The Church houses the city's beloved Virgin of Quito (1734).

***

On the main altar of San Francisco, dominated by a large baroque altarpiece and covered with gold leaf, the sculptures of the "Virgin of Quito" of Legarda and the "Jesus of the Great Power" of Father Carlos stand out; both prominent members of the Quito art school.

***

San Francisco houses over 3,500 works of colonial art, of varied artistic styles and techniques, most notably those of the famous Quito School of art, which had it genesis precisely here. Undoubtedly the most celebrated of these is the 18th century sculpture known as the Virgin of Quito, which has long been a kind of icon of the city. Here also is a magnificent Franciscan library, described in the 17th century as the best of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

***

Construction of the convent, the city’s largest colonial structure, began only a few weeks after the Spanish establishment of Quito in 1534, but wasn't finished for another 70 years. Although much of the church has been rebuilt because of earthquake damage, some is original. The chapel of Señor Jesús del Gran Poder, to the right of the main altar, has original tile work. The main altar itself is a spectacular example of baroque carving, while the roof shows Moorish influences.

The founder was Franciscan missionary Joedco Ricke, credited with being the first man to sow wheat in Ecuador.

The Sesto Sundial is an imposing natural monument: it is made up of five peaks which are all located in the municipality of Sesto and ... They tell the hour! It is a real natural clock and the course of the sun gives its name to the mountains on which it falls at the exact time: Top Nine, Top Ten, Top Eleven, Top twelve and Top One.

The caterpillar of the fork-tailed moth, or more precisely the large fork-tailed moth (Cerura vinula), is a striking appearance with a forked abdomen that is raised when threatened. It is bright green in color and has a black-brown, white-edged dorsal pattern. The caterpillar is defensive and can spray formic acid when threatened

Vielen Dank für euren Besuch, Sternchen, Awards und Kommentare! 💚🐛

Thanks for visits, faves, awards and comments! 💚🐛

Look at me

for a while

then

tell me

what you see…..

Like looking at clouds…………. I'm curious what you see ;-))

Will be back in a few days, have a little mini-origami-convention. Have a great time too ;-))

Close-up of the Rock Garden (karesansui, 枯山水, dry landscape) of the Ryoanji Temple (龍安寺 or 竜安寺, Ryōanji), Kyoto, Japan.

For a view of the whole garden, click here.

Nearby the Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion, Kyoto) is the Ryoanji Temple (龍安寺 or 竜安寺, Ryōanji) .

The temple's name is synonymous with the temple's famous Zen garden, the karesansui, 枯山水, (dry landscape), Rock Garden.

The temple and its gardens are listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and as an UNESCO World Heritage.

""This simple and remarkable garden measures only 25 meters from east to west and 10 meters from south to north.

The rectangle Zen Garden is completely different from the gorgeous gardens of court nobles constructed in the Middle Ages. No trees are to be seen; only 15 rocks and white gravel are used in the garden.

The walls are made of clay boiled in oil. As time went by, the peculiar design was made of itself by the oil that seeped out.

This international famous rock garden is said to be created at the end of Muromachi Period (around 1500), by a highly respected Zen monk, Tokuho Zenketsu.""

information - from the brochure

""Meaning of the garden.

Like any work of art, the artistic garden of Ryōan-ji is also open to interpretation, or scientific research into possible meanings. Many different theories have been put forward inside and outside Japan about what the garden is supposed to represent, from islands in a stream, to swimming baby tigers to the peaks of mountains rising above to theories about secrets of geometry or of the rules of equilibrium of odd numbers.

Garden historian Gunter Nitschke wrote: "The garden at Ryōan-ji does not symbolize anything, or more precisely, to avoid any misunderstanding, the garden of Ryōan-ji does not symbolize, nor does it have the value of reproducing a natural beauty that one can find in the real or mythical world. I consider it to be an abstract composition of 'natural' objects in space, a composition whose function is to incite meditation.""

information - WiKi

Felsenmeer, Lautertal - According to legend, two giants are said to have pelted each other with stones until they were both buried under it - sometimes you can hear the murmur of a brook under the stones that sounds like a voice .

Der Legende nach sollen sich zwei Riesen mit Steinen beworfen haben, bis sie beide darunter begraben wurden – manchmal hört man unter den Steinen das Rauschen des Baches, der wie eine Stimme klingt.

