Mission Espada (formally Mission San Francisco de la Espada), is the southernmost and oldest mission in the area of what is now San Antonio, Texas. It was a Roman Rite Catholic mission established in 1690 to convert the local Nabedache Indians to Christianity. The Spanish also brought along a smallpox epidemic, which resulted in an estimated 3300 deaths in that area, and also resulted in the native people becoming hostile. The mission was abandoned and reestablished a number of times over the years, but there was little success in converting the Indians. This is some of the ruins of the mission walls. More at wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Francisco_de_la_Espada).

Restauration à la place en voiture-salon Trans-Europ-Express type Mistral 1969. Cité du train.

Dès les années 1920, dans toute l'Europe, la voiture-salon Pullman proposait un nouveau type de restauration à la place, sans besoin pour le voyageur de se déplacer au wagon-restaurant. À partir de 1957, certains trains du réseau Trans-Europ-Express, reprirent cette disposition, ainsi que d'autres trains nationaux de prestige de la SNCF ou des British Railways.

En France, l'arrivée des voitures Corail, dans les années 1970, puis des TGV dès 1981 a permis la généralisation, en première classe, de ce type de service, désormais plus inspiré des plateaux-repas de l'aviation, permettant de se passer du wagon-restaurant, avec des plats préparés en dehors du train puis embarqués. Après un certain reflux de la demande vers 1990, la SNCF réinstalle cette offre dans les années 2010, toujours en première classe sur de grandes relations, sous une nouvelle forme plus raffinée, avec le concours de grands chefs — concept parfois proche du wagon-restaurant (Eurostar et TGV Lyria notamment) ; de plus en plus souvent, elle est intégrée dans le prix du billet, à l'instar des Chemins de fer britanniques.

By the 1920s, throughout Europe, the Pullman parlor car offered a new type of dining instead, without the need for the traveler to travel to the dining car. From 1957, certain trains of the Trans-Europ-Express network took up this arrangement, as well as other prestigious national trains of the SNCF or British Railways.

In France, the arrival of Corail cars in the 1970s, then of TGVs in 1981, enabled the generalization, in first class, of this type of service, now more inspired by aviation meal trays, making it possible to pass from the restaurant car, with dishes prepared outside the train and then taken on board. After a certain decline in demand around 1990, the SNCF reestablished this offer in the 2010s, still in first class on major connections, in a new, more refined form, with the assistance of great chefs - a concept sometimes close to the restaurant car (Eurostar and TGV Lyria in particular); more and more often, it is integrated into the price of the ticket, like the British Railways.

Un grand merci pour vos favoris, commentaires et encouragements toujours très appréciés.

Many thanks for your much appreciated favorites and comments.

* In the 1974 film The Great Gatsby, the famous scene where Daisy Buchanan collapses in tears after seeing Jay Gatsby's shirt collection used Turnbull & Asser shirts (with the boxes and name clearly visible), despite the fact that designer Ralph Lauren had made all the other men's clothes in the film.

* The 1999 film The Avengers features a scene at Turnbull & Asser's Jermyn Street store, in which John Steed is being measured for bespoke shirts.

* The famous British spy character James Bond wears bespoke Turnbull & Asser shirts on film, and the store also created a special edition James Bond evening shirt for the 2006 version of Casino Royale.

-------------------

Turnbull & Asser was founded in 1885 by Reginald Turnbull, a hosier, and Ernest Asser, a salesman. Together, they opened a hosiery on Church Street in St. James's in central London, called "John Arthur Turnbull." As the foundation of numerous gentlemen's club reestablished the neighborhood, Turnbull's business flourished. The name was changed to "Turnbull & Asser" in 1895.

In 1903, after continued success, Turnbull & Asser moved to its present location at the corner of Jermyn Street and Bury Street. In 1915, during World War I, Turnbull & Asser developed a raincoat which doubled as a sleeping bag for the British Military. It is known as the Oilsilk Combination Coverall & Ground Sheet. During the 1920s, as dress became less formal, men's dress shirts became more noticeable articles of clothing. Turnbull & Asser responded by focusing its business more on shirtmaking, for which it is most known today.

During the 1960s, Turnbull & Asser even had been known for catering to the Swinging London set, with vibrant colors and "modern" designs. In 1962 Turnbull & Asser began to outfit the cinematic James Bond as first portrayed by Sean Connery, whose dress shirts had turnback cuffs fastened with buttons as opposed to cufflinks, sometimes referred to as the James Bond Cuff.

Excerpt from perkinswill.com/project/meadowvale-community-centre-and-l...:

In the mid-1970s, the community of Meadowvale was conceived as a ‘new town’ with homes, schools and a community centre built around a park and man-made lake. This vision became a catalyst for a thriving, dense neighborhood. Although the park and lake matured, the original community centre was no longer able to serve a growing and increasingly diverse population.

We worked with the client to help them imagine the next generation of community centres, where inclusivity, sustainability and design excellence are the drivers. Our team unlocked the potential of the sloping site with its lakeside trails by designing a series of programmatic terraces centered on a two-story lobby. The pedestrian public realm was prioritized and a vital connection between the City and the Lake reestablished. Bold forms and dramatic color characterize this highly accessible gateway to wellness, recreation and literacy.

The concept of filtration permeates the architecture and landscape design. The coloured brise-soleil shades the building during the summer and animates its interior during bleak winter months, while the building and landscape design work in concert to divert and retain stormwater as it travels toward Lake Aquitaine. Green roofs, bioswales, and interceptors filter runoff, improving the quality of discharge lake. The extensive green roof addresses the heat island effect, and planted areas use native and drought resistant species, decreasing water use and creating habitat for the local ecosystem.

The convent of the Order of St. Orsolya in Sopron was founded in 1746 by the Viennese woman Mária Niggl.

