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Narrowleaf Cottonwood (Populus angustifolia), Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides), and Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) line the slopes above the Crystal River, near Marble, Colorado.
I have been too busy with cider orchestrations this autumn to make it out into the mountains to witness the golden-leaved glory that is Colorado in its richest color. It is a pity that apples ripen at the same time that leaves turn golden, and I will not prioritize the same way next year. In light of me rueing the trade-offs I have made, I wanted to resurrect one of the finest autumn afternoons our family has spent out in the hills in recent memory. We walked from Marble to the Crystal Mill and back, and the leaves were at peak color. Everywhere one turned the trees created a visual feast of golden hues.
I´m sorry I haven´t written for a couple of days now, but I have been quite buzy. I started to empty the boathouse/shed...... we´re planning to renovate the inside and rebuild it to bathroom and toilet. We sat and talked about how much it is to do, and what to prioritize. Stella wanted a bathroom, and I don´t mind at all. And how nice it would be, not having to use that old ugly outhouse! In all other aspects, both Stella and me can live primitive as long it´s needed.
So now the electrician have been here and connected the house to a public line. Truly nice to have electrical light, though we like to read. And I have been preparing for connecting the house to the sewer system. The last few days I have been like a timberjack in action. Cutting down the bush we had..... well, it almost was like a jungle! Now it is ready for the hired machines, which hopefully comes tomorrow, to dig that ditch for the pipes connecting the sewer system.
So when Stella is back, we just have to start build our new bathroom! I just have to buy a toilet, the rest is recycled things found on this property..... So we have to keep hold on to our dream :)
Now..... good night world, new day tomorrow!
Want to see the story from start? :
www.flickr.com/groups/ansgarsgladetales/
Taken at Lionheart: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lionheart/104/104/22
Recommended song:
One of the best Swedish voices!
Nano - Hold on
It's about smack dab in the middle of autumn and some leaves are still hanging onto the trees amidst some sub-zero temperatures complimented by a fresh layer of snow as CP H08 moves east on the Havelock Sub with GP38-2 3129 in the lead. This was the earliest significant snowfall these parts of Ontario saw in around 55 years supposedly, and I jumped at the opportunity to head out and capture some shots, hoping to prioritize areas like the one above in Blackstock where it was evident that the fall was still in full swing.
Colorful architectural homes line the water at Rietplas in Houten, just outside Utrecht, their reflections stretched into near perfection by time itself.
Captured on a quiet summer day in July 2017, this scene is less about movement and more about patience.
With an exposure time of exactly 300 seconds, the surface of the water is transformed into a mirror, softening ripples, dissolving distractions, and allowing color and form to exist without urgency. The sky drifts slowly above, leaving faint traces of motion, while the houses stand calmly below — grounded, yet doubled.
Long exposure photography often reveals what the eye cannot see: not more detail, but more silence. Here, time is not frozen — it is gently stretched.
Technical details:
– Exposure: 300s (5 minutes)
– Aperture: f/11
– ISO: 100
– Focal length: 27mm
– Filter: Lee “The Super Stopper” (15 stops ND)
Fun facts: The Lee Super Stopper reduces light by 15 stops, turning bright daylight into long-exposure territory normally reserved for twilight or night.
A 300-second exposure smooths water so effectively that even light wind and small ripples disappear entirely.
Houten is known internationally for its human‑scaled urban planning, prioritizing pedestrians, cyclists, and visual harmony over cars.
Long exposures don’t just change how a place looks — they change how a place feels.
Rheas, like many other birds, cannot create suction to drink water as mammals do. Instead, they rely on gravity to help them swallow. When drinking, a rhea dips its beak into the water to scoop it up, then tilts its head back to let gravity carry the water down its throat. This method is not precise, so they spill a significant amount of water in the process. This behavior is common among large, flightless birds such as rheas, ostriches, and emus, whose anatomy prioritizes other functions over efficient drinking.
Neotropic Photo Tours. www.neotropicphototours.com
Doug Harrop Photography • August 17, 1984
Mr. Harrop was a huge fan of UP's DDA40X "Centennial" locomotives. When 25 of them were removed from storage early in 1984, he prioritized photographing them as much as possible.
UP 6910 passed his home in Mountain Green on Aug. 17, 1984, and he gave chase. While the weather was dark and gray, he knew the double diesels wouldn't be around forever. This fine photo was taken in Echo Canyon under threatening skies.
History is grateful Doug was there to record the final months of service. 6910 was retired by UP on May 29, 1985, and scrapped at St. Louis Auto Shredding.
In 2025 I saw this angle just outside of Emo, Ontario and knew I should prioritize it on another visit to the Fort Frances area. This visit was made more complicated by a derailment on the CN Sprague Subdivision mainline north of Warroad, Minnesota the previous morning (0500 - March 28, 2026) that snarled the movement of traffic on the busy route from Winnipeg to Fort Frances and then points south.
I was exploring the Cranberry Peatlands Interpretive Area nearby when I heard moving CN traffic from the west - a clear indication that trains were moving again through the derailment zone. That was my que to head to Emo and try my luck. After a while of waiting, the intermediate signal in Emo popped on clear for a westbound train. Some of the local cattle got curious about me while I was waiting and decided to make their presence known to my enjoyment just as this long-awaited westbound sand train takes the curve approaching Emo.
Obviously a cow pun was appropriate for the photo title.
I never posted a landscape photo on my Photostream before, a part those few occasions where I used them as background for Lego or other collectibles photos.
I usually focus on storytelling using my collectibles and it always requires so much effort I don’t have a lot of time for other hobby activities and so I prioritize.
Over the years I took a very large amount of landscape photos. It is was the genre that saw me start photography years ago.
Browsing all the photos I took over the years would require a lot of time and “prioritization” strikes back.
However few days ago I managed to take this photo as I was trying to set up an outdoor scene for my Lego and action figures photos (it’s getting quite hot here and sometimes it’s not easy to set up the scenes for those photos) and I decided to share it with you :)
I won’t bother you with geographic details but if you are curious the location of this photo is near the Cinque Terre, a rather famous location in Liguria, Italy.
I hope you like this photo :)
The Crimson-backed Tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus) photographed here was perched on a weathered stump at Hacienda Guadalajara in La Buitrera, Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. What immediately stood out was the intensity of the red plumage against the soft green background, a combination that creates strong subject separation even before depth of field comes into play. The pale blue bill adds a small but important color contrast that gives the portrait extra visual interest. I framed the bird to keep the perch as a grounding element while letting the background dissolve into a smooth, natural wash of color.
