who in recent years prior had pushed into the U.S. locomotive market, rolled out something that threatened the career of the fleet of now all P42DCs. Siemens had released the SC-44, known as "Chargers," which were built to takeover regional routes such as the Cascades, Midwest services, and Surfliner. This would immediately lead to the retirement of the majority of Amtrak's F59PHIs, removed the need of P42s on these services, and other railroads that bought chargers would phase out their older power. This would prove to be a bad decision for these railroads as the units have several design flaws that caused them to break down a lot. Despite this, in 2021 the first ALC-42, the long distance version of the SC-44, was delivered to Amtrak. Both variants experience similar problems, with the first runs of the ALC-42 in service being plagued with problems. Very quickly, this would become so bad it caused the dash 8s to see a massive reappearance on trains and Class I leaders became more common than ever as breakdowns became that common, especially in the winter. It also didn't help that the P42s were old and therefore had been racking up many miles, causing them to occasionally break as well. Despite that, even though the chargers were supposed to replace the aging GEs, so far it has become quite the opposite situation, with trains such as the Coast Starlight and Empire Builder seeing these P42s constantly, even though Amtrak had ALCs fully take over these trains quite some time ago.
Seen in this photo is a perfect example of that. Early morning on UP's Black Butte Subdivision sees Amtrak 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, making its way to Seattle. This day there were no chargers in sight, just a dash 8 and a P42. Due to breakdowns, Amtrak 160 was the only unit ready to take the train, but it needed a second motor so Amtrak 510 left its usual duties switching and occasionally running commuters out of LA to take this. Notably, 160 is one of Amtrak's heritage painted motors, painted in the dash 8s iconic "Pepsi Can" scheme. Unfortunately, once this power set returns to LA tomorrow, it appears that 510 is going straight back to its usual routine.
A large migratory raptor famously known for its love of honey. We sighted it perched on this tree on a very hot day - there was a small water stream near this tree and the raptor waited for sometime, then went to the water (assumed it had a drink) and then flew away.
The bird is resident in some countries, but the South Indian Population or maybe Indian population (I am not sure which) are resident and don't migrate. They nest in the forests of of South India. The bird hunts for smaller prey, birds, reptiles and often attacks honeycombs as well. Especially in summer, when the honeycombs are full and there are a l ot of bees, this raptor and the Blue-bearded bee eaters could generally be found in areas around large bee-hives.
Thanks in advance for your views, faves and feedback - much appreciated.
I want to say that this was a planned shot… but, I was taken aback when I saw the beauty of the amazing detail, color, light-play and composition…
Forest Gump, a movie character, famously said, “Life is like a box of chocolates…” For me, here is a case where, photography was like a box of chocolates… finally, a 30-image focus bracket/stack with Helicon.
Seattle is famously lush and eco-friendly. This view, straight down into Elliot Bay, near downtown late in the day, may be colored by a discarded bicycle from a ride-sharing system with lots of this color on offer in the vicinity. Single exposure, minimal processing.
4 Mar 2022; 13:45 CST; Provia
199;20;0
Gullfoss, known as the "Golden Falls" due to the water's golden color caused by sediments from the earth and glacial ice, is located in the Hvítá river canyon in Southwest Iceland which the geologists believe was formed by glacial outbursts at the beginning of the last ice age.
As I was standing in front of it on that overcast late morning, I could feel the pure power and energy coming from the rushing water.
Here's an interesting history of this majestic waterfall:
"In the early days of the last century, Gullfoss was at the center of a controversy regarding foreign investors and their desire to profit off Iceland’s nature. In the year 1907, an English businessman, Howell, sought to utilize the waterfall’s energy and harbored ambitions to use its energy to fuel a hydroelectric plant.
At the time, Gullfoss was owned by a farmer named Tómas Tómasson. Tómas declined Howell’s offer to purchase the land, stating famously “I will not sell my friend!” He would, however, go on to lease Howell the land without the knowledge of a loophole that would allow him to proceed with his plans.
It was Tómas’ daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who would lead the charge to stop Howell’s ambitions. Having grown up on her father’s sheep farm where she helped pave the first road to Gullfoss, she sought to get the contract nullified, hurriedly saving her own money to hire a lawyer.
