Boston, MA

Cold and bright for a pleasant walk from Minnis Bay to Reculver this morning.

Marking a return to the 1908 number used for demonstrators has been this Electric Citaro. Internally it retains the posh feel of its diesel predecessor, and is much nicer to travel on than the BYD E400s now found en masse across Coventry. It’s pictured here departing Walsgrave University Hospital, with a 20C for Coventry City Centre. During its spell on loan it’s seen use exclusively on the 20 corridor, mainly the A/C variants though also a few trips to Bedworth. It’s also been sighted in the South Birmingham area, having presumably been privately tested over Yardley Wood’s route 27.

Route 20C is set to be withdrawn in January, which is a shame to see as it’s one of the more interesting routes in the city, skirting around the urban boundaries in part.

Rockland Harbour Southwest

t was privately built between 1981 and 1987. After being completed and equipped with a lens, the lighthouse was recognized by the Coast Guard as a private aid to navigation marking nearby Seal Ledge.

It was sold in 1998 and an extensive renovation of the lighthouse happened. A fifth-order Fresnel lens used at Doubling Point Range Lights was ins

Copyright © John G. Lidstone, all rights reserved.

It is an offence under law if you remove my copyright marking, or post this image anywhere else without my express written permission.

Kinner B5-R (R-440) five-cylinder 7.2-litre radial, 125-hp

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Markings: Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), WWII, painted as 4494 - civil registration C-FDAF

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Tiger Boys' Aeroplane Works & Flying Museum annual air day

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Nikon AF Nikkor 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6D

DSC_8798 Anx2 1400h Q90 0.5k-2k

What is he doing? Marking his territory. If you take your dog for a walk, or have watched "Never Cry Wolf" you'll understand.

See my 'Bears' set and slide show here

The Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) is a butterfly widespread throughout Europe; from North Africa across Europe to the Urals, the Caucasus and Asia Minor, but is absent from the sub-arctic areas of Norway and Sweden. The butterfly occurs in shady woodland, clearings and edges, hedgerows and scrub, but too in parks and gardens.

In Europe it is a brown butterfly with pale yellow or cream spots on the wings and numerous eye-spots (subspecies P. a. tircis). In southwestern Europe and North Africa are the spots more orange (subspecies P. a. aegeria). The two forms gradually intergrade into each other. The undersides of the wings are marbled, and are light and dark brown in colour. Females have brighter and more distinct markings than males. The wingspan of both males and females is 4 - 4.5 cm, although males tend to be slightly smaller than females.

The flight-periods of the adults of each generation overlap, so they can be seen from March through to October. The speckled wood can overwinter either as a caterpillar or as a pupa, an unusual situation in a butterfly.

Het bont zandoogje (Pararge aegeria) is een wijdverspreide vlinder in heel Europa, van Noord-Afrika via Europa tot de Oeral, de Kaukasus en Klein-Azië, maar de soort is afwezig in Midden- en Noord-Scandinavië. De vlinder komt vooral voor in loof-, naald- en gemengde bossen, en dan vooral open plekken, paden en randen, hagen en struikgewas, maar ook in parken en tuinen.

De bruine vlinder heeft lichtgele of crèmige vlekken op de vleugels en tal van eye-spots (ondersoort P. a. tircis). In het zuidwesten van Europa en Noord-Afrika zijn de vlekken meer oranje (ondersoort P. a. aegeria). De twee vormen gaan geleidelijk in elkaar over.

De onderkanten van de vleugels zijn licht en donker bruin gemarmerd. Vrouwtjes hebben helderder en duidelijker markeringen dan de mannetjes. De spanwijdte van zowel de mannetjes als de vrouwtjes is 4 à 4,5 cm, hoewel de mannetjes de neiging hebben om iets kleiner te zijn dan vrouwtjes.

Het mannetje zit vaak op zonnige plekjes in het bos met geopende vleugels te zonnen en te wachten op een vrouwtje. Als er een ander mannetje op zijn plekje komt, jaagt hij hem snel weg.

De vluchtperiodes van de generaties overlappen elkaar, zodat ze kunnen worden gezien van maart tot oktober.