From a technical standpoint, this was a classic forest-edge setup: limited light, layered background, and a subject that doesn’t stay still for long. I prioritized a clean background and sharp eye focus, using a wide aperture to isolate the bird while maintaining enough depth to keep the bill and body sharp. Exposure was carefully controlled to preserve the detail in the red feathers, which can easily clip if pushed too far. For me, this kind of image is about balance—color, texture, and patience all working together in a single quiet moment.
©2026 Adam Rainoff Photographer
This morning I wanted to concentrate on smaller birds and test Sony's Eye AF changes. It works great! With the correct settings, it will prioritize the eye to be in focus instead of the closest point to the camera within the focus area.
First I've been essentially off Flickr for several months. Life has been busy but I have been out shooting when I can. I hope everyone is well and I hope to catch up with your work as time allows.
Went with a friend in early June just over the Georgia border into North Carolina to primarily target this warbler. We have some breeders at higher elevations in the north Georgia mountains but those populations get a fair amount of pressure from birders and photographers. I usually don't target warblers on territory that late in the season but wanted to try something different with this species. Those more familiar with my warbler photography know that when working on Spring breeding grounds I prioritize locations that are largely 'off-grid', meaning they are seldom visited by other birders or photographers. They also know my preference for composition which often includes something in bloom and preferably something found growing in the bird's territory. I've learned over the years that each warbler species has its own tendencies as to responsiveness to playback and I've also learned how complex playback can be....and of course I'm still learning! The goal is to minimize playback and have an interaction with the bird that minimizes any potential stress. To place a warbler on an intended perch where it in turn is comfortable enough to sing is usually my goal in Spring. It has been my experience that this species can be one of the most challenging species of all eastern warblers to accomplish that feat; that is to perch it on an exact intended perch with a smooth background and get singing shots.
Using refined techniques (timing in breeding cycle and playback call choices and process) for this species we worked with just one male and photographed him on the blooming Mountain Laurel as well as blooming Flame Azalea. As a bonus his presumed mate joined him briefly on the Flame Azalea. The call choices and process used built on that used in the upper peninsula of MI two Springs ago. For whatever reason it seems those birds in the northern part of the range are easier to work with earlier in the season than those in the more southern part of the range. Time will tell. With all things warbler as pertains to responsiveness there are definite tendencies but few if any absolutes.
In the southern part of its range Canada warbler is often found in areas where Black-throated Blue warblers breed. Canada warblers are very responsive to the playback techniques I've learned for that species when used soon after breeding ground arrival. What would be the results about a month to 6 weeks later using the same techniques? We tried several Canada warblers when we visited this North Carolina area in early June as my friend was interested in photographing that species too. The results were clear. For Canada warblers at least in the southern part of the range I will stick to the early arrivals when attempting spring breeding ground photography. This appears to be in stark contrast to the better timing for Black-throated Blue warblers in the southern part of their range.
There may be the assumption that any app with calls has what you need. When you spend as much time as I have in the field with warblers you will realize that no one app has the library of calls you would like to be available to you. That expanded library access has enabled me to close gaps in responsiveness for many warbler species which means better images and much less potential to stress the bird. The technique of "just turn on the call' is imho a rather primitive one but where I too started many years ago. That technique will often increase stress on the subject and yield more limited results as well. Boiled down using playback well for warbler photography is an interaction which requires careful observation of how the bird is or is not responding. If you are needing an app such as Merlin to locate your subject that is fine. However if you yourself can not hear the subject well and see how it is responding based on what you hear and also the visual than you will be limited in your results and probably increase the stress on your subjects as well.
Taurus is an earth sign represented by the bull. Like their celestial spirit animal, Taureans enjoy relaxing in serene, bucolic environments, surrounded by soft sounds, soothing aromas, and succulent flavors. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the enchanting planet that governs love, beauty, and money. Taurus’s Venusian influence make this earth sign the most sensual of the zodiac: These cosmic oxen are enchanted by any physical manifestation of comfort and luxury. Pleasure is a necessity for epicurean Taureans and they feel most content when pampered. (Taurus governs the neck, so neck caresses are especially irresistible to these bulls.)
It's true that in their perfect world, Taureans would spend all day bathing in a tub overflowing with essential oils. At the same time, these earth signs know the value of a dollar. Taureans aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and work hard to earn big rewards. They're ambitious, focused, and resilient and they feel most secure when steadily putting money into a savings account.
Cosmic oxen are all about return on investment (the bull is also the symbol of Wall Street), and Taureans know how to play the long game in both professional and romantic pursuits. Security is paramount for Taureans and any threat to their stability will be sure to have a celestial bull seeing red.
As a sign, Taurus is fixed, an astrological quality that reflects Taurus’s steadfast, loyal nature. Fixed signs are excellent at maintaining systems and Taureans prioritize consistency and reliability in all areas of their lives. It must be noted, however, that Taurus does have a bit of a reputation: What a Taurus perceives as dedication is often regarded by others as stubbornness. Accordingly, these bulls may end up lingering in unhealthy situations — whether relationships, jobs, or homes — longer than necessary just to prove a point. Despite their occasional obstinance, however, Taureans are dependable partners, soothing their friends and lovers with their trustworthiness and devotion.
Rivulets of distant Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) gather and flow into a greater current as they descend the northeast slopes of East Beckwith Mountain (12,441 ft; 3,792 m), Gunnison National Forest, Colorado. The wave of colour builds and crests into a tumbling wall as it overtakes the foreground copse.
Looking at this image, I feel that it is a pity that apples are ripe at the same time of year that leaves shed their pedestrian, functional garb and don their festive outer-wear. I have been fermenting and making cider for several years now, and the apple crop along the Front Range this year is like nothing I've ever seen. The quantity of fruit is profound, and I have discovered numerous varieties with extraordinary and intriguing colors and flavors. Unfortunately, collecting and processing all this fruit (600 lbs so far) is time consuming, and I have therefore not prioritized traveling to take in the seasonal show in the mountains.
Fortunately, it is easy to flick back in time via the computer and remember that last year brought so many beautiful moments, despite the fear and isolation brought on by the ongoing pandemic. One benefit that accrues when one absorbs time in the out-of-doors is that it becomes harder and harder to focus on internal travails, whatever they may be.
I hope the first days of autumn have treated everyone well!
In the heart of Copenhagen, a creative solution has been found to provide cyclists with a safe passage through the city centre. This makeshift tunnel, constructed from multiple shipping containers, offers a unique and functional route for riders. Equipped with cycle paths and lights inside, it's an innovative example of urban planning that prioritizes cyclist safety and convenience. As one navigates through this container corridor, they're reminded of Copenhagen's commitment to sustainable transportation and its reputation as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world.