The nuns came to the Sopron convent from Győr, and soon after their arrival, they began educating young girls in the town. Then, the first convent church dedicated to the Holy Cross was built. In 1773, this church was visited by Empress Maria Theresa, who also attended a holy mass there. The church, with its shingled spire, had become cramped and dilapidated and was replaced by the neo-Gothic style convent church of today, built-in 1864 to the design of Nándor Handler. The patrons of the church were Countess Emilia Széchenyi and the Flandorffer family. On the façade of the church, which was built in an enclosed street row, above the large Gothic window in the centre is a statue of the church's titular figure, the Immaculate Conception, and in the two corner pillars of the façade are statues of St. Orsolya and St. Angela of Merici. The neo-Gothic tower of the church contains three bells, all three of them the work of the famous Seltenhofer bell foundry from 1863. There are three altars in the neo-Gothic interior of the church, with its three vaulted sections. The neo-Gothic main altar made of oak was a gift from Bishop János Simor to the church. The main altar depicts the Immaculate Conception, the altar wings have reliefs of St. Orsolya and St. Augustine, and the altar also has small statues of King St. Stephen and King St. Lazarus. The famous convent was dissolved in 1948 when 66 sisters were taken away from the convent. The Order of St. Orsolya reestablished itself in the city in the 1990s, but sadly, the sisters' presence in Sopron ceased in 2016 with the death of the last Orsolyite sister of Sopron.

viasanctimartini.hu/en/tours/checkpoint/8501-point-of-int...

As the political and cultural heart of Poland through the 16th century, Wawel Castle is a potent symbol of national identity.

It's now a museum containing five separate sections: Crown Treasury & Armoury, State Rooms, Royal Private Apartments, Lost Wawel and the Exhibition of Oriental Art.

The Renaissance palace you see today dates from the 16th century. An original, smaller residence was built in the early 11th century by King Bolesław I Chrobry. Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir III the Great) turned it into a formidable Gothic castle, but when it burned down in 1499, Zygmunt I Stary (Sigismund I the Old; 1506–48) commissioned a new residence. Within 30 years, the current Italian-inspired palace was in place. Despite further extensions and alterations, the three-storey structure, complete with a courtyard arcaded on three sides, has been preserved to this day.

Repeatedly sacked and vandalised by the Swedish and Prussian armies, the castle was occupied in the 19th century by the Austrians, who intended to make Wawel a barracks, while moving the royal tombs elsewhere. They never got that far, but they did turn the royal kitchen and coach house into a military hospital and raze two churches. They also built a new ring of massive brick walls, largely ruining the original Gothic fortifications.

After Kraków was incorporated into reestablished Poland after WWI, restoration work began and continued until the outbreak of WWII. The work was resumed after the war and has been able to recover a good deal of the castle’s earlier external form and interior decoration.

Source: www.lonelyplanet.com

Kraków, Poland

With the news this past week that Edaville has been sold and will be the new home of King Richard's Faire I thought I'd share another from my visit last year. Good news is that the plans include retaining the existing railroad and still running trains at least during the Christmas festival of lights season.

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Here she is leading a four car freight consisting of three flat cars around the shortened loop passing the siding along the south shore of Lower Atwood Reservoir. For a small locomotive weighing in at about only 17 tons, she sure puts on quite a good show! The cars (three of them at least) recently arrived from South Africa where they once operated on the now closed Avontuur Railway, which at 177 miles was the longest two foot gauge railway ever built. If anyone has more history of these specific cars I'd love to learn more about them.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 22, 2024

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, also known simply as Holy Island,[3] is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland.[4] Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After the Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England, a priory was reestablished.

The picture are put together by three warriors, a ruin and a sunset.

Here's another from this fun day out chasing the 470 Railroad Club special from Conway to Fabyans and back with 9 cars behind Boston and Maine F7s 4266 and 4268.

I didn't like this image at first given that I'd set up on this side of the tracks because it had been cloudy and flatly lit until right at train time when the sun broke thru a slim break in the cloud cover. I'm not usually one for harsh backlit shots like this, but it's grown on me over time and now I kind of like it with the vibrant late fall foliage and dramatic storm clouds. What do you think, does it work?

On the return trip east they are seen passing the former Maine Central freight house which is estimated to date from around 1887-88 when the roundhouse was also constructed. Located at MP 70.5, Bartlett was once a very important location on the Mountain Sub, but with the end of steam the helper terminal and roundhouse were closed in 1958, the same year the last regularly scheduled passenger train ran. A freight agent would remain in this building until June 30, 1962 (having moved out of the depot when it was sold in 1959) when that position would be abolished.

Surprisingly, the agency would open again here briefly in the line's waning years as a thru freight route. From June 1, 1981 to May 10, 1984 this was an active agency reestablished after the position at South Windham, ME was moved here upon that agent's retirement. And for a time in that same era this was even a terminal again when from November 9, 1981 to May 11, 1983 local freight ZO-2 was based here to serve the mill in Gilman, VT after the St. Johnsbury to Crawford Notch local was abolished.

As for the Fs, both units are owned by the 470 Railroad Club and are original Boston and Maine locomotives wearing their as delivered EMD designed scheme. 4266 was built in Mar. 1949 and was acquired for preservation in 1981 off the Billerica deadline. Restored a couple years later, she has called North Conway home ever since and has been operational off and on for the past four decades.

4268 was built in Oct. 1949 and ran for the very first time in almost a half century just earlier this year. I'm not sure when her last run was, but I can find no photos of her in service after about July 1974. She languished for a decade behind the Billerica shops after being stripped of all major components including prime mover, main generator and traction motors. In 1986 she finally left Billerica by truck after being acquired by George Feuderer who displayed her in a field in East Swanzey, NH until acquired by the 470 Club and trucked to North Conway in October of 1991.

She received a cosmetic restoration in 1993 and had been prominently displayed at the Conway Scenic in the company of her operational sibling ever since. After years of planning, the club began restoration in earnest in 2018 with the full support of the railroad and its shop using ex New Hampshire Northcoast GP9 1757 (ex PRR) as a major parts donor for the four year long restoration project.

