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I may quite possibly be the proudest of this particular photograph out of nearly all of them. This guy was taken the very last day of a Yellowstone workshop. We were all on our way back to the hotel, and I happened to glance off to my right, right next to a road, and there were two brown lumps in the snow. I got my dad to drive down the road, and.. lo and behold... moose! Two moose, in fact! One male and one female. They were so close to the car, i'm amazed that us being there didn't bother them. However, it was so very, very worth it in this awesome photograph.
When I posted this way back in 2007, it hit Explore, and I never did quite understand why. However, it doesn't seem to show up in my Explore history, so I have reworked it and posted it again. It was the most beautiful place - somewhere in the Catlins, I think...
Bunschoten-Spakenburg is a medieval town first named in 1294 and received it's city rights by the Bishop of Utrecht in 1383. Because of these rights the citizens were allowed to build an earthen wall around the town. The fortifications didn't last long however because a part of the town was destroyed in 1427 in a war between two rival Bishops and the wall was never rebuilt. It was originally a very important fishing villiage since it was part of a wide, open valley of the river Eem. Their main catch was paling, which is still a favorite of the Dutch today.
A century after Bunschoten was first mentioned, the settlement of Spakenburg developed. Originally the two towns were separated by a river inlet but much has happened in their history to change the lay of the land. Because of the location on the coast of what was then the Zuiderzee (a shallow bay on the Northsea), many floods inundated the area which caused the towns to become isolated.
So dikes were built to hold back the sea and stay the floods, this also caused new land to be created behind the dikes, this land (polder in Dutch) was often below sealevel and needed drainage and pumps to remain dry even if the dikes held, a big disadvantage of the dikes was that it limited access to the sea.
In the early 1900's the prosperous fishing harbor boasted over 200 ships but the closing of the "Zuiderzee" after the floods 1916 and further reclaiming of land after that period brought an end to that. No commercial fishing is now done from this area but heritage wooden vessels are still being built and repaired here.
- William George Armstrong
I have completely lost my mojo for this year. I don't think I have picked up my camera once in the last month. :( I am not sure what has gotten me so down about my work? Perhaps I did too much for November and December and pushed myself past my limit?
I think we are our own worst critics. I have looked at my stream many times in the last couple of weeks and have been very down about it. There is no rhyme or reason to it. There is no color scheme, no patterns, and no similarities that unit the images. They feel random to me. I almost hit the delete button and both Flickr and my IG accounts. :( Ever felt that way?
365: the 2022 Edition 39/365
We had two days of blue skies and sunny weather, however, on the last day of our weekend in the Sauerland, the weather had changed overnight and it was misty and snowing.....
The going was tough.
The man in action is a cross-country skier.
( I added a bit more drama, but I'm sure you sense the atmosphere....)
It is a windy and cold night after sunset. I'm standing alone on the beach and I'm freezing, camera in hand. However, I don't want to leave yet, because the roar of the waves and the colors of the sky have enchanted me. I love this view.
Uutela, Helsinki.
ICM, single exposure.
👱♀️🎧 You Do Something To Me ( Paul Weller )
Done for the Macro Mondays theme of Music. This is a reworking of an upload from 2 years ago, however it was not previously an MM image. Mild texture was applied here.
It's a windy, cool and cloudy day in Jerusalem in the high 60's/f.
Happy Macro Monday!
This was the first image I shot, at this new favorite place. The composition is similar to my previous post; however the lighting is very different. Shot during sunset, I was able to record a wide range in contrast of light. A neutral density grad is necessary to keep both the sky and canyon details as correctly exposed as possible. Adjusting white & color balance in post-processing keeps tones looking very close to the way my eyes witnessed the scene.
Snowy Owl: Ontario, Canada
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All images are copyright protected so please do not use any of my work for commercial purposes
Additionally, please do not contact me if you want to do business in NFT's as I am not interested. However, prints are available through my website above with significant new content being added by the week.
Nam Tso གནམ་མཚོ།
salt lake The lake lies at an elevation of 4,718 m, and has a surface area of 1,870 square kilometres. It is the highest salt lake in the world, and largest salt lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region. However, it is not the largest salt lake in the Tibetan Plateau. That title belongs to KokoNor མཚོ་སྔོན་ མཚོ་ཁྲི ་ཤོར་རྒྱལ་མོ་ (almost twice the size of Namtso). Namtso has five uninhabited islands of reasonable size, in addition to one or two rocky outcrops. The islands have been used for spiritual retreat by pilgrims who walk over the lake's frozen surface at the end of winter, carrying their food with them. They spend the summer there, unable to return to shore again until the water freezes the following winter. This practice is no longer permitted under the Communist Chinese regime in Tibet. www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...