[polski opis poniżej]
I come back to the flood in Gdańsk in 2001 and the effects it had on railway in the area. From numerous pictures here (to which I don't link again today) you know, that the mainline from Gdańsk to Tczew was cut off by flood and the train were diverted from Gdynia to old Coal Trunk Line via Kościerzyna. The secondary line that suffered from downgrading several stations to usual passenger stops and capacity dropdown served then as the mainline.
The number of diverted train was so great, that usual regional passenger services had to be prioritized differently. They ran irregularly, some of them were even cancelled. The picture shows the example of balancing the rolling stock. Two regional trains were joint together and served as the one, 90147 from Kościerzyna to Gdynia Główna. The delays were so ennormous, I can't even be sure whether it was 90147 or any other one. This one just the closer in relation to the time. SU42-524 and SU42-523 haul four passenger wagons while departing from Rębiechowo passenger stop. July 10, 2001.
Photo by Jarek / Chester
Powracam do tematu powodzi w Gdańsku w 2001 roku i jej konsekwencji dla kolei w okolicy. Z wielu zdjęć tu zamieszczonych (jeśli nie widzieliście, to poszukajcie) wynika, że odcięcie powodzią linii z Gdańska do Tczewa spowodowało przerzucenie całego ruchu kolejowego na drugorzędną wówczas starą Magistralę Węglową. Linię, która w poprzednich latach została dotknięta likwidacją wielu stacji i której przepustowość spadła drastycznie do ok. jednego pociągu na 20 minut.
Pociągów przekierowanych na Magistralę Węglową było multum - praktycznie cały ruch pasażerski dalekobieżny, oprócz pociągów do Szczecina, które pojechały szerszym objazdem z Tczewa przez Chojnice do Szczecinka. W konsekwencji ucierpiał ruch regionalny - pociągi były koszmarnie poopóźniane, a wiele z nich poodwoływanych. Aby zachować obiegi składów, niektóre pociągi były łączone dla oszczędzenia przepustowości. I tak jest na fotografii: duet SU42-524 oraz SU42-523 z czterema wagonami (dwa składy regionalne) odjeżdża z Rębiechowa jako pociąg osobowy 90147 z Kościerzyny do Gdyni (ten numer był najbliżej rozkładem, ale nie mam pewności, czy to jechało jako ten). 10 lipca 2001 roku.
Fot. Jarek / Chester
“Roadiripophobia (r)
The fear of not having any road trips planned” -unknown.
Although we have been home for a month now, I do find myself getting itchy feet lately. . I shall have to be content with day trips for the winter. This is a scene from the Fundy Trail Parkway. While covering long distances on our road trips, there are times we just cannot not stop to take pictures. We need to prioritize. Consequently, I got better at taking pictures through our car windshield as the car is moving. I started an album to keep track of some the roads we have travelled over time. With a higher ISO to get the sharpness I needed and then some AI magic in editing, I got some decent results. This road was newly paved with lots of twists and turns. It was a dream to drive on.
For decades, like a ghost, she's been waiting for better times by watching from the window. But only little changes happen...
Despite all the progress in all sectors, the human being continues to disappoint and prioritize personal desires and follies, and for that, he inflicts suffering on others using violence, disrespect for life and personal freedom. Prioritizing the desire to have what he wants simply goes on eliminating supposed adversaries.
After two years of this terrible pandemic, all we want most is peace to assimilate the pain of so much loss and so much despair. Never, even in the worst of nightmares, would we be able to imagine an unjustifiable war that can reach unimaginable proportions.
Sorry friends, but I've been feeling a little depressed lately, a little disillusioned with where life is going. But I left in this photo small colored dots symbolizing the hope that something will change over the days...
This photo is a "fantasy" and was made (through simple Photoshop features) by combining a photo taken in Italy and a postcard from the early 20th century romantic series.
The lady in the photo just observes but keeps a certain sadness in her eyes.
Better seen when you zoom the photo. ;)
On Explore: April 18, 2022
I have missed the whole week of epic sunsets due to work, ran to the Shoreline Boathouse nearby once I see the beautiful cloud pattern without hesitation and what I experienced was a beautiful meditative evening of color show. The foreground is blurry since I was in a huge hurry to prioritize the calm water, but sometimes we win and sometimes we learn...
📷 IG:travelwgraceh
Soft focus shot using a Soft filter.
I strive for a soft, dreamlike aesthetic in my photography. It's a style I know isn't for everyone, and I respect that. I was taught to prioritize sharp, clear images, and that's usually my approach. But sometimes, a subject seems to whisper for a gentler, more diffused look.
Spring has cast its spell, covering our newest residential region in a tapestry of lush greens and vibrant wildflowers. As the season unfolds, horses graze peacefully across expansive pastures, creating a picturesque scene straight from a horse lover's dream. 🐴
In our unique community, we prioritize the well-being of our equine companions and love of nature above all else. Residents enjoy ample space to nurture all their four-legged friends in the embrace of nature. 🌷
Landmark: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Evergarden%20Oaks/143/251/41
Discord: discord.gg/evergarden
The Orange Head
Analyzing Donald Trump's Middle East policy through a philosophical lens provides a deeper perspective than just daily political news. His unique approach often clashes with traditional diplomatic norms. Fundamentally, Trump is a Realist. In political philosophy (such as the thinking of Niccolò Machiavelli or Thomas Hobbes), the world is seen as an anarchic place where force is the only law. Trump views international relations through a very narrow and transactional lens of Utilitarianism. For him, a policy is right if it provides tangible material benefits for the US (America First). There are elements of Existentialism, where Trump believes that the will of a strong individual can change the course of history, challenging established bureaucracies (The Deep State). From a Postmodernist perspective, Trump is deconstructing the narrative of the "liberal world order" established by the West after World War II. He is proving that international rules (such as the laws of war or state sovereignty) are actually fragile and can be ignored by actors bold enough to violate them. Trump's policies reflect a shift from the philosophy of Idealism (which believes in global cooperation and human rights) to Brutal Pragmatism which prioritizes tangible results for his constituents.
Follow the money. The size of the investment BNSF made in the 2020s to increase the capacity of the former Santa Fe double track CTC Needles Subdivision in California’s Mojave Desert is a good indicator of the value of today’s intermodal franchise to the company. West from Needles near the Colorado River (475 feet elevation), the railroad climbs a steady 1.4% grade for almost 30 miles through a pass in the Dead Mountains and around the north end of the Piute Mountains to the summit at Goffs (2580 feet elevation). Beginning in the 1980s, growing traffic resulting from globalization created long heavy intermodal trains that overwhelmed the existing infrastructure. All westbounds were limited to the progress that the slowest westbound train made climbing Goffs Hill. By 2023, BNSF completed a third mainline track from West Needles to East Goffs at a cost of $155 million.
