Single exposure taken with a Nikon D60, Nikkor-H 85mm f/1.8 lens, with a Soligor 38mm f/1.9 "D" type 8mm movie camera lens reverse mounted on the 85mm. Both lenses were focused at infinity. Field width is just under 2mm at a working distance of 1cm. Lighting provided by a Nikon SB-23 Speedlight flashed through a modified (cut down) flash diffuser made from the plastic dish that came in a frozen dinner.

The spider was hanging on a twig in a small terrarium where there was almost no room to work without the diffuser contacting the twig, or the lens touching her. Depth of field is extremely shallow. Here she has two strands of silk payed out... one straight and under a bit of tension, anchored to another twig. The other shows a bit of slack.

I found her dead a few days later on a leaf below the twig. She might have been injured by the below freezing temperature outside the morning I found her. Some of these do "winter over", becoming active when spring arrives, but not this one.

DSC-2175

My pansies were subjected to snow and below-freezing temperatures. Nevertheless, they persisted.

Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited makes a brief stop at Syracuse, as returning college students from Winter break hop off and navigate through a lake effect snowstorm. Today's 48 brought delays over 4 hours and below freezing temperatures from the West. The kind of weather where one would rather not drive in. Thankfully I was able to walk back into my heated room aboard one of the Viewliners right after this photo was taken.

On 29 and 30 December 1962 a blizzard swept across South West England and Wales. Snow drifted to more than 20 feet deep in places, driven by gale force easterly winds, blocking roads and railways. The snow stranded villagers and brought down power lines. The near-freezing temperatures meant that the snow cover lasted for more than two months in some areas. Snow was 6 inches deep in Manchester city centre.( thanks to Jeff Wharton for photo of re enactor dog walking couple flic.kr/p/2qrhn32 background photo from Wikipedia )

7XP HDR cityscape from Mount Hakodate in Hakodate, Hokkaido Japan.

This was one of the more challenging shots I've taken to date. Winds were howling in near-freezing temperatures atop Mt. Hakodate plus it was very, VERY DARK. I was amongst a handful of brave (hardcore?) ppl still outside on the observatory platform when it got dark there :P

Feel free to leave a comment!

- My Website

- Facebook - Dan Chui Photography

Hasselblad 501cm

150mm

ilford delta 100

The media warned us about freezing temperatures and blizzards. In reality it dropped below 0 and in places the snow was at least 2mm thick!

An unusually severe April snow storm dropped 15 cm. of snow in sub-freezing temperatures last night. Early migrant birds scrambled to find whatever food they could. This is one of a large group of American Robins that were consuming Staghorn Sumac fruit.

While people-watching in Moscow, Russia; I observed this brave photographer at work in sub-freezing temperatures.

My son and I were the only ones braving the freezing temperatures while watching for wildlife as we crossed the Salish Sea. We only saw birds this trip.

Then sun sets behind the majestic Tre Cime di Lavaredo towers. These 'three peaks' are some of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The weather was calm during this particular sunset, the next day my buddy and I went back and faced gale force winds and freezing temperatures on the hike back. Gotta love the moodiness of the mountains!

I met up with Ken Lambrecht (500px.com/kenlambrecht) on Saturday morning for coffee and photos. Here is one of the few good ones I got in the below freezing temperatures. When I first saw this it reminded me of Stuart Allen's recent photo (500px.com/photo/188398159/deep-shadow-by-stuart-allen) where there multiple tones een though it looks like there are just two.

this one was taken before in winter, i think i like it better now.....or maybe thats due to not yet freezing temperatures?

After the first freezing temperatures of the year, the sun burns off the fog and reveals October colors at Acton Lake in Hueston Woods State Park, Ohio.

The icy signature of record-breaking freezing temperatures last night. For this largely tropical region, it is a Big Deal.

Do not use or reproduce this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission. © All Rights Reserved - Barbara Smith 2018.