This time last year I was starting to prepare for my trip to Italy. After touring from Milan down to Sicily, we visited Paris for just one day.
I wish I had better photos of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which unfortunately I do not. The few I do have are very bright with tons of tourists standing in front. Perhaps when I can find some time I will try to do some editing to salvage the images.
I do however have a number of photos I took of the Eiffel Tower. This is one of my favorites from the day.
Calakmul (auch Kalakmul) war während der klassischen Periode eine mächtige Stadt der Maya. Zusammen mit El Mirador und Tikal ist Calakmul eine der größten jemals entdeckten Maya-Städte. Calakmul befindet sich rund 300 km südöstlich der Stadt Campeche (Mexiko) im gleichnamigen Bundesstaat.
Calakmul erstreckte sich auf einer Fläche von ca. 30 Quadratkilometern und besaß über 100 Kolossalbauten; es sind insgesamt mehr als 5000 Gebäude bekannt. Dominierend sind hier vor allem die sogenannten „Strukturen“ I und II. Letztere besitzt eine Höhe von ca. 45 Metern. Der Großteil von Calakmul ist jedoch bisher weder ausgegraben noch eingehender erforscht worden. Über die Einwohnerzahlen lassen sich nur Spekulationen anstellen. Für den Stadtkern etwa wird eine Bevölkerung von etwa 50.000 Menschen angenommen.
Calakmul (also Kalakmul) was a powerful Mayan city during the classical period. Along with El Mirador and Tikal, Calakmul is one of the largest Mayan cities ever discovered. Calakmul is located around 300 km southeast of the city of Campeche (Mexico) in the state of the same name.
Calakmul spread over an area of approximately 30 square kilometers and had over 100 colossal buildings; a total of more than 5000 buildings are known. The so-called "structures" I and II dominate here. The latter has a height of approx. 45 meters. However, most of Calakmul has not been excavated or explored in depth. Only speculations can be made about the population. A population of around 50,000 people is assumed for the city center.
* Well for almost three years Mary and I have dodged the Covid bullet . However we are now both suffering from the Virus so far the symptoms seem reasonably mild. Though I do feel incredibly tired .Hopefully all the vaccines we have had will at leat blunt its impact
This was taken on my first visit to the New Forest in Hampshire . I was hoping we might spot some of the wild ponies I had read about , I need not had worried there were ponies everywhere also pigs goats deer and donkeys roaming around; you need to drive cautiously in the Forest. The photo was taken on a walk on some of the open pastures in the forest .I have never seen unfenced horses before in England, it was rather delightful
If you have the time the text underneath gives an explanation as to how the system works its rather peculiar and archaic
The breed of horse is indigenous to the New Forest in Hampshire in southern England, where equines have lived since before the last Ice Age; remains dating back to 500,000 BC have been found within 50 miles of the heart of the modern New Forest. DNA studies have shown ancient shared ancestry with the Celtic-type Asturcón and Pottok ponies. The grass in the New Forest always looks remarkably tidy, it is a direct result of animal activity. In fact, their grazing and browsing supports rare plant species including wild gladiolus and chamomile. This in turn helps the wider ecosystem and encourages other species to thrive here including the Dartford warbler and the southern damselfly. In fact, the southern damselfly lays its eggs in the water-filled hoofprints of ponies (and cattle) nearby to the streams that pass through the New Forest.
All ponies grazing on the New Forest are owned by New Forest commoners – people who have "rights of common of pasture" over the Forest lands. The ancient tradition of commoning dates back from before the days when William the Conqueror made this area his private hunting reserve and imposed strict laws on the locals. In return for this, the locals were given the rights to graze their animals on the ‘common’ (this being the land which is now known as the New Forest).
An annual marking fee is paid for each animal turned out to graze. The population of ponies on the Forest has fluctuated in response to varying demand for young stock. Numbers fell to fewer than six hundred in 1945, but have since risen steadily, and thousands now run loose in semi-feral conditions. The welfare of ponies grazing on the Forest is monitored by five Agisters, employees of the Verderers of the New Forest. Each Agister takes responsibility for a different area of the Forest. The ponies are gathered annually in a series of drifts, to be checked for health, wormed, and they are tail-marked; each pony's tail is trimmed to the pattern of the Agister responsible for that pony.
