View allAll Photos Tagged Grasping
It might be said I am up-loading this picture more for my benefit than for others on flickr who might view this. Currently I am working with with Photoshop 2026, 2025 and on some occasions the old version of Photoshop CS6.
A lot of experimenting going on (as well as learning). Although there are many new features being touted by Adobe Systems, I have to say I am not particularly impressed with PS 2026. Adobe seems to be overly emphasizing AI in this newest version of Photoshop and moreover seem to be grasping at straws in many respects………Additionally they are “sneaking in” additional charges involving many other the AI based features.
Frankly many users (including yours truly) are not sure which features are included as “no charge” and which features do result in a charge. They are not making it easy for users to determine this. Obviously, they (like many companies these days) are attempting to find ways to increase revenues………and are not being totally transparent as to these additional charges.
In this instance, however, AI did a fantastic job of replacing the large red umbrella that was on the deck. It also replaced the reflected image of the red umbrella that was showing in the water just above the foreground foliage......and through the branches (or stems) of the small trees in the foreground. An admirable job in this instance...............however AI can be unpredictable, not always producing the results intended.
View at largest size to gauge the results.
Chapter 12
It was another late night pouring over images; deleting, cataloging, organizing, choosing submissions - 'the workflow'. I hate the workflow. It was 3 am and I'd been fighting to stay awake for a while now. I was about to call it quits for the night, when I heard a soft melody drifting, somewhere in the background. From the flat next-door? And a faint yet pugnent smell of... what was that?... incense? massage oil and sweat?? Perfume?
Then... over my shoulder, the sound of a whisper I couldn't make out. I turned. "Sally! What... how did... what happened to you? Where were you..."
"You know", she said. It was her voice, but with an eerie, far away tone I'd never heard before. "I've been here" she continued, "right here".
"What... what do you mean? I... I don't understand" I stammered.
"Silly, silly, boy" she giggled. "I'm not real" she said. "You know that, right?"
"But... but I... we... our photos... our sessions..." my head began to spin.
"Il-eona!" she replied.
"What? I... "
"Il-eona... iliwa. Weikeu... weiku. Dangis-i gaya" I heard her say, her voice changing to a slightly higher pitch, and taking on a hypnotic, melodic twang"
"I don't und..." I said, as the music grew louder and louder - drowning out my voice... my thoughts. The music. An oddly familiar tune. Where had I heard it before??
Chapter 13
My head still spinning, I closed my eyes tightly. The music... the sounds and smells... so familiar. But how?
And where was I? I was in my flat, looking through shots from earlier in the week... wasn’t I?? I felt a hand on my upper arm... a gentle shake and “Weikeueob! Wake up!” in that same musical, hypnotic, woman’s voice. And in a short, curt but sweet broken English “time to go now.”
I opened my eyes and tried to focus them in the smokey, dimly lit room. There - my clothes, lying crumpled in the corner. A snuffed out candle, burnt low. A tattered, heavy, velvety-red curtain covering a small window, hazy wisps of light peaking around the edges to bathe the dusty air. A table cluttered with incense, an empty absinthe bottle, oils, small drinking glasses one of them stained with lip stick, some scattered powders and substances I didn’t recognize, a thin red veil covering jars of some mysterious, exotic substances. A ledge with a small lamp, a crystal vase and some ornaments and knickknacks... a few Halloween decorations scattered throughout. I looked up, into the beautifully large, dark eyes or the oriental-looking girl standing over me. “S... Sally?” I said, in my confusion. “Yes, me Sally” she said, showing her smile. “We have fun, but you... too much. Too much fun - no good. Too much no good. You understand? Only little fun.” she said, gesturing with her thumb and forefinger. “Umm... I...” was all I managed, grasping to make sense of something that, at least to me, made none at all. Remember, I told myself. Remember. I closed my eyes again trying to remember and relive, to make sense of the past days.
When I opened my eyes again I was someplace different. A bed. Crisp white sheets. Everything is so white. There’s something...in my arm. An I.V. A hospital. I’m in a hospital bed. There’s a voice “Doctor - come quick. He’s conscious”. A tall, thin man rushed into the room, dressed all in white. “I... where am I?” I ask. “You’re at College Hospital” he said. “Can you tell us what happened to you? Some passer-byes found you, in the streets, delirious, wearing clothes obviously not yours. They brought you here. Do you remember anything? Anything at all??”
Remember. “Sally” I said softly. “Sally” I whispered, as I closed my eyes... for the last time.
------------
First - apologies. I started this as a 365. But when I added the story, it began to write itself... including the ending. Thanks to those who took the time to view the images and read the text.
The story is a tribute to 2 great creative artists: Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe.
In the spirit of Halloween, and if you have time, I hope you’ll watch a Tim Burton movie and get lost in his magical world of crazy but relate-able characters. Or that you’ll read a story from the genius imagination of Poe, or read about his mysterious death (of which the ending of this series is based).
Edgar Allen Poe died this month (October 7th) in 1849. He was found delirious in the streets of Baltimore, taken to hospital, and never regained coherency (or perhaps only briefly) before his death. How he spent his last five days, how he came to be in such a state, why he wasn’t wearing his own clothes, his cryptic calling out for “Reynolds” during the night, and even the cause of his death, remains a mystery and source of much speculation and theory, even to this day.
******* Happy Halloween everyone! *********
P.S. - sorry for running behind (it’s been a busy time, and a challenge just to get the daily image posted). I will catch up viewing everyone photos and comments soon!
Captured amidst the vibrant setting of Sebastian Inlet, Florida, this photograph encapsulates a riveting moment in avian interaction. Witness the graceful pursuit of a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) as it eagerly chases an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) grasping a freshly caught fish. The pelican's determined flight, juxtaposed against the osprey's swift escape, creates a dynamic narrative of predator and prey in the wild.
From a photographer's perspective, this shot embodies the essence of wildlife photography: patience, anticipation, and the pursuit of fleeting moments. The composition highlights the intricate dance of light and shadow, with the shimmering waters of Sebastian Inlet providing a picturesque backdrop. By employing rapid shutter speed and precise framing, I aimed to freeze this exhilarating chase, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the raw beauty and drama of nature.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
One minute of someone's 'precious' time
paused and unhurried, for once
the deportation of arrogance
and setting-apart of the true soul
brings forth the welcoming of humbleness
and unmaterialistic beauty of all we are;
and all we should hope to become
the door remains closed...
to those that continue in their blinkered vain
yet opens freely, for the souls pure and true
to evolve exceptis excipiendis
free from pecuniary ways,
grasping the rich quota of life
be still for one minute more
and you will live with interest once again.
by anglia24
10h40: 06/05/2007
© 2007anglia24
This is not the suffocating grasp of the python, but the grasping hand that can't let go - of a loved one, of a penny, of an idea . . .
