Untitled (Hunger 4), 1996, 7" x 7" x 4", tempera on ceramic bowl. Private collection.

This painting is from a series of 21 paintings on the bottom surface of traditional Korean bowls - done for an exhibition I had at Art Space Seoul in Korea in 1997. A couple years ago, as I was writing some thoughts on my work to a colleague, it occurred that I had not explained publicly my thinking about and reason for making this work. This seems pretty important given the problematic territory that this work wanders into. What follows is an excerpt from my correspondence:

Around 1995 the “special needs” school that our daughter Temma had been attending for 6 years – Lakeview Learning Center – was preparing to close. I was working at the school on a large painting (titled Big Picture) of the classroom for “severely and profoundly disabled” children that Temma was part of. While working on this large painting I was given a collection of miscellaneous photographs documenting the students in their daily life at the school. Also around this time I was offered an exhibition with a gallery in South Korea, the country where I grew up (my parents were medical missionaries). I decided to make work for this show based on the photographs that I had been given of students from Lakeview Learning Center as a way of making present a population that was largely invisible / marginalized in Korea at that time. My goal in making these paintings was to select photographs that (for me) most powerfully expressed the humanity of these children. In making the paintings my intent was to try to represent them as best as I could in accordance to how I perceived them via the photographs: that is, as completely and compellingly human. Despite my ambivalence about using other people’s photographs as sources for paintings, these photographs – apparently taken by the staff of the school - offered a kind of “objective” perspective on the children somewhat fitting for my relative distance from them personally. That said, to the extent that these children were part of a community of which my daughter was a part I felt it was appropriate to make paintings based representing them.

This latter point is important in relation to the fundamental intent of this project. While I was attempting to portray the children in all their individuality evident in the photographic sources, I was doing so with the primary goal of presenting them as a community: a community as evidently diverse and complex (in various respects) as any other.

There is a well-known (in Korea) poem by the Korean Catholic “Minjung” writer Kim Chi Ha that has an essentially Eucharistic refrain: “God is rice”. In allusion to that poem I decided to do a series of 21 paintings on Korean rice bowls (a very commonly used kind of bowl). More specifically, as an allusion to the marginalization of this population I made the paintings on the bottom / underside (typically unseen) surface of the bowls. In using the rice bowl I not only wanted to draw a connection to Kim Chi Ha’s poem, but further to the movement of Minjung Art that had grown in vitality at the ending period of Korea’s long dictatorship (the early ‘80s). The Minjung Art movement (which, especially in the person of the artist Im Ok Sang, had been very influential for me) made the empowerment of the poor and the marginalized their priority. My hope was to situate the subject of the work I was making – at that time still a largely marginalized community - in the context of the Minjung political imperative.

In this work I was attempting to represent these children as faithfully as I could. It might be helpful to unpack my thinking “representation” a bit: Painting, particularly realistic / representational painting is frequently thought of / received in relation to the convention of “mastery”. That is, when one makes a realistic painting it might be understood as an artists’ claim of mastery and, implicitly, as their claim to an authority over the subject represented. I do not have any interest in that way of approaching painting. I am interested in painting that is a kind of conversation with the material used to make it (as opposed to painting as about control or domination of the material). No less importantly, I’m interested in painting as a regarding of the subject in humility: an attempt to represent the subject as honestly, accurately and respectfully as possible. Put another way: painting for me is learning how to make this painting in relation to trying to understand and represent this subject.

Taking that word representation a bit further: it is of course a reasonable question to ask whether one has the right to represent (make or take a picture of) another person – particularly someone who is not able to give consent. And it is reasonable to question whether I – even as the parent of a member of that community and trusted by the staff of that community – have the right to represent the students. But no less important is the other side of this question: the right of each person to be represented (both literally, in the sense of being pictured, and - via metaphoric implication - politically). In the case of this particular population and the particular context in which these paintings were being shown my intention was to make and show these representational paintings of these children as a claim to their right (authority) to be represented: Particularly towards the goal of advocating the presence of members of this population as they existed in that country at that time.

Click the following link for an essay on this and other work included in an exhibition at Art Space Seoul in Seoul, South Korea in 1997.

www.timlowly.com/resources/tglparksj.html

The No.21 leads the No.40 through the Bombhole corner during Sunday afternoon. The White G R Racing car finished 12th overall and 6th in class and the Blueberry Muffins team had a problematic race but still took the chequered flag in 21st and 13th in class.

I just got my Westcott umbrella flash kit and just testing it out....yay! For the entire week, I will post nothing but portraits to get used to it :=) I don't know yet how to use it properly/correctly so your positive criticism, comments, or suggestions are very welcome!

Strobist Info:

Canon 430ex II left of subject @ 1/4 power, bounced off Westcott umbrella

Vivitar digital slave flash right of subject, bare

Thanks for your visit, comments, and faves!

View large on black

My grand Scandinavian Aviation Tour 1982

After taking the night ferry from Sweden, we arrived at Turku on the morning of 3rd June, and after a bit of sightseeing we went to visit my first Finnish airport/airfield at Turku Åbo. Like many of those we visited, the civil and military operated side-by-side.

On the second day of our 'grand tour' we visited Tampere and Jyväskylä. Near to the latter's airport, in Tikkakoski, is the Finnish Air Force Museum which has an impressive collection of aircraft both old and new. See: airforcemuseum.fi

GN-104 Folland Gnat F.1 The Finnish Air Force received the first of its 13 Gnats (11 fighters and 2 photo-reconnaissance planes) on 30 July 1958. It was soon found to be a problematic aircraft in service and required a lot of ground maintenance. In early 1957 a licence agreement was reached to allow Valmet to build the Gnat at Tampere in Finland, although, in the end, none were built. On 31 July 1958, Finnish Air Force Major Lauri Pekuri, a fighter ace of the Second World War, became the first Finnish pilot to break the sound barrier while flying a Gnat at Lake Luonetjärvi.

The Gnat F.1 proved initially problematic in the harsh Finnish conditions. Finland was the first operational user of Gnat F.1, and the plane still had many issues yet to be resolved. All Gnats were grounded for half a year on 26 August 1958 after the destruction of GN-102 due to a technical design error in its hydraulic system, and the aircraft soon became the subject of severe criticism. Three other aircraft were also destroyed in other accidents, with two pilots ejecting and one being killed. Once the initial problems were ironed out, the plane proved to be extremely manouevreable and had good performance in the air, but also to be very maintenance intensive. The availability of spare parts was always an issue, and its maintenance a challenge to the conscript mechanics. The Gnats were removed from active service in 1972 when the Häme Wing moved to Rovaniemi, and when the new Saab 35 Drakens were brought into use.

The Finnish Air Force serial codes for Folland Gnat were GN-100 - GN-113 and its usual nickname was Nutikka ("Stubby"). Several Finnish Gnat F.1s still survive either as museum pieces or memorials. One airframe, GN-113, is in private ownership.

In the background is Mil Mi-4 HR-1 which was also awaiting restoration, looking awfully similar to a Westland Whirlwind :)

My grand Scandinavian Aviation Tour 1982

After making four successful tours of Northern Europe, in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981, made primarily to visit some of the major airports to feed my need to see 'exotic' aircraft, but also to take in the experience of travel abroad, I was lucky to take part in my most interesting and adventurous tour in 1982 - to Scandinavia! Inspired by my long-term affinity with the region (being 6' 2" and blonde I am obviously descended from the Vikings :) I planned the trip to take in the following countries: Norway, Sweden and Finland. For some reason, I couldn't engineer Denmark into my two-week itinerary! The main goal for me was to explore some of Finland, and in particular, to at least see the border with Russia a.k.a. the U.S.S.R. :)

As Finland was the most interesting country of the three for me, I engineered quite a long visit to the country [six days] and managed to visit six of the nine military airfields located in the southern part of the country:

1) Helsinki-Malmi

2) Utti

3) Turku-Abo (shared civil airport)

4) Tampere-Pirkkala

5) Jyväskylä-Luonetjarvi (shared civil airport)

6) Kuopio-Rissala

as well as

7) Helsinki-Vantaa (shared civil airport)

Jyväskylä Airport is an airport in Jyväskylä, Finland. It is located in the center of the Finnish Lake District approximately 20 km north of the centre of Jyväskylä. The Air Force Academy Flight School and the Air Force Academy Supporting Air Operations Wing are stationed at the airport. The main campus of the Air Force Academy is about 5km from the airport. The Finnish Air Force Museum (Aviation Museum of Central Finland) is located near the airport.

The Finnish Air Force Museum, formerly the Aviation Museum of Central Finland is an aviation museum located near Jyväskylä Airport in Tikkakoski, Jyväskylä, Finland. The museum exhibits the aviation history of Finland, from the early 1900s until today. The museum is owned by the Foundation of Aviation Museum of Central Finland (Finnish: Keski-Suomen Ilmailumuseosäätiö). More info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Air_Force_Museum

The exhibition consists of aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment which has been used by the Finnish Air Force.

Taken with a Soviet made Zenith TTL camera and standard lens.

You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/

DCR 60055 travels along the West Anglia Main Line at Ely on Friday 9th August 2024. The grey livery 'Tug' hauls a rake of empty JNA box wagons from Brandon to Kings Lynn, via a run round opposite Ely station. The lineside growth at this location in particular is becoming more problematic, especially at this time of year. Even the full height of my pole has not enabled me to get above the first bush by the locomotive. (Photo taken with pole)

El Valle de los Caídos -- literally, the Valley of the Fallen -- is a problematic place. It was commissioned by Franco to commemorate those who perished in the Spanish Civil War that brought him to power, and was designed to be monumental in every regard: the 150-meter cross topping the hill over the basilica is the largest in the world, and the basilica itself, carven into the mountain below, actually had to be redesigned after it was discovered it would have been larger than St. Paul's in Vatican City, which would have been a step too far.