Prior to 2023, the BNSF Dispatcher in Fort Worth would use the siding at Goffs just west of the summit to prioritize trains. The last few minutes of evening sun glints on a meet at East Goffs. An eastbound intermodal dims his headlight and holds for a westbound cresting Goffs Hill, then glides east and begins the long descent to Needles.
For a description of West Goffs see:flic.kr/p/2qYN23u
If you or anybody you know is struggling with mental health, there's hotlines out there. Talk to somebody, consider therapy, just never give up on yourself because YOU ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR! 💙
(Epthianura albifrons)
Western Treatment Plant - Werribee - VIC
Austrália
With this photo, I conclude my extensive series of one photo per species from our 30-day trip to Australia. We recorded 207 species, a disappointing number for a dedicated birdwatcher, but we are not birdwatchers and we didn’t photograph everything we saw. We prioritized good photographic opportunities, often spending a lot of time with a single species, rather than focusing on the number of sightings, which we didn’t even keep track of.
Even so, out of eagerness and caution—since we might not see the species again—we often photographed under much less-than-ideal conditions, resulting in a significant number of species recorded with low quality. Sorry fot that!
I also photographed a handful of additional species, but I don’t dare to show them, as the quality is so poor.
Additionally, I still have a folder with photos labeled as "Unknown," but even if I manage to identify them, the quality is once again disappointing, so they will most likely remain in that state.
I once again have to give a big thanks to our new Australian friends—Karen and Kevin in Werribee (Melbourne), John and Leoni in Mount Barker (Adelaide), and Stu and Colin in Brisbane—who helped us tremendously in obtaining these photos.
Without their help, we wouldn't have even seen many of these species, let alone photographed them. I hope to one day return the favor, but I think that's unlikely due to the distance. I will be eternally grateful and will try to help others who visit us.
We're already eager to return, but for now, I'll pick some of my favorite photos to complete the collection!
==================***==================
All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.
So, you may find:
- All the photos for this trip Austrália (2024) (309)
- All the photos for this order PASSERIFORMES (3553)
- All the photos for this family Meliphagidae (Melifagídeos) (43)
- All the photos for this species Epthianura albifrons (2)
- All the photos taken this day 2024/11/02 (27)
==================***==================
Excerpt from the plaque:
O Wonders Wild and New
Royal Botanical Gardens stewards’ extensive natural lands, including 1,000 acres of forest within its nature sanctuaries and nearly 4,000 specimen trees across its cultivated gardens. In addition to stewardship, RBG has repurposed over 175,000 trees into restoration projects that support the health of local waterways and ecosystems.
Drawing from the original 1900 text The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, we’re introduced to the Fighting Trees who, though protecting the forest, meet their fate by the axe of the Tin Woodman as Dorothy and her companions travel North.
This act of destruction is viewed as necessary by the travelers even though they recognize the conservation role the Fighting Trees play in protecting the forest – their quest takes priority. Much like the City Beautiful Movement, a design and city building philosophy popular at the time of the writing of OZ, humankind is conflicted as it both reveres and seeks to control the natural world.
This sense of duality, or conflict, in values is ever-present in Oz and our present day. The notion that nature can be both celebrated and sought after yet casually discarded in pursuit of progress is central to our global climate and conservation crisis.
In Of Wonders Wild and New, our artists explore the themes of the power and beauty of nature, duality, our impact on the environment, and the material splendour and diversity of wood as a material.
Excerpt from www.blouin-division.com/en/artists/renee-condo:
Renee Condo (b.1979) is a contemporary visual artist of Mi’gmaw First Nation ancestry from the community of Gesgapegiag. She is currently working in Tiohtià:ke | Montréal. Condo’s work is a practice-based investigation into the power of the bead to communicate ideas derived from the reflection on and application of a Mi’kmaw worldview.
Condo holds a BFA in studio arts (with Distinction), and an MFA in sculpture from Concordia University. She is the recipient of several bursaries and scholarships, some of which include Concordia Merit Scholarship, Concordia University Indigenous Graduate Scholarship, Indspire Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries and Scholarships. Condo has received support by way of grants from the Conseil des art de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts. She has participated in group exhibitions including the 5th edition of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA) (2022). Her solo exhibitions include Shifting Perspectives at the Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Dawson College, Montreal (2023), and Pemitg - Heart Knowledge at Galerie Laroche/Joncas, Montreal (2021). She completed her first public artwork in 2021, installed in Laval, Quebec. Condo’s work is represented in numerous collections, including Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank and TD Bank.
Renée Condo’s work centers on a Mi’gmaq worldview with a particular interest in connectedness and interdependence. Flow, balance, harmony, duality, unity, interconnectedness, interdependence, the importance of reciprocity, soul/spirit: Mi’gmaq traditional knowledge contains a comprehensive structure in which these ideas are central. “Through a material and spiritual practice, I honour my personal discovery and growing understanding of this beautifully holistic framework, bringing focus to spirit as energy, as flow (Pemi), while centering heart knowledge, an intuitive knowledge premised on the Mi’gmaq fundamental law of relating through Empathetic Love. The bead as fundamental entity, as infinite potentiality, can appear as divided, as unit, as part, but is at once whole and all-encompassing, holding secrets of the world and to the nature of reality.” — Renée Condo
Excerpt from the plaque:
Pewa’utieg
Renee Condo’s practice often explores the relationship of part and whole – how each element belongs to something larger, while the larger also resides within each part.
She turns to the Mi’gmaq Sky World, exploring cyclical time, creation as continuous becoming, the presence of ancestors and spirt, and the idea that different realms are distinct but not entirely separate – connected through portals and thresholds that invite reflection on continuity and transformation.
Mi’gmaq law is based on heart knowledge, the understanding that how one feels about something is more important than how one thinks about it. Research now suggests that humans have between 22 and 33 senses, far beyond the five usually acknowledged. For Condo, this affirms the deep wisdom of prioritizing feeling – an approach that engages our whole selves.
With this understanding, she is very aware of the energetic state when handling her materials. Her intention is to infuse the work with care and love, with the hope that this can be felt by the viewer. Condo hopes people take away a feeling above all – a sense of vast interconnectedness, of belonging to something greater. She also hopes the work helps us question our own ingrained paradigms and creates space for the perspectives of others, opening the possibility of relating differently to one another and to the world around us.