Het bont zandoogje kan overwinteren als rups of pop.

Deze opname is gemaakt in de Kwekerij voor Europese vlinders van www.passiflorahoeve.nl bij Harskamp op de Veluwe.

Europese vlinders, ook in Nederland verdwenen soorten, vliegen daar in een kweekvolière vrij rond en hebben ruimschoots de beschikking over hun eigen waardplanten en nectarplanten.

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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.

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NAS Oceana (KNTU) -- Apollo Soucek Field

Virginia Beach, VA

2016 Airshow

PH-RLS Rijksluchtvaartschool

It was a long weekend spent marking papers with my digital version of the red pen.

More at The Philosophical Fish →

LEGO Starwars blog:

blog.naver.com/esjs1020

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The OV-10 Bronco was initially conceived in the early 1960s through an informal collaboration between W. H. Beckett and Colonel K. P. Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to live near each other. The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support.

The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads as runways. Speed was to be from very slow to medium subsonic, with much longer loiter times than a pure jet. Efficient turboprop engines would give better performance than piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted on the centerline to get efficient aiming. The inventors favored strafing weapons such as self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets. The airframe was to be designed to avoid the back blast.

The MV-10Hs are expected to provide support for these ground units in the form of all-weather reconnaissance and observation, close air support and also forward air control duties for supporting ground units. Precision ground strikes and protection from enemy helicopters and low-flying aircraft were other, secondary missions for the modernized Broncos, which are expected to serve well into the 2040s. Exports or conversions of foreign OV-10s to the Black Pony standard are not planned, though.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length: 42 ft 2½ in (12,88 m) incl. pitot

Wingspan: 45 ft 10½ in(14 m) incl. tip sails

Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)

Wing area: 290.95 sq ft (27.03 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 64A315

Empty weight: 9,090 lb (4,127 kg)

Gross weight: 13,068 lb (5,931 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 17,318 lb (7,862 kg)

Powerplant:

2× General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each,

driving 8-bladed Hamilton Standard 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter constant-speed,

fully feathering, reversible contra-rotating propellers with metal hub and composite blades

Performance:

Maximum speed: 390 mph (340 kn, 625 km/h)

Combat range: 198 nmi (228 mi, 367 km)

Ferry range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) with auxiliary fuel

Maximum loiter time: 5.5 h with auxiliary fuel

Service ceiling: 32.750 ft (10,000 m)

13,500 ft (4.210 m) on one engine

Rate of climb: 17.400 ft/min (48 m/s) at sea level

Take-off run: 480 ft (150 m)

740 ft (227 m) to 50 ft (15 m)

1,870 ft (570 m) to 50 ft (15 m) at MTOW

Landing run: 490 ft (150 m)

785 ft (240 m) at MTOW

1,015 ft (310 m) from 50 ft (15 m)

Armament:

1x M197 3-barreled 20 mm Gatling cannon in a chin turret with 750 rounds ammo capacity

7x hardpoints for a total load of 5.000 lb (2,270 kg)

2x wingtip launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional Bronco update/conversion was simply spawned by the idea: could it be possible to replace the original cockpit section with one from an AH-1 Cobra, for a kind of gunship version?

The basis is the Academy OV-10D kit, mated with the cockpit section from a Fujimi AH-1S TOW Cobra (Revell re-boxing, though), chosen because of its “boxy” cockpit section with flat glass panels – I think that it conveys the idea of an armored cockpit section best. Combining these parts was not easy, though, even though the plan sound simple. Initially, the Bronco’s twin booms, wings and stabilizer were built separately, because this made PSR on these sections easier than trying the same on a completed airframe. One of the initial challenges: the different engines. I wanted something uprated, and a different look, and I had a pair of (excellent!) 1:144 resin engines from the Russian company Kompakt Zip for a Tu-95 bomber at hand, which come together with movable(!) eight-blade contraprops that were an almost perfect size match for the original three-blade props. Biggest problem: the Tu-95 nacelles have a perfectly circular diameter, while the OV-10’s booms are square and rectangular. Combining these parts and shapes was already a messy PST affair, but it worked out quite well – even though the result rather reminds of some Chinese upgrade measure (anyone know the Tu-4 copies with turboprops? This here looks similar!). But while not pretty, I think that the beafier look works well and adds to the idea of a “revived” aircraft. And you can hardly beat the menacing look of contraprops on anything...