Das Felsenmeer auf dem Felsberg oberhalb von Lautertal-Reichenbach im Vorderen Odenwald ist eine Felsenlandschaft aus dunkelgrauem Quarzdiorit (genauer ein Hornblende-Biotit-Diorit), die durch Wollsackverwitterung entstand. Das Felsenmeer wurde bereits von den Römern und später durch die örtlichen Steinmetze zur Steingewinnung genutzt. Die Steinmetzen bezeichneten ihn als „Felsberg-Granit“, der heute nicht mehr abgebaut wird. Heute ist das Felsenmeer ein beliebtes Naherholungsgebiet und Ausflugsziel für Familien und Wanderer. Es liegt innerhalb des Naturschutzgebiets „Felsberg bei Reichenbach“. Am oberen Ende des Felsenmeers befindet sich eine kleine Quelle, deren Rinnsal zwischen den Felsen hinab ins Tal fließt und schließlich im Graulbach mündet.

The sea of rocks on the Felsberg above Lautertal-Reichenbach in the Vorderen Odenwald is a rocky landscape made of dark gray quartz diorite (more precisely a hornblende biotite diorite), which was created by weathering wool sacks. The sea of rocks was already used by the Romans and later by the local stonemasons for stone extraction. The stonemasons referred to it as "Felsberg granite", which is no longer mined today. Today the Felsenmeer is a popular local recreation area and excursion destination for families and hikers. It is located within the "Felsberg bei Reichenbach" nature reserve. At the upper end of the sea of rocks there is a small spring whose rivulet flows down between the rocks into the valley and finally flows into the Graulbach.