Addendum: thanks to Carl Byron for supplying the fascinating historical information below that I'd never read about before.

The 4268A was actually built in March, 1949 as Engineering Test Dept Locomotive #930. Used for high altitude component testing on the DRGW's Soldier Summit among other locations. It spent some of that summer masquerading as a CB&Q locomotive leading their passenger car display at the 1949 Chicago World's Fair. It was then was cleaned up, re-engined, and made into to a standard F7A and offered for sale at a slightly used demo price. The B&M bought it and it was renumbered and painted into the B&M livery and shipped east, so while the builders plate may well say 10/49 but it certainly had a prior interesting career.

Bartlett, New Hampshire

Saturday October 28, 2023

This is one of the Hyacinth Macaw that is nesting in the front garden of Pousada Aguapé, Mato Grosso do Sul. An amazing and beautiful bird which, unfortunately is still vulnerable.

In 1988 the population total of this species was estimated at only 2500 individuals. It was threatened with extinction due to destruction of their habitats and illegal trade.

After a big effort of biologists, the local population and with the Hyacinth Macaw Project, the population of Hyacinth Macaws has increased and expanded. In the year 2014 the Hyacinth Macaw is classified as "vulnerable" (VU). I hope that soon their population is reestablished so that they can enlighten our sky with their beautiful colors, flying wild and free.

Have a wonderful "blue Monday"!

Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!

Member of Nature’s Spirit

Good Stewards of Nature

©All rights reserved. Do not use without my written authorization.

A visit to the Grafton and Upton Railroad's modern two track engine house in North Grafton finds GU 1158 in the process of being sand blasted and stripped in preparation for repainting into the modern orange and black scheme the railroad has recently adopted. 1158 is an EMD MP15AC built in Oct. 1977 as Seaboard Coast Line 4008 and delivered in the Family Lines livery. The unit passed to Seaboard System then CSXT and wore several other paint schemes until being retired and coming here in 2017.

The Grafton and Upton Railroad is the rarest of shortlines. It was never part of a class 1, it wasn't a former mainline, it has operated independently since inception, and it sat virtually abandoned save for one mile of track and one customer before rising like the Phoenix seemingly from the dead to be rebuilt from end to end with a diverse, busy, and growing customer base. Now how many lines can say THAT?!

So a bit of history. The G&U story began in 1873 when the Grafton Center Railroad was chartered to build a 3 ft narrow gauge line between Grafton and North Grafton, which officially opened for business on August 30, 1874. At North Grafton the railroad established a connection with the Boston & Albany Railroad, a later subsidiary of the New York Central. The company remained a three-mile narrow-gauge for the next 13 years until July, 1887 when it was renamed as the Grafton and Upton Railroad, converted to standard gauge, and set its sights to the southeast at Milford. Two years later in 1889 the line had reached Upton and on May 17, 1890 the entire route was open to Milford, a distance of 16.5 miles, where it connected with the Milford & Woonsocket Railroad (a later subsidiary of the New Haven).

Between 1894 and 1979 the railroad was owned by its largest customer, the massive Draper Corporation of Hopedale that one time employed some 3000 people as the largest maker of power looms in the country for the textile industry. But in 1978 Draper successor Rockwell Corporation closed the mill and sold the railroad which seemingly had little reason to exist any longer and little future. The track beyond Hopedale to Milford had not been used since 1973 when Penn Central terminated the interchange there since after acquiring the New Haven a few years earlier there was no need to connect with the G&U at both ends. By 1988 the G&U was no longer running to Hopedale at all and the tracks were out of service. In the mid 1990s the G&U did revive the line to haul highway salt down to their tiny yard in Upton for transloading, but I never made it to see that happen before it too was gone.

When I was growing up the G&U had one working locomotive, an Alco S4 resplendent in St. Louis Manufacturer's Railroad paint. I never saw it run, however, as it was always sitting with the stack capped at the railroad's sole customer, Washington Mills just about a mile south of the then Conrail interchange in North Grafton. By the time I had learned of the railroad's existence back then their other two "orignal" units in G&U black and yellow were long out of service. I do have one significant souvenir off original G&U GE 44-tonner #99 bought new in 1946 and scrapped in 2009. Around that same period the two Alcos also sadly met their demise.

But all was not lost...as sad as seeing those locomotives go along with the demolition of the last original G&U buildings in Hopedale those losses signaled a rebirth. In an entirely improbable turn of events the road was purchased in 2008 and the new owner began rehabbing the entire railroad. Over the past decade the line has grown busier than it's ever been with a large new yard and transload facility in West Upton, two busy customers in Hopedale and a new propane distribution facility in North Grafton. And the future looks even brighter as the connection to Milford was reestablished in June 2020 after nearly 50 years out of service. Not long after that the G&U took over servicing CSXT's last two customers on the Milford Industrial Track that had prior been served via a Walpole based local running down to Franklin and Bellingham over the MBTA's Franklin Line. With more power and more customers on the way and a bigger shop than they ever had things sure do look good....if quite different....around here!

Grafton, Massachusetts

Wednesday February 5, 2025

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, commonly known as either Holy Island or Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After the Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England, a priory was reestablished. A small castle was built on the island in 1550.

photo rights reserved by B℮n

Female monks, also known as bhikkhunis or mae chees, play an important role in Thailand's Buddhist community. In the Thai Buddhist tradition, there are both male monks bhikkhus and female monks bhikkhunis. Although Buddhism has been around for thousands of years, the formal recognition of female monks in the Theravada tradition was not reestablished in Thailand until 2003. This happened through a historic revival of the bhikkhuni order with the ordination of 10 female monks in Sri Lanka, after which they returned to Thailand. Female monks generally follow the same teachings and discipline as male monks, including adherence to the five precepts and the monastic rules known as the Vinaya. They wear traditional orange robes and often live in monasteries or temples, where they devote themselves to meditation, study and the practice of Buddhist teachings. Like male monks, female monks are respected as spiritual teachers and are expected to lead exemplary lives. They can serve the community through spiritual direction, education, and ritual. The number of female monks in Thailand is still relatively small compared to male monks. However, they are becoming increasingly visible and their role in the Thai Buddhist community is increasingly recognized and valued.