The exotic, so-called “tip sails” on the wings, mounted on short booms, are a detail borrowed from the Shijiazhuang Y-5B-100, an updated Chinese variant/copy of the Antonov An-2 biplane transporter. The booms are simple pieces of sprue from the Bronco kit, the winglets were cut from 0.5mm styrene sheet.

For the cockpit donor, the AH-1’s front section was roughly built, including the engine section (which is a separate module, so that the basic kit can be sold with different engine sections), and then the helicopter hull was cut and trimmed down to match the original Bronco pod and to fit under the wing. This became more complicated than expected, because a) the AH-1 cockpit and the nose are considerably shorter than the OV-10s, b) the AH-1 fuselage is markedly taller than the Bronco’s and c) the engine section, which would end up in the area of the wing, features major recesses, making the surface very uneven – calling for massive PSR to even this out. PSR was also necessary to hide the openings for the Fujimi AH-1’s stub wings. Other issues: the front landing gear (and its well) had to be added, as well as the OV-10 wing stubs. Furthermore, the new cockpit pod’s rear section needed an aerodynamical end/fairing, but I found a leftover Academy OV-10 section from a build/kitbashing many moons ago. Perfect match!

All these challenges could be tackled, even though the AH-1 cockpit looks surprisingly stout and massive on the Bronco’s airframe - the result looks stockier than expected, but it works well for the "Gunship" theme. Lots of PSR went into the new central fuselage section, though, even before it was mated with the OV-10 wing and the rest of the model.

Once cockpit and wing were finally mated, the seams had to disappear under even more PSR and a spinal extension of the canopy had to be sculpted across the upper wing surface, which would meld with the pod’s tail in a (more or less) harmonious shape. Not an easy task, and the fairing was eventually sculpted with 2C putty, plus even more PSR… Looks quite homogenous, though.

After this massive body work, other hardware challenges appeared like small distractions. The landing gear was another major issue because the deeper AH-1 section lowered the ground clearance, also because of the chin turret. To counter this, I raised the OV-10’s main landing gear by ~2mm – not much, but it was enough to create a credible stance, together with the front landing gear transplant under the cockpit, which received an internal console to match the main landing gear’s length. Due to the chin turret and the shorter nose, the front wheel retracts backwards now. But this looks quite plausible, thanks to the additional space under the cockpit tub, which also made a belt feed for the gun’s ammunition supply believable.

To enhance the menacing look I gave the model a fixed refueling boom, made from 1mm steel wire and a receptor adapter sculpted with white glue. The latter stuff was also used add some antenna fairings around the hull. Some antennae, chaff dispensers and an IR decoy were taken from the Academy kit.

The ordnance came from various sources. The Sidewinders under the wing tips were taken from an Italeri F-16C/D kit, they look better than the missiles from the Academy Bronco kit. Their launch rails came from an Italeri Bae Hawk 200. The quadruple Hellfire launchers on the underwing hardpoints were left over from an Italeri AH-1W, and they are a perfect load for this aircraft and its role. The LAU-10 and -19 missile pods on the stub wings were taken from the OV-10 kit.

Painting and markings:

Finding a suitable and somewhat interesting – but still plausible – paint scheme was not easy. Taking the A-10 as benchmark, an overall light grey livery (with focus on low contrast against the sky as protection against ground fire) would have been a likely choice – and in fact the last operational American OV-10s were painted in this fashion. But in order to provide a different look I used the contemporary USAF V-22Bs and Special Operations MC-130s as benchmark, which typically carry a darker paint scheme consisting of FS 36118 (suitably “Gunship Gray” :D) from above, FS 36375 underneath, with a low, wavy waterline, plus low-viz markings. Not spectacular, but plausible – and very similar to the late r/w Colombian OV-10s.

The cockpit tub became Dark Gull Grey (FS 36231, Humbrol 140) and the landing gear white (Revell 301).

