One of the most iconic images of Zion National Park is this mountain formation known as The Watchman.

At the southern entrance to the park, easily accessed from the National Park Visitor Center, it is the first introduction to the color and grandeur that is Zion. At the end of the day, it is the last part of the park seen by most visitors, as well. I just was lucky enough to see it at the end of daylight on the last day of 2019, when the clouds above still captured the direct sunlight, even though the rest of the canyon was nearly shrouded in darkness.

Many photographers think this formation is far too popularized to waste their time on, but I felt that, with the light of day diminishing rapidly on the momentous occasion of the decade's end, there was something comforting about seeing The Watchman standing its post as it has done and will continue to do for millennia.

Fire Canyon in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada is a dramatic sandstone formation that showcases exactly where iron deposits seeped into the silica millennia ago, by an abrupt change from white to red. On this evening, the last throes of the sun shone right along that line of demarcation to illuminate the prominent snowcap of Virgin Peak below the clouds in the distance, while also showcasing the full moon above the clouds.

It was a blustery evening with temperatures in the low 50s and winds gusting to 30 kts, but it was a spectacular sight to behold, and true to Colorado Plateau form, within a week the high temperatures were forecast to be near 100°F.

Recognition:

Best in Class, Nature/Landscape category - NOV 2024, Professional Photographers of San Diego County (PPSDC)

Selected for Display, Large Print - JUN-JUL 2023, International Exhibition of Photography, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, CA

Home.

"Home is the hunter, home from the hill,

And the sailor, home from the sea,

Home is a place where the heart beats strong,

And home is here by thee"

{Ive put this together from an idea I got from a requiem poem by Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894}

Just to say, that on the late evening we were there, we met a young couple going up the hill. The young lady was preparing to scatter her Dads ashes on the summit as he had passed on recently. They they said he loved the place and I can see why!.

I was very moved by it.

The poem I think would be a fitting tribute to him.

Pat.

..............................................................

Colmers Hill, Symondsbury, Dorset, England [ 417 ft ]rises above the rich green pastures of this beautiful part of the south coast. It appears perfectly symmetrical as though it was planted there by some mystical being from past history. Its strata consists of a soft reddish sandstone which has been weathered over millennia to give it, its unique appearance.

I prefer to think its "Giant " made!!! And why not!!!!

There are 7 [ "The Magnificent Seven" ] wonderful old Scots Pines growing on its summit and they were planted by Major W P Colfox during the first world war. Its a photographers, artists and walkers dreamscape and well worth a visit or 10!

I took the photo late in the evening and the light was fading fast. It took me a while to get the settings kind of right as I found difficult but hopefully worth the effort! Im sure Ill find out!!!!!

The man in the fore ground is Marc, my favourite son [ I only have one boy! { And my daughter, Caz, of course!! Shes number one too}! ] with his Dalmatian, Henry and there is only one of him as well!,

Do hope you will like my effort and forgive the blurry bits

which I kind of like anyway!!! Isnt taste is a funny thing!

Have a great week and keep taking photos!!!

Pat.

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

Known as Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) or ancient Hierapolis (Holy City), this area has been drawing the weary to its thermal springs since the time of Classical antiquity. The Turkish name refers to the surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcium-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the vast mountainside, mineral-rich waters foam and collect in terraces, spilling over cascades of stalactites into milky pools below. Legend has it that the formations are solidified cotton (the area’s principal crop) that giants left out to dry.

Pamukkale is a tourist attraction. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site together with Hierapolis.

Turkey trip, 2018.

A take on the Wasatch in late autumn. I find it interesting to contemplate that the folds and creases in the mountain landscape do not arise with the building of mountains, but from gravity itself with the actions of water, ice, snow, and winds through millennia. Aging inevitable.

The greater sandhill cranes you will see during the Monte Vista Crane Festival are part of the 20,000 strong Rocky Mountain flock that spends part of each spring and fall in the San Luis Valley, as they have for millennia.

Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA.

