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Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley

 

Monument Valley (Navajo: Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, pronounced [tsʰépìːʔ ǹtsɪ̀skɑ̀ìː], meaning "valley of the rocks") is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeastern Arizona along the Utah–Arizona state line. The valley is considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people within whose reservation it lies.

 

Monument Valley has been featured in many forms of media since the 1930s. Famed director John Ford used the location for a number of his Westerns. Film critic Keith Phipps wrote that "its five square miles [13 km2] have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West".

 

Sourc: navajonationparks.org/navajo-tribal-parks/monument-valley/

 

History

 

Before human existence, the Park was once a lowland basin. For hundreds of millions of years, materials that eroded from the early Rock Mountains deposited layer upon layer of sediment which cemented a slow and gentle uplift, generated by ceaseless pressure from below the surface, elevating these horizontal strata quite uniformly one to three miles above sea level. What was once a basin became a plateau.

 

Natural forces of wind and water that eroded the land spent the last 50 million years cutting into and peeling away at the surface of the plateau. The simple wearing down of altering layers of soft and hard rock slowly revealed the natural wonders of Monument Valley today.

 

From the visitor center, you see the world-famous panorama of the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. You can also purchase guided tours from Navajo tour operators, who take you down into the valley in Jeeps for a narrated cruise through these mythical formations. Places such as Ear of the Wind and other landmarks can only be accessed via guided tours. During the summer months, the visitor center also features Haskenneini Restaurant, which specializes in both native Navajo and American cuisines, and a film/snack/souvenir shop. There are year-round restroom facilities. One mile before the center, numerous Navajo vendors sell arts, crafts, native food, and souvenirs at roadside stands.

 

Additional Foreign Language Tags:

 

(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "米国" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis" "ארצות הברית" "संयुक्त राज्य" "США"

 

(Arizona) "أريزونا" "亚利桑那州" "אריזונה" "एरिजोना" "アリゾナ州" "애리조나" "Аризона"

 

(Utah) "يوتا" "犹他州" "יוטה" "यूटा" "ユタ州" "유타" "Юта"

 

(Monument Valley) "وادي النصب التذكاري" "纪念碑谷" "Vallée des monuments" "מוניומנט ואלי" "स्मारक घाटी" "モニュメントバレー" "모뉴먼트 밸리" "Долина Монументов" "Valle de los Monumentos"

after drinking too much champagne.... ;-))

 

on the left Notre Dame, Paris

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris

 

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine

 

link to my best shots

 

btw : link to my PUBLISHED shots

  

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Check out my last fun project (interviews with my fellows Flickr friends )

 

Today is Charlie (CharlieBrown8989) turn @ angiereal.blogspot.com

  

butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/small-skipper

 

Bright orange-brown wings held with forewings angled above hind wings. Males have a thin black line through the centre of fore-wing. Essex Skipper is similar but has black tips to the antenna (best-viewed head-on) and shorter scent brand which runs parallel to forewing edge rather than angled.

Small Skippers are insects of high summer. Although they spend much of their time basking or resting among vegetation, they are marvellous flyers, manoeuvring expertly through tall grass stems. It is these darting flights, wings glinting golden-brown in the sunlight, that normally alert an observer to their presence. Closer examination will reveal many more individuals nectaring or basking with their wings held in the half-open posture distinctive of skipper butterflies. The butterfly is widespread in southern Britain and its range has expanded northwards in recent years.

 

Size and Family

•Family: Skippers

•Size: Small

•Wing Span Range (male to female): 30mm

Conservation Status

•Butterfly Conservation priority: Low

•European Status: Not threatened

 

Caterpillar Foodplants

The Small Skipper almost exclusively uses Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus), although several other grasses have been recorded as foodplants, for example, Timothy (Phleum pratense), Creeping Soft-grass (H.mollis), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), and Cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata).

 

Habitat

Prefers open places with long grass, such as unimproved rough grassland, downs, road verges, field edges and woodland glades.

 

Distribution

•Countries: England, Scotland and Wales

•Widespread up to North Yorkshire and Scottish border

•Distribution Trend Since 1970’s = -7%

  

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinckneyville,_Illinois

 

Pinckneyville is a city in and the county seat of Perry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,066 at the 2020 census. It is named for Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, an early American diplomat and presidential candidate.

 

Pinckneyville is the location of the Pinckneyville Power Plant, a combustion turbine generator (CTG)-type power plant run by Ameren.

 

Source: www.americanthresherman.com/history.html

 

ATA HISTORY

The American Thresherman Association (ATA) was organized in March of 1959.

 

At the annual meeting in 1962, Amos Rixman commented that the Association "organized three years ago this month for the purpose of furnishing some enjoyment to its members and to be the beginning of something very worthwhile." Already in its brief life the Association had earned such a reputation that three towns vied for the chance to become the permanent site for the show. The Pinckneyville Chamber of Commerce invited the ATA with open arms and pledges of support, and the Perry County community was chosen over Mascoutah and Highland for the 1962 show site.

 

Additional Foreign Language Tags:

 

(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis"

 

(Illinois) "الينوي" "伊利诺伊州" "इलिनोइस" "イリノイ" "일리노이" "Иллинойс"

 

(Pinckneyville) "بينكنيفيل" "平克尼维尔" "पिंकनीविले" "ピンクニービル" "핀크니빌" "Пинкнивилль"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_Burg

  

Den Burg is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Texel on the island of the same name, and lies about 12 km north of Den Helder.

  

Overview

  

Located in the middle of the island, Den Burg is the largest city of Texel. It features a historic centre and also the town hall. Outdoor markets are held each week in the main square. Nevertheless, Den Burg is the island's least touristic settlement.

 

In 2001, Den Burg had 6,160 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town covers 1.47 km² and contains 2,645 residences.[1] The slightly larger statistical district "Den Burg" has a population of around 6,380.[2]

  

Notable sites

  

A monument to the constructed language, Esperanto, is on the corner of Kogerstraat and De Zes. It was constructed in 1935 when Esperanto was widely spoken throughout the island.[3]

  

Notable people

  

Willem Eduard Bok (1846–1904), State Secretary of the South African Republic (Transvaal) 1880-1889.

Hans Kamp (born 1940), philosopher, creator of discourse representation theory (DRT).

Henk Zijm (born 1952), mathematician, professor and Rector Magnificus (2005–2008) at the University of Twente.

Dorian van Rijsselberghe (born 1988), windsurfer, winner of gold medal in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Dinamarca - Elsinor - Castillo de Kronborg

 

***

 

ENGLISH:

 

whc.unesco.org/en/list/696

 

www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/kronborg-castle-gdk476685

 

Kronborg is a castle and stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list (2000).

 

The castle is situated on the extreme northeastern tip of the island of Zealand at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound between present Denmark and the provinces of present Sweden that were also Danish at the time the castle was built. In this part, the sound is only 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) wide, hence the strategic importance of maintaining a coastal fortification at this location commanding one of the few outlets of the Baltic Sea.

 

The castle's story dates back to a stronghold, Krogen, built by King Eric VII in the 1420s. Along with the fortress Kärnan, Helsingborg on the opposite coast of Øresund, it controlled the entranceway to the Baltic Sea. From 1574 to 1585 King Frederick II had the medieval fortress radically transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. The main architects were the Flemings Hans Hendrik van Paesschen and Anthonis van Obbergen, whereas the sculptural work was coordinated by Gert van Groningen. In 1629 a fire destroyed much of the castle, but King Christian IV subsequently had it rebuilt. The castle also has a church within its walls. In 1658 Kronborg was besieged and captured by the Swedes who took many of its valuable art treasures as war booty. In 1785 the castle ceased to be a royal residence and was converted into barracks for the army. The army left the castle in 1923, and after a thorough renovation it was opened to the public.

 

***

 

ESPAÑOL:

 

www.visitdenmark.es/es/norte-de-selandia/cultura/el-casti...

 

www.copenhague.info/helsingor

 

El Castillo de Kronborg está situado cerca de Elsinor, Dinamarca. Es uno de los cuatro monumentos daneses declarados en 2000 Patrimonio de la Humanidad culturales, junto a la catedral de Roskilde, las runas, túmulos e iglesia de Jelling y el fiordo helado de Ilulissat.

 

Durante varios siglos Dinamarca obtuvo importantes ingresos económicos cobrando una tasa a los barcos que atravesaban el estrecho de Oresund, estrecho que separa a la isla danesa de Selandia del territorio sueco. El Castillo de Kronborg cumplió un importante rol en esta tarea recaudatoria.

 

En la actualidad el castillo es sede del Museo Marítimo y de Comercio de Kronborg. Algunas de sus dependencias pueden ser visitadas por el público.

 

Es el lugar donde acontece Hamlet, la obra de Shakespeare. En dicha obra, el castillo de Kronborg tiene la denominación de "Elsinore".

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Uk_Tsuen:

 

Choi Uk Tsuen or Tsoi Uk Tsuen (Chinese: 蔡屋村) is a village in Yuen Long Kau Hui, New Territories, Hong Kong.

 

Choi Uk Tsuen is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy. For electoral purposes, Choi Uk Tsuen is located in the Shap Pat Heung North constituency of the Yuen Long District Council.

 

The village has an ancestral hall which houses photos of the living and deceased people of the village. The village also has a community centre.

 

The community living in Choi Uk Tsuen consists of people who have the surname Choi, specifically descendants of three independent family lines who share the same name and have joined the village at various times.

 

The traditional Poon Choi (Big Bowl Feast) still continues when there is a major event taking place (e.g. wedding celebration and various Chinese Festivals according to the Chinese New year).

 

Choi Uk Tsuen is part of the Tung Tau alliance (東頭約) or "Joint Meeting Group of Seven Villages", together with Nam Pin Wai, Tung Tau Tsuen, Ying Lung Wai, Shan Pui Tsuen, Wong Uk Tsuen and Tai Wai Tsuen. The Yi Shing Temple in Wong Uk Tsuen is an alliance temple of the Tung Tau Alliance.

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawel_Castle:

 

The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established on the orders of King Casimir III the Great and enlarged over the centuries into a number of structures around an Italian-styled courtyard. It represents nearly all European architectural styles of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.

 

The castle is part of a fortified architectural complex erected atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River, at an altitude of 228 metres above sea level. The complex consists of numerous buildings of great historical and national importance, including the Wawel Cathedral where Polish monarchs were crowned and buried. Some of Wawel's oldest stone buildings can be traced back to 970 AD, in addition to the earliest examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Poland. The current castle was built in the 14th century, and expanded over the next hundreds of years. In 1978 Wawel was declared the first World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Kraków.

