www.visitmanchester.com/things-to-see-and-do/hall-i-th-wo...

Type:Museum

Green Way, Off Crompton Way, Bolton, GREATER MANCHESTER, BL1 8UA

This Grade 1, 16th century half-timbered hall is one of the north-west’s most important buildings.

Visitors can enjoy displays of 17th and early 18th century furniture, objects and artefacts, learn more about the life and work of Samuel Crompton and discover all about life in Stuart and Tudor times.The rooms have been accurately refurbished to retain their homely atmosphere.

Hall i’ th’ Wood Museum started life as a rich merchant’s home during the mid-17th century. Years later the building was split into several rented dwellings and, whilst living in one of these with his family, Samuel Crompton famously invented the Spinning Mule in 1779.

The mule went on to be one of the most significant spinning machines used by the textile industry. The house and grounds were presented to the people of Bolton in memory of Samuel Crompton and opened to the public as a museum in 1902.

Niagara Falls, CANADÀ 2024.

The Niagara River is a short but vital waterway in North America, famously known for being home to Niagara Falls.

Connection and Flow: The river flows North for about 58 kilometers (36 miles). It acts as the drainage channel for the four upper Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie), connecting Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

Border: It forms part of the international border between the Province of Ontario (Canada) on the West and New York State (USA) on the East.

Drop and Power: Over its short course, the river descends a total of 99 meters (325 feet). The majority of this drop occurs at Niagara Falls, making it a massive source of hydroelectric power for both countries, with a significant portion of its flow diverted for this purpose.

Geology: The river was formed at the end of the last Ice Age, about 12,000 years ago, and the falls' continuous erosion has carved out the deep Niagara Gorge downstream.

Stourbridge Shuttle 139002 arrives at Stourbridge Junction with a service from Stourbridge Town, less than a mile away on what is famously Europe's shortest branch line.

I took the shot during a pre-dawn stop at the junction - thanks to a cancellation on services to Kidderminster and Worcester. Cheers again, Covid-19!

Lake Titicaca, straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains, is one of South America's largest lakes and the world’s highest navigable body of water. Said to be the birthplace of the Incas, it’s home to numerous ruins. Its waters are famously still and brightly reflective. Around it is Titicaca National Reserve, sheltering rare aquatic wildlife such as giant frogs. ― Google

Famously described by Rudyard Kipling as the 'eighth wonder of the world', Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is breath-taking in any weather - with its fiord's cliffs, mountainous peaks and waterfalls as high as 1000 metres. When it rains in Milford Sound, and it often does, those waterfalls multiply with magnificent effect.

The Cod sits so famously close to Staithes’ renowned harbour that it’s been washed away three times in rough seas. Old black-and-white photographs in the bar are testament to those gigantic swells, but strengthened sea walls mean the pub is unlikely to be swept away again – so it’s safe to sit outside and take your ease with a view of the fishing cobles and seagulls bobbing around the waterfront. For all its adventures, the Cod remains the focal point of this characterful old fishing village and its cobbled High Street: the food is defiantly pub grub, the beer is well-kept Timothy Taylor’s and Black Sheep, there’s a weekly pub quiz for the lifeboat and occasional folksy sing-songs too. And there’s also something new that would have the old Staithes fishermen turning in their graves: karaoke nights.

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".

Adding the stylish (and inefficient) Woodslites to a Looonnnng and Low hood.....eye catching on this 1930 Cord Cabriolet!

Errett Lobban Cord was, seemingly, fearless. He’d worked his way into the industry on sheer chutzpah by bluffing his way into a Chicago Moon dealership, and his success there led frightened investors at the failing Auburn manufacturer to take a chance on him as the man who could turn their brand around. First as general manager in 1923 and soon as president he did so in magnificent style. Auburn became the springboard for an empire.

Like Henry Ford, E.L. Cord believed in controlling as much of the manufacturing process as he could, and acquired Auburn’s engine supplier Lycoming. New subsidiary Duesenberg used Lycoming engines as well, albeit a heavily modified version.