[Topaz Studio 2]

~~~ Thank you all for viewing, kind comments, favs and awards - much appreciated! ~~~

Ein Planimeter (hier genauer: Polarplanimeter) ist ein mechanisches Messgerät zur Ermittlung beliebiger Flächeninhalte in Landkarten oder Zeichnungen.

Hier sichtbar ist das Fahrgestell, insbesondere das Zählwerk mit vierstelliger Anzeige: Die höchste Dezimalstelle (Tausender) wird am Zählrad rechts abgelesen, die beiden mittleren Stellen (Hunderter, Zehner) am Skalenring und die niedrigste Stelle (Einer) am Nonius.

(OTT-Planimeter, Typ 31. Hersteller: A. Ott, Kempten, Bayern. Herstellungsjahr unbekannt)

---

A planimeter (here more precisely: polar planimeter) is a mechanical measuring device for determining any area in maps or drawings.

Visible here is the chassis, especially the counter with a four-digit reading: The highest decimal place (thousands) is read off the counting wheel on the right, the two middle places (hundreds, tens) on the scale ring and the lowest place ( ones) on the vernier

(OTT Planimeter, Type 31. Manufacturer: A. Ott, Kempten, Bavaria. Year of manufacture unknown)

The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, is a Catholic basilica that stands in the middle of the historic center of Quito. The structure is the largest architectural complex within the historic centers of all of South America. San Francisco is considered a jewel of continental architecture for its mixture of different styles combined throughout more than 150 years of construction. Inside the church there are more than 3,500 works of colonial art, of multiple artistic manifestations and varied techniques, especially those corresponding to the Colonial Quito School of Art, which was born precisely in this place.

Est une espèce de passereaux. Auparavant placé dans la famille des Turdidae, il figure actuellement, avec d'autres représentants de celle-ci (particulièrement les tariers et les traquets), dans celle des Muscicapidae. Le mâle et la femelle sont presque identiques, avec une couronne, des ailes, le dessus et la queue de couleur brune, une bande grise sur les côtés de la gorge, un ventre blanc et la fameuse « gorge rouge », plus précisément de couleur orange foncé tirant vers le rouge. Bien que sa face et sa poitrine soient plus orangées que rougeâtres, cet oiseau prend le nom familier de rouge-gorge au Moyen Âge. Cette contradiction est due à ce que la dénomination de la couleur orange n'apparaît en Europe qu'au xvie siècle, par la diffusion sur ce continent de l'orange douce (le fruit) rapportée à la fin du xve siècle par les Portugais de Ceylan et de Chine.

L'âge maximal d'un rouge-gorge est de 18 ans.

--

Is a species of passerines. Previously placed in the Turdidae family, it currently appears, along with other representatives of this family (particularly augers and wheatear), in that of the Muscicapidae. The male and the female are almost identical, with a crown, wings, upper and tail of brown color, a gray band on the sides of the throat, a white belly and the famous "red throat", more precisely of color. dark orange tending to red. Although its face and chest are more orange than reddish, this bird took the colloquial name of robin in the Middle Ages. This contradiction is due to the fact that the name of the color orange does not appear in Europe until the sixteenth century, by the distribution on this continent of the sweet orange (the fruit) reported at the end of the fifteenth century by the Portuguese of Ceylon and China.

The maximum age for a robin is 18.

First signs of spring on the western bank of Oakland Lake, a glacial kettle lake in Alley Pond Park, Queens, NYC. This area is a wetland where a pair of swans nest. A well-used walking path, precisely 0.6 mile long, rings the lake. -- March 21, 2023

begins with an idea and a plan. The more precisely a photographer knows what it is he wishes to do, the better the chances are that he will do it :-)

Andreas Feininger

HPPT! Ukraine Matters!

camellia, 'Chansonette', sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina

Marry Me

Alana: Uhh-uhh-uhh, ohh-yeah, hmmm

A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head

When I think of all the years I wanna be with you

Wake up every morning with you in my bed

That's precisely what I plan to do

And you know one of these days, when I get my money right

Buy you everything and show you all the finer things in life

Will forever be enough, so there ain't no need to rush

But one day, I won't be able to ask you loud enough

I'll say, will you marry me?

I swear that I will mean it

IZZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

I'll say, will you marry me?

Izzy: Are you asking?

Alana:Singing, uh-oh-oh, uh-oh-oh

Uh-oh-oh, oh-yeah... YES!!

How many Boys in the world can make me feel like this?

Baby, I don't ever plan to find out

The more I look, the more I find the reasons why

You're the love of my life

You know one of these days, when I get my money right

Buy you everything and show you all the finer things in life

Will forever be enough, so there ain't no need to rush

But one day, I won't be able to ask you loud enough

I'll say, will you marry me?

I swear that I will mean it

I'll say, will you marry me?

And if I lost everything

In my heart, it means nothing

'Cause I have you, Boy, I have you

To get right down on bended knee

Nothing else would ever be better, better

The day when I

I'll say, will you marry me?

I swear that I will mean it

I'll say, will you marry me?

I'll say, will you marry me? (the day I get on my knees)

I swear that I will mean it

I'll say, will you marry me? (and what you do me, baby?)

Got me singing (uh-ooh, uh-ooh)

Got me singing (uh-ooh, uh-ooh)

Would you marry me, baby? (uh-ooh, uh-ooh, uh-ooh)

A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head

When I think of all the years I wanna be with you

Wake up every morning with you in my bed

That's precisely what I plan to do

Ein Planimeter (hier genauer: Polarplanimeter) ist ein mechanisches Messgerät zur Ermittlung beliebiger Flächeninhalte in Landkarten oder Zeichnungen.

