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"Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight."
~Rossiter Worthington Raymond
© all images copyright of Karen Wyatt and any use without permission is illegal
Here is my ATC mounted onto a card!
This month's contest was to either: make an ATC, use flowers or use colored pencils. I used all three! I made this ATC using flowers and colored pencils. All stamps are cling stamps from Hero Arts.
Wooo I am lagging!! More pics from my Nov 2013 Jamaica trip.. It was a HOT, hot day. I was in Trenchtown all morning and it was time for me to head out into another direction. I was waiting for my "On Time" ride and instead of waiting in the scorching heat, I decided to go into the Culture Yard say hello to some familiar faces, sit under the tree shades and eavesdrop to what a group of rastas were "reasoning" about. I get distracted with one however who was painting on something. "My name is Stoneman" he says. He's an artist at the culture yard and produces brilliant colourful art on large pieces of cloth. That day he was working on a special request from a Belgian couple whom he had met a few days prior. His work space was covered with paint tubes, brushes, ackees and some stones which held hidden symbols and stories about Africa and Rastafari principles- to which "Stoneman" walked me through all of them. A few minutes I hear a car honk- we said goodbye as he reached his hand out to form the Rasta "trinity" gesture. I think by now I have become well familiar with most of the common "hand shakes" one may come across in Jamaica (and there are many!!)
Life is simple.
Get born, mess about with wax crayons, do some kissing, go to work, play bingo.
The end.
This is a continuation for the Grendizer & Spider-Man photo situation that I did last month. Grendizer is apparently taking it out on Godzilla. At least this version of Godzilla anyway. =)
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Canon EOS 40D.
Lens: EF 24-105 F4 L IS.
ISO: 100.
Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec.
Aperture: F/8.
Focal length: 47mm.
Strobist: Single Canon 580EXII flash pointed towards ceiling.
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2 - Adobe Lightroom -.
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This is a new elementary school building here in Toronto designed by Kohn Shnier Architects.
-Added to the Cream of the Crop pool as most favorited.
-Added to the Cream of the Crop pool as most interesting.
This is Zoe! Zoe is crazy about Hello Kitty. She collects everything of the cute cat.
Zoe is my new darling dream doll. She was customized by the lovely Nora Hola. Zoe is based on the Blythe doll "Charlotte de Fleurs". Zoe was made according to my wishes. It was a great adventure to experience her formation. I am so happy to welcome her now. :o)
Dear Blythe friend!
Welcome to my Blythe Doll Flickr Fotostream.
I am looking forward to get to know new friends of the Blythe doll.
My Blythe Blog:
I would like to invite you to visit my Blythe blog at my private website. At this blog I want to share my love for the Blythe doll with you. I have a lot of fun to take photos of my dolls and to show them here:
www.heikeandreagrote.de/blythe.htm
My Blythe Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/blythepage.of.heike.andrea.grote
best greetings from Heike
Italien / Belluno - Tofane
Hike around the Tofana di Rozes
Wanderung um die Tofana di Rozes
Tofane is a mountain group in the Dolomites of northern Italy, west of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the province of Belluno, Veneto. Most of the Tofane lies within Parco naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo, a nature park.
Peaks
The highest peaks of the Tofane group are Tofana di Mezzo (3,244 m (10,643 ft)), Tofana di Dentro (3,238 m (10,623 ft)), and Tofana di Rozes (3,225 m (10,581 ft)). Tofana di Mezzo is the third highest peak in the Dolomites, after Marmolada (3,343 m (10,968 ft)) and Antelao (3,262 m (10,702 ft)). All three peaks were first climbed by Paul Grohmann along with local mountain guides, in 1863 (Tofana di Mezzo - with Francesco Lacedelli), 1864 (Tofana di Rozes - with Francesco Lacedelli, Angelo Dimai and Santo Siorpaes) and 1865 (Tofana di Dentro - with Angelo Dimai).
Geology
The Dolomites were formed during the Cretaceous Period, approximately 60 million years ago, due to the collision of the African and European continents. The Tofane is largely formed from the Upper Triassic rock Dolomia principale. The strata are perceptibly folded, and the mountains are finally formed by wind, rain, glaciers and rivers.
Tourism
Access
A cable lift system (Freccia nel Cielo, "Arrow in the sky") goes from Cortina almost to the top of Tofane di Mezzo. There is only a short walk from the top cable car to the summit. Alternatively the via ferratas VF Punta Anna and VF Gianna Aglio can be used to reach Tofane di Mezzo.
Cabins (rifugi)
Some of the cabins in the Tofane are the Rifugio Angelo Dibona (2,083 m (6,834 ft)), the Rifugio Giussani (2,580 m (8,465 ft)), the Rifugio Duca d'Aosta (2,098 m (6,883 ft)), and the Rifugio Pomedes (2,303 m (7,556 ft)).
Via ferratas
The via ferratas of Tofane are VF Punta Anna and VF Gianna Aglio on Tofana di Mezzo, VF Lamon and VF Formenton on Tofana di Dentro, and VF Giovanni Lipella on Tofana di Rozes, where there also are tunnel systems from World War I.
History
During the First World War, the Tofane was a battlefield of the Italian Front for clashes between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces. The front lines went through the mountains.
At the 1956 Winter Olympics, Mount Tofane hosted five of the six alpine skiing events. It regularly hosts women's speed events on the World Cup circuit, and hosted the World Championships in 2021. The men's 1956 downhill and the current women's World Cup races are on the Olimpia delle Tofane ski race course (often referred to as “Tofana” for short); it is famous for the Tofana Schuss, where athletes can reach speeds over 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph).