It also, even more controversially, serves as Franco's burial site, and thus attracts a certain Francoist attention. This led the Cortes -- Spain's parliament -- to pass a law directing that Franco be re-interred somewhere less troubling. That directive was tied up in courts for some time, as the law sidestepped the difficult question of whither exactly Franco should be moved. That standstill was in place when we visited, and thus Franco's grave -- reading simply Francisco Franco in unadorned and unpolished stone -- was still there. Shortly afterwards, on 24 September, the stay of action was lifted by the unanimous decision of the nation's highest court, and the exhumation was expected to occur within a month or two. We may thus be some of the final visitors to ever see Franco in situ.

The weather was perfectly appropriate: cloudy, dismal, and grey, with a thick mist pouring over the rock hill. It cleared for a moment at one point, and the cross loomed dimly into view from the swirl of fog.

The open drawbridge over the Maumee River at Toledo, and the "new" (not new anymore) bridge that replaced it. The drawbridge was problematic because that is I-280, and Interstate Highway that essentially links I-80, the Ohio Turnpike, with I-75 to Detroit. In other words, this is the main artery from the Eastern U.S. to Detroit...

The cable-stayed bridge is massive, and very high, enabling ships into Toledo off Lake Erie.

One of Bolles' best but also most problematic covers. It was painted 75 years ago yets its transgressive frisson remains undimmed with time. As just one example, notice how the posing (not positioning) of the fingers adds an additonal element of tension and more important, self-awareness. She was not caught unawares.

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We tend to gather ourselves in homogenous groups. And generally with good justification - the familiar is safe, and we tend to expand on our own interests.

As a first step, it's deeply problematic. "I want to know what I know". It's a step that faces inward.

To face the unknown, have courage to look away from the familiar, is to have faith. To expand your energy and become a new person - it comes across a bit airy-fairy but it makes for a fulfilling life.

So do something different - step out of the comfort zone. Turn away from the familiar. There's a lot more out there.

Photographing in the dark woods, in shadows, makes exposure niceties problematic. Subject trumps (er...maybe I need a different word there) exposure. Catching this Robin with a beak full of food was very fortunate.

A general view of Nottingham Freightliner Terminal sees Peak no. 45117 waiting time with 4S86 Nottingham FLT - Coatbridge on 10th July 1978.

This shot was taken from Boots Bridge and the skyline of Nottingham some 3-4 miles away can be seen in the distance.

I used to look forward to the summer months when snapping this train became possible. However with a departure time around 7.10pm, and my diehard addiction to Agfa CT18 (50asa), it required good weather to get a passable result. Even then Toton Yard was about as far as it could get before shutter speeds became too problematical. What price digital back then!

This is not a captive. Although one can't tell from this image, the winds were extreme ( 90 km) when I took this shot. I think this one let me get so close because flying away was problematic. It was hunkered down on some hay bales.

WIP

Getting something remotely close to Hulk size is proving problematic :/

This is in a rough-but-close state I would say.

66094 passes Southside,Warkworth today with 4E96 Mossend-Tees Dock.The problematic tree at this location has gone ,allowing a clean view to the north

4F 43924 climbs up the hill towards Oakworth with the first train of the day from Keighley. The wind here to be proved stronger than I thought and I only just got away with it as the steam from the relief valves was very problematic but luckily the steam managed to stay up for this exposure.

It is very rare for me to take photos at the feeder, much less post them. Occasionally though, the photo sometimes tells a little story. To me, this one seems to indicate this may have been a bit more problematic to get to the food than the poor bird first anticipated. At least that is my interpretation.

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The 'Phantomhive' League:

In the last years of the Victorian era, a new league of extraordinary gentlemen was proposed. With many considerations for members to protect the imperial crown. One such was the 'Phantomhive' League, however certain behaviours of league members were considered too 'problematic' and this league was scrapped in consideration of the well known 'Murray league'

L to R:

Phileas Fogg (around the world in 80 days) an adventurer known for circumnavigating the globe in less than 80 days. Fogg would provide the league with transportation and navigation routes for their missions.

Alice Liddell (Alice in Wonderland/American McGee's Alice)

A young lady with a dark past, Alice has the ability to alter realities and travel to and from this world to her 'wonderland'. She has been in and out of asylums throughout her life. Gaining a rather unpredictable reputation.

Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler) The demon butler to the Earl Ciel Phantomhive. Sebastian made a Faustian contract with the young earl after the death of his parents. In return for serving and protecting Ciel, Sebastian would receive his soul once his quest for vengeance was completed. With superhuman capabilities, Sebastian is known to be 'One hell of a butler'.

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler) The Earl of Phantomhive manor and the 'Queen's guard dog' Ciel has worked tirelessly to serve the imperial crown and gain notoriety as the owner of a successful toy and confectionery company. Aided by his demon butler, Ciel hides the mark of his Faustian contract engraved on his eye behind an eyepatch. Cold, ruthless and calculating. Ciel would have been the leader of this fractured league.

Ebenezer Scrooge: a miserly business man turned philanthropist, Scrooge's change in behaviour was caused by 'divine intervention' on Christmas Eve. He began to become more charitable and generous with his wealth. Yet had more questions about the great beyond. In his retirement he began to investigate the paranormal, searching for more answers on the great beyond.

The Blackpool Tramway runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England. The line dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. It is operated by Blackpool Transport (BTS) and runs for 11 miles (18 km). It carried 5.1 million passengers between March 2016 and March 2017.

It is the last surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom, though the majority of services on the line have since 2012 been operated by a fleet of modern Flexity 2 trams. A 'heritage service' using the traditional trams now operates on Bank Holidays and weekends from March to November, as well as during the Blackpool Illuminations. Excluding museums, it is one of only a few tramways in the world to still use double-deck trams, others including the Hong Kong Tramways and the Alexandria Tram in Egypt.

History

The first part opened on 29 September 1885, a conduit line from Cocker Street to Dean Street on Blackpool Promenade. It was one of the first practical electric tramways in the world, just six years after Werner von Siemens first demonstrated electric traction. The inauguration was presided over by Holroyd Smith, the inventor of the system and Alderman Harwood, the Mayor of Manchester.

It was operated by the Blackpool Electric Tramway Company until 1892 when its lease expired and Blackpool Corporation took over. A line was added in 1895 from Manchester Square along Lytham Road to South Shore, extended to South Pier with a line on Station Road connecting Lytham Road to the promenade in 1897.

Conduit operation, in which trams took electricity from a conduit below and between the tracks, though very successful in locations such as town or city centres, proved to be very problematic on a line so close to the coast. During bad weather, sea water washed over the track and into the conduit where it short circuited the traction supply and operated the circuit breakers in the power station. Sand from the beaches was blown across the tracks and filled up the conduits. It was constantly necessary to remove this sand, as the addition of sea water would leave the conduits filled with wet sand which short circuited the supply. Another problem was that electrical resistance was greater than anticipated and the voltage in portions of the conduit was far less than that generated at Blundell Street – 230V dropped to 210V at the junction with the main line on the Promenade, 185V at Cocker Street and 168V at South Pier (then Victoria Pier).

In 1899 550V overhead wiring was installed and the conduit removed. In 1900 the line was extended north to Gynn Square where it linked up with the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad. In 1901 the Marton loop was opened, connecting Talbot Square and Central Station along Church Street, Devonshire Square, Whitegate Drive, Waterloo Road and Central Drive. A new depot was built on Whitegate Drive in Marton. A line was added from Talbot Square along Talbot Road to Layton in 1902. By 1903 the promenade line had reached the Pleasure Beach. In 1920 Blackpool Corporation took over the tramroad, gaining eight miles (13 km) of track and three depots, two in Fleetwood and one in Bispham. The small Bold Street Depot in Fleetwood was closed and a loop constructed at Fleetwood Ferry.

The original Blundell Street Depot was replaced by a larger depot on Rigby Road in 1920. Along the line to Fleetwood, between Rossall and Broadwater a more direct line was built in 1925. The final tramway extension was in 1926, along the promenade to Clifton Drive at Starr Gate where a connection was made with Lytham St. Annes Corporation Tramways

In the 1930s manager Walter Luff, as part of a five-year plan for modernisation, introduced a fleet of modern streamlined tramcars including the English Electric double-deck Luxury Dreadnoughts (later known as 'Balloons') and single-deck open-topped Open Boats and enclosed Railcoaches. These formed the backbone of the fleet into the 21st century. In 1936 route closures began with the Central Drive and Layton routes. Lytham Road closed in 1961, Marton in 1962 and the tramroad line on Dickson Road to North Station in 1963. Marton and Copse Road Depots closed in 1963 and Bispham Depot in 1966. This left the line from Starr Gate to Fleetwood, which remains. Blackpool Borough Council transferred the operation of the tramway and buses to Blackpool Transport Services Limited in 1986.

Blackpool was the only town in the UK that retained its trams and between 1962 and 1992 it had the only urban tramway in the UK. The last English city to lose its conventional trams was Sheffield in 1960. The last in the UK was Glasgow in 1962. The 1992 opening of the Metrolink in Manchester heralded a revival.

Following the Government's pledge in 2000 to build 25 new tram networks by 2010, a £1 billion bid for a Government grant was launched by Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council in 2002 to expand the tram network to St. Annes to the south and new housing estates in Fleetwood to the north, with a possible further phase to Poulton-Le-Fylde and Thornton. In 2004 campaigners behind the bid expressed disappointment that nothing had been done to take the plans forward in two years. By November 2007 there was no further development.