With Auburn selling between $1,000 and $2,000, and Duesenberg starting at over $8,000, there was a big gap in the lineup, and Cadillac, Packard and Pierce-Arrow were all targeting a sweet spot at $3,000 to $4,000 with their mid-range cars. The market was booming, and E.L. Cord wasn’t about to miss out.

The new car would be the first with Cord’s name on it, so he was determined it had to be special, especially in styling which he wanted to be lower and sleeker than the competition. At the same time he didn’t want to compromise on headroom. In keeping with his “be different” motto, he determined that front-wheel drive was the answer.

In 1926, Cord purchased the rights to a front-wheel drive passenger car design from Harry Miller, whose FWD race car had made a very strong showing at Indianapolis in 1925. He hired Miller himself on as well to oversee engineering, and Miller in turn brought on engineer and driver Cornelius W. VanRanst; together, they had a working prototype by 1927. Together with Auburn and Duesenberg engineers in Indianapolis, they began developing it into a production-ready automobile. On a test drive in 1928, the doors popped open on a rough road, which inspired Auburn to use the first known application of an x-brace in the frame. Cross and roller joints in the driveshafts were replaced with double universal joints to quell vibration. The engineering reportedly wanted more time to develop the car further–for instance, despite the engine being set far back in the chassis with the transmission in front of it, the weight balance is unfavorable and L-29 Cords have difficulty with traction under certain conditions, such as climbing hills in the rain. The car was capable of high-speed driving, but Lycoming’s 125hp, 298.6-cu.in. straight-eight was taxed during acceleration of a 4,320-pound cabriolet and never designed to be in this reversed installation, driving the transmission in front of it.

But any shortcoming were lost behind the L-29 Cord’s styling. The longest and lowest hood in the industry combined with that sensational radiator made the car a sensation, as well as proving irresistible to coachbuilders.

In four short years of production, Auburn built just over 5,000 L-29 Cords, before the Depression combined with a lack of distribution and lingering public mistrust of the unconventional configuration ended sales in 1932. That was ample time, however, to make it a legend and completely change the course of American luxury car styling.

Because of the L-29s avant garde construction and high cost, some $3,000 and up, comparable to a less-expensive Chrysler Imperial or V-8 Cadillac, owners tended to be artistic and adventurous. Frank Lloyd Wright famously owned one, as did designer Brooks Stevens.

AS ALWAYS....COMMENTS & INVITATIONS with AWARD BANNERS will be respectfully DELETED!

Layered hills under an oblique sunset light were a rare opportunity I couldn't pass up. Thankfully, I managed to catch a break, and I had a lens that was just right for the job.

Testing my latest acquisition, the famous Minolta Beercan. Yeah, it's as good as it's famous.

Taken with Sony A55V digital camera and ancient Minolta AF Zoom 70–210mm F4 telephoto lens - the lens famously known as The Beercan. It's the same size, weight, and even looks like a 0.5-litre beer can; it rightfully earned the nickname.

Just come back from a nice few days in Liverpool where the weather was glorious and the walking good. This view takes in the famously iconic Royal Liver building.

The Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent.

The Indian leopard is one of the big cats occurring on the Indian subcontinent, along with the Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard. In 2014, a national census of leopards around tiger habitats was carried out in India except the northeast. 7,910 individuals were estimated in surveyed areas and a national total of 12,000-14,000 speculated.

Indian leopard / Indischer Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), seen in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General informations about these wonderful cats:

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae.It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, southern Russia, and on the Indian subcontinent to Southeast and East Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of the global range. Contemporary records suggest that the leopard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range. (Wikipedia)

- The name "leopard" comes from the Greek word leopardus, which is a combination of leon (lion) and pardus (panther), according to PBS Nature.

- Leopards don't need much water. They survive from the moisture they get from eating their prey.

- It is no wonder that leopards are such great hunters. They can run up to 36 mph (58 kph), jump forward 20 feet (6 meters) and leap 10 feet (3 m) straight up.

- Though classified as a roaring cat, leopards usually bark when they have something to say.

- Leopards' ears can hear five times more sounds that the human ear.

- The leopard's spots are called rosettes because they look like roses.

- The genus Leopardus does not include leopards. Members of that genus include cats of Central and South America, such as ocelots, oncillas, margays, Pampas cats, Geoffrey's cat, guiñas and Andean cats.

