Holy Relic of St. Michael the Archangel, Prince of the Heavenly Host.

Ex Crypta Apparitionis or Piece of Stone from the Cave of Mount Gargano in Italy, where St. Michael the Archangel appeared. The Cave is now a Sanctuary dedicated to the Prince of the Heavenly Host and is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Italy and Europe.

Feast Day: September 29

The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano, sometimes called simply Monte Gargano, is a Catholic sanctuary on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia.

It is the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael and has been an important pilgrimage site since the middle ages. The historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano.

The legend of the Archangel's apparition at Gargano is related in the Roman Breviary for May 8, as well as in the Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea), the compendium of Christian mythology compiled by Jacobus de Voragine between 1260-1275.

According to this legend, around the year 490 the Archangel Michael appeared several times to the Bishop of Sipontum near a cave, asking that the cave be dedicated to Christian worship and promising protection of the nearby town of Sipontum from pagan invaders. These were the first apparitions of Michael in Western Europe.

Pope Gelasius I (reigned 492-496) directed that a basilica be erected enclosing the space. The Basilica di San Giovanni in Tumba is the final resting-place of the Lombard king Rothari (died 652); the designation "tumba" is now applied to the cupola on squinches.

To Michael's dramatic later intercession, appearing with flaming sword atop the mountain, in the midst of a storm on the eve of the battle, the Lombards of Sipontum attributed their victory (May 8, 663) over the Greeks loyal to the Byzantine emperor, and so, in commemoration of this victory, the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast honoring the Archangel, on May 8, which then spread throughout the Catholic Church. Since the time of Pius V it has been formalized as Apparitio S. Michaelis although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory of the barbarian Lombards over the Orthodox Greeks.

The complex of buildings consists of the Battistero di San Giovanni in Tumba, damaged in 1942, and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The baptistery presents a rectangular storey on which rests an octagon supporting an elliptical section and a high drum that supports the cupola. The church erected in the eleventh century by Archbishop Leone stands upon the remains of an ancient necropolis. A few remnants attest to its once-rich fresco decoration.

The Castello was enlarged by the Normans upon an episcopal residence of Orso, Bishop of Benevento, to provide a suitable seat for the Honor Montis Sancti Angeli, further modified by Frederick II. The massive, octagonal campanile was built in the late 13th century by Frederick II as a watchtower. It was turned into a bell tower by Charles I of Anjou.

Behind a forecourt the sanctuary presents a portico of two Gothic arches, the right one of 1395 by the local architect Simone, the left one a reconstruction of 1865. From the portico steps lead down to the low arched nave. The cavern can be accessed from a Romanesque portal, called the Portale del Toro ("Gate of the Bull"): the doors, in bronze, were made in Constantinople in 1076, the donation of an Amalfitan noble. They are divided in 24 panels portraying episodes of angels from the Old and New Testaments.

The archaic cavern opening to the left, with its holy well, is full of votive offerings, especially the 12th century marble bishop's throne supported on crouching lions. Among the ex voto objects is a statue of the Archangel by Andrea Sansovino.

During centuries, millions of pilgrims went to Monte Sant'Angelo in order to visit the “Celestial Basilica”. Among the pilgrims who visited the Saint Michael Archangel Sanctuary were many popes (Gelasius I, Leo IX, Urban II, Alexander III, Gregory X, Celestine V, John XXIII as Cardinal, John Paul II), saints (Bridget of Sweden, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas) emperors, kings and princes (Louis II of Italy, Otto III, Henry II, Matilda of Tuscany, Charles I of Naples, Ferdinand II of Aragon).

Also Francis of Assisi went to visit the Sanctuary, but feeling himself unworthy to enter the grotto, he stopped in prayer and meditation at the entrance, kissed and carved on a stone the sign of the cross in the form of “T” (tau).

Since 13 July 1996, the pastoral care of Saint Michael Archangel Sanctuary has been given to the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel.

