52 Weeks of 2025

Week No. 9: “Sunrise / Sunset”

Category: Creative

Living in an area with such temperate weather is both a blessing and a curse. We rarely get beautiful dramatic clouds. This week we had actual rain, followed by boring skies. There was probably one day this week were we had lovely clouds at sunset, and alas, I could not go out. Sunrise is even more problematic in that I am not usually out and about at sunrise. I give you not the most dramatic sunset, but albeit, a sunset.

Thank you so much for your views, comments and favs. I really do appreciate every one!

My images are posted here for your enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. Please contact me through flickr if you are interested in using one of my images for any reason.

Just realising that this can be my MacroMonday entry next Monday for the theme "sticker"

These stickers indicate that the beekeeper is trying to maintain our native black bee subspecies (Apis mellifera melifera)

We have a lot of beekeepers here that import queens that are non-native subspecies (Italian) and Buckfast type hybrids or who actively maintain such non-native honey bees. It makes mating queens with A.m.m. drones problematic. In the long run it is damaging our unique subspecies and ecotype by genetic introgression.

These label is a useful way of getting the public aware that there is a native honeybee in Ireland and to start a conversation about conservation of this subspecies and what NIHBS is doing to further this conservation effort.

nihbs.org/about-us/

Classic 1970s era railroading: Framed by a cantilever signal, a brace of F-units idle with the westbound SF Chief as it gets serviced during the station stop at the Fresno Depot. It's about 5:50 AM and the sun is just peeking over the Sierra, catching the sides of the F-units and the Mission Style depot and freight house. Meanwhile a pipe-smoking supervisor is overseeing the filling of water tanks for the steam generators in each of the four units as a problematic steam leak persists between units 2 and 3. The small stub-end downtown yard on the left of the frame services a paper company, team tracks and a gantry crane off/on-load in the distance. The engine crew is changed here, having brought the train from Barstow this morning. Unit 325 will soon lead the westbound on toward its terminal yard at Richmond, CA, only another 191 miles to go along the Santa Fe mainline.

I am clearly not satisfied with this one: too many brushes, to much glow, too much darkness, no frame (i love frames) but the fact is I don't have the heart to work anymore on it. I left it the way it was when I heard someone I do miss a lot was leaving SL for private matters. I do wish they're ok and having much fun in their RL life, but truth is, I really miss them.

Just so you guys know what kind of great player you might have met if they had stayed amongst us, I will share with you the last message they sent (well, except for the one saying farewell).

The story behind this, is that I rarely speak first (and this does tend to puzzle my friends, but i always feel like i might be interrupting something if i did), so my friend S. had gotten used to say hello first. This particular time, as I was just trying to find a nice angle, I didn't answer straight away and, as an excuse, I sent them a copy of the raw pic saying "sorry for replying late, I've been taught not to talk while eating". Well, S. didn't have much time to stay on, so they didn't say much right away, but this is the message I received a bit later and made me grin:

There are several sayings we have in English, and I suspect other languages as well, that describe some facet of the human condition. But alas, very seldom does this saying adequately describe the preceding situation that lead to the stated condition.

Thank you for grounding me in reality here.

Thanks for having crossed my path, opened my eyes from times to times, entertained me, supported me and beared with me and all the rest. I wish I were as witty as you to tell you how much you are missed. Safe path.

We have decided that this was our last cruise. We were aware of the problematic side of this form of mass tourism, but our reasons for withdrawing are more subjective. In the first place, we got seriously ill on board, and not for the first time. The combination of air travel, cruising and crowded spots of mass tourism is just the recipe for picking up bugs. The other reason is that the tight schedule of cruise operation is not conducive to the individual exploration of a place - in particular when you are bit older. What will we be doing travel-wise? We probably will go to one place, stay there, and take time to look around. Fuji X100F.

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) drake at the Fish Pond, Sutherland Hills, Kelowna, BC.

Today's post concludes my February images for 2023.

(Okay, that's not quite true; I may have few archived for later :)

The images here, obviously, from their numbers, are not laid out in the order I took them. They're arranged by general pose. In each shot, however, the water is different....

Remember — this is the pond where the light is problematic and, in many cases, the water is as much what the image is about as the waterfowl....

I do NOT expect all of my Flickr friends to wade through all of these shots.... To those who do, thanks for your time; much appreciated!

Vakhtang I Gorgasali (Georgian: ვახტანგ I გორგასალი; c. 439 or 443 – 502 or 522), of the Chosroid dynasty, was a king of Iberia, natively known as Kartli (eastern Georgia) in the second half of the 5th and first quarter of the 6th century.

He led his people, in an ill-fated alliance with the Byzantine Empire, into a lengthy struggle against Sasanian Iranian hegemony, which ended in Vakhtang's defeat and weakening of the kingdom of Iberia. Tradition also ascribes him reorganization of the Georgian Orthodox Church and foundation of Tbilisi, Georgia's modern capital.

Dating Vakhtang's reign is problematic. Ivane Javakhishvili assigns to Vakhtang's rule the dates c. 449–502 while Cyril Toumanoff suggests the dates c. 447–522. Furthermore, Toumanoff identifies Vakhtang with the Iberian king Gurgenes known from Procopius' Wars of Justinian.

Vakhtang is a subject of the 8th or 11th century vita attributed to Juansher, which intertwines history and legend into an epic narrative, hyperbolizing Vakhtang's personality and biography. This literary work has been a primary source of Vakhtang's image as an example warrior-king and statesman, which has preserved in popular memory to this day.