For the first time the entire tramway was closed in November 2007 for five months of essential repair work, the second phase of an £11.8 million upgrade. In January 2007 the City Class 611 prototype "supertram" was being tested on the tramway when it caught fire as it approached Central Pier, causing extensive damage. The driver escaped when the electrical console in the cab reportedly blew up. The tram, manufactured by Merseyside based Tram Power, was being tested as part of a bid to replace the current trams. The tramcar was rebuilt at a cost of £150,000 but was not permitted to resume trials; it is currently scheduled to form part of a trial park & ride tram line in Preston. The same tram had derailed on 30 May 2006 at Starr Gate loop during previous trials. A Rail Accident Investigation Branch report stated that the derailment was due to wear and tear on the track with a contributory factor being the new type of running gear on the tram.

On 1 February 2008 it was announced that the Government had agreed to the joint BTS and Blackpool Council bid for funding toward the total upgrade of the track. The Government were to contribute £60.3M of the total £85.3M cost. Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council would each provide about £12.5M. The Government's decision meant that the entire tramway was upgraded and 16 Flexity 2 trams replaced the fleet.

The tramway resurfacing works and construction of a tram shed at Starr Gate meant no trams operated south of the Pleasure Beach from 2009 until the new trams entered service in April 2012 and track work at Cleveleys halted services north of Little Bispham. A replacement bus service operated.

In 2011 the line voltage was raised to 600 V in anticipation of the arrival of the new rolling stock. 6 November 2011 marked the last day of running for the traditional tram fleet. The tramway reopened on 4 April 2012 with Flexity 2 cars providing day to day services. Some of the traditional fleet has been retained and some of them have been restored, with unmodified trams being part of the 'Heritage Fleet' and modified, widened trams as part of the main fleet. The new depot at Starr Gate houses the Flexity 2 fleet. The Rigby Road depot, near Manchester Square, is where the traditional trams are kept. Much work is being put in to make sure that the traditional trams have a safe future.

Today

Trams run from Starr Gate in the south to Fleetwood in the north. Some services, especially in busy periods such as during Blackpool Illuminations or on bank holidays, start or terminate short at Cleveleys, Little Bispham, Bispham, or the Pleasure Beach to allow a more intensive service through the centre of Blackpool. During the Illuminations, decorated trams carry passengers on the promenade along the illuminated area, running from Pleasure Beach to Bispham.

The Flexity 2 trams now operate main services, with modified Balloon double-deck trams available if necessary. Unmodified, traditional trams provide a 'heritage service' on weekends, bank holidays and summer months, as well as operate on tours during the illuminations. They stop only at special 'heritage stops' next to normal tram stops at Pleasure Beach, North Pier, Cabin, Bispham, Cleveleys and Fleetwood Ferry. [Wikipedia]

I can never get enough of these guys, they're so beautiful, and usually make home visits. Unfortunately we had one hit a nearby window on Sunday. We were able to transport it to the local wildlife hospital, and I really hope it's doing alright. They noted that waxwings are sturdy and they usually have success rehabilitating them, but I still really worry about the little guy. I think it may have been mainly a broken toe and shock from the freezing snow, as it seemed slightly better once it was moved inside, although not well enough to fly off on its own sadly. They seemed really hopeful in the hospital, so I'm trying to stay positive as well.

I really feel horrible about the incident and would like to prevent anything like it happening in the future, so if anyone has any success stories with glass stickers or whatnot please let me know! The glass is in an awkward place and unremovable, and we have avoided placing feeders or anything that might attract attention around it. I think it only becomes an issue when there's massive flocks which take up the entire tree, and start having to move onto the balcony to try and find a perch (and even then they usually avoid the deck due to an omnipresent indoor cat who seems glued to the problematic glass). But even so, I'd like to be prepared and do anything to avoid it, so if anyone has any sticker recommendations or whatnot please let me know, thanks!

Taken in Kamloops, BC.

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The Philippine tarsier, (Tarsius syrichta) is very peculiar small animal. In fact it is one of the smallest known primates, no larger than a adult men's hand. Mostly active at night, it lives on a diet of insects. Folk traditions sometimes has it that tarsiers eat charcoal, but actually they retrieve the insects from (sometimes burned) wood. It can be found in the islands of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao in the Philippines.

The Philippine tarsier is a tiny animal, measuring about 85 to 160 millimetres (3.35 to 6.30 in) in height makes this one of the smallest primates. The small size makes it difficult to spot. The mass for males is between 80 and 160 grams, usually lighter for females. The average adult is about the size of a human fist and will fit very comfortably in the human hand. Like all tarsiers, the Philippine tarsier's eyes are fixed in its skull; they cannot turn in their sockets. Instead, a special adaptation in the neck allows its round head to be rotated 180 degrees. The large membranous ears are mobile, appearing to be almost constantly moving, allowing the tarsier to hear any movement. It has uniquely large eyes, the largest eyes on any mammal in proportion to its body size. These huge eyes provide this nocturnal animal with excellent night vision.

"The world's smallest monkey" is an often heard slogan. However, it is not a monkey. In truth, its classification is somewhat problematic. Some scientists consider tarsiers to be a taxonomic suborder among the primates. While, because they are closely related to lemurs, lorises and bushbabies, others classify them with the prosimians to which these animals belong. Monkeys and apes belong to the suborder of anthropoids.

One way or the other, it is incredibly cute little animal and for me it will always be animal incaration of Jedi Yoda from the Star Wars.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM; Focal length: 200.00 mm; Aperture: 4.0; Exposure time: 1/60 s; ISO: 2000

All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova www.luciedebelkova.com

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

In this photo, we're looking north from a building on S.W. 10th Avenue in downtown Portland.

Portland's iconic Powell's Books is in the middle-right distance on the north side of S.W. Burnside Street, which runs from east (right) to west (left). It's the first square building and its storefront is noticeable because of the large red-and-white sign for Powell's Books.

In the middle distance on the left are the twin tanks and the slender black tower of the former Henry Weinhard brewery. It was once the tallest landmark on that part of Broadway. When I moved here and for several decades thereafter, the aroma of brewing beer would waft over the neighborhood, a reminder that all was right with the world.

The north side of Burnside street is marked by a sold row of buildings that are taller and occupy a larger footprint than the structures in the foreground.

That is the Pearl District, a neighborhood that did not exist when I moved here over 40 years ago. Some time in the 1990s this old warehouse district, with its charming brick buildings, cobblestone streets, disused railroad tracks and abundant vacant lots began to attract the attention of developers.

At first the changes were minor; some warehouses were repurposed as artists' lofts. Then the big money arrived and the area was transformed beyond recognition. Fortunately, because of today's appreciation for historic buildings and the abundance of vacant property, no truly significant structures have been demolished.

Portland, which had never embraced condominiums, suddenly had block after block of high rises with residences above ground floor retail and restaurants. Several new parks were created. The old Armory building, with its lovely red brick and black granite base, was rescued from obscurity and converted into a two-stage theater. Some penthouses there have sweeping views of the river, Mt. St. Helens and the Cascades.

Interestingly, the Pearl District came to be without the involvement of the city´s urban renewal agency. I suppose the area didn't meet the necessary criteria to be considered "blighted," a term of art that in the past in Portland has tragically been synonymous with areas occupied by immigrants or people of color.

Today, the Portland Development Commission has changed its name to Prosper Portland. It is hilarious to watch the organization whitewash its deplorable past and strive to be woker than woke. It even went so far as to welcome Women's Month with a tweet using the highly problematic term "womxn." Within a day or so a contrite Prosper Portland had to walk that back. LOL

I wouldn't live in the Pearl because most of the condominiums have no views worth mentioning and because garbage collection is notoriously noisy early in the morning. Also, the neighborhood lacks practical amenities such as a Postal Annex, a dry cleaner. a tailor and a hardware store, all of which are just a few minutes away from where I live.

This was taken partly for the 52 Weeks for Dogs "May Flowers" challenge... & partly because I never *can* resist taking photos of dogs with flowers (as both Flynn & his big brother Barney could confirm!). Our local woods are so pretty this time of year, with many different species of wildflowers to be found alongside the paths. The bluebells are just past their peak now but new flowers seem to appear every day.

Our little market town is something of a tourist attraction, so some weekends in spring & summer the woods are very busy with visitors. I wouldn't mind too much but Flynn can be somewhat nervy around new dogs, particularly if they look like bouncy or pushy types & though he's never been problematic around kids, given his past behavioural issues, I am cautious about letting him run about near children. This means that on days when the woods are crowded, we often end up hiding & taking "paths" which are likely used mostly by deer & badgers & are usually quite overgrown, sometimes disappearing entirely. Flynn, being the sensitive little flower he is, occasionally threatens to go on strike during these mini- adventures off the beaten track because he strongly objects to walking over any kind of spiky plant, or having to wriggle through brambles! However, we were lucky today, especially given it's a bank holiday weekend. We spent a good hour or two slowly pottering along, stopping for photos & saw only 2 other people the entire time. Just how we like it!!

In this one little area of California, we have Black-necked Stilts year-round. These graceful little beauties inhabit our estuaries around the Bay, but with all that, spotting one and getting one can be problematic. But that's the nature of photographing nature, isn't it?

Factoid: They have the second longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by the flamingos.

This iconic hood ornament, shown here on a 1948 Pontiac Silver Streak 8 was seen at the 2021 Ol' Marais River Run Car Show held in Ottawa Kansas. Chief Pontiac was from the Ottawa tribe ironic as it seems the name of the town this car show was held.

Chief Pontiac was the inspiration for over 40 different mascots from 1926 to 1955, the longest use of the same symbol each year by any carmaker.5 Pontiac, the son of an Ottawa father and Ojibway mother, lived from about 1720 to 1769. As the chief of the Ottawa Tribe he united six tribes to assist the French against the British during the Seven Years War. His legendary reputation derives from his fierce, but ultimately unsuccessful, six-month siege of Fort Detroit, and his dream of building a united Native American front against the European colonizers. Since production

of the Pontiac began in Pontiac, Michigan, the wily and strong leader became an apt, yet problematic, symbol for General Motors. Chief Pontiac’s name was first aligned with the car in 1926 when the new six-cylinder version went on the market and the company copyrighted a coin depicting the Chief inscribed with the words “Chief of the Sixes.”6 Native Americans, as is well known, became intertwined with consumer capitalism in America through the mass circulation of their imprint on coins, advertisements, and products from the late nineteenth century onward.