ACT OF CONSECRATION

Oh, most Noble Prince

of the Angelic Hierarchies,

valorous warrior of Almighty God,

and zealous lover of His glory,

terror of the rebellious angels,

and love and delight of all the just,

my beloved Archangel Saint Michael,

desiring to be numbered among your

devoted servants,

I, today offer and consecrate myself to you,

and place myself, my family and all I possess

under your most powerful protection.

I entreat you not to look at how little I,

as your servant have to offer,

being only a wretched sinner,

but to gaze rather with favourable

eye at the heartfelt affection

with which this offering is made,

and remember that it from this day

onward I am under your patronage,

you must during all my life assist me,

and procure for me

the pardon of my many grievous

offences and sins,

the grace to love with all my heart my God,

my dear Saviour Jesus,

and my Sweet Mother Mary,

and obtain for me all the help necessary

to arrive to my crown of glory.

Defend me always

from my spiritual enemies,

particularly in the last moments of my life.

Come then oh glorious Prince

and succour me in my last struggle,

and with your powerful weapon

cast far from me

into the infernal abysses that prevaricator

and proud angel that one day you prostrated

in the celestial battle.

Accompany me then to the throne of God

to sing with you, Archangel Saint Michael

and all the Angels, praise, honour and glory

to the One who reigns for all eternity.

Amen.

Commelina cyanea, commonly known as scurvy weed, is a perennial prostrate herb of the family Commelinaceae native to moist forests and woodlands of eastern Australia, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

Prostrate Cancer 66769 passes through Croome Perry Wood on 16/Aug/23 with 6V84 07.38 Clitheroe to Avonmouth cement.

Viola riviniana, the common dog-violet, is a species of flowering plant in the family Violaceae, native to Eurasia and Africa. It is also called wood violet and dog violet. It inhabits woodland edges, grassland and shady hedge banks. It is found in all soils except those which are acid or very wet.

Growing to 10 cm (3.9 in) tall and 50 cm (20 in) broad, this prostrate perennial has dark green, heart-shaped leaves and produces multiple violet coloured flowers in May and June.

(Wikipedia)

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Genista germanica (Fabaceae) 099 20

Genista germanica (German greenweed) is a plant species in the genus Genista belonging to the family Fabaceae.

This species grows in Central Europe, Western Europe and Southern Europe,

These shrubs can be found in thickets, poor pastures, heaths and dry meadows, preferably on acidic soils, usually between 0–800 meters, rarely up to 1,400 meters above sea level.

Genista germanica can grow to 0.6 meters. These small perennial shrubs may have erect or prostrate stems, woody at the base, with robust simple or branched thorns. Only the young branches are green, slightly hairy. The deciduous leaves are oval-lanceolate, bright green and pubescent. The flowers are gathered in short racemes, the calyx is pubescent with lanceolate teeth, the corolla is yellow. They bloom from April.

From Wikipedia.

Pelargonium tortandrum is a small geophyte with pale yellow flowers and simple, seldom trifoliolate prostrate leaves.

So, my God, I prostrate myself before your presence in the universe which now become a living flame: beneath the lineaments of all that I shall encounter this day, all that happens to me, all that I achieve, it is you I desire, you I await.

-Teilhard de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe

She doesn't roam far from the burrow. . . .prairie rattlers have been photographed nearby! Mama is standing in what I "think" is a field of non-native bindweed, though I've not seen it in purple before. From the Colorado.gov website: "Field bindweed is a non-native deep-rooted perennial that reproduces from seed and creeping, horizontal roots (rhizomes). Field bindweed stems are prostrate (grows low to the ground) and twining, and grow up to 6 feet long. Leaves are distinguishable by their arrowhead shape. The flowers are bell or trumpet-shaped, white to pink in color, and are about 1 inch long. Field Bindweed seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 40 years." Burrowing owls use the burrows of prairie dogs, usually in active colonies. The dogs will clear a landscape of vegetation, and often bindweed will come in.

Hope you can feel it, The story of the prophet Mohammad with his grandson..