- Leopards can take prey as large as antelopes, but will also eat dung beetles and other insects.

- They are famously good at climbing up trees, and down – they often descend head first.

- A male leopard can drag a carcass three times its own weight – including small giraffes – six metres up at tree.

If you love these wonderful cats, have a look at my personal Leopard Collection

A candle cactus with delicate pink graces the Desert Glass House of the Hortus. 'Hankeanus' is for Thaddeus Xaverius Peregrinus Haenke (1761-1816). Haenke in 1789 took service in the Spanish scientific Malaspina Expediton (1789-1794). After leaving it, he continued working in South America. He was versatile and made an enormous collection of specimens. And perhaps most famously he's credited with discovering the Victoria amazonica. Haenke is often called the Bohemian Humboldt. He never returned to Europe and died near Cochabamba, Bolivia, either in prison or by having been accidentally poisoned by his maid.

As far as I can gather this Cereus was first scientifically described in 1897 based on the catalogue (1889) of the garden of the wealthy Bohemian industrialist Hermann Gruson (1821-1895).

Another of my favorite backyard songsters, with a large repertoire of songs and song variations. The bird got its name from the cat-like "mew" sound it often makes. This bird, along with the brown thrasher and the mockingbird, keep me entertained when I'm doing work in the garden, serenading me with their wonderful songs. Backyard bird.

From Wikipedia: This species is named for its cat-like call. Like many members of the Mimidae (most famously mockingbirds), it also mimics the songs of other birds, as well as those of Hylidae (tree frogs), and even mechanical sounds. Because of its well-developed songbird syrinx, it is able to make two sounds at the same time. The alarm call resembles the quiet calls of a male mallard.

A gray catbird's song is easily distinguished from that of the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) or brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) because the mockingbird repeats its phrases or "strophes" three to four times, the thrasher usually twice, but the catbird sings most phrases only once. The catbird's song is usually described as more raspy and less musical than that of a mockingbird.

In contrast to the many songbirds that choose a prominent perch from which to sing, the catbird often elects to sing from inside a bush or small tree, where it is obscured from view by the foliage.

Before the Battle of Dunbar in 1650, Oliver Cromwell famously told his troops to "Trust in God and keep your powder dry".

The .470 Nitro Express / 12.7x83mmR is a rifle cartridge developed by Joseph Lang in England for dangerous game hunting in Africa and India.

Wikipedia

[Lang was one of the top London gunmakers. If it had remained in business it would be in the same sentence as Holland, Purdey, Boss and Grant. The 10 bore and 12 bore express rifles were the every day big game rifle of 1870’s through 1880/90’s by which time the Nitro Expresses came into play.]

This from a forum: User Heym SR20 - The Stalking Directory.co.uk ----- (as in deer hunting for us non Brits )

Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 500 gr (32 g) SP, FMJ 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) 5,133 ft⋅lbf (6,959 J)

Wikipedia

This bullet was given to me by a friend who inherited the double barreled giant rifle from his, industrialist, great grandfather. It was, I am guessing, probably used circa 1910 / 1920's on African safaris.

With that setup, if the first two didn't workout, you were a dead man walking (probably running).

.470 Nitro Express /

In a bed of black powder. (This is the original gunpowder, composed of charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur, now used chiefly in antique firearms and in fireworks.)

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/

This bird live across Canada--from Newfoundland to Alaska. They are famously quite friendly and unafraid of people, so they can be easy to photograph. However, getting a satisfying image is always a challenge. I also photographed this jay in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario

I would love to see inside the old Polnish chapel....since it was converted into a home.

Located between the Road to the Isles and the West Coast railway is the lovely white-washed Polnish church spectacularly sited on a hilltop with striking views down Loch Ailort and across to Arisaig. Famously used in the film Local Hero, Our Lady of the Braes was built in 1872 in simple Gothic style for the now deserted communities of Polnish and Ardnish at a time when the largely Catholic population of the Rough Bounds was finally getting over the Potato Famine of 1846. Too late in the year to get the Jacobite "Harry Potter Hogwartz Express" in shot at the same time

San Lorenzo dates from 1180 - the B & W marble style was used more famously (but a century later) in places like Siena, but it is impressive here as well...

