Pictures with the title "308"
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Finally entering into the home stretch of my re-editing journey through the Netherlands and the finalization of my “Dutch Masters” process, this image 3rd to last is of the Amstel near the Halvemaansbrug and is what I consider the geographic heart of Amsterdam.
The canal belt or Grachtengordel (Canal Girdle) in Dutch, is a World Heritage protected site and this portion of it pictured here is called the Grachtengordel-Zuid and lucky for me and my camera had to be crossed to get to my accommodations in the De Pijp.
Whenever I stay in the city I like to stay a little off the beaten track and the De Pijp section of Amsterdam offers a bohemian experience, much cheaper accommodations and a small taste of life in the city without throngs of tourists as well as some the best outdoor markets in Europe.
They say all roads lead to Rome but in this case all Amsterdam canals lead to the Amstel and rightly so, it’s the namesake of the city, the canal cleaner and the waterway that propelled the city to greatness.
I took this on Sept 10th, 2017 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens at 36mm 13 sec f/9 ISO100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , Luminar and DXO
Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress
I was quite surprised to see this late purple finch male here at Lake Meyer Park today. He must be a bachelor since most purple finch pairs are on their breeding grounds in northern Minnesota and Canada by now. I can promise that this is the last purple finch photo I post on Flickr this spring since I will be off-line from now until mid-May when all purple finches will be long gone from Iowa.
I am headed to sunny southern California next week in search of some fantastic specialty birds that can only be found there and nowhere else in the States. Before I go, I need to study up on those target birds and burn their looks into my brain so I can identify them in the field. I'll be doing that this week, along with finalizing my flight and shuttle arrangements, organizing my gear and getting packed to go. I will be traveling light and fast out there, with my main goal just to see as many new birds as possible and not worrying about photos so I may not have much to show when I return in mid-May. Thanks for all your faves and comments and I can't wait to check out all your great photos when I get back from California.
Kissing under the moon in broad daylight...
textures, composition and processing by: jeloid
Really appreciate this michael - it was a collaboration finalized in minutes, amazing
I spent several days this past week photographing owls. I found this bird over a field along with several of his friends. Every evening at about six, the owls began to hunt. Photographing these birds is never easy because they move so erratically. Chasing after them doesn't work because they simply move on to a different spot, so I positioned myself with the sun behind me and fired as many frames as I could. I used the new 'Enhance' feature in Photoshop 2021 to finalize this image.
I was sad to read that Disney finalized the purchase of this land several months ago. They plan to turn it into a resort for cruise ships, similar to the Castaway Cay that Disney already owns. The land that I am standing on will be made into a national park for the public, but most of what you look at will be drastically changed in 4 years. The Caribbean Sea is on the left and the Atlantic Ocean is on the right. I would like to try to get back to this area one more time before it is developed but I am not sure if development has started and if access to the area is even permitted.
Finalized..... 4 color silkscreen poster for the PRINTED show Dec6th, Crewest gallery.
18"x24" signed and numberted... limited 25 prints.
Printed by Two Rabbits.
The Royal Court (Curtea Domnească) monuments ensemble in Târgovişte, Romania, built in the 15th century. Ruler Mircea the Old is the founder of the royal residence, with construction works launched around 1400 and finalized in 1476. The museum includes the Royal Residence, the Great Royal Church, the Small Royal Church and the Chindia Tower. Only the ruins can now be seen of the Royal Residence, its gardens and fountains. The Great Royal Church still boasts its frescoes with portraits of Wallachian rulers, and a cannonball stuck in its walls, in testimony of past wars. In the Small Royal Church, visitors can see interesting pottery work and the oldest church porch in the country, built concurrently with the church in the 16th century. (surprising-romania.blogspot.com/2009/08/royal-court-in-ta...)
Exactly twenty years ago today, the Canadian National Railroad finalized their acquisition of Great Lakes Transportation and successfully absorbed its shortline subsidiaries, which included the fan favorite Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad. Changes made by the new owner were initially very minimal in the first decade following the purchase, however things quickly took a turn for the worse when a group of Illinois Central SD70s arrived on the property in the Spring of 2015 for the purpose of replacing the aging fleet of SD38s and Tunnel Motors in use at the time.