That Chief Pontiac, a strong but defeated warrior, would become the trademark for the Pontiac for decades to follow, exemplifies the ubiquity of mascots and other forms of “playing Indian” in what has aptly been called a “celebration

of the Indian sacrifice in the name of imperial progress according to the divine plan of Manifest Destiny.”7 To be sure, American cultural identity and the fate of the Indian have always been interconnected and mascots, like masks, allowed for the endless replay of the dynamics of imperial power—or, the fiercer the enemy, the stronger the aggressor. As product signifiers, such mascots attested to the triumph of America’s consumer culture, so identified with megalithic corporations such as General Motors. Indeed, advertising images of the conquest serve as an implied affirmation of the civilized status of consumers.8

Prime exemplars of this critique, Pontiac hood ornaments existed as well in a specific historical moment

and had particular attributes. While different names appear on the patents for these ornaments, they were the products of Harley Earl’s famous Art and Color section of General Motors which expanded in 1938 into the Styling section.9 The designers (working together in a guild like tradition) and Earl above all, had the final say in the overall look of

the new vehicles, but they avoided discussing specific design issues with the press. In the numerous interviews compiled by the Benson Ford Research Center, General Motors

and Ford designers skirted the issues of style, imagery, or trademark branding. Nonetheless, the hood ornaments were carefully created with attention to design and signification. The Art and Color section became known for introducing a new model annually in the spirit of “dynamic obsolescence.” Alfred Sloan, the chief executive officer of General Motors, promoted this policy—a reflection of the company’s realization during World War II that consumers ranked styling as their primary consideration in purchasing cars.

David Gartman has outlined the steady usurpation of power by the designers over market researchers and even engineers. By 1932 the GM sales division had surveyed over a million motorists and concluded that primarily practical concerns led to their buying preferences. In deference

to these results the company designed a tailored car with little chrome embellishment. It failed financially, thereby supporting Earl’s growing fantastical aspirations11 which

led ultimately to the lavish fifties automobiles with enough “brightwork” for designer Raymond Loewy to deem them “jukeboxes on wheels.”

The head of Chief Pontiac first appeared on radiator caps in the 1920s. After 1935, when the radiator was buried under the hood of the car, designers continued the motif on ornaments bolted to the hood which grew to be called “hood ornaments” in common parlance.13 The initial mascots sported a realistically rendered if exaggerated zinc die cast head of a Native American colored red by copper plating, and marked by three feathers tailing behind. In

the early 1930s General Motors had released the first of five versions of the Indian head in a ring which remained the prototype for Pontiac’s advertising logo. In keeping with prevailing design aesthetics of the time, by 1937 the head had grown into a stylized long, low profile with streamlined feathers trailing behind resembling the elegant locomotives of the period. The ornaments sat perched on the hood of

the car’s characteristic silver-streak trim: parallel chrome lines that adorned the hood from 1935 to 1956 subtly evoked a metaphorical railroad or runway.

World War II had a pivotal effect on General Motors car design as the company became a leading military contractor making its mark with torpedoes launched from aircraft. Hence their 1940s torpedo series with an elongated hood ornament that shot out from the front of a car whose body terminated gracefully in sloping, rear fender panels, as seen in the 1942 streamliner torpedo sedan coupe. At this time the company also experimented with plastic, a material of choice for war equipment, and it began producing the Chief’s head out of red or clear plastic illuminated from inset bulbs, which became a common feature in the hood ornaments. Red or amber plastic (or, sometimes glass), lit from behind, replaced the red copper of earlier decades, but continued to conjure the pejorative epithet “redman” or “redskin.”

In 1949 the feathers of the Native American’s headdress began to sprout stubby wings that grew into the wide airplane wings of the 1950 mascot for the Chieftain Catalina Hardtop, a luxurious Pontiac model fit for the postwar spending spree. This was the first of six flying chief designs.14 The ornament, zinc die cast, and chrome plated, could be ordered with an illuminated amber plastic face insert that

Pontiac sales’ brochures used as a prime marketing strategy. The sleek mascot’s elegant streamlined forms tapering off at the edges of the wings echo the chrome embellishments on the car itself which sweep across the vehicle’s body tapering down towards the rear fenders and dipping beneath the rear window. Earl is credited with a total design concept where all elements reinforce each other aesthetically, as seen in the ornament’s aesthetic relationship to the overall car design. No detail was too small for consideration.

I know that this picture is not technically as good as it should be. It has a lot of problems - the composition and the angle of this shot are somewhat problematic, it is noisy and it isn't as sharp as it should be. But more than an amateur photographer I'm a father, and as a father I really like this photograph. I was able to freeze a moment of pure happiness. She jumped from a little rock and was happy and proud and I was able to capture her when she raised her hands and shouted "I did it".

Tested the Elmar 135 mm f/4 on Leica M6.

f/4 1/30 s from monopod at 3,5 m distance

HP5+ in Xtol Stock 8 min at 20°C

DSLR scan: Nikon D90 with Elmar 5cm f/3.5

Some people warned me that focussing with a 135mm lens on a RF would be problematic. I shot an entire roll (different apertures at different distances). There seemed to be no problem at all. Just one shot was a bit blurry because the shutter speed was too slow (1/15 s without monopod or tripod). I am hapy with the results.

History of the Theatre per its website

"In spite of the Cairasco Teatro being in existence since 1845, now the location of the present day Gabinete Literario (Literary Cabinet), it was clear to the city of Las Palmas by the middle of the 19th century that the construction of a new theatre was necessary. The main reasons for such a proposal were undeniable faults in the construction of the theatre, an increase in population and interest as well as it being the wish of the ruling class. The city of Las Palmas requested a more ambitious theatral building which was in accordance with the requirements of the society of that period

With this aim in mind, a private joint stock company was founded in 1866 which dealt with problems such as economic matters, the site of the future construction of the building and choosing the architect to take charge of the project. The first matter was taken care of by contributions from people and organisations of great economic power, as well as the unselfish collaboration of the remainder of society, by both the wealthy and the humble citizens.

The decision to locate the new theatre turned out to be more problematic, given that no location could be found which fulfilled all the necessary requirements. Finally the Boca-Barranco or the Pescadería (Fishmonger's) was suggested, which met the three main conditions: it was centrally situated, the shape and dimensions were suitable, and the location had easy access and visibility. However its juxtaposition to the sea, to the mouth of the ravine and the fishmonger's caused controversy amongst the citizens. The fact is that witty criticism arose being it captured on sketches and in verse by Benito Pérez Galdós (Who was the stupid patriot? / Who was the vandal patriot? / Who thought of the vaults / of this Aquatic Teatro? ...").

After several formalities and with a certain degree of apprehension by the locals, the architect Francisco Jareño y Alarcon (1818 – 1892), born in Albacete and resident in Madrid, was commissioned to take charge of the works of art for the project. This was to be approved on May 22nd, 1868.

In 1888 and before the impending visit of the famous Italian tenor Roberto Stagno, passing through Gran Canaria on tour with his company on his way to America, the construction works were speeded up so that a recital could be accommodated and funds be raised. However an unfortunate accident occurred in Puerto de La Luz between a French and an Italian tanker causing fifty-five fatalities, precipitating the Tenor's decision and subsequently the decision of the board of directors to donate all the raised funds to the victims of the tragedy. Thus two years later, in 1890, the solemn inauguration of the Tirso de Molina Theatre takes place with The Traviata, causing the promoters to go bankrupt and culminating in the municipal incumbency of the theatre from 1913.

11 years later on the occasion of the grand success of the première of Electra by Benito Pérez Galdós in 1901, during a solemn tribute a proposal was made to name the new theatre after the writer.

On the night of the 28th of June 1918, a large fire destroyed the theatre's wooden structure almost completely. Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre completed the rebuilding works between 1925 and 1928.

Miguel Martín asked his brother Néstor, artist and painter, for help to decorate the interior of the building. The job was to do the paintings of the Saint-Saëns Hall, the ceiling over the stalls, the stage and to design the stained glass windows and the curtain. After the building works were completed, the theatre organised a lavish re-opening ceremony on the 28th of May 1928 with the premiere of Aida, a four-act opera by Verdi.

The building was listed as a Monument (BIC, from the Spanish) by the Canary Island Government in 1994.

The restoration and development of the Theatre began in 2004, both of the historical building (public area) as well as of the new extension (area for the artists and administration), including the whole scenario from the stage mouth, premises, annexes and other installations.These building works managed to combine the romanticism of the 19th century construction with the advanced theatre technology of the 21st century, thus making it one of the most complete theatres in the country.

The Teatro Pérez Galdós Theatre re-opened on the 14th of April 2007 with a concert given by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria, directed by its tenured conductor, Pedro Halffter, performing Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The performance was broadcast on giant screens for the audience that congregated outside of the theatre. Moreover, to celebrate the re-opening, the Theatre programmed a whole week of performances of all kinds. There were performances by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra of Saint Petersburg and Wagner's opera The Ring of the Nibelungs. The premier of The Ring of the Nibelungs (Ring Cycle)was the perfect vehicle to showcase the new technical and scenic capacities of the Pérez Galdós Theatre, as the first theatre in Spain to put on the entire work in just one week."

To try out Topaz DeNoise AI I decided to redo one of my most noisy and problematic, but still quite cute shots: www.flickr.com/photos/stefankoeder/49378168817/ I reduced the brightness a bit, but I guess you still can see the difference to the picture I tried to denoise a bit before with ACDSee Develop. I'm not so sure about the workflow though as DeNoise AI currently is not able to work with Canon CR3 raw files; so I have to convert to DNG, denoise, open the (now massive) DNG file with ACDSee again and apply all other changes....