Mae Chanya is a female monk from the remote Buddhist temple Wat Si Rattanaram in the province Nan. The temple is surrounded by lush greenery and soothing sounds of nature. She is a spirit guide and was constantly looking for ways to deepen her connection with nature. She recounted sitting by the waterfall one day and noticed a group of protected fish known as "Tor Soro". These beautiful fish with their silvery scales and elegant movements were invaluable to the local ecosystem. But Mae Chanya realized they were under threat too. Driven by compassion and respect for all living beings, she returned to the Buddhist temple and spoke to the monastic community about the need to preserve the protected fish and protect their habitat. Together they organized awareness campaigns and educational programs to raise awareness among the local population of the value of the Tor Soro fish and the importance of conservation. Since then no fishing is allowed. The local people have come to appreciate more and more how the efforts of Mae Chanya and the monastic community have contributed to the preservation of the Tor Soro fish at the waterfall. They were amazed and delighted to see how the fish population had grown and thrived in the protected area. The waterfall and the protected fish are now a symbol of pride and community spirit for the local population.

Vrouwelijke monniken, ook wel bekend als bhikkhunis of mae chees, spelen een belangrijke rol in de boeddhistische gemeenschap van Thailand. In de Thaise boeddhistische traditie zijn er zowel mannelijke monniken bhikkhus als vrouwelijke monniken bhikkhunis. Net als mannelijke monniken worden vrouwelijke monniken gerespecteerd als spirituele leraren en worden ze geacht een voorbeeldige levenswijze te leiden. Mae Chanya is een vrouwelijke monnik van de afgelegen Boeddhistische tempel Wat Si Rattanaram in de provincie Nan. De tempel is omringd door weelderig groen en rustgevende geluiden van de natuur. Ze is een spirituele gids en zocht voortdurend naar manieren om haar verbinding met de natuur te verdiepen. Ze vertelde dat ze op een dag bij de waterval zat en merkte een groep beschermde vissen op die bekend stonden als Tor Soro. Deze prachtige vissen met hun zilverkleurige schubben en elegante bewegingen waren van onschatbare waarde voor het lokale ecosysteem. Maar Mae Chanya besefte dat ze ook bedreigd werden. Gedreven door compassie en respect voor alle levende wezens keerde ze terug naar de Boeddhistische tempel en sprak met de monastieke gemeenschap over de noodzaak om de beschermde vissen te behouden en hun leefgebied te beschermen. Samen organiseerden ze bewustmakingscampagnes en educatieve programma's om de lokale bevolking bewust te maken van de waarde van de Tor Soro-vissen en het belang van behoud. Sindsdien mag er niet gevist worden bij de Tat Luang waterval. De lokale mensen zijn steeds meer gaan waarderen hoe de inspanningen van Mae Chanya en de monastieke gemeenschap hebben bijgedragen aan het behoud van de Tor Soro-vissen bij de waterval. Ze waren verbaasd en verheugd om te zien hoe de vispopulatie was gegroeid en gedijde in het beschermde gebied. Inmiddels zijn de waterval en de beschermde vissen een symbool van trots en gemeenschapszin voor de lokale bevolking.

Graphosoma italicum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the striped bug (or Italian striped bug) and minstrel bug.

Description

G. italicum can reach a length of 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in). The body is almost round, with a large shield. The basic color of the upperside of the body is red, with wide black longitudinal stripes. The pronotum has six black bands. The antennae are black. Also the sides of the abdominal segments (connexivum) are red with many small black spots. The legs are mostly black, which distinguishes it from its relative, G. lineatum.

Taxonomy

Graphosoma italicum had been regarded as either a subspecies, or a synonym, of G. lineatum for over 100 years, so nearly all of the existing literature prior to 2007 referred to this species under the name lineatum. The validity of G. italicum was reestablished via DNA analysis, which demonstrated that the sister species to G. italicum is G. rubrolineatum, while G. lineatum is more closely related to G. semipunctatum.[1][2][3]

Subspecies

G. i. italicum (Müller, 1766) - nominate subspecies

G. i. sardiniensis Lupoli, 2017[3] - with reddish legs, similar to G. lineatum, and endemic to Sardinia.

Similar species

Graphosoma lineatum (Linnaeus, 1758) - The legs are orange. The distribution is restricted to Northern Africa and Sicily.

Graphosoma semipunctatum (Fabricius, 1775) - The legs are orange, the red and black bands are interrupted on the pronotum, where they form black points. The distribution is restricted to the Mediterranean region.

Graphosoma melanoxanthum Horvath, 1903 - Dark connexivi with small red points, it is distributed in South Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Distribution

G. italicum is distributed across the Western Palearctic and occurs in the entire Mediterranean area, with the northern limit of distribution fluctuating strongly. In recent decades, the northern border in western and central Europe has expanded strongly to the north, so that the species now occurs as far as the North Sea and Baltic Sea (Jutland and southern Finland). In Germany, the type occurs everywhere with exception of the northwest and is not rare regionally. In Austria, it is widespread, but only locally frequent. The insects populate open to half-shady areas in dry to more humid habitats. The subspecies G. i. sardiniensis occurs only in Sardinia.