As the attractive orange EMDs were shipped off to other parts of the CN system, the chances of seeing a once common trio of all Bessemer painted power on an actual road train became increasingly slim. The handful of SD38 units that remained on the property were basically relegated to yard service at Conneaut for years, and the only remaining Tunnel Motor happened to be the 905, a wreck repair which had KCS yellow nose stripes clearly visible through its botched paint job.
Just when it seemed things would never get better, in a bizarre turn of events, BLE 878 mysteriously arrived back on Bessemer property in October of 2019 and was almost immediately set up with the the 867 and 905, the other orange motors being used out of Greenville at the time. The morning of October 9th happened to be the first occurrence in which all three units were used on the railroad's misc job for a Butler turn out of Greenville. The eclectic trio made for a great sight at the first photo location of the day as they banged across the diamond with NS's Meadville Line at XN Tower. This is the beginning of CTC coming out of the shops at Greenville and this line, commonly called the low line, will join with the actual mainline at Kelsey, just a few miles ahead.
Naturally something this nice could never last. Big DP equipped CN SD70M-2s now dominate the taconite trains between Conneaut and North Bessemer. The 878 is now the last orange unit on the property and usually handles mixed freight duties along with the Bessemer stenciled but Missabe painted 862. As frustrating as it is to see that the railroad is a shell of its former self, the fact that it is completely isolated from the rest of the CN system has undoubtedly helped slow the changing process. If a company like Genesee & Wyoming or Watco had taken control of the operation, there is almost no chance it would exist in its current form. Ancient CTC hardware still guides trains of taconite pellets and local freight across the railroad and that same sense of pride and commitment the Bessemer had to the steel industry can still be seen in the small group of railroaders that work on this far corner of the CN system.
This is a 12 image photo stack, but done at a fairly open aperture of f2.8. An interesting technique that allows for a blurry background still, but the main subject is very in focus. I did this using the Focus Bracketing feature of my Canon R7.
But to do this it requires an AF lens. So I finally had to take my fully manual, Tokina 90mm Macro lens off my camera. LOL!
The camera controls the adjustments made to the lens to achieve a greater range of in focus area as it steps through each shot. I set the step size and the amount of frames the camera will take. Then the camera can be set to composite the images into a finalized single image. I have my camera set to do this, but to also record the individual frames so that I can do the stack myself using a edit program.
This image is one that the camera composited and assembled for me..
One more fun thing, this was done hand held, no tripod used. This shows the almost magical nature of this feature to correct each frame and align the subject and then do the final crop. All in about 8 or 10 seconds.
The lens used in this case was my Canon EF 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro and a 20mm extension tube,
Finalized it...
Sweet Thing's Fang/Tusks pack was the thin we used to update it..
When we have spoons we'll pull a blog post.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by a image of: Alyce Avril
A colossal stone figure, fractured yet resolute, cradles a smaller broken form within a vast, still ocean—both statues frozen in a moment of sorrow and grace. Golden shafts of light pierce the turbulent, apocalyptic clouds above, casting divine radiance on the scene below. Cracks ripple through their bodies like ancient wounds, as if time itself tried to forget their agony. This surreal monument speaks of loss, remembrance, and the quiet, eternal bond between protector and fallen. The image evokes myth, rebirth, and the heavy silence of grief suspended in eternity.
While going through picture I found this picture of ST 72 and 52 leading Sappi 4 through Shawmut at Sunset. The 72 went out of service not long after this and Pan Am started looking for a buyer for the all three not long after that. With the sale to the Herber Valley supposedly finalized, the GP9's are expected to be shipped out at some point.
Thinking of last time we visited Epcot as plans to return later this year have been finalized. It's Throwback Thursday after all.