Tele-Takumar 200mm 5.6 Preset K10D

Dazzling rays of sun light warm the pine trees in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada. The summer has been a hot and humid one and the pine trees are enjoying their time basking in the sun. They quickly realize that within a few short months a cold autumn and even colder winter will send freezing temperatures their way once again! Enjoy that warm sun while you still can...Winter will be baaack!

Bad news...it returned and now on January 15, 2011...-28C!

I took this photo on a very cold January day.

I dedicated my photography months ago for Christ and for Christ work, the reason my watermark changed into "Jesus' Saving Grace" couple of months ago to date. It was a decision. This photo was done many months earlier and you see my watermark on this photos with my name, this has to be changed later when I'm free. There are changes I have to do/ go over my flickr pages but it will take time. Sometimes I have to wriggle with decisions what to delete and not to delete.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and declare my faith and glory of God in this site and in any site or among people ...weird as I may sound, truly I have changed immensely by God's grace through Christ. It's like great awakening in me, knowledge of things what is going on and what is to come a like big river deluge of awareness of times. If only have awakened few years earlier, but I was totally asleep and plunging into so much darkness that I almost nearly swallowed me in that God did it Himself , taking me back despite the mistakes I've done. This is just like a gratitude and worship of God that even in my shots I have to declare His glory. I know some people might feel cringy to see how religious I become. But as I said, I am not unto religion, I'm not religious. Religion is man made doctrines. Look how mainstream churches are tangled with all their ceremonial rituals not even found in the Bible. When you are with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will make you see things and understand things, not through man telling you. Just read the Bible and trust God to guide you to the truth. I'm not afraid and would never back down even in equation of death or a guillotin for Jesus.

Jesus said :

"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."

Luke 9:26

I do praise God I am one of many He woke up in these last of days , by God's grace to share the gospel and the testimony of His love for all of us, even to minister and pray for our families even to the hardest of hearts. if only many will listen and seek Him truly , Jesus is there waiting for you to open your heart for Him ... God don't want many to perished but have everlasting life through Jesus.

___________________________________________________________________

This photo was a shot I did of the hanging flower basket last summer at the back of our garage.

I planted this basket with variety of flowers I bought from a church plant sale , good value for money , hurriedly planted just a week before our holiday to the Philippines last July 2012. Our neighbor Jim took care of our pot plants so well when we were away. By the time we were back in August , the few baskets of flowers were thriving well and some were beginning to flower. This hanging basket lasted til the last snow in January 2013. The UK,especially in the southeast don't plunge so much into freezing temperatures during the winter. Honestly speaking I have some overwintered summer flowers still alive where I placed them at the back of patio ...they survived the winter.

Escaping the snow, ice and freezing temperatures with a week in Tenerife - nice and warm : ) - and feeling rested : )) the pic was taken on my phone from our balcony

It's been a very cold winter so far, with below freezing temperatures most days. It's been cold enough that even Old Stump Pond has completely frozen over. It was only 19 degrees Fahrenheit (-7.2 degrees Celsius) at the time this shot was taken, and temps are forecast to drop even lower -- 5 degrees (-15 Celsius) tonight. Just Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Captured (while freezing) in Blydenburgh Park, Smithtown, NY. ;)

HDR image constructed from 3 bracketed shots - 2 stop differential between each image. Images processed w/ Photomatix, and finished in Photoshop -- including the use of Topaz lab plugins and filters.

PAC

Nikon D810 with lens Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.0 ZF.2. HDR assembled from 3 bracketed pictures taken hand held at at ISO 100, f/8.

I love taking pictures in extreme weather/temperature conditions. That day the temperature dropped at -26 Degrees C with -39C Wind Chills , so I decided to take my two cameras for landscape photography: the Sony A7RII and the Nikon D810.

I was interested in knowing which one would fail first.