#63 -- How small can you go -- 1116 Pictures in 2016
Not just how small can the dogs be & remain legible, but how short the focal point (as short as I can go with my equipment) & how narrow the aperture ---
Also, for Studio 26, assignment on deep dof. A lot of insights gained about focal lengths & apertures & my lenses, but just a stab at grasping the complexities.
My squash plant crawling some 15 feet from his roots grasping at tomato cages to approach the maximum sunshine
SAPPHIRE VENTED PUFFLEG Eriocnemis luciani. This Sapphire-vented Puffleg was discovered feeding at a yellow flower at the beautiful, high altitude Yanacocha Reserve (elevation 3,400 meters or 11,155 feet) on the northwestern slopes of Volcán Pichincha west of Quito in northwestern Ecuador. This photo was taken at 10:23 AM on May 28, 2016.
You can see how this hummingbird is gaining support by grasping tightly with its feet the male and female reproductive organs of the flower.
The Sapphire-vented Puffleg belongs to the hummingbird family Trochilidae and thrives in the high Andes of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
El colibrí Zamorrito Colilargo Eriocnemis luciani se halló bebiendo nectar de flores amarillas en la Reserva Yanacocha (a una altura de 3,400 metros) en las faldas noroccidentales del Volcán Pichincha al oeste de Quito en Ecuador a las 10 y 23 de la mañana el 28 de mayo de 2016.
No Flash, I never use flash.
For HIGHLY DETAILED VIEWING of this Sapphire-vented Puffleg, VIEW AT THE GIGANTIC SIZE (1474 x 950) using the direct Flickr link: www.flickr.com/photos/neotropical_birds_mayan_ruins/27440...
TO SEE MORE THAN 50 SPECIES OF HUMMINGBIRDS PLEASE VISIT MY HUMMINGBIRD ALBUM (SET) AT www.flickr.com/photos/neotropical_birds_mayan_ruins/sets/....
...would never pay the bills :)
I was in two minds with this photo, it was one I was going to post but keep private to friends and family but I decided to let it go public. What the hell! You all need to see how rubbish I really am!
It made me laugh for a number of reasons:
1. The strap of my Nikon so obviously in shot
2. I didn't even put the lens cap out of view
3. I'm grasping hold of my glass of red wine for fear that someone is going to walk past on the sidewalk (pavement) and grab it through the open window
4. The stupid look on my face
5. My hair looks orange in the light
6. I look pregnant (it's the floaty top and the angle, honest!)
I took this at a bar called 'Faces and Names' on West 54th Street where we enjoyed a drink before dinner at The London. I was SO excited! I think that's why all the wine went to my head :)
Der Rüssel ist ein Multifunktionsorgan, welches als Tast- und Greiforgan, zur Atmung und Geruchswahrnehmung sowie als Waffe und Drohmittel und als Saug- und Druckpumpe beim Trinken dient. Während der Rüssel des afrikanischen Elefanten in zwei fingerartigen Fortsätzen endet, ist es beim Asiatischen Elefanten nur einer. Quelle Wikipedia
The proboscis is a multi function organ, which serves as the key and grasping organ, respiratory and odor perception and as a weapon and threat and suction - and pressure pump when drinking. While the snout of the African elephant in finger-like two-way ends, there's only one at the Asian elephant. Source Wikipedia
Asiatischer Elefant*Asian elephant* Elephas maximus
young elephant test
Erlebniszoo Hannover
Hanover
Germany
I traveled... until I arrived at a life of my own. What really makes us is beyond grasping. It's way beyond knowing. We give in to love... because it gives us some sense of what is unknowable. Nothing else matters, not at the end.
Situated 8km from Cork City, this historic castle is most famous for its stone, which has the traditional power of conferring eloquence on all who kiss it. The word “Blarney” was introduced into the English language by Queen Elizabeth I and is described as pleasant talk, intended to deceive without offending. The stone is set in the wall below the battlements, and to kiss it, one has to lean backwards (grasping an iron railing) from the parapet walk.
In the grounds of the castle the Rock Close, and its surroundings, is a curious place of ancient trees and far more ancient stones, by legend a garden of druidic origin and a centre of worship in pre-Christian days. The place has an aura of magic and mystique with Wishing Steps, Witch's Kitchen, Druid's Cave and many other delights,telling a story of centuries past. Blarney Castle Estate offers visitors the chance to stroll in one of the country's most spectacular gardens. Blarney Castle & House are set in acres of parkland filled with rare and unusual trees and plants.
Autumn is here. The last of the great insects displays its beauty to the world while grasping onto one of Autumn's first victims. Hopefully, the progeny of this magnificent insect makes it through the climate changes long enough to grace those of us around to see it a few more times.
Anise Swallowtail Butterfly. Papilio zelicaon - The Anise Swallowtail is a beautiful butterfly with a bright yellow and black coloring. But this butterfly gets its name from the fennel plant, also called wild anise, which is a common food source for the caterpillars. The caterpillars are often confused in appearance with the Black Swallowtail's caterpillars.
Watchman of the marsh
Lifeless but still standing,
Immanently grasping.
On the banks of Postal Pond, in...
Seminary Wood
Decatur (Legacy Park), Georgia, USA.
9 March 2021.
▶ See it in morning mist: here.
***************
▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.
▶ For a larger image, type 'L' (without the quotation marks).
— Follow on Twitter: @Cizauskas.
— Follow on Facebook: YoursForGoodFermentables.
— Follow on Instagram: @tcizauskas.
▶ Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II.
— Edit: Photoshop Elements 15, Nik Collection 2.
▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.
While grasping firmly a piece of large abaca rope tied to a big boat's outrigger, a little boy swings his body as he smilingly looks into my camera.
Captured at a village seashore in Subic, Zambales, Philippines.
We might meet this Love in any of her creaturely embodiments. In her elusive excess, she ignites a desire that drives beyond our grasping ego. “For this reason I will do my best,” wrote Hadewijch. The love-process morphs power into actions of care, of justice, of celebration. Of poetry. These are all actualizations of the possible. They express the infinite desire for incarnation. But also, still and often, does our most carnal desire. The divine Eros may be transcendently irreducible to sexuality: but after all it calls forth the immanent life of the creation by means of sex. Our creaturely carnality cries out in and beyond sex for disclosure in love, not the closure of possession. “A body that is in love,” writes Luce Irigary, a contemporary philosopher who hails from the same region as Hadewijch, “does not endure being fixed as an object.” 18
-On the Mystery, DISCERNING DIVINITY IN PROCESS, Catherine Keller
Rena Mayne was very careful NOT to laugh at him, though her expression was filled with affectionate amusement. "Ok now...there are lots of ways to dance, but since you are new to it...we'll start easy. Just hold your hands out..." she held hers out palm up. " ...and offer them to your partner. When she takes them, you start to sway, like this." she began swaying, feet sliding together then stepping apart to exaggerate the sway.