He emerged as one of the most popular figures in Georgia's history already in the Middle Ages and has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church as The Holy and Right-Believing King Vakhtang and is commemorated on December 13.

There was a time when I'd leave the house with a specific goal of finding and photographing Anna's Hummingbirds. Finding is no problem. They're residents. (Even though they visit my backyard feeder every day and have for over 40 years, I have no photos that weren't taken in the wild.) Photographing them is slightly more problematic. First, find a flower that they like. Then, pick out one blossom that they may come to. And then, hope that one hovers for more than a second. It's obvious that they were taught to fly by Honey bees even though hummers have been around for 22 million years and honey bees for only 14 million. Takes a long time to strike up an agreement between species...

The other thing about all Hummingbirds, but the Anna's in particular, is that the sun has to catch the gorget (that patch of reflective prismatic feathers around the throat) just right to "light them up."

After 15 years of having a decent digital camera, i.e., one with sifficient focal length, I have perhaps 100 images of the Anna's hummingbird. This particular shot was part of a 15 minute period when I had the opportunity to get at least 10 similar and more-than-acceptable images of the bird. It was taken in a field just on Mt. Diablo and just behind a friend's back yard abutting that patch. Something tells me that this flower was a remnant from a garden that might have been there since the 1950s.

This is one of my top five favorite biring images. My favorite hummer took something like six weeks to get (flic.kr/p/wLwEQ3), six weeks of sitting every morning neat a Maxican Salvia Bush - their favorite - and waiting for one to fly between two branches. Perhaps I was confusing effort with results, but I got exactly what I came for and, consider that that was not part of a burst mode but, rather, 1/400th of a secind in time.)

This print is now for sale. Limited 100 print run (95 remaining) , $50.00 print only, 12" x 18" semi-gloss / archival ink. Contact me via Flickrmail if you're interested.

This was a 3-shot HDR bracketed at +/-1EV, shot with my EF-S10-22mm that I bought from Peter-G on my XTi. Mirror lock-up, remote shutter release on tripod. Ie, the works.

Even then, there is still some blurring from wind (it's windy, we are on the top of one of the highest peaks in Hong Kong) and all the tourista foot traffic actually puts vibrations into the concrete floor slabs.

Merged in Photomatix, using Tone Compression for tone mapping.

What's also problematic in doing this as an HDR, is that the building's light schemes actually changes color. For example, the purple building on the left shifts from blue to red and back. So it kinda confuses the program a wee bit more.

Explore! #1 on Jan 31st, 2008! :-)

Mission Creek, Kelowna, BC.

"Let me explain, he said. "This wee fella was way below me, in the brush near the creek. Even a keyhole shot was problematic. Still, his/her pose was so delightful I just could' t resist. Not a great shot, certainly, but I wanted it...." Some may say it looks more like a painting than a photo. "And that's just fine with me," he commented....

I lose control

When you're not next to me

I'm falling apart right in front of you, can't you see?

I lose control

When you're not next to me, mm-hmm

Yeah, you're breaking my heart, baby

You make a mess of me

Problematic

Problem is I want your body like a fiend, like a bad habit

Bad habit's hard to break when I'm with you

Yeah, I know, I could do it on my own, but I want

That real full moon black magic and it takes two

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbLvZtnM8e8

In der Botanik spricht man von Wildwuchs, wenn Pflanzen ohne gezielte menschliche Eingriffe in freier Wildbahn oder in ungeplanten, ungezähmten Bereichen wachsen. Dies kann sowohl positive Effekte haben, wie das Fördern der Artenvielfalt und das Schaffen natürlicher Lebensräume, als auch problematisch werden, wenn invasive Arten heimische Vegetation verdrängen und Ökosysteme aus dem Gleichgewicht bringen.

In botany, wild growth refers to when plants grow in the wild or in unplanned, untamed areas without targeted human intervention. This can have positive effects, such as promoting biodiversity and creating natural habitats, but it can also become problematic when invasive species displace native vegetation and disrupt ecosystems. für einige wenige Sekunden

In botany, "wildwuchs" refers to the growth of plants in the wild or in unplanned, untamed areas without deliberate human intervention. This can have both positive effects, such as promoting biodiversity and creating natural habitats, as well as become problematic when invasive species displace native vegetation and upset ecosystems.

Jessie sez:

"That poor Brushtail Mousie is having yet another problematical day!

She's got exactly one hour to compute her yearly tax return in time for inspection by Taxman-Cat. After feeding all of her massive financial data into her IBM Big Blue Super Catputer, a blue screen suddenly appeared showing a white surrender flag along with text that read:

"Hiiiilllp - it's all too much for m' little brane! The numbers are just too high - I give up!" - whereupon the useless thing simply crashed and went blank!

After panicking and a bit of swearing, she pulled herself together and had an idea: "I wonders if that Aspergers Mousie, the new tenant at 10 HEX (Decimal 16) Rodent way could get me out this fine mess. Unless Taxman-cat gets his figures on time, he'll send round the BunBuns to arrest me, something I wouldn't wish on anyone!

She then sent a text message to Aspergers describing the problem, who turned up a few moments later - not even carrying a pocket calculator!

"Just show me the data please - I'm in a hurry. I've got other stuff to do today you know!