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Mala Mala Game Reserve
South Africa
Kruger National Park
Image was taken in the early morning light in the Mala Mala Game Reserve. Our first game drive at Mala Mala took us close to a herd of about 200 cape buffalo. The driver however was ever vigil to get us out of there if the temperament of the herd ever changed.
The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large Sub-Saharan African bovine. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies found in South and East Africa. The adult buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss".
Cape Buffalo are suspected to kill around 200 people every year. They typically will charge and gore their victims and have been known to trample people as well. When you see Cape Buffalo roaming in Africa, they're usually not alone and an injured cape buffalo is even more dangerous and unpredictable than a healthy one.
Weighing in at over 1500 lbs, even most lions don't dare bother hunting this aggressive beast unless the lions are in a huge pride. – Wikipedia
The Shock of the New
This is the continuing series of images entitled ‘Shock of the New’. I’m showing how Modern Architecture has embedded itself with the more Traditional Architectural styles. Some successful, some in my view not so. But we’re all different. You may like them. What It does tell you however, is that progress cannot be stopped. There are forces greater than you out there.
This is one of my family's seven pet dogs. This good-looking female canine, however, was not what I intended to photograph when I went out with a camera in my hand. Finding not even a single interesting subject to shoot, I then started to walk back toward home. Unexpectedly, this dog, named Kirei, came up to me. And the rest of the story is this head shot of her, which I snapped when she momentarily looked up, directly facing me.
Taken in Subic, Zambales, Philippines.
Thanks to everyone who has visited. A confronting photo for some people. I appreciate very much the kind comments and faves which have been left.
A huntsman spider, probably Heteropoda jugulans. Male and female huntsman spiders are similar in size with the males having longer legs and females slightly bigger bodies. Actually, I am not sure whether this is a male or female. Unlike many spiders, the males do not risk being eaten after mating. Some species of huntsman spiders live in colonies. Normally, huntsman spiders are nocturnal. However, this spider was out in the afternoon. It has eight eyes. The upper four appear closed. Perhaps it was squinting because of the bright light.
For the Macro Mondays theme "Inspired by a Song". The song I chose is "Boris the Spider" by the Who. Perhaps a slightly larger spider than the Who had in mind but definitely a little creepy. The spider was on a variegated bromeliad leaf in my garden and was left undisturbed after being photographed. Huntsman spiders can also be found indoors.
Macrophotography has made me appreciate what a diverse and fascinating group of animals that spiders are.
HMM!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFuUaCe8eY
f/22 1.3sec ISO 200 Pentax 100m f/2.8 Pentax K-5
Boris the Spider by The Who
Look, he's crawling up my wall
Black and hairy, very small
Now he's up above my head
Hanging by a little thread
Boris the spider
Boris the spider
Now he's dropped on to the floor
Heading for the bedroom door
Maybe he's as scared as me
Where's he gone now, I can't see
Boris the spider
Boris the spider
Creepy, crawly
Creepy, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
There he is wrapped in a ball
Doesn't seem to move at all
Perhaps he's dead, I'll just make sure
Pick this book up off the floor
Boris the spider
Boris the spider
Creepy, crawly
Creepy,…
I tried photographing the Common Redstarts early one morning. However, the sun was right in front of me and backlit light is one of the most avoided in wildlife photography. But if you know how to use it, you can take amazing pictures...
Edensor (pronounced ‘Enzer’) is a small but pretty village situated within the grounds of the Chatsworth House estate in the Peak District National Park.
The original village was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, at which time it was located along the River Derwent, where the buildings were visible from Chatsworth House. This view displeased the then Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, however, and between 1838 and 1842 the entire village was dismantled. Many of the residents were moved to the nearby Chatsworth villages of Beeley and Pilsley, and the planning and building of a new village, over the brow of a hill and out of sight of Chatsworth House, was managed by the famed architect Sir Joseph Paxton.
Only one of the houses, Park Cottage, was allowed to remain in its original position, reputedly because its elderly tenant at the time did not want to move and the Duke took pity on him.
The village is made up of a charming, slightly eccentric mixture of different house styles, from Tudor to Norman, with Swiss-style cottages and Italian-style villas. Rumour has it that the architect who worked with Paxton to produce the designs for the houses, John Robertson, presented the Duke with a selection of house styles to choose from at a time when he was particularly busy, and the Duke – rather distractedly – chose ‘one of each’.