The Central Maine & Quebec's Job 2 hustles east at the east end of their Moosehead siding, with a trio of SD40-2Fs and a lone GP35u interloper. Time was quickly running out for the Red Barns at this point, as the railroad had already finalized their plans to repaint them, and in a few weeks, the first would be completed, with the others quickly being painted after. Note the odd reversed stripes on the 9020's door... it's hard to imagine how they managed to get the stripes on it backwards. The train today has about 70 cars, not a bad train by any means, but unfortunately a result of only running three days a week (at the time). Fortunately, they've resumed running five days a week, and traffic is picking up for the CMQ; hopefully they can make something out of the Moosehead where the previous two owners have failed.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Phottoshop
Dinkie Fanart: Inpired by the land of Rungardvik
Clad in layered leather, fur, and gleaming scale armor, the Dinkie Viking warrior stands defiantly at the prow of his drakkar, crimson cape flaring like a war banner in the saltwind. His amber eyes burn with ancestral pride beneath a rune-etched helm, while his paw grips a round shield marked with Norse sigils. Beside him, the dragon-headed bow juts forward, snarling toward the horizon as if ready to strike. Carved in ancient knotwork and crowned with battle scars, the ship crests a churning sea under a tempestuous sky—this is no mere voyage, but a saga in motion.
First, the couch has some blue LED lights, so that´s why there is such a weird bokeh :)
Another offspring of my Soulmate. The guy is called "Merlin" and is exactly an full, licensed (:D) clone of my soulmate Tamino.
Used Tools:
Sony A7
Samyang 85/1.4
Love
Finalizing his last painting before the sunset at the 2023 After Burning Man party on LA's infamous Venice Beach!
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop and Photoscape X
Based on a Second Life Dinkie Friend.
A Magical Undersea Adventure
Beneath the sparkling surface of the sapphire sea lies a realm of wonder — glowing coral palaces, schools of shimmering fish, ancient sunken ruins, and secrets whispered by the currents. Into this enchanted world swims an unlikely explorer: Captain Whiskerfins, the brave and curious feline adventurer, known across the underwater kingdoms for his daring dives and soft paws.
Clad in a snug black wetsuit, air tanks strapped tight, and goggles snug over his wide green eyes, Whiskerfins glides gracefully through a forest of anemones and rainbow reefs. Today, he’s following a trail of bioluminescent bubbles and clues left behind by the mysterious Pearl of the Deep — a magical gem said to grant dreams to anyone pure of heart (and a little mischievous too).
Joined by a friendly sea turtle and watched from afar by a jellyfish with a lantern-like glow, Captain Whiskerfins dives deeper into a world where adventure hides in every coral crevice — and where even the smallest pawprint can make waves.
Perfect for all ages, this heartwarming underwater tale blends whimsy, wonder, and just a splash of feline charm.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop.
The Shroud Crypt stretches like a cathedral carved from silence itself. High above, hundreds of golden stasis-lanterns hang suspended, each one a tomb of light housing a dreaming soul. Their glow casts long, ritual shadows across walls inscribed with vertical columns of machine-script—endless prayer-code etched into sacred stone.
Hooded figures stand in total stillness, as if awaiting something long forgotten. Their robes absorb the glow, untouched by time. The floor beneath is cracked in perfect concentric rings—like a broken ritual seal—suggesting this chamber was meant to contain more than memory.
At the heart stands a lone silhouette, draped in black. Whether a mourner, a pilgrim, or something older is unclear. Behind them, the corridor opens toward a radiant, unreachable gate, its light seeming to call the names no one remembers.
This is not a crypt.
It is a liturgical engine built to preserve what no longer wishes to be known.
The Clean Water Rule, finalized and put into place in 2015, gave important jurisdictional clarity for the Clean Water Act and it’s protection of streams and creeks that are headwaters to larger rivers. Water belongs to everyone, and clean water is a basic right for Americans. We all live downstream from somewhere.
If you reside in the U.S., please consider writing the EPA during the public comment period regarding Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2017-023-001 which addresses the EPAs intention for the Repeal and Replacement of the 2015 Definition of Waters of the United States, 82 Fed. Reg. 34899 (July 2017), and oppose the initiative to repeal and replace this protective regulation.
China, Harbin, "Ice & Snow Festival" on Sun Island.
This over 120 mtr long & approx. 40 mtr high snow sculpture still in the finalizing carving process is the master piece & the main sculpture of the around 500 small size to larger sizes snow show pieces. The snow sculpture park is located next to the gigantic ice festival area
Sun island scenic area, covering about 3,800 hectares, approx. 35,25 square km, is the second biggest venue of the annual Harbin Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival & has become Harbin's main parkland & recreation area, used all year long.
