This is where we spent the night on our little adventure. It's the second time we've stayed in a C&O Canal Lockhouse, which is essentially a night in a museum. Since there is no water & plumbing in this particular one, it's like glorified camping. Fortunately there is heat and electricity. This lockhouse was completed in 1839 and is decorated in a 1920s style. I highly recommend a stay in one of these historic buildings for anyone interested in history (a few of them do have full amenities!).

www.canaltrust.org/quarters/lockhouse-49.php

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_and_Ohio_Canal

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Locks

DC3, Iceland, landscape, black sand, beach, plane, crash, wreck, snow, icelandair, road, Solheimasandur, Mitchell Phun

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the then known European continent. Today a cosmopolitan metropolis, modern Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2008, Athens was ranked the world's 32nd richest city by purchasing power and the 25th most expensive in a UBS study.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

'The Way Up is the Way Down', installation, Dennis Hale & Mike Sharpe, 2011 - Nuit Blanche all-night arts festival, Financial District, Toronto Downtown

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Multiple exposure in post

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ccca.concordia.ca/nuitblanche/nuitblanche2011/artists/c20...

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Nikon Nikkor 36-72mm 1:3.5 Series E manual-focus lens

_DSC6055 56 57 58 60 63 64 Cvnx2 Ap Anx2 2016-09-16 1600w Q90

Cádiz is an ancient port city in the Andalucia region of southwestern Spain. The home of the Spanish Navy, the port boomed in the 16th-century as a base for exploration and trade. It has more than 100 watchtowers, including the iconic Torre Tavira, which was traditionally used for spotting ships. On the waterfront is the domed, 18th-century Cádiz Cathedral, featuring baroque and neoclassical elements.

It is a mask collection. These are half masks covering the bottom from the eyes. It is very tight and it fits perfectly on the face. It is good that desorption can be done quickly and good visibility is good.

This is the Chishlom Trail mural painted by Richard Haas in 1985 on the south facade of the Jett building in the heart of Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth, TX. The mural is about three stories high and has a striking three-dimensional effect. In reality, the entire side of the wall is flat.

If you are a NFL fan, you will be seeing a lot of this mural during the first week of February, 2011. ESPN will anchor their Super Bowl coverage from this location. They will construct a large set in this parking lot with this mural as the backdrop.

I went over to Fort Worth early Sunday morning to take the photo hoping that the lot would be clear of parked cars. I was able to set up my tripod and take a few shots before the first cars pulled in to park.

Large Size

A global space astrometry mission, Gaia will make the largest, most precise three-dimensional map of our Galaxy by surveying more than a thousand million stars. Gaia is scheduled for launch on 19 December 2013.

Credit: ESA-CNES-Arianespace / Optique Vidéo du CSG - P. Baudon

Unedited shot of people reflected in a puddle in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing, no magic tricks, no Photoshop :)

2013 is here, and for me it's going to be a really interesting, awesome and wicked year, I can feel it already! Last year was a bit of a bummer, I had to go through some challenging, irritating, annoying, inspiring, demanding and mostly messy situations to come to a point where I decided to radically change my life, to say good-bye to those things and people that kept pulling me down with them into the abyss of unwanted pressure, unnecessary stress and tons of miserable days, weeks and months, and I am majorly happy I did. I am now on my path towards a more fulfilling, independent and lovable life and while doing so, I am shielding myself from the negative vibes some people try to bring to me, like Superman shields himself from a load of Kryptonite, yeah baby :D

Enjoy your Sunday :)

Amsterdam photos

Wicked reflections

www.amstersam.com

'Like' me on Facebook :)

Ganesha Chaturthi is a Hindu festival of Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi. it is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 August and 18 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi.

Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

Not a snow shovel, just a shovel in the snow. This is in fact my garden shovel; in winter I use it to turn the compost... when the compost isn't rock hard. Access to my favourite location, Grasslands National Park, has been difficult following the recent snowfall, so I have turned my attention to things close at hand... Val Marie, Saskatchewan.

Don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission.

© James R. Page - all rights reserved

22/11/2018

Sort of speaks for itself, but then that's the effect of the 6pm News on me, even without Brexit!

This is not an actual record store or recording studio. Instead, it is a filming location for the ABC TV show Nashville as Highway 65 Records is the fictional label owned by character Rayna James. I have no idea if there's anything behind that door.

This is located downtown Nashville and the rest of the building is used for a Hilton Homewood Suites hotel. This is at the historic 1916 Doctors Building along Church St.

Archangel of the high heavens, Ariadne lives to smite the lords and minions of hell. This is one of her main stations and serves as her armory. Her hammer is known only as Retribution, while her holy crystal swords are unnamed (but known as legendary relics to adventurers of the mortal realm). Her shield is rumored to be a piece of the creator's armor itself.

In my 10 years or so of sporadic AFOLdom, this is the most detailed diorama to date. I really just had too much fun building the figure, and being non-Christian, this afforded me a fantasy setting to explore the architecture and iconography in a cathedral like diorama. The scale felt a little like building a dollhouse, but it allowed me so much room for detail and a more life like feel.

See the standalone figure here: www.flickr.com/photos/ajfojtik/46895053254/in/dateposted-...

Thanks for viewing!

winter is moving out & spring is moving in...

all da trees r coming 2 heavenly life again..

da birds r singing in da trees...

even da bees r buzzing about soo free..

soon da wild flowers will open t heir eyes..

showing their beautiful colors on da mountains..

butterflies will be flying 2 & fro..

fluttering their heavenly wings as they do..

da new grass is coming out soo green...

everything is heavenly brite & new ..

spring is on da way.

^i^

wishing u a heavenly weekend...may it be filled wit blessings!

^i^

United Launch Alliance launch complex 37b at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Orion is stacked on the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle.

This is a series of photos that I took while testing the new Canon G1X mark ii for Canon Netherlands. No better way to do so than at the 30.000 people Amsterdam Music Festival during ADE.

Find the full report here: rudgr.com/?p=2596

Mỹ Tho is the capital city, center of economics, education and technology of Tiền Giang Province, located in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 169,000 in 2006 and 220,000 in 2012. The majority ethnic is the Kinh, and some of the Chinese, the Cham and the Khmer. Boat rides on the Mỹ Tho River are popular with tourists, and the city is known for hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho, a type of soup.

The Mekong Delta (Vietnamese: Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long ;Nine Dragon river delta) is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of 39,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi). The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.

The Mekong Delta has recently been dubbed as a biological treasure trove. Over 10,000 new species have been discovered in previously unexplored areas of Mekong Delta, including a species of rat thought to be extinct.

Spring 2014 Parents' Weekend photos

This is the Northern Light Show that currently showing at Adelaide North Terrace for the art festival~ I will posting quite a few of them at once, but please don't feel pressure to comment them all~ I just want to show you guys what is it all about.

And all the photos # 1,2,3,4 that I posted here are from the same building~ it just using the the projector lights to show it in different pattern, aren't they amazing???

"Celebrating one of the most beautiful cultural boulevards in the world for the duration of the Festival, the city’s historic architectural icons will be painted with light and coloured with life.

Artwork alongside the Rochdale Canal in Mytholmroyd, Calderdale, West Yorkshire.

The Rochdale is a broad canal because its locks are wide enough to allow vessels of 14 feet width. The canal runs for 32 miles (51 km) across the Pennines from the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield Basin in Manchester to join the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire. As built, the canal had 92 locks. Whilst the traditional lock numbering has been retained on all restored locks, and on the relocated locks, the canal now has 91. Locks 3 and 4 have been replaced with a single deep lock, Tuel Lane Lock, which is numbered 3/4.

The Rochdale Canal was conceived in 1776, when a group of 48 men from Rochdale raised £237 and commissioned James Brindley to conduct a survey of possible routes between Sowerby Bridge and Manchester. Brindley proposed a route similar to the one built, and another more expensive route via Bury. Further progress was not made until 1791, when John Rennie was asked to make a new survey in June, and two months later to make surveys for branches to Rochdale, Oldham and to a limeworks near Todmorden. Rennie at the time had no experience of building canals.

The promoters, unsure as to whether to build a wide or a narrow canal, postponed the decision until an Act of Parliament had been obtained. The first attempt to obtain an act was made in 1792, but was opposed by mill owners, concerned about water supply. Rennie proposed using steam pumping engines, three in Yorkshire, eight in Lancashire, and one on the Burnley Branch, but the mill owners argued that 59 mills would be affected by the scheme, resulting in unemployment, and the bill was defeated. In September 1792, William Crosley and John Longbotham surveyed the area in an attempt to find locations for reservoirs which would not affect water supplies to the mills. A second bill was presented to Parliament, for a canal which would have a 3,000-yard (2,700 m) tunnel and 11 reservoirs. Again the bill was defeated, this time by one vote. The promoters, in an attempt to understand the mill owners' position, asked William Jessop to survey the parts of the proposed canal that were causing most concern. Jessop gave evidence to the Parliamentary committee, and on 4 April 1794 an act was obtained which created the Rochdale Canal Company and authorised construction.

Rennie's estimated cost in the second bill was £291,000, and the company was empowered to raise the money by issuing shares, with powers to raise a further £100,000 if required. The estimate was for a narrow canal, whereas the act authorised a broad canal, and so the capital was never going to be adequate. The summit tunnel was abandoned in favour of 14 additional locks saving £20,000. Jessop proposed constructing each lock with a drop of 10 feet (3.0 m), resulting in efficient use of water and the need to manufacture only one size of lock gate.