(Wikipedia)
Tofana di Rozes (3,225 metres (10,581 ft)) is a mountain of the Dolomites in the Province of Belluno, Veneto, Italy. Located west of the resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, the mountain's giant three-edged pyramid shape and its vertical south face, above the Falzarego Pass, makes it the most popular peak in the Tofane group, and one of the most popular in the Dolomites.
History
From May 1915 to July 1916, the mountain and its surroundings was the location of fierce fighting between Italian and German, later Austrio-Hungarian, troops, as part of the Italian front in World War I.
West of the main face, and separated from the mountain by a steep and rocky gully, is the Castelletto, a narrow, long rock 700 feet high. In 1915 it was occupied by a German platoon, which, armed with a machine gun and sniper rifles, wreaked havoc on the Italian troops in the valley. They were soon replaced by Austrian soldiers, and from their strategic position they prevented any Italian plans for a push north. For the Alpini, the Italian mountain infantry specialists, retaking the Castelletto became a prime objective. Two of their climbers, Ugo Vallepiana and Giuseppe Gaspard, climbed up the Tofana to a ledge a few hundred feet above the Castelletto, but their guns were not very successful. One summer night four Alpini climbed up the Castelletto but they were discovered and shot. An attack through the gully, taking advantage of the morning fog, was also unsuccessful (machine gunners shot the advancing soldiers when the fog thinned a little), as was a massive attack from three sides in the fall of 1915. So, in February 1916 the Italians, led by Lt. Luigi Malvezzi [it], started tunneling into the Castelletto, first with hammers and chisels and then, in March, with pneumatic drills, and with teams of over two dozen men, working four six-hour shifts, they tunneled up to 30 feet per day. The steep tunnel was 500 meters long, and 2,200 cubic meters of rubble were removed. Its adit was in a "sheltered position within a natural ravine", accessed by a long ladder and thus logistically very demanding. One part of the tunnel brought them under the Austrian position, where they filled a cavern, 16 by 16 feet and 7 feet high, with 77,000 pounds of gelignite. The other led to what was to be an attack position, to be opened with a smaller batch of explosives.
On July 11, at 3:30 AM, the gelignite was exploded, with King Victor Emmanuel III and the army's chief of staff, General Luigi Cadorna, looking on. The Austrian commander was Hans Schneeberger, an orphan from Brandberg, Tyrol, who at age 19 replaced a commander who had been killed by an Italian sniper. When the explosions happened, some two dozen Austrian soldiers were killed instantly, but Schneeberger and a few survivors had rifles and grenades, and were able to repel the Italians from the edge of the crater. The attack as a whole was a failure: soldiers were to lower themselves from the Tofana to attack the Castelletto, but the explosion destroyed their ropes. To make matters worse, the explosion used up so much oxygen that Malvezzi and his men, going through the attack tunnel, passed out because of toxic gases including carbon monoxide; some of the men died. Finally, the explosion damaged the rock face on the east, sending huge boulders down the gully and killing incoming Italian soldiers. The next day, Italians had hauled machine guns up the face of the Tofana; Schneeberger sent one of his men to ask for reinforcements, which arrived that night. A few hours later the Italians attacked the relief platoon, and the Austrians withdrew to the Castelletto's northern end, and pulled their troops away altogether after a few days.[2] Malvezzi received the Military Order of Savoy.
Climbing
Most climbs start from the north, where the mountain is a relatively easy hike, or the west face, where the summit can be reached by a via ferrata. The south face, however, is a much more difficult challenge, with many of the routes being either fifth or sixth graded climbs. The mountain was first climbed in 1864 by Paul Grohmann and local hunter Francesco Lacedelli. The south face was first climbed in 1901.
Via Ferrata
A via ferrata starts at the restored entrance to the mine tunnel at the Castelletto, and leads to the summit of the mountain; along the way one finds a memorial to Giovanni Lipella,[8] an Italian soldier who died on the mountain on 15 June 1918 and was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour.
Cave
The Grotta di Tofana is one of only a few natural caves in dolomite rather than regular limestone. It is accessible by way of a via ferrata that starts some 40 minutes from Rifugio Dibona. The cave is some 300 meters deep, and the roof is up to 10 meters high. The cave has been quite popular with tourists, and was listed by Baedeker as "a large cavern accessible by ladders" and as an interesting visit.
(Wikipedia)
Das Dreigestirn der Tofane (italienisch Tofane, deutsch auch Tofana) gehört zu den bekanntesten und markantesten Dolomitenmassiven. Die Tofane liegen westlich von Cortina d’Ampezzo und überragen das Valle del Boite (Boitetal). Eine gewisse Bekanntheit erlangte der Name durch die Skirennstrecke Olimpia delle Tofane, 1956 Austragungsort der olympischen Herrenabfahrt.
Lage und Umgebung
Das Tofane-Massiv liegt westlich von Cortina d’Ampezzo über dem oberen Valle del Boite und ist Teil des Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d’Ampezzo. Während die beiden höheren Gipfel Tofana di Mezzo und Tofana di Dentro ein kompaktes Massiv bilden, wirkt die südliche Tofana di Rozes einigermaßen eigenständig. Zwischen diesen Felsgiganten schneidet sich die Forcella Fontananegra (2561 m) ein. Im Westen und Norden trennt das Val Travenanzes das Gebirgsmassiv von der Fanesgruppe, im Osten das obere Valle del Boite vom Pomagnonzug (und der Cristallogruppe) und im Süden das Falzaregotal von der Nuvolaugruppe. Von Cortina gesehen ist den beiden höheren Tofane eine Wandstufe vorgelagert, die mit dem Südostgrat der mittleren Tofana eine Art „Felsenring“ bildet.