 

For centuries the residence of the kings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, Wawel Castle is now one of the country's premier art museums. Established in 1930, the museum encompasses ten curatorial departments responsible for collections of paintings, including an important collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, prints, sculpture, textiles, among them the Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection, goldsmith's work, arms and armor, ceramics, Meissen porcelain, and period furniture. The museum's holdings in oriental art include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. With seven specialized conservation studios, the museum is also an important center for the conservation of works of art. With over 1.79 million visitors in 2022, Wawel Castle is the most visited art museum in the country and the 22nd most visited art museum in the world.

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle:

 

Himeji Castle (姫路城, Himeji-jō) is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō ("White Egret Castle" or "White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.

 

As with almost all Japanese castles from the Azuchi-Momoyama period onward, the tenshu (天守, main keep), the most prominent structure, was used as a storehouse in times of peace and as a fortified tower in times of war, and the daimyo (大名, feudal lord)'s government offices and residences were located in a group of single-story buildings near the tenshu and the surrounding yagura (櫓, turrets).

 

Himeji Castle dates to 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346 and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later. Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ikeda completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618. For almost 700 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the bombing of Himeji in World War II, and natural disasters including the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.

 

Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site and five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles. In order to preserve the castle buildings, it underwent restoration work for several years and reopened to the public on March 27, 2015. The works also removed decades of dirt and grime, restoring the formerly grey roof to its original brilliant white color.

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de/from: Wikipedia

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es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templo_de_Zeus_Ol%C3%ADmpico_(Atenas)

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Templo de Zeus Olímpico - Atenas - Grecia

  

El templo de Zeus Olímpico, también conocido como el Olimpeion (griego Ναός του Ολυμπίου Δός, o Naos tou Olimpiou Dios), es un templo de Atenas. Aunque comenzado en el siglo VI a. C., no fue terminado hasta el reinado del emperador Adriano, en el siglo II. En las épocas helenística y romana era el templo más grande de Grecia.

 

El templo se ubica a unos 500 metros al sureste de la Acrópolis de Atenas y a unos 700 m al sur de la Plaza Sintagma (centro de Atenas).

 

Sus cimientos fueron colocados en el sitio de un primer templo por el tirano Pisístrato en 515 a. C., pero el trabajo fue abandonado cuando su hijo, Hipias, fue derrocado en 510 a. C.​Durante los años de la democracia ateniense, el templo fue dejado incompleto, porque se pensó que atentaba contra la hybris construir a tal escala. Aristóteles, en la Política, citó el templo como un ejemplo de cómo las tiranías atraían al pueblo a grandes obras de estado y lo dejaban sin tiempo, energía o medios para rebelarse.

 

El trabajo fue reanudado en 174 a. C., durante la dominación macedonia de Grecia, bajo el patrocinio del rey helenístico Antíoco IV Epífanes, que contrató al arquitecto romano Cosucio para diseñar el templo más grande del mundo conocido. Cuando Antíoco murió en 164 a. C. el trabajo estaba retrasado otra vez.

 

En 86 a. C., después de que las ciudades griegas cayeran bajo dominio romano, el general Sila llevó dos columnas del templo inacabado a Roma, para adornar el templo de Júpiter Capitolino en la Colina Capitolina. Estas columnas influyeron en el desarrollo del estilo corintio en Roma.

 

En el siglo II, el templo fue retomado por el emperador Adriano, un gran admirador de la cultura griega, quien finalmente lo llevó a su conclusión en 129 (algunas fuentes dicen que en 131).

 

El templo fue construido en mármol del monte Pentélico. Medía 96 metros de largo en sus lados mayores y 40 metros a lo ancho de sus caras oriental y occidental. Contaba de 104 columnas corintias, cada una de 17 metros de alto, de 2,6 metros de diámetro y un peso aproximado de 364 toneladas; de las cuales 48 estaban colocadas en filas triples bajo los frontones y 56 en filas dobles en los lados. Solo 16 de estas columnas sobreviven hoy, 13 de ellas, en el lado este, en pie. De las tres restantes, en el lado oeste, una se derrumbó en 1852 y está todavía tendida donde cayó.3

 

Adriano dedicó el templo a Zeus. También erigió una enorme estatua de marfil de Zeus en la cella del templo. Los frontones estaban adornados con muchas estatuas, pero también en todo el templo había estatuas y bustos de hombres famosos. Los atenienses, para mostrar su gratitud a Adriano, erigieron una estatua de él detrás del templo. Desafortunadamente, ninguna de las esculturas que adornaban el templo, o de su interior, ha sobrevivido. No se sabe exactamente cuándo fue destruido el templo, pero se especula que, como otros grandes edificios en Atenas, probablemente fue destruido por un terremoto durante los años bizantinos y sus ruinas se utilizaron para construir otros edificios.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Olympian_Zeus,_Athens

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Temple of Olympian Zeus - Athens - Greece

 

The Temple of Olympian Zeus (Greek: Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός, Naós tou Olympíou Diós), also known as the Olympieion or Columns of the Olympian Zeus, is a former colossal temple at the center of the Greek capital Athens. It was dedicated to "Olympian" Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods. Construction began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants, who envisaged building the greatest temple in the ancient world, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, some 638 years after the project had begun. During the Roman period the temple, which included 104 colossal columns, was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues in the ancient world.

 

The temple's glory was short-lived, as it fell into disuse after being pillaged during a barbarian invasion in 267 AD, just about a century after its completion. It was probably never repaired and was reduced to ruins thereafter. In the centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was extensively quarried for building materials to supply building projects elsewhere in the city. Despite that, a substantial part of the temple remains today, notably sixteen of the original gigantic columns, and it continues to be part of a very important archaeological site of Greece.

 

The temple is located approximately 500 m (0.31 mi) south-east of the Acropolis, and about 700 m (0.43 mi) south of the center of Athens, Syntagma Square. Its foundations were laid on the site of an ancient outdoor sanctuary dedicated to Zeus. An earlier temple had stood there, constructed by the tyrant Peisistratus around 550 BC. The building was demolished after the death of Peisistratos and the construction of a colossal new Temple of Olympian Zeus was begun around 520 BC by his sons, Hippias and Hipparchos. They sought to surpass two famous contemporary temples, the Heraion of Samos and the second Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Designed by the architects Antistates, Callaeschrus, Antimachides and Phormos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus was intended to be built of local limestone in the Doric style on a colossal platform measuring 41 m (134 ft 6 in) by 108 m (354 ft 4 in). It was to be flanked by a double colonnade of eight columns across the front and back and twenty-one on the flanks, surrounding the cella.

 

Corinthian columns detail

The work was abandoned when the tyranny was overthrown and Hippias was expelled in 510 BC. Only the platform and some elements of the columns had been completed by that point, and the temple remained in that state for 336 years. The temple was left unfinished during the years of Athenian democracy, apparently, because the Greeks thought it was hubris to build on such a scale. In his treatise Politics, Aristotle cited the temple as an example of how tyrannies engaged the populace in great works for the state (like a white elephant) and left them no time, energy or means to rebel.[1]

 

It was not until 174 BC that the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who presented himself as the earthly embodiment of Zeus, revived the project and placed the Roman architect Decimus Cossutius in charge. The design was changed to have three rows of eight columns across the front and back of the temple and a double row of twenty on the flanks, for a total of 104 columns. The columns would stand 17 m (55 ft 9 in) high and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter. The building material was changed to the expensive but high-quality Pentelic marble and the order was changed from Doric to Corinthian, marking the first time that this order had been used on the exterior of a major temple. However, the project ground to a halt again in 164 BC with the death of Antiochus. The temple was still only half-finished by that stage.

 

Serious damage was inflicted on the partly built temple by Lucius Cornelius Sulla's sack of Athens in 86 BC. While looting the city, Sulla seized some of the incomplete columns and transported them back to Rome, where they were re-used in the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. A half-hearted attempt was made to complete the temple during Augustus' reign as the first Roman emperor, but it was not until the accession of Hadrian in the 2nd century AD that the project was finally completed around 638 years after it had begun.

Otra foto tipica de un lugar precioso!

 

Another typical photo of a beautiful place

  

View On Black

 

stairs found in the ruins of the abandoned Panam Nagar, an ancient Hindu city of Sonargaon, Bangladesh.

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogyesa:

 

Jogyesa (Jogye Temple) is the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The building dates back to the late 14th century and became the order's chief temple in 1936. It thus plays a leading role in the current state of Seon Buddhism in South Korea. The temple was first established in 1395, at the dawn of the Joseon Dynasty; the modern temple was founded in 1910 and initially called "Gakhwangsa". The name was changed to "Taegosa" during the period of Japanese rule, and then to the present name in 1954.

 

Jogyesa is located in Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, in downtown Seoul. Natural monument No. 9, an ancient white pine tree, is located within the temple grounds. Jogyesa Temple is located in one of the most popular cultural streets in Seoul, Insa-dong, near the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

 

The Jogyesa Temple used to be known as Gakhwangsa Temple which was founded in 1395. During the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945), the temple become one of the strongest fortresses of Korean Buddhism. Gakhawangsa Temple emerged as the temple of the resistance to Japanese efforts to suppress Korean Buddhism. In 1937, a movement for the establishment of a Central Headquarters began which was successful with the building of the Main Buddha Hall of Jogyesa Temple in Seoul in 1938.

 

The temple became known as Taegosa Temple in 1938 and by its current name of Jogyesa Temple in 1954. The name Jogyesa Temple was chosen to denote the structure's status as the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (Buddhist sect which combines and integrates the Korean Zen and Textual Schools of Buddhism). The Jogye Order has 1700 years of history and is the most representative of Korean Buddhism Orders. The Jogye Order is based on the Seokgamoni doctrine and teachings of the Buddha, and it focuses on the mind and nature of this.

 

The Daeungjeon (Main Buddha Hall) was constructed in 1938 of pine wood from Baekdu Mountain, and it's always filled with the sounds of chanting. In the main temple courtyard there are two trees which are 500 years old, a White Pine and a Chinese Scholar tree.

 

The White Pine tree is about 10 meters high and gave the nearby area “Susong-dong” its name (Song means 'pine tree'). This tree was brought by Chinese missionaries during the Joseon Dynasty. This pine tree sits besides the Main Hall, and its branch towards the Main Hall is only partially alive. One side of this tree is adjacent to the passage, while the other side sits next to the building. Therefore, because the area is inadequate for the tree to grow, the Lacebark pine is not preserved well and since the Lacebark pine is a rare tree species and is valuable in biology, it is designated and protected as a Natural Monument.

 

The Chinese Scholar tree, which is 26 meters tall and four meters in circumference, silently stands watch over the temple grounds.

 

Jogyesa Temple's features is a mix of traditional temple and palace architecture. The lattice designs found on the doors and windows of the Daeungjeon are unique in their own right. The temple also features the Geuknakjeon (Hall of Supreme Bliss) in which the Amitabha Buddha is enshrined, the Beomjongnu, a structure where a bell which enlightens the public with its sound is housed, and an information center for foreign nationals.