The ensuing legal battle was an uphill struggle; the case continued for years, forcing Sigríður to travel many times by foot to Reykjavík, a distance of over 100 kilometers (62 miles). Circumstances became so difficult that Sigríður threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if any construction began.
Her tenacity, however, resulted in success. In 1929, Howell withdrew from the lease, unable to keep up with the costs and difficulties of his plan. The waterfall thus fell back into the hands of the Icelandic people.
Today, Sigríður is recognized for her perseverance in protecting Gullfoss and is often hailed as Iceland’s first environmentalist. As such, she is one of the most famous figures in Iceland’s history. Her contribution is forever marked in stone; a plaque detailing her plight sits at the top of Gullfoss.
Interestingly, the lawyer who assisted Sigríður, Sveinn Björnsson, went on to go down in history too; he became the first president of an independent Iceland in 1944."
Thank you for your time and visit, dear Flikerite; have a great week ahead! 🌷🌻
It's definitely worth the expense to go to the top for the view. I stayed up for over an hour and I've highlighted some of the places you can see.
The tower famously collapsed in 1902 during building works see here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaZMqcE4nZc
Fortunately no-one was killed , just the caretaker's cat.
It was rebuilt after much debate 'just as it was '- well hopefully more stable this time.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mark%27s_Campanile
For €10 you can climb to the top (in a lift) and admire the view over the City
In Japan's Sagano Bamboo Forest, on the outskirts of Kyoto, towering green stalks of the famously versatile plant sway in the wind, creaking eerily they collide and twist, leaves rustling.
If you've ever clicked on a rundown of "places to see before you die" or a compilation of the most beautiful forests in the world, chances are you've seen a photo of Sagano.
Located in the gorgeous Arashiyama district of western Kyoto, the Sagano Bamboo Forest's popularity has expanded in recent years, coinciding with the growing number of Buzzfeed-esque articles that include it on superlative-heavy travel lists.
Though it's the beauty of the bamboo that brings in the masses, those distinct rustling sounds have become an attraction in their own right. A few years ago the Ministry of Environment included the Sagano Bamboo Forest on its list of "100 Soundscapes of Japan" -- a selection of everyday noises intended to encourage locals to stop and enjoy nature's music.
edition.cnn.com/2014/08/11/travel/sagano-bamboo-forest/
PUBLISHED:
Brunch.co (blog)
One of a pair at the side entrance to the park running parallel with the marina promenade. They’re similar, if not replicas, of so called Medici Lions, famously symbols of Florence, Italy. Taken using handheld hi-res mode on the Olympus Em1 mk3
Ibex House is an eleven storey Art Deco office building on the east side of the City of London, just to the north of the Tower of London. The building is an example of the Streamline Moderne flavour of art deco, most famously flaunted by the Daily Express building on Fleet Street. At the time of construction in 1937, Ibex House had the longest bands of glass in the UK. It's now Grade II listed.
And now for more of the gardens.
Samuel Untermyer was born in Virginia in 1858, and as a boy moved to New York City after the Civil War. He was a founding partner in the law firm of Guggenheimer, Untermyer & Marshall, and was the first lawyer in America to earn a one million dollar fee on a single case. He was also an astute investor, and became extremely wealthy.
Untermyer was also passionately interested in horticulture. He famously said that if he could do it over again, he would want to be the Parks Commissioner in New York City! Unlike most wealthy garden-owners, Untermyer was expertly knowledgeable about horticulture. The level of horticulture at the Untermyer Gardens was nationally famous, and some great gardeners got their training there.
His ambition for the garden was that it be not less than the "finest garden in America."*
The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy was founded in 2011 by Stephen F. Byrns to reclaim the lost splendor of Untermyer Gardens, a Yonkers municipal park that is the home of the finest Indo-Persian garden in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1899 Samuel Untermyer purchased Greystone, the former estate of Samuel Tilden. In the forty one years Untermyer owned Greystone, he transformed the gardens and greenhouses into some of the most celebrated gardens in America. After expanding the estate through property purchases to the north and east of the original estate, he hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to design the gardens in 1916. These gardens sprawled over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson River and were maintained by 60 gardeners and supplied by 60 greenhouses. It was open to the public on a weekly basis during the 1920s and for special events, including displays of his famous chrysanthemums and tulips. Thirty-thousand people visited it on one day in 1939.