Gipfel
Das Massiv besteht im Wesentlichen aus den drei Dreitausender-Gipfeln, die allesamt beliebte Tourenziele darstellen. Alle drei rangieren unter den zehn höchsten Gipfeln der Dolomiten.
Die in der Mitte gelegene Tofana di Mezzo (auch Tofana II) ist mit einer Höhe von 3244 m s.l.m. die höchste der drei Tofane und zugleich nach der Marmolata (3343 m) und dem Antelao (3264 m) der dritthöchste Dolomitenberg.
Die Tofana di Dentro (hintere Tofana, auch Tofana III) hat eine Gipfelhöhe von 3238 m s.l.m. und bildet den nördlichsten der drei Felsriesen.
Die Tofana di Rozes (vordere Tofana, auch Tofana I) ist 3225 m s.l.m. hoch und vor allem für ihre imposante Südwand (Tofana Sud) bekannt.
Geologie
Bereits 1873 setzte sich Hermann Loretz geologisch mit dem Gebiet um die Tofane auseinander. Edmund Mojsisovics von Mojsvár lieferte mit seiner Arbeit zu den Dolomit-Riffen (1879) weitere wichtige Aufschlüsse, die Leopold Kober 1908 vertiefte.
Die Tofane werden aus mächtigem triassischem Hauptdolomit (Dachsteindolomit) aufgebaut, der leicht Richtung Norden einfällt. In den Gipfelbereichen wird er von jurassischen Kalken (früher als Lias bezeichnet) überlagert. Der Grat zwischen Tofana II und III gewährt gute Einblicke in die Schichtfolge und lässt Neokom und Oberjura erkennen, während in den untersten Bereichen ältere Gesteine wie Sandsteine, Kalkmergel und Tuffe zu Tage treten, die ein auffälliges grünes Band formen. Der Komplex von Tofana II und III wird außerdem von einer nach Westen überschlagenen Falte geprägt, deren Mächtigkeit allerdings nur die obersten 200 Meter umfasst. Nach Süden hin setzt sich diese tektonische Störung fort. Am Südgrat der Tofana II befindet sich mit dem Bus de Tofana eines der größten Felsenfenster der Alpen.
Geschichte
Die Erstbegehungen der drei Gipfel erfolgten nacheinander in den Jahren 1863 bis 1865. Paul Grohmann bestieg mit verschiedenen Führern zuerst die Tofana di Mezzo (1863), dann die Tofana di Rozes (1864) und schließlich die Tofana di Fuori (1865), allesamt von Cortina aus. Alpinistisch war in der Folge vor allem die Südwand der Tofana di Rozes von Interesse, die 1901 durch Ilona und Rolanda von Eötvös mit Führern erstmals durchstiegen wurde.
Während des Ersten Weltkriegs bildeten die Tofane eines der Zentren der Ersten Dolomitenoffensive. Die italienischen Alpini besetzten im Juli 1915 die Gipfel von Tofana II und Tofana III und versuchten von dort aus die österreich-ungarische Sperre im Travenanzestal zu erobern. Die Tofana I wurde wiederum kurzzeitig von Jägern des Deutschen Alpenkorps eingenommen. Kriegsrelikte wie Stollen und verfallene Stellungen zeugen heute noch von den erbitterten Kämpfen.
Mit den Olympischen Winterspielen 1956 in Cortina d’Ampezzo hielt der Massentourismus erstmals Einzug in die Gegend. Während die Skigebiete mit der heute noch als Weltcupstrecke genutzten Olimpia delle Tofane am Osthang von Tofana di Mezzo/Dentro entstanden, blieb die Spitze bis zum Bau der Seilbahn Freccia nel cielo (deutsch: Himmelspfeil) 1971 verschont. Davor waren bereits mehrere Klettersteige angelegt worden, die sich heute großer Beliebtheit erfreuen, darunter die Via ferrata Giuseppe Olivieri auf die mittlere Tofana (1957), die Via ferrata Giovanni Lipella auf die Tofana di Rozes (1967) und die Via ferrata Formenton auf die Tofana di Dentro.
(Wikipedia)
Die Tofana di Rozes (auch Vordere Tofana oder Tofana I) ist ein 3225 m s.l.m. hoher Berg in den Dolomiten in der italienischen Provinz Belluno. Mit ihrer berühmten Südwand bildet sie die eindrucksvollste, wenn auch niedrigste Erhebung der dreigipfeligen Tofane westlich von Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Lage und Umgebung
Die Tofana di Rozes ist der südlichste der drei Tofana-Gipfel und von der Tofana di Mezzo durch die Forcella Fontananegra (2561 m) getrennt. In diesem Bereich liegen das Rifugio Giussani und das nicht mehr bewirtschaftete Rifugio Cantore. Im Westen trennt die Forcella Bois (2331 m) den Felskoloss vom Lagazuoistock, im Westen und Norden bildet das Val Travenanzes die Grenze zur Fanesgruppe. Von Norden gesehen erscheint der Berg als dreikantige Felspyramide, nach Süden zeigt er eine der imposantesten Wände der Dolomiten, die meist als Tofana Sud bezeichnet wird. Trotz der niedrigsten Gipfelhöhe ist der Berg gerade aufgrund dieser 800 Meter hohen Südwand das bekannteste Motiv der Tofane. Im unteren Wandabschnitt liegt mit der Grotta della Tofana eine mehrere Meter tiefe Höhle, die bereits von Paul Grohmann besucht wurde.