 

The Temple also has colorful matsya (Sanskrit for "fish") which is sacred to Hindu-Buddhists as it is one of the avatar (incarnation) of Hindu deity Vishnu which has been described in detail in Matsya Purana and 6th BCE Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya.

 

To enter the temple, visitors must pass through the Iljumun or "one pillar gate". The Iljumun is an entry that represents is the division that separates the mortal world from the world of Buddha.

Litzinger Road Ecology Center, St Louis, Missouri

www.progettogeum.org

 

Memoria dell'occhio. Foto Lino Cannizzaro.

 

S’incontrano passanti d’ogni genere. Vi sono coloro che non guardano attorno a sé e hanno fretta d’arrivare in un luogo preciso e coloro che distrattamente attraversano il mondo o da lui si lasciano attraversare. Ma preferiremmo far parte di coloro che si soffermano sulle cose, sui luoghi in continua metamorfosi dove ci si perde per meglio ritrovarsi. Perché siamo consapevoli di vivere nella “multifonia” del nostro immaginario, sotto il sole fresche mattine di primavera e contemporaneamente sull’orlo dell’abisso. L’occhio, nei momenti d’ozio creativo, cercherà non la forma perfetta delle cose ma la bellezza della sua imperfezione, la sua complessità, la “sbavatura”, per usare un termine caro al filosofo Merleau-Ponty.

 

On rencontre des passants de tout genre. Il y a ceux qui ne regardent rien autour d’eux et n’ont qu’ un désir, celui d’arriver vite à un endroit précis et ceux qui traversent distraitement le monde où se laissent traverser par le monde. Mais nous préférons faire partie de ceux qui s’arrêtent sur les choses, sur les lieux en perpétuelle métamorphose, là où l’on se perd pour mieux se retrouver. Car nous sommes conscients de vivre dans la « multiphonie » de notre imaginaire, sous le soleil des frais matins de printemps ainsi qu’au bord de l’abîme. L’œil, dans les moments d’oisiveté créative cherchera non pas la forme parfaite des choses mais la beauté dans ce qu’elle a d’imparfait, dans sa complexité, dans la « bavure », comme dirait le philosophe Merleau-Ponty.

 

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Conscience_Heritage_Library:

 

The Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library (Dutch: Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience) is the repository library of the city of Antwerp. It is named after the Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience, whose statue adorns the library. The library conserves books and magazines to keep them available permanently.

 

The history of the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library, which was called the City Library until 2008, goes back to 1481. The collection contains more than one million books. The primary collection areas are Dutch literature, history of the Netherlands, early printed books (pre-1830), Flemish folk culture, art in the Netherlands, and works about Antwerp ("Antverpiensia").

 

The history of the Sodality, the impressive building on the Hendrik Conscienceplein, dates from the seventeenth century. After the Carolus Borromeuskerk was built in 1621, the Jesuits founded different fraternities, called sodalities. For these sodalities, a two-storey building was erected opposite the church. After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773, the building was used for all sorts of activities, including as a bar and as a ballroom. On the wall at the Wijngaardstraat you can still read the old name "Café Moortgat".

 

In 1879 the City of Antwerp bought the building, which was still called the Sodality, to accommodate the City Library. The city council renovated the building drastically. On 13 August 1883, the new library building opened and the bronze statue of Hendrik Conscience at the entrance was revealed. The building then offered shelter to both the City Library and the People's Library, which was reached through a separate entrance on the corner of Wijngaardstraat. After several years, the Sodality became too small for the growing library collections and in 1895, the People's Library moved to Blinde Straat.

 

The City Library could now use the entire space of the Sodality, but after some time it was necessary to expand even further, towards the old Jesuit convent. In this convent, the reading room, offices and three floors of stacks opened in 1936. In the Sodality, two additional floors of stacks were realized, plus the Nottebohmzaal.

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The Muskegon South Pierhead Light is a steel tapered cylindrical tower located at the west end of the south pier at the entry channel that connects Muskegon Lake with Lake Michigan. The light tower was constructed in 1903 and remains an active navigational light. .

     

Some things just look better Large and on BLACK…… Enjoy!!!

 

This has to be one of the most difficult shots I’ve ever made.

I thought it would be easy but boy was I wrong. They don’t stand still, not even for a second and they are as quick as lightning. This is the best I could manage and the only real good one. But I love a challenge and I’ll try again real soon.

Have a great weekend

 

Explore: # 52

Reflexiones Cristianas | ¿Podemos entrar en el reino de los cielos si recibimos la salvación?

 

Zhang Mude es predicador de una iglesia clandestina y cree que "porque con el corazón se cree para justicia, y con la boca se confiesa para salvación" (Romanos 10:10). Piensa que, dado que cree en el Señor Jesús, ya se le considera justo, ya ha recibido la salvación y, cuando el Señor regrese, lo arrebatará directamente al reino de los cielos. Un día, su hija vuelve a casa tras trabajar como misionera en otras regiones y plantea dudas sobre esta opinión a la que él se ha aferrado muchos años. A partir de ese momento, esta familia de tres miembros entabla un intenso debate acerca de si por recibir la salvación es posible entrar en el reino de los cielos, acerca de qué clase de personas pueden entrar en él y otros temas relacionados…

 

Ver más haga clic aquí: www.biblia-es.org/en-el-reino-de-los-cielos.html

 

También podría gustarte:Reflexión del evangelio de hoy

 

Scripture quotations taken from LBLA. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindleton

  

Grindleton is a village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, in the English county of Lancashire, formerly the West Riding of Yorkshire. Its 3,700 acres sit within the Forest of Bowland. The population of the civil ward taken at the 2011 census was 772.

  

History

 

Craven in the Domesday Book shows that up till 1066 Earl Tostig was lord of Grindleton and the surrounding areas of West Bradford, Waddington, Bashall Eaves, Great Mitton, Hammerton, Slaidburn, Dunnow, Newton, Bogeuurde, Easington, Radholme Laund and Lees. This amounted to 36 carucates (ca5580 acres/1800ha) of ploughland. The Norman conquest of England added it to the extensive lands of Roger de Poitou.[2]

 

A caput manor in Domesday, Grindleton was subsumed into the Liberty of Slaidburn in the second half of the fourteenth century. Bowland underwent wholesale manorial reorganisation at that time, perhaps in response to the fall in population caused by the Black Death (1348–50) and the absorption of Bowland into the Duchy of Lancaster.[3]

 

Both Grindleton and Slaidburn fell under the ancient Lordship of Bowland which comprised a Royal Forest and a Liberty of ten manors spanning eight townships and four parishes and covered an area of almost 300 square miles (780 km2) on the historic borders of Lancashire and Yorkshire.[4] The manors within the Liberty were Slaidburn (Newton-in-Bowland, West Bradford, Grindleton), Knowlmere, Waddington, Easington, Bashall Eaves, Mitton, Withgill (Crook), Leagram, Hammerton and Dunnow (Battersby) .[5] Until 1938, Harrop was an enclave of the Forest before it was subsumed into Grindleton civil parish.

  

Grindletonians

  

The Grindletonians were a small nonconformist Christian dissenting sect founded at Grindleton in the early part of the 17th century. The group's leader was Roger Brearley (or Brierley, Brereley) (1586–1637), a curate who worked at Grindleton, Kildwick and Burnley. The beliefs of the sect are unclear, but seem to have included Antinomianism, anti-clericalism and the concept of an earthly Paradise.

  

Governance

  

The civil parish of Grindleton was created from the township (in the ancient parish of Mitton) with the same name in 1866. In 1938, a geographically non-contiguous area of Bowland Forest Low was transferred to Grindleton.[6]

 

Along with Waddington, West Bradford and Sawley the parish forms the Waddington and West Bradford ward of Ribble Valley Borough Council.

copyright: © R-Pe 1764.org All rights reserved. Please do not use this image, or any images from my flickr photostream, fb account or g+, without my permission.

Excerpt from www.visionsoftravel.org/sheung-wan-magic-unknown-temples-hk/:

 

The recently renovated Pak Sing Ancestral Hall (42 Tai Ping Shan St) was originally a storeroom for bodies awaiting burial in China. It contains the ancestral tablets of around 3000 departed souls.

 

I Tsz (meaning a free Ancestral Hall), was built in 1851 on Taipingshan Street to house ancestral tablets of deceased Chinese mainlanders, many of whom had moved to Hong Kong soon after colonisation by the British, to seek a better living. Some had died homeless without relatives to arrange a burial and I Tsz provided a home for commemorative tablets (name plates) to be housed in order that relatives, arriving at a later date, could collect the tablets to take back to the mainland. Later, coffins containing the dead were also housed at I Tsz to await repatriation and some terminally ill Chinese, who had been turned out of their homes in the crowded conditions also found refuge at the temple. Following an outcry over the appalling conditions where the dead and dying lay next to each other with no medical care, the then Governor, Richard MacDonnell, agreed to a long standing request from the Chinese community for land for a Chinese hospital and this led to the founding of Tung Wah Hospital.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_sandpiper

 

The marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) is a small wader. It is a rather small shank, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe to central Asia. The genus name Tringa is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific stagnatilis is from Latin stagnum, "swamp".

  

Description

  

It resembles a small elegant greenshank, with a long fine bill and very long yellowish legs. Like the greenshank, it is greyish brown in breeding plumage, paler in winter, and has a white wedge up its back that is visible in flight. However, it is more closely related to the common redshank and the wood sandpiper.[3] Together, they form a group of smallish shanks which tend to have red or reddish legs, and in breeding plumage are generally a subdued, light brown above with some darker mottling, with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck. The length is 22–26 cm (8.7–10.2 in), wingspan is 55–59 cm (22–23 in) and weight is 45–120 g (1.6–4.2 oz)

  

Distribution

  

It is a migratory species, with majority of birds wintering in Africa, and India with fewer migrating to Southeast Asia and Australia. They prefer to winter on fresh water wetlands such as swamps and lakes and are usually seen singly or in small groups.

  

These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, and similar small prey.

 

The marsh sandpiper is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

 

Published:

 

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Church_of_The_Nativit...

 

mcb.org.uk/general/muslim-council-of-britain-reaffirms-ar...

 

——————————————

The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity is a basilica located in Bethlehem in the Palestinian West Bank. The grotto it contains holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land.

 

The church was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great a short time after his mother Helena's visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325-326, on the site that was traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Jesus.[3][4] That original basilica was likely built between 330-333, being already mentioned in 333, and was dedicated on 31 May 339. It was destroyed by fire during the Samaritan revolts of the sixth century, possibly in 529, and a new basilica was built a number of years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565), who added a porch or narthex, and replaced the octagonal sanctuary with a cruciform transept complete with three apses, but largely preserved the original character of the building, with an atrium and a basilica consisting of a nave with four side aisles.