The canal opened in stages as sections were completed, with the Rochdale Branch the first in 1798 and further sections in 1799. The bottom nine locks opened in 1800 and boats using the Ashton Canal could reach Manchester. Officially, the canal opened in 1804, but construction work continued for more three years. A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) branch from Heywood to Castleton opened in 1834.

Apart from a short profitable section in Manchester linking the Bridgewater and Ashton Canals, most of the length was closed in 1952 when an act of parliament was obtained to ban public navigation. The last complete journey had taken place in 1937, and by the mid 1960s the remainder was almost unusable. Construction of the M62 motorway in the late 1960s took no account of the canal, cutting it in two.

When an Act of Parliament was sought in 1965, to authorise the abandonment of the canal, the Inland Waterways Association petitioned against it, and when it was finally passed, it contained a clause that ensured the owners would maintain it until the adjacent Ashton Canal was abandoned. Discussion of the relative merits of restoring the canal or the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in 1973 led the formation of societies to promote both schemes in 1974. The Rochdale Canal Society wanted to see the canal fully re-opened, as part of a proposed Pennine Park

The Rochdale Canal Society worked hard both to protect the line of the canal and to begin the process of refurbishing it. A new organisational structure was created in 1984, with the formation of the Rochdale Canal Trust Ltd, who leased the canal from the owning company. The MSC-funded restoration was approaching Sowerby Bridge, where planners were proposing a tunnel and deep lock to negotiate a difficult road junction at Tuel Lane, so that a connection could be made with the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The entire eastern section from Sowerby Bridge to the summit at Longlees was open by 1990, although it remained isolated from the canal network.

In 1997, the Rochdale Canal Trust was restructured, in response to announcements that there might be large grants available as part of the millennium celebrations. The canal was still at this point owned by a private company, and the Millennium Commission would not make grants to a scheme which was for private profit, rather than public benefit. The restructuring would allow the Trust to take over responsibility for the canal from the Rochdale Canal Company. However, the plan was rejected by the Commission, and in order to access the grant of £11.3 million, the Waterways Trust took over ownership of the canal. As restoration proceeded, boats could travel further and further west, and the restoration of the sections through Failsworth and Ancoats were a significant part of the re-development of the north Manchester districts. The restored sections joined up with the section in Manchester below the Ashton Canal junction, which had never been closed, and on 1 July 2002 the canal was open for navigation along its entire length.

In 2019 is het 75 jaar geleden dat Operation Market Garden plaatsvond. Bij Ede is een grasveld ingericht als tijdelijk vliegveld zoals dat in 1944 was. Diverse historische warbirds, waaronder de Westland Lysander, diverse Mustangs, Hurricanes en Spitfires en een Buchon 109 waren aanwezig. Ook de B-25 van de KLuHV en B-17 Sally B zouden meedoen, maar beide waren helaas verhinderd. Het was deze dag schitterend weer met veel zon, helaas net aan de verkeerde kant waardoor veel tegen het licht in gefotografeerd moest worden. Maar desondanks een prachtige airshow waar we, als deze weer wordt herhaald, zeker bij aanwezig zullen zijn.

2019 marks 75 years since Operation Market Garden took place. At Ede, a lawn has been set up as a temporary airport as it was in 1944. Various historical warbirds, including the Westland Lysander, various Mustangs, Hurricanes and Spitfires and a Buchon 109 were present. The B-25 of the KLuHV and B-17 Sally B would also participate, but both were unfortunately unable to attend. The weather during this day was beautiful with a lot of sun. Unfortunately just on the wrong side, which meant that a lot had to be photographed against the light. But nevertheless a beautiful air show where we will be present if it is repeated again.

“It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it. The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled."

“The past is the one thing we are not prisoners of. We can do with the past exactly what we wish. What we can't do is to change its consequences.”

“History always constitutes the relation between a present and its past. Consequently fear of the present leads to mystification of the past”

“The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash.”

“Oil painting did to appearances what capital did to social relations. It reduced everything to the equality of objects. Everything became exchangeable because everything became a commodity.”

“To remain innocent may also be. to remain ignorant.”

John Berger's word live on, relevant in our troubled times, both poignant and urgent.

Obituaries:

The Guardian

New York Times

Al Jazeera

Nothing is more delightful than exercising in a swimming pool... Except photographing a beautiful ballet dancer working her legs and feet... Here, Miss Cecily is doing her twice daily exercise laps. This is just one part of her exercise program... I hope to post photos of her doing her ballet warmups too... I have started working out in the pool too. And, I still work out on the treadmill at St. Joseph's...

IMG_5216 - Version 2

This is a photo taken when I was arriving at Shipwreck (Navagio) Beach. Navagio is an isolated sandy cove on Zakynthos island and one of the most famous beaches in Greece. It is notable because it is home to the wreck of the alleged smuggler ship; thus, it is often referred to as 'Smugglers Cove'. This strip of beach can ONLY be accessed by boat. Truly a breathtaking experience.

Nikon D3

Lens: Nikon 14-24mm f2.8

For more information or prints contact me at Yanniglakis@aol.com

Sunday, August 27, 2011.

My girlfriend and I were out shooting for some upcoming photo club competitions. One of those competitions is themed “Patterns” and I thought, what better place for that than in architecture! So we went to Downtown Norfolk VA, in the financial district, to do some shooting. Let me also explain that she has some social issues with crowds, public spaces, anxiety, etc. Photography has been a useful tool in her therapy.

We parked our vehicle in front of the Bank of America building, 1 Commercial Place, Norfolk VA, and I started working with her. As a “new” photographer, I am spending time helping her learn the basics, etc. Anyway, we are on the public sidewalk shooting some buildings across the street. We turn to get some shots of the Bank of America building. While we are shooting, this little dude from a company called XSIG SECURITY (based in Baltimore MD) comes out and says that we can’t take pictures of the building. I remind him that there is this pesky thing called “The Constitution” and that as long as I am on public property, I can take pictures of anything visible to me. I immediately snapped a shot of him. (He was NOT amused). He threatened to call the Norfolk Police and have us arrested; I told him to go ahead, as I was not breaking any laws.

When we completed our shooting, I left my camera with my girlfriend and went to the security guards to ask for their names and a contact number. That female officer followed as I left her post. They told me that their supervisor, Carlton Hall, was coming over to “handle me.” When Hall showed up, I greeted him with an outstretched hand (as any gentleman would) and we talked. He stated that we absolutely could NOT take any pictures of “his” buildings from anywhere. Even across the river! I explained that we were just working on a project for our club, he cut me off and told me "(he) didn’t care if it was for Jesus Christ; that if (I) took any more pictures, (he) would personally have (us) arrested."

However, my girlfriend (who has some anxiety issues as I previously mentioned) was getting nervous, and was afraid that if we did not leave, we would spend the rest of the weekend in jail. So, at her behest, we returned home.

But I was pissed. Especially because I THOUGHT this issue had been settled last year, back when the rent-a-cops were operated by Wackenhut/G4. (Yes, I have been through this before with the security in that part of town!)

Not just because these idiots interrupted her photography therapy and my archetectural shoot, but because they think they are above the law. Actually, they seem to think they know all the law, and that they have the power over civilians. We use photography as a “therapy” to help her work through some of her issues, involving crowds, strangers, etc.

After getting home, I decided that I was going to return, and test their willingness to make fools of themselves; so I hopped back in my Jeep, and returned to the scene of the photography. After parking my Jeep, I was walking (about a block) to the Bank of America building, when I spotted a Norfolk Police officer on a Segway, Officer Lipski (as I recall). I hailed him, and explained the situation to him. He agreed with me, and said that they had issues with the rent-a-cops in that area before. He even explained to me that if it is in the view of the public, that the public could photograph it. Nice to hear from an actual police officer.

The officer then proceeded to cruise over to the rent-a-cops and explain the facts of life to them , and then saw Mr. Hall as well. He further explained that I could have THEM arrested for harassment and assault for what they said/did to us. He then told me to proceed with whatever shooting I was going to do, and reminded me to NOT step foot on the Bank of America property, to shoot from the sidewalk or the street (but to be safe if I was in the street!)

I was pleasantly surprised by the courtesy and sensibility of the Norfolk Police in this matter, as we have often read about police being real horses asses about photography. This Norfolk Police Officer renewed my faith that there are some decent cops who understand our rights as photographers and citizens.

I contacted XSIG in Baltimore the next morning, and their supervisor agreed that my girlfriend and I were completely right (as indicated by the Norfolk Police) and was a bit shocked at our treatment, especially by the supervisor and his comment. He assured me that it would not happen again. Not that I plan to go back there, but I may at some point...

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I believe there is another store already lined up for this space... At least I did hear that a specific retailer I will not name (not a typical mall anchor and fairly new to Ohio) was wanting to open here. Also, note the lack of leasing signs... Sears closed this store in June 2016; it was originally Montgomery Ward.

The Sandusky Mall was developed by the Cafaro Company and opened in 1977. Within a couple years, the mall featured May Company, JCPenney, Woolworth, Halle's, and Montgomery Ward. The short-lived Halle's (1980-1982) appears to have been converted to Elder-Beerman. May Company changed to Kaufmann's then Macy's and has since closed in March 2017. The Montgomery Ward store was closed in 1986 and changed to Sears. Sears closed in June 2016. Woolworth changed into T.J.Maxx (which now appears to be planning a relocation out of the mall).