Hier sichtbar ist das Fahrgestell, insbesondere das Zählwerk mit vierstelliger Anzeige: Die höchste Dezimalstelle (Tausender) wird am Zählrad rechts abgelesen, die beiden mittleren Stellen (Hunderter, Zehner) am Skalenring und die niedrigste Stelle (Einer) am Nonius.

(OTT-Planimeter, Typ 31. Hersteller: A. Ott, Kempten, Bayern. Herstellungsjahr unbekannt)

---

A planimeter (here more precisely: polar planimeter) is a mechanical measuring device for determining any area in maps or drawings.

Visible here is the chassis, especially the counter with a four-digit reading: The highest decimal place (thousands) is read off the counting wheel on the right, the two middle places (hundreds, tens) on the scale ring and the lowest place ( ones) on the vernier

(OTT Planimeter, Type 31. Manufacturer: A. Ott, Kempten, Bavaria. Year of manufacture unknown)

On a walk down the wooded lane to the pond late morning I heard a rustle and then saw a doe scamper away......not uncommon in the area, but less so precisely there. I continued on to the pond, drew it all in. After a while, returned down the path and heard another stir - much quieter. The spots stood out on this lovely little fawn far enough away as it teetered on its little spindly legs for a few steps and then it settled back down. Quickly took the picture from a distance (hence not so great of an image) and got out as quickly as possible. The mother no doubt was watching it all from her safe distance, and also no doubt returned to her fawn shortly thereafter.

Please note this is heavily cropped and I was around 15 feet away - which was the distance of where I was on the path and where it was off it.

(HDR blend of 2 exposures)

Suedbahnhotel Semmering, Semmering, Austria

"The original Suedbahnhotel Semmering (also called “Hotel Semmering” or “First Suedbahnhotel”) was the 1st Hotel am Semmering at all and was opened in 1882 at the foot of Pinkenkogel Mountain–at precisely 1000 m above sea level. The Suedbahnhotel am Semmering was one of several grand hotels along the Suedbahn route from Vienna to Triest which were commissioned in order to stimulate the tourism in the respective regions and also the Suedbahn route from the privileged K. u. k. Suedbahngesellschaft. Semmering was already easy to reach at this time through the pioneering accomplishment of the Semmering Railways and was consequently expanded to create a popular holiday and spa resort. Semmering was popular with Viennese society as well as with the multi-national guests from all levels of the royal monarchy. Fin de Siècle and Belle Époche are two eras at the end of the 19th century and/or at the beginning of the 20th century which were characteristic for the Suedbahnhotel Semmering, but not just from social-political and sports history perspectives. A section of the Austrian tourism history also had its start here.

Currently, the opportunity exists to acquire the fairy-tale and spaciously-constructed “Second Suedbahnhotel” in order to be able to continue to develop it with a corresponding usage concept and to be able to sustainably preserve a unique architectural jewel. The Suedbahnhotel Semmering is by no means dead: It is merely sleeping and waiting to be kissed to be awakened..."

(Source: suedbahnhotel-semmering.at/?lang=en)

As I've always liked to say, "happiness is simple when you're in front of the sea". This sentence is so true for me!

Here we are in Livorno, precisely at Romito, near Calignaia. On top of the hill you can spot Castel Sonnino and in the background the lovely Quercianella.

I'm so lucky to live here!

You can follow me on Instagram if you want! I'll follow you back :) you can find me as gggiuliac (www.instagram.com/gggiuliac/?hl=it)

So, there I was on Pelican Beach, stumbling across what I initially took to be a horse, more precisely a sea-horse. The mythical creature of the beach log variety. It had a certain equine look, if you squinted and ignored the lack of legs and general horse-ness. But hey, who am I to be a neigh-sayer?

It was wedged so deeply in the sand, must have been some powerful seas wash it up. I suppose the seaweed mane might’ve just washed up on it, or maybe an enterprising mermaid did a little redecorating — who knows? Not many people wander this far down the beach, so it remains a mystery for the ages.

It definitely qualifies as a log with more personality than most that I have encountered!

In 1822 a group of wealthy Edinburgh figures started fundraising for a monument to commemorate Scots who had died in the Napoleonic Wars. Their plan was copy the ancient temple precisely, with each stone being exactly the same dimensions as the original in Athens.

The lintels on top of the columns are the largest pieces of stone ever quarried in Scotland. They needed 12 horses and 70 men to carry them to the top of the hill.

Only half of the money needed was collected, and when worked stopped in 1829 only the twelve columns you see today were finished, which to some critics was a ‘national disgrace’.

digital art

Nearby the Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) is the Ryoanji Temple (龍安寺 or 竜安寺, Temple of the peaceful Dragon, Ryōanji), Kyoto, Japan.

The temple's name is synonymous with the temple's famous Zen garden, the karesansui (枯山水 or dry landscape), Rock Garden.

The temple and its gardens are listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and as an UNESCO World Heritage.

Perhaps you see it was still raining…;-))

""This simple and remarkable garden measures only 25 meters from east to west and 10 meters from south to north.

The rectangle Zen Garden is completely different from the gorgeous gardens of court nobles constructed in the Middle Ages. No trees are to be seen; only 15 rocks and white gravel are used in the garden.

The walls are made of clay boiled in oil. As time went by, the peculiar design was made of itself by the oil that seeped out.

This international famous rock garden is said to be created at the end of Muromachi Period (around 1500), by a highly respected Zen monk, Tokuho Zenketsu.""

Information - from the brochure

An interesting feature of the garden's design is that from any vantage point at least one of the rocks is always hidden from the viewer.