The Firth of Clyde is a large body of water on the west coast of Scotland which meets the River Clyde which famously flows throw Scotlands largest city, Glasgow. This interesting and fascinating body of water leads you into some of the most stunning waterscapes and landscapes including inland sealochs and mountains created back during the last ice age.

Lacock Abbey - founded in 1232 as a nunnery - was later converted into a grand country house, passing through many owners. Most famously, of course, it was a window in the South Gallery (not this window) of which one owner, William Fox Talbot, managed to capture the first photographic negative on paper in August 1835. Although my own photographs of the Abbey were wholly unremarkable, I did enjoy this one together with its small nod of respect to Fox Talbot.

Camara de lobos. A quaint fishermens' village on Madeira famously frequented once by Winston Churchill, who did easel paintings from his hotel balcony. The fishermen drink a strong liquor called poncha, which is made from the local rum.

The Shed at Old Warden is a famously mysterious structure whose exact age and function is unclear. Some say that it is a portal to a parallel universe, others that it is houses the infinite number of expendable volunteers used to hold up the bunting for planes, such as the one in the picture, to fly under. What is known with certainty, however, is that it has the uncanny ability to appear unbidden and unexpectedly in a great number of otherwise fine aeroplane photographs.

The DHC-1 Chipmunk is 1940's trainer used by many air forces around the world, including that of Canada whose national markings it carries, and remains a popular aircraft for private pilots.

The white square visible on the grass below the aircraft is the target for flour bombing attempts by this and 3 other barnstorming aircraft. As the announcer told us, 'The safest place to be standing in the entire airfield during the flour-bombing is on the target itself - they never manage a direct hit', and he was right!

Meadowvale Nature Park was declared in 1988 to help celebrate Australia's Bicentenary. It encompasses 63 hectares of relatively untouched vegetation, comprising open eucalypt forest, riparian vegetation along Splitter's Creek, small areas of rainforest, and heath known as "Wallum". Rare plants species include Melaleuca cheelii and the vulnerable Acacia attenuata. The Park is a botanist's dream, with over 125 species recorded, including herbs, creepers, shrubs, sedges, native grasses and orchids. At certain time of the year, masses of wildflowers bloom, providing a burst of colour throughout the understory.

Splitters Creek runs along the southern boundary of the Park and is one of the few tributaries of the Burnett River where salt and freshwater mix naturally. This is essential for the life cycle of many native fish species, including popular recreational species such as Bass and Mullett. The distinctive Queensland Lung Fish (Neoceratodus forsteri) has been seen in this creek. The area is also considered to be a potential nesting environment for the vulnerable southern snapping turtle (Elseya albagula).

Platypus

Visitors to Meadowvale can sometimes see the famously shy Platypus (Omithorhynchus anatinus) in Splitters Creek. Platypus love the deep water in this part of the Creek and the banks are perfect for their burrows.

Chefchaouen is an ancient city in the Rif mountains of north central Morocco. It's famously known as "The Blue City" due to the use of a pure blue color on the walls of the buildings and passage ways.

Edith Cavell was a British nurse who is remembered for helping injured soldiers of all nationalities during World War One.

Edith saved the lives of soldiers from all sides without distinction. She also actively helped soldiers escape from German soldiers who were looking to capture and imprison them. She was arrested for this, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

She was shot by the Germans in 1915. She famously said the day before her execution: ʺPatriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.ʺ Edith is still remembered today for her courage and compassion.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

The Laughing Kookaburra is native to eastern Australia and is the largest species of kingfisher. It is one of Australia’s most beloved national symbols. They live in a group called a ‘riot’. The Laughing Kookaburra famously gets its name from its song, which can resemble the sounds of soft chuckling or raucous laughter. A riot of Laughing Kookaburra is most often heard at dawn and dusk. The sexes are very similar in appearance. The male is distinguished by the blue hues on his wing feathers and darker blue on his tail feathers. The female (seen in this photo) is generally larger than the male, but only has a small amount of blue on her wing feathers and no blue on her tail feathers. Laughing Kookaburras are carnivorous; they will eat lizards, snakes, frogs, spiders and rodents. They're also known to swoop down and snatch a sausage from a barbeque. Laughing kookaburras live in bushland territories and are a common sight in suburban gardens and built-up areas. They are very tame around humans and will often eat out of a person's hand and allow them to rub their bellies (Source: birdsinbackyards.net ... and others)

The mausoleum was built for Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle (d.1738) and the magnificence of its design, setting and workmanship (it is said to have cost over £10,000) played a major part in spreading the fashion for such monuments. Horace Walpole famously described it as a building which ‘would tempt one to be buried alive’.