Oh, is that all?", he exclaimed after glancing once at the data. Your bottom line is $US 32.75 Quadrillion after deducting expenses. Gotta go now, I have other clients waiting to get rescued. Bye!"

Brushtail sez:

"Phew - that was a close one! As a reward for helping me out of this awful mess, I'll send Amanda-Yolanda Mousie round to his place just to check that he's not forgotten where he stored his cheese that he bought the last time he went shopping - about 2 years ago I FINKS. These geniuses are all sooooo absent-minded you know - LOL!"

"

I blew the highlights here quite badly, but still find it interesting.....

There are many interesting BW photos that are technically messed up, yet succeed in spite of, or because of, those flaws. Doing so in color seems more problematic, partly because color is a more "literal" medium.

Perhaps I am beginning to understand that white silence is violence.

Australia's history is problematic for 232 years, and counting. Though we can be proud of the 59,768 years before that; before colonization.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uszdyMaC2c

I was appalled as a child when I learnt in 1966 that we had not previously counted our First Nations People in our population census. I was just a kid and it seemed simple to me: you count all the people and you come up with a number for the total population. Why weren't we counting all the people?

So the years passed and I grew up and my learning became more sophisticated and I was confronted with the legal concept of terra nullius. A latin term meaning "land that is legally deemed to be unoccupied or uninhabited". So that is how Australia is occupied: with no recognition of any indigenous inhabitants. WTF! This kid is increasingly uncomfortable with this history.

I am ashamed today that my country continues to allow a disproportionate rate of black deaths in custody.

We need to change. I look forward to sacrifices to my white privilege in order to achieve this.

Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) - Isabela Island, Ecuador

Marine iguanas lay about unconcerned with the possibility of impending rain or the pretty sunset behind them. As adults with no natural predators on land normally these lizards wouldnt have much to fear and could safely sleep in the open at night. However the introduction of dogs and cats to the islands has proven problematic. Both will attack and kill large iguanas that dont have adequate defenses against predators as they didnt evolve with them.

Nikon D810 - AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

I had pre-arranged to shoot from the sun deck of the Shangri-la Hotel and was granted two days to choose from, as it turned out I had amazing golden hour conditions the morning I went there, as the sun rose over the Al Qudra Desert illuminating Dubai.

This was a challenging photograph to take as there is a large CCTV camera right in the corner, blocking the exact spot needed to take this wide shot. My tripod was not high enough to clear the CCTV unit, so I had to reach up above it and shoot the panorama hand held. The stitching was also very challenging as the shots where taken super wide at 14mm, so the blending was quite problematic but I got there in the end.

fuji Acros 100

Northbound NCS #101 slides into Antioch, IL on a perfect sunny morning in June. Our plans to renumber the locos with stencils and paint on the outside of the Lexan numberboards have proven to be somewhat problematic, as evidenced here by the 88. Still pretty stoked that we adapted our logo to an already pleasing paint scheme designed by Amtrak.

Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower located in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At 332.9 metres (1,092 ft), it is the second-tallest structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations.

Built in 1958, the tower's main sources of revenue are tourism and antenna leasing. Over 150 million people have visited the tower since its opening. FootTown, a four-story building located directly under the tower, houses museums, restaurants and shops. Departing from there, guests can visit two observation decks. The two-story Main Observatory is located at 150 metres (490 ft), while the smaller Special Observatory reaches a height of 249.6 metres (819 ft).

The tower acts as a support structure for an antenna. Originally intended for television broadcasting, radio antennas were installed in 1961, but the tower is now used to broadcast signals for Japanese media outlets such as NHK, TBS and Fuji TV. Japan's planned digital television transition by July 2011 was problematic, however; Tokyo Tower's height, 332.9 m (1,092 ft) was not high enough to adequately support complete terrestrial digital broadcasting to the area. A taller digital broadcasting tower, known as Tokyo Skytree, was completed on February 29, 2012.

Thankfully, you don't have to jump to reach the bottom since the proprietor has thoughfully provided a set of concrete steps to the canyon floor (large view). This can be a little problematic though, if you have problems with your knees... It's a long way down (I lost count of the steps)! If you look carefully at the large view you can see part of the short suspension bridge just below the tree line on the opposite canyon wall.

Or, as it was properly called, the Bristol Britannia.

Even before the Second World War ended, Britain was planning a number of airliners it could build once peacetime was achieved. Amongst these was a type that could serve the so-called 'Empire Routes' that involved multiple destinations. In time, the Britannia was chosen for this role, but its development was delayed and by the time it entered service in 1957, jet aircraft were soon to become available.

Beyond BOAC and the RAF, it achieved relatively few sales, but attracted interest for airlines in the U.S. which could not be converted into sales as the UK lacked the capacity for speedy delivery. But I do wonder if buying from overseas would have been problematical too.

In its later years, it was well known in the fleets of British Eagle and Monarch, as well as Britannia, an airline that had previously been known as Euravia.

Britannia 312 G-AOVT is displayed at Duxford in Monarch livery. The aircraft forms part of the British Airliner Collection, in the hands of the Duxford Aviation Society at the Cambridgeshire airfield.