Upon Samuel Untermyer’s death in 1940, the garden was left in limbo while the estate was settled and a plan to care for it determined. A core part of the gardens was acquired by the City of Yonkers in 1946. In the 1990s, another parcel was acquired, bringing its present acreage to 43. Today, its prestige as one of the greatest gardens in America has been restored, and it is one of the top visitor destinations in Westchester County.
Now, here is an interesting tidbit connected to this park and gardens. It might be hard to believe, but these beautiful gardens, and this property fell into a state of disrepair back in the 1970's. And it was a period in the NYC area when drugs and crime were a major problem. And the occult, and tales of the occult seemingly had generated some new interest. Neighbors around the gardens would hear chanting and see people walking in the park carrying flaming torches. The remains of skinned dogs were also found, and it became apparent that witchcraft and devil worship was at play in park. Satanic scribblings and ominous graffiti appear on columns, towers, and decrepit walls; cryptic markings alluding to a traumatic time in New York City’s history. And now the story gets even more interesting, particularly for those who remember the serial killer "Son of Sam," who later was identified as David Berkowitz, the accused killer of 6, and possibly more. Berkowitz was a devil worshiper and cult follower, and frequented the park in those days on many occasions. Interestingly, a man named Sam Carr, was “the high official of the Devil’s Legion,” and probably how Berkowitz had identified himself as the murderer by leaving a note behind saying it was the "son of Sam" who had committed the crime. In 1976, the crime spree and murders had terrified the people living in the area, and it was until Berkowitz was actually captured in 1977 that the city once again relaxed some.
This is the volcano which famously erupted back in 2010 causing delays to transatlantic flights for a week or so. There wasn't too much damage to this farmstead immediately underneath, as the erupted material mostly went straight up and then got blown away. Next time, they may not be so fortunate - it's just a matter of time....
Eyjafjallajokull isn't that hard a word to pronounce if you think of it as three separate words and pronounce the J's as Y's. Eyja (islands) + Fjalla (mountains) + Jokull (Ice cap or glacier).
Crossing the Mekong river at Luang Prabang in the heat of the day. People are laughing and cheerful during the first few days of Buddhist new year, the most important annual festivity and holiday.
The bright sunlight shows the once famously brown waters of the Mekong. The colour was caused by nutrient rich sediments carried downstream by the river and its regular and massive floods during rainy season.
That is how it used to be - the shot is from 2009 - before several dams upstream reduced water flow and with it the nutrients that sustained wildlife and agriculture that millions of people in SEA depend on. In 2020 i saw news reports showing the waters blueish and almost clear, besides the nowadays much lower water levels. A slowly escalating social and ecological disaster in the making, in plain sight.
☞ more from along the Mekong
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The Scott Monument
61 metre high monument to Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), designed by George Meikle Kemp
The Scott monument is famously the largest monument to a writer in the world. The question is, why was Walter Scott so important? Born and raised in Edinburgh, from a young age Scott collected the folk tales of the Borders - tales considered so lowly that it was frowned upon to write them down. They became his source for poetry and his series of novels, starting with Waverley which Scott published anonymously in 1814. It was an instant success and even the regent King George IV wanted to meet him.
Scott's romantic tales created a new genre the historical novel - which became key to Scottish and world literature influencing writers as diverse as Tolstoy and Victor Hugo. Almost single-handedly, he rehabilitated the international image of Scotland at a time when many considered it dangerous and backwards. He 'discovered' the Honours of Scotland, helped reinstate outlawed tartan, and orchestrated the first visit of a monarch to Scotland in 171 years. in many ways, the romantic image of Scotland that many people around the world hold today is a result of Scott's genius.
A forty, a fifty, and a ninety... This patchwork CSX consist was typical fare along the forgotten CSX P&A subdivision in the latter half of the twenty-teens. It's an early Saturday morning in October of 2018, and you really couldn't ask for better conditions, or locomotive consist for the spectacular 13 miles of bayshore running in Pensacola, Florida.
This stretch of trackage was the former Louisville and Nashville Railroad's connection to the Seaboard Air Line in Chattahoochee, Florida. The line famously hosted the Gulf Wind passenger train that was a combined effort between the two railroads. It ran between New Orleans and Jacksonville until the advent of Amtrak in 1971.