The original church of St Peter’s dated back to the 12th Century. However, in the mid-19th Century it was rebuilt and expanded for the 7th Duke of Devonshire, and its beautiful spire now dominates the skyline. The churchyard contains a number of graves of the Chatsworth’s Cavendish family, including a memorial to Kathleen Kennedy, sister of the former US president John F Kennedy, who was the wife of William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. The churchyard also contains the grave of Sir Joseph Paxton, the famous architect of the Crystal Palace in London.
These grosbeaks at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, have been keeping their distance and not allowing close photos. This bird was the exception however. It was first seen in a tree at some distance, (photo in comment 1 below), but then flew towards the camera and landed very close for feeding near the ground. During this time it turned several times and allowed the side shot shown in comment 2 below.
One of the requests I get from time to time is to make a triptych of house numbers I have found on my many urban walks. They are usually a combo of numbers to celebrate a special date like a wedding. Initially, I thought it would be easy to make a portfolio of numbers because I only needed to go up to 31. The triptych for today would read 26 3 22. However, once I began paying attention to house numbers, I realized there were very few house/building numbers under 100! Charlottetown, PEI still has several homes in their downtown core with the low house numbers and their numbers often have that Maritime charisma. Then there is the old city of Quebec that has several house numbers with 1/2. I posted this one for the theme “Numbers” to make you Smile on Saturday!
..lulling to my soul.~Keats
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Peeblespair Website ~ Tumblr ~ Instagram
I am so grateful for your visits and comments. However, due to time constraints I will NO LONGER be posting in award groups other than the MasterClass groups. Thank you to all the hard working admins who have invited my work in the past.
If you didn't know where this chickadee was photographed, you'd probably pass it off as a black-capped chickadee. However, I was in the Chiricahua Mountains here, one of only two localized places in the United States where you can see a Mexican chickadee. Even in the Chiricahua Mountains, Mexican chickadees are found only at high elevations and this bird was catching bugs to eat at about 8500 feet above sea level. Notice how the black bib beneath its bill extends much further onto its breast in comparison to a black-capped chickadee. The other obvious difference, besides its call, are the gray feathers along its flanks, as black-capped chickadees sport buff-colored flank feathers.
At times, we thought we were in a real rally: our 4X4 drivers gave the impression to race, the odometer exceeded the 90 km/h (56 mph) on the track, all in the middle of clouds of dust.
I was never afraid, however, because they drove very well, and the 4x4 were so well suspended that we were practically not shaken.
Here, our driver had started with a bang and got a little ahead. Then, he had the good idea to stop us at the top of a hill, the time to make us admire 2 other cars of our expedition that were rushing behind us to catch up with us.
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Le rallye
Par moment, on se serait cru dans un vrai rallye : nos chauffeurs de 4X4 donnaient l'impression de se faire la course, le compteur kilométrique dépassait allègrement les 90 km/h sur la piste, tout cela au milieu de nuages de poussière.
Je n'ai cependant jamais eu peur, car ils conduisaient très bien , et les 4x4 étaient tellement bien suspendus qu'on n'était pratiquement pas secoués.
Ici, notre chauffeur avait démarré en fanfare et pris un peu d'avance. Puis , il avait eu la bonne idée de nous arrêter en haut d'une côte, le temps de nous faire admirer 2 autres bolides de notre expédition qui fonçaient derrière nous pour nous rattraper.
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Désert Sud Lipez - Bolivie / Southern Lipez desert - Bolivia
The castle Romrod is a castle arrangement in Romrod near Alsfeld in theVogelsbergkreis in Hessen. The arrangement decreases to an older water castle of Messrs. von Romrod which originated probably in the 12th century. Later she fell to the landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt who allowed to alter the castle to a hunting seat.
The first documentary mention Romrods is given from 1197 when in a document of the cloister of Fulda under abbot Heinrich III. of Kronberg Ludwig of Rumerot appears as a witness of a manors transference. The ministerial gender presumably belonged to the followers of the landgraves of Thuringia, however, is testified also in the Fuldaer sphere.
The rest of the road is just up a little from where I took this. You can sort of see the far edge of it. The shot would probably have looked better if I had got up on the road and took it from there. However, there was a ditch in front of me and the snow was deep. Besides, I was only wearing shoes. :-)
( South-Africa), Gansbaii, bei Hermanus in der Walker Bay,
Glattwale.