Duxford, Cambridgeshire

25th September 2025

20250925 IMG_2072

Chrysobalanus icaco, the cocoplum, paradise plum, abajeru or icaco, is found near sea beaches and inland throughout tropical Africa, tropical Americas and the Caribbean, and in southern Florida and the Bahamas. It is also found as an exotic species on other tropical islands, where it has become a problematic invasive. Although taxonomists disagree on whether Chrysobalanus icaco has multiple subspecies or varieties, it is recognized as having two ecotypes, 1- inland which is less salt-tolerant and more upright and 2-coastal. Both the ripe fruit and the seed are considered edible.

Biscayne Park FL

www.susanfordcollins.com

2056 AD

'Condition of subject is problematic. In addition to the fractures and lacerations sustained on impact after her VTOL was shot down - Which I'd like to be on record as saying was idiotic and irresponsable - she also has 3rd tier burns on the majority of her body from the burning fuel leaking from ruptured fuel tanks. I recommend that the Arulan Cartel is immediately reprimanded for this. That this rare chance at NATO intel could be handled so indelicately is beyond infuriating, it's insanity. How can South America ever achieve independance with people such as this heading our operations?

On the rare occasion we bring the subject back up from her sedative induced sleep, she constantly mutters the word 'Morrow'. I do not know to what this refers to. Tomorrow? It is difficult to say.'

Medical log - 215423

Just three days after its debut in North Little Rock, AR, I photographed UP's new President Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Locomotive on the move northwest of Kansas City. Out of Arkansas, the UP 1616 was placed third out on the ZMNNP, presumably to protect it from any sort of grade crossing incidents on its trip to Portland, OR for its first public showing.

Photographing a westbound in the morning can often prove to be problematic, but the many twists and turns of UP's Hiawatha Sub in Northeast Kansas aids in this, as it turns nearly due south just east of Sabetha, which is where I tracked it down.

UP's Press Release on the unit can be seen here: www.up.com/heritage/fleet/commemorative/lincoln-1616/inde...

Marco is a tall, slender, strong man, 33 years old. Seems to waste everything

what surrounds him: his full lips are perpetually pursed into a fine line,

in a sour gesture that he makes with his blue ice gaze.

He has brown hair like a sparrow's wing.

Whenever possible, she wears tank tops with Giulia that leave her bare shoulders,

so that you can see the huge tattoo on his arms. He often wears piercings.

Marco is passionate, cocky, with character. Always avoid personal questions, though

Lately, he has not stopped responding to them since he is in a problematic divorce.

He gets very overwhelmed when he has to comply with social conventions, especially in high class gatherings.

In this Roleplay, Marco will try to conquer Giulia, his lawyer. She is serene, experienced, has tricks

with the Calabrian mafia because of his status; He is generally a peaceful, friendly person with a great sense of humor,

but his blood boils in the face of challenges. You cannot avoid defending your point of view when someone expresses an opinion different from yours.

She is loyal to her friends and very funny. See the world as a great play,

and reality sometimes does not correspond to the high expectations you have.

In the end, Giulia will help Marco in any way she can, even though there will be bribes, extortion, sex and lots of sex!

Great Sand Dunes National Park. Mosca, Colorado USA

Camera: Holga 135BC

Film: Kodak Gold 200

Exposure: ca. 1/100 sec and f/8, hand-held

Film developed and scanned by Foto Brell, Bonn

Edited under Adobe Lightroom

Whether 35mm or medium format, you can use the Holgas as toy cameras and eagerly anticipate the results, or as serious cameras, like any high-quality classic camera. I prefer the classic approach. I've gotten used to the viewfinder parallax, and the film advance on the 35mm version works without overlap (I use 24-exposure film instead of 36-exposure). I cover the notoriously problematic areas with gaffer tape to prevent light leakage. I use the Holgas to achieve the typical look of the plastic lens: soft rendering of details in the center, a drop in sharpness towards the edges, vignetting, and color saturation in the case of color film. Not all subjects are suitable for this. But when it works, you get impressionistic, painterly images. Sharpness isn't everything in photography, and sometimes too much sharpness can be distracting. Reduced sharpness can downplay unimportant details, thus focusing attention on the essential elements. Sharp or soft reproductions are not mutually exclusive for me, but rather complementary approaches in photography.

After the first roll with a Fed 5, I worked out it had a hole in the shutter curtain. I think the first attempt at fixing it has worked, though it may want slightly more attention yet. These cameras were made in Ukraine and I suppose intended to mimic some features of Leicas (sorry don't want to offend anyone). Actually, now its working, its sort of okay. This was Kentmere 400 developed in Xtol at stock.

These cameras were made in Ukraine and this one is probably around 1989, 90, though you would think they were much older. The shutter button is placed in a really awkward spot and the controls on the lens are problematic. The eye piece actually has a diopter (very useful), though it is knurled for grip and that makes it a bit rough if you get an eye lid too close. The camera all works quite well though and the metering seems to be pretty reasonable. The original 50mm lens is actually okay, though there are some interesting aberrations here.

Crail... is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The civil parish has a population of 1,812 (in 2011). The name Crail was recorded in 1148 as Cherel and in 1153 as Karel. The first element is the Pictish *cair (c.f. Welsh caer) meaning "fort", though this word seems to have been borrowed into Gaelic. The second element may be either Gaelic ail, "rocks", or more problematically Pictish *al; no certain instance of this word exists in P-Celtic. However, if the generic element were Pictish, then this is likely of the specific. Quoted from Wikipedia

Here's The Búðir Black Church (Búðakirkja) at sunrise last february. The Snæfellsnes peninsula is great t visit during the winter. Not too far from Reykjavik and offers a lot to see (and shoot). A bit problematic image because of flare from the strong backlight, not because of the lens but because of my worn out Lee graduated filter. So the image needed about two hours Photoshop work to fix spots with loss in contrast and color cast.