Alpinismus
Die Erstbesteigung gelang am 29. August 1864 Paul Grohmann mit den Einheimischen Francesco Lacedelli, Angelo Dimai und Santo Siorpaes. Grohmann und Lacedelli hatten im Jahr zuvor bereits die Tofana di Mezzo erstbestiegen. Ähnlich wie bei deren Erschließung wählten sie den Anstieg aus der Forcella Fontananegra über die Nordostflanke, den heutigen Normalweg. Grohmann äußerte sich begeistert über die Aussicht vom Gipfel:
„Ich bin kein Freund davon zur Schilderung einer Aussicht zahllose Bergspitzen herzuzählen, und unterlasse dieses auch hier, unvergesslich aber bleibt mir ein Detailbild der Rundsicht: die furchtbaren Schrofen der beiden anderen Tofanaspitzen in nächster Nähe, und zwischen diesen blickt weiter hinten der Gaisl vor, die Croda rossa der Ampezzaner; nur der oberste Theil, aber dieser blutroth, ein seltsamer Contrast gegen die grauen Kalkwände der Tofana!“
Im August 1901 meisterten Ilona und Rolanda von Eötvös mit Antonio Dimai, Giovanni Siorpaes und Agostino Verzi erstmals die kolossale Südwand. Die Via Eötvös-Dimai (IV) gilt heute als eine der klassischen Routen in den Dolomiten. Die durch wuchtige Pfeiler auffällig gegliederte Wand wurde im Laufe des 20. Jahrhunderts auf fast 30 verschiedenen Routen durchstiegen. Zu den bedeutendsten gehören etwa der zweite Pfeiler (Secondo Pilastro, VI), der 1946 von Ettore Constantini und Luigi Ghedina erstmals bewältigt wurde, oder die 1952 durch Walter Bonatti und P. Contini erschlossene Via delle Tridentina (ebenfalls VI). Weitere wichtige Erstbegehungen gelangen Angelo Dibona, Walter Stößer und Attilio Tissi.
Im Ersten Weltkrieg galt die Tofana di Rozes als besonders umkämpfter Berg. Am 22. Juli 1915 nahm eine Patrouille des dritten Jäger-Regiments im Deutschen Alpenkorps im Zuge der Ersten Dolomitenoffensive den bis dahin unbesetzten Gipfel ein. Man konnte die Tofana I bis zum 18. September gegen die Italiener verteidigen.
Aufstieg
Trotz der imposanten Erscheinung ist die Tofana di Rozes – sieht man von der Seilbahn-Erschließung der Tofana di Mezzo ab – von den drei Tofana-Gipfeln am leichtesten zu ersteigen. Dem Nicht-Kletterer bieten sich für den Aufstieg zur Tofana di Rozes zwei Möglichkeiten.
Der Normalweg führt vom Rifugio Giussani (2580 m) unschwierig über geröllbedeckten Fels zum Nordwestgrat und über diesen schließlich zum Gipfel. Firnreste sind im oberen Bereich keine Seltenheit.
Eine zweite Variante bietet die 1967 eröffnete Via ferrata Giovanni Lipella (Schwierigkeit C/D). Diese wird zumeist vom Rifugio Angelo Dibona (2083 m) aus in Angriff genommen. Der Weg führt zunächst unter der mächtigen Südwand entlang zum Einstieg, wo gleich ein steiler Stollen durchquert werden muss. Danach verläuft der Steig an der Westseite des Berges Richtung Norden zu den Tre Dita (2694 m) und macht schließlich einen Knick nach Süden. Nach dem Ausstieg erreicht man den Normalweg und über diesen den Gipfel.
(Wikipedia)
Kittatinny Valley State Park, Andover, NJ
April 24, 2016
My first ode of the year, one of up to 600 nearly identical photos of Eastern Forktails that I will post this season :-)
1087..... Is the first of Transdev Harrogates Volvo B10's to return from refurbishment...... She has been back in the depot for a while now.... But today she finally entered service and is seen here in Wetherby on her way from Harrogate to Leeds.....
She needs some "relief or "branding" ........
This is a photo of one of the many toys that litter my daughter's house to entertain my grandson! It had some good colour contrasts, Those of us who still delight in taking transparencies have seen so many of our favourite materials disappear and those that remain rise in price. I was delighted when Kodak Alaris announced the re-introduction of Ektachrome. I got some from Analogue Wonderland and Silverpan developed it. I'm delighted with the film, the colours are good and it's sharp. They look great when projected.
My art is always about great Journeys. I invite you to come with me on todays. I have been working on changing my way of thinking of my self and who I Believe I am. I plan to be better then I was yesterday. This image is a Visual interpretation of my internal self. I always see my emotions as colors. To day Im busting out no walls can hold me back. Power strong will and driving without fear. Fear can just go take a hike. Every thing is going to be new. I start to open to the new truth in this life. I will shoot past the moon and stars in to the far off next galaxy. I become all my dreams and hold the keys to open every door I please. No more locks bricks or walls can ever hold me. Im the wave and I carve my path to day. I for give my mistakes of the past and will not look back. May I live each day as if it were my last day. For now I shall just engage. You better hold on this will be a fantastic new adventure.
Hay Im on Facebook now so look me up. I will be adding art for people to invest in. Any cool help to add value to my art is welcome.
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100016188035375
Mike
Father and son collaboration
Our photographic art is a kinetic motion study, from the results of interacting with my son A.J and his toys.
He was born severely handicapped much like a quadriplegic. On December 17,1998. Our family’s goal has always been to help A.J. use his mind, even though he has minimal use of his body.
A.J. likes to watch lights and movement. One of the few things he can do for himself is to operate a switch that sets in motion lights and various shiny, colorful streamers and toys that swirl above his bed.