وعن عبدالله بن شداد عن أبيه قال: خرج علينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في إحدى صلاتي العشاء، وهو حامل حسناً أو حسيناً، فتقدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فوضعه ثم كبر للصلاة، فسجد بين ظهراني صلاته سجدة أطالها، فرفع شداد رأسه، فإذا الصبي على ظهر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلما قضى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الصلاة قال الناس: يا رسول الله! إنك سجدت بين ظهراني صلاتك سجدة أطلتها، حتى ظننا أنه قد حدث أمر، أو أنه يُوحى إليك. قال: "كل ذلك لم يكن، ولكن ابني ارتحلني، فكرهت أن أعجله حتى يقضي حاجته"

----------

Abdullah ibn Shaddad heard this report from his father: that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him) once came out to lead us in the `ishaa' prayer carrying [either] Hasan or Husayn(may Allah be pleased with them). He stepped up, put him down and said, "Allahu akbar" to begin the prayer. During the prayer, he prostrated for a long time and I lifted my head and saw the small boy on his back. After he finished the prayer, the people were saying, "O Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him), you prostrated during the prayer for such a long time that we thought something had happened, or that revelation had come to you."

He (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him) replied, "It was none of that, but my grandson climbed onto my back and I did not want to stop him from fulfilling his need."

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Abdullah ibn Shaddad entendit son père rapporter: que le Messager d’Allah (paix et bénédiction d’Allah soit sur lui = Sal Allahu Allaihi wa salam) une fois les rejoignit pour diriger la prière d’Ishaa alors qu’il portait dans ses bras (soit) Hasan ou Husayn (radhia Allahou anha).

Il se leva puis le posa par terre, et prononça “Allahu Akbar” pour commencer la prière. Pendant la prière, il se prosterna pendant un long moment et je relevai la tête et vis le petit garçon sur son dos.

Après avoir terminé de prier, les gens lui disaient “Ô Messager d’Allah (paix et bénédiction d’Allah soit sur lui), tu te prosternas pendant si longtemps que nous pensions que quelque chose t’étais arrivée ou que tu avais reçue une révélation.

Il (paix et bénédiction d’Allah soit sur lui) ré;pondit “ Ce n’était rien de cela si ce n’est que mon petit fils avait grimpé sur mon dos et je ne voulais pas l’empêcher d’assouvir ses envies.”

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=> Canon 400D + Canon 24-105mm

=>Thanks to My Older Sister and Gala; my lovely niece, mashallah :)

=>Thanks for Zeinab for her effort to translate the hadith to French :)

Everyone is doing music shots today and this is what I felt like

"Closer To Fine" (1989)

The Indigo Girls

I'm trying to tell you something about my life

Maybe give me insight between black and white

The best thing you've ever done for me

Is to help me take my life less seriously, it's only life after all

Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable

And lightness has a call that's hard to hear

I wrap my fear around me like a blanket

I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it, I'm crawling on your shore.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains

I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain

There's more than one answer to these questions

pointing me in crooked line

The less I seek my source for some definitive

The closer I am to fine.

I went to see the doctor of philosophy

With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee

He never did marry or see a B-grade movie

He graded my performance, he said he could see through me

I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper

And I was free.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains

I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain

There's more than one answer to these questions

pointing me in crooked line

The less I seek my source for some definitive

The closer I am to fine.

I stopped by the bar at 3 a.m.

To seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend

I woke up with a headache like my head against a board

Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before

I went in seeking clarity.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains

I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain

There's more than one answer to these questions

pointing me in crooked line

The less I seek my source for some definitive

The closer I am to fine.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains

I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain

There's more than one answer to these questions

pointing me in crooked line

The less I seek my source for some definitive

The closer I am to fine.