Sandusky Mall - 4314 Milan Road - Sandusky, Ohio

*Feel free to use this photo, or any others in this photostream, for any use that is non-commercial. Please make sure to provide credit for the photo(s). Please contact me at eckhartnicholas@yahoo.com for questions or permission for commercial use.*

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Dassault MD.454 Mystère IV was a 1950s French fighter-bomber aircraft, the first transonic aircraft to enter service in French Air Force. The Mystère IV was an evolutionary development of the Mystère II aircraft and the straight-wing Ouragan. Although bearing an external resemblance to the earlier aircraft, the Mystère IV was in fact a new design with aerodynamic improvements for supersonic flight. The prototype first flew on 28 September 1952, and the aircraft entered service in April 1953.

Other users were Israel (20), India (42), Spain (16) and Australia (16) – many European countries rather settled for the license-built F-86K/L interceptors, sponsored by the USA (e. g. Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany), even though the Mystère IVN offered the benefit of a second crew member/WSO.

General characteristics

Crew: 2

Length: 14.92 m (49 ft 11 in)

Wingspan: 11.12 m (36 ft 5 ¾ in)

Height: 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in)

Wing area: 32.06 m² (345.1 ft²)

Empty weight: 7.140 kg (15.741 lb)

Max. take-off weight: 10.320 kg(22.752 lb)

Powerplant

1× Rolls-Royce Avon RA.7R rated at 7.350 lbf (32.69 kN) dry thrust and 9.553 lbf (43.30 kN) with afterburner

Performance

Maximum speed: 1.030 km/h (640 mph) at sea level

Range: 915 km (494 nmi, 570 mi) without external tanks,

Ferry range: 2.280 km (1.231 nmi, 1.417 mi) with external tanks

Service ceiling: 15.000 m (49.200 ft)

Rate of climb: 95 m/s (7.874 ft/min)

Armament

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons with 150 rounds per gun

1.000 kg (2.200 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints under the wings, including unguided rocket pods (for 19 x 68mm missiles each), drop tanks, iron bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber or up to four GAR-1/2 (AIM-4) ‘Falcon’ AAMs.

The kit and its assembly:

A whiffy aircraft – even though it actually existed! This became a bigger project than originally intended – it started when I wondered what one could whif from a Matchbox Mystère IVA? When I browsed sources I stumbled across the real IVN prototype several times, a very attractive aircraft. An all-weather version sounded like a plan.

At first I just wanted to add a radome and a chin air intake to the basic kit, creating a fantasy single-seater, but then I decided to tackle the challenge and create something that could be called a IVN model – even though a later service aircraft, and certainly not 100% true to the real thing.

Another factor that spoke for the IVN was that there is no kit available. AFAIK there’s a short-run, mixed-media 1:48 scale kit from Fonderie Miniatures of this aircraft – but in 1:72?

In real life, only a single Mystère IVN was actually built and flown – the type became a victim to the Vautour, as mentioned above. The only prototype served as a radar and equipment test bed, and AFAIK it still exists today as an exhibit at the Conservatoire de l'Air et de l'Espace d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux–Merignac. As a side note: With this plane Jacqueline Auriol beat the women world speed record in May 1955, flying 1.151 km/h

Basis for my conversion is the simple Matchbox Mystère IVA kit. Good news is that you just need to modify the fuselage for an IVN – wings and tail surfaces can be taken OOB. But the fuselage…?

The easier part is the rear end, as the exhaust pipe needs to be widened and lengthened for the IVN’s bigger afterburner engine. I cut the original tail section under the fin away and replaced it with parts from 1:100 A-10 engine nacelles, with a new nozzle inside and 2C putty sculpting around the fin base in order to get some cleaner lines. Pretty straightforward.

The front end was another thing, though. Almost anything in front of the wings had to be re-designed. Initial step was to lengthen the fuselage by almost exactly 20mm, but then you need the chin air intake with the radome above (very F-86D-like), too, and a tandem seat cockpit has to be integrated. Complicated!

I found a suitable cockpit hood in the Matchbox Meteor NF.11/12/14 kit (Hannant’s Xtrakit re-boxing). It offers, as optional parts for a late NF.14, a strutless, relatively short canopy together with a matching fuselage part. A very convenient combo for the conversion, as the clear parts can be glued onto correct foundations, and even the dorsal radius of Meteor and Mystère is very similar.

After cutting the fuselage in front of the wings in half I also cut out a dorsal gap around the original cockpit opening and tried to insert the donation part, while filling the 20mm gaps on the fuselage flanks with styrene strips on the inside of the fuselage and 2C and finally NC putty on the outside.

In the same step I also had to improvise a new cockpit floor. The dashboard and radar screen for the WSO were taken from the Meteor. I also added cockpit side walls from styrene sheet and ejection seats.

A dorsal spine had to be scratched, too, as the Meteor NF.14 had a bubble canopy, while the Mystère IVN features a straight spine. The canopy was cut at its rear end, and a part of a vintage FROG Me 410 engine nacelle(!) was implanted to fill the spine gap. More messy putty work, but things started to look like the real aircraft!

With the cockpit and the glass parts in place I started sculpting the nose section next. The radome is a WWII drop tank front end, cut out to match the IVA’s nose shape. Then the air intake below was added, it comes from a Italeri F-16 but had to be considerably modified in order to fit into the new place (narrowed, shortened, and with cutout on top for the radome). Being flatter and wider I extended the new intake’s lines and shape into cheek fairings, up to the cannon muzzles.

During the same process I also blended the radome with the circular front end of the original Mystère IVA. Again, lots of putty sculpting, but worth the effort. It’s certainly not 100% like the real thing, but IMHO the impression counts in this case.

The landing gear was taken OOB. Under the wings four pylons were added (from two Revell G.91 kits, the inner pairs), the inner pair received drop tanks (also from a Revell Fiat G.91), the outer pair holds the IVA kit’s streamlined rocket pods, those that come OOB.

For those who quibble about the Matchbox kit’s small drop tanks: No, these 'blobs' are typical French air-to-air missile pods of the 50ies/60ies, with 19 68mm missiles inside. They have vertical front and back ends, but they carry aerodynamic caps on both ends. Looks wacky, but if you know what they are they make sense. They can also be seen on contemporary Vautour aircraft.

In a wake of terminal detailism I also decided to modify the wings with lowered flaps – this is easy to realize, since area under the wings is limited by wide and deep trenches, and the flaps are just “boards”. The respective areas were sanded away, and new flaps made from thin styrene sheet.

Several pitots from wire or styrene were added, the gun ports drilled open and filled witn short pieces of hollow steel needles.

Painting and markings:

A French service aircraft would have been the 1st choice, but all aircraft from that era were left bare metal – with the rough putty surface not the best choice, and it might have looked rather F-86D-style?

Camouflaged French aircraft came later, with the imported F-100s and the SMB2, and those were rather tactical schemes.

So, I looked for an alternative, also in foreign countries, and settled on Belgium. The real Belgian Air Force situation is described above, and one can only wonder why they settled for the huge and rather ineffective CF-100, as it only carried unguided air-to-air rockets on the wing tips, but no cannon at all. So, there would have been a place for a smaller and more agile night fighter in the BAF.

The paint scheme follows the BAF’s fashion of the late 1950ies: RAF-style, featuring a rather dark green/dark grey camouflage, with pale grey the lower surfaces, but not in BS colors, rather European NATO standard.

I settled for Revell 46 (RAL 6014, NATO olive green) and Modelmaster 2085 (actually RLM 75 - it is a tad lighter than Dark Sea Grey) as basic colors for the upper sides, and Modelmaster 2039 (FS 16515, Canadian Voodoo Grey) for the lower sides. This sounds like an odd combo, but after consulting real aircraft pics of that era the colors seemed to deteriorate quickly, esp. the green would bleach into even reddish hues and the grey turn very pale.

Consequently the aircraft was weathered thoroughly through dry-brushing the upper sides and the panel lines with several lighter tones. The green received a treatment with RLM 81(!) and Humbrol 155, esp. around the hot rear end of the afterburner extension, and the grey was lightened with Dark Sea Grey and FS 36231.

The kit also received a light black ink wash in order to emphasize contrasts - most details were painted onto the hull, as I didn't dare a new engraving on the mixed material underground.

After painting was done I could not help but consider the camouflaged Mystère IVN to look like a blown-up Fiat G.91T? Weird how a paint scheme affects perception! To be honest, I don’t find the paint scheme truly sexy, but together with the Belgian cockades and the red 350th Squadron markings the aircraft looks disturbing enough to make you look twice.

The cockpit interior was painted in dark grey, the landing gear wells and other interior surfaces were left in Aluminum.

The red and white wing tip pitots are a nice, colorful detail. I am not certain if these were unique to the IVN prototype, but I adopted them for my service version – and the stripes were taken from real world BAF CF-100s.

Tactical codes were improvised with single letters from TL Modellbau sheets. The squadron marking decals come from a Modeldecal aftermarket sheet (#100), they belong to a Belgian CF-100.

The roundels were partly taken from the same sheet, but also from a TL Modellbau roundels sheet, as the CF-100 insignia were much too large for the relatively compact Mystère IVN.