Conor Nitely's hands went out just like hers, palms up as if offering them for inspection. That tongue stayed pinned between his lips as his brow furrowed. The best student, and most focused boy in Midian tonight. He kind of offered a double high five before grasping her hands, intense face pointed directly at his shoes as he began to mimic her sway. It was lucky his legs were fairly short, otherwise he might have swayed right off that box. "Like this?"
Alternate world views for grasping the subject. Remnants of a cholla stem, Sonoran Desert near Tucson. Tracts of the remaining bark are seen below right and above left (a bit orange) of the skeleton.
We float on the river of time, caught in its increasingly rapid current, desperately grasping for a limb before we are carried into a sea of oblivion.
Yesterday I saw a post on the local community pinboard. The image depicted a man waving arms at a gull taking off with a young child seemingly held by it's feet. It was of course a composite image that wasn't particularly well done. Sea gulls have webbed feet so I am not sure how it was really supposed to be grasping a small child. I suspect the lift required for a gull to get airborne with twice it's own body weight would also exceed the capabilities of it's wings by some margin. Trouble is, there would have been someone out there who thought it was a real scene. They are protected here on account of declining numbers, but people still despise them for reasons I can't understand.
Here is a young Herring Gull just minding it's own business and watching me from the top of a street light. I did not think for one moment it was sizing me up as possible breakfast.
This is a typical pose for the fiesty Swamp Wren, with its tail cocked upward, legs wide apart, tiny feet grasping a reed, and calling furiously!
Seen in the marsh at Lake St. Clair Metropark, Michigan.
||Mission 2.1||
Protector-312
Rank: ARC Sergeant
Nickname: Shogun
253rd legion, Pride of Mandalore
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//Shogun stood in the bay of the LAAT, gazing into the yellow plains of dantooine through the half open door. The rest of his squad stood behind him, grasping onto the mesh netting above them to stay upright. The gunship soared across the endless field of grass, low enough to blow the dead stems out of the ground and to leave a trail of compressed sod in it’s trail. Gradually, the endless fields of grass began to turn from immersive towering blades to small stems and dirt.
Blunt hoisted himself onto the republic walker behind the other men on the gunship as both side doors of it's doors unfolded fully.
“Alright boys, these are the coordinates jester gave us. Have fun down there.”
“You heard him boys. let’s go.”
The rear door of the gunship unlatched, and the walker leaped out. Shogun was the next to jump, followed by Killi and Krit. They touched the ground, and a plume of dust materialized from the landing site as the at-rt began to unfold.
“Remember men, we stay low, and watch for any seppies or settlements. We scout until nightfall. Then we contact Muck, and move to the nearest village. Am I understood?,” asked shogun.
“Sir yes sir!”
“Krit, are you picking up any unusual signals?”
“No sir. In fact, I’m not picking up anything aside from our comms.”
“Alright then. Let’s get moving, we have plenty of land to cover.”
Shogun withdrew his macrobinoculars, and the squad began to march.
-
“How’s the leg blunt?” asked krit.
“Ah I'm fine, that bacta really did some miracles for me.”
“But you still get to ride on that thing. Now I'm wishing that I took that fall, my legs are killing me.”
“Yeah that’s what happens when you carry around a big kriffing comms array on your back krit”
“Oh shut up.”
-
“Any luck krit? Are you picking up any signals?”
“No. How could I be? There’s absolutely nothing around. Just a bunch of kriffing dirt.”
“I don’t know, I kinda like it,” Blunt remarked, “It’s nice to see new things around the galaxy.”
“We were bred for war, not sightseeing.”
“There has to be more to life than just war, krit.”
“Not for me.”
-
“Alright men,” Said Shogun, “Let’s stop here. Krit, contact the base camp, update them on what we’ve found.”
“So, nothing.”
“Woah. We have beasts at nine o’ clock,” said blunt.
The men came to a sudden halt.
“What in Kriff are those things?,” Exclaimed krit.
“Thunes,” said shogun.
“What?”
“Thunes.” Shogun paused.
“You’ve seen one of those things before?”
“Protectors like me saw lots of fauna during our training and some like this, we just watched and admired.”
“They’re beautiful,'' Blunt replied.
“The galaxy holds so many beautiful creatures, That's part of the reason why I fight.”
“We should fight for the glory of the republic,” said krit.
“Sure, sure. The republic’s all well and good, but why do you fight?”
“I fight for the republic!”
“But why do you fight for them?”
“I was bred for it. Bred to fight. The Republic is the reason why I am here.”
"Sure, sure.”
Krit paused, and stared at the grey beasts. Shogun and the others trudged on, and krit soon followed.//
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taken from a moving car (hence the blur!), this tree stood out against the setting sun quite imposingly. its spindly arms grasping at the last rays of the day.
This Monarch butterfly had just emerged from its chrysalis and was slowly adapting to its new incarnation. It hadn't yet tried its wings and was still grasping its empty chrysalis. This was the first of five butterflies to emerge; all five located near or on our back porch, where I could easily monitor their development. The last of the five emerged three days ago. Backyard photography.
The first time he saw her he thought he was mad. He had been mad. They'd been under the mountain lost for weeks, drinking water from luminescent mineral springs and slowly starving on a meager ration of cold, albino, many-legged things they'd stunned with the light of their torches and managed to stab, crush or throttle.
Tunnels that seemed to rise for miles suddenly turned into crumbling spiral stairs to the abyss. Highways of stone petered off into maddeningly inaccessible cracks beyond which lay clean, rushing waters, or cathedrals of luminescent crystal. Layers of bones lay strewn in ancient claustrophobic battlefields so old that ribcages turned to fossil fields of grasping claws.
He saw her then, the Drow princess, as he and his fellow mercenaries staggered across such a grasping battlefield, dizzy with thirst. The Drow princess was whispered of among Men from those mountains. A blonde-haired maiden warrior whose existence was haunted by the handful of victims who'd escaped her, found, saved at death's door hanging upside down in the dark, mad from the poison that had held them paralyzed but conscious for days or weeks.
She watched coldly as he reached out to her from across the field of bones, pleading for his life. Then she tossed a waterskin the mercenary's way. As his companions drew their blades to run him and one other through for it, she smiled a half-smile and stepped back out of the torchlight.
Later, as he half-slept alone under the mountain with his comrades' blood drying on his armor, she returned. He'd been slowly feeding a smoky fire of half-mouldy timbers to drive away anything that might find him there, dozing in his delirium and his slowly-rusting chainmail.
He didn't hear her, but the fire went dark, his head hit a wall hard enough that he saw stars and there she sat on his chest, with the point of a kris knife poking through a broken ring in his chainmail. The mercenary could feel the poison numbing his as-of-yet unbroken skin till it was deathly cold.
Then she kissed his mouth and said in a voice like icy bells, "It is true what the Men whisper above, those ruined generations of the once-proud, cowering in their thatched huts and the shadows of the ruins of their former glory.