Carved from the red sandstone for millennia by seasonal flood rains and wind, the canyons are narrow passageways that lead several hundred feet away from the mouth. The gorgeous sloping angles of the rocks – coupled with the shifts of light that make their way down from the rim of the canyon – combine for a scene that cannot be fully explained with words. Colors of the wall change during the day and even while you change camera angles.

Im malerischen Ilsetal südwestlich von Ilsenburg im Harz überwindet die Ilse auf einem Streckenabschnitt von etwas mehr als einem Kilometer einen Höhenunterschied von etwa 120 Metern. Dabei stürzt das Wasser des wilden Harzflusses lautstark rauschend über eine Vielzahl kleiner und größerer kaskadenartig angeordneter natürlicher Wasserfälle talwärts. Die Natur hat hier im Laufe der Jahrtausende eine wahrhaft eindrucksvolle zusammenhängende Attraktion aus Fels und Wasser geschaffen.

In the picturesque Ilse valley southwest of Ilsenburg in the Harz mountains, the Ilse overcomes a difference in altitude of around 120 meters over a section of just over one kilometer. The water of the wild Harz River rushes down the valley with a loud rush over a large number of small and large natural waterfalls arranged in a cascade. Here, over the millennia, nature has created a truly impressive coherent attraction of rock and water.

Rome is one of the most important cities in the history of mankind, exerting a unique influence on the development of the history and culture of Europeans for millennia and the construction of the Western Civilization. Its history spans more than 2500 years, since its legendary foundation in 753 BC. Rome is one of the oldest continually occupied cities in Europe and is known as "The Eternal City", an idea expressed by poets writers of Ancient Rome. In the ancient world, it was successively the capital of the Kingdom of Rome, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire and is considered one of the cradles of Western civilization. (From Wikipedia)

This being my second visit to Rome, I made a point of not taking a guided tour this time, but simply letting the busy streets take me to the places previously visited, admiring and enchanting me with the unexpected architectural details.

Basilica di San Pietro at the blue hour.

No tripod, sorry for the poor sharpness.

Les Arènes d'Arles sont un amphithéâtre romain construit vers 80-90 apr. J.-C. par les ordres de l’empereur Tibère, dans le cadre des extensions flaviennes de la ville. L’amphithéâtre d'Arles est le monument le plus important de l’ancienne colonie romaine qu'il nous est permis d’admirer, quelque deux millénaires après son édification. Son architecture est entièrement conçue en rapport avec sa vocation de lieu à grands spectacles, accueillant un nombreux public.

Built in the first century AD, the Arena of Arles helped make the city one of the largest Roman cities in Gaul. They have gone through more than two millennia in an excellent state of preservation, resisting wars, epidemics and the temptation of men to use them as stone quarries, to reach us in an excellent state of preservation. As one of the best preserved ancient amphitheatres in Europe, they can be visited all year round and continue to host cultural and sporting events, perpetuating their primary function.

The history of this The John Rylands Library was founded by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband John Rylands, who died in 1888.

Based in one of the finest neo-Gothic buildings in Europe and in the heart of Manchester, it is a dynamic community of world-leading researchers, curators, conservators and imaging specialists, all focused on our core mission to define the human experience over five millennia and up to the current day.

I love the way I managed to capture and edit for an eerie atmospheric feeling to this corridor!

Many thanks for your kind compliments from you here, my flickr friends !!!

Bell Gorge is inside the Wunaamin Conservation Park (formerly King Leopold Range National Park), a 370,000 ha park that contains seven ranges that punctuate the rugged Gibb River Road. Over the millennia, tree-lined Bells Creek has washed away this range to create a beautiful gorge.

The creek follows a valley through the ranges and then takes a tumble over layers of sandstone into a deep, gorge pool below.

The map location for this photo is an approximation, the map is so useless.