The model received an overall black ink washing and some post-panel-shading, to liven up the dull all-grey livery. The decals were gathered from various sources, and I settled for black USAF low-viz markings. The “stars and bars” come from a late USAF F-4, the “IP” tail code was tailored from F-16 markings and the shark mouth was taken from an Academy AH-64. Most stencils came from another Academy OV-10 sheet and some other sources.

Decals were also used to create the trim on the propeller blades and markings on the ordnance.

Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and some exhaust soot stains were added with graphite along the tail boom flanks.

A successful transplantation – but is this still a modified Bronco or already a kitbashing? The result looks quite plausible and menacing, even though the TOW Cobra front section appears relatively massive. But thanks to the bigger engines and extended wing tips the proportions still work. The large low-pressure tires look a bit goofy under the aircraft, but they are original. The grey livery works IMHO well, too – a more colorful or garish scheme would certainly have distracted from the modified technical basis.

On a visit to Willowbank wild life park with a Flickr friend September 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand.

Although there are claims that the Damara breed of sheep originated in Egypt as long ago as 3000 BC, its recognition as a named breed is more realistically dated to the early twentieth century. In 1904, this long-legged sheep breed was seen by German explorers in the northern region of Namibia, which was then called Gross Damaland – hence it became known as the Damara Sheep. At one time, local farmers who used copper in their traditional attire, exchanged Damara Sheep for copper wire and for horses.

For More Info: www.rarebreeds.co.nz/damara.html

Founded by the Willis family more than four decades ago, Willowbank is still owned and operated by members of the founding family. With more than 120 000 annual visitors, and growing, Willowbank is popular with local, national and international visitors.

New Zealand’s most comprehensive NZ themed wildlife park, the Willowbank experience tells the story of our country’s natural heritage. Using pioneering and innovative display techniques, with an emphasis on creating a natural environment and an up-close and personal interactive experience, Willowbank showcases one of New Zealand’s best displays of native species. Willowbank was the first to open a glass-free nocturnal house for kiwi in a natural environment, guaranteeing viewings every time.

Willowbank is a New Zealand leader in conservation, with success in many national, Australasian and in-house breeding programmes focusing on New Zealand native and endangered species, as well as many rare and heritage breeds of farm stock. Scientific research projects, and local partners including the Department of Conservation, the Styx River Living Laboratory, the Rare Breeds Society, the NZ Conservation Trust and the South Island Wildlife Hospital, are supported by and work alongside Willowbank.

For More Info: www.willowbank.co.nz/about-us/history/

Was surprised to find these markings on a tree downtown.

Ready for lineing Hunslet loco Elidir.

Marking the entrance to the Grand Harbour / Port of Valletta. The Fort of the same name lies behind the breakwater.

2020 Peterbilt 520/EZ Liner

Pellenes bitaeniatus,female,the males are smaller with orange markings.They "carry" their front legs like an ant mimic does.

We all love cedar waxwings. I think it's due to the pleasing brown color, the facial mask and the yellow and red accents in the feathers. Here, during take off, we see those accents in a slightly different perspective.

This is at Cherry Creek State Park, Colorado, on the main road, at a pull out below the administrative office. Don't go crazy looking, since I've seen three waxwings there in ten-years.

RAF BAE Systems Eurofighter Typhoon FGR (ZK349) under tow at RAF Fairford during the 2015 RIAT. Painted to commemorate 75 years since the Battle of Britain, this Typhoon is flown by Flight Lieutenant Ben Westoby-Brooks as part of the 2015 Synchro Display. It wears the markings of Flight Lieutenant Eric James Brindley Nicholson VC DFC, who received the VC for his actions in the Battle of Britain whilst flying for 249 Squadron RAF.

We marked the pitch: four jackets for four goalposts,

That was all. The corners and the squares

Were there like longitude and latitude

Under the bumpy ground, to be

Agreed about or disagreed about

When the time came. And then we picked the teams

And crossed the line our called names drew between us.

Youngsters shouting their heads off in a field

As the light died and they kept on playing

Because by then they were playing in their heads

And the actual kicked ball came to them

Like a dream heaviness, and their own hard

Breathing in the dark and skids on grass

Sounded like effort in another world…

It was quick and constant, a game that never need

Be played out. Some limit had been passed,

There was fleetness, furtherance, untiredness

In time that was extra, unforeseen and free.