We go to the bible, we go through the workout

We read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout

There's more than one answer to these questions

pointing me in a crooked line

The less I seek my source for some definitive

The closer I am to fine

The closer I am to fine

The closer I am to fine

Listen to it here

prostrate form

Prostrate Cancer 66769 "League Managers Association" comes of Battledown flyover and passes Worting Junction on 01/Sept/25 working 4M32 05.34 Southampton West Docks to Hams Hall intermodal.

Banksia stenoprion is a prostrate shrub endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has short, underground stems, pinnatisect leaves with triangular lobes. The flowers are golden, mauve or purple flowers in heads of up to ninety.

Most of these type of Banksia flowers are neat and tidy keeping their stamens within the flower. This time we noticed that the stamens were falling out between the upright styles.

Photo: Jean

67-100

Banksia stenoprion is a prostrate shrub endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has short, underground stems, pinnatisect leaves with triangular lobes. The flowers are golden, mauve or purple flowers in heads of up to ninety.

Photo: Fred

iconographer: Wayne Hajos

Since, then, there was needed a lifting up from death for the whole of our nature, He stretches forth a hand as it were to prostrate humanity, and stooping down to our dead corpse He came so far within the grasp of death as to touch a state of deadness, and then in His own body to bestow on our nature the principle of the resurrection, raising as He did by His power along with Himself the whole human being. For since from no other source than from the concrete lump of our nature had come that flesh, which was the receptacle of the Godhead and in the resurrection was raised up together with that Godhead, therefore just in the same way as, in the instance of this body of ours, the operation of one of the organs of sense is felt at once by the whole system, as one with that member, so also the resurrection principle of this Member, as though the whole of humankind was a single living being, passes through the entire race, being imparted from the Member to the whole by virtue of the continuity and oneness of the nature. What, then, is there beyond the bounds of probability in what this Revelation teaches us; viz. that He Who stands upright stoops to one who has fallen, in order to lift him up from his prostrate condition?

Gregory of Nyssa,

The Great Catechism, 32

I believe this to be native and endemic wedge guinea flower - any advice welcome.

Natural environment and range is within forests and woodland from south-east Queensland down through New South Wales and in to eastern Victoria.

Hibbertia is a genus of around 150 species, most of which occur naturally in Australia. They are generally small to medium shrubs with yellow, buttercup-like flowers.

Hibbertia diffusa is a small, low growing shrub. The yellow flowers occur in spring and in to summer.

Prostrate, growing to around 30 to 50 cm in height.

Flowers are around 25 mm in diameter.

© All rights reserved.

Pinguicula alpina (Lentibulariaceae) 157 20

Pinguicula alpina (the alpine butterwort) is a species of carnivorous plant native to high latitudes and altitudes throughout Eurasia.

It is one of the most widespread Pinguicula species, being found in mountainous regions from Iceland to the Himalayas. Native to cold climates, it is a temperate species, forming prostrate rosettes of green to red leaves and white flowers in the summer and a tight hibernaculum during a period of winter dormancy in the winter.

Like all members of the genus, P. alpina uses mucilaginous glands covering the surface of its summer leaves to attract, trap, and digest arthropod prey.

Pinguicula alpina is a small perennial herb, reaching a height of 5–15 cm when in flower.

From Wikipedia.

Swamp Pea

Prostrate to ascending, many-stemmed, slender shrub, 0.1-1.2 m high. Fl. yellow-orange-red, Jun to Dec. White, grey or peaty sand. Swampy places. florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/3872

Photos: Fred

Explore: 6 Sept 2019 #368

York 2018 ... "Distinguished Gentleman's Bike Ride"

Thanks everyone for your support and for reaching out to me. I know, from what I've read that prostrate cancer can be beat and it's probably one of the easiest ones to cure. However, and this is what's killing me, I'm single and not ready to become a Eunuch. Non of the options I was given sounded like a great cure. So, I'm going to just take the wait and option. And, that may change. Right now I'm going between being angry and sad. But you guys are the best. Thanks

youtu.be/dsxtImDVMig

Growing on the limestone substrate at Burnt Cape NL, dwarfed and prostrated by the harsh arctic like conditions there.

