This photo was from last year, when Clear Lake Goddess gifted me often with morning skies filled with spectacular and explosive cloud formations, so much that I was hoping to get a break so that I could sleep in.

This year, she seems to be teaching me a lesson by putting out hazy colorless sunrises every morning!

Maybe the spell will be broken tomorrow, or maybe not!

Thank you for viewing, my apology for not paying a visit to your stream often enough lately (I've been busy)!

**********

#UkraineStrong 🇺🇦

361/365 (3,314)

Macro Mondays - Redux 2021

Pick 2 themes from 2021 and combine. I have:

Gift from 4 January

Ribbon from 18 January

My Blog

rachelswallows.blogspot.com/2021/06/gifted.html

Attentionista

attentionmagazinesecondlife.blogspot.com/2021/06/gifted.html

SALT & PEPPER

Priscilla Dress

FREE GIFT - FATPACK at SLBD18 Shop & HOP

Direct TP to the S&P Booth

250 LS store credit gift is available there as well

Sizes: Maitreya Lara/Petite, Legacy Original/Perky

ZIBSKA

Vieno Set and Makeup @ We Love Role Play

Includes headpiece, headpiece orbit, mask, bead veil and shoulders left & right with 17 colours for headpiece, mask, shoulders and orbits.

Makeup packs include EVO X makeup in tattoo & universal tattoo layers in 15 colours.

Legacy Perky Body, Lelutka Avalon Head, Skin (body) London Skin from Core by Rachel Swallows with head skin from the Avalon head pack.

Vermont

Gift Tag For Macro Monday - Tag. HMM!

Give me your laughter as a gift,

Teach me to dream

With just a caress

I lose myself in this sea

Give me your star,

the one that lights up this night

full of peace and harmony,

and I will hand my life to you.

Forget-me-not flowers and a silver thimble that has been passed down to me through the ladies in my family, originally from my Great Grandmother.

In Englands Victorian times, silver thimbles were often gifted from a gentleman to his sweetheart which would be worn around the waist in a small pouch attached to a chain. The pouch would also contain a small pair of scissors and a needle case.

I was recently thinking about some of the beautiful outfits I've been given as gifts during the past year by some truly special people I know in Second Life. So then I decided, perhaps a nice way to show how much I appreciated and enjoyed these clothing gifts would be to take some pictures of me in the outfits, and post those pictures here on Flickr.

This darling ensemble was from my friend Tabby. It's a risqué little number, but I love it!

See what I'm wearing

ajadedmoon.blogspot.com/2019/12/blog-post.html

тαкєη ву: my frnd

.є∂ιтє∂ ву: mOi

mOdel ву: my ( hanD

- СόΘζ -ΆηḡeL ♥ ™ Photography © 2009. All rights reserved.

IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE

Entre molts altres ocells del centric parc londinenc de St. James, podeu trobar uns quants gegantins pelicans. Resulta que ja és tradició que hi hagi pelicans a St. James des del 1664, regalats per l'embaixador rus al rei d'Anglaterra!

No he pogut comprovar quina especie en concret son, pel que suposaré que es tracta de pelicans vulgars (pelecanus onocrotalus). Aquests viuen lliurement per l'entorn del llac del parc, tot i que algun sembla que fa excursions fins al zoo per robar-hi peixos!

ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelic%C3%A0_vulgar

=====================

Among many other birds in the central London park of St. James, you can find some giant pelicans. It turns out that it's already a tradition that there are pelicans in St. James since 1664, gifted by the Russian ambassador to the King of England!

I haven't been able to check which specific species they are, so I will assume that they are common pelicans (pelecanus onocrotalus). These live freely around the park's lake, although some seem to make trips to the zoo to steal fish!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_pelican

www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park/things-to-see-...

The 900 block of N. McClean Street, on the east side of Bloomington's Franklin Square, has an interesting history in terms of Illinois politics. Of the four stately residences on this block, three were home to late 19th and early 20th century gubernatorial candidates: Joseph W. Fifer, who served one term as Illinois Governor from 1889 to 1893; Adlai Stevenson I, who served as Vice President of the United States under Grover Cleveland from 1893 to 1897, but then lost a close race for governor in 1908; and Frank H. Funk, who ran and lost as the Progressive "Bull Moose" Party candidate for Illinois Governor in 1912.

This post looks at the Queen Anne style Bates-Funk House which was built about 1891 for T. M. Dates, the superintendent of transportation for the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company. Frank H. Funk (1869-19, grandson of McLean County pioneer Isaac Funk, lived in the house from 1897 to 1924.