One day I took a picture of A.J. with his toys flying out from the big mobile near his bed like swings on a carnival ride. I liked the way the swirling objects and colors looked in the photo.
I wanted to study the motion more and photograph the whirling objects in an artful way, I wanted my son A.J. to be a part of it. After all, he’s the one who inspires me. When A.J. and I work together on our motion artwork, A.J. starts his streamers and objects twirling, I take the photographs.
Activating a tiny switch might not seem like much to some, but it’s all A.J. can do. He controls the direction the mobile will spin, as well as when it starts and stops. The shutter speeds are long, and sometimes, I move the camera and other times I hold it still.
I begin our creation with a Nikon digital camera. Then I use my computer with Photoshop to alter the images into what I feel might be an artistic way. Working with Photoshop, I find the best parts from several images and combine them into the final composite photograph. I consider the finished work to be fine art. The computer is just the vehicle that helps my expressions grow.
I take the photographs and A.J. adds the magic. It’s something this father and son do together. After I’ve taken a few shots, I show him the photos in the back of the camera. When the images are completed, I show him from a laptop. He just looks. He can’t tell me whether or not he likes the images, but he’s always ready to work with me again.
It offers me my only glance into A.J.’s secret world. We’ve built a large collection of images and I hope the motion and color move you as much as they do me.
A.J. inspires me to work harder to understand my life in the areas of art, photography, people, spirituality, and so much more. He truly sets my mind in motion and helps me find the beauty in everyday things.
Abstract Art set:
www.flickr.com/photos/patnode-rainbowman/sets/72157602269...
AJ Patnode - A Journey of Hope (documentary):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR7m8QFcmRM
This shows how we do the Camera work:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmjVVGraUVw
AJ'S blog:
This is a Hobby Hawk that is now wild. It was released by Steve Hopper and it occasionally comes in for the odd free meal. We were lucky enough to witness this. It's a really beautiful bird, and obviously, Steve has done a great job with it.
This is Kirkhill Castle in the small village of Colmonell, in the Stinchar valley of south Ayrshire. Although long roofless, it still stands fairly complete to its wallhead, next to the more modern house that superseded it. There was nobody home when I visited, although I could hear the sounds of lawn mowing coming from the garden behind, so I took a couple of photos from the drive, which show most of what there is to see, and went on my way.
This is the next image in my abc's of photography project. I used this camera as recently as 2001 or 2002 to capture images of my kids (who were toddlers at the time) while we were living in the arctic. It is hard for me to believe now but this was the only camera I owned at the time. I was broke; just out of Uni. My wife's aunt and uncle, learning we didn't have a camera with us, sent this camera and a bundle of film to us to get some snaps. I still have most of those photos too. We
upgraded at Christmas that year but still, this was the instant gratification image maker of its day.
I was in Trois-Rivières today and I looked at the best camera store in town (which isn't a lofty claim compared to big outfits in Montreal, New York, or Toronto that I have seen) for some Impossible Film to run through this camera for the abc project. Unfortunately, there wasn't any available but I did get my hands on a couple packs of ilford 35mm for later.
Why is this starfighter docked at a remote outpost in the barren wastes of a forgotten planet in a lost galaxy? Simple - bathroom break. Wonder how the airlock system for that type of thing works.
Well I wanted to try to build an r-type fighter while still maintaining an original design. It does not have the bird neck, or the droopy nose, or even the front bubble canopy, but I think the r-type vibe still hopefully comes through with the large rear end and underslung wave cannon. As always there is room for improvement.
This shot is almost the same angle as the last, but I believe the quality is a bit better. Also, I have added a rear bottom fin and a couple stickers for character.
July 9, 2007. Wish you all a wonderful week!
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. -Aldous Huxley
"London is enchanting. I step out upon a coloured magic carpet, it seems, and get carried into beauty without raising a finger. People pop in and out, lightly, divertingly like rabbits; and I look down Southampton Row, wet as a seal's back or red and yellow with sunshine, and watch the omnibuses going and coming and hear the old crazy organs.One of these days I will write about London, and how it takes up the private life and carries it on, without any effort..."
- Virginia Woolf, Diaries
This is the last night shot of Belfast in this series you will be glad to know! This was a RAW conversion ISO 200, f18 and 15 secs. The narrower aperture will give you better starbursts.
There is so much going on across this ancient fortress high over Dorset. The huge peaks and troughs of land, forged by bygone civilisations out of the natural hillside, providing an imposing defense from would-be attackers.
Then there are the smaller ripples in the earth formed simply by gravity gradually pulling the earth down in waves, and finally the more recently added hurdle fencing, intended presumably to prevent too much land slippage.
And then of course the much smaller, seemingly random holes dug by a certain little dog while waiting for the photographer to do his stuff.
Above is a low-light-level capture that was taken in almost complete darkness. It's absolutely amazing the low-light that your camera picks up...with almost nothing there! Just when you think it's over...wait another ten minutes, it might come back... It's never over until the Sandman says it's over ~ sunset afterglow ~ Florida Everglades U.S.A.
(five more photos of this night in the comments)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades
Time to chill out to the 'Smooth Jazz' sounds
of guitarist George Benson: "On Broadway"
This is part of my "Ancient Cult" series.
The smell of burning flesh choked the night air long after the screams of agony had faded, and that night became known as the Great Purge.
Gear used: Olympus OM-2n mounted with a Zuiko 21mm/f3.5 lens, onto Ilford HP5 b&w film, for the street scene, an Olympus OM-D E-M5 mounted with an M Zuiko 12-50mm lens for the foreground figure; all editing, textures and assembling carried out in GIMP.