Martin is very polite and a lovely southerner who has, in his own way, named his Norton Commando "George" !

Trev hired a Triumph Bonneville for the charity event, of which Martin lay his hands on and closed his eyes, and told Trev that the Bonneville was called Alan!

A trip to see the Chalkhill Blues at Barnack Hills and Holes NNR this week proved to be fruitful with plenty on the wing by 8.30am. Here are two males, not the best specimens i photographed but probably the better of the compositions i did, even though i was battling with the breeze and the occasional dogs who were interested in why i was lying prostrate on the grass paths!

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Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, native to rainforest and more open habitats in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Sulawesi and other Indonesian islands. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 50 cm tall to trees 35 m tall. Common names include grevillea, spider flower, silky oak and toothbrush plant. The brightly coloured, petal-less flowers consist of a calyx tube that splits into 4 lobes with long styles. They are good bird-attracting plants, honeyeaters in particular are common visitors. Grevillea flowers were a traditional favourite among Aborigines for their sweet nectar. This could be shaken onto the hand to enjoy, or into a coolamon with a little water to make a sweet drink. They might be referred to as the original 'bush lollies'. 4047

Cichorium intybus Chicory Achicoria Flowers from June to September and is a woody herbaceous perennial, native to Europe. It grows from 20cms to 1m. Cichorium intybus, Wild Chicory is a herbaceous perennial, native to Europe and Asia and since the ‘Bronze Age’ has followed civilizations all over Europe, probably including the UK as this has always been an important crop. Grows to 1.5 m (5ft), its flowering stems growing mainly upwards. As a perennial, it produces only leaves in its first season, resembling a dandelion, and similarly it has a relatively large, brown, fleshy, branched taproot with milky sap. As a weed, chicory adapts to almost all well-drained soil types in full sun. Frequently mowed plants often end up with prostrate flowering stems unaffected by the mower. Young chicory roots are used in soups and sauces or as a roast vegetable. A (caffeine-free) coffee substitute is made commercially from the roots. Some evidence shows using this coffee substitute helps to diminish Candida albicans fungal growth, where sugar is eliminated from the diet.

Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists while Jains and Bönpos circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.

The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long. Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash should be made in a single day, which is not considered an easy task. A person in good shape walking fast would take perhaps 15 hours to complete the entire trek.

Some of the devout do accomplish this feat, little daunted by the uneven terrain, altitude sickness and harsh conditions faced in the process. Indeed, other pilgrims venture a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations over the entire length of the circumambulation: The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with his fingers, rises to his knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by his/her fingers before repeating the process. It requires at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation while following this regimen.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kailash

Our best holiday wildlife encounter this year was in fact at the cottage we were staying in. We came back one evening to find this male sparrowhawk plucking a pigeon in the back yard of our cottage. Scrambled to get the camera, managed to open the door and I laid prostrate on the floor clicking away. Light was awful so only snaps really but I just had to post these.

Many thanks to all who comment, fave or just enjoy looking, it really is very much appreciated!

Scott of the Antarctic is still fondly remembered by the citizens of Christchurch in New Zealand. Scott's final journey to Antarctica started from Christchurch and flights to the Antarctic Scott Base go from there.

Waun Mawn (Welsh for "peat moor") is the site of a dismantled Neolithic stone circle in the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire. The diameter of the circle is estimated to be 110m (360ft), the third largest diameter for a British stone circle.

The site is located just to the north of the broad east-west ridge of the Preseli range. There are four remaining stones, one standing and three prostrate. They are of the same Pembrokeshire bluestone to be found at Stonehenge in the parts believed to have formed the original circle there.

During 2017 and 2018, excavations by the UCL team of archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson, revealed that Waun Mawn had originally housed a 110m diameter stone circle of the same size as the ditch at Stonehenge. The circle also contained a hole from one stone which had a distinctive pentagonal shape, very closely matching the one pentagonal stone at Stonehenge (stonehole 91 at Waun Mawn/stone 62 at Stonehenge). Both circles appear to be oriented towards the midsummer solstice.