0212

Im malerischen Ilsetal südwestlich von Ilsenburg im Harz überwindet die Ilse auf einem Streckenabschnitt von etwas mehr als einem Kilometer einen Höhenunterschied von etwa 120 Metern. Dabei stürzt das Wasser des wilden Harzflusses lautstark rauschend über eine Vielzahl kleiner und größerer kaskadenartig angeordneter natürlicher Wasserfälle talwärts. Die Natur hat hier im Laufe der Jahrtausende eine wahrhaft eindrucksvolle zusammenhängende Attraktion aus Fels und Wasser geschaffen.

In the picturesque Ilse valley southwest of Ilsenburg in the Harz mountains, the Ilse overcomes a difference in altitude of around 120 meters over a section of just over one kilometer. The water of the wild Harz River rushes down the valley with a loud rush over a large number of small and large natural waterfalls arranged in a cascade. Here, over the millennia, nature has created a truly impressive coherent attraction of rock and water.

Not the most iconic view of Thor's hammer in Bryce but the one i could get with the light conditions.

Per thetravel.com ... Thor's Hammer is one prominent example of a distinctive rock formation, known as a hoodoo, that naturally occurs in arid basins and badlands. There are thousands of hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. Also called fairy chimneys and earth pyramids, they're comparable to totem poles, spires, or natural skyscrapers. Sedimentary and volcanic rock eroded over millennia due to freezing and thawing patterns, eventually leaving behind these remarkable structures. Humans have always placed spiritual significance on these hoodoos. Native American legends, for example, state that hoodoos are the petrified remains of sinful ancient beings.

Buy this image on : Getty Images

Caryatids of the Erechtheion temple on the Acropolis of Athens built between 421 and 406 BC proudly carry the weight of the roof of the temple since the millennia.

Our last trip to Greece with a stopover in Athens could not be completed without visiting the Acropolis. Photos of this famous place are so numerous that it is very difficult to present something other than what you've seen. Even if the view is a classic this is my variation.

FR. Cariatides du temple d'Érechtéion, sur l'Acropole d'Athènes construites entre le 421 et 406 avant JC portent fierement le poids du toit du temple depuis les millenaires.

Notre dernier voyage en Grèce avec une escale à Athenes n'a pas pu s'achèvé sans une visite de l'Acropole. Les photos de ce fameux lieu sont si nombreux qu'il est très difficile de présenter autres chose que ce que vous avez déjà vu. Alors même si la vue est un grand classique je vous présente ma variation.

Wadi Run desert, Jordania

Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert wilderness in the south of Jordan. Huge mountains of sandstone and granite emerge, sheer-sided, from wide sandy valleys to reach heights of 1700 meters and more. Narrow canyons and fissures cut deep into the mountains and many conceal ancient rock drawings etched by the peoples of the desert over millennia. Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Rum and their large goat-hair tents are a special feature of the landscape

To safeguard its unique desert landscape, Wadi Rum was declared a protected area in1998 and an intensive conservation programme is now underway.

Im malerischen Ilsetal südwestlich von Ilsenburg im Harz überwindet die Ilse auf einem Streckenabschnitt von etwas mehr als einem Kilometer einen Höhenunterschied von etwa 120 Metern. Dabei stürzt das Wasser des wilden Harzflusses lautstark rauschend über eine Vielzahl kleiner und größerer kaskadenartig angeordneter natürlicher Wasserfälle talwärts. Die Natur hat hier im Laufe der Jahrtausende eine wahrhaft eindrucksvolle zusammenhängende Attraktion aus Fels und Wasser geschaffen.

In the picturesque Ilse valley southwest of Ilsenburg in the Harz mountains, the Ilse overcomes a difference in altitude of around 120 meters over a section of just over one kilometer. The water of the wild Harz River rushes down the valley with a loud rush over a large number of small and large natural waterfalls arranged in a cascade. Here, over the millennia, nature has created a truly impressive coherent attraction of rock and water.