Still looks good to me.

The build had one rather problematic part; the pillars have, at the top, a bar running through them. And only 6 of the 14 pillars are connected to studs at the bottom. Spacing them right for the roof to fit well was a bit of a struggle.

I ended up working top-down for this part. I started with the 4x8 and 6x8 plates that top the building (now hidden under the roof), and worked my way downward. Even then it was hard enough, because the bars are a tight fit in the bricks they run through, and moving them so they would connect well was very hard. .

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Littorina fabalis male. A large obvious penis, positioned at the posterior of the head on the right side, is present on mature males in all seasons, and can be exposed on dead or living specimens of both species.

Shell height 12.5mm. Llŷn, North Wales. September 2015.

FULL ACCOUNT BELOW

Sets of OTHER SPECIES:

www.flickr.com/photos/56388191@N08/collections/

PDF available at www.researchgate.net/publication/351037569_Differentiatin... .

Differentiating Littorina obtusata sensu stricto (Linnaeus, 1758)

from Littorina fabalis (Turton, 1825).

Ian F. Smith

Abstract

Adult males of Littorina obtusata sensu stricto and L. fabalis (synonym L. mariae) can be reliably differentiated by the forms of the penes on both extracted dead specimens and unsedated intact animals. Differentiation can often be made within a local population on the basis of shell form, size and colour after these features have been correlated with penis forms in a sample of specimens. The shell features can then be used to identify further local specimens, but cannot be relied on at other localities without confirming penis forms there.

Materials, methods, protocols for acquiring experience, environmental associations of phenotypes, and some sample sites are described and illustrated.

Contents

1. Preliminary check.

2. Taxonomic history.

3. Identification resources.

4. Penis examination methods.

5. Differences in penis morphology.

6. Differences in female anatomy.

7. Differences in shell morphology and colour.

7a. Shell colours.

7b. Shell sizes.

7c. Shell spires.

7d. Shell apertures.

8. Phenotypes of different wave exposures.

8a. Sheltered shores.

8b. Semi-exposed shores.

8c. More exposed shores.

9. Collecting and reliable recording.

10. Acknowledgements.

11. References and web links.

12. Glossary.

1. Preliminary check

Lacuna pallidula, detailed account below image flic.kr/p/hTnxJa , has a similar low spire, very similar spawn, and occurs with L. fabalis on Fucus serratus . It has a much thinner shell with widely open umbilicus, contrasting with the thick columella of L. fabalis.

2. Taxonomic history of L. obtusata and L. fabalis.

1758 to 1914: multiple species and varieties named.

1915 to 1965: all species, except Arctic varieties with spires, combined into one species referred to as Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758) or, mainly by British workers, as L. littoralis auct. For detail of historic nomenclature confusion see caption below image 1Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUWm .

1966 to 1988: gradual acceptance of two species, based on penis differences, named L. obtusata sensu stricto (Linnaeus, 1758) and L. fabalis (Turton, 1825), synonym L. mariae Sacchi & Rastelli, 1966. Arctic varieties with pointed spires were included in one or other of the pair on the basis of their penes.

In the following account, any use of “L. obtusata” in the now unaccepted sense of including both species has “sensu lato” or “s.l.” after it. The name with no addition, or sometimes for emphasis with “sensu stricto” or “s.s.”, refers to the now accepted segregated sense.

3. Identification resources

Differentiation of the two species by penis form was first published in 1966 by Sacchi & Rastelli, but did not appear in many identification guides until the late 1980s. Consequently, most pre 1988 works, apart from post 1966 specialist papers, are of limited use. Some later publications, such as Graham (1988), recognise the two species but provide insufficient information and images for discrimination of the many phenotypes. Hayward & Ryland (1990) and Hayward & Ryland (1995 & reprints to 2009), have images www.seawater.no/fauna/mollusca/fabalis.html that confuse www.ispotnature.org/node/646985 as the only L. mariae shell illustrated has features frequent on juveniles of both species, and the L. obtusata image has thick aperture walls more typical of L. fabalis.

Williams (1990) has useful information on forms and ecology. The authoritative volume Systematics and evolution of Littorina by Reid (1996) has fifty A4 pages of detailed description and comparison of all phenotypes and geographical variations of these two species. It is essential reading for those undertaking scientific study of Littorina species www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/zoology/the-systematic... .

4. Penis examination

“...only the characters of the adult reproductive system are unequivocal... . ...identifications using [shell features] should be confirmed by dissection before routine application in the field” (Reid, 1996). A rare ambiguity in penes linked to hybridization has been reported at one site in Portugal (Carvalho et al., 2016). An obvious penis, positioned at the posterior of the head on the right side 2Dof flic.kr/p/RcvnFf , is present on mature males in all seasons, and can be exposed on dead or living specimens.

Dead material

Specimens can be killed instantly by plunging into boiling water, or by leaving in a freezer overnight, or by gradually adding Magnesium chloride or Magnesium sulphate crystals to the water in a small container to first anaesthetize and then kill them. The only dissection required is to carefully crush the shell in a tabletop vice with any rubber protectors removed 3Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUmy , avoiding damage to the soft parts, and to pick off the broken fragmets. This method allows unrestricted view of all the necessary details and is quick and reliable, but requires killing of the specimen and destruction of the shell. Alternatively, if boiled for several minutes, the animal can be extracted with a pin from the unbroken shell. Though the penis as a whole is likely to contract on death, especially if boiled, and will be fixed in one of several possible expansions and positions 4Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUab , its glands are often distended and more easily discerned, and it is likely to resemble published images of dead specimens 4Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUab .

Living unsedated specimens

Penes can be examined and photographed on live specimens without harm or anaesthesia using the techniques described in Smith (2012 & 2016 flic.kr/s/aHskNP6GoL ). While live, the penis can be held in a variety of positions 5aDof flic.kr/p/Q2jb82 & 5bDof flic.kr/p/Rcvmo5 and will often be generally more expanded than on dead material, but the glands are often less prominent than on dissected penes and frequently hidden when held against the body. Time and patience will be required as this pair of species may be reluctant to extend from their shells, and several views or images may be needed to accumulate the necessary detail. Best results are obtained if the examination can be within 48 hours of capture. When not being examined, keep in a refrigerator at about 6°C in tightly closed plastic boxes dampened by, but not awash with, seawater. L. fabalis will extend when immersed and restrained 7Dof flic.kr/p/Q2jabc as described in Smith (2012 & 2016), but L. obtusata s.s. exposes itself more readily when damp than when submerged 8Dof flic.kr/p/RcvkCY & 9Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j9un .

5. Differences in penis morphology,

Mamilliform penial glands

L. fabalis has 3 to 17 large glands in a single row along 40% to 70% of the ventral edge of its penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . The glands are usually visible on live unsedated specimens 7Dof flic.kr/p/Q2jabc .

L. obtusata has 10 to 54 closely packed small glands, in one or more irregular rows along 75% to 90% of the length of its penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y near its ventral edge and on the mesial face usually held against the body 9Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j9un ; sometimes multiple rows occupy 60% of the width of the penis. The small glands often do not protrude into view on live unsedated specimens unless the penis is twisted to expose the proximal face 11Dof flic.kr/p/RfXgF8 .

Filament (glandless tip of penis).

L. fabalis has long and vermiform filament. On dead or anaesthetized specimens filament is 30% to over 60% of total length of penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . Growth is allometric; small individuals frequently have filaments 30% to 40%, while the largest usually have filaments of 50% to >60% of penis length 6Dof flic.kr/p/RTWK1i . Penis is motile and varying in length on any individual unsedated specimen 5bDof flic.kr/p/Rcvmo5 , and the appearance is affected by positioning/angle of view, so it is advisable to take several observations or photographs when examining live specimens.

L. obtusata has short triangular filament. On dead or anaesthetized specimens 10% to 25% of total length of penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . On live unsedated specimens it may be difficult to discern the precise limit (distal gland) of the filament because the small glands are hidden. However, being short, wide and triangular, it is obviously different 12Dof flic.kr/p/RfXgop & 13Dof flic.kr/p/RfXg8z from the vermiform filament of L. fabalis.

Size of penis depends on the size of the individual male and is not diagnostic of species. On the sheltered Menai Strait, most adult male L. obtusata are larger, and so have larger penes, than most male L. fabalis. On more exposed shores in North Wales, the sizes of the two species can be almost equal.

6. Difference in female anatomy

The copulatory bursa, requires skilled dissection and cannot be examined without killing. It is not illustrated here, see Reid (1996) for details and diagrams.

L. fabalis; half length of jelly gland, not reaching capsule gland.

L. obtusata; extends full length of jelly gland to capsule gland.

The ovipositor can be observed on live females restrained as described in Smith (2012 & 2016). Goodwin & Fish (1977) stated that, in 99% of cases examined by them in Wales, its colour is “to varying degrees black pigmented” on L. obtusata 14Dof flic.kr/p/RfXfWn , while L. fabalis “lacks pigmentation” 15Dof flic.kr/p/RfXfGp , but this was not my experience in Wales 16Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j6nF , and Reid (1996) also found it not always so . The colour is often lost on preserved specimens as the surface frequently sloughs off.

To identify females without dissection, the shell forms and shore zone of each species on the same shore need to be ascertained by examination of some penes on males. This information can also be used to find if local ovipositor colours conform with Goodwin and Fish (1977).

7. Differences in shell morphology and colour

No single shell feature is diagnostic in all situations, and some features intergrade. When several features are considered in combination with habitat detail, it is often possible to give a probable identification, but, for certainty, confirmation by examination of penes is required. Some shores, such as in Denmark and from Kent to Dorset, have problematic shell forms, so penis examination is especially necessary (Reid, 1996). Correlations, validated by penis examination, of species with shell form and colour on specific shores can be found in published previous studies, but should be used with caution as shell form may vary on different parts of the same shore (Reimchen, 1981) and may change from year to year with variation in the climate. Shells of Arctic and subarctic populations differ from those south of the Lofoten Islands; they are less well known and are excluded from this account except where specifically mentioned; further detail in Reid (1996).