If you will take me to the daylit world, from whence came the the god who cuckolded my mother's husband, the king, I will spare you. I want to find the god whose seduction sentenced her to be throttled by her own entrails the day after my birth. I have sworn a blood oath that I shall slay him with the Sword of Souls and avenge mine and my father's lifelong shame. And I may choose be your lover for a little while, if you do not disappoint me now. Otherwise, you will surely die tonight by my hand."
Then she kissed the mercenary again, hard, and tore the chainmail shirt from his chest as if it were paper.
Years later, long after he'd taken her through the ancient streets of the Oldest City to teach her of the daylit world, she left him finally. She left him sleeping, with a bag of jewels the size of strawberries tucked into his hand, and his ribs bruised and cracked, and the smell of her hair still on his hands.
And when he heard, some years later, that a demonic warrior princess had slain a god, he smiled softly to himself and chuckled.
Hands are the chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, used for both gross motor skills (such as grasping a large object) and fine motor skills (such as picking up a small pebble). The fingertips contain some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the body, are the richest source of tactile feedback, and have the greatest positioning capability of the body; thus the sense of touch is intimately associated with hands. Like other paired organs (eyes, feet, legs), each hand is dominantly controlled by the opposing brain hemisphere, so that handedness, or the preferred hand choice for single-handed activities such as writing with a pen, reflects individual brain functioning. - Wikipedia.
Copyright © 2011 Ray Wood. All Rights Reserved.
Common Tern / sterna hirundo. Straws Bridge, Derbyshire. 26/06/21.
A tender behavioural image made last year. The female Common Tern is incubating her youngest chick, tucked up safely beneath her. Meanwhile her older chick is begging for food by grasping her beak. Worth a try, though there was nothing available until the male returned with a Stickleback.
To the right of this intimate scene lies a broken egg, showing an embryo still in the egg sac. This was one of her clutch of three eggs and how it got broken is open to speculation. I would have thought if corvid(s) were responsible, the embryo would have been eaten.
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
Part 2 "The River"
Let me say this. The hike down to the Colorado was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life.
Starting before sunrise, I was able to see the starry sky in all of it's brilliance and even caught sight of 4 shooting stars. I saw lightning from a distant thunderhead. I could hear the small rock slides that is the canyon continually forming itself. And oddly, I could hear voices. There were a couple of groups far ahead of me, but I could hear them clearly. This was different. Every time I heard them I would stop and listen, only to hear silence. I would continue again and a few hundred yards later I would hear them again, stop and listen, and again silence. Kind of weird, I know, but I was definitely hearing something. (probably my guardian angel saying, "Stop, turn around, you idiot!")
I got to see the sun rise from 3 miles into the canyon. I recommend everyone do that at least once in their lifetime. Truly moving.
The canyon is made up of several different layers of rock and each one has it's own 'canyon'. Once you get down so far, you lose sight of the main rim and you can only see the rim of the individual 'canyon' you are in. Kind of cool, but VERY misleading. I knew it was happening, but grasping the full magnitude was still almost impossible. The canyon is DEEP. Very deep. Too deep to go down and back in one day. I certainly bit off more than I could chew. I pretty much knew this going in, but I'm an idiot. Not ignorant, I KNEW what I was getting myself into. But stupid. KNOWING and doing it anyway. I certainly don't have a death wish, but you'd never know it sometimes. This little trip moved right up into my 'Top 3' most stupid things I've ever done, and let me just tell you, that's really saying something.
God blessed me yesterday, for sure. He placed a thunderstorm between me and the sun that kept me shaded for all but about 30 minutes on my way out. Otherwise, things would have been very different. Of that, I am sure. The descent was at one end of the spectrum and the ascent was at the complete other end. It was hell. Complete and utter hell. From the time I reached the river, 6.8 miles, I had to walk 1.5 miles of even terrain to the Bright Angel Trail, then 9.6 up. And it seemed almost straight up for about 6 of those. The other 3.6 were not straight up, but severely uphill. I'll talk more about it tomorrow.
The river, and these pictures don't do it justice, is a raging beast. Beautiful blue and swirling eddies and very loud. It's an extremely powerful river, as evidenced by the canyon it created. None of the pictures I took of it captured it's raw power. In the pictures it looks almost tranquil. It was not. It was raging. Very swift and cold.
I sat down on the North side of the river and ate my lunch and marveled at it's power. How much longer till it reveals yet another layer in the Earth's surface, I wondered. The rocks found here at the river are some of the oldest rocks known to man. 1.7 billion years old. Boggles the mind.
And in this picture, you'll notice that you can't see the main rim of the canyon. You can't even see the NEXT rim up. You don't get the 'wow' factor of how far down from the top you really are. (my calves can tell you just how freakin' far down you are!)
Bright Angel Camp is just out of the picture to the right. This was taken from the River Trail between the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails. Phantom Ranch is a half mile up to the North of Bright Angel Camp.
Tomorrow I'll do my best to recount my trip up and out. My brain's defense mechanisms are already starting to fade the agony of the trip. I'll bet it's like childbirth for a woman. They say that if a woman remembered how painful childbirth was, she'd never have more than one kid. Of course, epidurals have kind of dated that saying, but you get the idea. And I'm not comparing this climb to childbirth. Compared to this, I'm sure childbirth is a cakewalk! Haha, jk.
Oh, and if any of you are looking forward to pictures from my ascent, forget it. I took none. The camera never made it out of my pack once I started up. Plus, on the most scenic parts of the ascent, the entire canyon was obscured by the smoke from a controlled burn. (cough, cough. Yeah, thanks NP Service, for that little kick in the nuts when I was already KO'ed. I might as well have been smoking non-filtered Camels!)
Another longish RP I thought I'd share, just for the watchability of the scene I felt!
It starts off with Kamy teasing Serafina (Fin) that *she* got a key /and/ a book from the Ranger cabin.. and Fin has neither of these things. Fin quickly turns the tables on her, and her aggression and jealousy amuses Kamy so much that she does the same... with Fin's boyfriend.
The first few posts are a touch edited to protect the not-so-innocent (other rp'ers ;) ).
Thanks to Phoebe for patiently teaching me how to split-screen!
++++++++
Kamy was beyond the flirtations and deviant looks at this point, at least alone when the girls could just be girls. She leaned in then and kissed her full on the lips, far more sensual then anyone would expect from the outrider, letting it pull but linger before popping happily back. "I got a fucking key to the cabin..." she snickered with the very intention of making her jealous and started off then, wiggling her hips as she silently began them on a walk through the park.
Fin kissed back, but while it started off with a sensual little lapping growl, it quickly *did* turn jealous, and she sought to *bite* her lip. Hard. Before she slipped away. Her eyes glittered and quite literally turned greener. ".. Oh yeah? How nice for you," she shoots back and falls into step to follow her through the trees, pushing limbs gently out of the way.