Well the Nikon worked all the time I was out of the car (1 hour) but the Sony failed in the bracketing mode after only 20min outside: the shutter was not fast enough to complete the sequence and I had a failure error message asking me to turn OFF the camera and turn it back ON. Well the ON/OFF button was not working and I had to remove the battery to reset it. I still could use the Sony A7RII in single mode shooting but not in continuous high Speed shooting for bracketing. I ended up taking most of my pictures with the D810.

After my experience in BANFF at -23C shooting with the Olympus EM1 and the Nikon D810 and doing the same in heavy rain situation where I was soaked from head to toe, I can testify that in extreme low temperatures (-20C or below) or in heavy rain, my best cameras performers are in this decreasing order:

1) Olympus EM1 (remarkable weather proof, freezing temperature performance: can leave the camera with PRO lens under the tap or the freezer and it will work)

2) Nikon D810 (excellent low temperature behavior but Top LCD let in condensation and droplets in heavy rain and one of the rubber push button got stuck/frozen at -23C)

3) Sony A7RII (shutter quickly affected by low temperatures, and I would not take the risk of taking it in a heavy downpour)

Of course 90% of the people on the planet practicing photography will likely never encounter this extreme low temperature. So my testimonial is for photographers in my situation...

A record-setting early snowfall -- predicted to be only a coating to an inch in the city, but actually bringing about three inches – blanketed the late blooming flowers in my garden. Remarkably, even tender annuals like marigolds, begonias and salvia, as well as roses and hardy chrysanthemums have survived a few nights of freezing temperatures and now even the snow. Sorry for the ‘post-and-run’ today… I hope to start catching up with my comments in a little while. I hope you are having a good weekend!

Our first night in Iceland we wandered off trying to find a good place to shelter from the freezing temperatures.

There was a certain aura in Reykjavik which I've never felt before in a city. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it is the northernmost Capital City in the world, I don't know.

Immature Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) ranges from central and western Texas, through southern New Mexico and Arizona, and into southern California. It also extends well into central Mexico.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes inhabit dry, rocky, shrub-covered terrain where they can conceal themselves inside crevices in the rocks or in mouse holes.

Body length: ~1.5 meters Body weight: up to 6.7 kg. Crotalus atrox has a plump body, short tail, and a broad triangular head. Like all Pit Vipers, it has a pit organ, which is situated in an indentation of the upper jaw, between the nostril and eye. The pit is about 5 mm deep, with an outer and inner chamber separated by a thin membrane. The membrane senses very slight temperature differences between the snake's inner and ambient temperatures. The Western Diamond Rattlesnake also has the self-named rattle on the end of the tail. Each link of the rattle is the remnant of a molted skin; as the snake molts, the last scale loosens but does not fall off. As the snake ages, new rattles are formed with each molt, while old rattles simultaneously fall off. This species has long, tubular fangs, which are characteristic of venomous snakes.

Crotalus atrox can be a yellowish gray, pale blue, or pinkish ground color. The diamond shapes down its length are dark with pale white borders. The tail is white with jet-black rings. The head markings include a pale oblique band from nostril to upper labials, and a similar but narrower band behind the eye.

Crotalus atrox reaches sexual maturity at 3 years. Mating occurs in the spring following emergence from hibernation. Females are passive during courtship, while the male crawls in jerks on top of the female, all the while flicking his tongue. Vigorously jerking the hind portion of his body, he presses his tail beneath that of his partner, who in turn lifts her tail. Their cloacas make contact, and the male then inserts his hemipenis, which is deeply forked. Copulation lasts for hours, with several interspersed resting periods.

The gestation period lasts for 167 days. The birthing process may last for 3 to 5 hours and produce 10 to 20 young. This species is ovoviviparous; the young pierce their thin egg membranes immediately before birth and are born live. The young only stay with the mother for a couple of hours, for a day at the most. Then they scatter in search for food and potential winter refuge. The young population declines drastically after the first winter due to lack of food, freezing temperatures, and vulnerability to predators.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes are aggressive and easily excitable. This species causes more fatalities than any other snake in the United States. They are not apt to attack offensively, but are defensive. Their rattles are used as a warning sign. Their rattles can activate at 40 to 60 cycles a second. The Western Diamondback assumes the threat posture by slightly flattening the body, rolling it together into a spiral, lifting the forebody from the ground into an S-shape, and keeping the tail raised and the rattle rattling.