7a. Shell colours of both species are often classified with the terms below; percentages are of specimens in a large collection of a mixture of both species from across Britain (Smith, 1976, in Reid, 1996). Some authors give slightly different interpretations of a colour term for each species, and it can be difficult to define the limits of fusca, brownish olivacea and faintly marked dark reticulata. Colours are best viewed on live specimens in water as the shell and the periostracum, which often contributes to the colour, erode and fade readily on dead shells 17Dof flic.kr/p/R5n3xZ .

Olivacea: 55%. Exterior olive green 18Dof flic.kr/p/RfXeZ2 to olive brown 19Dof flic.kr/p/R5mYDB , interior often purplish to brownish. Usually the commonest colour form, and almost diagnostic, of L. obtusata on shores well sheltered from waves. An algal coating on L. fabalis 20Dof flic.kr/p/R2FMv5 may confuse unless scraped off; true olivacea L. fabalis are extremely rare or absent in Britain, but they do exist in at least two places in Galicia, Spain on Zostera.

Reticulata: 33%. Exterior yellow to brown with darker reticulate 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , chequered 22Dof flic.kr/p/R2FKwW or zig zag 23Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvdds pattern; interior varied, can be white 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , sometimes tinted pink or violet and sometimes with exterior pattern showing near rim within aperture 24Dof flic.kr/p/R2FJeL . Usually the commonest colour form of both species on shores exposed to wave action.

Citrina: 10%. Exterior yellow 25Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvc5A grading to white; interior white 26Dof flic.kr/p/R3LhL5 . Usually the commonest colour of L. fabalis on shores well sheltered from waves, but not diagnostic as it also occurs on L. obtusata 27Dof flic.kr/p/R3Lhcj on the same shores.

Fusca: dark brown to black on L. obtusata 19Dof fig.5 flic.kr/p/R5mYDB ; dark chestnut brown on L. fabalis (Reid, 1996). Rare, generally less than 1%, but 100% of sample of 14 L. obtusata s.l. from a site on brackish Isefjord, Denmark (Rasmussen, 1973). A sample of 8 thin shelled, dwarf, L. fabalis from exposed cliff near Aberdeen all appear to be form fusca, but the specimens, at 28Dof flic.kr/p/PZBeay , were photographed 45 years after death, so the colour may have altered.

Each of following less than 1%.

Aurantia: orange. 29Dof flic.kr/p/PZBdiU

Rubens: red or brick red. 30Dof flic.kr/p/QGHGD9

Inversicolor: two broad dark bands. 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW

Zonata: single pale band around periphery (“equator”) of bodywhorl. 33Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4Fe (right specimen).

Alternata: two pale bands. 33Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4Fe (left specimen).

On some shores, juvenile L. fabalis up to 4mm diameter are pure white resembling the 3.5mm diameter spiral tubes of spirorbid worms living on the fronds of Fucus serratus frequented by L. fabalis. With later growth of another colour, the juvenile shell is preserved as a pure white early spire 23Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvdds & 34Dof flic.kr/p/QGHFW7 . Care is required as the spire of L. obtusata is often eroded to dingy whitish, though careful examination will often show traces of the eroded colour 35Dof flic.kr/p/Rdzcqb . And populations of L. fabalis lacking white spirorbid like spires can weather to dingy white with traces of colour in the same way as L. obtusata 36Dof flic.kr/p/R6s3wF .

7b. Shell sizes

On most shores, L. obtusata has a larger mean height than L. fabalis, but there is usually a large overlap in sizes of the largest L. fabalis specimens and young specimens of L. obtusata 37Dof flic.kr/p/R3LbTo . The mean size of both species varies greatly with local conditions 44Dof flic.kr/p/Q3o4dM .

7c. Shell spires

In Britain and most of Atlantic Europe, generally, but not consistently enough for reliable differentiation, L. fabalis has a flat or very low spire 36Dof flic.kr/p/R6s3wF and L. obtusata a low 38Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1kr or slightly raised domed spire 18Dof flic.kr/p/RfXeZ2 , often with an angled shoulder on the body whorl giving a squared or barrel like profile 38Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1kr . Juveniles of both species usually have flatter spires than adults 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW , 32Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4KH , 39Dof flic.kr/p/QGHEsW & 50Dof flic.kr/p/R3L2LW .

Occasional specimens 40Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1gD or local populations have a protruding pointed spire, especially in sheltered brackish conditions, e.g. L. obtusata var. aestuarii in the tidal River Deben, Suffolk, in Jeffreys (1869) fig. 8, plate CI at archive.org/stream/britishconcholog05jeffr#page/n489/mode... (now scarce or extinct at that locality). On Arctic and subarctic shores north of the Lofoten Islands, and in Greenland and most of Iceland, many of both species have protruding pointed spires. Only L. obtusata occurs in Atlantic North America; it often has a developed spire in northern Maine and Canada.

7d. Shell apertures

Aperture size is affected by the physical and biological environment, and juveniles have a less expanded body whorl and aperture. The shell walls thicken with maturity in both species, constricting the aperture internally, generally more markedly in L. fabalis, but varying in degree with environment. The most useful measure of shell thickness is that of the lip at the base of the columella (C) divided by the length of the aperture (LA) 41Dof flic.kr/p/R6rZHz . In a sample of 59 adult shells, including less frequent extreme forms, C/LA was usually less than 0.29 on L. obtusata and greater than 0.29 on L. fabalis, but only with a 75% accuracy (Reid, 1996). Accuracy was greater if extreme forms were excluded. Juveniles of the two species are often very similar with thin shell walls, a sharp, fragile aperture rim and an unconstricted opening, and often the anterior (base of aperture) is drawn out into a moderate spout. As small juveniles lack penes, identification cannot always be verified. Association with verified adults, and shell size and colour, if on a shore where there is a large interspecific difference in these features, are usually the best guide 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW & 32Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4KH .

Graham (1988) states that “a notch where the outer lip and last whorl meet” is indicative of L. obtusata, but its presence varies with age/spire development and it is not a reliable predictor of species (D. Reid, in litt.) 42Dof flic.kr/p/QGHDiw & 43Dof flic.kr/p/PZB3Fs .

8. Phenotypes of different wave exposures

On British rocky shores that have full marine salinity and fucoid algal growth, shell sizes and dominant colours of L. obtusata and L. fabalis vary with the degree of wave exposure. Image 44Dof flic.kr/p/Q3o4dM and its caption summarise approximately the most frequent correlations.

8 a. Sheltered shores, not estuarine, scale 8, 7 or 6, are the best for initial experience of differentiating the two species, providing the tidal range is sufficient to clearly separate and define a zone of Ascophyllum nodosum on the middle/upper shore and a zone of Fucus serratus on the lower shore (low spring tide required to expose) 45Dof flic.kr/p/QGHCb1 . Olivacea L. obtusata at its largest will probably be on the Ascophyllum, and easily differentiated from citrina L. fabalis at its smallest with thick aperture walls on the Fucus serratus 46Dof flic.kr/p/R6rYa4 . Unbiased samples can be obtained by shaking plants into a bucket. Juveniles of both species may be yellow and have a similar shape with an anterior spout 37Dof flic.kr/p/R3LbTo , but juveniles from Ascophyllum with adult L. obtusata will likely be that species and be as large as adult L. fabalis, and far larger than tiny juveniles of L. fabalis. If findings are as described, the identifications will almost certainly be correct, but examining the penes will add to experience. Sites with phenotypes as described can be found on the narrow inner portion of the Menai Straits between the two bridges and probably extending to Bangor and Y Felinheli; aerial photograph at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS00210... .

L. fabalis does not eat Fucus serratus, but uses the flat fronds as suitable feeding platforms for its diet of micro epiphytes and detritus. It is sometimes absent in sheltered situations, despite the presence of F. serratus, if excess sediment coats the plants, e.g. possible cause of absence in upper reaches of Severn Estuary (Williams, 1994). Where turbidity and sediment in estuaries 47Dof flic.kr/p/Rh3x7n or impact of sand laden currents 48Dof flic.kr/p/Rh3wNX prevent the growth of intertidal fucoid algae, both mollusc species are usually absent or very scarce.

8 b. Semi exposed shores, Ballantine scale 4, will provide experience at the opposite end of the phenotype sequence. Ascophyllum, a favoured food of L. obtusata, will be absent or present as a few scattered stunted plants, and L. obtusata will likewise be absent or present as small specimens on scant Fucus vesiculosus or other algae. Fucus serratus is still usually common at scale 4 and L. fabalis usually achieves its largest size here, sometimes equalling or exceeding any L. obtusata present. Differentiating the species can be very difficult on such shores because their sizes are often similar, the predominant colour form of both species is reticulata, and both tend towards larger apertures with thinner shells. Examination of penes is very necessary. An aerial photograph of this sort of shore open to a fetch across the Irish Sea of 100km to 175km, with a wide wave cut platform and plenty of F. serratus but no observed Ascophyllum, is at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS00210...! 0951H+G!0851H+G Large, reticulate L. fabalis were common here (penes checked). The aperture lip of adults was strongly thickened and the opening correspondingly narrowed. The interior was white 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , sometimes tinted pink or violet and the exterior pattern often showed within the rim 49Dof flic.kr/p/QGHAn1 . No L. obtusata were found because they were absent or not detected among very similar L. fabalis. A thin shelled, wide apertured, citrina juvenile L. fabalis was initially mistaken for L. obtusata, but the white spirorbid like initial whorls and its presence among adult L. fabalis strongly suggested it was L. fabalis 50Dof flic.kr/p/R3L2LW .