In searching for answers about how everything is connected – beyond her own feelings and intuitions – Condo first turned to quantum physics. Ideas like wave-particle duality and entanglement felt familiar, almost like memory. She later recognized that these principles were also integral to a Mi’gmaq world view. Not having been raised in an explicit Mi’gmaq consciousness due to historical disruptions, this realization came later in life. Today, as her connection to Mi’gmaq world view and cosmology deepens, she uses quantum physics as a point of comparison, choosing instead to highlight a Mi’gmaq perspective on space and time.
Amsterdam is famous for its canals and cycling culture. It’s amazing how they prioritize biking, and there are so many bikes everywhere! The canals, a UNESCO Heritage site, reflect the city’s commercial history and are second only to Venice in number. The Anne Frank House reminds us of WWII’s horrors and why history must never repeat itself. Fun fact: there are more bikes than people in the city!
I first shot this scene two years ago during my first visit to the bayou but ever since then I wanted another visit and a chance to shoot the scene as a pano and with the early fall colors. I felt the late fall colors ghost trees of this scene had a little too much exposed branches and that early or peak colors would be better.
This time around, I prioritized shooting this scene and to make conditions ideal, we had heavy mist with the below-freezing temperatures. Compared to my previous visit, the water level was higher this time around. Less of the tree trunk bases were exposed but despite that the tree grouping and scene still rendered beautifully. As expected, the color change was in full swing, with an assortment of colored leaves ranging from greens to yellows to oranges and a few splashes of red.
In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf argues that the creative process requires material and psychological independence. She insists that this is not a romantic defence of solitude but a concrete condition: a woman must have a room of her own to create.
The room Woolf describes is both literal and symbolic. It is an uninterrupted physical space, but it is also continuity of thought. Privacy protects extended reflection, which any serious creative work demands. Without control over one’s time and environment, intellectual work becomes fragmented and secondary.
Psychologically, the room functions as protection. Creative work requires freedom from imposed obligations, demanded behaviours, accusations, or expectations that invade the interior space of thought.
Privacy and independence allow the development of what Woolf calls an “androgynous mind”: a balanced and integrated consciousness capable of expansive imagination rather than reactive production.
Creativity does not emerge purely from innate talent; it depends on infrastructure: space, time, and security. Private space is not a luxury. It is a precondition.
A private room represents cognitive continuity, protection from interruption, and ownership of one’s intellectual life. Artists and highly creative individuals require private, self-controlled environments for cognitive, psychological, and practical reasons.
Creative work depends on sustained attention. Complex ideation activates distributed neural networks. The interruptions force cognitive switching, degrade working memory, and reduce coherence. Generating original material means allowing incomplete, imperfect, even unconventional ideas to exist long enough to develop.
When someone is constantly observing, questioning, demanding, or accusing, the mind turns toward self-monitoring instead of exploration. Even subtle evaluation anxiety increases risk aversion. The imagination begins to censor itself before it has time to expand.
Incubation requires psychological safety because creativity involves vulnerability. The process is nonlinear: doubt, confusion, emotional intensity, experimentation, even failure. When intimate environments are contaminated with tension or negative emotion, expression becomes regulated. The body anticipates interruption. The nervous system prepares for defence rather than creation.
Artists are often highly sensitive in how they organize their working space. They perceive small shifts in light, sound, and movement. Sensory calibration matters. Control over lighting, spatial arrangement, and objects preserves cognitive bandwidth. When that space is repeatedly touched, moved, entered, or emotionally destabilized, something subtle but essential is disturbed.
Creative work is intertwined with personal meaning. Private space forms a boundary between social identity; roles and expectations and creative identity; experimentation and self-definition. Without that boundary, creative output begins to align with external approval or defensive reaction rather than intrinsic vision.
Research in cognitive psychology, stress neuroscience, and creativity studies confirms if physical space and personal boundaries are repeatedly violated over a long period, creative capacities erode in their expression.
Chronic interruption prevents entry into flow states described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The brain requires uninterrupted time to integrate complex ideas. Constant disruption trains vigilance rather than immersion.
Prolonged stress activates the threat-response system. Chronically elevated stress hormones impair working memory, cognitive flexibility, and associative thinking, all these are essential for originality.
Under perceived threat, the brain prioritizes control over exploration. Creativity narrows. Loss of autonomy further diminishes intrinsic motivation.
When space is invaded or constantly monitored, creative activity shifts from self-directed expression to reactive coping. Persistent criticism or invalidation leads to self-censorship and learned inhibition. The process becomes associated with tension rather than safety and something as fundamental as creativity gift is lost.
But inhibition is not the same as structural destruction. The capacity itself does not disappear; access to it does.
What erodes is fluency, trust, and the sense that creation is allowed.
When autonomy and safety slowly return, the nervous system must relearn that imagination will not be punished. Recovery is uneven. It requires rebuilding the internal room before rebuilding the external one.
Prolonged violation of privacy can block creative functioning for as long as the adverse conditions persist but once the door closes again (not as exclusion, but as protection) creation begins to move back into the room that was once stolen.
New Magic Art Photography website is now live! I hope you enjoy it.
I took a week of winter vacation this year, due to a new baby in the family (not mine), along with a wedding last weekend. I prioritized time with family the first several days of arrival, but knew I wanted to get the potentially “last” Pan Am documented as much as I could too. Sunday afternoon, my little guy and I headed out for a couple hours and returned to Wilton with nothing. Yesterday was more/less a dud of a few hours spent by myself, but third time's the charm they say...right? Well this afternoon started with my little guy along for the ride once again, and after a couple hours, we managed to shoot a pair of light GEs (blister leading) returning from taking a loaded limestone train to Bow last night. I felt defeated to say the least, but thanks to the birdies (you know who you are), everything came together for a backup plan. The second of two takes of these guys really made the day worthwhile, most of all since Austin smiled as big as he possibly could when he saw the GEs round the corner. POAY consisting of 7585, and two blisters approaches CPF-BY where a medium clear signal beckons them into the town of Lowell, following the copying of a Rule 241 to pass CPF-297.
The Selomangleng Cave site, is an ancient site during the era of King Erlangga, where in the past the Kahuripan kingdom was used as a hermitage of Dewi Kilisuci, because she did not want to prioritize worldly affairs, the location of Kediri, East Java, Indonesia.
This morning I wanted to concentrate on smaller birds and test Sony's Eye AF changes. It works great! With the correct settings, it will prioritize the eye to be in focus instead of the closest point to the camera within the focus area.