Frank Funk was born in Bloomington in 1869. He was a Yale graduate, managed over 2,000 acres of farmland, and also had an extensive political career. He was elected state senator to the Illinois General Assembly in 1909, and held that position until 1913. As previously noted, Funk ran for Illinois governor on the Bull Moose ticket in 1912 making him the third person living in the 900 block of N. McClean St. to be a party-nominated candidate for the Illinois governorship between 1888 and 1912. Frank Funk finished his political career as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representative from 1921 to 1927. Funk died in Bloomington at the age of 71 in 1940.

The Bates-Funk House is a contributing property in Bloomington's Franklin Square Historic District, which is located northwest of downtown Bloomington. The Square is named in honor of Franklin Price, who was the mayor of Bloomington Mayor in 1856 when land for the Square was gifted to the city.

Franklin Square was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was designated a local historic district in 1979. The houses of Franklin Square were built in a variety of architectural styles from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, including Georgian Revival, Italianate, Colonial, Queen Anne, and Richardsonian Romanesque.

Bloomington is the seat of McLean County. It is adjacent to Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington is 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago, and 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis. The estimated population of Bloomington in 2019 was 77,330, with a metro population of 191,067.

17/365

A simple translation for my friends who are curious about the words - - -

What is the one thing that drives you crazy?

As if the daily meals are optional, and you never noticed when you fell asleep..

Worry not about the things that you don't have.

You are already gifted.

EVER GIFTED (IMO: 9786827) is a Container Ship that was built in 2018 (3 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Singapore. It's carrying capacity is 20124 TEU and her current draught is reported to be 16.1 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 399.98 meters and her width is 59 meters.

IMG_0728c 2022 02 17 file

Watercolor Art paintings that our daughter drew and attached to the gift wrapping on our Anniversary gifts.

***Gift: something given to another....

***Gift: a personal attribute

Artistb credit: DLJohnson

A Valentine’s treat

❤️‍🔥

This photo was given to me today. It's a scene from the Metrics Cheerleaders Saturday practice, which I attend whenever I can.

I like this photo so much that I wanted to share it. Many thanks to Shawn for taking this picture.

Beauty is all around us, if only we could look around & be grateful.

We have many pieces of Native American pottery from various pueblos in New Mexixo. This piece was given to us by John's mom. It was gifted to her many many years ago. It is from Acoma Pueblo which is approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Acoma is one of the most beautiful places you could ever visit.

Tribal elders assert that the name means 'place that always was', while outsiders say it means 'people of the white rock'.

You can identify Acoma pottery from its thin walls, distinctive geometric patterns, and black, white, and warm colors and sometimes fluted rims. Another distinct feature of Acoma pottery is that it is usually the clay material is unglazed.

Acoma Pueblo link.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoma_Pueblo

Also for #13/125 Ceramics: 125 pictures in 2025

hoarfrost - Reif

View of the Claude Allouez Bridge over the Fox River at De Pere, Wisconsin USA from the upper level outdoor deck at the new Mulva Cultural Center.

Could not resist the spectacle offered on the deck which is the movement of "rush-hour" traffic (for De Pere) over the bridge and through the roundabout during blue hour Thursday evening over the backdrop of the Fox River.

Imagine a city of about 25k persons being gifted with a $100 million Cultural Center. It is reality thanks to James and Miriam Mulva, and it opened last week in De Pere, Wisconsin. The opening exhibits - right up my alley: 1) "Ladies and Gentlemen . . . The Beatles" and 2) Clyde Butcher's America: A Lifetime of Photography (I happen to be a long-time follower of Clyde and his work on fb).

Culture in De Pere. Who woulda thunk it could happen?

In Erikousa (Ερεικούσσα , Ερείκουσα)

Erikousa, Othoni and Mathraki are a group of small islands in the Ionian Sea northwest of Corfu.Gifted with natural beautιes and wonderful beaches are small paradises on earth.

Thank you all known and unknown friends in Flickr for your visit

Ventured out for lunch at Greys Court, a National Trust property near Henley on Thames In Oxfordshire. Afterwards we wandered around the gardens and by luck there was nobody in the frame as we walked past the house. Couldn't resist this capture.

The property was mentioned in the Domesday Book compiled for William the Conqueror in 1086 although the house dates from Tudor times, Several families have lived here over the centuries but it was last family, Sir John and Lady Brunner who gifted it to the National Trust in 1968.

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.

Mary Dunbar

A moment on the North Fylde shore

Maas Vlakte 2 Port of Rotterdam

AIS Name EVER GIFTED

Type Container ship

Flag Singapore

IMO 9786827

MMSI 563068900

Callsign 9V5825

Year Built 2018

Length 399 m

Width 59 m

Draught Avg 13.4 m / ...

Speed Max / 24.2 kn

Deadweight 198886 tons

Gross Tonnage 219352

AIS Class A

Cargo Capacity

Capacities

TEU: 20,388 incl 1500 ref C

They make the perfect holiday present.