""Meaning of the garden.

Like any work of art, the artistic garden of Ryōan-ji is also open to interpretation, or scientific research into possible meanings. Many different theories have been put forward inside and outside Japan about what the garden is supposed to represent, from islands in a stream, to swimming baby tigers to the peaks of mountains rising above to theories about secrets of geometry or of the rules of equilibrium of odd numbers.

Garden historian Gunter Nitschke wrote: "The garden at Ryōan-ji does not symbolize anything, or more precisely, to avoid any misunderstanding, the garden of Ryōan-ji does not symbolize, nor does it have the value of reproducing a natural beauty that one can find in the real or mythical world. I consider it to be an abstract composition of 'natural' objects in space, a composition whose function is to incite meditation.""

Information - WiKi

Olympus digital camera

I don't know if you feel the same, but whenever I'm at a waterfall I have a little chaos in my head and I'm nervous. Especially with this one, it is our largest and most beautiful.

It is difficult to reach and there is a high risk of slipping. I can do that, but precisely because it is so difficult to get there, I always have to concentrate on the camera settings. I mostly forget something. ♥ this place.

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to watch, I really appreciate it!

Located in the Tre Cime Nature Park. Tre Cime (three summits) in the Alps, at 2,999 m altitude, more precisely in the Dolomites, on the border between Veneto and southern Italian Tyrol in Italy, and considered as the most remarkable natural wonder in the Dolomites.

The variety of tones of the Italian lakes really impresses me.

This one has this pretty pale green color.

“Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways”. ~ Oscar Wilde

One of the images I took last November for Crazy Tuesday's theme "Oil on Water"; first time I ever tried it ... this one is basically just about the colours (and negative space)

[this is the image I went with for the theme then:

www.flickr.com/photos/151284386@N06/50614293662/in/album-...]

Wishing you a colourful weekend : ))

(despite everything happening right now, or even precisely because of it)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Bloße Farbe, unbelastet von Bedeutung und losgelöst von einer bestimmten Form, kann auf tausend verschiedene Arten zur Seele sprechen" ~ Oscar Wilde

Eines der Bilder, die ich im letzten November für das Crazy Tuesday-Thema "Öl auf Wasser" aufgenommen habe; das erste Mal, dass ich es versucht habe ... bei diesem Bild geht es im Grunde nur um die Farben (und den negativen Raum)

Habt ein farbenfrohes Wochenende : ))

(trotz allem, oder gerade auch deshalb)

Ein Planimeter (hier gnauer: Polarplanimeter) ist ein mechanisches Messgerät zur Ermittlung beliebiger Flächeninhalte in Landkarten oder Zeichnungen.

(OTT-Planimeter, Type 31. Hersteller: A. Ott, Kempten, Bayern. Herstellungsjahr unbekannt)

---

A planimeter (here more precisely: polar planimeter) is a mechanical measuring device for determining any area in maps or drawings.

(OTT Planimeter, Type 31. Manufacturer: A. Ott, Kempten, Bavaria. Year of manufacture unknown)

Before I headed to Looking Glass Falls I stopped because I saw this particular scene. Well, not precisely. The clouds had just begun cresting the mountain tops, for around ten minutes I spent some time trying a few compositions, nothing was really working for me. Finally, as the clouds began to descend and eventually framed this. So, like any photographer presented with an opportunity, I shot it. I'm not completely pleased with the outcome, the mist makes it appear as though some areas are out of focus. Despite that, the light is nice, the framing is interesting, leads to some intrigue. Give me your thoughts.

ISO: 160

Aperture: f11

SS: 1/60

Focal: 80mm

Shot with me 50-140

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved

Do not use without permission.

Or more precisely the king of his mother's castle. This is a bust of Karl XI (Charles XI) at Drottningholm palace - which as built on order from his mother the queen Hedvig Eleonora - at the time queen dowager but also regent for her son Karl (Charles) XI who was underage when his father (Karl X) died.

The palace was designed by one of Sweden's most well known architects: Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, and after his death the work was continued on by his (equally famous) son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. The queen used it as a summer residence, and as a place for hunting. The palace continued to be in fashion throughout the 18th century, and got a partly rococo interior during the time of queen Lovisa Ulrika.

But the place fell out of fashion with the new Bernadotte dynasty in the early 19th century, being to closely connected with the earlier regime. The last new add-ons to the place was electricity and modern plumbing at the beginning of the 20th century - after that the focus has been on conservation and preservation. The royal family has lived there since 1981.

J'ouvre un livre, et là, mon chapeau prend des allures d'une photo de Ralph Gibson...

How to know ? We'll have to look inside this hat, try and read lhe label which I can image stuck onto this woven material, precisely where it touches the top of the head. I imagine it to be yellowish, like my dustbin or the inside of an egge, but I can read nothing but the obsessive search for a sign of authenticity wich Ralph has already given me in speaking of « Piece of Visual Intelligence ».

(Les Cahiers de la Photographie.1988. Ralph Gibson, p76 pour le texte anglais, p77 pour une partie de l'image.)

Canon Ra, Canon EF35mm1,4 L à f11 13s 800iso (aucun recadrage, une seule prise, une seule exposition)

Cette deuxième version a ma préférence. 😉

www.ralphgibson.com/gallery.html

07-June-2023