 

The Church of the Nativity, while remaining basically unchanged since the Justinianic reconstruction, has seen numerous repairs and additions, especially from the Crusader period, such as two bell towers (now gone), wall mosaics and paintings (partially preserved). Over the centuries, the surrounding compound has been expanded, and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters, comprising three different monasteries: one Greek Orthodox, one Armenian Apostolic, and one Roman Catholic, of which the first two contain bell towers built during the modern era.

 

The silver star marking the spot where Christ was born was stolen in 1847. Some assert that this was a contributing factor in the Crimean War against the Russian Empire. Others assert that the war grew out of the wider European situation.

 

Since 2012, the Church of the Nativity is a World Heritage Site and was the first to be listed by UNESCO under 'Palestine'.

 

A 250-year-old understanding among religious communities, the Status Quo, applies to the site.

 

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity

Excerpt from oakvillehistory.org:

 

John Moore House/The Frontier House: Barnett and Nancy Griggs came to Trafalgar Township in 1811, first living in a log house on property about a mile to the east of the Sixteen. They built a frame home on the land, and enlarged it into a stage stop, an inn called the Half-Way House.

 

Their daughter, Sally, married mariner and ship owner John Moore, and lived at Thomas and William Streets. Moore bought this lot on Navy Street and built a home upon it. In 1838 it was acquired by Barnett Griggs, who enlarged it into a hotel which he leased to Jesse Belyea of Bronte. Named the Frontier House, it particularly served steam boat passengers arriving at and leaving the Harbour.

 

It was returned to a private dwelling about 1870, and was the home of the Appelby family until the 1940s. During that time, in 1906, a part of the house was separated and moved to King Street, becoming what is now 154 King Street.

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Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod

 

Cape Cod

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the area of Massachusetts. For other uses, see Cape Cod (disambiguation).

For other uses, see Cod (disambiguation).

 

Coordinates: 41°41′20″N 70°17′49″W / 41.68889°N 70.29694°W / 41.68889; -70.29694

Map of Massachusetts, with Cape Cod (Barnstable County) indicated in red

Dunes on Sandy Neck are part of the Cape's barrier beach which helps to prevent erosion

 

Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is an island and a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States. It is coextensive with Barnstable County. Several small islands right off Cape Cod, including Monomoy Island, Monomoscoy Island, Popponesset Island, and Seconsett Island, are also in Barnstable County, being part of municipalities with land on the Cape. The Cape's small-town character and large beachfront attract heavy tourism during the summer months.

 

Cape Cod was formed as the terminal moraine of a glacier, resulting in a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1914, the Cape Cod Canal was cut through the base or isthmus of the peninsula, forming an island. The Cape Cod Commission refers to the resultant landmass as an island; as does the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in regards to disaster preparedness.[1] It is still identified as a peninsula by geographers, who do not change landform designations based on man-made canal construction.[citation needed]

 

Unofficially, it is one of the biggest barrier islands in the world, shielding much of the Massachusetts coastline from North Atlantic storm waves. This protection helps to erode the Cape shoreline at the expense of cliffs, while protecting towns from Fairhaven to Marshfield.

 

Road vehicles from the mainland cross over the Cape Cod Canal via the Sagamore Bridge and the Bourne Bridge. The two bridges are parallel, with the Bourne Bridge located slightly farther southwest. In addition, the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge carries railway freight as well as tourist passenger services.

Contents

[hide]

 

* 1 Geography and political divisions

o 1.1 "Upper" and "Lower"

* 2 Geology

* 3 Climate

* 4 Native population

* 5 History

* 6 Lighthouses of Cape Cod

* 7 Transportation

o 7.1 Bus

o 7.2 Rail

o 7.3 Taxi

* 8 Tourism

* 9 Sport fishing

* 10 Sports

* 11 Education

* 12 Islands off Cape Cod

* 13 See also

* 14 References

o 14.1 Notes

o 14.2 Sources

o 14.3 Further reading

* 15 External links

 

[edit] Geography and political divisions

Towns of Barnstable County

historical map of 1890

 

The highest elevation on Cape Cod is 306 feet (93 m), at the top of Pine Hill, in the Bourne portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation. The lowest point is sea level.

 

The body of water located between Cape Cod and the mainland, bordered to the north by Massachusetts Bay, is Cape Cod Bay; west of Cape Cod is Buzzards Bay. The Cape Cod Canal, completed in 1916, connects Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay; it shortened the trade route between New York and Boston by 62 miles.[2] To the south of Cape Cod lie Nantucket Sound; Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, both large islands, and the mostly privately owned Elizabeth Islands.

 

Cape Cod incorporates all of Barnstable County, which comprises 15 towns: Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. Two of the county's fifteen towns (Bourne and Sandwich) include land on the mainland side of the Cape Cod Canal. The towns of Plymouth and Wareham, in adjacent Plymouth County, are sometimes considered to be part of Cape Cod but are not located on the island.

 

In the 17th century the designation Cape Cod applied only to the tip of the peninsula, essentially present-day Provincetown. Over the ensuing decades, the name came to mean all the land east of the Manomet and Scussett rivers - essentially the line of the 20th century Cape Cod Canal. Now, the complete towns of Bourne and Sandwich are widely considered to incorporate the full perimeter of Cape Cod, even though small parts of these towns are located on the west side of the canal. The canal divides the largest part of the peninsula from the mainland and the resultant landmass is sometimes referred to as an island.[3][4] Additionally some "Cape Codders" – residents of "The Cape" – refer to all land on the mainland side of the canal as "off-Cape."

 

For most of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, Cape Cod was considered to consist of three sections:

 

* The Upper Cape is the part of Cape Cod closest to the mainland, comprising the towns of Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee. Falmouth is the home of the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and several other research organizations, and is also the most-used ferry connection to Martha's Vineyard. Falmouth is composed of several separate villages, including East Falmouth, Falmouth Village, Hatchville, North Falmouth, Teaticket, Waquoit, West Falmouth, and Woods Hole, as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Davisville, Falmouth Heights, Quissett, Sippewissett, and others).[5]

 

* The Mid-Cape includes the towns of Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis. The Mid-Cape area features many beautiful beaches, including warm-water beaches along Nantucket Sound, e.g., Kalmus Beach in Hyannis, which gets its name from one of the inventors of Technicolor, Herbert Kalmus. This popular windsurfing destination was bequeathed to the town of Barnstable by Dr. Kalmus on condition that it not be developed, possibly one of the first instances of open-space preservation in the US. The Mid-Cape is also the commercial and industrial center of the region. There are seven villages in Barnstable, including Barnstable Village, Centerville, Cotuit, Hyannis, Marstons Mills, Osterville, and West Barnstable, as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Craigville, Cummaquid, Hyannisport, Santuit, Wianno, and others).[6] There are three villages in Yarmouth: South Yarmouth, West Yarmouth and Yarmouthport. There are five villages in Dennis including, Dennis Village(North Dennis), East Dennis, West Dennis, South Dennis and Dennisport.[7]

 

* The Lower Cape traditionally included all of the rest of the Cape,or the towns of Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. This area includes the Cape Cod National Seashore, a national park comprising much of the outer Cape, including the entire east-facing coast, and is home to some of the most popular beaches in America, such as Coast Guard Beach and Nauset Light Beach in Eastham. Stephen Leatherman, aka "Dr. Beach", named Coast Guard Beach the 5th best beach in America for 2007.[8]

 

[edit] "Upper" and "Lower"

 

The terms "Upper" and "Lower" as applied to the Cape have nothing to do with north and south. Instead, they derive from maritime convention at the time when the principal means of transportation involved watercraft, and the prevailing westerly winds meant that a boat with sails traveling northeast in Cape Cod Bay would have the wind at its back and thus be going downwind, while a craft sailing southwest would be going against the wind, or upwind.[9] Similarly, on nearby Martha's Vineyard, "Up Island" still is the western section and "Down Island" is to the east, and in Maine, "Down East" is similarly defined by the winds and currents.

 

Over time, the reasons for the traditional nomenclature became unfamiliar and their meaning obscure. Late in the 1900s, new arrivals began calling towns from Eastham to Provincetown the "Outer Cape", yet another geographic descriptor which is still in use, as is the "Inner Cape."

[edit] Geology

Cape Cod and Cape Cod Bay from space.[10]

 

East of America, there stands in the open Atlantic the last fragment of an ancient and vanished land. Worn by the breakers and the rains, and disintegrated by the wind, it still stands bold.

Henry Beston, The Outermost House

 

Cape Cod forms a continuous archipelagic region with a thin line of islands stretching toward New York, historically known by naturalists as the Outer Lands. This continuity is due to the fact that the islands and Cape are all terminal glacial moraines laid down some 16,000 to 20,000 years ago.

 

Most of Cape Cod's geological history involves the advance and retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet in the late Pleistocene geological era and the subsequent changes in sea level. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, researchers have determined that around 23,000 years ago, the ice sheet reached its maximum southward advance over North America, and then started to retreat. Many "kettle ponds" — clear, cold lakes — were formed and remain on Cape Cod as a result of the receding glacier. By about 18,000 years ago, the ice sheet had retreated past Cape Cod. By roughly 15,000 years ago, it had retreated past southern New England. When so much of Earth's water was locked up in massive ice sheets, the sea level was lower. Truro's bayside beaches used to be a petrified forest, before it became a beach.

 

As the ice began to melt, the sea began to rise. Initially, sea level rose quickly, about 15 meters (50 ft) per 1,000 years, but then the rate declined. On Cape Cod, sea level rose roughly 3 meters (11 ft) per millennium between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago. After that, it continued to rise at about 1 meter (3 ft) per millennium. By 6,000 years ago, the sea level was high enough to start eroding the glacial deposits that the vanished continental ice sheet had left on Cape Cod. The water transported the eroded deposits north and south along the outer Cape's shoreline. Those reworked sediments that moved north went to the tip of Cape Cod.

 

Provincetown Spit, at the northern end of the Cape, consists largely of marine deposits, transported from farther up the shore. Sediments that moved south created the islands and shoals of Monomoy. So while other parts of the Cape have dwindled from the action of the waves, these parts of the Cape have grown.

Cape Cod National Seashore

 

This process continues today. Due to their position jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape and islands are subject to massive coastal erosion. Geologists say that, due to erosion, the Cape will be completely submerged by the sea in thousands of years.[11] This erosion causes the washout of beaches and the destruction of the barrier islands; for example, the ocean broke through the barrier island at Chatham during Hurricane Bob in 1991, allowing waves and storm surges to hit the coast with no obstruction. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches is being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by waters running through them.