Ritualized fighting has been observed in C.atrox males. Fighters lift their forebodies up 80 cm. in the air, wrap them around each other, orienting head to head. They keep moving in a surging movement back and forth until one of the males backs off. Common predators of C.atrox include hawks, bald eagles, roadrunners, and wild turkeys.

In the fall, Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes begin migrating to winter hibernacula. In warmer habitats, these hibernacula are fairly makeshift, being found in rock crevices or convenient holes. In colder habitats, such as prairie grasslands, populations are forced to use the holes and tunnels of burrowing mammals, especially the prairie dog. Although prairie dogs may block off the Rattlesnake with an earthen plug, these animals tend to abandon burrows that have been taken over by snakes. During hibernation, populations concentrate as several individuals den together. In warmer habitats, where the hibernation season is shorter and hibernacula more makeshift, fewer individuals congregate. Rattlesnakes are known to be nocturnal hunters, and are less active diurnally.

Crotalus atrox preys on small mammals and birds, and sometimes other reptiles and amphibians, and even fish and invertebrates. In a matter of seconds, individuals of this species can leave a fatal bite by injecting venom into its prey. The teeth often remain inside the prey, but are replaced 2 to 4 times annually by reserve teeth. Muscles surrounding the venom glands control the amount of venom released, as well as the flow of venom to the fangs. Rattlesnakes swallow their prey whole, then digest as the food passes though the body. Rattlesnakes in the wild eat every 2 to 3 weeks on average. Annual water intake in rattlesnakes roughly equals body weight. In drier climates, where water availability is lower, moisture is assimilated from prey. More water is absorbed during shedding due to desiccation and evaporation.

Studio Photo by Nick Dobbs 28-09-2024

Well over a thousand people came out despite the freezing temperatures to see Big Boy 4014 at this scheduled service stop as it led UP Train PHYSG2 22 across the UP Sharon Springs Sub. Among the visitors were dozens of students from nearby schools getting rare glimpse of something that might not happen again for a long time.

Locomotive: UP 4014

11-22-19

Oakley, KS

I hope these blooms will survive what may be below-freezing temperatures predicted for tonight. This cherry tree is is in the parking lot of a nearby supermarket.

Please understand that as much as I would like to and as much as I miss visiting and commenting, I can't do that very much because of workload demands.

Reminder: Please do not post notes on my photo or any images in your comments unless they are germane to my shot and of thumbnail size. If you do, I will delete the comment without notification. I welcome your input, but please express yourself in text only, or provide a link to your image. Thank you.

© All rights reserved. No usage allowed in any form without the written consent of Mim Eisenberg.

It's been a white week here in the capital. Chaos, disruption and freezing temperatures, but lots and lots of snowy beauty, too.

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

Photographed at the Watson family cottage on Peninsula Lake, near Huntsville, Ontario, Canada (in the Muskoka region)

* 230 km by road north of Toronto

Heavy snow and well below freezing temperatures have hit southern Ontario quickly and early this autumn.

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

In February the grid collapsed due to freezing temperatures as low as seven degrees. Today “tight conditions” threatening power outages are caused by high temperatures requiring residents to push air conditioners to keep indoor temperatures below 80 degrees. Several electric generating plants are offline due to maintenance, repairs, and a shortage of parts to get the jobs done. Texas is America’s largest generator of electricity and the largest consumer. Normally, plants here maintain production of 80,000 megawatts but we are dangerously lower than that today. Producers are asking residents to set AC thermostats at 78 degrees and not to to run washing machines, dish washers and other high power consuming household equipment until after dark to avoid overloading the grid and causing rolling blackouts.