Tepu' showing us some of her prized tattoos decorating both her arms and legs. The nature of tattooing among indigenous tribes in Sarawak is a long and varied one outside of this scope, but among Kelabit women, tattoos used to be a measure of class and a symbol of beauty. Nowadays the practice is almost non-existent among younger generations.

Part of a visit with Beken Ayu.

Rumah Labang, Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak, Malaysia, 2009

A Trig point at the North edge of Rowley Wood/Bunny Hill, Seabridge, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire

via Playground Markings UK bit.ly/1LuyDCt

Playground Marking Removal in Ballymoney | Removing Play Surface Markings #Play #Area #Markings #Removal #Ballymoney bit.ly/1Lmoo7I

via Playground Markings UK bit.ly/1PHmjVN

Thermoplastic Markings in Stratfield Turgis #Thermoplastic #Playground #Markings #Stratfield #Turgis bit.ly/1RWQ2cq

Road markings at morrisons supermarket, cowgate, Newcastle. I liked the different texture and tones.

in strathglass, don't be daft, just some markings on a rock in our garden

In common with all other Vulcans, she was constructed by A V Roe & Co. at its Chadderton, and Woodford plants, and made her first flight, lasting 95 minutes, from Woodford on August 23rd, 1962. After four further test flights, XL426 was collected by an RAF crew and entered service with 83 Squadron at RAF Scampton on September 13th, 1962.

The Scampton Wing (Nos. 27, 83 and 617 Squadrons) were at the time in the process of equipping with the Blue Steel stand-off missile. From September 1961, all aircraft delivered to these squadrons were specially modified to carry the new weapon, which was loaded, semi-recessed, in the Vulcan’s bomb-bay.

In 83 Squadron markings (MAP/E Taylor)In December 1962, Wing Commander (later Group Captain) John Slessor took over command of 83 Squadron from Wing Commander (later Air Commodore) Ray Davenport. John Slessor selected XL426 as his personal aircraft for his three-year tour, and she proudly bore the squadron commander’s pennant painted below her cockpit. On September 10th, 1963, whilst returning from Goose Bay, Canada, John Slessor flew XL426 to RAF Scampton in 4 hours 5 minutes - an unofficial record, pre-Concorde, for a crossing of the North Atlantic at that time.

In April 1964, the centralised servicing was introduced at RAF Scampton, meaning aircraft were no longer assigned to individual units, but instead were ‘pooled’ and assigned to squadrons on a day-by-day basis. XL426 was flown by all three squadrons of the Scampton Wing, which was now was fully operational with Blue Steel.

With the transfer of the nuclear deterrent role to the Royal Navy in 1969, Blue Steel was withdrawn and the Scampton squadrons were assigned to the tactical nuclear and conventional bombing roles.

Individual unit allocations were resumed in January 1971, and for the next 10 years, XL426 spent most of her time with 617 Squadron, although she also had brief spells with 27 Squadron and 230 Operational Conversion Unit, which had moved to RAF Scampton from RAF Finningley in December 1969.

In 1981, XL426 had the dubious distinction of being the 298th and last Vulcan to undergo a major service at RAF St Athan. Completion of the service was marked with a formal hand-over ceremony at which Air-Vice Marshal Richardson, RAF Support Command, and RAF Waddington’s Commanding Officer, Group Captain Warrington, both signed for the aircraft. Also present was Warrant Officer John ‘Bob’ Shillings, one of XL426’s first crew chiefs when she had entered service with 83 Squadron back in 1962.