Following soil dating of the sediments within the revealed stone holes, it has been argued by Parker Pearson, that the circle of stones was built c.3400–3200 BC and then between four and five thousand years ago was mostly disassembled, dragged across land and reassembled at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, some 230 km (140 miles) distant. Why and how this was managed remains a mystery.

Information taken mostly from Wikipedia

More playing with the Canon. Didn't think this lens would work for this, but it did.

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Canon EOS 5Ds, Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

Capture One, Color Efex Pro 5, Silver Efex Pro 3

A photo-stack of the emerging flowers of a small hybrid Serruria or spiderhead sold as 'Miss Muffet'. Serruria is a South African genus in the protea family that occur in fynbos vegetation. This one is a prostrate plant growing its sprawling branches across the ground, with flower produced in spring on the branch tips. The opening flowers shown here are around 15 mm across. A stack of 70 images combined using Zerene Stacker.

Ceylon Leadwort :-(Plumbago zelanica) (එල නෙටුල්) is a herbaceous plant with glabrous stems that are climbing, prostrate, or erect. This is an introduced plant to the island and native to Peru. Now grows throughout the tropical and sub-tropical climates of the world

Our Daily Challenge 10-16 April :Dutch Angle.

The first Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus, of this year on my lovely Abies procera glauca prostrate.

The origins of the present South Carolina State House, a fine example of neoclassical architecture and the third in the State's history, can be traced back to the 1849 recommendation of Govenor Whitemarsh B. Seabrooks that a fireproof building be constructed by the State to protect its historic papers. The cornerstone for such a facility was laid in 1851, but 2 years later the legislature expanded the project to include construction of a new capitol. By 1851, work was proceeding rapidly but had to be stopped when it was discovered that poor workmanship and materials had caused the walls to crack. At this juncture, John Rudolph Niernsee, an Austrian-born architect then residing in Baltimore, was hired to oversee the project. Niernsee drafted a new design for the building—which would be followed with few exceptions until completion—and late in 1855, after the cracked walls had been razed, construction resumed. Using granite from the nearby Congaree River and $1,240,032 in legislative appropriations, Niernsee, by 1860, had completed most of the exterior work on the new capitol, and by 1862 its vaults were ready to receive the public papers.

During the Civil War, construction continued albeit on a somewhat limited basis. In February 1865, William T. Sherman and the Union Army occupied Columbia, and he ordered a number of public buildings including the old state house put to the torch. For some unknown reason, Sherman spared the unfinished state house. Although some have claimed he admired its beauty and left it alone for that reason, South Carolina historian A.S. Salley offers a more likely explanation: "He probably wished to save the store of explosives it would have taken to blow it up and he probably feared injury to his reckless, drunken soldiers in the explosions." Despite the exemption, the structure did suffer damage from shelling and the burning of the nearby old state house. Sherman's men also destroyed $700,000 worth of finished marble and other materials as well as Niernsee's models and plans.

In the first years after the war, work on the building proceeded very slowly. Not until 1869 was the roof finished and the legislature able to meet in the still uncompleted building. These were the years of Reconstruction, and the capitol served as the setting for some of this drama's most exciting scenes. Between 1869 and 1874, the only State legislature in American history with a black majority sat here, attracting attention both in this country and abroad. In 1873, James Shepherd Pike, a leading Republican journalist, used the capitol as the backdrop for his famous book, The Prostrate State: South Carolina under Negro Government, which made blacks appear as "ignorant dupes, the tools, of Federal power." Although Pike, according to his biographer Robert P. Burden, was "far from dispassionate in his influential report on Reconstruction", his account was accepted at face value because of his prominence. Pike's book also influenced historians, helping reinforce the image of Reconstruction as an era of black domination, corruption, and misrule. In 1935, Henry S. Commager praised its "transparent honesty" and "thorough documentation," and as late as 1947, it was described as the classic work on Reconstruction outrages. The interpretation presented in The Prostrate State is, of course, no longer accepted by most historians.