Checking to see if it is safe to open. It is not. We have had below freezing temperatures every night this week and will again tonight...

The Knight anole (Anolis equestris) is a species of lizard in the Polychrotidae family, and the largest species of anole. Other common names include Cuban knight anole. It grows to a length of 13 to 20 in (33 to 51 cm) including the tail. A few specimens have reached up to 24 in (61 cm).

Knight anoles are native to Cuba, but have been widely introduced into South Florida, where they reproduce and spread readily. They cannot withstand freezing temperatures; in winter freezes in South Florida, they drop semiconscious from tree canopies. In its native Cuba, this large anole is called chipojo.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Walt Disney World Resort

EPCOT Center

Future World Entrance Area & SpaceShip Earth

Monorail Station

When I asked the heavily bundled-up Cast Member working the monorail station if I could set up for this shot, he gave me a weird look before letting me proceed. He probably wondered why on earth anyone would want to take a photo rather than get on the nice, warm monorail. After snapping a couple of shots, he informed me that it was last call for the monorail. Being that it was the last monorail of the night to the TTC, I decided the shots I got were good enough.

Once we got to the TTC, we had the lovely surprise of finding that the resort monorail had stopped running. Well, "lovely" if you enjoy a 30 minute walk to your resort in near-freezing temperatures. All in the name of photography. I must be crazy.

---

Our Christmas 2010 Trip Report is now posted! The TR contains many photos, reviews of the D23 Magic & Merriment Event, as well as the WDW Today Reunion 2010 events. Please check it out by clicking here!

It's been a long time since I've seen this much snow accumulate, with below freezing temperatures allowing it to pillow up.

Aurora Borealis from the St. Patrick's Day Geomagnetic Storm of 2015. The storm was rated as a G4 Class and the Kp number was an astounding 8.63 when I took these photos. I travelled 100km North of Toronto to escape the light pollution of the GTA. I battled high winds, freezing temperatures and my brand new 12-24mm wide angle was broken before I could even use it! I was able to see the Aurora Borealis before the last of daylight faded away. Of the hundreds of photos I captured of the event I choose the following to display what I saw that night. This is my personal favourite.

Southern Ontario Canada

©S.Lorencz All Rights Reserved

On an early morning after waiting about two hours at near freezing temperatures for a wonderful sunrise I noticed a pair of ospreys hovering the lake and nearby forrest.

Iberia Airbus A330 EC-LUK.

Spotting session at the TWA Hotel in JFK. Feb 14 2020. Cold winter day but with beautiful light. I couldn't feel my feet after a couple of hours of being outside taking pictures during freezing temperatures.

There is a quote from the movie, Streetcar Named Desire that goes something like, ”I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.” The term, ‘kindness of strangers’ is one that resonates with many of us and tends to be the go-to in demonstrating the goodness of this here humanity we are all part of. A person buys a hot coffee for a homeless man on the street corner at Christmas time, someone gets up from their seat on a crowded subway car in order to allow the elderly lady who just boarded to rest her weary bones, two guys leaving the park after yet another Aston Villa loss, happen upon some punk threatening a young lady and intervene to chase him off…these kind of examples are usually trumpeted and given a prominence in the media that when heard about, give us hope. And rightly so!

Recently, I was in Toronto to take some photos at the International Auto Show. It was the coldest day of our dear Canadian winter and as we made our way along the street - the high, surrounding buildings acting like a wind tunnel and whipping the frigid air right through any and all protective clothing been worn - I noticed a homeless person sitting on the pavement. As we passed, whilst cursing how damned cold it was, I could see, peeking out beneath the many, grungy layers of coats and blankets was the head of the man’s dog…keeping each other alive in the bitter, freezing temperatures. I, as did everyone else I saw, just kept on scurrying right by. Where was the kindness of strangers there? Where was my kindness to strangers? At least some money in the used coffee cup in front of him surely! Moments later, I was photographing a Lamborghini Huracán (that would set its new owner back roughly $275,000 dollars), as well as many other similar exotic sports cars. The irony wasn’t totally lost on me, thank goodness.