Biology

G. italicum is an insect of warm and sunny areas. It prefers warm slopes and meadows located on south-facing slopes. The orange and black warning colours (aposematism) indicate that the insects are foul-tasting, protecting them from predators. The nymphs do not have the orange-black stripe pattern, instead they are mostly brownish. These shield bugs are frequently found on the umbels of Apiaceae (Daucus, Heracleum, Anthriscus, Foeniculum, etc.), plants which themselves are chemically-protected

source wikpedia

photo rights reserved by B℮n

Female monks, also known as bhikkhunis or mae chees, play an important role in Thailand's Buddhist community. In the Thai Buddhist tradition, there are both male monks bhikkhus and female monks bhikkhunis. Although Buddhism has been around for thousands of years, the formal recognition of female monks in the Theravada tradition was not reestablished in Thailand until 2003. This happened through a historic revival of the bhikkhuni order with the ordination of 10 female monks in Sri Lanka, after which they returned to Thailand. Female monks generally follow the same teachings and discipline as male monks, including adherence to the five precepts and the monastic rules known as the Vinaya. They wear traditional orange robes and often live in monasteries or temples, where they devote themselves to meditation, study and the practice of Buddhist teachings. Like male monks, female monks are respected as spiritual teachers and are expected to lead exemplary lives. They can serve the community through spiritual direction, education, and ritual. The number of female monks in Thailand is still relatively small compared to male monks. However, they are becoming increasingly visible and their role in the Thai Buddhist community is increasingly recognized and valued. Thailand has been facing issues with the presence of illegal guns, which poses a threat to public safety. The sign at the waterfall serves as a reminder to all visitors that the area is meant to be enjoyed in harmony with nature, free from the risks and dangers associated with the presence of weapons. It emphasizes the commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, where the focus is on appreciating the beauty of the surroundings and fostering a sense of peace and tranquility.

Mae Chanya is a female monk from the remote Buddhist temple Wat Si Rattanaram. The temple is surrounded by lush greenery and soothing sounds of nature. She is a spirit guide and was constantly looking for ways to deepen her connection with nature. She recounted sitting by the waterfall one day and noticed a group of protected fish known as "Tor Soro". These beautiful fish with their silvery scales and elegant movements were invaluable to the local ecosystem. But Mae Chanya realized they were under threat too. Driven by compassion and respect for all living beings, she returned to the Buddhist temple and spoke to the monastic community about the need to preserve the protected fish and protect their habitat. Together they organized awareness campaigns and educational programs to raise awareness among the local population of the value of the Tor Soro fish and the importance of conservation. Since then no fishing is allowed. The local people have come to appreciate more and more how the efforts of Mae Chanya and the monastic community have contributed to the preservation of the Tor Soro fish at the waterfall. They were amazed and delighted to see how the fish population had grown and thrived in the protected area. The waterfall and the protected fish are now a symbol of pride and community spirit for the local population.

Vrouwelijke monniken, ook wel bekend als bhikkhunis of mae chees, spelen een belangrijke rol in de boeddhistische gemeenschap van Thailand. In de Thaise boeddhistische traditie zijn er zowel mannelijke monniken bhikkhus als vrouwelijke monniken bhikkhunis. Hoewel het boeddhisme al duizenden jaren bestaat, werd het formeel erkennen van vrouwelijke monniken in de Theravada-traditie pas in 2003 in Thailand hersteld. Dit gebeurde door een historische heropleving van de bhikkhuni-orde met de wijding van 10 vrouwelijke monniken in Sri Lanka, waarna ze naar Thailand terugkeerden. Vrouwelijke monniken volgen over het algemeen dezelfde leer en discipline als mannelijke monniken, waaronder het naleven van de vijf voorschriften en de monastieke regels die bekend staan als de Vinaya. Ze dragen traditionele oranje gewaden en leven vaak in kloosters of tempels, waar ze zich wijden aan meditatie, studie en het beoefenen van de boeddhistische leer. Net als mannelijke monniken worden vrouwelijke monniken gerespecteerd als spirituele leraren en worden ze geacht een voorbeeldige levenswijze te leiden. Ze kunnen de gemeenschap dienen door middel van geestelijke begeleiding, onderwijs en rituelen. Het aantal vrouwelijke monniken in Thailand is nog steeds relatief klein in vergelijking met mannelijke monniken. Ze worden echter steeds zichtbaarder en hun rol in de Thaise boeddhistische gemeenschap wordt steeds meer erkend en gewaardeerd. Thailand kampt met problemen met de aanwezigheid van illegale wapens, die een bedreiging vormen voor de openbare veiligheid. Het bord bij de waterval dient als herinnering aan alle bezoekers dat het gebied bedoeld is om te genieten in harmonie met de natuur, vrij van de risico's en gevaren verbonden aan de aanwezigheid van wapens

Star Wars Factions RPG: A Galaxy Divided

[Episode 1 - Category B] [L9 - Chandrila - DC] Observer in the Senate

Fragile peace in the newly formed New Republic.

The Galactic Senate was reestablished and headquartered on Chandrila, while Mon Mothma was elected as the first chancellor of the New Republic.

Representatives from different parts of the galaxy are invited to the meetings and to show their support in forming alliance.

However, without anyone noticing, the Dark Covenant has secretly sent out their Cultists, quietly observing every move the New Republic prepares. They do not, cannot and will not interfere.

For Steam Sunday here's two two footers (four feet of fun get it?!) from last year and this cold winter morning photo charter on an iconic little tourist railroad.

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Number 3 led the four car photo freight which was our main subject, but in order to travel to the spots around Lower Atwood Reservoir we rode in the regular passenger train ahead of the freight pulled by a second steam engine, Edaville number 11. It was built in 1925 by H.K. Porter Inc. as a 30 inch narrow gauge 0-4-0 tank engine for the Raritan Copper Works in Perth Amboy, NJ. Raritan merged with Anaconda Copper in 1934 and the plant continued to operate until 1975 though I don't know if the steam locomotives ran there until the end.

Shortly after Anaconda closed the old Edaville acquired number 11 and sister number 10, and both were static displays for decades. In 2013 number 11 was restored to operation by by Brian Fanslau of Maine Locomotive & Machine Works using parts from number 10 making for an entirely new 'kit bashed' locomotive that doesn't at all resemble her as built appearance during her service life in NJ. In addition to being regauged for Edaville's 24 inch track she got a new wooden cab, boiler, and fully functioning tender among other modifications and does look mighty pretty.