[edit] Climate

 

Although Cape Cod's weather[12] is typically more moderate than inland locations, there have been occasions where Cape Cod has dealt with the brunt of extreme weather situations (such as the Blizzard of 1954 and Hurricane of 1938). Because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, temperatures are typically a few degrees cooler in the summer and a few degrees warmer in the winter. A common misconception is that the climate is influenced largely by the warm Gulf Stream current, however that current turns eastward off the coast of Virginia and the waters off the Cape are more influenced by the cold Canadian Labrador Current. As a result, the ocean temperature rarely gets above 65 °F (18 °C), except along the shallow west coast of the Upper Cape.

 

The Cape's climate is also notorious for a delayed spring season, being surrounded by an ocean which is still cold from the winter; however, it is also known for an exceptionally mild fall season (Indian summer), thanks to the ocean remaining warm from the summer. The highest temperature ever recorded on Cape Cod was 104 °F (40 °C) in Provincetown[13], and the lowest temperature ever was −12 °F (−24.4 °C) in Barnstable.[14]

 

The water surrounding Cape Cod moderates winter temperatures enough to extend the USDA hardiness zone 7a to its northernmost limit in eastern North America.[15] Even though zone 7a (annual low = 0–5 degrees Fahrenheit) signifies no sub-zero temperatures annually, there have been several instances of temperatures reaching a few degrees below zero across the Cape (although it is rare, usually 1–5 times a year, typically depending on locale, sometimes not at all). Consequently, many plant species typically found in more southerly latitudes grow there, including Camellias, Ilex opaca, Magnolia grandiflora and Albizia julibrissin.

 

Precipitation on Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is the lowest in the New England region, averaging slightly less than 40 inches (1,000 mm) a year (most parts of New England average 42–46 inches). This is due to storm systems which move across western areas, building up in mountainous regions, and dissipating before reaching the coast where the land has leveled out. The region does not experience a greater number of sunny days however, as the number of cloudy days is the same as inland locales, in addition to increased fog. Snowfall is annual, but a lot less common than the rest of Massachusetts. On average, 30 inches of snow, which is a foot less than Boston, falls in an average winter. Snow is usually light, and comes in squalls on cold days. Storms that bring blizzard conditions and snow emergencies to the mainland, bring devastating ice storms or just heavy rains more frequently than large snow storms.

[hide]Climate data for Cape Cod

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average high °C (°F) 2.06

(35.7) 2.5

(36.5) 6.22

(43.2) 11.72

(53.1) 16.94

(62.5) 23.5

(74.3) 26.39

(79.5) 26.67

(80.0) 25.06

(77.1) 18.39

(65.1) 12.56

(54.6) 5.44

(41.8) 26.67

(80.0)

Average low °C (°F) -5.33

(22.4) -5

(23.0) -1.33

(29.6) 2.72

(36.9) 8.72

(47.7) 14.61

(58.3) 19.22

(66.6) 20.28

(68.5) 15.56

(60.0) 9.94

(49.9) 3.94

(39.1) -2.22

(28.0) -5.33

(22.4)

Precipitation mm (inches) 98

(3.86) 75.4

(2.97) 95

(3.74) 92.5

(3.64) 83.6

(3.29) 76.7

(3.02) 62.2

(2.45) 65

(2.56) 74.7

(2.94) 84.8

(3.34) 90.7

(3.57) 92.7

(3.65) 990.9

(39.01)

Source: World Meteorological Organisation (United Nations) [16]

[edit] Native population

 

Cape Cod has been the home of the Wampanoag tribe of Native American people for many centuries. They survived off the sea and were accomplished farmers. They understood the principles of sustainable forest management, and were known to light controlled fires to keep the underbrush in check. They helped the Pilgrims, who arrived in the fall of 1620, survive at their new Plymouth Colony. At the time, the dominant group was the Kakopee, known for their abilities at fishing. They were the first Native Americans to use large casting nets. Early colonial settlers recorded that the Kakopee numbered nearly 7,000.

 

Shortly after the Pilgrims arrived, the chief of the Kakopee, Mogauhok, attempted to make a treaty limiting colonial settlements. The effort failed after he succumbed to smallpox in 1625. Infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza caused the deaths of many other Kakopee and Wampanoag. They had no natural immunity to Eurasian diseases by then endemic among the English and other Europeans. Today, the only reminder of the Kakopee is a small public recreation area in Barnstable named for them. A historic marker notes the burial site of Mogauhok near Truro, although the location is conjecture.

 

While contractors were digging test wells in the eastern Massachusetts Military Reservation area, they discovered an archeological find.[citation needed] Excavation revealed the remains of a Kakopee village in Forestdale, a location in Sandwich. Researchers found a totem with a painted image of Mogauhok, portrayed in his chief's cape and brooch. The totem was discovered on property on Grand Oak Road. It is the first evidence other than colonial accounts of his role as an important Kakopee leader.

 

The Indians lost their lands through continued purchase and expropriation by the English colonists. The documentary Natives of the Narrowland (1993), narrated by actress Julie Harris, shows the history of the Wampanoag people through Cape Cod archaeological sites.

 

In 1974, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was formed to articulate the concerns of those with Native American ancestry. They petitioned the federal government in 1975 and again in 1990 for official recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe. In May 2007, the Wampanoag tribe was finally federally recognized as a tribe.[17]

[edit] History

Cranberry picking in 1906

 

Cape Cod was a landmark for early explorers. It may have been the "Promontory of Vinland" mentioned by the Norse voyagers (985-1025). Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 approached it from the south. He named Martha's Vineyard Claudia, after the mother of the King of France.[18] The next year the explorer Esteban Gómez called it Cape St. James.

 

In 1602 Bartholomew Gosnold named it Cape Cod, the surviving term and the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S.[19] Samuel de Champlain charted its sand-silted harbors in 1606 and Henry Hudson landed there in 1609. Captain John Smith noted it on his map of 1614 and at last the Pilgrims entered the "Cape Harbor" and – contrary to the popular myth of Plymouth Rock – made their first landing near present-day Provincetown on November 11, 1620. Nearby, in what is now Eastham, they had their first encounter with Native Americans.

 

Cape Cod was among the first places settled by the English in North America. Aside from Barnstable (1639), Sandwich (1637) and Yarmouth (1639), the Cape's fifteen towns developed slowly. The final town to be established on the Cape was Bourne in 1884.[20] Provincetown was a group of huts until the 18th century. A channel from Massachusetts Bay to Buzzards Bay is shown on Southack's map of 1717. The present Cape Cod Canal was slowly developed from 1870 to 1914. The Federal government purchased it in 1928.

 

Thanks to early colonial settlement and intensive land use, by the time Henry Thoreau saw Cape Cod during his four visits over 1849 to 1857[21], its vegetation was depauperate and trees were scarce. As the settlers heated by fires, and it took 10 to 20 cords (40 to 80 m³) of wood to heat a home, they cleared most of Cape Cod of timber early on. They planted familiar crops, but these were unsuited to Cape Cod's thin, glacially derived soils. For instance, much of Eastham was planted to wheat. The settlers practiced burning of woodlands to release nutrients into the soil. Improper and intensive farming led to erosion and the loss of topsoil. Farmers grazed their cattle on the grassy dunes of coastal Massachusetts, only to watch "in horror as the denuded sands `walked' over richer lands, burying cultivated fields and fences." Dunes on the outer Cape became more common and many harbors filled in with eroded soils.[22]

 

By 1800, most of Cape Cod's firewood had to be transported by boat from Maine. The paucity of vegetation was worsened by the raising of merino sheep that reached its peak in New England around 1840. The early industrial revolution, which occurred through much of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, mostly bypassed Cape Cod due to a lack of significant water power in the area. As a result, and also because of its geographic position, the Cape developed as a large fishing and whaling center. After 1860 and the opening of the American West, farmers abandoned agriculture on the Cape. By 1950 forests had recovered to an extent not seen since the 18th century.

 

Cape Cod became a summer haven for city dwellers beginning at the end of the 19th century. Improved rail transportation made the towns of the Upper Cape, such as Bourne and Falmouth, accessible to Bostonians. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Northeastern mercantile elite built many large, shingled "cottages" along Buzzards Bay. The relaxed summer environment offered by Cape Cod was highlighted by writers including Joseph C. Lincoln, who published novels and countless short stories about Cape Cod folks in popular magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and the Delineator.

 

Guglielmo Marconi made the first transatlantic wireless transmission originating in the United States from Cape Cod, at Wellfleet. The beach from which he transmitted has since been called Marconi Beach. In 1914 he opened the maritime wireless station WCC in Chatham. It supported the communications of Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Admiral Byrd, and the Hindenburg. Marconi chose Chatham due to its vantage point on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded on three sides by water. Walter Cronkite narrated a 17-minute documentary in 2005 about the history of the Chatham Station.

 

Much of the East-facing Atlantic seacoast of Cape Cod consists of wide, sandy beaches. In 1961, a significant portion of this coastline, already slated for housing subdivisions, was made a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F. Kennedy. It was protected from private development and preserved for public use. Large portions are open to the public, including the Marconi Site in Wellfleet. This is a park encompassing the site of the first two-way transoceanic radio transmission from the United States. (Theodore Roosevelt used Marconi's equipment for this transmission).

 

The Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport was President Kennedy's summer White House during his presidency. The Kennedy family continues to maintain residences on the compound. Other notable residents of Cape Cod have included actress Julie Harris, US Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis, figure skater Todd Eldredge, and novelists Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut. Influential natives included the patriot James Otis, historian and writer Mercy Otis Warren, jurist Lemuel Shaw, and naval officer John Percival.

[edit] Lighthouses of Cape Cod

Race Point Lighthouse in Provincetown (1876)

 

Lighthouses, from ancient times, have fascinated members of the human race. There is something about a lighted beacon that suggests hope and trust and appeals to the better instincts of mankind.

Edward Rowe Snow

 

Due to its dangerous constantly moving shoals, Cape Cod's shores have featured beacons which warn ships of the danger since very early in its history. There are numerous working lighthouses on Cape Cod and the Islands, including Highland Light, Nauset Light, Chatham Light, Race Point Light, and Nobska Light, mostly operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The exception is Nauset Light, which was decommissioned in 1996 and is now maintained by the Nauset Light Preservation Society under the auspices of Cape Cod National Seashore. These lighthouses are frequently photographed symbols of Cape Cod.

 

Others include:

 

Upper Cape: Wings Neck

 

Mid Cape: Sandy Neck, South Hyannis, Lewis Bay, Bishop and Clerks, Bass River

 

Lower Cape: Wood End, Long Point, Monomoy, Stage Harbor, Pamet, Mayo Beach, Billingsgate, Three Sisters, Nauset, Highland

[edit] Transportation

 

Cape Cod is connected to the mainland by a pair of canal-spanning highway bridges from Bourne and Sagamore that were constructed in the 1930s, and a vertical-lift railroad bridge. The limited number of access points to the peninsula can result in large traffic backups during the tourist season.