Anyway, what is sometimes overlooked, or underappreciated is another version of kindness…that being the one of friends. “Hey, he’s my friend, he should lend me his power mower whilst mine is being serviced”, or, “She’s my friend, of course I can call her and ask if she can pick up little Vicki from school.” It is to be expected, or else, like how can you call me your friend. As a few of you will know, from time to time, I get together with a few fellows to snap a few photos, trash-talk opposing brands of cameras and guzzle back liquids produced from roasted coffee beans. A number of weeks back, I retired from my regular day gig and so, we planned an evening at “our local” for a festive pint of The Goodness to celebrate my liberation…the job wasn’t quite Stalag 17 but, some days it felt like it. Lo’ and behold (if you type the word lo’, it is standard writing procedure that ‘behold’ should follow and no one ever questions this), as the only chap of “The Bando” not owning a film camera, my fellow Kvarers presented this to me. To say the least, I was blown away.

So, I am here to trumpet the Kindness of Friends! Thank you guys…it is so much appreciated!

Or, as a great man once said, “We're nihilists, we believe in nothing! Except our friends!”

Falls Creek is about 15 miles Southeast of the streets of Anchorage, in Chugach State Park. We had some freezing temperatures, which led to these ice formations.

JetBlue Airbus A321 N903JB.

Spotting session at the TWA Hotel in JFK. Feb 14 2020. Cold winter day but with beautiful light. I couldn't feel my feet after a couple of hours of being outside taking pictures during freezing temperatures.

On my way home, freezing temperatures. But warmer air is on it's way.

Yesterdays play with the apple started a thawing process and after yet another night with freezing temperatures there were new structures.

We are presently in the middle of a cold spell, and experiencing way below normal freezing temperatures for our area. We had 2 inches of snow Saturday, so everything is pretty. Frankly, I’m loving it. The below freezing temperatures invigorate me. It really was six below zero degrees fahrenheit (-21 Celsius) when I took this picture. We are on track to set a record today. It was a very quick in and out. I guess you could say that this is my version of a New Year’s Day polar bear plunge. (The one in our area was canceled due to extreme temperatures.)

Happy 2018, Everyone!

52 Weeks of 2018 - Week 1 - Theme: Where I Stand - Category: Creative

118 Pictures in 2018 - Theme No. 78 - Cold

In sub-freezing temperatures, frolicking around an icy creek can be more fun than sitting in front of the fireplace sipping hot chocolate.

...well, sometimes?

Rock Creek Park

Harford County, Maryland

January 20, 2016

March 28, 2022

An early Spring cold snap gave us one more night of freezing temperatures. The next day was still cold, but warm sunshine melted this ice disk into the stones, shells and driftwood on the deck.

Brewster, Massachusetts

Cape Cod - USA

Photo by brucetopher

© Bruce Christopher 2022

All Rights Reserved

...always learning - critiques welcome.

Tools: Canon 7D & iPhone 11.

No use without permission.

Please email for usage info.

After last night winter storm, and freezing temperature this lonely weed is still blooming

ZD436/48A Harrier GR.9A 1(F) Squadron RAF Cottesmore, Royal Air Force. Ending what turned into a very frustrating day in the mud, snow and freezing temperatures, for the assembled photographers, this Harrier hovered into the sunset a little too high for the best images, still it was a Harrier sunset in the final couple of days of British Harrier operations after SDSR 2010 had swung its axe. This jet is now in storage at AMARG.

Freezing temperatures are expected along the entire east coast of the U.S. tonight. My thoughts today are with the peach and strawberry farmers. Every fruit grower is likely to experience a weather related event in any given year, it's always something to look out for. Fortunately farmers are good at learning from past experiences and rolling with the punches.