Kamy sunk an arm into hers so they might walk like school girls, licking where her lip had bruised from that chomp and pulling her to the bridge. Most tended to use this one sparingly, a careful step here and there. Kamy walks upon it full force, naturally taking to its bouncing sways and creaking protests without hesitation.
Fin delights in their raping of the bridge. So what if they pingponged off and flew into the river? She was filled with this dangerous rush of adrenaline and unconcern, driving her steps onto the planks all punk rock style. Hipbumps and rowdy hollers. ".. Yeah.. well.. ain't that somethin'. I don't know, man," her tune changing some. ".. I just wish they were all -around- more. I got shit to ask! You know? Th'fuck am I supposed to do?" She hopped to the other side and stretched her arms high above her head, then cracking neck to either shoulder. ".. Build a doghouse next to the cabin and be all, 'Bark Bark lemme in'?"
Kamy laughed when Fina bounced upon the bridge recklessly. She had just been walking like normal but it didn't mean she didn't appreciate the recklessness of it. She laughed when her foot nearly lost it but the book she held was clutched tight, quick to run free from its swaying surface. Would probably collapse on the next person who crossed it carefully. She reached out and took Fina by the belt, dragging her back to hook a knee between her thighs. "talk to one of the others then," she ran a nose along her jaw line, oblivious to anyone else's approach.
Serafina spun back towards Kamy by her own momentum and the Dreg's own tug of Fin's belt. Bare, dark skin *smacked* against her suspenders and covered-for-damn-good-reason skin. While that nose ran along her jawline, it drew out a loose growl, like something had just broken and was crashing down over their heads. ".. Fuck /talking/," she hissed, and yes, her legs parted, but they did so to square off, and grab Kamy by the shoulders to shove her down. Hard. Harder than she'd pulled on the woman before. Her hand would try to pin her throat, her hips, Kamy's pelvis, while her free would skate over her clothing, into bindings and straps, sensually fast. ".. I'm /taking/ ..that key."
Dylon sent his boots into the dirt to stop on the sudden appearance of the girls, it was still a chocolatey-clustery-headfuck for the guy to process. Shit, every time he thought he got a handle on the situation there it was, the diagram. The scissoring of fingers that explained how the two girls ended up, that enough was a struggle, what did you do? What the fuck were you meant to do?! Jack off? Raise that questioning brow to your girlfriend? The answer like all things in life were sometimes obvious, maybe it was Kamy's nose into Fin's face. That image alone made him think of their bed, they were going to need a bigger boat. Chin up and spark up. When he was about to raise his head to speak he stopped, why ruin the moment with a hello. Instead, the man just stood there enjoying the remains of that cigarette held between his fingers.
Kamy squealed when she went down, a very unusual noise for a Dreg to make but she was unraveling fast in the private company of Finn, her dark predatory facade that kept her fat and alive in the outpost abandoned for something far more girly. She couldn't stop laughing when Fina pinned her, hips lifting the girl off the ground with a thrust of her core, enjoying the site of those freckled swells bouncing. Kamy sighed when the girl's hands easily parted the handmade top from her chest, knuckled persed beneath leather and feathers. She nodded at the assessment. "yes good idea...I am tired of sharing you with him anyway" she stated rather boldly, unusual since she'd always liked Dylon from afar. She unbuckled Fina's pants and shimmied them down. "MY fucking key bitch...ug why don't you ever wear skirts..."
Fin squeezed her thighs so her pants could only unzip *enough*, the belt having gone unbuckled by Kamy's swift fingers. ".. I do," she snarked. "just for the men.. for you.. I make it hard." But green-eyedness wins over her again, the jealousy of Kamy having that key, and a book. Since talking hadn't gotten her far, she'd scythe through with force. ".. MINE!" she hurls at her, real anger dominating her voice, or perhaps, she's simply trying to /dominate/ her. ".. Hi Dylon.. " she singsongs between her next *firmly* growled statement. ".. MY. Fucking. ...Key." She'd try to grab Kamy's wrists, probably a battle of sorts while they scurried at her own pants. Her aim to drive them over the woman's head so she could use her free to keep searching.
Dylon sent those arms of his to fold across that chest of his, as that weight of his frame shifted from one foot to another. Just like that, something got that back of his up, a instinctual reaction to double taking on hearing Kamy's words, were they about him? and what was this fucking key?!. That figure of his turned side on then, yanking the cigarette from his lips harshly as his eyes bored down upon the air while that smoke wielding hand rested up against his chest. Maybe it was the twitch of his left cheek and the billow of smoke that was the sign of a vented thought. When that hello came from Fin that head jerked in a greeting nod before stilling.
The book was off to the side, Kamy's hand had carefully set it aside even in the collapse, perhaps indicating she had more control then she'd let on. It was her error to think Fina was only playing however, the surprise obvious when the girl snatched her wrists and pinned them to the earth. She'd lost her chance to truly resist, arms flexing with the push but only coming an inch off the grass. She snarled when the girl started searching her for real, pleased at least that Fina would have a hard time finding it considering the position. Hips popped her up again. "FINA...she gave it to me!" she looked over in surprise at Dylon, laughing despite herself. "Hey clit kicker! Mind holding her down for me?" spoken as if she hadn't even made mention of him before.
Fin let out a victorious "... HA!" when she pinned her wrists overhead. Serious, she was, was Kamy's own fault for digging at her jealousy. ".. I -know- she gave them to you that's th'fucking point," she growled, a touch smoother. As her hand roamed the woman, sliding over hip, scooping a buttock (and here, she'd grin at her, tongue held at her tooth) up, exploring behind her thigh, then her arm bands, she offered a similar suggestion. ".. Mmhm! Yes, Dylon. Why don't you help hold her down for me. And stop laughing, you're gonna make this harder," she grumbled.
It wasn't often Dylon got to break up two girl's who were getting hot and heavy over a game of hide and go fucking seek. Though as he stood there towering over both of them that look of his went to the bridge, blinking at it swayed in the light breeze. "What are you two up to?" he said with a rather strained and exhausted tone. A grimace of pain fell upon his face for a moment, sending a hand against that jacket to palm lightly the spot under his ribs. "And then part of me is just too damned scared to ask.." A breath of air was pulled in through nostrils, causing them to flare before looking back down to the pair.
Kamy was sulking HARD that her key was stolen, tempted to bash Fina upside the head and take it back which was likely the sensible thing to do. But that would just be petty, no way she was giving her the gratification of fighting for it back. Of course she'd forgotten all about taking her wrist phone. She looked around for something to take while the girl was doubled over. She looked up at Dylon as he held her, watching him with a devious sneer. She broke from his grasp with a yank, leaping up and jumping on him with intensive vertical. His weight might hold her but she'd hit him hard, knees grasping his ribs with a crushing squeeze, her lips just smashed upon his. She'd grip the back of his head, sure he'd resist at first, but an insistant roll of her head and a thrust of her tongue within his stubbled lips was downright lewdly performed. Eyes hung to the corners of her gaze,watching for Fina's reaction.