This photo shows only part of the entire cascade, called “Fisgas do Ermelo”, located in Alvão Natural Park, Vila Real district, Portugal. It’s one of the largest waterfalls in Portugal and one of Europe's largest, not rushing in absolute vertical. Its waters, separates the areas of granitic from the schist zones of the surrounding land. The size of this cascade, is about 200 meters long dug over the millennia of its existence by the calm waters of the Olo river, which rises in Alvão Natural Park. Before the waterfall, there are lakes of crystal clear water used in summer seasons.

Comet Neowise

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved

Do not use without permission.

Let me explain the title. This is one of several springs with fresh water to be found in central Rome. The water is drinkable and it is popular among tourists to fill their water bottles there. And beneath it, catching the water is this charming basin with classical motifs.

Or is it charming? Well, I think it is. But I wonder how many of those tourists know what those basins actually are. Because these items are reused. Which is all fine and good. But what they were to begin with are sarcophagi - and in all likelihood they have all at one point contained a dead body.

Admittedly that was quite some time ago, those sarcophagi were in fashion from the 2nd to the 4th century AD (and though I am not the best at dating sarcophagi, I think this is from the 3rd or possible 2nd century), and when they were rediscovered - in many cases more than a millennia later - the bodies were probably not even still intact in these containers, if present at all.

The medallion in the middle front was a portrait of the interred person (the portrait here may be damaged or just never finished - and there is a whole debate on why a lot of sarcophagi portraits are left with blank faces). The rest of the decoration seems to be mythological with putti and sea creatures, or at least shells, though the worn state makes it a bit hard to tell more than that.

Capela do Senhor da Pedra (Chapel of the Lord of the Rock), Praia de Miramar, Gulpilhares (Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal).

This suggestive beach of the Atlantic ocean has been place of worship for more than two millennia. It used to host naturalistic rituals presumably dedicated to deities of the sea. The present catholic chapel was built in 1686 on the exact site where, according to the legend, a mysterious light was often seen shining over the rocks. This place is still today home of an annual three-day festival commemorating the site’s ancient past. According to witnesses and seeming signs of witchcraft reported after full-moon nights, it is still a site of secret ceremonies by neo-pagans

[Nikkor AI-S 105mm f/1.8, panorama merge]

The SEVEN BROTHERS CLIFFS (Erosive phenomena). It is a deep depression dug by water over the millennia, the inclination of the walls allows the development of vegetation only in some points. Surroundings of Treiso, Piedmont, ITALY.

The chimneys are a result of a geologic process that began millions of years ago, when volcanic eruptions rained ash across what would eventually become Turkey. That ash hardened into tuff, a porous rock, which was covered by a layer of basalt. Finally, the long work of erosion began. As millennia passed, the softer tuff wore down, giving way to pillars that stand as tall as 130 feet. The harder basalt erodes more slowly, forming a protective, mushroom-shaped cap over each one. Just like that, a fairy chimney is born — no pixie dust required.

Reference: Smithsonian Magazine

Read more: www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/fairy-chimneys-turkey-18095...

Im malerischen Ilsetal südwestlich von Ilsenburg im Harz überwindet die Ilse auf einem Streckenabschnitt von etwas mehr als einem Kilometer einen Höhenunterschied von etwa 120 Metern. Dabei stürzt das Wasser des wilden Harzflusses lautstark rauschend über eine Vielzahl kleiner und größerer kaskadenartig angeordneter natürlicher Wasserfälle talwärts. Die Natur hat hier im Laufe der Jahrtausende eine wahrhaft eindrucksvolle zusammenhängende Attraktion aus Fels und Wasser geschaffen.

In the picturesque Ilse valley southwest of Ilsenburg in the Harz mountains, the Ilse overcomes a difference in altitude of around 120 meters over a section of just over one kilometer. The water of the wild Harz River rushes down the valley with a loud rush over a large number of small and large natural waterfalls arranged in a cascade. Here, over the millennia, nature has created a truly impressive coherent attraction of rock and water.

a little deeper from the evergreen Christmas trees

and soft drink brand

to rewind a few millennia of North European

and centuries of North American reading of history..