CSX K445 heads south towards Atlanta through Kingston on the W&A Sub. In the not-too-distance past, & I mean about only, say, earlier this year, it was very common to see Canadian power on the ethanol trains that ran through Atlanta on either the W&A or the Etowah subs, with CN SD75's being one of, if not the most common visitors. Due to a combination of factors, like CSX prioritizing the route through Birmingham for traffic to/from Florida & trying to reduce horsepower-hours owed to other railroads just to name two, these Canuck visitors, especially the older motors like these, have become quite rare. When I took this photo, this was only the second time since January that these engines have made a visit to North Georgia, and as of posting this in early December, 2021, the last time (to my knowledge). Combine that along with the fact these are older engines & not being favored by crews, who knows how many more times these fairly rare motors will appear in my neck of the woods, at least before CN follows through with their intent to rebuild them with AC traction (if they're still planning to). 9-2-21
First, I will prioritize Japanese and English, and release my novel, B♭ (B-flat).
It is available in the Drive below.
Drive folder for novel publication:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EUyKO4locQKzfKfvmlh0-uamF...
B♭
Mitsushiro Nakagawa, with ChatGPT 5.5
A North Korean cryptocurrency system is hacked.Hundreds of millions of dollars disappear.
At the end of that invisible flow of money, a group of Palestinian men and women from Gaza secretly enters the United States.
Their purpose is not merely revenge.They intend to “recreate” the lost homeland of Gaza on American soil.
Hardline immigration policies.A nation divided by fear and resentment.A society already beginning to fracture from within.
Using all of it, a silent plan moves forward.
During a speech, Republican presidential candidate Justin Bradford is shot.At almost the same moment in Los Angeles, former President Owen Reed is also attacked at a campaign event for Democratic candidate Ryan Bennett.
Two gunshots.One divided nation.
But Justin survives.
His life is saved by an extraordinarily rare blood type: Bombay blood.The only person able to provide it is Anaya Patel, a community art facilitator working in Brooklyn.
One woman’s blood touches the fate of a nation.What seemed like coincidence slowly begins to draw her into the center of a much larger design.
Terror.Election politics.Immigration.Memory.Blood.Prayer.
A plan born from revenge begins to blur the line between justice and emptiness, salvation and hatred.
Some still believe the wounded world deserves punishment.Others begin to understand that beyond that punishment, nothing may remain.
The lights of Manhattan.The silence of Brooklyn.Memories left beside the river.
The city keeps shining as if nothing has happened.But beneath its streets, a low sound continues to resonate — unheard, unresolved, unforgettable.
What does revenge take from us?Whom can prayer save?And where do we go, carrying everything we have lost?
Trailer
Soundtrack
B♭ — My Novel Playlist
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
B♭ — My Novel Playlist for Japanese
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack-for-jap...
© 2026 Mitsushiro Nakagawa. All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced, distributed, modified, or transmitted without permission from the author.
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僕はまず、日本語と英語を優先して、僕の小説、【B♭（ビーフラット）】を公開しました。
それは以下のドライブにあります。
Drive folder for novel publication: (小説専門の公開用ドライブ)
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EUyKO4locQKzfKfvmlh0-uamF...
B♭
Mitsushiro Nakagawa, with ChatGPT 5.5
北朝鮮の仮想通貨システムがハッキングされ、数億ドルが奪取された。
その資金の流れの先で、ガザ出身のパレスチナ男女のグループが、密かにアメリカ合衆国へ潜入する。
彼らの目的は、失われた祖国ガザを、アメリカの地に「復元」することだった。
共和党による強硬な移民政策。
国内にくすぶる排外感情。
分断されていく社会。
そのすべてを利用し、アメリカを内側から崩壊させる計画が、静かに進行していく。
共和党大統領候補ジャスティン・ブラッドフォードが演説中に撃たれ、ほぼ同じ時刻、ロサンゼルスでは前大統領オーウェン・リードもまた銃撃される。
国家を二分する、ふたつの銃声。
だが、ジャスティンは奇跡的に生還する。
彼の命をつないだのは、世界でも極めて希少な血液型――ボンベイブラッド。
その血を提供できたのは、ブルックリンで活動するコミュニティアート・ファシリテーター、アナヤ・パテルだった。
ひとりの女性の血が、国家の運命に触れてしまう。
その偶然は、やがて偶然ではなかったかのように、彼女自身を巨大な事件の中心へ引き寄せていく。
テロ、選挙、移民、血、記憶、祈り。
破壊を信じる者と、破壊の果てに残る空虚を見てしまう者。
復讐として始まった計画は、いつしか救済と虚無の境界を曖昧にしていく。
マンハッタンの夜。
ブルックリンの光。
川辺に残された記憶。
都市は何事もなかったかのように輝き続けている。
だがその足元では、誰にも聞こえない低い音が鳴っている。
復讐は、何を奪うのか。
祈りは、誰を救うのか。
そして人は、失われたものを抱えたまま、どこへ向かうのか。
Trailer
Soundtrack
B♭ — My Novel Playlist
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
B♭ — My Novel Playlist for Japanese
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack-for-jap...
© 2026 Mitsushiro Nakagawa. All rights reserved.
本作品の著作権は Mitsushiro Nakagawa に帰属します。内容の全部または一部を、著者の許可なく複製・転載・改変することを禁じます。
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500px.com/photo/104535909/celestica-by-timothy-poulton?fr...
in the end, everyone can understand themselves only. You are the only one to which you never have to explain what you mean. Everything else is misunderstanding.
Laguna Torre - Patagonia
With so much commanding our attention these days, it’s easy to feel like were drowning in a tidal wave of messages that arrive daily through our phones, computers and personal devices.
At some point, it seems the only way to catch a break is to simply walk out into the wilderness, and away from the constant technological distractions.
I have just completed my second OOAK Photography Adventure for 2015, we went on a backcountry trip in Patagonia both in Chile and Argentina and enjoyed many nights camping in the wilderness. This trip was particularly wonderful because it was my first to this part of the world and a break from the endless notifications that inundate my daily life.
I was reminded of the importance of temporarily disconnecting from the “real” world. Of course, it doesn’t take a photography trip to do this. A walk in the park, run by the river or snowshoe in the mountains will provide ample opportunity to go social media free for a few hours.
In order to truly disconnect I believe we need to either spend some time alone or surround ourselves with people who can also turn the power off. Unfortunately we have become so dependent on this form of communication we found it hard to disconnect..
Just a few hours or days spent away from our devices gives us the perspective and discernment we need when we choose to connect again. By fully engaging in our time spent in nature - breathing in the fresh air, watching the sun set and rise or the way the snow blows off the mountains - we’ll stay in the present moment and away from the perpetual ”To Do List.” In fact, when we let go of all the things that command our attention, we are better able to prioritize and discern what is important. The time we take to refresh our spirits will make us much more creative when it’s time to enter the game again.