“Lovely picture. Nine boats!” he said happily.

“I’m sorry?” I replied.

"Nine boats!"

"What?"

"Nine boats. In the photo. There's Nine boats in the photo. Nine!”

He looked at me as if I should understand his excitement.

“No.” I said, “There are eleven boats in the photo. Not nine. Count again."

"Eleven boats?"

"Yes. Eleven boats."

"Not Nine?"

"No. Not nine."

He paused, and looked down to his left.

"It's a nice number though, isn't it, Nine,” he said brightly, “Special.”

"If you say so. Is that why you capitalise your nines, because they’re special?”

"Yes. They're special, Nines."

"I see. Why?"

"Well," he said, "take any number you like, say, 457251 for example, then reduce it to a single digit number by adding all of the numbers together; so, 4+5+7+2+5+1=24, and then 2+4=6. So 457251 reduces to 6."

"Yes, but what's that got to do with a nine?" I asked, somewhat bemused.

"Well," he answered, again with a distinct note of excitement in his voice, "did you spot that both the 4 and the 5, and the 7 and the 2 both add up to 9? And also, that those two Nines add up to 18 and that 1+8=9? So then it's just 9+5+1=15 and 1+5=6!!"

“Err, well, no, I didn't spot that, what's the point though?"

"The point is that when you're trying to reduce any number to a single digit using the addition method, you can just ignore any numbers that either are Nine or that add up to Nine. Just forget them and add up what's left. So for 457251 just add up the last two digits to get your answer."

"In fact," he continued, "you could add to that 457251 any combination of numbers that add up to Nine and it would still resolve to a six! Like, 922545725163 still adds up to six!"

He went on to add all the numbers up, to prove his point…

"Look - 9+2+2+5+4+5+7+2+5+1+6+3=51 and then 5+1=6! Or, if you just ignore that first Nine you get 2+2+5+4+5+7+2+5+1+6+3=42 and then 4+2 = 6. Or ignore the 22545 because that all adds up to Nine and you’re left with 9+7+2+5+1+6+3=33 and 3+3=6!”

He practically shouted “You can just ignore all of the Nines and the numbers that add up to Nine!"

I looked at him, unable to deny his logic, but equally unable to fathom why it was that anyone would want to reduce big numbers to a single digit number. So I asked, with just a little bewilderment, "Why would you want to do that - the reduction? What purpose does it serve?”

"Oh, well, to make decisions." he said.

"To make decisions?”

"Yes, you know when you can't decide what to do; one thing or the other.”

“You use it to make decisions?”

“Yes.”

“Meaningful decisions?

“Sometimes, yes.”

“But, how? How can a single digit number possibly influence a decision?”

“Well, obviously, if the result’s a good number then that’s a positive affirmation of your choice of action; you’ll likely get a positive result from your decision, and vice-versa.”

“But,” I paused briefly and rubbed my eyebrow, “but what governs whether a number is good, or bad? And how are they linked to a particular decision?”

“Oh, you just use any numbers that might be associated with your problematic choices, and the good numbers are one, three, seven and of course Nine. All the others are bad, except for eight, which can be good sometimes, especially if you add a one. And, of course if you add a two to a seven then you get a Nine, so that two’s good; likewise a four added to a five, they’re good too. A six with a three. It’s all quite simple really.”

“Simple.” I said quietly.

“Yes. Easy. But I don’t like your photo anymore” he said, shaking his head as he spoke, “It adds up to two.”

--

Don't ask.

Usual caveats etc.

Boats at Dell Quay, Chichester, West Sussex.

Camera: Holga 135BC

Film: Kodak Gold 200

Exposure: ca. 1/100 sec and f/8, hand-held

Film developed and scanned by Foto Brell, Bonn

Edited under Adobe Lightroom

Whether 35mm or medium format, you can use the Holgas as toy cameras and eagerly anticipate the results, or as serious cameras, like any high-quality classic camera. I prefer the classic approach. I've gotten used to the viewfinder parallax, and the film advance on the 35mm version works without overlap (I use 24-exposure film instead of 36-exposure). I cover the notoriously problematic areas with gaffer tape to prevent light leakage. I use the Holgas to achieve the typical look of the plastic lens: soft rendering of details in the center, a drop in sharpness towards the edges, vignetting, and color saturation in the case of color film. Not all subjects are suitable for this. But when it works, you get impressionistic, painterly images. Sharpness isn't everything in photography, and sometimes too much sharpness can be distracting. Reduced sharpness can downplay unimportant details, thus focusing attention on the essential elements. Sharp or soft reproductions are not mutually exclusive for me, but rather complementary approaches in photography.

I don't want to go the usual way."

Etta likes to mix it up on our walks, so at intersections she will sometimes "ask" to take a different track. She seems to be doing this more & more ... getting bored with our usual?

Daily Dog Challenge: I don't want to

Although this happens often enough, getting a photo of her expression was more problematic 😁

As one would surmise, a "Marsh Zombie" is a reanimated corpse that has been decaying in a marsh or swamp. These zombies are given their own designation because of the particular impact of wetlands warfare.

Marshes, swamps and bogs present unique logistical problems to fantasy military forces as well as unique creature encounters. This creates a challenge to morale for troops having to enter these areas.