The L&N's side of the panhandle main was a block controlled DTC main line that saw a handful of daily movements running through from the Southern Pacific in New Orleans. The Seaboard's side was a CTC, high capacity, railroad that would help bring in a new era of traffic to the railroad. After the mega-mergers of the 1990's, new traffic patterns brought a boom to the line. In 2002 one such record of daily train movements along this stretch of track documented 31 trains in a 24 hour period, including the daily Sunset Limited passenger train.
The Hurricane Katrina disaster in August of 2005 would see the end of the Sunset, and the beginning of an up and down decline for the Panhandle mainline that would last until around 2017. In early 2017 activist investor and professional business mafia boss Paul Hilal of Mantle Ridge would tap controversial Canadian Pacific CEO E Hunter Harrison to help stage an executive coup at CSX. The CSX board and shareholders ultimately caved in to the massive pressure put on them by Hilal and Harrison. They subsequently agreed to force then-current CEO Micheal Ward into immediate retirement by bending their own internal rules and accepting the aging Harrison's ascension to the role of CEO. Tens of millions of dollars would swap hands, and E Hunter Harrison would usher in the force-fed world of "Precision Scheduled Railroading" to the entire rail industry.
Harrison went to work "streamlining" the railroad for investors. This meant sidelining thousands of locomotives, wiping out management, eliminating entire service plans, and selling off anything that he and his new team deemed "excessive" to the bottom line. He would die in December of 2017 after complications from a medical emergency. It was later revealed that CSX hired Harrison even after finding out he was in poor health from the start. Harrison was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying “don’t judge me by my medical record, judge me by my performance.” Unfortunately for CSX and Harrison they ultimately were one and the same.
One such fatality to the frenzied chopping was the Pensacola-Jacksonville mainline. By the time this photograph was recorded in October of 2018 Pensacola was down to a mere 4 train movements in 24 hours. Most crews had been forcibly relocated to other CSX locations, and had their family lives uprooted. Still, however, the worst was yet to come, and CSX finalized the sale of the entire line, and associated assets, to the new Florida Gulf and Atlantic railroad in June of 2019.
The Florida Gulf and Atlantic began operations full of promise to serve new customers, open up shipping opportunities, and be a great place to work for those previously at CSX. As is usual for a non-union railroad those promises soon fell flat. Engineers and conductors who were lured in by great pay saw leadership cut into that nearly immediately. Maintaining a 300+ mile class one mainline to the standards set forth in the sale agreement also proved to be a challenge. In less than a year of operation multiple bridges between Pensacola and Jacksonville were deemed unfit for service and the railroad was severed in the middle for the better part of a calendar year.
In 2025 the story is really still the same along the panhandle line. The Florida Gulf and Atlantic is now on their fourth round of ownership, and while carloads and service remain somewhat steady the future is unknown.... The train count along the bayshore has dwindled to two movements a day. One in and one out. Nothing even runs on weekends anymore...
Thank you for reading and looking!
The Bund, which is also known as Waitan, is a waterfront area in central Shanghai. The Bund is famously known for the grand western-style buildings that were built in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
The lake is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed in an eruption 84000 years ago. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and Aldous Huxley famously wrote of it: "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing".
Tolimán is a stratovolcano in Guatemala, on the southern shores of Lago de Atitlán. The volcano has an elevation of 3,158 m (10,361 ft) and was formed near the southern margin of the Pleistocene Atitlán III caldera. The top of the volcano has a shallow crater and its flanks are covered with the thick remains of ancient lavas flows that emerged from vents in the volcano's flanks. A parasitic lava dome, known as Cerro de Oro, was formed on the volcano's northern flank, which may have erupted a few thousand years ago.
Essaouira
Morocco
(the wall on a rainy morning)
Essaouira’s walled medina dates from the late 18th century and was added to Unesco’s World Heritage list in 2001.
It is an outstanding and well-preserved example of European military architecture in North Africa. For the visitor, the narrow streets, souqs, street vendors, leafy plazas and whitewashed houses with ornate wooden doors make it a wonderful place to stroll.
Dramatic, wave-lashed ramparts surround the medina and were famously used in the opening scene of Orson Welles’ 1951 film Othello .
This corkscrew souvenir is a delightful memento from my visit to Brussels
This image features a playful twist on Brussels' iconic Manneken Pis statue, famously depicted as a little boy urinating into a fountain. In this creative adaptation, the traditional water jet is humorously replaced with a corkscrew, adding a touch of whimsy to the scene.