What I really missed the most was my beautiful wife and children, I feel recharged by my time in the wilderness and believe I can better handle what happens in the “real" world.
Sustainable elephant practices in Northern Laos prioritize ethical tourism, conservation, and community engagement. Sanctuaries and camps provide elephants with natural habitats, promote positive human-elephant interactions, and offer educational programs to raise awareness about conservation. Responsible tourism practices ensure elephants' well-being and dignity, prohibiting harmful activities like riding or performing tricks. Local communities are involved in conservation efforts, supporting sustainable tourism and protecting elephant habitats.
Came across this figurine a couple days ahead of the lockdown order. The writing was on the wall in terms of the coming edict on restrictioted movement. I made a point of getting out with the camera that weekend. The impetus was partly my desire to do something normal. But it was also colored with the uncertainty over when that opportunity would next arise. Looking back, that latter thought was quite prescient. Photography has since become a rather furtive affair (a subject for another post). But right now, mid-March feels like months ago. The freedom to pickup and go anywhere and do anything seems distant. There's a palpable heaviness to life now. Left unchecked, it's quite capable of blotting out most everything in its path. I think the real challenge going forward is to not succumb to depression (assuming you don't succumb to the virus first). Life and death concerns certainly have a way of prioritizing one's life. Last year at this time I was focused on cleaning up my yard in the aftermath of winter and tackling some DIY projects. This year I'm grappling with grocery store anxiety and not getting infected with a killer virus. A definite shift of thought process. The torrent of emotion that was about to be unleashed on the world seemed to be embodied in the downcast face of this statue standing silent vigil on the edge of a cemetery.
“Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Our resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing. We are becoming the ones we’ve been waiting for.” thelovelandfoundation.org/about/
So with New Years on the horizon, I had to end 2025 on a unique note. And what better than the Tokyo met building at night with a giant PAC-maze projection (world record by the way). This projection show contains J-pop synced animations, a history of Godzilla in cinema, and a Namco tribute heavily revolving around... well, PAC-MAN. (Even if it's already 2026 in Japan).
The show was scheduled to start around 7 or 7:30 after the sun went down. I was more than willing to sit through this because there weren't a whole lot of other planned night shoots nearby and I already planned to shoot this tower at night in an evil light (a shot I still consider to be one of my best). But I didn't have any idea about this show until I passed a QR flyer on the property perimeter. It was actually a great show visually, probably didn't make much sense in organization but I can excuse that.
And hoo boy, this shot demanded a LOT from me in editing. I traced the entire maze and other pixel material down to the pellets and made it into another layer to make it brighter (which was almost 2 hours in of itself). After I added to the touches to the light at the top of the tower and dimmed the lobby lights one huge thing remained, the sky. It remained troublesome, I ended up changing the sky to have a fading blue, and the even after removing all grain possible it still looked uneven, largely due to the red glow at the top. I really wanted to keep that in, but everytime I exported the image it became clear that that just couldn't stick around, it just looked so awful.
While the year got more busy then I ever could've hoped or imagined for, this year was still crazy. For a year 1 on flickr and in general, this year was easily defined by my Japan travels. I've been working so long to get here, picking up many new hobbies and skills along the way to be better than the average tourist. Even if I'm juggling more work behind the scenes and more mini-trips now (which will continue tenfold in 2026), I will still prioritize this channel above all else. One day, I will return to Japan to see even more. I almost made it my life purpose by now to adapt the customs and be enamored by the heritage. Not to say I'm gonna run out of Japan photos anytime soon. I have so many left to edit and post. who knows? Maybe it'll cover me till 27, but only time will tell. See you all in '26!
18/366 - Rest
Rest: the sweet sauce of labor.
--Plutarch
Employ thy leisure time well, if thou meanest to gain pleasure. --Benjamin Franklin
I love three day weekends!! I got so much done. At the zoo today, while I saw so many animals napping, I realized that I forgot to rest!! (Luckily, I am a great sleeper. As soon as my head touches the pillow, I am asleep!)
I hope that we all can remember to play hard and then rest. Rest is important for our bodies so that we can live a long and happy life.
Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded. --Goethe
I pray that we can all remember to prioritize rest in our busy lives--even if we must schedule it in.
With street photography, I have always prioritized daytime hours, trying to find the twilight hours or midday hours to have more contrasting shadows, but I have discovered that the night has a special charm. It is possible that inside of me lives a being of darkness that is yet to show itself completely. I'm going to let myself go to see where ends this obsession with darkness and the night that I just discovered and that has completely captivated me.
All of the photos were taken respectfully and for artistic purposes only.
If you appear in a photo and want it removed, just contact me.
All rights reserved.
Me: How common are digital hallucinations?
A.I.: "Digital hallucinations" in AI are surprisingly frequent, though the rate depends heavily on the complexity of your request and the specific model you use.
Research indicates that even the best models currently produce false information in 15% to 20% of responses on average.
Frequency by System and Task
•General Chatting: Standard models typically hallucinate between 3% and 27% of the time.
•High-Stakes Fields: In specialized areas like law or medicine, the error rate can skyrocket. One Stanford University study found that AI legal tools hallucinated in at least 1 out of 6 queries. Other specialized studies reported rates as high as 69% to 88% for specific legal cases.
•New "Reasoning" Models: Paradoxically, some newer, more advanced models (like OpenAI's o3 and o4-mini) have shown higher hallucination rates (33% to 48%) on specific fact-finding benchmarks compared to older models. This is often because they are optimized to guess an answer rather than admit uncertainty.
Impact on Users
•Enterprise Risk: Approximately 47% of enterprise AI users have made a major business decision based on hallucinated content.
•User Perception: About 23% of frequent AI users report encountering hallucinations "very or fairly often".
•Verification Burden: Knowledge workers now spend an average of 4.3 hours per week just verifying that AI-generated output is actually true.
Because models are built to predict the most likely next word rather than look up facts in a database, researchers at Vectara and other labs suggest that completely eliminating hallucinations may be impossible with current technology.
Would you like tips on prompting techniques to help me stay "grounded" and reduce the chance of making things up?
Me: I ask because a piece of my art was identified as having been painted by, quote the bots, "The man in the image, surrounded by his striking, life-sized gold leaf portraits, is the notable artist James "Jim" Harleston, known professionally as Paint Harleston. The name you see on the paint cans on the floor refers to his professional moniker. "
A.I.: That is a perfect—and slightly eerie—example of an AI "hallucination" where the system prioritizes confidence over correctness.