A messy project, since almost the whole fuselage had to be modified – but worth the effort. The Mystère IVN is a pretty aircraft that unfortunately did not get its chance.

The bright Belgian roundels (esp. those on the wings, with their blue, wide extra ring!) make the aircraft look a bit surreal? Anyway, the NATO camouflage makes the Mystère IVA heritage almost disappear, I guess that the aircraft will confuse a lot of people. ;)

When I was editing the shots from patrixbourne last week, I read that the Flemish glass there was second only to that at Temple Ewell, which is what I was in Temple Ewell this morning.

I guess, once Temple Ewell was a separate village from Dover, situated at the pace where the Dour rises. It flows down a valley into the parish of River then into Dover. In its seven miles, there were many mills on the river, all bar one have now closed, including the one in Temple Ewell.

The main London road, the A2, used to pass through the village before going on to Lydden then up the down to where it runs now. It must have been a noisy and busy place for a while, but although the main road is still there, it is fairly quiet.

Ss. Peter and Paul is on the other side of the valley from the main road, the village has narrow streets, so narrow parking is impossible, so I park the car, grab the cameras and walk down to the river then up the other side where i can see the square tower of the church.

Certainly, the church itself was barely worth the effort of climbing the hill, but I was her to see the glass, which I can tell you was worth it.

In fact, I have been here before, many years ago before the church project began, so this was like visiting it for the first time.

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In a strange position, oddly isolated from the main road and pretty valley below. The church is a severe structure of Norman origin, over-restored in 1870 by Talbot Bury, whose work in Bath stone can only be described as unfortunate. The east window is by Martin Travers - Comper's pupil - but is not a good example of his work. However, the church contains fine good examples of Swiss glass comparable to the windows at Patrixbourne. Probably the best is the Flight into Egypt. One only wishes for more splashes of colour to enliven this otherwise plain church.

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Temple+Ewell

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Temple Ewell comes from the Anglian word ‘æwell’ meaning a ‘river source’, with the Middle English prefix ‘temple’ as a ‘temple; usually in allusion to properties of the Knights Templar’ - the Knights Templar possessed the site from the 12th century. The Domesday Book chronicles Temple Ewell as Etwelle or Ewelle.

Temple Ewell parish church is a Grade: II listed building, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The Templars built the church in the 12th century with additions in the following 100 years. Following the Templars suppression in 1312, the Knights Hospitaller took over the manor and made improvements to the church. In 1603, Joseph Hatch cast and hung, one of his first bells, in the Temple Ewell church, and completed a ring of three in 1610. Despite the sale of two bells, the first Hatch bell remains. In 1800, Edward Hasted, in his topographical survey described the church as ‘an antient building, consisting of only one isle and a chancel, having a low square tower at the west end.’ The architect Talbot Bury carried out extensive restoration in 1870.

www.kentpast.co.uk/temple_ewell.html

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EWELL,

WRITTEN in Domesday, both Ewelle and Etwelle, lies in the valley the next parish southward from Whitfield, alias Bewsfield, taking its name from the water or spring rising in it. It was antiently known likewise by the name of Temple Ewell, from the knights templars possessing the manor of it. The manor of Patrixborne claims over the farm of Waterend, in this parish. A borsholder for this parish is chosen at the court leet of the hundred.

EWELL is situated about three miles westward from Dover, in a like unfertile country as that last described, the soil of it being for the most part a hard chalk, the rest of it a cludgy unproductive red earth, mixed with quantities of sharp flint stones. The village of Ewell, with the church, is situated in the large and capacious valley which extends to the land's end at Dover, the high London road leading through it. The houses in this village are little more than cottages, being most of them but meanly built of flint, and a great part of them in a very ruinous condition, and it is far from being pleasantly situated.

The head of the river Dour rises in this valley, at the western boundary of the parish, and a little below Casney-court takes in another stream of it, the head of which rises about two miles higher southward, at the hamlet of Drelingore, in Alkham. This stream turns a corn-mill here near the church, and then flows on from hence eastward into the sea at Dover, a part of this stream, which is a kind of nailbourne rises from some springs in a meadow at Drelingore, which in very wet and windy weather increase to the height of ten feet, and run through the lands to the head of the river Dour, at Chilton, commonly beginning in February and ending in March or April, at which time the wells of fifteen or sixteen fathom depth are full; and the country people entertain a notion that this water has a subterraneous communication with the waters called the Liddon spouts, in the cliffs at Hougham, at least four miles from hence, of which further mention will be made below. Leland, in his Itinerary, vol. vii. p. 127, writes thus of this river: "As concerning the river of Dovar, it has no long course from no spring or hedde notable, that descendith to that botom. The principel hed as they say, is at a place cawled Ewelle, and that is not past a iii or iiii myles fro Dovar. There is also a great spring at a place cawled .......... and that ones in a vj or vij yeres brasted owt so abundantly that a great part of the water cummeth into Dovar streme, but els yt renneth yn to the se bytwyxt Dovar and Folchestan but nearer to Folchestan that ys to say withyn a ii myles of yt. Surely the hedde standeth so that it might with no great cost be brought to run away into Dovar streme."

The hills rise here on each side very high and mountainous, and the vales between them are very deep and hollow; the hills are almost wholly uninclosed, some of them arable, and the others covered with greenswerd, having furzes and broom interspersed on them at different intervals. These stupendous hills, in comparison of what the traveller has been used to in his journey hither, raise both his pleasure and admiration, the prospects on both sides being beautifully romantic and singular; and they are terminated by the town of Dover, its castle, and the sea, and beyond all, the Bologne hills on the coast of France.

In the valley, at the western part of this parish, on each side of the London road, are the two farms of Great and Little Waterend, so called from the end or rise of the river Dour. Close behind the latter, on the hill, there seems to be a line of breast works thrown up, and a large mount or barrow above them, which was opened lately, but nothing was found in it, and there are many other barrows, or tumuli, scattered about on the different hills in the neighbourhood of Dover. On the hill on the left side, about a mile from the village, is the court-lodge of the manor, called the Temple farm, situated near the scite of the antient mansion of the knights of that order, the remains of the buildings having been destroyed about sixty years ago. Some have doubted, whether this was not the house where king John resigned his crown to Pandulph, the pope's legate, A. D. 1213, on account of the pardon of archbishop Langton, which was one effect of that meeting being dated at the temple of Ewell, (fn. 1) whilst others have conjectured that this was done at Dover; but the templars had no house there. Others again have placed it at the house of the commandry of the templars, at Swingfield, where, or at this mansion of Ewell, it certainly was. Which of them is was is left to the reader's option. (fn. 2) At no great distance from hence is Archers-court; and still further, Old Park hill, so called from its having once been the park, belonging to the temple here. On this hill, is the house sitted up by Dr. Osborne, which being white, is a distinguished object between the break of these lofty hills to the adjacent country, over which, the British channel, and the coast of France, it has a most extensive prospect. On the other side of the village this parish extends again up the hills; on them is a common, called, from the barrenness of the soil, Scotland common; and a little further, to another large one, called Ewell Minnis, where it joins to Alkham, in a wild and dreary country.

AT THE TIME of taking the survey of Domesday, the bishop of Baieux held the greatest part of this parish, as appears by the following entry, under the general title of his lands in it:

In Beusherg hundred. Hugo holds Ewelle of the bishop. It was taxed at three sulings. The arable land is . . . . . In demesne there is one carucate, and fifteen villeins, with twelve borderers, having two carucates. There are two mills of forty-six shillings, and four acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of four hogs. In the time of king Edward the Consessor, it was worth twelve pounds, and yet afterwards one hundred shillings, now ten pounds, and yet it pays twelve pounds and twelve shillings. Edric de Alkam held it of king Edward.

Of this manor, Hugo de Montfort holds seventeen acres of land, and one denne and an half, which is valued at seven shillings.

And a little further, under the same possessions:

The same Ralph (de Curbespine) holds Ewelle. It was taxed at three sulings. The arable land is . . . . . In demesne there is one carucate, and five villeins, with four borderers, having two carucates. There is wood for the pannage of ten hogs. Of this manor, a certain knight holds one suling of Ralph, and there he has one carucate, with three borderers.

The whole manor, in the time of king Edward the Consessor, was worth twelve pounds, and afterwards twenty shillings, now forty shillings, and yet what Ralph has pays four pounds. Hugo de Montfort has the chief seat of the manor, and there are five mills and an half of six pounds. Molleue held it of king Edward.

And again, in the same survey, under the title of the land of Hugh de Montfort, is the following entry:

In Estry lath, in Beusberge hundred. Hugo de Montfort himself holds Etwelle. Molleue held it. It was taxed at three sulings, and now for one suling.

The arable land is one carucate, and there it is in demesne, and nineteen borderers, having one carucate. There is a church, and four mills and an half of four pounds and seventeen shillings and four pence, and four acres of meadow. In the time of king Edward the Consessor, it was worth eleven pounds, and afterwards four pounds, now eight pounds.

Four years after taking of this survey, the bishop was disgraced, and all his possessions were confiscated as were those above-mentioned of Hugh de Montfort, on the exile of his grandson Robert, in the next reign of king William Rufus, so that the whole of the lands above described, became at those periods escheats to the crown.