Among the highest clouds of the troposphere, the "Cirrus" genus "spissatus" species often originate from the anvil of a cumulonimbus, when it reaches the limit of the troposphere spreading horizontally, in its menacing variant "capillatus incus", composed precisely of small ice crystals at high altitude (up to 12.000m at 45° latitude), which define exactly the "Cirrus" genus(type) kind of clouds

In this case, towards the Trieste gulf, there is a single TS cell in the process of dissolution, while the frontal view makes the perspective of these clouds radial, therefore thus forming part of the "radiatus" variety, that is: "Cirrus spissatus radiatus".

The winds at the altitude of these clouds (above 7000m/300hpas), often driven by the jet stream, are much stronger than those of the lower layers, therefore the anvil cirrus stretch a lot in the direction in which the winds move (leeward part of the thunderstorm cell) and very quickly so as to extend over vast areas in a few tens of minutes.

In case of supercells or multicells, whose (multiple) anvils become an enormous one, the areas downwind of these phenomena can see the sky completely covered by these clouds, which are the thickest of the cirrus genus.

The strong winds carry these clouds away from the original cell, even for hundreds of kilometres, while the humidity at high altitudes guarantees them a long life, even many hours after that the thunderstorm, generated them, has died down.

Sometimes they can be observed in the early morning as residues of the heat t-storms of the previous evening which occurred at a great distance from the observation site.

Sometimes we put our safety in concrete stuff because they seem strong and immutable, but the real strength that we have is precisely in the transformation, that smooth and tenuous line that connects us to who/what we really are.

Well... here we have a rare occasion of one that is precisely laid out... however, it is still stony.

Precisely at the end of the trail, this sapling not only clings on for life, but would appear to be thriving. Considering the ferocity of the weather were this tree (yes tree) has chosen to live, it is one very hearty little fellow.

Between rocks, literally on the edge, and with the ocean beyond, one ponders if there might be a metaphor present. ie, tough as nails.

www.photographycoach.ca/

“As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all—the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.” —Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter Theme Song

Video

Made at Expecto www.mischiefmanagedsl.net Sim:

BG: Slytherin Commons

Teleport

S. Truncata Group 'Flor de Maio Alba'; note the very pointed teeth at the end of the segments, zygomorphic flowers held above the horizontal, and yellow pollen.

May flower: the cactus that offers beauty instead of thorns:

The May flower - common name of the species Schlumbergera truncata - is one of those plants that we tend to despise most of the year. It is, after all, a true botanical commonplace:

since the days of grandma's gardens, it has been hanging around on any balcony or housed in cachepots on some furniture in the living room. It is also a champion of popularity in floras - ready to be pushed by sellers every time the consumer searches for a plant “for beginners”.

This is all true, yes. But, as I was able to feel myself this week, the fact that it is party rice does not eliminate the extraordinary value and the pleasure of having a May flower inside the house. And pleasure is precisely in the miracle that works, out of nowhere, in your metabolism. During most of the year, the May flower is a discreet little thing, with its branches formed by fragile and evergreen buds releasing at most new buds. Suddenly, sometime between the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, behold that dull plant explodes in buttons with extremely striking shapes and colors - mine, for example, pump out between May and July.

flic.kr/p/2j5vm49

After flowering, it often withers, loses part of the buds and spends the rest of the year trying to recover from the excruciating effort of flowering.

The May flower is from the cactus family, but has no thorns. In its original habitat, the Atlantic Forest, it presents an epiphyte behavior. In other words: like orchids and many bromeliads, it uses tree trunks as a support. Thanks to horticultural improvement, the variety of colors available on the market today is immense. You can splurge, as you can see in this photo that illustrates this description, the flower of May WHITE.

Despite the fact that the May flower is a peaceful and favorable cultivation plant, some precautions are mandatory to avoid unpleasantness. Here is a basic guide to success:

1) SOIL - As it is a succulent, the may flower requires perfect drainage. She does, however, enjoy a lot of organic matter. So, plant it in pots with holes, filled with pebbles and sand at the bottom and the remaining two thirds completed with vegetable soil. Curiosity: if these conditions are met, the May flower can grow a lot and live for years in small pots.

2) WATERING - Do not overdo it and do not leave dishes filled with water under the pot, to avoid waterlogging and root rot. But also be sure to water frequently - two to four times a week, depending on the weather. She likes the slightly damp earth.

3) LUZ - This is, perhaps, the main catch. The May flower hates receiving direct sunlight, but enjoys well-lit environments. The right places for her, therefore, are balconies and bright interiors, but fresh. Or under the treetops.

4) FLOWERING - The May flower releases its buds when two variables combine: the nights become longer and the minimum temperatures are close to 10-15 degrees. And so it lives up to its name: in the Southeast of Brazil, these ideal conditions are usually registered between mid-May and the end of June.

5) POST-FLOWERING STRESS - May flower is a perennial species, that is, it does not die after giving flowers. Often, however, it cannot withstand the thud of its metabolic explosion: after so much effort, the stem buds become wilted and break easily. In the extreme, the plant dies from stress. To avoid this, it is necessary to redouble the care with nutrition. After flowering, increase the watering slightly and add a little earthworm humus or phosphorus-rich fertilizer (the “P” of the renowned NPK trio).