A 9 mile hike yesterday morning in below freezing temperatures, and I came to the bottom of a steep canyon where I found this incredibly beautiful 43 ft. high waterfall dropping into this absolutely amazing and intensely colorful and deep pool. This is Deadwood Creek Falls in the North Yuba River canyon. What an amazing place.

Facebook | Blog | Website | Google+

Copyright © Leon Turnbull Photography.

This photo may not be used in any form without prior permission. All rights reserved.

Euromaidan (Ukrainian: ??????????, Yevromaidan, literally "Eurosquare") is a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on the night of 21 November 2013 with public protests demanding closer European integration and culminated in a coup d'etat of the reigning Ukrainian government. The scope of the protests expanded, with many calls for the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovych and his government. Many protesters joined because of the violent dispersal of protesters on 30 November and "a will to change life in Ukraine". By 25 January 2014, the protests had been fueled by the perception of "widespread government corruption", "abuse of power", and "violation of human rights in Ukraine".

The demonstrations began on the night of 21 November 2013, when protests erupted in the capital, Kiev, after the Ukrainian government suspended preparations for signing an Association Agreement and a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, in order to seek closer economic relations with Russia. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had asked for 20 Billion Euros (US$27) billion in loans and aid. The EU and Russia both offered Ukraine the possibility of substantial loans. Russia also offered Ukraine cheaper gas prices. On 24 November 2013, first clashes between protesters and police began. Protesters strived to break cordon. Police used tear gas and batons, protesters also used tear gas and some fire crackers (according to the police, protesters were the first to use them). After a few days of demonstrations an increasing number of university students joined the protests. The Euromaidan has been repeatedly characterised as an event of major political symbolism for the European Union itself, particularly as

"the largest ever pro-European rally in history".

The protests are ongoing despite heavy police presence, regularly sub-freezing temperatures, and snow. Escalating violence from government forces in the early morning of 30 November caused the level of protests to rise, with 400,000–800,000 protesters demonstrating in Kiev on the weekends of 1 December and 8 December. In the weeks since, protest attendance has fluctuated from 50,000 to 200,000 during organised rallies. Violent riots took place 1 December and 19 January through 25 in response to police brutality and government repression. Since 23 January several Western Ukrainian Oblast (province) Governor buildings and regional councils have been occupied in a revolt by Euromaidan activists. In the Russophone cities of Zaporizhzhya, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk, protesters also tried to take over their local government building, and have been met with considerable force from both police and government supporters.

According to journalist Lecia Bushak writing in the 18 February 2014 issue of Newsweek magazine, EuroMaidan has grown into something far bigger than just an angry response to the fallen-through EU deal. It's now about ousting Yanukovych and his corrupt government; guiding Ukraine away from its 200-year-long, deeply intertwined and painful relationship with Russia; and standing up for basic human rights to protest, speak and think freely and to act peacefully without the threat of punishment.

A turning point came in late-February, when enough members of the president's party fled or defected to lose their majority in the parliament leaving the opposition large enough to form the necessary quorum. This allowed parliament to pass a series of laws that removed police from Kiev, canceled anti-protest operations, restored the 2004 constitution, freed political detainees, and allegedly impeached the president. Yanukovych then fled to Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv, refusing to recognise the parliament's decisions. The parliament has assigned early elections for May 2014.

A 35 man (plus guides) trip to the Ukraine exploring Chernobyl, the village, Duga 3, Pripyat and Kiev including Maidan (Independence Square) and observing the peaceful protests underway.

Some new faces, some old, made new friends and generally we were in our elements.

Rhetorical question but did we have a blast? You bet!

Amazing group, top guys. Till the next time!

My blog:

timster1973.wordpress.com

Also on Facebook

www.Facebook.com/TimKniftonPhotography

online store: www.artfinder.com/tim-knifton

The meteorologist are predicting freezing temperatures for our area this Christmas weekend. It's been years since the temperatures have dropped this low.