They comprehended most probably the greatest part of this parish, as well as that of River adjoining. In this parish they constituted the superior manor in it, afterwards called THE MANOR OF EWELL, alias TEMPLE EWELL, which was at the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in the tenure of Hugh de Montfort, and after its becoming an escheat to the crown as before-mentioned, was granted to William the king's brother, and William Peverelle, who gave it in alms to the knights templars, as may be seen by the inquisition taken of their possessions in 1185, now in the king's remembrancer's office; which gift was afterwards increased in this and the adjoining parishes, by the donation of several others. (fn. 3)

The knights templars, who bore for their arms, Gules, a plain cross, argent, (fn. 4) were most probably first instituted in England, at the latter end of Henry I.'s reign, or the very beginning of that of king Stephen, by whose successor, king Henry II. they were much caressed, and their possessions, though in so short a time, were increased to a large revenue; but at length in the early part of king Edward II.'s reign, their over-great wealth and power had so corrupted their morals, and the vicious lives which they most of them led, had so entirely estranged the king's favor, as well as of the nobles and nation in general from them, that for the peace and safety of the realm, it was found necessary wholly to put an end to them; accordingly, being accused of various crimes, their persons were every where seized and imprisoned, and their lands and goods confiscated, which were seized on by the king and other lords as escheats, the judges affirming that by the laws of the land they might warrantably hold them; and the whole order of them was dissolved in the 6th year of that reign, anno 1312, in a general council held at Vienna by pope Clement V. who immediately afterwards conferred their lands and effects on the knights hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, which the king confirmed next year, and an act passed anno 17 Edward II. by which the king, nobles, and others, assembled in parliament, granted that their lands and effects should be assigned, according to the will of the donors, to other men of religion, that they might be charitably disposed of to godly uses, and as such there were by it wholly given to the knights hospitallers; who thus becoming possessed of this manor, which from the long possession of the former owners, had acquired the name of Temple Ewell, continued in the possession of it till the general dissolution of their order in king Henry VIII.'s reign, when this manor, among the rest of the possessions of it, was surrendered into the king's hands, and was confirmed to him and his heirs by the general words of the act of the 32d year of that reign; and although the order of knights hospitallers was restored by letters patent of 4 and 5 Philip and Mary, and many of their antient manors and possessions given to them. Yet their re-establishment seems never to have taken place; and on the accession of queen Elizabeth, two years afterwards, it was wholly annihilated.

The manor of Temple Ewell, with the appropriation and advowson of the vicarage appendant, after the dissolution of the order of knights hospitallers, in king Henry the VIIIth.'s reign, remained in the hands of the crown, till king Edward VI. in his 5th year, granted them to Edward, lord Clinton and Saye, lord high admiral, and of his privy council, to hold in capite, (fn. 5) and he within a few months afterwards reconveyed them to the crown, where they staid but till the next year, when the king granted them to Sir William Cavendish, to hold in like manner, who the same year alienated them to Sir Richard Sackville, chancellor of the court of augmentations, who in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign alienated them to Winifred, marchioness of Winchester, and she in the 24th year of it joined with other trustees in the sale of them to Thomas Digge and William Boys, who quickly afterwards passed them away to John Daniell, whose two daughters and coheirs carried them in marriage to John Mabb and William Wiseman, who at the latter end of that reign joined in the sale of them to Mr. Robert Bromley, mercer, of London, and he about the beginning of king James I.'s reign, passed them away by sale to William Angell, of London, clerk of the acatery to that king, whose ancestor resided in Northamptonshire in king Henry the VIIth.'s reign, and bore for his arms, Or, five lozenges in fess, azure, surmounted of a bendlet, gules; and in his descendants, resident at Crowhurst, in Surry, for many successive generations, (fn. 6) they continued down to John Angell, esq. who was of Stockwell, in Middlesex, and died possessed of them in 1784, unmarried, and by his will devised them to Mr. Benedict Brown, his next heirgeneral, in default of lineal male issue, from his greatgrandfather William Angell, esq. of Crowhurst, subject to which proviso, Mr. Brown soon afterwards alienated this manor of Ewell, alias Temple Ewell, with the rectory impropriate, and the advowson of the vicarage appendant, to William Osborne, esq. of London, M. D. who at times resides here at Old Park-place, a house which he has sitted up and enlarged for that purpose on this estate, and he is the present possessor of them. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.

THERE IS a portion of tithes arsing from ninety acres of land in Coldred, payable to the lords of Temple Ewell manor. (fn. 7)

THE MANOR OF TEMPLE, alias BOSWELL BANKS, and DOWNE, called in the survey of Domesday, Brochestelle, and in other records, Brostall, lies in the southern part of this parish, and partly in the adjoining one of Swingfield. In the reign of the Conqueror it was part of the possessions of the bishop of Baieux, under the general title of whose possessions it is thus entered in that survey:

Herfrid holds of Hugo, Brochestele, and it is of the fee of the bishop. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is . . . . In demesne there is one carucate and two servants. In the time of king Edward the Consessor, it was worth sixty shillings, and afterwards sixty, now forty. When Herbert received it three yoke, now two yoke. Ulnod held it of king Edward.

And further on: The same Ralph (de Curbespine) holds of the bishop one yoke in Brochestele, which Molleue held of king Edward; and there is one villein paying thirty pence.

Four years after taking this survey, the bishop of Baieux fell under the king's displeasure, and all his lands and possessions were confiscated; after which, it appears by an inquisition taken anno 1434, (fn. 8) to have been held by Sir Robert de Clottingham, who gave this manor of Brosthall, with its appurtenances in Swynfelde, to the knights templars, on whose suppression it came into the hands of the knights hospitallers, with whom it continued till their dissolution in the 32d year of king Henry VIII. when it came to the crown, where it staid, till it was at length granted by queen Elizabeth to Stokes, of Waterend, in this parish, in which name it continued, till it was alienated in the same reign to Harvey, from which name in king Charles I.'s reign, it was conveyed by sale to Capt. Temple, of Dover; who was possessed of it in the beginning of the next reign of king Charles II. after which it passed by sale to Freeman, of this parish, who was succeeded in it by his son, and he sold it to Capt. Fagg, of Updown, near Eastry, and he alienated it about the year 1777 to Mr. Henry Belsey, who died possessed of it in 1792, and his eldest son Mr. William Belsey, is now entitled to it. There is no court held for this manor.

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly relieved are not more than two or three, and casually as many.

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Dover.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is an antient building, consisting of only one isle and a chancel, having a low square tower at the west end. In it was formerly this coat of arms, Vert, two bendlets, argent, on a chief, gules, three mullets, argent. It has at present nothing worth further notice in it.

¶This church was always appendant to the manor. It was very early appropriated to the order of knights templars, after whose dissolution it was given, with the advowson of the vicarage to the knights hospitallers, and on their suppression, passed with the manor as an appendage to it, in like manner as has been already fully mentioned before, through a succession of owners, to William Osborne, esq. of London, M. D. who is the present owner of the impropriation and advowson of the vicarage of this church, appendant to the manor of Temple Ewell.

In 1588 here were communicants one hundred and twelve, and it was valued at fifteen pounds. It is valued in the king's books at 6l. 13s. 4d. and the yearly tenths at 13s. 4d. It is now of the yearly certified value of 13l. 10s. 8d.

In the register of the archdeacon's court is a return and terrier of the glebe and profits of this vicarage, made in 1616, by which it appears to have consisted of a vicarage-house, with a garden adjoining to it. That there were belonging to it all manner of tithes, excepting those of corn, viz. hay, wood, lambs, wool, calves, and colts, fruits of trees, &c. That there were certain parcels of lands, called Hamstalles, in the whole about six acres and an half, that ever had paid the tithe of corn to the vicar as his due.

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp426-436

...but if a man bites a dog, that is news.

-

shakhari bazaar

old dhaka

**

People reading street wall pasted newspaper.

Press L, for large on dark background

Castle Drogo is a country house and mixed-revivalist castle near Drewsteignton, Devon, England. Constructed between 1911 and 1930, it was the last castle to be built in England. The client was Julius Drewe, the hugely successful founder of the Home and Colonial Stores. Drewe chose the site in the belief that it formed part of the lands of his supposed medieval ancestor, Drogo de Teigne. The architect he chose to realise his dream was Edwin Lutyens, then at the height of his career. Lutyens lamented Drewe's determination to have a castle but nevertheless produced one of his finest buildings. The architectural critic, Christopher Hussey, described the result: "The ultimate justification of Drogo is that it does not pretend to be a castle. It is a castle, as a castle is built, of granite, on a mountain, in the twentieth century".

The castle was given to the National Trust in 1974, the first building constructed in the twentieth century that the Trust acquired. The castle is a Grade I listed building. The gardens are Grade II* listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The tide is high and the storm approaching. The Blue Heron feeds best during the low tide, meaning he won't see low water until probably Monday as the coastal flooding starts later today and won't abait until Monday. For now, this bird is hunkering down where the ground is high and he is protected from the winds. As seen here, they often stand on one leg. Nobody knows for sure why, but they theorize it is to conserve body heat and/or to look less suspicious while hunting prey. Since he isn't hunting, I'll go with the conservation of body heat theory.

Is it the width or ratio that counts, adjust your dial to 16:9 and take a Cinematic style shot, like a frame from a movie, post it then Tag it with #TP844

My sunset yesterday was suppose to be at 16:9 but, when I was out I changed my settings to get the shot and forgot about the challenge!

How does one move a vintage passenger car that is unfit to move by rail? The simple answer is you place rubber tires beneath it and tow it on the Interstate.