Near the end of our morning the two locomotives were posed side by side near the shop area south of the private Eda Ave. crossing as seen in this side profile view.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 22, 2024

"For too long the republic has failed to provide safety and prosperity! Remember how you prospered! Remember how you used to feel safe! This I promise you, citizens of proud Byblos! You will prosper again! You will feel safe again! This day is a great day for the citizens of Byblos. On this day we celebrate the first class of graduates from the Byblos City’s reestablished Imperial Officers Academy. On this day we celebrate our Imperial Legacy. On this day we choose to be Imperial!"

///

I've had this imperial speech planned for some time. If you want to be a part of this imperial remnant, feel free to pop by Eurobricks and join our RPG: www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/173338-f...

While we were exploring the abandoned mining area at the Pine Creek Mine, I found this shelter. It was made up of a combination of granite rock and wood beams. The roof was made of ply wood boards so I don't think the shelter was that old or someone reestablished themselves here.

The shelter has a stone cooking and heating area and a little garden area that was enclosed in chicken wire. Right next to where I took this picture there was a pine tree that had a rock circular wall built up around its base. This was used as a garden area. To the right of the shelter Pine Creek flows down the mountain and you would have a constant fresh water supply. At 9,000 feet elevation and 30 miles away from Highway 395, this was a pretty cool find.

Tumacácori National Historical Park, Arizona, 2013

From Wikipedia:

Mission San Cayetano del Tumacácori was established by Jesuits in 1691 in a location near a Sobaipuri settlement on the east side of the Santa Cruz River. Services were held in a small adobe structure built by the inhabitants of the village.

After the O'odham rebellion of 1751 the mission was abandoned for a time. In 1752, the village was reestablished and in 1753 the church of the Mission San José de Tumacácori began construction at the present site on the west side of the Santa Cruz River.

This first church structure was erected for use by the mission in 1757. The architectural style of the church is Spanish Colonial.

After an absence of more than a century, a Jewish community was reestablished in Berlin. The community was granted a burial place near Oranienburger Straße at the time. Thousand of persons are said to have been buried between 1672 and 1827 on the site covering only 1.5 acres. The most famous grave is probably that of German philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, who was buried here in 1786. The gravestone has been restored several times. The cemetery was closed because of the Prussian hygiene ordinance of 1794, which prohibited burials at cemeteries in residential areas within the city walls. In 1827, a new Jewish cemetery was opened on Schönhauser Allee, but this was already too small by 1880 and the Jewish cemetery in Weißensee was opened. When the Jewish old people’s home opened in 1844, the entrance of the former cemetery was moved to Hamburger Straße. Under the Nazis rule, the old people’s home was used from 1942 by the Gestapo as a holding camp for around 55,000 Jewish inhabitants of Berlin, and it was destroyed along with the cemetery in 1943. A zigzag trench was dug through the graveyard, the bones of the dead were pulled out of the ground and the gravestones were smashed. In April 1945, 2,427 soldiers and civilians killed in street fighting were buried in mass graves at the cemetery. In 1948, the cemetery was returned to the Jewish community. Part of the site was converted to a public park in the 1970s. On the site of the destroyed old people’s home, Willi Lammert’s sculpture “Jewish Victims of Fascism” was placed next to a memorial stone. From 2007 to 2008, the site was cleaned up so that the cemetery area could be seen again. A basin for ritual hand washing was put up by the entrance and panels provide information on the cemetery and the old people’s home.

Another spot from my day out following the Mass Bay RRE's 'Covered Wagons In The Snow' special on the Conway Scenic's ex Maine Central Mountain Sub behind the matched pair of circa 1949 F7s, Boston and Maine 4266 and 4268. This was the fourth photo runby location on the return trip and was quite crowded so I didn't event intend to shoot here. But since I was here anyway I stepped back and did kind of a 'throwaway shot' that I don't hate to be honest.

The train is heading east as they cross Bear Notch Road (closed for the winter) and pass between the former MEC freight house and train order signal. The frugal little structure is of standard design found throughouy the system and is estimated to date from around 1887-88 when the roundhouse was also constructed. Snow covered Bartleet Haystack mountain rises to 2995 ft only four miles away dominating the background.

Located at MP 70.5 Bartlett was once a very important location on the Mountain Division. But with the end of steam the helper terminal and roundhouse were closed in 1958, the same year the last regularly scheduled passenger train ran. A freight agent would remain in this building until June 30, 1962 (having moved out of the depot when it was sold in 1959) when that position would be abolished.

Surprisingly, the agency would open again here briefly in the line's waning years as a thru freight route. From June 1, 1981 to May 10, 1984 this was an active agency reestablished after the position at South Windham, ME was moved here upon that agent's retirement. And for a time in that same era this was even a terminal again when from November 9, 1981 to May 11, 1983 local freight ZO-2 was based here to serve the mill in Gilman, VT after the St. Johnsbury to Crawford Notch local was abolished.

For the full details of the day and some history of the line and the locomotives check out the long form caption with my favorite shot of the day: flic.kr/p/2oaPCXQ

Bartlett, New Hampshire

Saturday January 7, 2023

"For too long the republic has failed to provide safety and prosperity! Remember how you prospered! Remember how you used to feel safe! This I promise you, citizens of proud Byblos! You will prosper again! You will feel safe again! This day is a great day for the citizens of Byblos. On this day we celebrate the first class of graduates from the Byblos City’s reestablished Imperial Officers Academy. On this day we celebrate our Imperial Legacy. On this day we choose to be Imperial!"

///

I've had this imperial speech planned for some time. If you want to be a part of this imperial remnant, feel free to pop by Eurobricks and join our RPG: www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/173338-f...