The white cliffs and three natural rock arches of Etretat are some of the best-known sights in Upper Normandy in France and a popular day-trip destination.
Etretat is famous for its three natural arches and white chalk cliffs that tower high over the Atlantic Ocean. These natural wonders are freely accessible, as is the white pebble beach.
Claude Monet and other Impressionists famously painted the arches and cliffs in the nineteenth century.*
*https://www.european-traveler.com/france/see-white-chalk-cliffs-arches-etretat-normandy/
A ruined castle jutting out to the North Sea, located North East of Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots, King Charles II and William Wallace have all graced their presence at the castle. Famously a small garrison held out to Oliver Cromwell's army for several months (around 1651) and saved the Scottish Crown jewels, The castle was built between c1400 - 1600. The castle was in use up to around 1718.
The crops into the original pictures show the Watchstone in closer detail and the two holes in the gatepost towards Odin. The demolished Odin Stone famously and religiously had a hole through which bargains and bonds were made. The tale of the Orkney Pirate involves a divorce through the stone. The light here makes evident that holes are still to be found even if only for light and wind making near silent mouths except for in the imagination and maybe also in the reverence given to them.
In betwixt the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness Circles stands a tall, commanding, proud, orienting, way making, shadow avenue casting and processional marking stone. There used to be more, one with a whole within it. The remaining tall stone stands as your companion when you cross the Brig O’Brodgar and it stays outside the the two large circles that were once stoned, henged and kept ready for the Sun to bring along the days of praise and for the set stones to cast the ways standing within the haze.
© PHH Sykes 2023
phhsykes@gmail.com
Orkney's Stones of Stenness. Yes, they are older than Stonehenge!
www.orkneyology.com/stones-of-stenness.html
The Watchstone
www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/watching-the-watchstone/
The Watchstone, Stenness
orkneyjar.com/history/monoliths/watchst.htm
Ring of Brodgar Circle henge
www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/388/ring_of_brodgar.html
The Ring of Brogar
www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=139
Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge, Mainland Orkney
www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/ring-of...
Ring Of Brodgar
canmore.org.uk/site/1696/ring-of-brodgar
The Standing Stones of Stenness Circle henge
www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/389/standing_stones_of_...
Stenness - Stone Circle in Scotland in Orkney
www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=158
Stones of Stenness Circle and Henge
www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/stones-...
Stones Of Stenness
Beautiful weed :-) but be aware of their deadly berries.
Even if you’ve never heard of the nightshades, you’ve probably eaten one recently. Cultivated members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and potatoes, as well as tobacco. But bittersweet nightshade has less in common with these plants than with belladonna, its famously deadly cousin—all parts of the plant are poisonous to people and livestock. Beware: Those showy, juicy-looking berries can be particularly tempting for children!
Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The village is located in the community of Penrhyndeudraeth, on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, 2 miles (3.2 km) south east of Porthmadog, and 1 mile (1.6 km) from Minffordd railway station. Portmeirion has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously as "The Village" in the 1960s television show The Prisoner. Wikipedia
This beautiful 1952 Chrysler concept car was a collaborative works between designer Virgil Exner and Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia in Italy. Exner was tasked with this project to develop "idea cars" in order to chart a new course for Chrysler design, away from the company's famously well engineered, but dowdy looking cars. You can see how the grill design influenced that of the later fifties Chrysler 300's. Also, the free standing gunsight tail lights finding a home a few years later on their Imperial line.
Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The village is located in the community of Penrhyndeudraeth, on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, 2 miles (3.2 km) south east of Porthmadog, and 1 mile (1.6 km) from Minffordd railway station. Portmeirion has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously as "The Village" in the 1960s television show The Prisoner. Wikipedia
Gandy Street in Exeter, Devon, is a historic, narrow, partly cobbled lane with Saxon origins, once part of the Roman fortress boundary, known for its medieval layout and now filled with quirky independent shops, bars, and restaurants, famously rumoured to be J.K. Rowling's inspiration for Diagon Alley due to its unique, magical atmosphere and the nearby Vaults nightclub. Named after 17th-century Mayor Henry Gandy, the street retains its functional past as a cut-through, evolving from storage areas to a popular, characterful destination for students and locals alike.