Fin gave him a wriggling eyebrow, like wasn't she just the cockiest bully, mowing down the smartass nerd as she left school with her lunch money and favorite paperback clutched to her chest. Fin was just sitting up to secure her prizes when she *gawped* at Kamy climbing on top of -her boyfriend-. She watched that slide of her tongue to his, their mouths open and grasping as if she was being treated to a close-up of a cinematic still. She gawped and then glowered, pissed off like a firecracker. ".. HEY," she bared her teeth jealously and clamored to her feet, standing next to them and hovering as she tried to think fast. "... Fine, *Elephant Ass*. You fight mean and fair. Who th'fuck am *I* supposed to kiss to piss YOU off huh?" She narrowed eyes at them both and stalked to the cliff edge, dangling the key over the river. ".. Oo, a gust of wind!" she fake-cried.
Lost balance, Dylon was too busy distracted on looking to Fin when Kamy's body launched at him. By the time that back of his hit the dirt she was already upon his ribs, her squeeze, sending that bandage around his side to tighten, ripping open the stitches to the wound that caused him to growl. Well he would of growled, if it wasn't for Kamy's tongue shoved between his lips. A arm came up to his side to try and elbow the Dreg's face out of his to at least giving him some breathing room. "..." A breath of air, a blink or two and he was trying to focus, seeing Fin then holding that key out, leaving him to perk a brow as he tried to process what the hell was going on.
Kamy's eyes lit up at the insult, not sure if the girl was just being clever or if she actually knew that elephant was one of the translations to her name. She came off gasping when he elbowed her chin off his mouth, the wet POP of their lips disconnecting leaving her just as breathless. She sat atop Dylon and glared back at her. "You could kiss people! You could kiss a lot of people!" she defended, not realizing in that moment what a whore she sounded like. In truth there weren't many she'd be jealous over, maintaining the share and share alike concept. She watched the key dangle with an unfair unf. "go ahead and drop it! I fish those waters freckle pussy!" she upped the stakes, the crack of her bum sticking out good as she sliiiid back down Dylon's waist. She'd rip those pants open with impressive skill, born from skinning animals but it worked here too. She shoved a hand down his pants, far more gentle then the kiss in grasping his shaft and trying to forcefully coax it hard and free. "I got a much bigger key anyway..."
Fin STOMPED so hard dirt kicked and coughed and she left a deep imprint. ".. GodDAMN it Kamy!" she hollered at her. "... Fine. Last thing I'm going to do is give you the satisfaction of turning me into a whining mall rat not getting her fucking ice cream cone at the food court." She'd heard about those places, course - most of them were abandoned buildings these days. She'd whirled to find her mid-pants rip... and growled. "If he gets a hardon I'm fucking you in the ass with Marsqueeze's cigar." She pauses, and crouches down to them both. She's -livid-, a boiling anger baking from her skin, breasts heaving with a racing pulse. ".. Just.. lay there, Dylon," she remarks lowly, a sneer touching her lip. Fingers snake into the back of Kamy's waistband, pull it away, and *drop* the key down her ass crack. She keeps the chesspiece though, and moves aside.
The week has just taken a turn for the strange, it was starting to feel like Dylon had dropped acid, again. In twenty four hours he had gone through the motions of violence and all the way to jealousy of seeing Kamy upon his girlfriend, his Fin. Now he was sat there, hand clutched to his side while looking to Fin, by the time it registered on what Kamy was doing her hand was around around his shaft, gripping up his length. That hard on was going to prove more than difficult, blood was already seeping through the side of his jacket, that was something no man had managed to quite maintain, shit, it was like telling your body to multi-task without having control. "Get...your..fuckin...hand...off...my...cock" Words hissed through gritted teeth. As he found himself sandwiched between the girl's power play, but what a sandwich!.
Kamy didn't feel bad for the man at all, hardly even letting him factor in. He had kicked her in the cunt after all. She felt the key slip between her butt cheeks and smiled victoriously. Hands came off his meat and she stuck them in the air in victory. She watched Fina and just found the anger pouring from the woman absolutely sexy. She reached out and tried to snatch the girl's belt as Dylon had done. This whole thing was so ridiculous and it certainly didn't escape Kamy. She'd try to pull at the back of the girl's knees while yanking her down back on top of Kamy. The arms of a wrestler would try to wrangle the angry girl in for another kiss, falling over Dylon and churning her ass upon him like a bar stool. "I win...give me my prize..."
Fin had moved off, too far away to be grabbed, and when Kamy's hand reaches for her, Fin strikes her palm with a boot, hard enough to shove her back, not hard enough to hurt. ".. I *did*. Was going to give it back anyway, asshole. With my record the rangers would be all scowly tellin' me I don't play nice. Then I'd -never- get one. What's in there, a hot-- JESUS DYLON!" she just *spins* off exasperated. ".. Just gonna FUCK her right there in'frunna me??" She's rooted in place, and pulling her bandanna away from her neck side to side.
Dylon tried to clutch for his jeans the moment Kamy's hand released from his prick. "What the fuck yo..." Those words died upon the Dreg's ass slapping over over his lap to grind over. "STOP..." Sending a heavy handed palming slap towards the girl's ass cheeks to grind her right off his lap. Once again he would try to shift himself back, a hand sliding over his jacket that came up with a smear of blood. "...She should be so fuckin lucky..." he said with a hiss as he wiped that hand of his upon the grass. "Whose dream am I in?" Either way, no alarm clock was getting him out of this one.
Kamy rolled her eyes at Fina's tantrum, climbing off Dylon with a jump and fishing the key from her ass, one eye going crooked as she had to fish deep to get it. She produced it just in time to get struck on the ass, a small leap in Fina's direction. "oh calm down...it worked did it not?" she inched the key back into her pocket and sauntered to where Fina was. "you should have seen your face..." she laughed and pranced from foot to foot, clearly teasing Fina for being so worked up with little fake boxing stances. "you think I want to fuck your boyfriend? hmm?" she asked her, waiting for that ridiculous notion to sink into the red head. She was already fucking the sister and the brother, was she going to hit the boyfriend too? "now you don't love Ka-ma-ma anymore?" she asked with a faux pout. "maybe I take you to the cabin and show you. hmm? Did you think to ask?" she had flaunted the key after all for a reason.
Fin snapped shut a plastic lighter and tossed it in the creek. She sucked a full drag of the rolled cigarette's herbal shit and cut her eyes hard to them both, him laying there even as Kamy bounds off to join her. ".. Oh god. Oh no," she mimics in a half-hearted monotone that didn't try at *all*, ".. Please stop. Please don't fuck me. Oh god. Get off. Stop." She pauses, to flick the lit cigarette towards Dylon's lap, while his pants are still undone. ".. And your cock is still out, holmes." To Kamy she shrugs. The anger's dimmed leaving her in dry unconcern. ".. Yes I still love you. And no.. I didn't ask .. thought of it yes, but they're as hard to run into like a priest in a whorehouse. Actually, no. Not that hard!" she sings faux-brightly back.