Despite the light being tough I decided to stop at this quintessential Maine Central location. I was quite surprised to be the only photographer here so took the opportunity to include some ot the legacy structures that make the scene special and give it a true sense of place. Conway Scenic Railroad's EMD GP7 573 (blt. Sep. 1950), an original MEC unit once equipped with a steam generator for passenger service, is very much on home rails leading a long string of coaches west on the old Mountain Sub as they pass the former MEC freight house. The frugal little structure is estimated to date from around 1887-88 when the roundhouse was also constructed.

Located at MP 70.5 Bartlett was once a very important location on the Mountain Division. But with the end of steam the helper terminal and roundhouse were closed in 1958, the same year the last regularly scheduled passenger train ran. A freight agent would remain in this building until June 30, 1962 (having moved out of the depot when it was sold in 1959) when that position would be abolished.

Surprisingly, the agency would open again here briefly in the line's waning years as a thru freight route. From June 1, 1981 to May 10, 1984 this was an active agency reestablished after the position at South Windham, ME was moved here upon that agent's retirement. And for a time in that same era this was even a terminal again when from November 9, 1981 to May 11, 1983 local freight ZO-2 was based here to serve the mill in Gilman, VT after the St. Johnsbury to Crawford Notch local was abolished.

573 has called the Conway Scenic home for over a quarter century now since being purchased from Guilford Transportation, the successor to the Maine Central, in 1995. Trailing is Boston and Maine 4266 owned by the 470 Railroad Club of Portland, ME. It was saved by the group and restored to operation in 1984, and is used periodically on specials and even revenue service on the CSRR. Built by EMD in Mar. 1949 it is soon to be joined by sister 4268 in matching maroon Minuteman dress, and if all goes to plan the duo may lead this very train this time next year.

As for this train, it is the 470 Club's annual fall excursion. This is the regular Mountaineer train to Fabyan with extra coaches on an elongated 8 1/2 hour trip that this year included the little used mileage another 10 miles west to Quebec Jct. Trailing the two New England veterans are 9 cars with GP35 216 bringing up the rear. At Fabyans the 216 will be swapped to the the west end of the train for the remainder of the westbound trip with 4266/573 positioned to lead on the return trip east.

Bartlett, New Hampshire

Saturday October 23, 2021

This area of the Smokies is now most known for the elk that have been reestablished in this valley area, but it still showcases some historic buildings from the area's early settlers.

Cataloochee Valley is in the eastern portion of the Smokies, near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataloochee_(Great_Smoky_Mountains)

www.cameralenscompare.com/photoAwardsCounter.aspx

For Steam Sunday here's another from my day out in the cranberry bogs of South Carver.

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Here she is leading a four car freight consisting of three flat cars around the outer end of the shortened loop, and the original five mile long loop once came in just out of frame to the left. For a small locomotive weighing in at about only 17 tons, she sure puts on quite a good show! The cars (three of them at least) recently arrived from South Africa where they once operated on the now closed Avontuur Railway, which at 177 miles was the longest two foot gauge railway ever built. If anyone has more history of these specific cars I'd love to learn more about them.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 22, 2024

"The area where Szentendre is today was uninhabited when the Magyars arrived. In the 9th century, Árpád's companion, the sacral prince Kurszán, settled here. He renovated the Roman fortress that had fallen into ruin and reestablished a settlement on the remains of the Roman buildings.

Little is known about the history of Szentendre between the 9th and 10th centuries.

The city was largely depopulated in the Ottoman era. According to a 17th-century census, only one family and their service staff remained here at that time.

After the Ottomans were expelled from the area, foreign settlers moved to the settlement. Today evidence of the town's prosperity in this time can be seen in the baroque style of the houses, the Mediterranean atmosphere of the town's architecture, its beautiful churches, the cobblestoned streets, and its narrow alleys. During the Great Turkish War, Serbs were invited to emigrate to Hungary to evade the Ottoman Empire. Because of this invitation, there was a mass emigration of Serbs in 1690 to the Szentendre region. These Serbs left enduring traces on the townscape and its culture. The buildings in the city center have tried to preserve this Serbian influence in their architecture, but these buildings do not in fact date to the 17th century. Based on maps from the end of the century, the city center actually boasted other buildings at that time.

There was also considerable Dalmatian immigration. The Dalmatian families settled on Donkey Mountain where Dalmát Street preserves their memory today. Even in the 1980s, this street was inhabited exclusively by descendants of the original Dalmatians. These descendants now live throughout the city.

Although the Ottomans had decimated the population of the region, starting in the 1690s, the population slowly began to increase and in 1872 it reached a level when the town-like character began to dominate again instead of the village-like character. The public administration as well as the business establishments made it possible to practice all the privileges entailing a city. Szentendre was granted city-status in 1872.

The calm provincial life of the city has attracted artists since the beginning of the 20th century. The Szentendre colony of artists came into existence in 1929. The so-called Szentendre School is connected with it. Today, more than two hundred fine and applied artists, authors, poets, musicians and actors live in the city." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szentendre

www.hungary-tourist-guide.com/szentendre.html#mainattract...

The Place Vendôme, earlier known as Place Louis-le-Grand, and also as Place Internationale, is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It is the starting point of the Rue de la Paix. Its regular architecture by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and pedimented screens canted across the corners give the rectangular Place Vendôme the aspect of an octagon. The original Vendôme Column at the center of the square was erected by Napoleon I to commemorate the Battle of Austerlitz; it was torn down on May 16, 1871, by decree of the Paris Commune, but subsequently re-erected and remains a prominent feature on the square today.

The Place Vendôme has been renowned for its fashionable and deluxe hotels such as the Ritz. Many famous dress designers have had their salons in the square. The only two remaining are the shirtmaker Charvet, at number 28, whose store has been on the Place Vendôme since 1877, and the couturier Chéruit, at number 21, reestablished in 2008.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Cadillac Eldorado (9th Gen) Convertible (1971-78) Engine 500Ci (8196cc) V8

Registration Number LYU 76 H (London)

CADILLAC SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623638148297...