The impressive "Ice & Snow Festival" is the greatest & unusual one in the world, therefore Harbin is also called the "Ice City".
The city centre Zhaolin Park futures the “Disney Ice Festival” as part of the Harbin "Ice & Snow Festival" / "Ice Lantern Festival". Besides the for floors ice castle with electric elevators there are more than hundred sculptures of different sizes & motives in the Zhaolin Park organized by Disney, at night all sculptures are colourful lighted with LED.
For the "Ice Festival" over a 100.000 Tons of Ice Blocks, cut from the around 1 mtr thick ice sheet covering the Song Hua River, are used for the festival sculptures & carvings from January till March. It is one of the largest of its kind & most interesting one in the World.
The carved fishermen Ice-lanterns can date back to ancient times. It was said that some fishermen made rough & simple ice-lanterns just for lighting. With the time passed, ice-lanterns embodied their cultural features & gradually the artistic fascination of making of ice-lanterns, ice sculptures started in the 1960th, leading to today's impressive Ice & Snow Festival.
Also in the city you will see everywhere ice carvings of all sizes, besides there are several expositions in different Park. The three major Parks are the Ice World, & the Snow Sculptures parks on Sun Island, they are more artistic, the Ice Carvings at the Zhao Lin Park by Disney in the centre of the City. Harbin Ice & Snow World are gigantic & LED illuminated at Night.
Harbin with population of almost 4.5 million, is heralded as the Ice City for its well-known unbelievably impressive ice & snow recreations during the yearly international “Ice & Snow Festival” from the end of December until beginning of March. Harbin is also well known besides his important historic & economic past & present for China, for its historical Russian heritage, this cultural influence is still notable till today.
Due to the Siberian high & Harbin in the Heilongjiang Province location above 45 degrees north latitude, the city is known for having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities. Winter Temperatures can drop to below -35° C., when I visited Harbin beginning of January the Temperature varied between -20°C & -26°C below, but with dry air.
As well the large Siberian Tiger & white tigers research centre, with about 500 tigers & a few other species, does an important work to prevent this species from extinction. The Research centre can be visited, tours in small a bus are available, passing through wide natural, separated, sections, however the focus point is to save the tigers.
❄ ❆ ❅🌛 ★ 🌠 🎄 🌲 🔔 🌠 🌲 🎁 🎅 🎁 🌲 🔔 🌲 🎄 🌠 ★ 💤 🌝❅❆❄
🎅 Despite all the complications & inconveniences in 2020,
I wish all of you an exciting, cheerful fairy-tale like festive season.
🌠 Trotz aller Komplikationen & Unannehmlichkeiten im Jahr 2020,
ich wünsche euch allen eine märchenhafte Weihnachtszeit.
🌲 A pesar de todas las complicaciones & inconvenientes en 2020,
yo desearles a todos ustedes un emocionante & encantada temporada festiva,
🎁 Malgré toutes les complications & inconvénients de 2020,
je souhaite à toute une joyeuse & magique saison festive
🔔 Nonostante tutte le complicazioni & gli inconvenienti del 2020,
augurare a tutti voi una emozionante & eccitante stagione di festa.
🎄 Apesar de todas as complicações & inconveniências em 2020,
desejo a todos um conto de fadas do tempo do Natal.
❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ 🎅 ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop.
A Tribute to all the Dinkies in second life, i have several friends there who are a Dinkie there.
In the soft morning mist of the mystical forest, where sunlight dances like liquid gold between the trees, she stood quietly by the edge of a gentle stream. Her emerald green eyes reflected the magic of the place – an ancient energy that only a few could sense, let alone see.
She wasn't just a cat – but a Dinkie of the old lineage, heir to the Bloomlight. Her silver tabby fur shimmered subtly in the light, framed by flowing copper-red hair, elegantly swept over one shoulder. Her gown, a royal mix of violet and midnight blue, was adorned with tiny floral embroideries and a golden lotus-shaped brooch – a symbol of her deep bond with nature.
She looked up, not startled, but dreamily – as if waiting for someone... or something.