The state house also witnessed one of the final acts of Reconstruction. In 1876, Wade Hampton and the Democrats conducted their famous "Red Shirt" campaign against Daniel H. Chamberlain and the Republicans in a concerted effort to "redeem" the State. "Both parties engaged in fraud, with some counties reporting more votes than there were registered voters", says historian Alien W. Trelease. The result was that both Hampton and Chamberlain claimed victory, and their respective parties claimed control of the lower house of the legislature. When the General Assembly convened in November 1876, the Democratic members of the lower house withdrew when several of their members' election certificates were not recognized. They then chose William H. Wallace speaker while Republicans elected Edwin W.M. Mackey to the same post. On November 30, the Democratic legislators returned to the capitol and "thus was seen the singular spectacle of two speakers and two Houses conducting deliberations in the same hall." Four days later, because of threatened bloodshed, the Wallace House moved to another meeting place, probably at the urging of Wade Hampton who exerted himself to the utmost to maintain peace. According to scholar Hampton M. Jarrell, if Wade Hampton "had no other claim to greatness, his wise leadership during the five months following the election of 1876 would entitle him to both state and national honor; for during this crisis he maintained peace in an area where, but for him, violence would have erupted." Next, both Chamberlain and Hampton were inaugurated as Governor, and South Carolinians found themselves confronted with the spectacle of dual government. It soon became apparent that Hampton and the Wallace House had the full backing of the white population and that Chamberlain and the Mackey House were tolerated only because of the presence of Federal troops in the state. On April 10, 1877, fulfilling part of the compromise which had allowed his United States Presidential inauguration, Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew these troops, and the following day Hampton and his supporters assumed full control of the government of South Carolina.

Because of the austerity programs of "Redeemers" like Hampton, work on the capitol proceeded slowly. Finally, in 1885, Governor Hugh S. Thompson, a strong advocate of completing the capitol, recalled John Rudolph Niernsee, its original architect, from Baltimore, but he died before he was able to resume the project. From 1888 to 1891 his son, Frank McHenry Niernsee, served as architect, and under his direction much of the interior work was completed. In 1900, Frank Milburn became architect and stirred up a great deal of controversy because he substituted the present dome for the tower which had been envisioned by the elder Niernsee. Because much of Milburn's work was of inferior quality, he was replaced in 1905 by Charles Coker Wilson, who corrected these deficiencies and finished the exterior in 1907. Finally, after 56 years and the expenditure of $3,450,000, the South Carolina State House had been completed. Since 1907 the exterior of the capitol has changed little, while the interior has been modernized. Today, it still serves as the meeting place for the South Carolina General Assembly and contains the Governor's Office, and the Office of the Legislative Council.

For its long, storied history, the South Carolina State House was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on June 5, 1970 and later determined to be a National Historic Landmark (NHL) on May 11, 1976. All of the information above, and much more, was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration. These documents can be viewed here:

npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/8ced7ef7-4232-403f-9aa...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." --Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

How shit can life be ..... From smiles all day helping to raise money for people that need help ... to being made redundant the following day .... it wiped the smile of this "Proud Distinguished Gentleman's" face!

At the city gate and by your fireside I have seen you prostrate yourself and worship your own freedom,

Even as slaves humble themselves before a tyrant and praise him though he slays them.

Ay, in the grove of the temple and in the shadow of the citadel I have seen the freest among you wear their freedom as a yoke and a handcuff.

And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment.

(From "Freedom XIV" by Khalil Gibran)

Aretha Franklin - Think (feat. The Blues Brothers)

♫ www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vet6AHmq3_s

Ravenwold

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Merlin/112/145/24

Commonly known as bank catclaw, prostrate acacia, or desert carpet, it is a shrub introduced to Southern California from SW Australia. It is considered an invasive species in parts of California.