Happy holidays to all )) !

www.instagram.com/zoombablog/

filmed 135 Fujicolor S-400

Epson V600 scanned

The Roman Temple (Templo de Diana) in Évora, Portugal

[Nikkor AI 18mm f/4]

Bukhara is one of the cities of Uzbekistan. Bukhara is a city-museum, with about 140 architectural monuments. The nation's fifth-largest city, it had a population as of 31 August 2016 of approximately 247,644. Humans have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. UNESCO has listed the historic center of Bukhara (which contains numerous mosques and madrassas) as a World Heritage Site.

The Roman Bridge (Trajan's Bridge) over the river Tâmega in Chaves, Portugal.

[Nikkor AI 18mm f/4, panorama merge]

Marsh Spurge, Euphorbia palustris, has medicinal qualities that have been known for millennia. Its veins are full of a milky sap that's acrid and can be used as a purgative. But its yellow-green flowers yield pollens and nectars that draw to them insects of many kinds. Here's a Dusona ichneumonid wasp searching for nutrients on a rainy day. You can just see some raindrops at the bottom of the photo.

Well I won't hold you in suspense any longer. Here is the Liffey Falls in northern Tasmania. I was tempted to call this photograph, "Falls photo ruined by tourists", but in the end decided they were a benefit not a curse. At least here this couple picnicking at the base of the falls gives us a sense of perspective.

They are sitting in a natural amphitheatre, carved out by millennia of waterflow. Obviously their choice was well made as they sat in the direct sunlight that was bathing the bottom of the falls. In all the time we were here, they never moved from their position, despite the fact that many people with cameras were trying to get a shot without them in it!

So here's to the tourists of the world who are progressively making it impossible to take a people free shot of major landmarks.

The Registan Square at the blue hour, city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Samarkand, also spelled Samarqand, has been at the crossroads of world cultures for over two and a half millennia, and is one of the most important sites on the Silk Routes traversing Central Asia. It is probably the most famous Uzbekistan’s historic city. It boasts very impressive architectural monuments and a rich history.

The Registan Square with the three grand madrasahs (Islamic colleges) on its sides : the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (left), the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (front) and the Sher-Dor Madrasah (right).

© www.myplanetexperience.com

IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE

El poble occità de Boason o Bòzols (Bozouls en francès) està situat en un indret molt espectacular, sobretot considerant que tot l'entorn és un paisatge calmat de camps verds i turonets. Però de cop, un cop arribats al centre del poble, et trobes amb un abisme obrint-se de cop. Es el "forat" (trou) de Bòzols, la gorja excavada fa milenis pel riu Dordon (Dourdou)

Es curiós, altrament, com l'església de Ste.-Fauste està al centre del meandre/abisme, mentre el centre del poble es troba a la part "de fora".

www.tourisme-aveyron.com/fr/diffusio/sites-naturels/le-ca...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xip4eM9igk

www.aedashomes.com/blog/bozouls-precipicio-francia/

================================================

The Occitan village of Boason or Bòzols (Bozouls in French) is located in a very spectacular place, especially considering that the whole environment is a calm landscape of green fields and small hills. But suddenly, once you reach the center of the village, you find yourself in an abyss opening suddenly. It is the "hole" (trou) of Bozouls, the gorge excavated millennia ago by the river Dordon (Dourdou).

It is curious, otherwise, how the Sainte Fauste gothic church is in the center of the meander / abyss, while the center of the village is in the "outside". Clearly there was no space for everybody, up there.

www.tourisme-aveyron.com/fr/diffusio/sites-naturels/le-ca...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xip4eM9igk

When the Witch Hazel blooms, it is always a magical winter surprise! Witch Hazel and Lichen together create a whimsical January garden, bringing color & good cheer in the dead of winter.

"For millennia philosophers and saints have tried to reason out a logical scheme for the universe ,,, until Hilda came along and demonstrated that the universe is not logical but whimsical, its structure depending solely on the dreams and nightmares of non-logical dreamers."