8 c. Exposed shores, Ballantine scale 3, 2 & 1, usually lack either species, but L. fabalis may occur in dwarf form on scale 3 shores 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q & 28Dof flic.kr/p/PZBeay if sufficiently moist micro habitats exist with secure refuges for dwarfs to retreat into from violent waves. On some Scottish exposed shores with frequent splash and spray, it “may be found further up on the shore on other fucoids where there is adequate protection from desiccation” (McKay & Smith, 1979). It even sometimes occurs at mean high water neap level on Fucus spiralis (Sacchi, 1969 in Reid, 1996). It also occurs in exposed positions on Mastocarpus stellatus in Galicia, Spain; Palmeria palmata at Grindvik, Iceland; Devaleraea stellatus on Achill Island, Ireland; and on red encrusting algae and bare rock in northern Norway (Reid, 1996). On exposed shores, usually, the aperture is larger and the shell thinner than in other situations, and may resemble L. obtusata s.s. from moderately exposed shores.

In a sample of eight from a scale 3 site near Aberdeen, aerial image at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NBNSYS00001... , all were fusca dwarfs, height mode 4.2mm, max. 5.5mm, with large apertures and thin shells apart from the wide columellar lip 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q . The spires varied greatly, some, like many L. fabalis, almost flat , others with a large bulging penultimate whorl well proud of the aperture that resembles many L. obtusata s.s..

9. Collecting and reliable recording, suggestions.

# Disregard stranded shells; their anatomy cannot be verified, they lack helpful habitat detail, the periostracum containing much colour may be eroded, and the shell may be bleached and weathered 17Dof flic.kr/p/R5n3xZ .

# If possible, start with a sheltered shore and then a semi exposed shore to gain experience.

# An individual specimen may have atypical features 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q or be deformed 52Dof flic.kr/p/Q3nXct , so examine several; for inspection of penes, eight mature ones give a 99% chance of both sexes if there is a 50:50 ratio.

# To obtain all colours and sizes, collect the sample randomly, e.g. by shaking plants into a bucket. If only the largest are selected by eye, the sample may be biased to females as they are larger than males on average, especially L. fabalis on sheltered shores.

# Take separate clearly labelled samples from discrete habitats e.g. Ascophyllum and F. serratus zones. Be aware that some shores have more than one wave exposure; see Reimchen (1981), link in references.

# Transport specimens in sealed plastic boxes dampened, but not awash, with seawater.

Store in a fridge at about 6ºC and examine as soon as possible; L. obtusata s.s. exposes itself more readily when damp rather than when submerged.

# Check any shell based identification with examination of some penes.

# When submitting records to a recording scheme, make sure to include that the penes were examined so that at a future date your record can be separated from the mass of less reliable records. Check with the scheme organizer that the detail will be included

when entered. Records submitted to the Marine Recorder of the Conchological Society of G.B. & Ireland have anatomical notes included and uploaded as integral parts of the record; contact marine@conchsoc.org . Other detail such as shore exposure and algal zone are also helpful and welcomed. Clear photographs of shell aperture and penes, or preserved specimens, are valued by the Marine Recorder.

10. Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Dr David Reid for his careful examination of this account and for his highly valued advice, but any errors or omissions are my (IFS) responsibility.

I wish to thank Simon Taylor, Marine Recorder for the Conchological Society of G.B. and Ireland, for helpful discussion and the provision of specimens and photographs, and I am grateful to Dr Jan Light for help with literature and specimens.

11. References and web links

Ballantine, W.J. 1961. A biologically-defined exposure scale for comparative description of rocky shores. Field studies 1(3): 1-19. www.field-studies-council.org/resources/field-studies-jou...

Carvalho, J., Sotelo, G., Galindo, J. & Faria, R. 2016. Genetic characterization of flat periwinkles (Littorinidae) from the Iberian Peninsula reveals interspecific hybridization and different degrees of differentiation. Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 118: 503 to 519. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12762/abstract

Goodwin, B.J & Fish, J.D. 1977. Inter- and intraspecific variation in Littorina obtusata and L. mariae (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia). J. Moll. Stud. 43: 241 to 254. Extract at mollus.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/3/241.extract

Graham, A. 1988. Molluscs: prosobranch and pyramidellid gastropods: keys and notes for the identification of the species. Brill & Backhuys, for Linn. Soc. Lond. & Estuarine and Brackish-water Sciences Assoc. Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series) no.2. Edition 2 (662pages). Leiden.

Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds.) 1990. The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe. Volume 2. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds.) 1995 and reprints to 2009. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Jeffreys, J.G. 1865. British conchology. vol.3. London, van Voorst. (L. fabalis included in L. obtusata as var. fabalis.)

archive.org/stream/britishconcholog03jeffr#page/356/mode/1up

Jeffreys, J.G. 1869.British conchology. vol.5. London, van Voorst. Plate ci, fig.8 of Littorina obtusata var. aestuarii (As Littorina aestuarii) from Shottisham Creek, R. Deben, near Felixstowe, Suffolk. Abundant there between tide marks. Well developed spire. (Now extinct or nearly so.) archive.org/stream/britishconcholog05jeffr#page/n489/mode...

McKay, D.W. & Smith, S.M. 1979. Marine Mollusca of East Scotland. Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. [An early adoption of the differentiation as L. littoralis (for L. obtusata s.s.) and L. mariae (for L. fabalis) before nomenclature became settled. Maps reliable as all entries made or vetted by the experienced authors.]

Reid, D.G. 1996. Systematics and evolution of Littorina. Ray Society, London.

www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/zoology/the-systematic...

Reimchen, T.E. 1981. Microgeographical variation in Littorina mariae Sacchi & Rastelli and a taxonomic consideration. J. Conch. Lond. 30: 341 to 350.

www.web.uvic.ca/~reimlab/Microgeographical%20Variation-00...

Sacchi, C. F. & Rastelli, M. 1966. Littorina mariae, nov. sp.: les differences morphologiques et ecologiques entre "nains" et "normaux" chez l'espece L. obtusata (L.) (Gastr., Prosobr.) et leur signification adaptive et evolutive. Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. 105: 351 to 369.

Smith, D.A.S., 1976. Disruptive selection and morph-ratio clines in the polymorphic snail Littorina obtusata (L.) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia). J. Mollus. Stud. 42: 114 to 135.

Smith, I.F. 2012. Anatomy of marine gastropods without dissection.

Mollusc World 28: 13 to 15. Conch. Soc. GB & Ireland.

Smith, I.F. 2016. Revision of Smith, I.F. 2012. Anatomy of marine gastropods without dissection. flic.kr/s/aHskNP6GoL and pdf version at www.researchgate.net/publication/310467378_Anatomy_of_mar...

Williams, G.A. 1990. The comparative ecology of the flat periwinkles, Littorina obtusata (L.) and L. mariae Sacchi et Rastelli in Field Studies 7: 469 to 482. fsj.field-studies-council.org/browse-by-category/marine-b... (scroll down to 1990) [Fig. 2 has an exposure scale in reverse order of Ballantine scale so 1 = Ballantine 8; and caption error: closed boxes are L. obtusata, open boxes are L. mariae/fabalis.]

Williams, G.A. 1994. Variation in populations of Littorina obtusata and Littorina mariae (Gastropoda) in the Severn Estuary. Biol J Linnean Soc 51: 189 to-198.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1994.tb00...

12. Glossary

3Dof = Image 3 in Flickr album.

allometric (adj.) = of disproportionate growth of a part or parts of an organism as the whole organism grows.

aperture = mouth of gastropod shell; outlet for head and foot.

coll. = in the collection of (named person or institution; compare with leg.).

columella = solid or hollow axial “little column” around which gastropod shell spirals; hidden inside shell, except on final whorl next to lower part of inner lip of aperture where hollow ones may end in an umbilicus or siphonal canal.

columellar (adj.) = of or near central axis of coiled gastropod.

columellar lip = lower (abapical) part of inner lip of aperture.

columellar muscle = large muscle connecting foot/head of gastropod to its shell at the columella.

distal = positioned or facing away from midline of body.

epiphyte = an organism growing on a larger plant for support, but not nutrition.

epizooic (adj.) = of non-parasitic organisms living on surface of animals.

filament = a slender threadlike object or fibre in animal or plant structures.

filament (in Reid, 1996) = glandless tip of penis a.k.a. distal tubule. Often not threadlike.

flagellum = threadlike organ or appendage.

height (of gastropod shells) = distance from apex of spire to base of aperture along/parallel to axis of coiling (see flic.kr/p/R6s1kr ).

in litt. (abbreviation of Latin “in litteris”) = in unpublished correspondence.

leg. (abbreviation of legit) = collected/ found by (compare with coll.)

mamilliform = shaped like a nipple.

mesial = facing towards the midline of the body.

mobile = able to move self, e.g. a horse, or to be moved by an agent, e.g. a wave or a cell phone.

motile = moves self spontaneously without volition; applicable to whole animals or to parts of them such as cells, gametes, penes or cilia.

penes (plural of penis) = male copulatory organs.

phenotype = form of a species resulting from influence of particular environmental factors.

proximal = towards the centre of the body or point of attachment.

sensu lato (abbreviation s.l.) = in the wide sense, possibly an aggregate of more than one species.

sensu stricto (abbreviation s.s.) = in the strict sense, excluding species that have been aggregated or confused with it.

spire = all whorls of a gastropod shell, except the final body whorl. But in this account, “spired shells” are taken to be those with a pointed apex protruding beyond the body whorl rather than the domed spire of some that extends beyond the body whorl.

taxonomic (adj.) = of or relating to taxonomy.

taxonomy = the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.

vermiform = shaped like a worm.

The shutter sound of the D700 is becoming more and more problematic as I intend to improve my street photography, It is very loud. I'm seriously thinking in buying a Leica M. I don't know yet which one to buy (M6 or MP) with which lens (35 f/2, f/1,4).