Last tip: take advantage of the loose buds to produce new seedlings. It's very easy, just fix a piece of them in moist soil.

The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, is a Catholic basilica that stands in the middle of the historic center of Quito. The structure is the largest architectural complex within the historic centers of all of South America. San Francisco is considered a jewel of continental architecture for its mixture of different styles combined throughout more than 150 years of construction. Inside the church there are more than 3,500 works of colonial art, of multiple artistic manifestations and varied techniques, especially those corresponding to the Colonial Quito School of Art, which was born precisely in this place.

** Exploring the Fairlands *** Fashion Show

Performance by Suoh Agency and Mahasiah Model Agency, a fashion show where each model will present a region through an original style. April 29, 2023

Pel de Gratain representing the region of GIRAPHORIA, Giraphoria ~ Sponsored by The Lost Unicorn Gallery.

Lilia Artis and Haveit Neox have created this region under the auspices of The Lost Unicorn Gallery. Many of the events will take place at Giraphoria, an expression of the ideas, feelings and tunes of Fairelands lovers. Images of thick and fast brushstrokes, with giraffes and butterflies as common threads that will extend through the regions that surround the sim. This sensitivity is so delicate and deep that it is only captured by walking around the sim for a while and noticing the small details scattered everywhere, telling us multiple stories...

Pel, our stylist, has recreated Giraphoria with a fantasy where the two main motifs of the sim, the giraffe and the butterfly, are evident. Butterflies are precisely going to be one of the recurring motifs that are the common thread of the Fairelands this year. Its symbolism of being reborn is very important to you as a Relay For Life support. Elements of !dM deviousMind and Naminoke complete this outfit.

Giraphoria, lm

The universe took its time on you. Crafted you precisely so you could offer the world something distinct from everyone else. So when you doubt how you were created you doubt an energy greater than us both.

dress is blueberry

lavender is Milk motion

boots are semller

and the boy is mine.

*freestylin' Brand & Monica w/ the Boy is mine*

24-January-2022: the wilderness of the Dolomites of the left-Piave river, on the one hand limits accessibility somewhat, especially in winter, with routes almost all reserved for trained mountaineers, on the other it offers glimpses of sure visual impact, especially from the valley, which is at low altitude and where all these massifs rise with considerable prominence.

Their angularity and strong slope, with little or no vegetation and the dolomitic rock that distinguishes them already starting from the valley, further enhances them, although, precisely because of their morphology, they are not suitable for accumulating large quantities of snow.

The extraordinary jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, shot with the Olympus E-510.

I was seated beside Amiri Baraka at Birdland in New York City for this extraordinary performance. Mr. Baraka shared with me the story of how Sanders earned the sobriquet Pharoah. That's how Sanders spells his name, unlike the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. It seems that the young Farrell Sanders was up north from his home in Arkansas playing a NYC gig when Baraka was in the audience and thought he heard him say "Pharaoh." Mr. Baraka, in a review for either Downbeat or Metronome, he couldn't precisely recall, wrote the name how he heard it. Upon reading the review Mr. Sanders liked the sound of it and it stuck.

The historic sandstone bridge was built by the Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold in 1889 to make it easier for the winegrowers with their grapes and wines to reach the trading houses in Bad Kreuznach. The Luitpold Bridge separated the Kingdom of Bavaria (more precisely the Bavarian Palatinate) from Prussia and is today the town's landmark.

El Rio Tinto recibe su nombre por el color rojo intenso de sus aguas y recorre 100 km atravesando la provincia de Huelva (Andalucía, Sur de España).

El color rojo es debido a la presencia de cationes de metales pesados erosionados por causa de la acidez de las aguas (ph tamponado de 2.4, muy ácido). La abundancia de minerales de Pirita y Calcopirita (sulfuros de hierro y cobre) y la presencia de unas extrañas bacterias acidófilas que oxidan estos minerales, generan el ácido sulfúrico que a la postre re-alimenta el proceso de lixiviado de los metales.

En el agua del rio sobreviven bacterias, microorganismos y vida en condiciones extremas, la NASA lo está estudiando y ha descrito recientemente este microsistema como el más parecido a Marte que podemos encontrar en la Tierra.

Los minerales de cobre, hierro, manganeso, …, se extraen en las explotaciones mineras de Rio Tinto desde hace 5000 años por íberos, fenicios, romanos y musulmanes, y ha sido explotada durante los dos últimos siglos por la compañía británica Rio Tinto Company Limited.

En el pequeño pueblo de Riotinto se pueden encontrar casas Victorianas, precisamente en los barrios que habitaron los Ingleses durante ese tiempo.

Para la visita y el recorrido del cauce del rio puedes contar con Fieldwork Riotinto (rio y minas) .

In my por English:

Rio Tinto is named for the deep red color of its waters and travels 100 km through the province of Huelva (Andalucía, southern Spain).

The red color is due to the presence of heavy metal cations eroded because the acidity of the water (pH 2.4 buffered, strongly acidic). The abundance of minerals Pyrite and Chalcopyrite (copper and iron sulfides) and the presence of strange acidophilus bacteria that oxidize these minerals, generate the sulfuric acid media that eventually re-feeds the process of leaching of metals.

In the river water surviving bacteria, microorganisms and life in extreme conditions, NASA is studying this media and has recently described this microsystem as the closest thing to Mars on Earth can find.