The bot likely mashed together real geographical and historical data to invent a "James 'Jim' Harleston." Here is a breakdown of how it likely "hallucinated" your artist:
•The Real Harleston: The AI almost certainly "stole" the name from Edwin Augustus Harleston (1882–1931), a famous African American portrait painter from Charleston, South Carolina.
•The "Jim" Moniker: It likely pulled the nickname "Jim" from Jim Booth, another very well-known artist in the Charleston art scene who painted local scenes.
•The Paint Cans: There is no famous artist named "Paint Harleston." However, "Paint Harleston Village" is a real and common search term for local house painting services in the Harleston Village neighborhood of Charleston.
•The Gold Leaf: If your art actually contains gold leaf, the AI saw that visual element and "wrote" it into the fictional backstory to make its lie sound more observant and personalized.
In short, the bot saw the word "Harleston" (likely in a metadata tag or related to Charleston), combined it with local house-painting search results ("Paint Harleston"), and used the name of a dead, prestigious portraitist to give the fake person "authority."
Gabriel Voisin was a mechanical genius who marched to his own drums, and started his Aero buisiness, Avions Voisin in 1905 and produced prominent WW I planes for France.
In 1919 he started producing cars using Knight-type sleeve valve engines at Issy-les-Moulineaux, an industrial suburb to the southwest of Paris. Former student of the Fine Arts School of Lyon and enthusiast for all things mechanical since his childhood, Voisin's uncompromisingly individual designs made extensive use of light alloys, especially aluminum. The characteristic Voisin style of 'rational' coachwork he developed in conjunction with his collaborator André Noel. Noel prioritized lightness, central weight distribution, capacious luggage boxes and distinctively angular lines. The 1930s models with underslung chassis were strikingly low. Always producing limited quantity unusual cars for the well to do, like so many companies whose income required 'the wealthy' in the worsening world wide Depression, he went officially bust in 1945, after spending the early war producing war machinery.
In the early 1930s, Gabriel Voisin could not pay all of his draftsmen any more and a young creative engineer named André Lefèbvre quit, recommended by Gabriel to Louis Renault. Lefèbvre finally entered Citroën where he led three particularly significant car projects: the Traction Avant, the 2CV and the DS, using a lot of Gabriel's lessons. Old Gabriel left a big footprint of unique ideas, though few actual cars.
Double click on the image to enlarge for details.
AS ALWAYS....COMMENTS & INVITATIONS with AWARD BANNERS will be respectfully DELETED!
What a fantastic afternoon for an invigorating walk in the stunning Alaskan wilderness! Dozer and I thoroughly enjoyed the pleasantly surprising 20-degree temperatures, basking in every delightful ray of sunshine. As we made our way back to our peaceful pond nestled among towering trees, we were thrilled to spot a variety of moose tracks and coyote signs, which highlight the vibrant life thriving here. We also discovered the playful traces of energetic squirrels and sleek ermines, along with our cherished coyote tracks. Dozer's enthusiasm for uncovering these signs of life is truly contagious. Although we stay watchful for any wildlife, prioritizing our safety, the breathtaking landscape around us makes every moment feel like a true adventure. Experiencing nature like this is not just a joy—it's a remarkable journey that truly refreshes the spirit!
An eddy formed by a downed log collects a treasure trove of bright, yellow Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaves along the Saint Vrain River, Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado.
My wife and I came up here on a beautiful Sunday morning sans boys. The oldest is deep into his teenage years, and he prioritizes sleeping late over tramping about in the forest with his parents. The youngest son is almost a teenager, and he occasionally manifests a stubborn streak that is somewhat profound. On this morning, he did NOT want to go for a hike with his parents either. We therefore left the two doofuses to their own (probably electronic) devices, and we abandoned collecting apples around Boulder in favor of cooler, higher, much more colorful country to the west. It was, perhaps, a brief prelude to what life might transform into 10 years from now. Assuming my knees still work in 10 years' time.
Thank you low angle sunlight for illuminating the Great Northern herald on this veteran bridge. I have been wanting this photo for years, but I neither prioritized it or studied if the sun gets low enough to shine on the entirety of the GN logo. One day heading over to Saint Paul, I was driving on 15th Avenue and saw it was lit up perfectly. I fortunately had my camera and grabbed several angles.
I have seen this GN herald and thought a lot about if any other bridges in the Great Northern system had GN text or advertising. None that I am aware of besides this one. If you know of a bridge with Great Northern text, please let me know in the comments.
With a Paducah Rebuild GP10 in tow, BNSF Train J ABIAUM1 30A rounds the curve at 30th Street as it leaves the KCT Railway for the BNSF Ft. Scott Sub. on Main Track 2 as Engineer Wil Burke gives us a friendly wave.
Though the "high-wide" symbol might be somewhat misleading, railroads commonly use this prefix type on expedited or high value moves to differentiate from other less prioritized trains, or ones that require less special handling. The hopper car is along for the ride to satisfy minimum axle requirements for properly shunting signal systems.
The GP10 was built for Illinois Central as GP9 IC 9120 in 12-1955 with a builder number of 20758 frame number 5409-3. In March 1973 it emerged from shop as a graduate of the ICG's Paducah Rebuild program as ICG 8329 as a GP10. It was later sold to the US Army, and renumbered USAX 1873. Later retired and sold to S&S Leasing and renumbered SSRX 1873, it soon found a new home on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and renumbered MRSR 9120, regaining its original number, while owned by American Heritage Railways in 2016.
It was painted in the Milwaukee Road-inspired livery as seen here and pulled trains in Washington until COVID-19 shut the railroad down, and eventually forced AHR to seek a new owner.
The locomotive was then moved into storage on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad in Abilene, KS; the ASVR being a fairly recently affiliated partner with AHR. The Branson Scenic Railway was purchased by AHR in 2024, and the movement of the locomotive was expedited to that property in this special move in order to restore service for their busy Independence Day holiday week of excursions due to their GP30, BSRX 99 experiencing a sudden prime mover failure.
The engine was interchanged to the MNA Railroad at Aurora, MO, quickly wyed, and raced to Branson to be placed in service. By July 3rd it had been turned, serviced, tested, and re-lettered to pull the train out of Branson, facing south.
Locomotive: HRMX 9120
6-30-25
Kansas City, MO
Thanks to a tip from Steven McKay (who I owe) on its departure, I prioritized train pictures over sleep, despite having to be up early for work, because it's not everyday we get NS heritage units. Clipping along at track speed, NS 1069, the Virginian unit, leads CSX Q384 under the signal bridge at West End Howell in Howell, MI.