“As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow.

We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time.”

~ Denis Waitley ~

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities:

It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”

~ Thomas Carlyle ~

Last Saturday, in the parking lot of a shopping center, we were amazed by this birch tree which had rooted itself amongst the rocks! Yesterday I spoke with a dear friend who is persisting in his growth process and has recently been uprooted from his home. His persistence and perserverance remind me so much of this metaphorical image.

Part of a portraiture series for homeless, special needs seagulls.

______________________________________

Noah Stephens Photography.

All Rights Reserved 2009.

Do not use without prior written permission

Contact: Noahstep@att.net

The “Send Your Name to Mars” logo is installed on the Mars Perseverance rover on March 16, 2020, inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When the rover lands on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be carrying the names of more than 10 million people throughout the world. Those names were etched onto a microchip, which was placed aboard Perseverance. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted for mid-July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. Photo credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA image use policy.

the perserverance pub, lamb’s conduit street, bloomsbury, london

Stagecoach 34818 (PX06 DWD) enters Technology Drive, Rugby, with a 4 for Admirals Estate. A complete nightmare of a spot, this being the only dart that wasn`t bowled. The queues of traffic at the roundabout is normally a permanent feature!

30th November 2017.

Mars on December 8th 2020. Seeing was poor with average transparency. North is up with west to the right in this image. Dark surface features visible are Sinus Meridiani center right, Niliacus Lacus to the north just below the northern polar hood. Below Niliacus Lacus is Mare Erythraeum. Also noticeable is that not only is the size decreasing, but being in a gibbous phase less of the Mars is visible. Meade 12" LX200, ZWO ASI174MM

The Great Famine or the Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the Irish Potato Famine, because about two-fifths of the population was solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. During the famine, approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.

Mars on September 20th. Seeing was slightly above average with excellent transparency. Olympus Mons is the bright spot at 11:00 with Tharsis and its three volcanoes also visible. The large canyon Valles Marineris (Mariner Valley) is the dark area between surface features Melas Lacus and Nectar at 3:00. Below Valles Marineris is Solis Lacus also known as "The Eye of Mars" with the surrounding light area of Thaumasia. Mare Sirenum is the dark surface feature at 9:00. Meade 12" LX200, ASI174MM

The last of the First Manchester heritage fleet to grace the camera lens! Oldham depot's 37451 wears traditional Rochdale Corporation livery and has evaded me for the past fortnight.

Armed with the knowledge that it regularly appears on the 183 or 24 service one decided to take 'pot luck' and stake it out. A spot was found on Oldham Road where I could sit in the car as the weather was changeable from sunshine to heavy rain and I waited........and waited.

Perserverance paid off as it appeared heading into Manchester on a 183 and was duly snapped.

No silly pastel shades or swoops, just two bold colours applied tastefully with the addition of the proud corporation coat of arms.........Perfect!

Perserverance, South-East Queensland

We have a pair of Satin Bower birds, who are notoriously shy birds, frequent the bird bath in our back yard. These birds will quite happily use the bird bath until they see (or sense) someone is near, and needless to say I've never yet been able to 'capture' one of them ... until last night, right on dusk, no light or flash ... round 1 to me !

This is the male bird ... in most light the males are an ebony black, but in the 'right' light they appear as this quite remarkable blue

Not a great image technically, but a great one for perserverance :-)

Closed London pub

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:

Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

It's had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I'se been a-climbin' on,

And reachin' landin's,

And turnin' corners,

And sometimes goin' in the dark

Where there ain't been no light.

So, boy, don't you turn back.

Don't you set down on the steps.

'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.

Don't you fall now—

For I'se still goin', honey,

I'se still climbin',

And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes

NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) recently reached some major milestones in support of the Mars Sample Return program. The Mars Ascent Vehicle would be the first launch of a rocket from the surface of another planet. The team developing MAV conducted successful tests of the first and second stage solid rocket motors needed for the launch.

Mars Sample Return will bring scientifically selected samples to Earth for study using the most sophisticated instrumentation around the world. This strategic partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) features the first mission to return samples from another planet. The samples currently being collected by NASA's Perseverance Rover during its exploration of an ancient river delta have the potential to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life.

In this image, a development motor based on the second-stage solid rocket motor design for NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle undergoes testing March 29, 2023, at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Elkton, Maryland. The two-stage MAV rocket is an important part of the joint plan between NASA and ESA to bring scientifically-selected Martian samples to Earth in the early 2030s.