And nothing can destroy an already weakened morale more quickly or decisively than Marsh Zombies.

Though no different in attributes from other zombies, the particulars of the state of decay associated with the corpse decomposing in stagnant, tepid water produce a truly horrifying experience of sight, sound, and smell.

For this reason, evil forces will often cart bodies and dump them in marshlands of strategic value so that their necromancers can follow up with their vile reanimation processes.

As an added note, an evil baron or lord will sometimes use this same process with the moat around their castle, though this has consistently proved problematic to the living troops quartered there.

For the forces of good, only experienced troops of priests and paladins can both clear an infected marshland of the zombies and purge it of the evil.

👾 Happy 🏰 Heroclix 🏯 Friday! 🐉

__________________________

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

For those who are from or who frequent the Skagit Valley, you most likely know where I took these. It has become a favorite spot of mine during my eagle trips to photograph at during the day. In fact, I actually spent my entire last day at this location. I'm sure many know where it is, but due to the disrespect and problematic actions that took place here last year when a rare species was located here... I would rather not disclose where it is. It makes me sad to know that there are some photographers have such little respect for their subjects and only care about getting the shot... parts of their habitat were destroyed last year. Makes me sick :( STILL I absolutely love this place and for the first time ever I got more flight shots than I did stills... and I am so lucky to have gotten so many of these beautiful birds.

Don't eat this, obviously. Ironically the antidote for the toxin in this mushroom is the main toxin that is contained in Deadly Nightshade which seems rather problematic to me....(in other words do not consume Deadly Nightshade if you have consumed Deadly Fibrecap! Seek medical help!).

The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and black legs. While its sister species is the African sacred ibis, the Australian white ibis is a native Australian bird - contrary to urban myth it is not a feral species introduced to Australia by people, and it does not come from Egypt.

Historically rare in urban areas, the Australian white ibis has established in urban areas right across Australia. Populations have disappeared from natural breeding areas such as the Macquarie Marshes in northern New South Wales. Management plans have been introduced to control problematic urban populations in Sydney.

Due to its increasing presence in the urban environment and its habit of rummaging in garbage, the species has acquired a variety of colloquial names such as "bin chicken", and in recent years has become an icon of Australia's popular culture, regarded with glee by some and passionate revulsion by others.

Press L to view large.

After staring at my submission to Flicke Friday I couldn't help but think that I could do better. I had converted the original to black and white because that's what you do with a street photo? So right there the golden hour light was lost. I also cropped the picture to just the painted building. Doing that made the overhead wires problematic, they came from nowhere to go nowhere. Here I still cropped the original but only top and bottom leaving a longer image that uses the perspective in the street, sidewalk, buildings and wires to create a flow to the shot. I think it's better. Please comment, better, worse or meh?

When you're having too much fun to go to sleep at 12:56am. Last week in Yosemite Valley at night.

Reflections are pretty easy to manage in daylight, but they get a bit more problematic at night. I used multiple exposures and Photomatix HDR software to pull this off.

I'll offer three photography workshops in Yosemite Valley in 2017:

Feb 23 - 26 - Yosemite Winter & Horsetail Fall

May 7 - 12 - Yosemite Spring Waterfalls, Dogwoods, Moonbows & Full Moon

Nov 1 - 5 - Yosemite Fall Colors & Full Moon Photography (4 days)

For more information and registration:

www.jeffsullivanphotography.com/blog/yosemite-national-pa...

Update: The Yosemite Conservancy selected this photo to share to their Facebook page... 2500 likes 450 shares adn counting! Just put your best Yosemite photo(s) in their group for the chance to have yours selected: www.flickr.com/groups/yosemiteconservancy/

Many requests have been received for example photos of asbestos ceiling tile and ceiling panels. Shown above is one example of an asbestos-containing suspended ceiling panel, one of many types, which are found in a seemingly countless array of surface patterns and textures. More examples of asbestos ceiling tile and panels will be offered for visual reference in some upcoming photos.

Ceiling tiles and panels are utilized to serve a variety of useful purposes, such as providing a level of fire-rated protection, absorb sound, conceal unsightly utility systems or cover over older building finishes, create air plenum spaces for HVAC operation, reduce total usable air volumes in occupied areas for HVAC efficiency, maintain a level of insulation value between building zones, and provide a simple decorative appearance.

This small section of non-descript ceiling panel with fractured edges is roughly about a quarter of a 2-ft. x 4-ft. panel that was formerly installed in a suspended ceiling grid or drop-ceiling system. A 1-inch cube has been placed for visual scale.

The panel section shows moisture staining on an otherwise smooth, white surface and also demonstrates a fairly common style of patterned perforations across its entire surface. The tiny pinholes and fissures provide an acoustic absorption value, one of the main purposes of practically all ceiling tiles and panels. Closer study of the panel's surface pattern reveals that there are two sizes of pinholes and that the fissures or crevices are oriented in a latitudinal direction.

Distinctions in a ceiling tile's appearance, however subtle, is an important factor when visually evaluating many tile materials with very similar visible charcteristics. Oftentimes, in the event that ceiling tiles and panels require replacement, building maintenance personnel attempt to match existing patterns as close as possible, which can be problematic to discern differences during an asbestos survey inspection.

Although not particularly evident about this rather ordinary-looking ceiling panel, especially from this view as most would see it suspended above their heads, it has been laboratory-tested and identified to contain approximately 5%-10% amosite asbestos.