 

The entire Cape is roughly bisected lengthwise by U.S. Route 6, locally known as the Mid-Cape Highway and officially as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.

 

Commercial air service to Cape Cod operates out of Barnstable Municipal Airport and Provincetown Municipal Airport. Several bus lines service the Cape. There are ferry connections from Boston to Provincetown, as well as from Hyannis and Woods Hole to the islands.

 

Cape Cod has a public transportation network comprising buses operated by three different companies, a rail line, taxis and paratransit services.

The Bourne Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, with the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge in the background

[edit] Bus

 

Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority operates a year-round public bus system comprising three long distance routes and a local bus in Hyannis and Barnstable Village. From mid June until October, additional local routes are added in Falmouth and Provincetown. CCRTA also operates Barnstable County's ADA required paratransit (dial-a-ride) service, under the name "B-Bus."

 

Long distance bus service is available through Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway, with regular service to Boston and Logan Airport, as well as less frequent service to Provincetown. Peter Pan Bus Lines also runs long distance service to Providence T.F. Green Airport and New York City.

[edit] Rail

 

Regular passenger rail service through Cape Cod ended in 1959, quite possibly on June 30 of that year. In 1978, the tracks east of South Dennis were abandoned and replaced with the very popular bicycle path, known as the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Another bike path, the Shining Sea Bikeway, was built over tracks between Woods Hole and Falmouth in 1975; construction to extend this path to North Falmouth over 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of inactive rail bed began in April 2008[23] and ended in early 2009. Active freight service remains in the Upper Cape area in Sandwich and in Bourne, largely due to a trash transfer station located at Massachusetts Military Reservation along the Bourne-Falmouth rail line. In 1986, Amtrak ran a seasonal service in the summer from New York City to Hyannis called the Cape Codder. From 1988, Amtrak and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation increased service to a daily frequency.[24] Since its demise in 1996, there have been periodic discussions about reinstating passenger rail service from Boston to reduce car traffic to and from the Cape, with officials in Bourne seeking to re-extend MBTA Commuter Rail service from Middleboro to Buzzards Bay[25], despite a reluctant Beacon Hill legislature.

 

Cape Cod Central Railroad operates passenger train service on Cape Cod. The service is primarily tourist oriented and includes a dinner train. The scenic route between Downtown Hyannis and the Cape Cod Canal is about 2½ hours round trip. Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is also planning to return passenger railroad services eventually to the Bourne-Falmouth rail line in the future. An August 5, 2009 article on the New England Cable News channel, entitled South Coast rail project a priority for Mass. lawmakers, mentions a $1.4-billion railroad reconstruction plan by Governor Deval Patrick, and could mean rebuilding of old rail lines on the Cape. On November 21, 2009, the town of Falmouth saw its first passenger train in 12 years, a set of dinner train cars from Cape Cod Central. And a trip from the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts on May 15, 2010 revealed a second trip along the Falmouth line.

[edit] Taxi

 

Taxicabs are plentiful, with several different companies operating out of different parts of the Cape. Except at the airport and some bus terminals with taxi stands, cabs must be booked ahead of time, with most operators preferring two to three hours notice. Cabs cannot be "hailed" anywhere in Barnstable County, this was outlawed in the early nineties after several robbery attempts on drivers.

 

Most companies utilize a New York City-style taximeter and charge based on distance plus an initial fee of $2 to $3. In Provincetown, cabs charge a flat fare per person anywhere in the town.

[edit] Tourism

Hyannis Harbor on Nantucket Sound

 

Although Cape Cod has a year-round population of about 230,000, it experiences a tourist season each summer, the beginning and end of which can be roughly approximated as Memorial Day and Labor Day, respectively. Many businesses are specifically targeted to summer visitors, and close during the eight to nine months of the "off season" (although the "on season" has been expanding somewhat in recent years due to Indian Summer, reduced lodging rates, and the number of people visiting the Cape after Labor Day who either have no school-age children, and the elderly, reducing the true "off season" to six or seven months). In the late 20th century, tourists and owners of second homes began visiting the Cape more and more in the spring and fall, softening the definition of the high season and expanding it somewhat (see above). Some particularly well-known Cape products and industries include cranberries, shellfish (particularly oysters and clams) and lobstering.

 

Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, also berths several whale watching fleets who patrol the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Most fleets guarantee a whale sighting (mostly humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, sei whale, and critically endangered, the North Atlantic Right Whale), and one is the only federally certified operation qualified to rescue whales. Provincetown has also long been known as an art colony, attracting writers and artists. The town is home to the Cape's most attended art museum, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Many hotels and resorts are friendly to or cater to gay and lesbian tourists and it is known as a gay mecca in the summer.[26]

 

Cape Cod is a popular destination for beachgoers from all over. With 559.6 miles (900.6 km) of coastline, beaches, both public and private, are easily accessible. The Cape has upwards of sixty public beaches, many of which offer parking for non-residents for a daily fee (in summer). The Cape Cod National Seashore has 40 miles (64 km) of sandy beach and many walking paths.

 

Cape Cod is also popular for its outdoor activities like beach walking, biking, boating, fishing, go-karts, golfing, kayaking, miniature golf, and unique shopping. There are 27 public, daily-fee golf courses and 15 private courses on Cape Cod.[27] Bed and breakfasts or vacation houses are often used for lodging.

 

Each summer the Naukabout Music Festival is held at the Barnstable County Fair Grounds located in East Falmouth,(typically) during the first weekend of August. This Music festival features local, regional and national talent along with food, arts and family friendly activities.

[edit] Sport fishing

 

Cape Cod is known around the world as a spring-to-fall destination for sport anglers. Among the species most widely pursued are striped bass, bluefish, bluefin tuna, false albacore (little tunny), bonito, tautog, flounder and fluke. The Cape Cod Bay side of the Cape, from Sandwich to Provincetown, has several harbors, saltwater creeks, and shoals that hold bait fish and attract the larger game fish, such as striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tuna.

 

The outer edge of the Cape, from Provincetown to Falmouth, faces the open Atlantic from Provincetown to Chatham, and then the more protected water of Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, from Chatham to Falmouth. The bays, harbors and shoals along this coastline also provide a robust habitat for game species, and during the late summer months warm-water species such as mahi-mahi and marlin will also appear on the southern edge of Cape Cod's waters. Nearly every harbor on Cape Cod hosts sport fishing charter boats, which run from May through October.[28]

[edit] Sports

 

The Cape has nine amateur baseball franchises playing within Barnstable County in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Wareham Gatemen also play in the Cape Cod Baseball League in nearby Wareham, Massachusetts in Plymouth County. The league originated 1923, although intertown competition traces to 1866. Teams in the league are the Bourne Braves, Brewster Whitecaps, Chatham Anglers (formerly the Chatham Athletics), Cotuit Kettleers, Falmouth Commodores, Harwich Mariners, Hyannis Harbor Hawks (formerly the Hyannis Mets), Orleans Firebirds (formerly the Orleans Cardinals), Wareham Gatemen and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Pro ball scouts frequent the games in the summer, looking for stars of the future.

 

Cape Cod is also a national hot bed for baseball and hockey. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League and the new Junior Hockey League team, the Cape Cod Cubs, many high school players are being seriously recruited as well. Barnstable and Harwich have each sent multiple players to Division 1 colleges for baseball, Harwich has also won three State titles in the past 12 years (1996, 2006, 2007). Bourne and Sandwich, known rivals in hockey have won state championships recently. Bourne in 2004, and Sandwich in 2007. Nauset, Barnstable, and Martha's Vineyard are also state hockey powerhouses. Barnstable and Falmouth also hold the title of having one of the longest Thanksgiving football rivalries in the country. The teams have played each other every year on the Thanksgiving since 1895. The Bourne and Barnstable girl's volleyball teams are two of the best teams in the state and Barnstable in the country. With Bourne winning the State title in 2003 and 2007. In the past 15 years, Barnstable has won 12 Division 1 State titles and has won the state title the past two years.

 

The Cape also is home to the Cape Cod Frenzy, a team in the American Basketball Association.

 

Soccer on Cape Cod is represented by the Cape Cod Crusaders, playing in the USL Premier Development League (PDL) soccer based in Hyannis. In addition, a summer Cape Cod Adult Soccer League (CCASL) is active in several towns on the Cape.

 

Cape Cod is also the home of the Cape Cod Cubs, a new junior league hockey team that is based out of Hyannis at the new communtiy center being built of Bearses Way.

 

The end of each summer is marked with the running of the world famous Falmouth Road Race which is held on the 3rd Saturday in August. It draws about 10,000 runners to the Cape and showcases the finest runners in the world (mainly for the large purse that the race is able to offer). The race is 7.2 miles (11.6 km) long, which is a non-standard distance. The reason for the unusual distance is that the man who thought the race up (Tommy Leonard) was a bartender who wanted a race along the coast from one bar (The Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole) to another (The Brothers Four in Falmouth Heights). While the bar in Falmouth Heights is no longer there, the race still starts at the front door of the Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole and now finishes at the beach in Falmouth Heights. Prior to the Falmouth race is an annual 5-mile (8.0 km) race through Brewster called the Brew Run, held early in August.

[edit] Education

 

Each town usually consists of a few elementary schools, one or two middle schools and one large public high school that services the entire town. Exceptions to this include Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School located in Yarmouth which services both the town of Yarmouth as well as Dennis and Nauset Regional High School located in Eastham which services the town of Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown (optional). Bourne High School is the public school for students residing in the town of Bourne, which is gathered from villages in Bourne, including Sagamore, Sagamore Beach, and Buzzards Bay. Barnstable High School is the largest high school and is known for its girls' volleyball team which have been state champions a total of 12 times. Barnstable High School also boasts one of the country's best high school drama clubs which were awarded with a contract by Warner Brothers to created a documentary in webisode format based on their production of Wizard of Oz. Sturgis Charter Public School is a public school in Hyannis which was featured in Newsweek's Magazine's "Best High Schools" ranking. It ranked 28th in the country and 1st in the state of Massachusetts in the 2009 edition and ranked 43rd and 55th in the 2008 and 2007 edition, respectively. Sturgis offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in their junior and senior year and is open to students as far as Plymouth. The Cape also contains two vocational high schools. One is the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich and the other is Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School located in Bourne. Lastly, Mashpee High School is home to the Mashpee Chapter of (SMPTE,) the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. This chapter is the first and only high school chapter in the world to be a part of this organization and has received much recognition within the Los Angeles broadcasting industry as a result. The officers of this group who have made history are listed below:

 

* President: Ryan D. Stanley '11

* Vice-President Kenneth J. Peters '13

* Treasurer Eric N. Bergquist '11

* Secretary Andrew L. Medlar '11

 

In addition to public schools, Cape Cod has a wide range of private schools. The town of Barnstable has Trinity Christian Academy, Cape Cod Academy, St. Francis Xavier Preparatory School, and Pope John Paul II High School. Bourne offers the Waldorf School of Cape Cod, Orleans offers the Lighthouse Charter School for elementary and middle school students, and Falmouth offers Falmouth Academy. Riverview School is located in East Sandwich and is a special co-ed boarding school which services students as old as 22 who have learning disabilities. Another specialized school is the Penikese Island School located on Penikese Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands off southwestern Cape Cod, which services struggling and troubled teenage boys.