The Howgills are a distinctive range of rounded grassy hills which lie between Sedbergh and Ravenstonedale.

The Howgills were famously described by Alfred Wainwright as a 'herd of sleeping elephants'. An apt description of their steep rounded flanks.

Largo di Torre Argentina is an archaeological site nestled in the heart of Rome, known for its cluster of ancient Roman temples and the remnants of Pompey's Theatre. This sunken square, once part of the bustling Campus Martius, is famously believed to be the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE.

Lens: Voigtlander 28mm F1.5 Nokton Aspherical Type I

General John Stark is leading a three builder lashup as the U-18B/RS-11/GP-38/GP-38 set of power has just branched onto the mountain sub with train #RY-2. Ahead is the battle with 18 miles of 2.2% grade up to Crawford Notch, back in an era where "railroad men were men" and knew how to get the job done using 4-axle power.

As for General John Stark, he is heading towards home since he was a New Hampshire native, born in Scotland but moved here at a young age. He served as a General in the British Army during the French Indian War but then later as a Major General in the Continental Army. He had great success in a number of major battles including Bunker Hill and Bennington. He survived the war, retired, living to the old age of 93 in Manchester. He is most famously known as the source of New Hampshire's state motto, as he is the one that said "Live Free or Die".

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

canmore.org.uk/site/2105/stones-of-stenness

Maligne Lake is a lake in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The lake is famed for the colour of its azure water, the surrounding peaks, the three glaciers visible from the lake, and Spirit Island, a frequently and very famously photographed islet. Wikipedia

Western Delaware - Lackawanna & Pennsylvania? It sure seems like it

If you had told younger me that someday I would be running these engines, I'd have said you were nuts. But in a strange twist of fate, these Cartier M636s cheated death one more time as the D-L has managed to rescue five of "The Gang of 8". The old CN 2302, known more famously as the WNYP 643 is the first of 5 to enter revenue service with us and makes its first eastbound trip up the Pocono.

The Victoria Tower, Greenock, Scotland - is part of the complex of Municipal Buildings that was constructed largely between 1881 and 1886 in an Italianate style, and to a scale then unseen in the rest of Scotland.

The building famously has a corner missing, something that has never been fixed. This is called "Cowan's Corner" after the landowner of the time who refused to sell his plot for redevelopment.

A WW2 bomb destroyed the shop that sat there in 1941 and although it was always assumed that the Municipal Buildings would eventually be completed when temporary blank facades were erected bounding the site, it has never been fixed.

Skyscrapernews.com

Bob Dylan -Working Mans Blues

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPPbQexwTR4

Please right click the link and open in a new tab. Thank you !

Rollingstone1's most interesting photos on Flickriver

© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal

The "dead man's hand" is a poker hand consisting of two black aces and two black eights, famously associated with the American folk hero Wild Bill Hickok

Good view into the cockpit of this Lysander, famously used for delivering and recovering agents from occupied France, under cover of darkness, during WW2.

Despite its appearance, the Lysander was very advanced for its day, with fully automatic slats and flaps to facilitate the slow flying speeds needed to land in barely-lit fields. The aircraft was designed by the 'brilliant but difficult' Teddy Petter, one of those genius types you'd be glad to have on your side, provided you didn't have to work for him.

The Shutteworth Collection's Lysander is seen here over lts home base of Old Warden.

I know...photographed to death...but I like the tall grass...symbolising the city going to seed?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Central_Station

Set of 6 - The Tiger's Nest & views along the way.

It's a while since I went there (Nov2017) but just such an amazing place I thought some people may have missed my previous images.