To compound matters concerning ceiling tile and panels, as most who've dealt with this crumbly and messy material probably already know, the typical ceiling tile is indeed quite friable in its composition and is practically always considered a suspect material during an asbestos survey. The crumbly ceiling tile material can be very troublesome when contending with asbestos issues.

In the U.S., ceiling tile and ceiling panels are generally categorized by regulatory agencies as a "miscellaneous" material. When trying to deal with the removal of suspect ceiling tile/panels of unknown asbestos content, an accepted practice and conservative recommendation is to "assume" and treat the friable suspect ceiling tile material as asbestos until conclusive testing confirms either the presence or absence of asbestos via specialized laboratory microscopy methods (such as PLM), then treat accordingly.

Bulk samples of suspect asbestos materials should be collected by an experienced, trained, qualified, certified, and accredited inspector/surveyor for proper testing; proper removal and disposal of asbestos materials should be performed by trained, certified, and accredited/licensed asbestos abatement personnel.

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat, closed sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors. Later it was offered as an open roadster. It was the fastest production car of its day.

Built by Daimler-Benz AG and internally numbered W198, the fuel-injected road version was based (somewhat loosely) on the company's highly successful competition-only sports car of 1952, the somewhat less powerful carbureted Mercedes-Benz 300SL (W194).

The road model was suggested by Max Hoffman. Being intended for customers in the booming post-war American market it was introduced at the 1954 New York Auto Show, unlike previous models introduced at either the Frankfurt or Geneva shows. In Mercedes-Benz fashion, the "300" referred to the engine's three litre cylinder displacement. The "SL" stood for "Sport Leicht" (Sport Light).

The 300SL was best known for both its distinctive gull wing doors and being the first-ever four-stroke car equipped with a Gasoline direct injection. The gull wing version was available from March 1955 to 1957. Production of the roadster ended in 1963 with the introduction of the 230SL.

New York Mercedes distributor Max Hoffman, Daimler-Benz's official importer in the USA, suggested to DBAG management in Stuttgart that a street version of the 300SL would be a commercial success, especially in America.

The racing W194 300SL was built around a tubular chassis to offset its relatively underpowered carbureted engine. Designed by DBAG's chief developing engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the metal skeleton saved weight while still providing a high level of strength. Its unique architecture gave birth to the model's distinctive gull wing doors, as part of the chassis passed through what would be the lower half of a standard door. Even with the upward opening doors, the 300SL had an unusually high sill, making entry and exit from the car's cockpit problematic. A steering wheel with a tilt-away column was added to improve driver access.

The 300SL's body was mainly steel, except for the aluminum hood, doors and trunk lid. It could also be ordered with an all-aluminium outer skin at tremendous added cost, saving 80 kg (176 lb).

More than 80% of the vehicle's total production of approximately 1400 units were sold in the US, making the Gull wing the first Mercedes-Benz which sold in bulk outside its home market and confirming the validity of Hoffman's suggestion. The 300SL is credited for changing the company's image in America from a manufacturer of solid, but staid, automobiles to that of a producer of sporty cars.

The 300SL's engine, canted at a fifty-degree angle to the left to allow for a lower hoodline, was the same 3.0 litre straight-6 as the regular four-door 300. Fitted with a Bosch mechanical Gasoline direct injection system it had almost double the power of the original 86 kW (115 hp) carbureted version.

While not the first fuel-injected car - Mercedes engineers who had developed the principle for the DB 601 fighter aircraft engine had used fuel injection in the tiny 2-stroke Gutbrod they had designed after the War - it was the first to inject fuel directly into the cylinders. This innovation allowed a top speed of up to 260 km/h (161 mph) depending on gear ratio and drag, making the 300SL the fastest production car of its time.

The engine's maintenance requirements were high. Unlike the current electrically-powered fuel injection systems, the mechanical fuel pump would continue to inject gasoline into the engine during the interval between shutting off the ignition and the engine's coming to a stop; this gasoline was of course not burned, and washed the oil from the cylinder walls and ended up diluting the engine's lubricating oil, particularly if the engine was not driven hard enough nor long enough to reach a temperature high enough to evaporate it out of the oil.

Exacerbating the problem were the large oil cooler as well as the large volume of oil (10 liters), both oriented more to racing than to street driving, which virtually guaranteed that the oil would not reach a high enough temperature. In practice, many street drivers would block off airflow through the oil cooler, and the recommended oil change interval was 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Operation of the clutch was initially very heavy, later roadsters having an improved clutch arm helper spring which reduced the pedal force. From March 1963 to the end of production, a light alloy crankcase was used on a total of 209 vehicles.[2]

Aerodynamics played an important role in the car's speed, Mercedes-Benz engineers even placing horizontal "eyebrows" over the wheel openings to reduce drag. Unlike many cars of the 1950s, the steering was relatively precise and the four-wheel independent suspension allowed for a reasonably comfortable ride and markedly better overall handling. However, the rear swing axle, jointed only at the differential, not at the wheels themselves, could be treacherous at high speeds or on imperfect roads due to extreme changes in camber.

In 1952, the original 300SL (model Mercedes-Benz W194) [3] scored overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in Bern-Bremgarten, in the sportscar race of the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring, and in Mexico's Carrera Panamericana. It also managed second and fourth places at its first outing, the Mille Miglia in 1952.