617 Squadron disbanded at the end of 1981 and XL426 was transferred to 50 Squadron at RAF Waddington, making the short flight south to join her new unit on January 4th, 1982. 50 Squadron became the last Vulcan squadron, operating six aircraft as air-to-air tankers until the Vulcan was finally withdrawn from operational service in 1984. XL426 was not converted to a tanker, but was one of three Vulcans retained by the squadron as a B2 to act as a crew trainer, helping to take some of the weight of flying off the shoulders of the already overstretched tankers. She had also been used as a trials aircraft as part of the Vulcan tanker test programme in 1982. XL426 was one of four Vulcans that took part in the Falklands Victory Flypast over London on October 12th, 1982 (although XL426 herself had not played an active role in the war itself). On March 30th, 1984, XL426 had the ultimate accolade of performing 50 Squadron’s last display, in the hands of Squadron Leader Joe L’Estrange, at the squadron’s disbandment ceremony at RAF Waddington.

Withdrawal of the Vulcan from operational service did not, however, spell the end of XL426’s flying days. Very much aware of the Vulcan’s tremendous public relations appeal, and already committed to a number of air displays appearances in the upcoming 1984 season, XL426 was kept airworthy (along with XH560 in reserve) for air display purposes. The two aircraft formed what became known as the Vulcan Historical Flight (later the Vulcan Display Flight - VDF), staffed initially entirely by volunteers. Under the command of Squadron Leader (later Group Captain) Bill Burnett, the Flight and XL426 gave their first display at No IX Squadron’s Standard Presentation Parade at RAF Honington on May 23rd, 1984.

The Flight went on to give more than 50 displays during the course of the 1984 season, and it was agreed to continue displaying XL426 into 1985. As the 1985 season progressed, a close eye was kept on XL426’s flying hours, as the time when she would require another major service was rapidly approaching. Plans were put in hand to replace her with another aircraft and, eventually, a replacement aircraft -XH558 - was found (retrieved from the fire dump at RAF Marham) and XL426 gave her final display at the RAF Coningsby Open Day on June 14th, 1986.

XL426 was put up for sale during the summer of 1986 and agreement was reached with a French consortium for her purchase. Meanwhile, the VDF was temporarily relocated to RAF Scampton to allow runway resurfacing to take place at Waddington, XL426 making the short flight back to her former home on July 27th. The French deal subsequently fell through and XL426 was sold to Roy Jacobsen, who had purchased another Vulcan (XM655) two years earlier. XL426 was delivered to her new owner at Southend Airport on December 19th, 1986, following a 20 minute flight from RAF Scampton. On arrival at Southend, XL426 had amassed 6236 hours flying time, having made over 1800 separate flights.

Roy Jacobsen had ambitious plans to operate XL426 as a civilian display aircraft, under the auspices of an organisation he had formed called the Vulcan Memorial Flight. XL426 was entered onto the British civil aircraft register as G-VJET and approaches were made to a number of potential sponsors. However, the sums required to carry out the necessary servicing work and finance the aircraft’s ongoing operation could not be found and XL426 remained dormant at Southend. In 1990, local enthusiasts formed the Vulcan Memorial Flight Supporters Club (VMFSC) to help promote Mr Jacobsen’s continuing efforts to return XL426 to the air, and to also take care of the aircraft’s continued preservation.

The VMFSC took over ownership of XL426 in July 1993 and subsequently re-formed as a registered charity, the Vulcan Restoration Trust.

A-10A.

10 TFW / 511 TFS.

RAF Alconbury, UK.

USAFE.

Nov.1991.

By 2004 converted to OA-10A

and was with the 23rd Fighter Group at Pope AFB, NC, which moved to Moody AFB, GA in 2006. Converted to A-10C about 2007 and still active with 23rd Fighter Group / 75th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base.

Your blood responded with mine. Now you must wear the marks that prove it.

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Available at Obscyra between Nov 16th and Dec 6th, the Bloodright Markings are a fully modular BOM set, with left and right configurations. Fully tintable, and always copy/mod.

Taxi: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Obscyra/225/67/43

Rome, 2019

Tikki is quite territorial. She and I went on a walk together when this was taken. I think she sees me as her enforcer / protector, as when we walk together, she usually likes to mark something that is some small distance away from our house. This is the far side of a neighbor's front yard and the colors were so good that I had to take the photo. (The neighbors do not have cats - they have a dog - but there are neighborhood cats to inform.) Added (waiting for the right moment) to Happy Caturday 16 Jan 2021 “Basic Instincts.”

She is Ziva David, the new entry.