“Sometimes the smallest beings are the keepers of the greatest secrets.”
Disclaimer:
This artwork is inspired by the Dinkies avatars from Second Life, originally created by Tiny Inc (Etheria Parrott). It is a fan-made creation and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Tiny Inc or Linden Lab. All rights to the original Dinkies concept belong to their respective creators.
Getting gear finalized for the Dec. 7th occultation of Mars by the moon. This is the final configuration, Mewlon 210 with QHY5lll 290C camera. Same exposure used for Mars and the moon, Mars added with Photoshop.
Firebreak is finally finalized! I thoroughly enjoyed this build, but it took ages to complete -- much crafting and re-crafting.
You can see quite a bit of "fit"-detail by zooming in at full resolution. I also pulled together some evolution and WIP photos...
I took strong inspiration from this concept by puz lee, before taking it for my own spin.
(And I really will eventually make a construction video, but am still two builds behind. Sigh...)
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
This is a special one for the land of Rungardvik.
Beneath the cold gaze of a full winter moon, two heroic Dinkie warriors stand atop a snowy ridge in the frozen realm of Rungardvik. Clawdr the Fearless, torch in paw and emerald eyes gleaming, lights the path ahead with unwavering resolve. Beside him, Mewhalla the Shieldpaw, stoic and strong beneath her horned helm, guards their flank with a rune-carved shield of ancient steel. Wrapped in fur-lined cloaks and leather armor, these brave feline adventurers stare into the icy unknown, ready to write a new chapter of legend with paw and claw.
China, Harbin, "Ice & Snow Festival" on Sun Island.
The centre part of the over 120 mtr long & approx. 40 mtr high snow sculpture still in the finalizing carving process is the master piece & the main sculpture of the around 500 small size to larger sizes snow show pieces. The snow sculpture park is located next to the gigantic ice festival area
Sun island scenic area, covering about 3,800 hectares, approx. 35,25 square km, is the second biggest venue of the annual Harbin Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival & has become Harbin's main parkland & recreation area, used all year long.
The impressive "Ice & Snow Festival" is the greatest & unusual one in the world, therefore Harbin is also called the "Ice City".
The city centre Zhaolin Park futures the “Disney Ice Festival” as part of the Harbin "Ice & Snow Festival" / "Ice Lantern Festival". Besides the for floors ice castle with electric elevators there are more than hundred sculptures of different sizes & motives in the Zhaolin Park organized by Disney, at night all sculptures are colourful lighted with LED.
For the "Ice Festival" over a 100.000 Tons of Ice Blocks, cut from the around 1 mtr thick ice sheet covering the Song Hua River, are used for the festival sculptures & carvings from January till March. It is one of the largest of its kind & most interesting one in the World.
The carved fishermen Ice-lanterns can date back to ancient times. It was said that some fishermen made rough & simple ice-lanterns just for lighting. With the time passed, ice-lanterns embodied their cultural features & gradually the artistic fascination of making of ice-lanterns, ice sculptures started in the 1960th, leading to today's impressive Ice & Snow Festival.
Also in the city you will see everywhere ice carvings of all sizes, besides there are several expositions in different Park. The three major Parks are the Ice World, & the Snow Sculptures parks on Sun Island, they are more artistic, the Ice Carvings at the Zhao Lin Park by Disney in the centre of the City. Harbin Ice & Snow World are gigantic & LED illuminated at Night.
Harbin with population of almost 4.5 million, is heralded as the Ice City for its well-known unbelievably impressive ice & snow recreations during the yearly international “Ice & Snow Festival” from the end of December until beginning of March. Harbin is also well known besides his important historic & economic past & present for China, for its historical Russian heritage, this cultural influence is still notable till today.
Due to the Siberian high & Harbin in the Heilongjiang Province location above 45 degrees north latitude, the city is known for having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities. Winter Temperatures can drop to below -35° C., when I visited Harbin beginning of January the Temperature varied between -20°C & -26°C below, but with dry air.
As well the large Siberian Tiger & white tigers research centre, with about 500 tigers & a few other species, does an important work to prevent this species from extinction. The Research centre can be visited, tours in small a bus are available, passing through wide natural, separated, sections, however the focus point is to save the tigers.