Copper, iron, manganese, ..., are extracted in the mines of Rio Tinto for 5000 years by Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans and Muslims, and has been exploited for the last two centuries by the British company Rio Tinto Company Limited .

In the small town of Rio Tinto Victorian houses can be found precisely in neighborhoods inhabited by the English people during that time.

To visit and travel the river bed you can count on Fieldwork Riotinto (rio and mines visits).

Its full name is Scala Contarini del Bovolo, and it is the most famous spiral staircase in Venice, adjacent to the building that gives it its name. Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a magnificent example of Venetian Gothic architecture, and is located in the San Marco district, right in the tourist centre. Yet you have to look for it to find it, because it is difficult to pass in front of it as it is a building set in a dead end. Moreover, the external facade on the Rio San Luca has a simple, elegant but not particularly peculiar appearance. It is the one that overlooks the internal courtyard, known as the Corte del Maltese, that presents itself in all its magic.

Built between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the staircase was added to the Palazzo dei Contarini only later, which was called 'del bovolo' due to its spiral shape - the spiral was precisely called 'bovolo' in Venetian. It was not strange for the time to make helical stairs, but what makes the staircase of Palazzo Contarini unique is its structure and size. 26 meters high, with a diameter of 4.7, it is made up of bricks and Istrian stone, and is made up of loggias and arches throughout its height. The 80 monolithic steps go up counterclockwise, and lead to a domed belvedere that offers a wonderful view over the roofs of the city. The arches and columns that run its entire length give the staircase a peculiar appearance, in which some experts see a sort of link between the Gothic period and the Renaissance.

Estamos acostumbrados a ser escuchados, que no a escuchar. Nos gusta mucho pedir y recibir, mucho más que dar, y rara es la vez que damos sin esperar nada a cambio.

Lo que me ha pasado últimamente es justo lo contrario, he recibido mucho sin pedir ni esperar nada. Cosas buenas, muy buenas: cariño, afecto, respeto, amor, de gente a la que conocía y de gente a la que no. Muchos eran, como dice mi amigo Mikel Erentxun, amigos desconocidos que con sus palabras de aliento me hicieron superar momentos difíciles. Gente supongo que de todo tipo (amigos desconocidos) que quisieron ayudarme y que precisamente por no conocernos, no esperaban nada de mi.

Pau Donés

We are used to being heard, not to listening. We like to ask and receive a lot, much more to give, and it is rare that we give without expecting anything in return.

What has happened to me lately is just the opposite, I have received a lot without asking or expecting anything. Good things, very good: affection, respect, love, from people he knew and from people he did not. Many were, as my friend Mikel Erentxun says, unknown friends who with their words of encouragement made me overcome difficult moments. I suppose that of all kinds (unknown friends) who wanted to help me and precisely because they did not know us, they did not expect anything from me.

Pau Donés

Jarabe de Palo - Eso que tú me das

Pau Donés Cirera (11 October 1966 – 9 June 2020) was a Spanish songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist of the musical group Jarabe de Palo (also named Jarabedepalo).

In Italy he was well known in the 90s with the song La Flaca, and in those years he collaborated with Italian artists.

I took his thanks and made it mine, finding no better words than these to thank you, Flickr friends, for your friendship. Why now? Well, between the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, you always take stock. On the "negative" scale it is better not to look, on the positive scale you are there too, and hence my thanks.

Scientific name: Lepus europaeus.

Brown hares are perhaps one of the few introduced species that people tend to mistake for natives. Precisely when they are brought to Britain is lost in the annals of time, but archaeological evidence points to an introduction at some point during the Iron Age, while genetic data suggest these animals were brought from the Netherlands or Denmark. The Brown hare was once a common site in Britain's agricultural land but appears to be in decline, largely as a result of habitat loss and, perhaps, continued persecution from hare coursers. Today, despite remaining widespread, their stronghold is southern England and, particularly East Anglia and Kent.

Info: Wildlife Online.

Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.

Precisely aligned

The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, is a Catholic basilica that stands in the middle of the historic center of Quito. The structure is the largest architectural complex within the historic centers of all of South America. San Francisco is considered a jewel of continental architecture for its mixture of different styles combined throughout more than 150 years of construction. Inside the church there are more than 3,500 works of colonial art, of multiple artistic manifestations and varied techniques, especially those corresponding to the Colonial Quito School of Art, which was born precisely in this place.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica, 2015.

it was hot, very hot, air was buzzing like a migraine scotoma, which is precisely how welcome we felt in that ugly seaport, turning away was the best part of that daytrip

Dies ist ein fantastischer Ort, nicht nur für "Game of Thrones"-Fans. In Nordirland, genauer gesagt in dem County Antrim befindet sich diese imposante Allee (Bregagh Road), die einen sofort in ihren Bann zieht.

This is a fantastic place, not just for Game of Thrones fans. In Northern Ireland, more precisely in the County Antrim is this imposing Avenue (Bregagh Road), which attracts an immediately under her spell.