If you have an idea don't hesitate to drop me a message.

Metro, Paris, France

(see the image on alikaragoz.net)

The driver of 4F No.43924 gives the regulator some beans along "GN Straight", in doing so lifting the exhaust on what was a problematic crosswind for the photographers during a charter organised by Timeline Events.

Chalk-like stone.

Museum Fünf Kontinente, Munich.

According to the museum label, this sculpture is affiliated with the Tiwanaku-Wari culture and is from the site of Cahuachi near the Río Grande de Nazca in southern Peru.

This information is problematic for two reasons. First, as far as we know, Tiwanaku and Wari were separate societies though they existed at the same time and some of their art was similar.

The geographic boundary between the two polities was porous. For example, there was a Tiwanaku enclave at the Wari site of Cerro Baúl in southern Peru.

The site of Cahuachi, where this object was found, was an important Nazca center. The Wari people occupied the Nazca homeland after the latter's decline. This would appear to rule out the possibility that the sculpture is affiliated with the Tiwanaku culture.

The second problem is that while there is evidence of the Wari occupation of the Nazca culture area, I have not been able to find any references to a Wari settlement at Cahuachi.

I did not find reports of a Wari cemetery in or near the ancient Nazca site of Cahuachi. Consequently, I do not understand how this grave guardian could come from Cahuachi and be a product of the Wari culture.

Finally, my brief review of images of Nazca art did not turn up photos of Nazca sculpture. The Nazca are best known for their geoglyphs (i.e. the Nazca lines) and ceramics. Also, the Nazca are reported to have used reed canes as grave markers, not statues.

Finally, while the Wari produced sculpture, the examples I have seen do not look anything like this object.

It would be helpful to search the museum's records for additional information about the object's provenience.

In the meantime time, this piece's origins are lost in time. No wonder it has such an enigmatic expression.

this likely happens when you share your x-rays on social media and have a very problematic friend.*

*me

I don't know what kind of wasp or hornet this is, but it was quite magnificent in appearance. Amazing markings.

And a challenge to capture. As can be seen, it was partly in shadow, and partly in bright sunlight...making correct exposure problematic. And, practicing what I (tediously) preach, the aperture was WELL STOPPED DOWN! Macro photography is all about depth of field.

The female was hunting for invertebrates on the moss covered rocks of the falls.

A technically problematic photo, that nevertheless shows interesting aquatic feeding behaviour; and besides, that water is just so liquid.

Handheld with in-camera flash.

The White-browed Scrubwren is the most common and widespread of Australia's five species of scrubwren. Its range extends from northern Queensland, in a broad coastal band through South Australia to the mid Western Australian coast, and Tasmania.

www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Sericornis-frontalis

My good friend Gene Koziara and I went up to Tennessee this week to try to get some

better shots of both Blue-winged and Cerulean Warblers. We found a fair number of both

but my success with the Blue-winged turned out better than with the Ceruleans.

As most know, the Ceruleans are a high canopy nester and it is very problematic getting

photos of birds at such heights. The Blue-winged on the other hand are LOW nesters and

somewhat easier to get images without looking up into the canopy.

However, in truth, the Blue-wing isn't all that easy to photograph either---especially

getting any detail of those YELLOW feathers!!!! It's almost like shooting WHITE!!

This "Flying" image was most serendipitous and is definitely living proof that if you

sling enough mud on the wall---some of it will stick------

OR IF you shoot enough bird photos, every once in a while you get unexpectedly

rewarded with an image like this one!!!

EXIF data says this bird was 29.7 feet away. Shot with NIkon 800mm f5.6 and NIkon D4

camera.

Enjoy!

The recent calibration of my lenses. This lens, the 105mm was the most problematic to sort as it seemed to be all over the place. Very happy with this result.

This time of the year this part of the world doesn't offer too much insects to photograph outdoors. Many of us then revert to insects kept in ethanol or dry, either in a box at room temperature or in the freezer. This method works well, but dried specimens often show weird patters on the eyes ... It is a problem because it can seriously affect the quality of the image.

The above picture shows the blue blister beetle (earlier post) photographed before (A) and after (B) treating the eyes with ammonia. I used ordinary household ammonia (25%) and diluted it with water to obtain a 10% ammonia solution. It was carefully applied to the eyes, mouth parts and base of the cephalon (I did that under the stereoscope). It took a couple of minutes to recover the normal aspect of the eyes and color of the joints. Ammonia is known to alter colors of mushrooms and plants, maybe also insects, but in this case I did not see any degradation.

Both pictures are stacks (40 exposures, Pmax) taken in exactly the same conditions as in the earlier post. Both images were cropped for the sake of positioning and joining them.

earlier post:

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/andredekesel/8561010614/]

The ship in the car park. Getting a picture of your ship can sometimes (most of the time) be problematical.

Golden hour, morning.

Mount diameters.

1) Nikon F 44mm

2) Nikon Z 55mm

3) Sony E 46.1mm

4) Canon EF 54mm

Canon probably does not even need to change mount when they eventually launch a FF mirrorless and all they’ll need is a simple DSLR EF to mirrorless adapter (just to cover flange difference) to support full functionality on their existing excellent EF lenses since their lenses did away with the potentially problematic mechanical aperture lever long ago!

This mechanical lever (includes Nikon G excludes Nikon E lenses) can eventually wear off/malfunction resulting in shots with incorrect aperture and brightness.

While dual Sony-Nikon shooters mull over the new Nikon Z mount, if Canon brings out a competent FF mirrorless, it’s not inconceivable to totally ditch Nikon especially since Canon lenses are easily adapted on Sony as Sony’s E mount specs is the most opened! It’s not overly prohibitive to sell off Nikon lenses to buy used Canon lenses.

Nikon Z now being the widest can potentially take all other brand lenses via a suitable adapter but Z mount is a closed standard making this option likely suboptimal. Z mount flange is 2mm shorter than even Sony E mount limiting their adaptability on other systems and will hence have a much smaller resale market than Canon lenses.

I’m getting less enthusiastic over Nikon’s new Z mount, silly of Nikon to charge so much for the Z7 with so much limitations on performance vs their D850. The FTZ adapter supporting only 3 out of 5 axis of stabilization even for lenses with VR is also disappointing.

Bottomline, no need to plonk more $ into Nikon’s Z mount until Canon announce their plans on FF mirrorless.

Taken for ODC -Stereotype

Interesting article about Pinterest and gender stereotypes. From the article: "It was as if every female gender stereotype had manifested itself visually, .... Cupcakes, cake, cupcakes, cake, cupcakes, cake..." and "Pinterest may be brimming with popularity at the moment...., but it also can promote a docile acceptance of gender roles if you become too raveled in its sticky sweetness."

See link: www.michigandaily.com/blog/katie-steen-pinterest-perpetua...

Here is a typical M42 lens aperture mechanism inside the lens. This is an auto-aperture lens with no selectable manual mode. Such lenses are problematic with most adapters since the aperture control won't work unless the aperture pin is pressed. While most “native” M42 mount cameras can press the pin down, no modern DSLR system has this capability. Some special-purpose adapters will permanently press the pin in when the lens is mounted, but they are incompatible with some M42 lenses having protruding parts on the back.

I have converted this lens to a manual aperture lens by permanently pressing down the aperture pin with a piece of plastic cut from a cotton swab. The hollow piece of plastic is about 2 mm long and fits precisely over the aperture pin inside the lens, effectively holding it down.

When re-assembling the lens, take care to align the hook on the aperture lever with its counterpart, otherwise the aperture ring won't work. Typically this is best done with the widest aperture selected. Anyhow, first make sure that that part is aligned, then rotate the rear as required to align the screws with their holes.

After modification, the lens works with all apertures, stopping down to the selected aperture immediately when the aperture ring is turned.

On some other lenses it may also suffice to disable a mechanism (usually a single spring) holding the aperture open until released by the pin. This approach should only be attempted when certain of how the mechanism of that particular lens works; some lenses need the springs to close the aperture. Personally I've only done it when it would have required considerable disassembly to reach the pin for the plastic tube -modification. With some lenses (notably the MC Zenitar 16mm fish-eye) the simplest solution is to disassemble and remove the auto-aperture mechanism altogether.

(The pictured lens is a Fujinon, I have modified several different kinds of them thus.)

Flying commercial airlines is always problematic for me. With my autoimmune illness I tend to catch every airborne virus on the plane and I bring them all home for my wacky immune system to masturbate to for a few months.

I'm still waiting for my private jet to come and whisk me away from all this. Apparently, private jets are currently outside the range of my household budget.

A self-portrait.

Panorama view of Apollo 17 lunar surface photos for Station 6 taken during the third moonwalk of the mission by Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan and lunar module pilot Harrison (Jack) Schmitt. The panoramas were built by combining Apollo 17 images starting with frame AS17-141-21575 through end frame AS17-141-21603. The panoramic images received minimal retouching by NASA imagery specialists, including the removal of lens flares that were problematic in stitching together the individual frames and blacking out the sky to the lunar horizon. These adjustments were made based on observations of the Moon walkers who reported that there are no stars visible in the sky due to the bright lunar surface reflection of the Sun.

Seen in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with an unknown disposition.

OK: What is this thing? Yes, I know: It's a "Winnebago Warrior;" a motorhome emblazoned with a problematic name and an equally problematic graphic. But what is it beyond that? Near as I can tell, it's a Chevrolet G-van cutaway with a VERY peculiar anteater-like fibreglass nose grafted on. It's...well, certainly on the unexpected side, I'll give it that.

The only reference I can find on the web to an identical vehicle is from a 1983 brochure, so I'm guessing this was manufactured then. Winnebago offered a version without the "attic" above the cab in 1981-82. Beyond that, my knowledge draws a blank.