❄ ❆ ❅🌛 ★ 🌠 🎄 🌲 🔔 🌠 🌲 🎁 🎅 🎁 🌲 🔔 🌲 🎄 🌠 ★ 💤 🌝❅❆❄
🎅 Despite all the complications & inconveniences in 2020,
I wish all of you an exciting, cheerful fairy-tale like festive season.
🌠 Trotz aller Komplikationen & Unannehmlichkeiten im Jahr 2020,
ich wünsche euch allen eine märchenhafte Weihnachtszeit.
🌲 A pesar de todas las complicaciones & inconvenientes en 2020,
yo desearles a todos ustedes un emocionante & encantada temporada festiva,
🎁 Malgré toutes les complications & inconvénients de 2020,
je souhaite à toute une joyeuse & magique saison festive
🔔 Nonostante tutte le complicazioni & gli inconvenienti del 2020,
augurare a tutti voi una emozionante & eccitante stagione di festa.
🎄 Apesar de todas as complicações & inconveniências em 2020,
desejo a todos um conto de fadas do tempo do Natal.
❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ 🎅 ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop.
Drifting through shattered skies and ruined valleys, Wyrmfog is a being of whispered memory and living mist. Neither wholly real nor illusion, this spectral serpent coils through storms and legend alike—seen only in glimpses, remembered only in echoes.
Its horns arc like broken constellations. Its glowing eyes pierce through layers of fog and thought. It speaks in thunderless silence and moves with impossible grace, vanishing into cloudbanks that were never there.
Finalizing FebRovery (in some parts of the worlds it still is) with a little bit of sillyness. Action shot with some green giant Mars cattle hopefully to follow somewhen in the next weeks...
My finalized first attempt at a BARC Speeder.
Building instructions are available here! Check out for more details!
It's been a while since the WIP pic of this speeder along with my, still WIP, AT-RT v3, but here we are. I'm quite happy with this final design (for now).
It is a mere hair (literally. it's like less than 1/8 a plate.) away from perfect 1:35th scale in length and height. The engines are technically slighty wider than they should be, but given a minifig is equally wider than it should be in proportion to its height, I think this is totally acceptable.
I will try to eventually acquire the necessary pieces for a dark red/white version, like the digital recolor seen in the instructions post, and build said accurate colored version phyically as well. Not a priority investment for me right now though, so this may take a while.
If you like this MOC and want to build it yourself, consider getting your hands on some instructions (supports the grind).
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop and Photoscape X.
"She does not remember what was said.
She remembers how it sounded when the world agreed with it."
The Choir Ascendants are not messengers. They are archivists — shaped of light, built to remember resonance. Every utterance from Archon Seraphael is recorded not in words, but in harmonic truth.
She speaks only when transcription begins.
Her voice does not echo — it engraves.
And when the final song of this realm is sung,
it will be by her choir."
During February 2013, the CLC finalized voting on
a proposal to add the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio
porphyrio) to the ABA Checklist based on a naturalized
population found in Florida (Pranty et al. 2000,
Hardin et al. 2011, Pranty 2012, Greenlaw 2013). Following
a 7–0 vote in August 2012 by members of the
Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee to
add the species to the Official Florida State Bird List,
the CLC voted 7–1 to accept the Purple Swamphen as
an established exotic. The dissenting CLC voter was
concerned that the swamphen population was not
large enough to be truly established; CLC rules allow
a species to be accepted with one dissenting vote. The
addition of Purple Swamphen raises to 977 the number
of species on the ABA Checklist.
The ABA Area’s Purple Swamphens were discovered
in May 1998 in the SilverLakes development in Pembroke
Pines, Florida, a city in Broward County that is
part of the Fort Lauderdale greater metropolitan area.
Pembroke Pines lies along the eastern edge of the remaining
Everglades. The swamphens were believed to
have been present for about a year and a half prior to
that date; thus, texts often list December 1996 as the
date the swamphens in Florida were discovered
(Pranty et al. 2000, Pranty 2012).
It was initially suggested (Pranty and Schnitzius
1998) that the swamphens had escaped from Miami MetroZoo, which lost dozens of animals as a result
of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. However, MetroZoo
is 27 miles from Pembroke Pines, and the presumed
source of the swamphen population was later traced
to two aviculturists who lived less than 0.25 mile
from SilverLakes.