~ Robert Heinlein

The grassy, heather-clad mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park have been moulded by nearly eight millennia of human activity. Today, this is a fantastic place for an activity holiday, with superb walking, mountain biking and horse riding trails, caves, forests and a historic canal – plus characterful towns, pubs, farmers markets and Michelin-starred restaurants.

Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world whose territory contains evidence of human settlement from the Palaeolithic and without interruption to the present day. Is an extraordinary page written by man through the millennia of this long history. In 1993 UNESCO declared the Sassi of Matera World Heritage Site

The Sassi of Matera are the 6th site in Italy in chronological order, the first in the south.

On the occasion of this inscription, for the first time UNESCO uses the criteria and reasons for the concept of Cultural Landscape, which later will be used to motivate the inclusion of other sites around the world.

The October 17, 2014 Matera was designated European Capital of Culture for 2019

Im malerischen Ilsetal südwestlich von Ilsenburg im Harz überwindet die Ilse auf einem Streckenabschnitt von etwas mehr als einem Kilometer einen Höhenunterschied von etwa 120 Metern. Dabei stürzt das Wasser des wilden Harzflusses lautstark rauschend über eine Vielzahl kleiner und größerer kaskadenartig angeordneter natürlicher Wasserfälle talwärts. Die Natur hat hier im Laufe der Jahrtausende eine wahrhaft eindrucksvolle zusammenhängende Attraktion aus Fels und Wasser geschaffen.

In the picturesque Ilse valley southwest of Ilsenburg in the Harz mountains, the Ilse overcomes a difference in altitude of around 120 meters over a section of just over one kilometer. The water of the wild Harz River rushes down the valley with a loud rush over a large number of small and large natural waterfalls arranged in a cascade. Here, over the millennia, nature has created a truly impressive coherent attraction of rock and water.

Relying on each other Kalani and the Halkan knight are able to find their way out of the cave and begin to search in earnest. Upon finding the source they are surprised by the appearance of 3 ethereal orbs of light. The truth is revealed that the planet of Halka II had been watched by an advanced species that had crashed there a millennia before, realizing that their presence was hindering the Halkans the beings had only enough energy to relocate to the moon. On Halka their presence faded with time and they became nothing more than myths and fables.

Savoia di Lucania is a medieval village that sits on its hilltop cradled by the surrounding by inhospitable Apennines running parallel to the Alburni mountains and overlooking the trickle of the Melandro river and the valley surrounding it. If getting back to nature in quiet isolation is your thing this village has it in spades 32 square kms covered in beech forests and perched from 350m to a full km above sea level it makes for an interesting walkabout.

The village until the 19th century went by another name for a millennia “Salvia di Luncania” or most commonly Salvia meaning sage in Italy because of the wild sage that grows in abundance in the area. The name change took place because of the villages most infamous son Giovanni Passannante an anarchist took it upon himself to try to assassinate the King of Italy King Umberto I, son of Vittorio Emanuele II of the royal family of Savoy on November 17, 1878 in Naples.

In order to distance themselves from the treasonous acts of Passannante and show their loyalty to the King the town renamed itself after the royal family hence the name Savoia di Lucania that town now goes by. The town also has a small museum dedicated to this event called the “Museum of Memory – The Story of an Anarchist” with a section explaining anarchism and another explaining fascism along with a short film explaining the forces acting upon Passannante to drive him to his act.

I took this on Sept 24, 2018 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 Lens at 48mm 1/100s f`11 ISO 100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , and DXO

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

Les jardins de Poësia / Poësia gardens

On dit que le vent connaît bien leurs secrets…

Ces petits arbustes habitent les grandes plaines naturelles

Depuis des millénaires

Certes, ils n’ont pas la beauté facile des plantes ornementales

Ni la volupté des fleurs qui embellissent les jardins humains

Mais elles résistent, saisons après saisons, aux assauts des vents, du froid glacial, de la sécheresse, des maladies, voire même du feu!