Image credit: NASA

#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #rocket #space #Perserverance #Mars2020Rover #Mars #MarsSampleReturnProgram #MarsAscentVehicle

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Mars on November 4th 2020. Not my best image, but Mars is quickly moving away, dimming in brightness and getting smaller. In the 15 days since I last imaged Mars the distance has me having to increase my capture setting and cutting the amount of frames I am getting by a third. Seeing was below average with average transparency. You'll also notice that Mars is no longer a perfect circle with a little chunk missing upper left as Mars is now in a gibbous phase. North is up with east on the left. Visible at center is the dark surface feature Mare Erytharaeum with Nilacus Lacus then Mare Acidalium to the north with the northern hood clouds covering Mare Acidalium. Valles Marineris center left and Sinus Meridiani center right, Clouds are also visible along the eastern horizon in the left. Meade 12" LX200, ASI174MM

Since ‘The Wild One’ in the 1950s the world has been fascinated with the mythic culture of the American biker. Who are these people with the loud motorcycles, leather jackets, tattoos, and long beards? Where are they going as they roar through town in large packs? And what do they do when they arrive wherever they’re going? I RIDE is the film that finally tells the true-to-life story of the biker community in America.

Through the eyes and music of The Fryed Brothers Band, I RIDE will take you on an illuminating road trip through the biker world: bare knuckle fights you actually sign up for, wild bar-b-ques and camp outs, and partying raw and rowdy at some of the biggest hard core biker festivals. This trip will wind up at Sturgis, South Dakota for a Fryed Brother Band performance to end all performances.

The Fryed Brothers Band? They’re the best band you’ve probably never heard of. For 29 years they’ve been the exclusive ‘house band’ of America’s Biker Movement. Every year The Fryed Brothers headline most of the preeminent biker events in America including the Easyriders Show in Sacramento, CA, Rip’s Bad Ride in Irvine, CA, Ghost Mountain Riders Show in Salinas, CA, the Circle of Pride in Iowa, and most importantly, ‘Sturgis Bike Week,’ the largest gathering of bikers in the world, which completely takes over the small town of Sturgis, South Dakota every August to celebrate this outlaw culture.

When they were young, Harry and Tommy Fryed’s older brother Mark died in a accident while riding his beloved Harley. The brother’s resolved then to keep Mark’s memory alive through a devotion to the motorcycle culture and the music he loved... and thus was formed The Fryed Brothers Band. The song ‘I Ride’ -- a key song in their repertoire and in the documentary -- is a tribute to their fallen brother.

I RIDE, the film, is a tribute to their perserverance, dedication and love of all things biker.

Strong and determined, the path in life is clear. Resolute and resolved, all challenges will be overcome. Standing true, being the rock is not a choice one makes, but a position one is put in. Those who preservere the test of time, seemingly strong, yet infinitely fragile, deserve all of the riches that life has to give.

Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro throws a shotput during the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Fla., May 10, 2016. He earned a gold medal in the men’s shot put in his disability category. (Defense Department photo/EJ Hersom)

An apartment fire in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Feb 6, 2007.

Cash is a two year female Labrador Retriever that we see periodically at the river. Her owner works her, endlessly throwing a white bumper into the water for her to retrieve, time after time. She loves it and could go on for hours. Max loves to watch her make her amazing splashes into the water in hunt of the bumper. He prefers to watch her from dry land--neither swimming nor retrieving are high on his list of activities.

The Great Famine or the Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the Irish Potato Famine, because about two-fifths of the population was solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. During the famine, approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.

Mars on September 8th. Dark features visible are Mare Cimmerium, Mare Tyrrhenum and Sinus Gomar with blueish white clouds are visible in the north at the top. Meade 12" LX200, ASI174MM

The Great Famine or the Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the Irish Potato Famine, because about two-fifths of the population was solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. During the famine, approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.

Mars on October 6th 2020 with its moons Phobos and Deimos with a close by star. This is a composite of two images. One to get the moons and separate processed image for Mars. Meade 12" LX200, ZWO ASI174MM.

Mars on October 22nd seeing was slightly below average with poor transparency. Lots of dew and moisture in the air with fog forming above. North is up and East is on the right in the image. Mare Sirenum is the prominent dark surface feature across the middle with Solis Lacus (The Eye of Mars) at 8 o'clock. Olympus Mons is visible in the north at 11 o'clock with lots of light clouds visible over Tharsis and the Tharsis volcanoes located below Olympus Mons. Clouds are also visible along the eastern and northern borders. Meade 12" LX200, ZWO ASI174MM

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."

Marie Curie

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.

Fort Fisher NC

the first thing that came to mind when I saw this wonderfully spirited woman, is, "wouldn't she be a perfect match for Grandpa Willie?"

but, it is a thought, no?

Oh, I'm late! but wanted to share anyway :) Takes a lot of perserverance to get the kids to work w/ me on "photoshoots" - they say NO! and run away, but every now and then I get them to stay still for 1 second. I *heart* taking photos of them : )

For Mission24: Perserverance

...You Only Get Out of It What You Put Into It...

Some sage words from a teacher of mine from about 40 years ago. Guess what I've also learned is that sometimes the horn can get pretty beat up, making it hard to get a good sound, but with some care and perserverance it can certainly be done. We can't be deterred...