These aviculturists, who collectively
owned as many as 13 pairs of swamphens, allowed
their captive swamphens to roam freely
around their neighborhoods beginning in 1992
(Pranty et al. 2000, Pranty 2012). The number of
birds that escaped initially probably was quite
small—neither aviculturist noticed any reduction
in the number of captive pairs—with probably
other swamphens escaping later and joining the
naturalized birds to eventually form the founding
flock.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by ZZ Tops Eliminator
The legendary '33 coupe reborn in neon chrome — tires searing through the cyber streets, LED flames dancing across the matte black hull. Pulsing with synthwave attitude and outlaw swagger, the Eliminator drifts through a neon-drenched sprawl where rock and rebellion still leave burn marks on the grid. The streets aren’t ready, but she always is.
I've finally taken the time to finalize and photograph my sigfig.
He 's been in a few mocs over the past few years, but never gotten a solo post.
Thank you CapeMadness for sending me the awesome fur cape and leather strap. They are so AWESOME!
338/365
Pretty much finalized the plans for day 365 today, AAAHH! :D
~le ask.fm
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Got an arm cannon and swapped out the torso. Also gave him that giant fist because in injustice he can actually make his fist really big whenever he punches someone. I was considering cutting off a little piece of trans-light blue bar and sticking it in that arm cannon, but that piece was a bit of a pain to find and I'm a bit on the fence about modding it like that.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Bathed in golden twilight and cloaked in shadow, the skeletal empress stands regal among the crumbling remnants of a once-glorious temple empire. Her hollow gaze surveys the ruins with timeless authority, a crown of ancient gold and crimson jewels resting upon her skull. Intricately adorned with ornate armor and layered ceremonial jewels, her presence is both majestic and unnerving. Flames flicker from towering sconces, casting dancing shadows across the colossal stone walls. The air is thick with dust, mystery, and reverence — as if the stones themselves remember her reign. She is not just ruler of the past, but an undying symbol of power that refuses to fade.
Inspired By:
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop.
Deep within the softly glowing mushroom groves of Feyroot Hollow, a secluded chamber off the main Emberhollow caverns, Nyxi Duskwhisker was born beneath a rare black moon—a celestial sign the Spikkin interpret as an omen of great magic… and great trouble.
From a young age, Nyxi showed extraordinary talent in whisper magic—subtle spells woven through scent, vibration, and the flicker of fireflies. Her family, skilled herbal alchemists, dressed her in ceremonial robes stitched with magical buttons, secret pouches of dreamdust, and ancient gnomish glyphs.
Nyxi is curious to the point of recklessness. She’s fascinated by surface-world tales, especially stories of stars, snow, and cats the size of trolls. Though technically a student of Tharnick Bristleburrow’s clan, she studies not the forge or the blade, but the mystic arts of concealment, healing, and echo-catching.
After messing around with several designs over the past few weeks, I finally have a finalized design for a minifigure scale set of wings for Vulture from Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming. I'm super excited for this film to come out in a couple weeks! We've only seen Tom Holland's Spider-Man for roughly half a film, and already he might be my favorite cinematic Spider-Man so far!
When I was trying to decide what to build from the trailers, Vulture was the most interesting thing to me, so I began working on designs.
I did end up using photoshop for the eyes of Vulture. Not a big fan of LEGO's official minifigure. I think my custom figure works pretty well, all things considered.
I was working on this already, and then Grantmasters posted his awesome interpretation. Make sure to check his model out, too!
Enjoy!
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Through the creations that I build, I hope to inspire other young (or perhaps older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity. We all need a positive way to express ourselves, so let's let LEGO be an extension of us. Your creativity belongs to you, and nobody can take that away. Build what you want to build, and how you want to build it.
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
On the south side of the Gundulic Square a monumental Baroque staircase leads to the Poljana Ruđera Boškovića where the Church of St Ignatius and Collegium Ragusinum, Dubrovnik's reputable Jesuit college, are located. This urban complex many find to be the most representative Baroque example in Dubrovnik and the whole Croatian coast.