Hemia is going to go to Australia for graduate school around 2 years.
I am so happy that she is going to start a new life. (I am missing her so much now.)
♥ Hope you can get what you want in the future my dear.Waiting for your postcards. ♥
Miss you my dear lady
See you in Australia & Taiwan soon. !!! Take Care!!
♫ Listening to My Bloody Valentine Soon ♪ ♫
never runs out on me.
being thankful for that simple fact is enough to bring me joy.
learning, falling, failing, thanking, praising, regretting, wandering, losing, finding, crying, laughing. it's been an up and down week. but in the end, it all leads me to the Maker of it all.
i am happy to keep taking honest photographs, they are so real, they are my life. they turn moments into memories. this is one of them.
I have three images of this Yellow Rumped Warbler ... one of which you will never see. Not because I don't want you to see it. I do. I really do! But I have no way of showing it to you unless you come visit me and I boot up my computer and show it to you.
Oh, I uploaded it alright. But this is what Flickr does to it! Please don't say it's a nice image ... because it just isn't!
If you want to see the best approximation of what came out of my camera and is on my computer look at the next image. I got it by putting the photo in Photoshop Elements and turning the Midtone Contrast way down and the Brightness up. After that, I'd say it's about a 50%- 60% approximation of what the photo actually looks like.
So, here's some what I'd like you to look at:
1. No detail in the cheek feathers to the left of the eye.
2. No detail in the beak.
3. Beak almost disappears in the dark feathers surrounding it.
4. No eye detail.
5. Hardly any detail in the bird's claws.
6. Very dark shadow on the bottom of the tree branch.
7. End of the bird's claws almost disappear in that shadow.
8. Leg is almost lost in the shadow,
9. The lower white breast feathers are dark ... should be lighter.
10. And, worst of all ... just look at the dark breast feathers, those between the yellow feathers and the white. The tips of those feathers are white and form concentric arcs all the way down. But you can't see that! It's like someone has taken a paint brush, dipped it in black paint, and smeared it all over those black feathers, those of the cheek feathers, and the beak ... practically eliminating any detail! Detail that was there, I can definitely assure you!
What is going on? Is someone at Flickr is turning the contrast of uploads way up? That's how I managed to take my perfectly good image and turn it into a piece of crap like this ... I cranked the contrast up. But if Flickr is doing that, why? Because someone there thinks uploaded images will look better with the contrast jacked up? When I became a member here nine years ago, I had a 4 Mega Pixel Kodak CX7430. Images uploaded from that little point-and-shoot were better looking on Flickr than I'm getting now ... relatively speaking.
Here's a question for whoever's responsible for this stuff at Flickr: Why doesn't a photograph that comes out of my Nikon D810 and transfers to my computer without any problems not upload to Flickr and look exactly the same when it gets there?
Flickr, please stop messing with the uploads!
This is a picture I deliberately made gray. Taken on a not sunny day, post processing reduced the already dark green even more.
The picture was taken with the Nikkor AF-S 50 mm/1.4G, to get the unsharp plant double in the background.
#307 on Explore on 2009-03-27.
This is a Kodachrome slide; it was scanned with an Epson Pro V750, and then finished with minor post processing via Photoshop.
The original comes from my own slide collection which I have photographed and/or otherwise acquired during the past forty years.
They are posted here simply to share a part of airline & airliner history for people who are interested.
MSN 1071 Lockheed L188 Electra HP-654
COPA Panama
Fort Lauderdale
It is a historical monument along the tourist route, "la Route Jacques Coeur", just south of the Loire Valley. Ainay-le-Vieil is located 60 minutes south of the city of Bourges, and has remained under the ownership of the same family since 1467 when it was purchased by Charles de Chevenon de Bigny. The d'Aligny family, resides there year round, and invites you to tour Ainay-le-Vieil.
LOVETONES are created by Rocco Liang in Taiwan. His “Autumn Winter 2017 Collection”, Trendsetter Lena and Trendsetter Roxy, is available since the end of 2017. Limited edition size is 100 each. The doll costs $210 USD plus shipping. There are still some for sale (at least they were, last time I checked).
My Trendsetter Roxy came with a “Baby Pink Ruffle High-Low Dress”, an “Oversized Black Leather Biker Jacket”, “White Lace Sock High Heels”, and a “Black Glove Clutch”. Her second outfit is lingerie, “Pink Bustier and Panties”. Her accessories are a pair of “Matte Black Square Earrings”. The last items in her box were a metal doll stand ('waist hugger') and a Certificate of Authenticity (CoA). Names were taken from the www.lovetonesdoll.com website.
Lena's hair color is “Dark Chocolate (Duo-Tone Hair Mix)”. She is the first LOVETONES with duo-tone hair (as is Trendsetter Lena). Her hair is a bit more unruly than I was used from the previous dolls. She has the usual body, comparable to Integrity Toys' Nu.Face, with a much smaller head. She has the fierce look I expect from a LOVETONES doll.
The item you notice first about her outfit is the oversized, black leather biker jacket. The main zipper is actually working! The three other, smaller zippers are decorative and do not work. The jacket is very detailed and awesome. It is the first reason I decided to order Roxy and not Lena.
Roxy's dress is beautiful too and looks gorgeous worn under the leather jacket. On its own it's still beautiful, maybe a little too sweet for me. There are two long ribbons to fasten the dress over each of her shoulders with a tiny bow. I guess the too long ends are supposed to be cut off after the bows are tied. I was reluctant to do that, so I hid the ends behind her back. That may look a little strange in the picture above. While this dress doesn't hit the spot for me, the craftmanship displayed is impressive.