Some days ago we went to the supermarket and this lovely kitty got into the motor of our car in the parking area.

When we opened the car hood we saw her standing on the differential axle.

She was not afraid, just starving.

I picked her up and and took her to the vet to be visited. She had a cold and now she is taking antibiotics.

She is about 1 month old.

I'm very happy!

*© All rights reserved *

+ 3 photos below

Markings: North American Aviation, Edwards AFB, California, 1956

pimaair.org/museum-aircraft/north-american-f-107a/

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Pratt & Whitney YJ75-P-9 turbojet, 24,500-lbf

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_J75

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Background: U.S. Navy Martin PBM-5A Mariner amphibious flying boat, c1948

pimaair.org/museum-aircraft/martin-pbm-5a/

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Nikon D3200 + Nikon Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR SWM aspherical

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_D3200

www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3200.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_AF-S_DX_Zoom-Nikkor_18-55mm_f...

www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-55mm-vr.htm

DSC_0488 Anx2 1400h Q90 f25

The Cornwall brothers who established their ranch, "Ashcroft" in 1862, came originally from the village of Ashcroft in Gloucestershire, where their father had been vicar. When the CPR adopted the name Ashcroft for their station just east of the ranch (and what would become the townsite), the Cornwall's added "Manor" to the name of their home, making it Ashcroft Manor.

Ashcroft was founded in the 1860s, during the Cariboo Gold Rush, by two English brothers named Clement Francis Cornwall and Henry Pennant Cornwall, founders of Ashcroft Ranch, who emigrated to Canada from Ashcroft, at Newington Bagpath in Gloucestershire. The brothers had originally come in search of gold; however, on hearing stories from failed gold searchers they decided to found the town to give future gold searchers a place to saddle their horses. They sold flour to packers and miners, helping to make the community. Ashcroft was a major stop for trains, where mining supplies were dropped off.

- from 1908 "Lovell's Gazetteer of the Dominion of Canada" - ASHCROFT STATION, a post settlement and railroad depot on the C.P.R., in Yale co., B.C., about midway between Lytton and Kamloops, and 200 miles east of Vancouver. It is on the Thompson River, has a dry climate and light atmosphere, the surrounding district being excellent grazing land, on which much farming is done by irrigation and considerable stock raised. Ashcroft is the entrepot to the Cariboo district, via stage line to Barkerville, a distance of 287 miles. The village has a fine electric light plant and good water system; it has also 3 churches (Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist), 10 stores, 3 hotels, 1 bank, 1 saw mill, 1 printing and newspaper office ("Ashcroft Journal"), besides express and telegraph offices. The population in 1908 was 500.

(from 1918 - Wrigley's British Columbia directory) - Ashcroft - on the main line, C. P. R. and C. N. R., 204 miles east of Vancouver, in the Provincial Electoral District of Yale. Dominion and Canadian Northern Express. Altitude, 1,004 ft. Centre of the irrigated belt and noted particularly for its famous potatoes and beans. Stock-raising and mining. The population in 1918 was 500.

Ashcroft Station was an early settlement. Before the railway was established, Ashcroft Manor was a stopping point on the Cariboo Road. The post office was originally in the local store but was moved to the station. It was established - 1 March 1886. The name was shortened to Ashcroft - 1 April 1899.

LINK - History of the Postmasters and Postmistresses who served at Ashcroft - ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/PDF/Museum/August-2016.pdf

sent from - / ASHCROFT / AP 19 / 05 / B.C / - split ring cancel (second opening) - this split ring hammer (A-3 / 22.5 dia) was not listed in the Proof Book - it was most likely proofed c. 1904 - (RF A).

arrived at - / VANCOUVER / 12 / AP 20 / 05 / B.C. / - cds arrival backstamp

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Addressed to: Mrs. R.S. Pyke / 1114 Haro Street / Vancouver / B.C.

This postcard was sent by her husband Robert Samuel Pyke, who was a Commercial Traveller / Salesman.

Robert Samuel Pyke

(b. 29 April 1861 in East Camden, Lennox and Addington, Ontario, Canada – d. 17 January 1927 at age 65 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

His wife - Kate Purdeaux

(b. 1861 in Belville, Ontario – d. 17 July 1945 at age 85 in Vancouver, B.C.)