Glattwale gehören zu den größten Säugetieren; im Vergleich zu anderen Bartenwalen sind sie jedoch nur mittelgroß. Nordkaper und Südkaper sind etwa gleich groß und gleich schwer; sie werden meist etwa 15 Meter lang, maximal kann die Körperlänge 18 Meter erreichen. Ihr Gewicht liegt zwischen 50 und 56 Tonnen.
SOUTH AFRICA( South-Africa), Hermanus . Gansbaii
Right whales .
Right whales are aSÜDAFRIKAmong the largest mammals; compared to other baleen whales, however, they are only of medium size. Northern right whales and southern right whales are about the same size and weight; they are usually about 15 meters long, with a maximum body length of 18 meters. They weigh between 50 and 56 tons.
Dunnock in the undergrowth
The dunnock is a small bird, about the size of a robin, which is common in gardens, parks, hedgerows, scrub and along woodland edges. Dunnocks are shy birds, hopping about in low vegetation and around the edge of lawns, feeding on small insects, worms and seeds. When two males meet, however, they become animated with territorial calling and wing-flicking. Males and females will form strong pairs, but the female will still mate with another male, so neither male knows who the father is and both supply her chicks with food. They nest in hedges or shrubs, laying up to five eggs.
However this peace is permanently threatened by violent Erdogan-supporting fascists living here too.
At Viktor-Adler-Platz in the pedestrian zone of Favoriten, the 10th district of Vienna
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the trutht"
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Having now seen the American and European Kestrel side by side I have to say the American one is far more photogenic, however in this particular case it was also the most vocal :-).
what good will they do if you do not act on upon them. – Buddha’
Wat Pho is Bangkok’s oldest and biggest temple. It houses a massive a 46m long and 15m high reclining Buddha and a school of massage. It is made of brick, plaster and shimmering gold.
This year our male BBBs have been roosting at night on a long twig on one of our camellia trees, however their favourite twig fell off the tree recently, as dead twigs tend to do. I was really happy to see them making use of this one last night!
I've been too busy for Flickr lately and am now going away for three weeks but will catch up with all my contacts towards the end of April.
67020 had been hauling train 1D34 Manchester Piccadilly-Holyhead, however it failed at Newton-le-Willows, 66177 which left Warrington Arpley as 0F35 Seaforth bound, was commandeered to rescue 67020, arriving at WBQ as 5D34, where 66177 took the 67 off, later on 67014 arrived to haul the train away, back to Crewe i think i left before the hook up.
A quite unusual aspect of the two locos, is that they both carry the three beast logo, from their English,Welsh and Scottish rail ownership days.
Usually I stick to colour and presenting nature in it's natural glory.
Occasionally however it is interesting to play around, so today I have posted two black and white images.
I hope you like them.
Grey Squirrel - Sciurus carolinensis
Adel Dam Nature Reserve
Many thanks to all those who take the time to view and comment on my photos. It is truly appreciated and welcome.
DSC_1520 a
This is an image I have wanted to attempt for a number of years now. It is strangely adjacent to a major highway and a challenge to achieve. However, this time it appeared possible to go for it. In the past we have always been busily racing home from an outing and the timing was always wrong with a car full of family.
Now, I was on my own and the highway was not too busy. Part of the challenge is just stopping because the highway shoulder is barely wide enough. Cars are whizzing by at 120K. However, the conditions were right to grab this shot and this is the result.
CN 2032 leads an empty limestone train around an S-curve in Culver, MN bound for Proctor.
Going home with a sunny shot here didn't seem possible as our first day was cloudy, and the following two days had no southbounds running late-morning. All hope was lost since the weather forecasted was cloudy. However, the clouds broke free and we were able to get two trains in sun here.
Alcalá Del Júcar, Spain
Alcalá del Júcar is located to the Northeast of the province of Albacete, where the River Júcar River leaves Castilla-La Mancha. Before reaching Alcalá del Júcar the river runs through the Western part of La Mancha, an area known as La Manchuela, with a flat non descript rural landscape.
However on arriving in the area near Alcalá del Júcar, the scenery becomes quite rocky. This area is dominated by shrubs, grass and pine trees and its wildlife includes foxes, rabbits and birds.
A lioness in the Masai Mara monitoring her surroundings while her cubs approach.
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All images are copyright protected so please do not use any of my work for commercial purposes.