Taktsang Monastery, famously known as Tiger Nest Monastery, is located in Paro, Bhutan and probably one of the top tourist attractions.

Then name "Taktshang" - Tiger's Lair - was derived when the people in the locality came across a tigress residing in one of the caves. Legend has it the tigress actually was Yeshi Tshogyal, a consort of Guru Rinpoche, who has transformed herself into the fearsome animal to subjugate spirits.

Taktshang clings to the rock towering 800 meters (over 2,600 feet) above the valley, and is located 2,950 meters (9,678 feet) above the sea level.

The climb to the monastery takes about 3 hours or so on a comfortable pace. Frequent trekker and gym enthusiast can complete it in about 2 hours. The total distance walked is about 4 km one way with 700m in elevation gained. Part way up there is a very welcome café where you can rest for a while, I did not find it an easy walk (you can hire a donkey to take you part way up but couldn't do that of course).

A grand entrance , but it is an Exit only these days to maintain a steady flow through the house and out this way - oh , should have said - this is Lacock Abbey

In its 800 years of history, Lacock Abbey has been many things. It started as a nunnery in the 1200s before becoming a Tudor family home. Since then it has evolved with every owner and in 1835, the first photographic negative was captured in the Abbey. Today Lacock is a well-known location for a host of film and TV productions including Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.

1200s: Lacock Abbey was founded

One of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages, Ela, Countess of Salisbury, founded Lacock Abbey on the morning of 16 April 1232.

The cloister and rooms are a rare example of medieval monastic architecture. Ela’s original cloister was demolished in the 1400s and replaced with what you see today.

1500s: Lacock's Tudor transformation

Sir William Sharington, Tudor courtier, purchased the abbey after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and turned it into his country house. He incorporated the cloister into the design of his home, an unusual move, and added Italian-inspired Renaissance architecture, including an octagonal tower.

1700s: Gothic alterations

John Ivory Talbot inherited Lacock in 1714 and over 58 years transformed both the Abbey and its garden. He was inspired by the Gothick taste and worked with architect Sanderson Miller to add features such as the entrance arch and Great Hall.

1800s: Lacock, the Victorian home

William Henry Fox Talbot and his family lived in the Abbey much as it looks today. In August 1835 Talbot captured the first photographic negative, an invention which would change the way we see the world.

The family remodelled the South Gallery, including the window where he famously captured that first negative image.

1900s: Lacock after the Second World War

Matilda Talbot was surprised to inherit Lacock in 1916. She was conscious of her duties towards all who lived and worked on the estate.

During times of hardship Matilda sold some of the Abbey collection to improve the homes of her tenants in Lacock village. In 1944 she gave the estate to the National Trust.

Lacock Abbey today

The abbey has been used as a backdrop for many films and TV dramas, including Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey. The timeless nature of the architecture makes Lacock Abbey the perfect location.

( info from National Trust webpage ) .

HAPPY SLIDERS SUNDAY !!

Some kinds of weeds are audacious.

IMO, that makes them great candidates for "post-processing to the max."

This does NOT mean that I think weeds think or that they are consciously intentional.

It's just that "survival of the fittest" has resulted in weed GENES that

program the seeds to be audacious--i.e.

try to grow almost anywhere, grow quickly, produce flowers quickly,

--and thus produce more life-carrying seeds--as quickly as possible.

It's really the genes that are the living organism here.

They are doing the essential thing, following the prime directive that defines life.

It is famously celebrated in song by the Bee Gees:

"Stayin' Alive."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNFzfwLM72c

PS: For my previously-posted example, see

www.flickr.com/photos/dan-on-flickr/52982817734/in/datepo...

Location: The shady, streetside wall of a an old but nicely-kept row house.

Riehen BS Switzerland.

In my album: Dan's Weed World

Looking east from Kitt Hill towards the distant hills of Dartmoor, with a brief spell of sunshine picking out a local landmark.

Covering 400 acres, Kit Hill is the most dominant landscape feature in East Cornwall. Located between Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, this wild, rugged granite hilltop is famous for its fine views.