They were married - 27 Jan 1886 at Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada - they had one son (who was mentioned in this postcard)

James Lorne Pyke

(b. 1 February 1894 in Vancouver, B.C. – d. 14 June 1973) his occupation was a Lawyer

The life story of Robert Samuel Pyke - (written in 1914) - ROBERT SAMUEL PYKE - One of the most widely known and popular traveling salesmen of British Columbia is Robert Samuel Pyke, representing the Gutta-percha & Rubber, Ltd. He has visited every section of the province and there is no man who has a more intimate knowledge of conditions and of the development and progress of this western section of the Dominion. He was born in Addington county, Ontario, April 30, 1861, a son of James and Martha (Stevenson) Pyke, both natives of Belfast, Ireland. The father was actively and successfully engaged in the shoe business in Addington county for many years, and in fact was identified with the shoe trade throughout his entire life. Both he and his wife passed away many years ago in Ontario. In the public schools of his native county Robert Samuel Pyke pursued his education to the age of fifteen years, when he entered his father's store, there continuing for a few years. In 1881 he came to Winnipeg and joined a surveying party, going thence to Portage la Prairie. From that point they walked to the present site of the town of Brandon, and Mr. Pyke has the distinction of having staked the first tent ever pitched by a white man on that townsite. He also helped to make a survey of the town, at which place the party arrived on the 26th of May, 1881. After spending the summer in Manitoba he went to Colorado, where he remained for one season, working in the shoe business. In the spring of 1882 he returned to Ontario, going to Kingston, out of which city he traveled as a salesman for leather and findings. Mr. Pyke continued in that business until 1890, when he came to Vancouver and joined his brother, J. A. Pyke, in the ownership and conduct of a retail shoe business. That association was maintained for twelve years, at the end of which time R. S. Pyke withdrew and associated himself with the Vancouver Rubber Company, Ltd., which on the first of January, 1913, was reorganized under the name of the Gutta-percha & Rubber, Ltd. Since becoming connected with the Vancouver Rubber Company he has traveled throughout the province from the international boundary to the Alaskan line and from the Alberta border to the Pacific coast. He covers this entire province twice yearly, and few men have known this vast area better in its primitive state and throughout, its various stages of development and advancement than Mr. Pyke. He is popular with the many patrons whom he has won for the corporation which he represents and is everywhere regarded as an enterprising, alert and progressive business man a splendid representative of commercial interests. In Kingston, Ontario, on the 27th of January, 1886, Mr. Pyke was united in marriage to Miss Kate Perdaux, of Belleville, Ontario, and they have one son, J. Loren, now a law student in the office of Burns & Walkem. The parents are active and faithful members of the Wesley Methodist church, of which Mr. Pyke is one of the board of governors. He has always been a conservative, active in politics and municipal affairs. In Vancouver he was made chairman of Ward Conservative Association and has since filled the intermediate offices until he is now president of the Vancouver Conservative Association for 1913. He is now serving his fourth year as a member of the board of license commissioners, during the first two years as a government appointee and during the last two by election of the people. His public record is most commendable, indicating his devotion to the general welfare and his loyalty to all that works for the betterment of city and province. He is also widely known in fraternal circles. Since 1891 he has been a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and has ever taken an active part in the work of that society. He was first elected high chief ranger of the high court of British Columbia and was active in its formation. He represented this province at two supreme court conventions, one at Los Angeles, California, in 1898, and the other in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1902. He is a typical representative of his age and district. He carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes and as the years go by his labors have been effective forces for success not only in business lines but in behalf of municipal advancement and general improvement.

French-registered Yak-3UTI-PW F-AZIM, wrapped up against the cold at Blackbushe Airport. This is one of five new-build aircraft that were produced in Romania in the 1990s. They were built using Yak 11 jigs and equipped with a PW R1830 engine. The original Yak-3UTI, with Shvetsov ASh-21 engine was the basis of the Yak-11 trainer. At some point, the previous 'Russian' red stars have been overpainted with Ukrainian national markings.