 

Cape Cod also contains two institutions of higher education. One is the Cape Cod Community College located in West Barnstable, Barnstable. The other is Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Bourne. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the oldest continuously operating maritime college in the United States.

[edit] Islands off Cape Cod

 

Like Cape Cod itself, the islands south of the Cape have evolved from whaling and trading areas to resort destinations, attracting wealthy families, celebrities, and other tourists. The islands include Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, as well as Forbes family-owned Naushon Island, which was purchased by John Murray Forbes with profits from opium dealing in the China trade during the Opium War. Naushon is one of the Elizabeth Islands, many of which are privately owned. One of the publicly accessible Elizabeths is the southernmost island in the chain, Cuttyhunk, with a year-round population of 52 people. Several prominent families have established compounds or estates on the larger islands, making these islands some of the wealthiest resorts in the Northeast, yet they retain much of the early merchant trading and whaling culture.

 

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it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_bruennichi

 

Il ragno vespa non è aggressivo, e attacca l'uomo solo se viene disturbato; in tal caso il suo morso, provoca bruciore e arrossamento della parte colpita, ma i suoi effetti svaniscono al massimo nell'arco di un giorno.

 

Una curiosità si ha nell'accoppiamento di tali aracnidi, infatti quasi sempre le femmine di questi ragni uccidono i loro pretendenti maschi, a meno che questi ultimi non riescano a fuggire prima; spesso nel tentativo di fuga il pene degli individui maschi si spezza all'interno delle femmine, non permettendo che altri ragni fecondino la stessa, e assicurandosi così il successo riproduttivo

 

Argiope bruennichi, ou Aranha Vespeira, é uma espécie distribuída em toda a Europa Central, Norte da Europa, Norte de África e partes da Ásia. Tal como muitos outros membros do género, mostra riscas amarelas e pretas no seu abdómen.

 

A aranha constrói uma espiral ao amanhecer ou entardecer no meio da vegetação, para atrair insectos. Quando uma presa é capturada na teia, rapidamente é imobilizada através do envolvimento em teia. De seguida a aranha pica-a, de forma a injectar um veneno paralisante.

 

O macho da espécie é muito menor do que a fêmea. Muitas vezes pode ser visto perto de uma dela, aguardando pelo momento em que ela atinja a maturidade sexual. Neste curto espaço de tempo, em que a fêmea está receptiva ao sexo, o macho pode aproximar-se sem risco de ser comido.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derwentwater

  

Derwentwater (or Derwent Water) is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria.

 

The lake occupies part of Borrowdale and lies immediately south of the town of Keswick. It is both fed and drained by the River Derwent. It measures approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) long by 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and is some 72 feet (22 m) deep. There are several islands within the lake, one of which is inhabited. Derwent Island House, an 18th-century residence, is a tenanted National Trust property open to the public on five days each year.

  

Derwentwater is a place of considerable scenic value. It is surrounded by hills (known locally as fells), and many of the slopes facing Derwentwater are extensively wooded. A regular passenger launch operates on the lake, taking passengers between various landing stages. There are seven lakeside marinas, the most popular stops being: Keswick, Portinscale and the Lodore Falls, from which boats may be hired. Recreational walking is a major tourist activity in the area and an extensive network of footpaths exists within the hills and woods surrounding the lake.

 

The Keswick—Borrowdale road runs along the eastern shore of the lake and carries a regular bus service. There is a lesser, or unclassified, road along the western shore connecting the villages of Grange and Portinscale.

 

Derwentwater gave its name to the Earldom of Derwentwater.

 

The lake is believed to be the last remaining native habitat of the vendace (Coregonus vandesius) fish from the 4 originally known sites: Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water in the Lake District and the Castle Loch & Mill Loch in Lochmaben.[2]

  

Etymology

  

'Derwent' is " '(River) with oak trees', traditionally explained from Brit." (i.e.: Brythonic Celtic) " 'derwā' 'oak' plus suffixes, hence of the same origin as other English rivers named Derwent, Darwen, Darent and Dart...The river gave its name to Derwent Water (which was also known as the 'Lake of Derwent', 'Keswick Lake', or 'Keswick Water' in the 18th-19th centuries)...".[3] Plus "OE 'wæter', with the meaning probably influenced by its ON relative 'vatn'

  

Derwentwater's islands

  

There are numerous islands in Derwentwater, the largest being: Derwent Island, Lord's Island, St Herbert's Island, Rampsholme Island, Park Neb, Otter Island, and Otterbield Island. St. Herbert's Island is named after a C. 7th priest hermit, St. Herbert of Derwentwater.

  

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Basilica,_Krak%C3%B3w:

 

Saint Mary's Basilica (Polish: Kościół Mariacki) is a Brick Gothic church adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland. Built in the 14th century, its foundations date back to the early 13th century and serve as one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture. Standing 80 m (262 ft) tall, it is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz). Some of its monumental polychrome murals were designed by Poland's leading history painter, Jan Matejko (1838–1893). In 1978 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Historic Centre of Kraków.

 

On every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary's two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate a famous 13th century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before a Mongol attack on the city. The noon-time hejnał is heard across Poland and abroad broadcast live by Polish Radio Jedynka.

 

Saint Mary's Basilica also served as an architectural model for many of the churches that were built by the Polish diaspora abroad, particularly those like Saint Michael's and Saint John Cantius in Chicago, designed in the Polish Cathedral style.

© Álbum 0493

By Catedrales e Iglesias

Arquidiócesis de México

 

Sitio Oficial de la Arquidiócesis de México

www.arquidiocesismexico.org.mx/

  

San Bernardino de Siena

Av. Nuevo León 24 Bis

Col. Barrio Santa Crucita C.P. 16070

Del. Xochimilco

Tel. 5676-0148

Tel. 5676-8646

Tomado del libro: Xochimilco y sus monumentos Históricos.

De Araceli Peralta Flores y Jorge Rojas Ramírez,

Departamento del Distrito Federal Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 1992, México.

 

Situado en el centro de Xochimilco ya que en torno a el ha girado una buena parte de la historia de pueblo. "Tanto a los conquistadores como a los evangelios, la construcción de esta iglesia les sirvió como punto de cohesión e identidad social, en cuanto que le permitió una armonía entre el indígena, el español y los primeros mestizos.

 

Xochimilco hacia 1524. George Kubler, en su libro: Arquitectura Mexicana del siglo XVI señala, que la iglesia y en convento tuvieron varias etapas constructivas que abarcaron desde 1530 hasta el año 1600. Para 1538 San Bernardino contaba ya con convento; hacia 1546 fray Francisco de Soto, uno de los once compañeros de fray Martín de Valencia, tomo la dirección y la supervisión de la obra; en 1585 se terminaron los dormitorios, la iglesia, las celdas, las viviendas y las dependencias. Para 1609 funcionó el colegio conventual de Xochimilco en donde se dieron clases de retórica, teología, artes y oficios.

 

Gran parte del dinero que se requirió para llevar a cabo la obra fue aportado por los indios principales de Xochimilco, siendo Martín Cerón de Álvaro uno de los más generosos .

Ante la escasez de frailes, en 1538, los franciscanos decidieron retirar los que habían en Xochimilco, dejando el convento como visita del grande de México. Los indios se opusieron con ruegos y llantos a esta determinación, logrando que se quedaran dos frailes para su convento.

 

En 1569 moraban en el convento cuatro religiosos que tenían a su cargo el adoctrinamiento de cinco mil indios. Cuando Fray Jerónimo de Mendieta fue guardián del convento, los indios del pueblo se agruparon por barrios en el atrio para adoctrinarse y contarse. Hacia 1585 el número de evangelizadores aumentó a seis.

 

La iglesia y el convento de San Bernardino tuvo trece pueblos de visita: Santiago Tepalcatlalpan, San Lucas Xochimanca, San Mateo Pochtla, San Miguel Topilejo, San Francisco Tlalnepantla, San Salvador Cuautenco, Santa Cecilia Ahuautla, San Andrés Ocoyoacac, San Lorenzo Tlatecpan, San Martín Tiatilpan, Santa Maria Nativitas Zacapan y Santa Cruz Acalpixcan.

 

Otro suceso importante de índole religioso se dio en el siglo XVII. En este siglo había fuertes diferencias entre los frailes peninsulares y criollos por querer ocupar los cargos mas altos, por lo que los criollos de la Provincia del Santo Evangelio, escribieron a Paulo V desde Xochimilco -en enero de 1614- solicitándole que los favoreciera con estos cargos. Lograron obtener un orden a través de la cual tanto criollos como peninsulares podían turnarse cada tres años en el provincialato y otras jerarquías.

 

En cuanto a los bienes muebles de San Bernardino destaca el retablo mayor de Xochimilco, que data del siglo XVI solo comparable en calidad con el de Huejotzingo, Puebla y del que se han hecho estudios muy detallados de su composición, y es considerado como una obra de gran valor artístico e iconográfico.

 

Por lo que toca a los retablos laterales tenemos el de Cristo, ubicado en el segundo tramo del lado norte. Data del siglo XVI; esta incompleto en su base y en sus calles laterales. El de la Sagrada Familia localizado en el segundo tramo del lado sur, corresponde a los siglos XVII-XVIII. El de la Virgen Purísima ubicada en el tercer tramo del lado sur, es del siglo XII-XVIII (no se encuentra en el lugar original y esta incompleto en su base). El de Cristo situado en el cuarto tramo del lado sur, data del siglo XVI - XVII. Otro de Cristo localizado en el quinto tramo del lado sur, corresponde a finales del siglo XVII (esta incompleto en su base). El de la Virgen del Carmen con las ánimas del purgatorio ubicado en el quinto tramo del lado norte, es del siglo XVII. El del Martirio de San Pedro situado en el sexto tramo del lado sur, data del siglo XVII-XVIII, este retablo fue hecho sin tener un diseño arquitectónico y no tiene columnas, arquitrabes ni frasos. El de la pasión de Cristo situado en el sexto tramo del lado norte corresponde al siglo XVII (esta incompleto y se encuentra en malas condiciones de estabilidad): El de San Sebastián Mártir ubicado en el séptimo tramo del lado, es del siglo XVIII. Sobre la historia de este ultimo retablo García Granados dice que en 1576 la población de Xochimilco fue afectada seriamente por el cocolixtle, por lo que Fray Jerónimo de Mendieta echó suerte para saber a que santo debían encomendarse, saliendo agraciado el Apóstol Santiago. Pasado un año y en vista que la peste no disminuía decidió encomendarlos a San Sebastián, con lo que el cocolixtle desapareció. En agradecimiento a estos santos les mandó construir sus retablos a ambos lados del altar mayor.