Additionally, please do not contact me if you want to do business in NFT's as I am not interested. However, prints are available through my website above with significant new content being added by the week.
The title of this image is “Navajo Dawn” however, this was taken during sunset. The title is short for dawn of the Navajo, and makes reference to this area being the spiritual birthplace of the Navajo people. This sacred and highly scenic and remote area has been under siege in recent years, because of the proposed Escalade Project. The proposed project included building a resort on the land, as well as a gondola type tram, running from the rim, down to the canyon floor. When asked about the impact this project would have on this sacred land, the head developer stated that there will be 300 feet between the development and the sacred Navajo area, therefore there shall be no impact to the land. Personally, I cannot see how 10,000 people per day, just 300 feet away, would not have a devastating impact on the land, the Navajo people’s culture and the local wildlife.
Earlier this year, the people of the Western Navajo Nation voted unanimously to reject development of this area, which was accepted, resulting in victory for its proud people. This action means that at least for now, this sacred land will continue to be preserved.
As a photographer living in Arizona, this land means a lot to me, both for the importance to its people, and its overwhelming beauty. The journey to this place was more than worth it, as like few others, having the opportunity to capture images from here and being able to witness such a rugged and beautiful setting, has been nothing less than a truly amazing privilege.
In 1990, Archaeological Survey of India discovered a sunken apsidal stepped well along with few sculptures inside it. This stepped well is located immediately to the north of the Shore Temple, its south edge abutting the northern wall of the Shore Temple. On the extreme south of this newly discovered shrine is placed a monolith statue of Varaha (Boar)in its zoomorphic form. This image is carved in round from a single boulder. The statue was found severely damaged, however, with efforts from ASI restorers, we now see this image in its near original glory. The other element of this stepped well is a slender cylindrical shrine constructed partly in rock and partly in stone. Beyond this cylindrical shrine, further northward, is a circular cistern or mini-well. This is cut downwards with a circular rim-like stone placed at the ground level.
ASI report mentions that this well provides potable water though situated near the ocean. Though Rabe accepts these sockets for the capstones of a well, however, he suggests that these might be constructed to hold the ‘pillar of victory’ taken by Narasimhavarman I from Vatapi (Badami) which probably was installed here.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rabe2 tries to explain political reason behind the systematic destruction of this Varaha image. Rabe suggests that this Varaha monolith was severely and systematically butchered when the Chalukya king Vikramaditya I invaded the Pallava kingdom. The rationale behind this destruction was the submissive and prostrated attitude of the Varaha (Boar) Varaha was the dynastic crest of the Chalukyas. This specific posture of Varaha might be taken as a reference to the subjugation of the Chalukyas by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I. And to take revenge, the Chalukyan army destroyed this Varaha image while marching forward into the Pallava kingdom.
Inscriptions On the Varaha (boar) monolith –
The Varaha sculpture is carved out of the mother rock like the three other animal sculptures in the Five Rathas nearby. It has four birudas (titles) of Rajasimha Pallava, some of his favorites, inscribed upon the base, in Sanskrit in the Pallava Grantha script. The birudas on the side are “Sri RajasimhaH” “Sri RanajayaH” and “Sri BharaH”. The biruda on the rear, under the varaha’s tail, is “Sri Citra KaarmukaH”. Between the legs of the boar on both the and under its tail, leaves of acquatic plants are sculpted. These are similar to those at the base of the Varaha and Gajalakshmi panels in the Varaha Mandapam. These indicate that the boar which represents Vishnu, is diving under water, not merely digging.
However, how to explain the engraved titles of Rajasimha, as the Chalukyan attacked the Pallava kingdom before the reign of Rajasimha. To explain it, Rabe tells that it was most possible that like other monoliths, this Varaha was also executed during the period of Narasimhavarman I(630–668 AD). Therefore, when the Chalukyas attacked the Pallavas, during the reign of Narasimhavarman I and Parameshvaravarman I, this monolith was present in the temple complex. As the Varaha was destroyed before the reign of Rajasimha (695 to 722 AD), it was Rajasimha who restored it and that’s how we find his titles engraved on it. (Above description source Internet). Location - Mada Koil St, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India
However, Hillel’s greatest legacy was neither his assiduous commitment to study nor his warm personality, but his forceful intellect, which directed Judaism toward the goal of *tikkun olam, the ethical bettering (literally, perfecting) of the world. In the most famous tale told about Hillel, a non-Jew approaches and asks Hillel to convert him to Judaism on the condition that he can define Judaism’s essence while standing on one foot. “What is hateful unto you do not do unto your neighbor,” Hillel responds. “The rest is commentary—now go and study” (Shabbat 31a).