Breathed long and slow as Dylon was finally free from the pressures of Kamy's body, this would be the moment to gather yourself, instead he listened to the girl's exchange of quips at each other before that rogue cigarette of Fin's landed right into lap, hitting the open fly of his jeans to send a shower of sparks over his crotch. Never had a man stood up so fast with the self harming need of slapping his cock and balls. Ridding himself of the burning glows "....ARGH FUCK SA..." Harshly was that belt closed up, shaking out his legs as he yanked open the buttons of his jacket, shedding himself of the material to then look down his side.
Kamy choked back a laugh when she flicked the cig at Dylon's crotch, a lazy smile as she just inhaled upon the aggressive pheromones coming off the feisty girl. "Fuck you should have been a Dreg Fina...the damage we would cause..." like they weren't already causing problems for the city. She knew the girl was pissed at her but just enjoyed it all the more. She hooked thumbs from her belt and swayed beside her, annoying little hip checks popped into the girl to provoke her further. "we will go when the rangers are not around...it does not seem like such a big deal..." she lied a bit.
Fin spared him a glance. Was that smell the whistling burn of ... hair? Her narrow shoulders jump with a smirk, and she gathers her hair to the other side of her neck, rounding her long spine in a wide hipcheck in return. Thwunk. She held power in her hips and back, moreso than arms and legs, even as bony as they sometimes felt to be. ".. Don't think it would be .. " she agreed, and made the breathy noise that showed she had more to say on the subject.. but stopped herself. Instead, she glanced to Kamy, then back at Dylon. She wasn't even sure if Kamy had successfully "brought the cock home to roost", and wasn't even sure it mattered at this point. ".. So. I'm going to .. buy some birth control. For -everyone-," she adds.
Dylon kept that hand locked to his side as he looked at the pair of girls. "You know what you two are.....a big bag of fuckin troubles...." Shaking his head at them slowly. "...Fuckin hell...." A chuckle, it was rolling over his shoulders as he doubled over a bit. "Somehow Kamy....I get the impression I'm goin to have to get used to you..." That jaw of his clenched then, a throaty grunt before allowing himself to straighten up. "...wait wait....you're not on birth control now?"
"Birth control?" Kamy asked a little confused. "oooh you mean to keep from birth, I get it." she nodded. "the Dreg men blow it on the girl usually, or some use the tubes not used for the sausages" she explained casually. She eyed Dylon with a soft sneer at his comment, reaching out to hang on Fina like he was going to take a picture of them. "why you not think we make a good pair?" she asked and shook a few dreads into the red head's face. "She is too much woman for one man to handle Dylon. You should be happy there is someone like me in her life" she explained.
Fin remains unimpressed by Dylon, and though Kamy didn't get off scoff-free either, she's neither angry nor pleased with them both. There's a strange resignation she feels - she wasn't even sure she'd be the jealous type - never thought she had that kind of .... possession in her. It's there, but it rears its furious head with no warning. For now, she's just left with a dull, faint soundtrack in her mind, some rhythm in her head that's sweeping distance between her and her friends. The dreads thwapping her in the face bring a funny wincing smirk, and she moves between them, arm around either one of their backs. As close as they are, her mind is to those elsewhere thoughts and music. ".. Mm, no, not now," she murmurs. "This afternoon?" She laughs some to Kamy's remark, and bites each of their shoulders.
Picture the Holidays Day 7: Express Yourself
There's cold and there's rain, but I'm dry enough under my umbrella, and I'm headed toward the light. That's my life -- things are getting better, but we're not entirely out of the storm yet.
I'm also grasping for inspiration. I've done this photo before. Not exactly this, but I've shot bokeh from under my bubble umbrella a few times already. I'm having trouble recently seeing new things in the day-to-day.
I'm not feeling up for selfies lately (Tracey's non-obligatory suggestion), but I think this says enough.
The tenuous layers of remembrance upon waking from a dream lingers in a time free zone simultaneously flashing images of imminent clarity and grasping fuzziness destined to fade with the oncoming day.
I am revisiting this image. I've been rummaging through my archives. Had forgotten about this one and am kind of enjoying rediscovering it.
HSS
seen in Explore Feb.13, 2023
www.flickr.com/photos/julesoso_jjw/52684364385/in/pool-in...
~
Press L key to view large | click on pic to zoom
~
sikhitothemax.com/page.asp?ShabadID=692
ਗਉੜੀ ਮਾਝ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
Gauree Maajh, Fifth Mehl:
ਮੀਠੇ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਉ ਜਿੰਦੂ ਤੂੰ ਮੀਠੇ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਉ ॥.
Sing the Sweet Praises of the Lord, O my soul, sing the Sweet Praises of the Lord.
ਸਚੇ ਸੇਤੀ ਰਤਿਆ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਨਿਥਾਵੇ ਥਾਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Attuned to the True One, even the homeless find a home. ||1||Pause||
ਹੋਰਿ ਸਾਦ ਸਭਿ ਫਿਕਿਆ ਤਨੁ ਮਨੁ ਫਿਕਾ ਹੋਇ ॥
All other tastes are bland and insipid; through them, the body and mind are rendered insipid as well.
ਵਿਣੁ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਜੋ ਕਰੇ ਫਿਟੁ ਸੁ ਜੀਵਣੁ ਸੋਇ ॥੧॥
Without the Transcendent Lord, what can anyone do? Cursed is his life, and cursed his reputation. ||1||
ਅੰਚਲੁ ਗਹਿ ਕੈ ਸਾਧ ਕਾ ਤਰਣਾ ਇਹੁ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ॥
Grasping the hem of the robe of the Holy Saint, we cross over the world-ocean.
ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਆਰਾਧੀਐ ਉਧਰੈ ਸਭ ਪਰਵਾਰੁ ॥੨॥
Worship and adore the Supreme Lord God, and all your family will be saved as well. ||2||
ਸਾਜਨੁ ਬੰਧੁ ਸੁਮਿਤ੍ਰੁ ਸੋ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਦੇਇ ॥
He is a companion, a relative, and a good friend of mine, who implants the Lord's Name within my heart.
ਅਉਗਣ ਸਭਿ ਮਿਟਾਇ ਕੈ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੁ ਕਰੇਇ ॥੩॥
He washes off all my demerits, and is so generous to me. ||3||
ਮਾਲੁ ਖਜਾਨਾ ਥੇਹੁ ਘਰੁ ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਚਰਣ ਨਿਧਾਨ ॥
Wealth, treasures, and household are all just ruins; the Lord's Feet are the only treasure.
ਨਾਨਕੁ ਜਾਚਕੁ ਦਰਿ ਤੇਰੈ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਤੁਧਨੋ ਮੰਗੈ ਦਾਨ ॥
Nanak is a beggar standing at Your Door, God; he begs for Your charity. ||4||4||172||
............................................................................................................................................................