These successes, especially those on the high speed open road races, were rather surprising as the engine then was fitted only with carburetors, producing 175 hp (130 kW), which was not only less than the competing cars by Ferrari and Jaguar, but also less than the road car of 1954. Low weight and low aerodynamic drag made the 300SL fast enough to be competitive in endurance races.

Expired film: The subject... well, we call him 'stripey dog' instead of `Hero' these days. He does what the dogs do, he eats what the dogs eat and he's a hooligan.

The poor little Voigtlander Vito B has only been used to finish part used and very expired rolls of film so far and it is giving a really good account of itself in that role. This was a roll of Kodak Gold ii that came out of the inside of a Ricoh YF20 with furry batteries etc. I can't establish the precise age of the film but likely early nineties. There were around 8 frames exposed, but these were blank after processing, the rest of the film though didn't do too badly. I exposed it for ISO50, working on the 1 stop per decade principle. Seems to have worked, although another two thirds of a stop wouldn't have gone amiss. The images needed a bit of coaxing in the scanner and post, to get the colours back somewhere close to normal and anything shot in lower light levels was more problematic. That's to be expected, expired films do seem to like plenty of strong sunlight. It's quite contrasty in most of the shots, but I might scan again and see if that can be changed a little.

The little Ricoh has been cleaned up, battery compartment restored and I gave it to a friend with a roll of Kentmere 100... process that in the next few days to see if that one works.

This is without a doubt the most famous scene from that show, and an iconic scene in TV/comedy history, we all know this. Some basic context: it’s from an episode called “Job Switching” (1952), wherein “Ricky and Fred get upset about the girls’ spending, and Lucy and Ethel go work in a candy factory while the boys do the housework.” So kind of problematic politics there, but it’s worth noting that the script was written by Jess Oppenheimer (the deceptively-named man who created the show)

The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy is a museum at 2 West 3rd Street, Jamestown, New York, dedicated to the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The museum officially opened in 1996 "to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter". Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown on August 6, 1911.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Das historische Stadtzentrum von Stade bietet neben dem alten Stadthafen noch viele weitere vorbildlich sanierte Straßenzüge. Häufig stören jedoch parkende Autos, Baulücken und immer mehr Handysüchtige den historischen Eindruck... aber in dieser Seitenstraße war davon zum Glück gerade nichts vorhanden.

The historic city of Stade, Lower Saxony has many refurbished streets and places which arosed in the hanseatic era in the 17. century.

Problematic is, that often cars, construction gaps or more and more people with cellphones ruin the historical view... in this little street I had luck that nothing of that were there for a moment.

STAX Museum of American Soul Music

926 E. McLemore Ave.,

Memphis, TN 38106.

Phone: 901-946-2535

Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and blues recordings. While Stax is renowned for its output of African-American music, the label was founded by two white businesspeople, Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton, and featured several popular ethnically-integrated bands, including the label's house band, Booker T. & the MG's.

Following the death of Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding, in 1967 and the severance of the label's distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 1968, Stax continued primarily under the supervision of a new co-owner, Al Bell. Over the next five years, Bell expanded the label's operations significantly, in order to compete with Stax's main rival, Motown Records in Detroit. During the mid-1970s, a number of factors, including a problematic distribution deal with CBS Records, caused the label to slide into insolvency, resulting in its forced closure in late 1975.

In 1977, Fantasy Records acquired the post-1968 Stax catalog, as well as selected pre-1968 recordings. Beginning in 1978, Stax (now owned by Fantasy) began signing new acts and issuing new material, as well as re-issuing previously recorded Stax material. However, by the early 1980's no new material was being issued on the label, and for the next two decades, Stax was strictly a re-issue label.

After Concord Records acquired Fantasy in 2004, the Stax label was reactivated, and is today used to issue both the 1968–1975 catalog material and new recordings by current R&B/soul performers. Atlantic Records continues to hold the rights to the vast majority of the 1959-1968 Stax material.

Problem is I want your body like a fiend, like a bad habit

"Is there a pessimism of strength?

An intellectual inclination for what in existence is

hard, dreadful, evil, problematic, emerging from what is healthy, from overflowing well being,

from

living existence to the full?

Is there perhaps a way of suffering from the very fullness of life?

A tempting

courage of the keenest sight which demands what is terrible as the enemy, the worthy enemy,

against

which it can test its power, from which it wants to learn what “to fear” means?"

Friedrich Nietzsche

The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music

View On Black

Ask Me "

F.P on Facebook"

Twitter"

Folks wouldn't normally expect to find significantly damaged asbestos materials in their very own workplace, inside a return-air plenum just feet above their heads, hidden from view by a suspended ceiling system...or would they?

This particular pipe insulation material has four distinct layers: two layers that contain asbestos and two that don't. The thin black-felt inner liner and the outer grey paper underneath the canvas, contain asbestos. The brown, thick, perforated mid-layers and thin outer canvas are cellulose-based and do not contain asbestos.

This pipe insulation material was designed to insulate colder pipe systems to prevent sweating or condensation, such as on the pictured galvanized cold water pipe.

Similar pipe insulation material, with a thin asbestos felt liner, has also been known as: "Duplex". Sampling this type of pipe insulation has been known to be problematic for less experienced surveyors/inspectors, sometimes missing the thin asbestos felt layer below the dense bulk of the non-asbestos cellulose layers.