I was recently thinking about some of the beautiful outfits I've been given as gifts during the past year by some truly special people I know in Second Life. So then I decided, perhaps a nice way to show how much I appreciated and enjoyed these clothing gifts would be to take some pictures of me in the outfits, and post those pictures here on Flickr.

This picture shows an amazing swimsuit my lovely friend Tabby gave me. It's so pretty and such a good colour, she definitely chose wisely. So, thanks for that, Tabby!

From Station to Station on an early morning at Las Cruses, Costa Rica, I was gifted. Yellow-bellied Elaenia.

Superstition to give a knife with a coin to cancel out bad luck.

One of 4 in a bunch which delighted me!

Robin Schulz - Sugar

youtu.be/jPW5A_JyXCY?si=oDC3ILcZLhcVc6Sl

Oh, baby

Ooh, ooh, hey

Ah, she got cherry lips, angel eyes (Angel eyes)

She knows exactly how to tantalize

She's out to get you, danger by design

Cold-blooded vixen, she don't compromise

She's somethin' mystical in colored lights

So far from typical, but take my advice (Take my advice)

Before you play with fire, do think twice

And if you get burned, don't be surprised

Got me lifted, drifted higher than the ceilin'

Ooh, baby, it's the ultimate feelin'

You got me lifted, feelin' so gifted

Sugar, how you get so fly?

Sugar, how you get so fly? (So fly)

Ooh, sugar, how you get so fly? (Ooh, hey)

Say, sugar, sugar, how you get so fly? (Oh, yeah, babe)

Ooh, sugar, how you get so fly?

Synonyms for a "hot & sexy

Alluring

Attractive

Captivating

Desirable

Gorgeous

Luscious

Lovely

Seductive

Stunning

Voluptuous

Fox

Beautiful Elegant and Rich 💴 💳💰

Your Luxurious Porn $tar 💸💸💸💸💸💸💸

This is not a Photoshop or A.I Photo

Many a time I've been wondering whether there is a "pathway", a "recipe" that leads a specific profession or activity to the top of its peers' list ? Whether there are quality characteristics of steady nature, whose presence boosts a given venture into a diachronic success, while their absence turn other similar ventures to subsequent mediocrity and gradual oblivion ?

When I posed this very question to a professor of mine once, he came to me with an amazing answer: "The key to success ... " he said " ... in every venture you decide to undertake is to try not to be a little something to almost everybody but to be almost everything to only a bunch of people".

The University of Cambridge followed that recipe and managed to be steadily ranked amongst the top five Academic Institutions of this planet for quite a few centuries now. It has a reputation that acts like "honey to the bees" to young, gifted minds from all over the globe, while at the same time it unsparingly provides both high standards' academic programs for almost all sciences, as well as an amazing Medieval environment whithin which these programs are followed and completed.

The above scene was taken from a floating boat over the river Cam. A few more will follow ...

NIKON D90 DSLR with Nikon Nikkor 18 - 55 lens, Shutter priority mode, shutter speed 1/100 s, ISO 100, f 4.5, focal length 29 mm, use of HOYA ND X 2 filter, cloudy weather white balance, center weighted average metering mode, HDR processing derived from only one RAW file, no flash, no tripod ...

View Awards Count

More wabi-sabi. Like the Sunset Trio, these honeys had been hanging by a string from the rafters in my very good friends' basement hoarding chamber for somewhere between five years and perhaps a half century when he gifted them to me. This is a four image focus stack, so it should reward some pretty close examination. I particularly like the little bits of cob web among the jewels.

IMG_6086 2024 12 18 file

The Holy Family Sculpture

New Post Chapel

Ft Sill, OK

***Note: Clarity edit in Flickr Photo Editor

Head jewel: :: ANTAYA :: Head jewelry "Amira" (at The Epiphany)

Head: Lelutka Avalon

Skin: Poema RAHRA - JUSTINE

Hair: TRUTH Kaijah (VIP group gift)

Aelva and her wonderful troupe, "The Night Theater", gifted the inhabitants of SL with another splendid show... "A Cheer for the Elves".

thenighttheater.wordpress.com/2018/12/29/a-cheer-for-the-...

Aelva... the weaver of magic in SL. I am very glad you are back after a difficult period in RL.

I quit the day job last week!! I am officially a full time professional photographer. :))))

wholepicture.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/business-is-blooming/

Maas Vlakte 2 Port of Rotterdam

AIS Name EVER GIFTED

Type Container ship

Flag Singapore

IMO 9786827

MMSI 563068900

Callsign 9V5825

Year Built 2018

Length 399 m

Width 59 m

Draught Avg 13.4 m / ...

Speed Max / 24.2 kn

Deadweight 198886 tons

Gross Tonnage 219352

AIS Class A

Cargo Capacity

Capacities

TEU: 20,388 incl 1500 ref C