Vaheguru!! this shabad is so sweet!! i wanted to use a picture of sugar!
but didn't really find anything that would fit =P
this is sung in that same track (bhinnee rainurreeai)
and because of its beauty i wanted to give a little more attention to it.
that track has so many wonderful shabads....i've bookmarked many of them on STTM and i think the next few gurbani images i make are going to be of them.
=)
and also I had the hardest time ever making this....i think the eye thingy was even easier...and that took me a few hours to figure out!!
African Bush Elephant, Savanna Elephant, loxodonta africana, SH 2.5 - 3.4 m / 10 - 13 ft. Risk of EXTINCTION. The world's largest land mammal can mass up to 6.3 tons. The trunk is an elongated upper lip and nose that can act as a fifth limb for grasping food, lifting and a hose for spraying water and dirt. It is difficult to avoid taking pictures of them because they are so huge and amazing to view! We saw thousands during our trip!
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Trans Mara, Rift Valley, Kenya.
©bryanjsmith.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Buddha
Explore #275 - thank you so much for your comments and faves - they mean a lot to me!
BEAUFORT NC: On Ice, this 62 ft [19m] sport fisherman, was idling in the channel just to the right of these slips where it appeared poised to back very carefully past tied-up boats and settle into this spot. It felt a bit odd though as this behemoth seemed to be just sitting and "doing nothing." I wondered if the guy at the controls was preparing for a slow, grand, hot-dog entrance with a 'Hey, look at me' attitude. After all, there were quite a few good looking girls walking about.
I had to give the guy on the bridge his due; he was cool and in control. As the engines idled, he stood on the bridge with his back to the bow and his face to the stern. Leaning back against the console rather casually, almost indifferently, with each hand grasping steering controls he barked orders to the mate on the deck below who was scurrying about getting the who-knows-what ready for what I assumed to be the berthing process.
Suddenly, a roar from the powerful engines broke the silence and chased away the chirping birds. The powerful screws pulled the stern deep into the water. Deeper and deeper the stern sunk until the boat inched towards the dock. The engines proved their brute strength and the boat moved faster. Faster. Faster.
“Holy Davy Jones Locker, Blackbeard, this boat was hauling.”
Soon the boat was approaching 90 mph, in reverse! Though hard to imagine the stern sliced its way through the still water and, without jockeying back and forth like a kid practicing parallel parking, the Master cut the boat to the port side, or is it starboard when you are going backwards? The bold fishing boat slid into this spot.
Not only did the Master not touch the solitary bumper [see note], but he stopped within a foot of the dock. This was an incredible accomplishment; the guy pulled this off while going in reverse and BAREFOOTED!!
How about that!
I applauded the Master’s effort and walked off half-expecting this poor guy was going to be smothered by the so-called bevy of beauties parading on the dock. Alas, such was not to be his reward. As we returned about 40 minutes later the Master and his mate were busy still swabbing down every visible surface of On Ice.
A word if you will, to Mr. Prufrock,
as he lingers by the sea:
please Sir, dare to be something other
than a pair of ragged claws, grasping
for the life you missed because
you feared to presume.
Presume! Those ladies in the room,
the ones that come and go like ghosts
through the corners of your mind,
the braceleted, the shawled,
the ones that pin you to those walls
with a single searching glance -
I tell you Sir, they're waiting
for that chance.
They're done with the tea, and the cakes,
they're tired of the poetically limp excuses
that you make. If you want someone
to sing for you, sing yourself alive.
Shake the yellow fog from your mind.
Shout from the street, Mr. Prufrock,
as you climb the stairs.
Tell the universe
that you dare.
---
Just a little something blue to contrast the last posting's pink. Don't let this image fool you - the ocean that evening, at the edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, was loud and fierce. This is a longer exposure made with my Hasselblad 500 C/M.
The references in the poem stem from T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which has always been one of my favorite pieces of poetry.
North American River Otter
The playful North American River Otter is well adapted for semi-aquatic living. The mammals have thick, protective fur to help them keep warm while swimming in cold waters. They have short legs, webbed feet for faster swimming, and a long, narrow body and flattened head for streamlined movement in the water. A long, strong tail helps propels the Otter through the water. They can stay underwater for as many as eight minutes. North American River Otters have long whiskers, which they use to detect prey in dark or cloudy water, and clawed feet for grasping onto slippery prey. They are very flexible and can make sharp, sudden turns that help them catch fish. Their fur is dark brown over much of the body, and lighter brown on the belly and face. On land a River Otter can run at speeds of up to 15 miles an hour—they can slide even faster. Their playful snow and mud sliding, tail chasing, water play, and snow burrowing activities also serve other purposes—they help strengthen social bonds and let young Otters practice hunting techniques.
A River Otter can grow three to four feet long including its tail and weigh between 11 and 30 pounds. Males are generally larger than females. The tail makes up about a third of their total length.
For more info: www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/...
Male kestrel takes off on the next hunt, after delivering the lizard Mrs Kestrel is firmly grasping, in the never-ending quest for food.
I know a few of you like to follow the fast-moving action of these precision flyers and adept hunters, so I've posted a large batch of shots taken over recent days.
As always, no need to comment.
Australian Kestrel, A.C.T.
HOOK-BILLED KITE Dark Morph Adult Chondrohierax uncinatus. This dark morph adult Hook-billed Kite is looking to the left as it perches on a branch in a tall tree WITH ITS FEET HOLDING A LARGE TREE SNAIL along the Vía Cunuco about two and one half miles northwest of Mindo, Ecuador at 9:54 AM on February 2, 2023. The large tree snails are its favorite food. This kite proceeded to eat the snail.
The Hook-billed Kite belongs to the Family Accipitridae and is found from extreme south Texas (lower Río Grande valley) to Brazil and northern Argentina. It also lives in Cuba and Grenada. There is pronounced sexual dimorphism. And, there are light morphs and dark morphs. The principal food is arboreal snails.
Un adulto morfo oscuro de Gavilán Piquiganchudo Chondrohierax uncinatus está mirando a la izquierda mientras está perchado sobre una rama en la copa de un árbol alto a la orilla de la Vía Cunuco unos 5 kilometros al noroeste de Mindo en el noroeste de Ecuador a las 9 y 54 de la mañana el 2 de febrero de 2023. TIENE BAJO SUS PIES UN GRAN CARACOL DE ARBOL, SU COMIDA FAVORITA.
In Brazil, Chondrohierax uncinatus bears the common name Caracoleiro.
For OPTIMAL DETAILED VIEWING of this Snail Eating Dark Morph Adult Hook-billed Kite, VIEW AT THE GIANT SIZE (1753 x 1150) using this direct Flickr link: www.flickr.com/photos/neotropical_birds_mayan_ruins/52677...