-Jewish
Literacy The Most Important Things to Know
About the Jewish Religion,
Its People, and Its History REVISED
EDITION RABBI
JOSEPH
TELUSHKIN
Not my normal bird in flight shot however I thought it was worth sharing this photo of the Thunderbirds at one of the premier airshows in north America. Yes, I am a nature and wildlife lover but to be honest I've always been drawn to power and speed beginning with horses then muscle cars, NASCAR and air shows. It's been a long while since attending this or any social event for that matter so it was a welcomed change from everyday home life.
After the event I pondered the cost of such a demonstration and did a bit of snooping on the internet. What I gathered was: The average cost of jet fuel here is approximately $7 per gallon. The average time the Thunderbirds are in the air is 15 minutes flying at 700mph. There were 6 jets so approximately 1200 gallons of fuel were used in the air.
It's reported that this display is used to recruit enlistments and it must work otherwise moving from one show to another with complete ground crews, pilots, food and housing at such an enormous cost it wouldn't make any sense. That being said with the current push for electric vehicles to reduce oil consumption it struck me as being one of those little life oxymorons. Even with this info I must say I get a rush from the sights, sounds and admire the precision maneuvers these pilots do.
Meerkat
South Africa
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Muntjac Deer - Muntiacus reevesi
Doe
Reeves’ muntjac are small, stocky and russet brown in colour in summer and grey/brown in winter. Bucks have short (10 cm) antlers growing from long pedicles. Antlers are usually unbranched but a very short brow tine is occasionally found in old bucks. They also have visible upper canines (tusks) suggesting that they are a primitive species. Muntjac have two pairs of large glands on the face. The upper pair are the frontal glands, whilst the lower glands, below the eyes, are called sub-orbitals. Both glands are used to mark territories and boundaries. They have a ginger forehead with pronounced black lines running up the pedicles in bucks, and a dark diamond shape on does. The haunches are higher than the withers giving a hunched appearance. They have a fairly wide tail, which is held erect when disturbed.
Muntjac were brought from China to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in the early 20th century. They are now widespread and increasing in number and range. Deliberate releases and escapes from Woburn, Northamptonshire, and Warwickshire led to the establishment of feral populations. Movement and release by humans led to their rapid spread across south and central England and Wales, however, north of the Humber distribution is patchy but reaches close to the Scottish border.
Muntjac like deciduous or coniferous forests, preferably with a diverse understorey. They are also found in scrub and overgrown urban gardens. Unlike other species of deer in Britain, muntjac do not cause significant damage to agricultural or timber crops. However, high densities may prevent coppice regeneration and the loss of some plants of conservation importance, such as primulas. Muntjac trophy hunting has only recently become popular so there is little tradition of muntjac stalking on country and forest estates. The most significant direct economic impact that muntjac have on human interests is in collisions with cars. However, this has welfare as well as economic implications.
In contrast to all other species of deer in Britain, muntjac do not have a defined breeding season (rut). Instead, they breed all year round and the does can conceive again within days of giving birth. Bucks may fight for access to does but remain unusually tolerant of subordinate males within their vicinity.
Does are capable of breeding at seven months old. After a gestation period of seven months, they give birth to a single kid and are ready to mate again within a few days.
Bucks can live up to 16 years and does up to 19 years, but these are exceptional.
Muntjac are generally solitary or found in pairs (doe with kid or buck with doe) although pair-bonding does not occur. Bucks defend small exclusive territories against other bucks whereas does' territories overlap with each other and with several bucks.
They are known as ‘barking deer’ from the repeated loud bark given under a number of circumstances. An alarmed muntjac may scream whereas maternal does and kids squeak.
Muntjac are active throughout the 24-hour period but make more use of open spaces during the hours of darkness in populations subject to frequent disturbance. Peak activity is at dawn and dusk. Long periods are spent ‘lying up’, where the deer lies down to ruminate after feeding.
However, this is no longer a farmers field having been divided and developed into a housing area this post is now part of my back yard.
Generally a bustling thoroughfare. However Shelter In Place and the second great pandemic have cleared the streets of its normal inhabitants.............Not A Soul In Sight.