Dissatisfied with numerous Italian scholars, Beccaddeli, the bishop of Dubrovnik, asked in 1555, to the newly founded Jesuit order to open a college in Dubrovnik. The idea was not realised until 1647 when the legacy of Marin Gundulić, a Jesuit from Dubrovnik, opened the door for the start of planning the project. In 1653, the Jesuit Rector Gianbattista Canauli made a project which was supposed to regulate the whole urban structure of the suburb in the oldest part of the City and provide space to build the Jesuit church and college. The project planned for demolishing a wide number of houses. The buy off had already started when the destruction of Great Earthquake of 1667 interrupted all work. The project had resumed at the close of the century, for which purpose, Iganzio Pozzo, renowned Jesuit architect and painter was called to the City in 1699. Pozzo had finalized the plans by 1703 and the construction of the church completed in 1725.
The Church of St Ignatius is single nave, with side chapels and a semicircular divided apse, decorated by magnificent Baroque frescoes with scenes from life of St. Ignatius de Loyola painted by Gaetano Garcia. The frescoes fit perfectly in the ambiance of the church and at first sight they are simply breathtaking.
The church belfry houses the oldest bell in Dubrovnik, cast in 1355 by Viventius and his son Viator.
Quickly turn personal photos and video clips into an expressive multimedia slideshow. You can also easily create personalized disc and cover artwork based on pre-designed styles. Finalized projects are then produced, tested, packaged and shipped from a professional DVD production facility.
Done in AI, Finalized in Photoshop
Beneath the golden veil of a dying sun, nestled between sky-piercing mountains and winding rivers, rises Solara Prime—the jewel of a united civilization and the zenith of architectural enlightenment. Forged from obsidian alloys and radiant composites, the city’s spires climb heavenward like the instruments of gods, each tower a harmony of art, science, and sacred geometry.
The skyline shimmers with elegance and purpose. Razor-thin spires stand beside vast hovering platforms, ringed with soft golden light, their forms spinning with magnetic grace. Monumental arcologies twist upward like carved flame, their surfaces etched with glowing veins of bio-electric circuitry. Every structure is alive with intention, humming with unseen power drawn from solar and quantum wells buried beneath the earth.
High above the ground, levitating discs and ships dance through the sky in seamless order—silent, smooth, and gravity-defying. Below, a web of elevated roadways and glowing hoverlanes spiral through lush, green terraces, merging the artificial with the natural in perfect synergy. Mirror-like rivers wind calmly through the city’s heart, reflecting the luminous towers in tranquil ripples.
This is no mere metropolis—it is a manifestation of peace, progress, and planetary wisdom. In Solara Prime, war is but a relic, pollution a myth, and time feels patient. Citizens walk freely across floating causeways and open-sky gardens, their lives interwoven with symbiotic AI and arcane tech.
As the sun kisses the horizon, casting molten light upon the skyline, Solara Prime does not sleep—it pulses with light and memory, the breathing crown of a civilization that dared to build heaven on Earth.
Done in Ai. Finalized in Photoshop.
She stands before the Gates of Hell — not as a servant, but as its sovereign sentinel.
Lilith Vehrakai, daughter of betrayal and queen by blood-forged right, commands the threshold between damnation and the world above. Her crimson hair flows like molten silk, a banner of wrath and seduction. Two blackened horns crown her like a queen of shadows, twisted with age and power. Her glowing ember eyes burn with eternal judgment — not rage, but calculation.
Her armor is wrought of black steel and abyssal bone, encrusted with soulstone and demon-forged silver. The chestplate bears the sigil of the Ninth Seal, and her shoulders bloom with barbed plating like the wings of a nightmare. A dark gothic cross marks her forehead — a symbol of rebellion, punishment, and control.
Behind her, the Gates of Hell tower with ancient menace: a labyrinth of obsidian carvings, serpents, and twisted demons. Dragon-like beasts writhe in bas-relief, clutching screaming skulls in coiling claws. Fallen angels are etched into the surface — wings broken, eyes hollow, hands forever reaching toward a heaven that cast them down.
Lilith does not speak.
She does not invite.
She waits — for the day the gates open not to keep souls in… but to let her out.