Curved Mulla Mulla

A prostrate or ascending perennial, herb, 0.03-0.2 m high. Fl. pink, Sep to Dec.

florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/2716

LA: Dorycnium pentaphyllum ssp. germanicum

EN: Prostrate Canary Clover

DE: Siediger Backenklee

HU: Selymes / Zöld dárdahere

Endemic to Europe, mainly in France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Southeast Europe.

Endangered in Germany.

Zamilapark, Munich, Germany

Found all of the manger animals lying prostrate this AM; I can only presume the worst...

Contrast boost, unsharp mask, monochrome and cross-process, using the xpro script, in the GIMP.

Olympus c-765

f/3.2 1/6

ISO 400

This photo was taken a Crown Point Beach in San Diego. This was a lifer for me and such an interesting bird to see!

We ended up seeing around 50 of these Skimmers on the beach and some of them were sleeping and when they sleep they extend their neck out and lie prostrate as if they were dead. We watched a few of them skim during the day which is a nice treat as they mostly hunt at night. You can tell this bird is a female due to the length of the bill. The males have a longer lower mandible.

They have a very cute sounding call and it was fun to listen to them interact.

They were congregating on the beach with many Royal Terns.

This photo was taken during Tim Boyer's San Diego Birds workshop.

www.timboyerphotography.com/workshops/

Darwinia plants have been an interest of ours so it was nice to see another new one for us.

The red flowering plant is prostrate and sprawling. The flowers sit flat on the ground in rocky laterite areas. You can see white sand grains in between the flowers.

Photo: Jean

The Cham Festival at Ki Monastery, in Himachal Pradesh.

How can we fail to mention here the liturgy of Good Friday, when the celebrant comes into the sanctuary? He prostrates himself, stretching out on the floor in front of the altar, and remains in that position for a long interval in great silence. This silent gesture is eloquent. Man acknowledges his nothingness, and he literally has nothing to say in view of the sacred mystery of the Cross. Humbly, he can only prostrate himself and adore. But this adoration is not crushing; on the contrary, it opens us up to an attitude of abandonment and trust.

-THE POWER OF SILENCE, Robert Cardinal Sarah with Nicolas Diat

Małe czerwone owocki irgi poziomej przykryte śnieżną kołderką :)

Some snow on fruits of Rockspray cotoneaster. Taken yesterday in my hometown park :)

Rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) is a coarse, prostrate, slow-growing, horizontally-spreading, deciduous shrub, which typically matures to 12-18” tall and spreads to 5-8’ wide with tiers of flattened, horizontal branches arranged in a fishbone pattern. It features five-petaled, small pink flowers in early summer, bright scarlet berries in late summer to fall and tiny, rounded, lustrous, dark green leaves (to 3/8” long) that turn reddish-purple in fall.

Rockspray cotoneaster is a valuable landscape plant which offers good foliage, flowers and fruit, and provides shelter for small birds. Mass as a woody ground cover for sunny areas in the landscape including banks or slopes where it can also provide good erosion control. Sprawl over rocks in rock gardens or along stone walls.

Polish name: irga pozioma

I can only get down on my knees and beg your forgiveness for the crapness and laziness of this shot. But I'm really really tired... Tell you what: I shall cast myself to the ground, prostrate, and promise to pull my finger out tomorrow to make up for the shiteness on display here.

Now, can anyone point me in the direction of the nearest open wine bottle...?

lighting: 580EXII (1/8th and still too strong) behind the camera. Vivitar to the left of shot. Blah blah blah...

This rhinoceros was in no mood to show off for the tourists! With a heat index of over 100 degrees, even these rugged animals were prostrated! I cut my stay short, too, unable to stay cool, even drinking an enormous soda. Florida summers can be brutal. There was a storm coming in, which made it all the more uncomfortable because of the high humidity. I felt like this guy looked!

As the name implies, this is a creeping plant, rarely reaching a height of more than 1 inch. Generally assumed to be native to southern Michigan, it loves the cracks in our driveway, as seen here. Referred to as Spotted Spurge in the Michigan Flora.