Mais surtout, elles s’unissent à leurs voisines pour créer un rempart vivant face aux menaces extérieures, créant ainsi un habitat vital pour les autres espèces vivantes.

Ici, vous êtes dans les jardins de Poësia,

Des jardins modestes, sans doute

Mais des jardins qui connaissent les secrets de la résilience

Ces secrets que le vent transporte

Dans un bruissement unique, primordial

Écoutez les histoires que raconte le vent…Elles pourraient vous être utiles…

Patrice

________________

They say the wind knows their secrets well…

These small shrubs inhabit the large natural plains

For millennia

Certainly they do not have the easy beauty of ornamental plants

Neither the voluptuousness of the flowers that embellish human gardens

But they resist, season after season, the onslaught of the winds, the freezing cold, drought, diseases, and even fire!

Most importantly, they unite with their neighbors to create a living bulwark in the face of external threats, thereby creating vital habitat for other living species.

Here you are in the gardens of Poësia,

Modest gardens, no doubt

But gardens that know the secrets of resilience

These secrets that the wind carries

In a unique and primordial whispering.

Listen to the stories of the wind, they may be useful

Patrice

Bell Gorge is inside the King Leopold Range National Park, a 370,000 ha park that contains seven ranges that punctuate the rugged Gibb River Road. Over the millennia, tree-lined Bells Creek has washed away this range to create a beautiful gorge.

The creek follows a valley through the ranges and then takes a tumble over layers of sandstone into a deep, gorge pool below.

The map location for this photo is an approximation, the map is so useless.

.

Manchmal muss man eben Schwein haben. :)

Rame Head Chapel Whitsand Bay

The point’s prominent location, which serves as both a look out to sea and a 360-degree viewpoint across the 4 mile bay of Whitsand, make it the perfect place to construct a building with a view. A such, the site has been occupied by humans for millennia. During the Iron and Bronze Ages, the site was home to a wooden hillfort, as well as various other barrows and structures. Due to the nature of the weather in the area, little of the prehistoric site remains today.

As for the current building, it’s likely that a chapel has stood in situ since at least the time of the Norman Conquest (11th-Century). However, records only date back to the medieval period, when Tavistock Abbey bought the land surrounding Rame Head at some point during in the 12th-Century. This means that despite sitting squarely in Cornwall, the land once belonged to the county of Devon!

The chapel was first licensed for mass in 1425 but it was probably used as a Celtic hermitage prior to this (a small abode where a solitary monk would live). Built as early as 1397 (perhaps even earlier), the chapel is dedicated to St Michael, like many other early chapels in the area.

IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE

El poble occità de Boason o Bòzols (Bozouls en francès) està situat en un indret molt espectacular, sobretot considerant que tot l'entorn és un paisatge calmat de camps verds i turonets. Però de cop, un cop arribats al centre del poble, et trobes amb un abisme obrint-se de cop. Es el "forat" (trou) de Bòzols, la gorja excavada fa milenis pel riu Dordon (Dourdou)

Es curiós, altrament, com l'església de Ste.-Fauste està al centre del meandre/abisme, mentre el centre del poble es troba a la part "de fora".

www.france-voyage.com/cities-towns/bozouls-1090/church-sa...

www.tourisme-aveyron.com/fr/diffusio/sites-naturels/le-ca...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xip4eM9igk

www.aedashomes.com/blog/bozouls-precipicio-francia/

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The Occitan village of Boason or Bòzols (Bozouls in French) is located in a very spectacular place, especially considering that the whole environment is a calm landscape of green fields and small hills. But suddenly, once you reach the center of the village, you find yourself in an abyss opening suddenly. It is the "hole" (trou) of Bozouls, the gorge excavated millennia ago by the river Dordon (Dourdou).