This is the Glen Ayr, built by Pullman at Chicago, in August 1928, for the Chicago & North Western. It was a bedroom car - six compartments and three drawing rooms. It was used on the North Western Limited, C&NW's premier overnight train between Chicago and the Twin Cities and it epitomized the finest in luxury travel at the zenith of the heavyweight era. After the car was removed from the North Western Limited service in the mid 50s, it reverted back to the Pullman Company where it was used on east coast New York to Florida trains. The car was acquired by Atlantic Coast Line when Pullman was required to divest its car fleet. Eventually, the car was placed in MOW service and it was later sold to the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western, a regional railroad in North Carolina; however, the car was stored on CSXT property at Jacksonville, Florida.

In May 2025, Robert Menzies, CEO of the AC&W gifted the Glen Ayr to the Historic Pullman Foundation (HPF). HPF is the philanthropic partner to the National Park Service for the Pullman National Historic Park. HPF is acquiring rail cars on behalf of NPS and the Glen Ayr is the first car that HPF has taken possession of. The car was towed by truck from Jacksonville to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America shops at Silvis, IL. I am the Secretary of the HPF Board of Directors and on July 31, 2025, I met fellow Board member Mike Matejka, seen above, at Silvis, for the re-trucking and re-railing of the Glen Ayr. The work was performed by an excellent crew from RJ Corman.

Once the car is restored to its as built 1928 condition, it will be moved to Chicago and displayed at the Pullman National Historic Park.

Note: This is a series of five images.

When the Dutch settled in South Africa, they named this animal “wildebeest,” meaning “wild beast,” due to its untamed appearance and vigorous nature.

Bulls will challenge one another when encountering each other at the edges of their territories. They follow a series of ritualized actions: bucking, snorting, pawing at the ground, fighting, and grunting in a deep croaking manner like a frog.

The wildebeests will face one another on their knees, foreheads to the ground, ready for combat. The bulls move forward to strike each other, knocking heads and horns, but rarely will become injured.

Some scientists speculate that these confrontations spark a rise in hormone levels, as non-territorial bulls in bachelor groups are very serene. (Source: Natural Habitat Adventures)

For greater detail, please click on the image.

The Château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire is a French castle, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, located in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire in the department of Loiret in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

The Loire Navy Museum (French: Musée de la Marine de Loire) is located in the old stables of the castle.

Geography

Originally, the castle was built in the former province of Orléanais of the Kingdom of France.

The building is located in the natural region of the Loire Valley, at the corner of the Douves and Aristide-Briand squares, in the town center of the commune, near the north bank of the Loire.

History

The construction of the castle began in the 17th century. Certain parts and structures of the seigneurial residence are made using a yellow calcareous stone from the quarries of the town of Apremont-sur-Allier. The blocks of stone were then transported by waterway via the course of the Allier, then that of the Loire using flat-bottomed boats.

It was bought between 1792 and 1794 by the Orléans architect Benoît Lebrun who had a large part of the building destroyed. It retained only the rotunda, a gallery, the orangery, the outbuildings and the entrance pavilions. He died there on September 29, 1819.

The commune of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire bought the castle in 1926 and set up schools and the town hall there.

Park

The organization of the park, dating from the 17th century, first followed the influence of André Le Nôtre, gardener to the King of France in the 17th century. In 1821, the space was remodeled into an English-style park under the impetus of René Charles Huillard d'Hérou.

The park extends over twenty hectares and includes a river that connects the castle moat to the banks of the Loire.

In 1934, the General Council of Loiret became the owner of the park and managed its development.

Notable flora include the alley of arborescent rhododendrons and azaleas, giant magnolias and tulip trees. The park is home to around 30 remarkable trees, including a Japanese pagoda tree and a Virginia tulip tree registered since June 2009 in the directory of remarkable trees in France.

The reconstruction of the Temple of Love originally built in the park in the 18th century was carried out by students from the Lycée Gaudier-Brzeska in Saint-Jean-de-Braye and inaugurated on February 14, 2009.

In 2010-2011, the General Council of Loiret developed 7 hectares of the park in order to clean up the park's wetlands and connect the promenade to the Loire.

Châteauneuf-sur-Loire is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.

Population

Historical population

YearPop.±% p.a.

19684,850—

19755,528+1.89%

19825,998+1.17%

19906,558+1.12%

19997,032+0.78%

20077,801+1.31%

20127,926+0.32%

20178,126+0.50%

Twin towns

Portugal Amarante, Portugal

Germany Bad Laasphe, Germany

André Le Nôtre (French pronunciation; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles; his work represents the height of the French formal garden style, or jardin à la française.

Prior to working on Versailles, Le Nôtre collaborated with Louis Le Vau and Charles Le Brun on the park at Vaux-le-Vicomte. His other works include the design of gardens and parks at Bicton Park Botanical Gardens, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Saint-Cloud and Saint-Germain. His contribution to planning was also significant: at the Tuileries he extended the westward vista, which later became the avenue of the Champs-Élysées and comprise the Axe historique.

Biography

Early life

André Le Nôtre was born in Paris, into a family of gardeners. Pierre Le Nôtre, who was in charge of the Tuileries Garden in 1572, may have been his grandfather. André's father Jean Le Nôtre was also responsible for sections of the Tuileries gardens, initially under Claude Mollet, and later as head gardener, during the reign of Louis XIII. André was born on 12 March 1613, and was baptised at the Église Saint-Roch. His godfather at the ceremony was an administrator of the royal gardens, and his godmother was the wife of Claude Mollet.

The family lived in a house within the Tuilieries, and André thus grew up surrounded by gardening, and quickly acquired both practical and theoretical knowledge. The location also allowed him to study in the nearby Palais du Louvre, part of which was then used as an academy of the arts. He learned mathematics, painting and architecture, and entered the atelier of Simon Vouet, painter to Louis XIII, where he met and befriended the painter Charles Le Brun. He learned classical art and perspective, and studied for several years under the architect François Mansart, a friend of Le Brun.

Career

In 1635, Le Nôtre was named the principal gardener of the king's brother Gaston, Duke of Orléans. On 26 June 1637, Le Nôtre was appointed head gardener at the Tuileries, taking over his father's position. He had primary responsibility for the areas of the garden closest to the palace, including the orangery built by Simon Bouchard. In 1643 he was appointed "draughtsman of plants and terraces" for Anne of Austria, the queen mother, and from 1645 to 1646 he worked on the modernisation of the gardens of the Palace of Fontainebleau.

He was later put in charge of all the royal gardens of France, and in 1657 he was further appointed Controller-General of the Royal Buildings. There are few direct references to Le Nôtre in the royal accounts, and Le Nôtre himself seldom wrote down his ideas or approach to gardening. He expressed himself purely through his gardens. He became a trusted advisor to Louis XIV, and in 1675 he was ennobled by the King. He and Le Brun even accompanied the court at the Siege of Cambrai (1677).

In 1640, he married Françoise Langlois. They had three children, although none survived to adulthood.

Vaux-le-Vicomte

André Le Nôtre's first major garden design was undertaken for Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's Superintendent of Finances. Fouquet began work on the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in 1657, employing the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter Charles Le Brun, and Le Nôtre. The three designers worked in partnership, with Le Nôtre laying out a grand, symmetrical arrangement of parterres, pools and gravel walks. Le Vau and Le Nôtre exploited the changing levels across the site, so that the canal is invisible from the house, and employed forced perspective to make the grotto appear closer than it really is. The gardens were complete by 1661, when Fouquet held a grand entertainment for the king. But only three weeks later, on 10 September 1661, Fouquet was arrested for embezzling state funds, and his artists and craftsmen were taken into the king's service.

Versailles

From 1661, Le Nôtre worked for Louis XIV to build and enhance the garden and parks of the Palace of Versailles. Louis extended the existing hunting lodge, eventually making it his primary residence and seat of power. Le Nôtre also laid out the radiating city plan of Versailles, which included the largest avenue yet seen in Europe, the Avenue de Paris.

In the following century, the Versailles design influenced Pierre Charles L'Enfant's master plan for Washington, D.C. See, L'Enfant Plan.

Other gardens

France

In 1661, Le Nôtre was also working on the gardens at the Palace of Fontainebleau. In 1663 he was engaged at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and the Château de Saint-Cloud, residence of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, where he would oversee works for many years. Also from 1663, Le Nôtre was engaged at the Château de Chantilly, the property of the Prince de Condé, where he worked with his brother-in-law Pierre Desgots until the 1680s. From 1664 he was rebuilding the gardens of the Tuileries, at the behest of Colbert, Louis's chief minister, who still hoped the king would remain in Paris. In 1667 Le Nôtre extended the main axis of the gardens westward, creating the avenue which would become the Champs-Élysées. Colbert commissioned Le Nôtre in 1670, to alter the gardens of his own Château de Sceaux, which was ongoing until 1683.

Abroad

Le Nôtre's most impressive design other than Versailles is the gardens of Bicton Park Botanical Gardens in Devon, England which can still be visited today. In 1662, he provided designs for Greenwich Park in London, for Charles II of England. In 1670 Le Nôtre conceived a project for the Castle of Racconigi in Italy, and between 1674 and 1698 he remodelled the gardens of the Palace of Venaria, and the Royal Palace of Turin. In 1679, he visited Italy.

Final works

Between 1679 and 1682, he was involved in the planning of the gardens of Château de Meudon for François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, and in 1691 redid the garden of the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan in Paris.