 

Tanto en el templo como en el convento existen pinturas, esculturas y tallas de gran calidad realizadas por grandes artistas. De las pinturas destacan las de Echave Orio, padre e hijo probablemente Simón Pereyns, Sánchez Salmerón Caravaggio y Francisco Martínez. Sobresalen las culturas de Luis Arciniegas y Juan Martínez Montañés.

 

La fina silleria tallada en cedro rojo, compuesta por seis sítiales divididos por brazos, así como los dos púlpitos que se encuentran en el templo, fueron hechos por el ebanista Juan Rojas en el siglo XVIII.

 

A finales del siglo XIX, el arquitecto Mariano Lezano construyó un ciprés de estilo neoclásico que cubría buena parte del retablo mayor. Años más tarde el arquitecto Roberto Álvarez Espinoza realizó unos estudios y elaboró unos planos con objeto de retirar el ciprés argumentando que éste tapaba el retablo del siglo XVI.

 

La década de los sesentas fue una de las más difíciles en lo que corresponde a la restauración del templo y del convento, ya que se realizaron en ellos intervenciones que afectaron tanto elementos arquitectónicos como a los retablos, pinturas y esculturas. Dicho trabajos se hicieron sin contar con un proyecto de restauración que científicamente apoyará los criterios de conservación y tampoco se consideró aplicar la tecnología más apropiada para cada caso.

 

Cabe señalar que en los años sesenta el atrio de la iglesia suscitó conflictos al quererse utilizar este espacio para otros fines. De hecho la esquina suroeste se encontraba ocupada por las escuelas primarias Vicente Riva Palacio y la Ignacio Ramírez, lo que dio pauta para que surgieran solicitudes en las que se pedía construir en lo quedaba del atrio un deportivo, y poder utilizar ese espacio para llevar acabo exposiciones ganaderas. De los dos últimos proyectos ninguno fue aprobado y hasta los años setenta. Las primeras fueron reubicadas quedando de ese modo el atrio libre de construcciones ajenas a su uso original.

 

... Complementar el exconvento franciscano de Xochimilco es situarse en la mística del encuentro del hombre consigo mismo, con el universo y con lo sobrenatural. ... Los alarifes lograron con su modestia una obra sobria realizada con ayuda indígena en sus acabados, fundiéndose el arte indígena y la cultura occidental, reafirmando así el nuevo pensamiento español. ... El conjunto guarda los cánones y la organización especial clásica de los conventos de la Nueva España: El Templo tiene vista al oriente y el claustro al costado sur, que lo protege de los vientos dominantes. ... El atrio es una típica solución americana .

 

Servia como espacio intermedio entre el interior y el exterior, para llevar acabo en el ceremonias que permitieran una gran concentración de gente. ... El espacio interior... Originalmente tenía techumbre y alfarje de madera, que fueron posteriormente sustituidos por bóvedas. Esto hizo necesario un nuevo entendimiento en el acomodado de su necesario un nuevo entendimiento acomodado geometría integrado estribos y botares a la estructura, destacando una cuyo forma de arco llamarían los estudios de "por tranquil o rampante", el cual sigue en empuje natural de la bóveda como si fuera caída de agua .

... cabe señalar que este tipo de solución estructural fue típica de Xochimilco, con la idea de reforzar las capillas y los templos, contra el hundimiento y desplome, ya que el suelo es altamente compresible y débil. ...El templo cuenta con una fachada en la que destaca la portada... un arco de medio punto, pilastras empotradas y enjutas, rematando a las pilastras una ventana coral de perfil mixtilínea. La fachada culmina con un almenado que la asemeja a una construcción militar; de ahí la idea equivocada de haber sido este tipo de conventos mal llamados conventos fortaleza. Casi al nivel del almenado se encuentra un reloj que muestra el aporte del siglo XIX. ...Hay que destacar los contrafuertes y arbotantes que flanquean la construcción porque representan el avance tecnológico de la época y el perfecto conocimiento de los materiales utilizados. La cúpula del templo, se terminó er. 1700... El doctor Atl nos dice "es probable que (sea) la cúpula más antigua de México y por una rara coincidencia la que parece derivarse más directamente del gran domo de Bruneleschi". ...Cada espacio al interior de las crujías es necesario imaginarlo con su humilde mobiliario de madera aparente o acabado con aceite de linaza, compuesto por una lámpara de aceite para iluminar el recinto, una cama de tablas y una especie de cómoda o ropero.

 

En la parte exterior encontramos la capilla de la Tercera Orden, compuesta por una sola nave de cuatro tramos que corresponden a finales del siglo XVII, cuya portada en cierta forma nos recuerda la porciúncula puerta de acceso lateral a la nave del templo principal, misma que guarda un significado especial para la orden franciscana.

 

El convento de San Bernardino muestra en su conjunto, con orgullo, la mano de obra de quienes lo pensaron y lo hicieron, convirtiendo en poemas sintetizados en su arquitectura.

 

Investigación

Mara González Guine

Click here for large version

 

On all our tours I encourage our guests to also shoot verticals, not only horizontals. Magazines for instance, are all based on verticals, so if you ever want your picture to grace the cover or to be published on a full page, you'll need to shoot verticals as well.

 

A little while back I got an email from British Airways, asking whether I had a vertical version of my famous picture The Edge, of an elephant at Victoria Falls. And as a matter of fact I did, I just never processed it. When I started processing the image, I wondered why I hadn't done it earlier - the vertical version seems to make more sense because you can actually see the height of the falls and you can see all the water falling down.

 

Anyway, British Airways published the shot and I was happy they had given me a good reason to dive into my image library again.

 

Here's the background story that I wrote for the horizontal version:

 

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It's hard enough to make original pictures, but with some subjects it simply borders the impossible.

 

When I was at Victoria Falls last year, I thought about the billions of photographs that must have been taken there, and I almost decided to just visit the place without my camera. That was until I spoke with some of the local people, who told me that they had seen a bull elephant crossing the Zambezi river the day before. During my research I had not seen any images of the falls with an elephant in it, so I decided to stay a few extra days and try my luck.

 

The course of the Zambezi is dotted with numerous tree-covered islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls. As the dry season takes effect, the islets on the crest become wider and more numerous, and with the water level of the Zambezi dropping, once submerged walkways and fresh foraging possibilities present themselves. This elephant was apparently aware of this.

 

On the third day I left very early with a small boat to reach my location. On my way to the edge I suddenly saw the lone bull wading through shallow parts of the river, but it was far away and light levels were low, so I decided to continue to the falls. I took some sunrise shots and half an hour later I saw the elephant approaching the falls. I quickly collected my gear and moved carefully towards the edge where the water plummeted into a 360ft chasm - not particularly nice when you're afraid of heights... I set everything up in order to include as much as possible of the falls and made a composition. Luckily the elephant was aware of my preference to shoot into the light, so his position couldn't be better.

 

After I took the shots, I knew I had just witnessed and captured something very special. Later that day local people confirmed this by telling me that they had never seen an elephant so close to the edge of the falls before - exactly what I wanted to hear!

 

This image was featured as a double page spread in National Geographic, and won First Prize in the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards.

 

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If you would like to join me on our next photo tour in Zambia and learn everything about wildlife photography, please check out my website for more information and tour impression video clips:

 

Squiver Photo Tours & Workshops

 

Hope to see you there!

 

Marsel

 

©2013 Marsel van Oosten, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8D-ji:

 

Tō-ji Temple (東寺, Tō-ji, "East Temple"), also known as Kyō-ō-gokoku-ji (教王護国寺, The Temple for the Defense of the Nation by Means of the King of Doctrines) is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan.

 

Founded in 796, it was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. As such it has a long history, housing treasures and documents from the early Heian period and the Tang dynasty, and with buildings in its complex covering the Kamakura, Muromachi, Momoyama, and Edo periods. Five of these buildings have been designated National Treasures in two different categories: the Lotus Flower Gate (rengemon), the Miei Hall (mieidō), the Golden Hall (kondō) and the five-storied Pagoda (gojūnotō) (temple buildings) and the Kanchiin Guest Hall (kanchiin kyakuden) (residences).

 

Tō-ji was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

 

The five-storied Pagoda (五重塔, gojūnotō) of Tō-ji dates from 1643 (Edo period), when it was rebuilt by order of the third Tokugawa Shōgun, Iemitsu. The original pagoda was built in the 9th century, but it was destroyed and rebuilt four times before reaching its current state. It was designated a National Treasure in 1952.

 

The pagoda stands 54.8 meters (180 feet) high, and is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. Entrance into the pagoda itself is permitted only on special occasions, but it is usually open and the interior can be seen from the outside. It houses relics, sculptures, and paintings. At ground level, there are statues of four Buddhas facing different directions.

 

The Kondo or Golden Hall is the main hall of the temple and contains a statue of Yakushi from 1603.

 

The Miedo is dedicated to Kobo Daishi, also called Kukai, the temple's founder. It stands on the location of his original residence. The hall is opened on the 21st of each month when a memorial service is held for Kukai.

 

The grounds feature a garden and pond, in which turtles and koi swim. The grounds also house an academically rigorous private school, Rakunan, from which many students are sent to elite universities.

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Ying_Street:

 

Chung Ying Street (中英街) is a street on the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, within the border town of Sha Tau Kok (Hong Kong) and Shatoujiao (Shenzhen). One side of the street belongs to Hong Kong and the other belongs to mainland China.

 

In Cantonese, Chung means China and Ying England or the United Kingdom. The name is a mark of history of the Second Convention of Peking, a treaty that China under the Qing dynasty was forced to lease New Territories to Britain in 1899.

The street was a river in 1899, and the British used the high water mark as the border. The river was too shallow at the section of Sha Tau Kok. It dried before the coming of World War II. The residents on both dried river sides then erected their shops to trade. The dried river then renamed to Chung Hing Street (中興街), and later renamed to Chung Ying Street.

 

The town of Sha Tau Kok flourished for that period of time. After World War II, with large influx of refugees from China, the British colonial government decided to close the border and the town fell within the Frontier Closed Area. The border town declined since then.

 

Chung Ying Street was once a famous place for shopping. In the 1990s, when China was still closed to the world, Chinese tourists visited to buy foreign goods, mostly watches, clothing and jewellery. However, the prosperity has declined in the early 21st century, due to a policy allowing most people from Mainland China to apply to visit Hong Kong directly, causing Chung Ying Street to transform into a place for historical sight-seeing. The PRC government has built a museum about the history of Chung Ying Street to attract tourists again.

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