Since ‘The Wild One’ in the 1950s the world has been fascinated with the mythic culture of the American biker. Who are these people with the loud motorcycles, leather jackets, tattoos, and long beards? Where are they going as they roar through town in large packs? And what do they do when they arrive wherever they’re going? I RIDE is the film that finally tells the true-to-life story of the biker community in America.

Through the eyes and music of The Fryed Brothers Band, I RIDE will take you on an illuminating road trip through the biker world: bare knuckle fights you actually sign up for, wild bar-b-ques and camp outs, and partying raw and rowdy at some of the biggest hard core biker festivals. This trip will wind up at Sturgis, South Dakota for a Fryed Brother Band performance to end all performances.

The Fryed Brothers Band? They’re the best band you’ve probably never heard of. For 29 years they’ve been the exclusive ‘house band’ of America’s Biker Movement. Every year The Fryed Brothers headline most of the preeminent biker events in America including the Easyriders Show in Sacramento, CA, Rip’s Bad Ride in Irvine, CA, Ghost Mountain Riders Show in Salinas, CA, the Circle of Pride in Iowa, and most importantly, ‘Sturgis Bike Week,’ the largest gathering of bikers in the world, which completely takes over the small town of Sturgis, South Dakota every August to celebrate this outlaw culture.

When they were young, Harry and Tommy Fryed’s older brother Mark died in a accident while riding his beloved Harley. The brother’s resolved then to keep Mark’s memory alive through a devotion to the motorcycle culture and the music he loved... and thus was formed The Fryed Brothers Band. The song ‘I Ride’ -- a key song in their repertoire and in the documentary -- is a tribute to their fallen brother.

I RIDE, the film, is a tribute to their perserverance, dedication and love of all things biker.

For as many times as these columns have come down, they have found their way up again. So I choose to keep looking up.

Not always an easy thing to do, but these columns lend a certain strength. And for my dear friends who made sure I had the best views of the Acropolis, these columns are for you and are you.

The Acropolis

Press "L" for on Black. Looks much better on black.

Mars on September 8th. Dark features visible are Mare Cimmerium, Mare Tyrrhenum and Sinus Gomar with blueish white clouds are visible in the north at the top. Meade 12" LX200, ASI174MM

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.

Ricketts Glen State Park - Benton, PA

Another image of Mars from the morning of October 18th. This was taken about two hours after the previous image I posted. Seeing was good and transparency had improved. Image is north up with east on the right. The prominent dark feature across the center is Mare Cimmerium with Sinus Gomer (two finger like features pointing up. Just below the northern polar hood at center are two lighter colored spots. The lower one is the volcano Elysium Mons with the one above also a volcano named Hecates Tholus. This is the first time I can remember being able to resolve Hecates Tholus in my imagery, so I was happy to capture this volcano. To the right of these volcanoes is a dark surface feature peaking out of the polar hood named Hyblaeus Extension. The dark feature at 11 o'clock is named Proporitis Complex. Just below these northern features are two dark surface features, the one on top being Cerberus with the lower one named Trivium Charontis. Clouds are also visible along the eastern and western horizons and along the northern polar hood. Meade 12" LX200, ASI174MM

Marshall-islands flagged crude oil tanker Naviga8 Perseverance seen alongside Tranmere South Oil Jetty on the River Mersey on 09.01.2020, discharging a cargo of heavy crude loaded at Whiffen Head, Canada.

She was built in 2019 and is 110,928 dwt.

The vessel departed the following day, initially reporting her destination via AIS as Gibraltar then changing to Rotterdam.

Profile of a little boy looking to the top of a playground ladder from the bottom.

I was home for a little while and managed to take some pictures at my favorite place in the Sacramento area. Getting back into taking pictures after a little break, and finding my place, growing in motivation, growing in relationships, in perserverance, in listening. And realizing that I have to cultivate the good things to grow them.

I also blogged more pictures, they're here: whistlingdixie.net/2015/09/19/self-portraits-gibson-ranch/

The Great Famine or the Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the Irish Potato Famine, because about two-fifths of the population was solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. During the famine, approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.

This beautiful guy came for lunch on the lantana today. It was hard to capture him with wings open, but perserverance pays off!!! He got tired of me pestering him though and finallly flew away.

I've started adding my copyright signature to my photos, hopefully in an unabtrusive way. Just had too many flickr friends have photos used without their permission.

Narrow boat Perserverance cruises past the moored Looping boat .

VIEW WITH RED CYAN 3D ANAGLYPH GLASSES

The Great Famine or the Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the Irish Potato Famine, because about two-fifths of the population was solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. During the famine, approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands.

This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. Captain William Scott, a native of the Shetland Isles, was a veteran of the Atlantic crossing, gave up his office job in New Brunswick to take the 'Perserverance' out of Dublin. He was 74 years old. The Steerage fare on the ship was £3 and 210 passengers made the historical journey. They landed in New York on the 18th May 1846. All passengers and crew survived the journey.

In June 2007, a second series of famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, was unveiled by President Mary McAleese on the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park to remember the arrival of these refugees in Canada.