It is curious, otherwise, how the Sainte Fauste gothic church is in the center of the meander / abyss, while the center of the village is in the "outside". Clearly there was no space for everybody, up there.

www.tourisme-aveyron.com/fr/diffusio/sites-naturels/le-ca...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xip4eM9igk

GARGASSA VALLEY. Over the course of millennia the Gargassa Creek has carved the rocks made up of the Oligocene Conglomerate creating a wild landscape. Hinterland of Rossiglione, Gargassa Valley, Beigua GeoPark, Liguria, ITALY.

This is a view of a few of the stones that make up the cruciform structure of the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

These stones have been in place for millennia and the oldest section of the structure predates the famous Stonehenge in Wiltshire by centuries. The stones themselves do not have the same impact of size of it’s the better known counterpart but it would still have been a monumental effort (sorry about the pun) to move the pieces and assemble this structure.

** The shot was hand held though I did use a flash, which is rare for me

The town of Vienne sits on the banks of the River Rhone about twenty miles south of Lyon . Vienne is a town with a lot of history to put it mildly . Its most glorious building in the Roman temple of Augustus and Livia that was built in 40 CE. It's one of two Roman temples that still stand in France . It is extraordinary that it has survived for two millennia .

The temple is right in the middle of town there are cafes and small supermarkets on the same street . It's extraordinary to me at least that you might pop into the shop for a jar of coffee and on your way out see a building that is 2,000 years old . I guess it's one reason I i am happy to live in the Old world, you do have a sense of the continuity of human activity. Even in Hull should I want to I can go into Hull Minster were people have gathered together for over a thousand years . History not written in books but available to the touch the power of old stones.

A bit of history of the temple

Two important Roman monuments still stand at Vienne. One is the Early Imperial temple of Augustus and Livia, a rectangular peripteral building of the Corinthian order, erected by the emperor Claudius, which owes its survival, like the Maison Carrée at Nîmes, to being converted to a church soon after the Theodosian decrees in 381 CE that started to attack paganism and replace it with Christianity

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The seven colored earth is a natural phenomenon and a prominent tourist attraction. The colors evolved through

Due to the tropical weather conditions, all water-soluble elements such as silicon dioxide have been washed out. The remains are the reddish-black iron- and aluminium oxides which create shades in blue, cyan and purple. The various colors developed due to the different compositions.

And what is more fascinating is the fact that if you mix the colored earth together, they'll eventually settle into separate layers. And you may also be puzzled as the colors might play tricks on you and may appear to be shadows.

Millennia, the rocks were pulverized into sands which have the amazing property of settling into distinct layers: if you take a handful of each of the seven different colours of dirt and mix them together, they'd eventually separate into a colourful spectrum, each dot of sand rejoining its colour caste.conversion of basaltic lava to clay minerals.

It is a relatively small area ofsand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow).

Despite the common name, it is not in fact a lily.[...].

The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words ἡμέρα (hēmera) "day" and καλός (kalos) "beautiful".

Daylilies have been found growing wild for millennia throughout China, Mongolia, northern India, Korea, and Japan.[7] There are thousand-year-old Chinese paintings showing orange daylilies that are remarkably similar to the flowers that grace modern gardens.

Daylilies may have been first brought to Europe by traders along the silk routes from Asia. [...].

Daylilies were first brought to North America by early European immigrants, [...]. By the early 1800s, the plant had become naturalized, and a bright orange clump of flowers was a common sight in many homestead gardens. Wikipedia

Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA.

Carved from the red sandstone for millennia by seasonal flood rains and wind, the canyons are narrow passageways that lead several hundred feet away from the mouth. The gorgeous sloping angles of the rocks – coupled with the shifts of light that make their way down from the rim of the canyon – combine for a scene that cannot be fully explained with words. Colors of the wall change during the day and even while you change camera angles.

In it's dying breath Nature held no remorse.

Civilization had collapsed centuries before.

All that remained was stillness and the cool dry wind.

It will take millennia for the blue sky to return

and with the passing of eons man's impression upon this world shall disintegrate to dust.