Her shoes are unique. Only the soles and heels are solid, the rest are really white lace socks. The shoes are easy to put on (carefully, or the toes will poke through the lace), though only after a few changes the lace at the top tends to fray. Like her dress her shoes made me think that the doll is supposed to be dressed and displayed, and never changed again. Because I like to have the option to redress my dolls, that does not impress me much.
Trendsetter Roxy's second outfit is lingerie. That hers is a soft pink and not simply black, is the second reason I preferred this Roxy to Lena. Her bustier is not easy to tie tightly and the laces are very long again, making me think once more about the display idea. Her lingerie is simple, sweet and sexy, so it's fine. I like it.
I don't use the earrings, but I checked: Roxy's ears are cleanly pierced, so her earrings should be easy to put on (in).
Since the last edition, Under Runway, LOVETONES dolls come in a slightly larger, elegant black box with two compartments beside each other to pull out at the sides. One holds the nude doll in foam, the other holds all the other stuff in resealable plastic bags, with the exception of the doll stand.
When I pulled out Roxy for the first time, she wore a hairnet and her torso was covered in plastic wrap. Her legs were not wrapped and there were black stains from the box cover on her upper thighs and slight stains on her knees. I got rid of all stains with warm water, soap, and a lot of hard scrubbing. No real damage, but annoying, because it lessened my joy of deboxing the doll for the first time. After I informed Rocco Liang about that, he apologized and told me they might change the box design for the next edition.
Bottom Line
“Trendsetter” is the fifth edition of LOVETONES since 2015. To me this Roxy is one of the best so far. (Timeless Show Roxy is still the best for me, even though Trendsetter Roxy contested her title on behalf of the amazing leather jacket and her more colorful outfit.) I have a few very minor complaints, aside from the removable stains. Maybe I've become more discerning as a collector. Anyway, this Roxy is a gorgeous additon to any fashion doll collection, and I recommend her. I remain a LOVETONES fan and I look forward to the next edition.
9.7 of 10 points
These are my personal impressions and thoughts, so feel free to disagree.
BEST VIEWED IN LIGHT BOX AND THE INFORMATION IS WORTH READING. :)
Photographed in the Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Angiopteris evecta (the Giant or KIng Fern) is an ancient species with reputedly the largest fronds of any fern on earth. The species was thought to be extinct in the wild in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, until a single specimen was recorded in the far north-east of the State in 1978. The Giant Fern is the only species of the genus Angiopteris found in Australia. NSW has commenced a recovery program to re-insert this marvellous plant back into the environment where it once lived. In North Queensland Angiopteris evecta is commonly known as the King Fern and is not endangered, but still considered to be a prize among the fern family as the most primitive tree fern in existence and surviving naturally in the Wet Tropics of Queensland for at least 300 million years.
The King Fern (Angiopteris evecta) has either leaves tufted near ground level, or an erect rhizome forming a massive, woody trunk up to 1 metre in diameter and 3 metres in height in older specimens. The leaf stalks are green, smooth and swollen at the base where a pair of dark cockle-shell like containers enclose the base. The bi-pinnate fronds are massive, up to 8 metres in length, and are reputedly the largest fronds of any fern on earth.
Angiopteris is a primitive genus and represents an ancient flora of Gondwanan origin. Fossilised Angiopteris-like ferns dating from the early Mesozoic, some 200 million years ago, have been found at Lune River in Tasmania, when Australia was still part of Gondwana and a warm, wet climate prevailed. During the slow drift north, the species was confined to warm and wet refugia such as the Daintree Rainforest.
The King Fern is a member of the Family Marattiaceae (order Marattiales). The genus Angiopteris contains approximately 100 species occurring in Madagascar, south-east Asia, Japan, Australia and the south-west Pacific.
Here's a really interesting fact so please keep reading. Recent studies inform us that the female cone is able to emit a biochemical when it is pollenating that causes the male cone to turn up its temperature to discomfort the beetles (thrip) that inhabit the male cone. Stimulated by the 12 degrees increase in temperature, the thrip, which predate flying insects, walk their burden of pollen to the female cone to effect cross-pollination. I think that's cool!!
Seeing this fern growing in the park was like being in a living museum. Some of them were half the height of small palm trees.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your comments. :)
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Here is a prize from the unedited stash that will break the noir series. This is clearly the case of a captive audience. One for me, one for you and one for the geese. This is without doubt an example of the Tom Lehrer song, "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park." That's probably closer to the truth than feeding wildlife although these geese won't go anywhere to be wild. These snacks probably shouldn't go into the kids either. Here's an instance of starting to shoot wildlife after our spring started to green up. These domestic fowl have taken up permanent residence here, water or ice. No wonder! I met a birder who declared he spotted 28 species on his last outing here. I headed out for another loop of pond #2 and saw gaggles of geese disembarking to weed the surrounding grass areas. These are pretty well in tune with the pitcher. They must not have been really startled and I have nearly had mallards walk over my feet. Seems proper; I walk on them too. This pose struck me as a near form of communication that had not been translated to me except in their actions. In fact I could have been slightly steadier; I found a monopod for quick but steady shots. The day had skies that were less than satisfying. The sky has been bad for a while again and promises more.
Some of the foliage was really greening up in early June and some of the trees were finally budding after the later spring. I bet the parking at the park will be maxed when spring arrives this year.
I was at Golden Ponds, the Longmont, Boulder County greenbelt and rec area and I wanted to look for possible shots even though the sky had been the pits lately. We are about a month away from the longest day but the weather granted us an extended spring. I wandered the green space and took some detail shots that were available, The rippling water gone so I relied on the ducks wake to churn the water, my favorite cottonwood is brown and most cattails and milk weed is seeding the next year's supply. I shot few pictures and kept the sky out of the frame but it's presence shows in the water. I love shooting high contrast scenes with this camera and lens.