While many places claim inspiration, J.K. Rowling stated Diagon Alley came from her imagination, but Edinburgh's Victoria Street, with its colourful, curved, medieval-style buildings, strongly resembles it and is a popular theory, with Rowling writing nearby. Other potential influences include London's Goodwin's Court and Cecil Court, and York's medieval Shambles, but Rowling insists she hadn't seen most of these when creating it.
Mousehole is a picturesque fishing village on the south coast of Cornwall, just a few miles west of the market town of Penzance. The village has a rich history and was famously sacked by the Spaniards in July 1595 when the entire village, apart from one house, was burnt to the ground. That house still stands today.
A hundred years ago Mousehole was a bustling port, crowded with local fishing boats, landing pilchards. Each year, early in November, timber beams are laid across the narrow harbour entrance, to protect the village from the worst of the winter gales. Even so waves can still be seen breaking over the harbour wall at high tide on a strong southerly wind.
Mousehole today has retained much of its old world charm. Local cottages, built from finely grained Lamorna granite, huddle together around the inner edge of the harbour and its bustling narrow streets are filled with small shops, galleries and cafes.
Adapted from cornwall.co.uk
And now for more of the gardens.
Samuel Untermyer was born in Virginia in 1858, and as a boy moved to New York City after the Civil War. He was a founding partner in the law firm of Guggenheimer, Untermyer & Marshall, and was the first lawyer in America to earn a one million dollar fee on a single case. He was also an astute investor, and became extremely wealthy.
Untermyer was also passionately interested in horticulture. He famously said that if he could do it over again, he would want to be the Parks Commissioner in New York City! Unlike most wealthy garden-owners, Untermyer was expertly knowledgeable about horticulture. The level of horticulture at the Untermyer Gardens was nationally famous, and some great gardeners got their training there.
His ambition for the garden was that it be not less than the "finest garden in America."*
The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy was founded in 2011 by Stephen F. Byrns to reclaim the lost splendor of Untermyer Gardens, a Yonkers municipal park that is the home of the finest Indo-Persian garden in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1899 Samuel Untermyer purchased Greystone, the former estate of Samuel Tilden. In the forty one years Untermyer owned Greystone, he transformed the gardens and greenhouses into some of the most celebrated gardens in America. After expanding the estate through property purchases to the north and east of the original estate, he hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to design the gardens in 1916. These gardens sprawled over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson River and were maintained by 60 gardeners and supplied by 60 greenhouses. It was open to the public on a weekly basis during the 1920s and for special events, including displays of his famous chrysanthemums and tulips. Thirty-thousand people visited it on one day in 1939.
Upon Samuel Untermyer’s death in 1940, the garden was left in limbo while the estate was settled and a plan to care for it determined. A core part of the gardens was acquired by the City of Yonkers in 1946. In the 1990s, another parcel was acquired, bringing its present acreage to 43. Today, its prestige as one of the greatest gardens in America has been restored, and it is one of the top visitor destinations in Westchester County.
Now, here is an interesting tidbit connected to this park and gardens. It might be hard to believe, but these beautiful gardens, and this property fell into a state of disrepair back in the 1970's. And it was a period in the NYC area when drugs and crime were a major problem. And the occult, and tales of the occult seemingly had generated some new interest. Neighbors around the gardens would hear chanting and see people walking in the park carrying flaming torches. The remains of skinned dogs were also found, and it became apparent that witchcraft and devil worship was at play in park. Satanic scribblings and ominous graffiti appear on columns, towers, and decrepit walls; cryptic markings alluding to a traumatic time in New York City’s history. And now the story gets even more interesting, particularly for those who remember the serial killer "Son of Sam," who later was identified as David Berkowitz, the accused killer of 6, and possibly more. Berkowitz was a devil worshiper and cult follower, and frequented the park in those days on many occasions. Interestingly, a man named Sam Carr, was “the high official of the Devil’s Legion,” and probably how Berkowitz had identified himself as the murderer by leaving a note behind saying it was the "son of Sam" who had committed the crime. In 1976, the crime spree and murders had terrified the people living in the area, and it was until Berkowitz was actually captured in 1977 that the city once again relaxed some.
Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The village is located in the community of Penrhyndeudraeth, on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, 2 miles (3.2 km) south east of Porthmadog, and 1 mile (1.6 km) from Minffordd railway station. Portmeirion has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously as "The Village" in the 1960s television show The Prisoner. Wikipedia