His work has often been favorably compared and contrasted ("the antithesis") to the œuvre of Capability Brown, the English landscape architect.

List of principal gardens by Le Nôtre

17th-century engraving of the gardens of the Château de Chantilly

Plan of the Château de Braine and its gardens

Gardens of Versailles, city plan of Versailles

Gardens of Bicton Park Botanical Gardens

Gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte

Gardens of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Gardens of the Château de Saint-Cloud (the château no longer stands but the gardens still exist)

Gardens of the Palais des Tuileries

Gardens of the Château de Sceaux

Gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau

Gardens of the Château de Chantilly

Gardens of the Château de Bercy (demolished), Charenton-le-Pont

Gardens of the Château de Braine (demolished, Braine, Aisne)

Gardens of the Château de Chambonas

Gardens of the Château d'Issy (demolished)

Gardens of the Château de Chenailles

In popular culture

André Le Nôtre was played by Matthias Schoenaerts in the 2014 film A Little Chaos.

Here is another Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) butterfly paused for a moment on a branch of native Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum, Rosaceae) in the woods today. It's surrounded by flowering plants of California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia, Asteraceae) that it's really interested in - compare this photo from last week, which I forgot about. (San Marcos Pass, 23 September 2020)

Today was a pleasantly warm autumn day, up into the 80s with the usual annoying breeze from the south that keeps everything in motion. It sounds like it will turn HOT again next week. It may be autumn, but we're at the peak of our wildfire season.

Longshan Temple (龍山寺) is one of the oldest temples in Taipei. It was built by the Hokkien migrants from China in 1738 as a branch of the temple from their homeland, where it was built at the foot of the dragon mountain, or longshan.

The original structure was destroyed by fires and earthquakes and bombed by the Americans during World War II. So the current temple is quite new.

The temple is an impressive sight, with the intricately carved figures on the roofs of the various buildings. But what is truly impressive is that it is very much a part of the religious and cultural life of the residents. When we got there, there was an ongoing ceremony and so the temple was filled with people chanting and presenting their offerings to the deities in the temple.

www.taiwanobsessed.com/longshan-temple-taipei/

I guess when you are in love, you are totally blind. You are in your own little care free world. I was contemplating whether to post this image and finally I 've decided to do so because it contains all the elements I want in an image. The story behind this image is this. I had set up my tripod with my camera on the beach waiting for the sun to go down. When these rocks started to turn golden color, I saw this couple walk in front of my POV. I supposed they saw me as well because I was just 20 yards away. I wasn't upset or anything about their "intrusion". However, I wanted to turn this situation around as I really had no time before everything turned dark. When the couple stopped right at the water line, I began to watch their every move trying to catch the right moment. I moved my set up several feet away to another location so that I could also capture the wave splashing against the rock. All this time, the couple did not realize I was training my camera on them. With a couple of experiment shots, I set the shutter speed to 0.4 sec just to give the waves a little silky appearance but not blurring the moving human figures in the mean time. When the girl started starring down toward the water in a shy way fully embraced by the guy from behind, I knew I had the shot. Afterward, I wanted to walk up to them and asked them whether they wanted to pose for a few more shots as a free gift to them for being my accidental models. But a fellow photographer from Stanford U interrupted me from behind. He asked me whether this couple were my models and that we knew each other. I said heck no and we started chitchatting about gear and even got into a conversation about Space X. By the time we finished, the couple had already disappeared and nowhere to be found. So there you have it. Love is blind.

This is one end of Bugis Street in Singapore in 1966. Most of Bugis street was behind me when I took this photograph.

A street market by day, in the evening it became one long open air bar and restaurant. This must have been taken around 6pm before darkness fell, and long before the street theatre, colourful characters and drinkers thronged the street.

This was all demolished in 1985 as Singapore became a modern city, but such was the outcry, they were forced to build a new Bugis street, although by all accounts a sanitized shopping version. In Singapore now it would not be possible to have a street as politically incorrect or lively as the original Bugis Street.

Students are getting to work on their Human Ecology Class projects. This semester we have a wide variety of projects going on such as film advocacy, star charting, soap making, trailblazing, dive platform construction, up-cycling, and more.

This is an image from my collection. Although predominantly slide scans, it includes other types of media as well. All have been collected over the past 40+ years of shooting Kodachrome and digital images, slide purchases and many years of exchanging. I was fortunate enough to trade with some of the best airliner photographers around the world.

Created in 2017, this is a curated archive that serves to share what otherwise would be kept in binders and boxes, not being enjoyed by anyone, myself included.

REGISTRATION : C-GDTD

MFR TYPE & SERIES : Convair 580 (340-31)

MSN : 28

OPERATOR : Great Lakes Airlines

AIRPORT (WHEN KNOWN) : Vancouver YVR

DATE (WHEN KNOWN) :

PHOTOGRAPHER (WHEN KNOWN) : John Kimberley

REMARKS:

This pic is a close up of a paper quilling order that I completed Oct 12,2008.A friend ordered this for her 2 month old niece for Christmas. See my photostream to view this completed order which took me aprox 20 hours to finish.

أشكر سعد الفرحان و عبدالعزيز المطوع

اتت فكرة هذه الصوره و هي عبارة عن صراع بين الخير و الشر

وحاولنا تطبيقها بشكل فكاهي اكثر

أتمنى ان تعجبكم :)

Camera Model :Canon EOS 400D digital

Lens : sigma 18-200 mm

Shutter Speed : 1/60 Sec

F-Number : F/11

Exposure Time : 1/60 Sec

ISO Speed : 200

Flash Mode : studio Flash

Exposure Program : Manual

Date Picture Taken 14/08/2009 07:54 PM

© All rights reserved

This is a different mosquito-like Dance Fly in the family Empididae on a male staminate catkin of Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis, Salicaceae) by the creek. This one is visibly different from the ones I show in this photo, smaller and blacker. It's dusted with pollen from the flowers. These tiny flies do a great job of transporting pollen as they go back and forth between the separate male and female plants of this dioecious tree. HFDF! (San Marcos Pass, 16 February 2017)

"Oh, the wind and rain..."

We've had more than 8-1/2 inches of rain since last night, and it's still coming as I type this! It was raining so hard today that I never got out, and the highway was closed from both ends anyway. I'll get out tomorrow to inspect the damage, but the creeks drop fast after the rain stops. I would like to see the lake. The river peaked today at 13,200 cfs - a lot of water under the bridge! I can't find any news, but the lake must be filling after being down below ten percent capacity during the drought - just a month ago. Sounds crazy, but it's happened before. It's nice how San Marcos Pass was the target for this storm - just as the NWS forecast.

(Hah - three of us foolish friends carried a raft down to Gibraltor Dam and rafted down the Santa Ynez River to the first crossing after the "March Miracle" rains of 1991 when we got almost 20 inches of rain in one week. We got to the end after dark to be greeted by the Search & Rescue people that Julie had called who were wondering what to do about us. I'm glad I did it, but never again!)

This is the precious and totally unique thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park that was desecrated by "film-makers" from the Canadian clothing company, Sunday Fundayz, a few weeks before these photos were taken. Their footprints in the delicate and fragile bacterial mats will not disappear for years. They walked around on the feature in spite of very clear warnings of the dangers and illegality of doing so, and posted videos of themselves in the act, making it easy for charges to be brought against them. They fled over the border to Canada, and will not be allowed back in the US except to attend their court hearings. They have reportedly hired an American lawyer to represent them. Good luck to that lawyer!

Grand Prismatic Spring, when viewed from above, looks like a brilliant blue planet or sun with orange (from the specific bacteria that thrive there) radii, also visible from boardwalk level as in my photos.

The prism effect of the humidity and steam above the spring is very evident in this photo.

The Park Service is this summer (2016) constructing a safe trail from which to view the feature from on high. Previously one had to use a "social" trail (typically a wildlife trail that humans adopt, and then beat to death with use) that will next year allow photos such as this:

when you're asleep.

This is what I imagine Paula dreams of sometimes ; )

You like this image? This one and others are available for license on Getty Images!

My 2013 Disney Parks Snow White 12'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is standing, supported by a Kaiser doll stand (not included with the doll), and is photographed from various angles.

I bought her at the Disneyland Main Street Emporium on July 7, 2013, for $19.95.

From the neck up she is almost identical to the 2012 Disney Store (DS) Classic Snow White. Her face seems to be the same as the 2012 DS Snow White. Her hairdo has been made a bit neater and more movie accurate by reducing the size of the side curls, and moving them further down the sides of her head. I like her face better than the 2011 Disney Parks Snow White doll, but her hair isn't as nice. Her body from the neck down is the same as the 2011 Disney Parks Snow White, that is she has non-articulated arms and rubber legs with internal knee joints and fixed angled feet. She is less posable than the DS dolls, but her exposed arms and legs look better than the fully articulated 2012 DS doll. Her outfit is a mixture of the ones on the old Parks doll and the 2013 DS doll. It is much more basic than the old Parks outfit, since it is missing the cape, the petticoat, and the cloth panties. Her old outfit also had a velvet bodice with gold trim, rather than a glitter covered satin bodice with no trim. Her collar is now double thickness white satin whose layers are glued together and unhemmed, rather than the hemmed double layered satin collar of the old doll. Her pale yellow skirt is less full and a bit shorter, and has a floral pattern covered in glitter, similar to the skirt of the 2013 DS doll. Finally instead of the lovely shiny gold heels of the old Parks Snow White, the new doll has pale yellow heels that match the color of her skirt. She is a decided downgrade from the old Parks Snow White doll, but I still think she is an attractive doll. But at twice the price of the 2013 DS doll, she is much less of a value.