Someone who I've become incredibly close with over the past few months since starting university is Erin who, funnily enough, is also from home and is studying here in Lancaster. She's a remarkably funny person and I love spending time with her, especially on days like today where we went for a little photo walk and ended up carrying on and getting somewhat lost in the fields surrounding campus.
Have a listen - Garlic is for Lovers, Tom Smith www.thefump.com/music/song/garlic-is-for-lovers. Shot for Compositionally Challenged Week 5 - 1 subject, three points of view. I may have screwed this up using 3 heads of garlic - but there's never too much garlic in my world. Have a delicious day!
This is located in the Paradise area of Mount Ranier National Park. To get this shot it required walking down a steep, but short trail. Coming back up was quite a bit harder. It has loose rocks and roots through the trail, but if you are careful it should be no problem.
Hope you are having a wonderful week. I am excited because Saturday I head to Ouray.
This is my very favourite of Perry's artworks. Hand embroidered on silk. His comment: These are five Loyalists from East Belfast. Four of them participated in a march I witnessed commemorating the centenary of the founding of the Ulster Volunteer Force & I was fascinated... Ironically being patriotic is not a particularly British trait. Their portrait is in the form of a banner that might be carried aloft on a march. I deliberately chose a very colourful & rather jolly style as the murals in East Belfast veer heavily towards the dour & aggressive. Part of the Who Are You? exhibition in the National Portrait Museum, London.
Interestingly, none of them had ever been to their 'mother country' & so were unaware that it is now a relatively tolerant, multi-cultural, multi-religious place where Protestantism & Catholicism are simply not an issue any more!
ABCs & 123s: five on a horse.
USS Olympia (C-6/CA-15/CL-15/IX-40) is a protected cruiser that saw service in the United States Navy from her commissioning in 1895 until 1922. This vessel became famous as the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The ship was decommissioned after returning to the U.S. in 1899, but was returned to active service in 1902.
She served until World War I as a training ship for naval cadets and as a floating barracks in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1917, she was mobilized again for war service, patrolling the American coast and escorting transport ships.
Following the end of World War I, Olympia participated in the 1919 Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, and conducted cruises in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas to promote peace in the unstable Balkan countries. In 1921, the ship carried the remains of World War I's Unknown Soldier from France to Washington, DC, where his body was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Olympia was decommissioned for the last time in December 1922 and placed in reserve.
In 1957, the U.S. Navy ceded title to the Cruiser Olympia Association, which restored the ship to her 1898 configuration. Since then, Olympia has been a museum ship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is now part of the Independence Seaport Museum. Olympia is the oldest steel US warship still afloat. However, the Museum has been unable to fund essential maintenance for the old ship, and attempts to secure outside funding have failed. Therefore the current steward, under direction of the US Navy has put the ship up for availability to new stewards. It will take an estimated ten million dollars to put Olympia in a stable condition.
Olympia was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
As of 2012, Olympia's future was uncertain; repairs are desperately needed to keep the ship afloat. Four entities from San Francisco, California, Beaufort, South Carolina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, are vying to be a new steward, but it is a race against time due to the waterline deterioration of the hull. As the current entities are in competition for the ship, no significant repairs have been made, although the current steward has done some minor repairs. In reaction to this gap in coverage, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) has set up a fund repository which, if funds are raised, will be directly applied to immediate repairs of the vessel with the cooperation of the current steward. At the present time, March 2012, the NTHP is considering a triple application by the Naval Historical Foundation, the Historic Naval Ships Association, and the National Maritime Association to have Olympia placed on the NTHP's list of the eleven most endangered "places". The steward applicants from San Francisco (Mare Island), and Beaufort, S.C., have endorsed the application. Despite these positive steps, Olympia is in critical danger due to the lack of funds.
Since 2011, Independence Seaport Museum has renewed its commitment to the continued preservation of the Cruiser Olympia until the Transfer Application Process reaches its conclusion in summer 2014. The Museum has invested in extensive stabilization measures including reinforcing the most deteriorated areas of the hull, expanding the alarm system, installing a network of bilge pumping stand pipes (which will provide greater damage control capability in the unlikely event of a hull breech), extensive deck patching and extensive repair and recoating of the ship’s rigging. Although still in need of dry docking and substantial restoration, the Olympia is in a more stable condition now than it has been for years. This work was made possible by donations from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, The U.S. Cruiser Sailors Association and many individual donors.
Of the six candidates that originally applied for stewardship of the cruiser Olympia, only two remain: an organization in California and an organization in South Carolina. The Museum continues to seek resources to preserve the ship for education and interpretation. The ship will remain open to the public seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and until 7:00 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Husky is Husky Husky is Husky… Siberian or Alaskan..They are just a Husky…Not a dog..Not a wolf… This sweet and two coloured eyes Husky was my neighbour in Lapland…And he was very generous to provide me to take this shot while he was enjoying the gently falling snow in front the wooden house. They are one of the most friendly animals… I love Huskies, BeNowMeHere, Torassieppi Reindeer Farm, Muonio, Lapland, Finland, 2015 via 500px ift.tt/1MOSeyC
Santa is coming, and if you were naughty, he won't be nice.
Santa's battle chariot is pulled by the flightless Northern Werepenguin. (Which can now fly with Santa magic.)
Alt Photo here.
Shadow is a safe place.
the Part of the Silent Concert series
Someday morning in my bathroom, Taipei, Taiwan.
Zeiss Ikoflex 1C TLR, Kodak T-MAX 100