Brent Tor is one of the most impressive rock outcrops in Dartmoor. It is unusual as it is one of the few on Dartmoor not to be made of granite. In fact, it is formed from basaltic lava which flowed some 350 million years ago into a shallow sea that covered the area. As the lavas flowed out into the sea some solidified into globular masses known as pillow lavas. Others were broken up by explosive contact with the sea water. This lava formed a mound on the sea floor which was then eroded by sea currents with the resulting debris being washed down the slopes of the mound. Debris of this nature can still be seen loose on the southern slopes of the tor.

Brentor is famously topped by a church. Founded in 1130 by the local landowner Robert Giffard, St. Michael de Rupe church is the fourth smallest parish church in the UK and is believed to be the highest working church in southern England.

This rare one off 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 by Bertone is one of seven built by Bertone, and is the only coupe of the seven. Powered by a modified 2.9L, 140hp engine, and seen and photographed at the 2024 Greenwich Concours Show. Here is it's story by Sotheby's:

The tale of Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt II is well-known to sports car enthusiasts, but bears a rapid repeating: The Warsaw, Indiana businessman made his first fortune as a manufacturer of marine engines, then branched into the selling of British automobiles in Chicago in late 1950. In 1952 he commissioned Italian coachbuilder Bertone to build a limited run of custom-bodied MG TDs, known as Arnolt-MGs, for sale through his showroom. This relationship soon expanded, with Bertone collaborating with “Wacky” on, most famously, the Arnolt-Bristol, as well as Bertone-bodied Alfa Romeos, Bentleys, Ferraris, and other fabulous coachbuilt creations.

There were seven Aston Martins dressed by Bertone under Arnolt’s auspices, or, as the relentlessly self-promoting Arnolt would have preferred they be known, Arnolt-Aston Martins. Their designs differed from series to series and car to car, but DB2/4 chassis number LML/765 is the only coupe. It was and remains a thing of beauty, with lines that are more crisp and elegant than some of the other Bertone creations, arguably more finely tailored and cohesive and especially striking as a coupe. As noted by historian Stanley Nowak in his article on the Bertone Astons in Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 26 No. 4, the car’s dramatic creases in its flanks and a pronounced wraparound rear window were both signature touches of Bertone’s Franco Scaglione.

Build records at Aston Martin Dorset indicate that LML/765 was commissioned by Arnolt on 20 August 1954 for “Monsieur Henrey Pagezy” of Paris and delivered on 7 January 1955. Given the somewhat mangled spelling, it is believed that this client was actually Henri Pigozzi, founder of Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile, better-known as Simca. This is likely, as a few features on LML/765, most notably the taillights, were borrowed from Simca automobiles—an impressive signature.

According to Nowak, Arnolt’s Bertone representative claimed that the coupe was intended to have been the first in a small run of cars, but by the time it appeared Aston Martin had refused to supply any more chassis to the effort. Supporting this statement, the car was shown, well after its completion, at both the 1957 and 1958 Turin Motor Shows—finished in white and then in blue, respectively—each time on the Bertone stand. It is believed that the coachbuilder borrowed the car back both years in an effort to entice Aston Martin to consider them as a new firm to develop the upcoming DB4, a role that eventually went to another Italian coachbuilder, Touring of Milan.

The Bertone coupe later made its way to the United States in 1976, into the hands of John G. Gyann. It was subsequently owned by Dr. Jim Pavlatos of Palos Heights, Illinois, and restored under his care, then passed through the hands of Chicago-based sportscar dealer Bill Jacobs and the Blackhawk Collection. In 1987, it was acquired from Blackhawk by Roger Karlson of California, who would own the car for eleven years and spent much time and spared no expense meticulously sorting the mechanicals of the largely cosmetic restoration that had been undertaken prior to his ownership. The car was shown later in 1987 at Pebble Beach while under Mr. Karlson’s ownership.

In 2019, the special Bertone Aston was acquired by the current owner, who commissioned Aston Martin specialists Kevin Kay Restorations in Redding, California to undertake a full concours restoration. As part of this work, the car was faithfully returned to its “show stand-correct” metallic blue shade, matched to traces of the original finish located below the headlight bezels and in the trunk area. In addition, the correct front bumper and taillights, which had been modified over the years, were fabricated to replicate the original 1955 units, as was the bonnet trim, sun visors, and much of the interior trim hardware. Down to the original red exhaust tip, visible in a surviving 1958 color photograph, no small detail was overlooked during this extensive restoration, which cost over $800,000 and was completed just in time for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2023. The restored car retains its original numbers-matching drivetrain, per its build documentation, with the original engine having been rebuilt to a high-output specification with elevated compression, DB MK III-style valves and camshafts, and an uprated oiling system.