Following is a detailed comparative review of the 2013 Parks Snow White Doll versus the 2011 Parks Snow White doll. They are also compared in less detail to the 2012 and 2013 Disney Store Classic Snow White dolls. The review is divided in various physical categories.

Head and Face: The 2013 Parks Snow White doll has same head and face as the 2012 Disney Store Classic Snow White doll, with a couple of subtle changes. Her small brown eyes are a little brighter, with a thinner ring of dark brown surrounding the light brown main area of her iris. She is glancing to her right. She has thick black eyeliner, no eyeshadow and thre short thick eyelashes over each eye. She has thin black eyebrows. Her round face has a small button nose, small mouth in an open smile, with full red lips. The color of lips is a little deeper than the 2012 DS Snow. She has full cheeks very lightly rouged. She is very pretty and much more movie accurate than the 2011 Parks doll.

The 2011 Parks Snow White doll has a longer face, with cheeks that are not as full. Her lips are a deeper and truer red, and her mouth a little more open. She has more color in her cheeks. She has larger eyes, with much larger pupils, that are looking straight ahead. Their color is a grayish darker brown than the 2013 doll, whose eyes are a light reddish brown color. The 2011 doll has four black lashes over each eye, and black eyebrows that are bit thicker than the 2013 doll, and further from her eyes, to help reduce the apparent size of her forehead. She is a very pretty doll, but not as movie accurate as the 2013 doll.

Hair: The 2013 Parks Snow White doll has short jet black in a hairdo that is based on the 2012 Disney store doll's hair, but modified to be neater and more movie accurate. The upper and lower side curls are now smaller and lower down her head. They are now more like the movie character's hairdo, and less like that of Princess Leia. Her hair has a lot of gel to keep it in place, a lot more than the 2012 DS doll, which makes it rather stiff and hard throughout. There is considerable variation in the hair style of different copies of this doll, so it is important to carefully choose the doll with the best looking hair, as it makes a big difference in the look of the doll.

The 2011 Parks Snow White doll has a very movie accurate bobbed hairdo. Her jet black hair is a bit longer than the 2013 Parks doll, reaching her shoulder in the back. It is curled innward at the ends. There is a small side curl on either side of her head, by her ears, that is stiffened and sewn in place. Elsewhere there is little or no hair product, so her hair is quite soft and smooth.

Outfit: The 2013 Parks Snow White doll has a much simplified outfit than the 2011 Parks doll, and is quite similar to that of the 2013 Disney Store doll. The dress is based on the iconic Princess dress of the movie character, but has various inaccuracies. Her bodice is dark blue satin covered in blue glitter, with puffy short sleeves made of red and light blue satin stripes. The end of the sleeves are trimmed in gold, which is a nice touch, except that they are mostly hidden by the puffy sleeves. The 2012 DS doll actually has more movie accurate sleeves, that are dark blue satin with red oval appliques. The neckline is slightly scalloped. Attached to the bodice is a very tall white satin collar, which has a pleasing rounded shape, as opposed to the square cornered collar of the 2012 DS doll. However, it is stiff satin, which appears to be two layers that are glued rather than sewed together, as was the collar of the 2012 DS doll and the 2011 Parks doll. The skirt is long and full, made of pale yellow satin, with a floral pattern (with small images of apples) covered in iridescent glitter. It is longer than that of the 2012 DS doll, but doesn't quite reach the floor. It can hold its shape fairly well due to the glitter and glue, but could definitely use a petticoat. It's pale yellow color is quite movie accurate, and the glitter pattern is very pretty and very sparkly. It is more accurate and more attractive than both the 2012 and 2013 Disney Store dolls.

The 2011 Parks Snow White doll has a very beautiful and elaborate and fairly movie accurate outfit. She has a dark blue velvet bodice with gold trim. The sleeves are longer than the 2013 doll, almost reaching her elbows, but are also made of red and blue satin stripes. However, instead of gold trim at the ends, the sleeves have red satin cuffs. There is a large white satin collar that is double layered and hemmed, and reaches around the front, whereas the 2013 collar starts at the sides. It is not as tall as the 2013 collar, and is more movie accurate in size and shape, as well as looking more finished. Her skirt is floor length and very full, helped considerably by the 3/4 length tulle petticoat underneath. It is also rounded at the top, rather than the simple A shape of the 2013 skirt. It is made of golden yellow satin, densely sprayed with gold glitter. It looks glamorous, but the glitter unfortunately sheds quite a bit. Draped across her shoulders is a 3/4 length cape made of dark pink velvet, with a pink satin liner. It would have been more accurate for it to be dark blue on the outside and red on the inside.

Shoes: The 2013 Parks Snow White doll has pale yellow high heeled shoes. The 2011 doll has mirror finish gold high heeled shoes, which look fabulous, even though the other doll's shoes are more movie accurate. To be more movie accurate, her shoes should be pale yellow, with medium heels, and bows above rounded toes.

Accessories: The 2013 Parks Snow White doll has the same yellow hairbrush with red gemstone as the 2011 doll. They both have red satin ribbons in their hair, with bows that are a little left of center. The 2013's bow is considerably larger, and looks like bowtie. The 2011 doll also has white cloth panties.

Body: Both the 2011 and 2013 Parks dolls have the same body. The arms are not articulated. The elbows and wrists are slightly bent in fixed positions. They have rubber legs which have internal knee joints and fixed angled feet. Her hip joints allow her to sit down with her legs together and her back straight up. But her knees can only bend about 40 degrees, so her legs stick out when she is sitting. In heels, the dolls stand 11 1/2 inches tall. Their skin tone is medium flesh tone.

Packaging: The 2013 Parks doll box is now rectangular, at 13'' H x 7 1/4'' W x 2 1/2'' D. The back and bottom are of double thickness cardboard, to which the doll and accessories are attached. There is a clear plastic window attached to the backing via tabs, through which the doll can be viewed from 3 sides and the top. On the back is a current Disney Princess promotional image, with background scenes from Disney Parks specific to each Princess. The box is fairly easy to take apart without damaging it, and it is sturdy and reusable.

The 2011 Parks doll box is semi-cylindrical, which measures 13 3/4'' H x 7 1/4'' W x 4'' D, so it is considerably larger than the new doll boxes. The front of the box is clear plastic, that is semi-cylindrical, so the doll can be seen from all sides except the back. The top cover is also clear plastic, and is removable. The backing with the doll attached is a separate piece that is completely removable from the box, which is necessary to debox the doll. The deboxing is trickier than for DS dolls or the 2013 Parks dolls. The box is reusable, and is sturdier than the 2013 Parks doll box.

2013 Disney Parks 12'' Princess Dolls Released in Disneyland

Disneyland Resort Anaheim (DLR) finally has the new 2013 Disney Parks 12'' Princess Dolls, which have been available in Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World since May 2013. They are still priced at $19.95 each, which is basically twice the price of the equivalent Disney Store doll (which is frequently on sale for $10 each). They are a joint release by Disney Theme Parks Merchandise (USA) and EuroDisney (Disneyland Paris).

As of June 30, 2013, DLR had 7 of the 10 new dolls available: Cinderella, Aurora, Mermaid Ariel, Wedding Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and Rapunzel. Missing were the new Snow White, Tiana and Tinker Bell. All of the old versions of the dolls were still available. They were still selling the old (2012) Merida doll that was joint Disney Store and Disney Parks release. There hasn't been a new version released by Disney Parks so far. I bought them at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney. The Emporium on Main Street in Disneyland had no Disney Parks Princess dolls for sale.

On my visit to DLR on July 4, 2013, they had 2 more of the Disney Parks Princess dolls available for sale: Snow White and Tiana, who are shown here in their unopened boxes. There were no new Tinker Bell dolls (in fact Tinker Bell was missing altogether), and the Merida doll was last year's model.

I purchased the new Parks Tinker Bell doll on July 7, 2013. This completes my collection of all the newly released Parks Disney Princess Collection dolls.

I will photograph them boxed, during deboxing and fully deboxed. They will also be reviewed and compared with other versions of the Disney Princess dolls.

Kingston House is the oldest building in the Holdfast Bay Council area.

It was the country home of the Kingston Family - a family who were extremely influential in the founding of the South Australian colony and of the nation.

George Strickland Kingston came to South Australia aboard the 'Cygnet' in 1836 as Deputy Surveyor to Colonel Light.

He purchased the property on which the House stands in April 1839. In 1840 he granted Robert Bristow permission to build an Inn on it, which was to cater for the workers from the nearby quarry and sailors from ships using the pier at the proposed harbour in Marino Bay (which never eventuated).

Bristow built the original 3 rooms from prefabricated timber panels shipped out from England and built a verandah all around it. However this venture only lasted a few years when the building and land was leased to Samuel Oakley, a farmer, until about 1850.

In 1851, George returned to the house to make it his permanent residence. He set about improving the existing structure and added the two-storey eastern wing.

The house remained in the Kingston family until the death of his son's widow, Lucy, in 1919.

The State Government purchased the property in the 1920s, and it was restored due to popular demand in 1983.

State Heritage ID 10617