At completion of the work, the car was debuted at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was honored with First in Class, a remarkable achievement. It has yet to be shown publicly since, leaving the door open for the next caretaker to enjoy participation in virtually any top-level concours event on the planet. In fact, the Bertone Aston has already been invited to be displayed and compete at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Accompanying the sale is a document file featuring restoration photographs and invoices, as well as a copy of the Automobile Quarterly article and other historical information, including a detailed letter account by dedicated former owner Roger Karlson.

This unique Aston Martin DB2/4 is a singular and exquisite automobile, representing the epitome of English sporting heritage, but inspired by American ingenuity, passion, and ambition, and styled and built by Bertone and Italy’s finest artisans. In so many ways, the Bertone Aston represents the ultimate iteration of company owner David Brown’s “gentleman’s express.” A lively, smooth performer, it is a consummate English gentleman indeed, but clothed in a bespoke Italian suit.

The Jacobite Express or more famously known as the Hogwarts Express runs from Fort William to Mallaig. Described as one of the great railway journeys of the world this 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes.

Starting near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, it visits Britain's most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig; passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, Loch Morar and the shortest river in Britain, River Morar, finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis!

Cruising Lake Titicaca in Bolivia with Balsas boat.

Lake Titicaca, straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains, is one of South America's largest lakes and the world’s highest navigable body of water. Said to be the birthplace of the Incas, it’s home to numerous ruins. Its waters are famously still and brightly reflective.

For video, please visit youtu.be/RovEwSds_fE

Layered hills under an oblique sunset light were a rare opportunity I couldn't pass up. Thankfully, I managed to catch a break, and I had a lens that was just right for the job.

Testing my latest acquisition, the famous Minolta Beercan. Yeah, it's as good as it's famous.

Taken with Sony A55V digital camera and ancient Minolta AF Zoom 70–210mm F4 telephoto lens - the lens famously known as The Beercan. It's the same size, weight, and even looks like a 0.5-litre beer can; it rightfully earned the nickname.

⇒ See this section a bit closer, and how it looked in February; click 📷 here.

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

The Opera House 1901 in Denton, Texas, is the historic Wright Opera House, built in 1900 by W.C. Wright using bricks from the old/condemed courthouse (which was struck by lightning) and now famously home to Recycled Books, Records, & CDs on the downtown square. This iconic building hosted performances and graduations until the 1910s before housing other businesses, becoming a beloved landmark for its unique bookstore and rich history. It opened in February 1900, and closed as an opera house by 1913. After its opera house days, the building struggled, briefly becoming the Majestic Theater and later a department store. It found new life when Recycled Books moved in in 1990, preserving its historic structure while becoming a major cultural hub, filled with books, records, and movies. The building's signature purple color was added in 1998.

30 years after Burlington Northern and Santa Fe merged to form BNSF, Cascade Green still has a place on the famed Stevens Pass. While not as famously known for the pass as the Great Northern, BN definitely looks right at home in Skykomish.

The springbok or springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis) is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus Antidorcas, this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1780.

The common name "springbok", first recorded in 1775, comes from the Afrikaans words spring ("jump") and bok ("antelope" or "goat"). The scientific name of the springbok is Antidorcas marsupialis.

The springbok has been a national symbol of South Africa since the white minority rule in the 20th century. It was adopted as a nickname or mascot by several South African sports teams, most famously by the national rugby union team. Also, the winged springbok served as the logo of South African Airways from 1934 to 1997. The springbok is the national animal of South Africa. Even after the decline of apartheid, Nelson Mandela intervened to keep the name of the animal for the reconciliation of rugby fans, the majority of whom were whites. (from Wikipedia)

Mother Africa: youtu.be/g0TEkaNe3HA?si=wgcFhQOnkhcIzNd_