The nineth generation Eldorado was introduced in 1971, redesigned it had grown two inches longer and two inches wider with a six inch longer wheelbase The Convertible was reintroduced into the Eldorado range for 1971.for the first time since 1966 nside, there was a new curved instrument panel and redesigned seat configurations.

For 1973 the Eldorado was removed from the Fleetwood series and reestablished as its own series. The model year also received a new eggcrate style grille, new front bumpers and rear bootlid new rear wings and tailights The Cadillac Eldorado was chosen as the official pace car for the Indianapolis 500 in 1973. Cadillac produced 566 of these special pace car convertibles. Thirty-three were used at the track during the race week, with the remainder distributed to U.S. Cadillac dealers one per dealership

Thankyou for a massive 56,162,011 views

Shot 07.08.2016 at the 2016 Shugborough Classic Car Show) REF 121-730

san francisco international (sfo) - burlingame, california

After shooting BO-1 in Everett I headed home the long way via the Mass Pike and 495 to swing by Bellingham to catch the weekly trek of B733 from Walpole out on the Milford Secondary. A friend had said the loco would be facing north or east, making for two great morning light shots. But alas when I got there I found that they had wyed their lone GP40-2 at some point. But since I was here anyway and the light was perfect and CSXT's presence here is on borrowed time with the Grafton and Upton having received approval to operate this line and serve the customers from their recently reestablished connection in Milford I figured it was worth shooting them long hood forward at least in the warehouse.

So here they are seen looking through the building at Bluelinx after they had run in light engine to clear the switches before making their moves to spot and pull the boxcars and flats of lumber. This customer is presently one of the last two actives one on the Milford branch, though the tracks are in service, maintained, and patrolled weekly by Keolis for their owner the MBTA the remaining 4 1/2 miles to Milford.

Bellingham, Massachusetts

Wednesday December 23, 2020

For Steam Sunday here's another from my day out in the cranberry bogs of South Carver.

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Here she is leading a four car freight consisting of three flat cars around the outer end of the shortened loop passing the frozen cranberry bogs that are synonymous with then railroad and the reason for its original existence. For a small locomotive weighing in at about only 17 tons, she sure puts on quite a good show! The cars (three of them at least) recently arrived from South Africa where they once operated on the now closed Avontuur Railway, which at 177 miles was the longest two foot gauge railway ever built. If anyone has more history of these specific cars I'd love to learn more about them.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 22, 2024

For Steam Sunday here's another from my day out in the cranberry bogs of South Carver.

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Here she is leading a four car freight consisting of three flat cars around the outer end of the shortened loop. The original five mile long loop once came in just to the left of the locomotive where the dirt road is now. For a small locomotive weighing in at about only 17 tons, she sure puts on quite a good show! The cars (three of them at least) recently arrived from South Africa where they once operated on the now closed Avontuur Railway, which at 177 miles was the longest two foot gauge railway ever built. If anyone has more history of these specific cars I'd love to learn more about them.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 22, 2024

Steam Sunday - Putting On A Show

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Here she is leading a four car freight consisting of three flat cars and a hopper out of the man made tunnel where the first series of photo runbys were held. For a small locomotive weighing in at about only 17 tons, she sure puts on quite a good show! The cars (three of them at least) recently arrived from South Africa where they once operated on the now closed Avontuur Railway, which at 177 miles was the longest two foot gauge railway ever built. If anyone has more history of these specific cars I'd love to learn more about them.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 2, 2024

photo rights reserved by B℮n

Female monks, also known as bhikkhunis or mae chees, play an important role in Thailand's Buddhist community. In the Thai Buddhist tradition, there are both male monks bhikkhus and female monks bhikkhunis. Although Buddhism has been around for thousands of years, the formal recognition of female monks in the Theravada tradition was not reestablished in Thailand until 2003. This happened through a historic revival of the bhikkhuni order with the ordination of 10 female monks in Sri Lanka, after which they returned to Thailand. Female monks generally follow the same teachings and discipline as male monks, including adherence to the five precepts and the monastic rules known as the Vinaya. They wear traditional orange robes and often live in monasteries or temples, where they devote themselves to meditation, study and the practice of Buddhist teachings. Like male monks, female monks are respected as spiritual teachers and are expected to lead exemplary lives. They can serve the community through spiritual direction, education, and ritual. The number of female monks in Thailand is still relatively small compared to male monks. However, they are becoming increasingly visible and their role in the Thai Buddhist community is increasingly recognized and valued.

Mae Chanya is a female monk from the remote Buddhist temple Wat Si Rattanaram in the province Nan. The temple is surrounded by lush greenery and soothing sounds of nature. She is a spirit guide and was constantly looking for ways to deepen her connection with nature. She recounted sitting by the waterfall one day and noticed a group of protected fish known as "Tor Soro". These beautiful fish with their silvery scales and elegant movements were invaluable to the local ecosystem. But Mae Chanya realized they were under threat too. Driven by compassion and respect for all living beings, she returned to the Buddhist temple and spoke to the monastic community about the need to preserve the protected fish and protect their habitat. Together they organized awareness campaigns and educational programs to raise awareness among the local population of the value of the Tor Soro fish and the importance of conservation. Since then no fishing is allowed. The local people have come to appreciate more and more how the efforts of Mae Chanya and the monastic community have contributed to the preservation of the Tor Soro fish at the waterfall. They were amazed and delighted to see how the fish population had grown and thrived in the protected area. The waterfall and the protected fish are now a symbol of pride and community spirit for the local population.

Vrouwelijke monniken, ook wel bekend als bhikkhunis of mae chees, spelen een belangrijke rol in de boeddhistische gemeenschap van Thailand. In de Thaise boeddhistische traditie zijn er zowel mannelijke monniken bhikkhus als vrouwelijke monniken bhikkhunis. Net als mannelijke monniken worden vrouwelijke monniken gerespecteerd als spirituele leraren en worden ze geacht een voorbeeldige levenswijze te leiden. Mae Chanya is een vrouwelijke monnik van de afgelegen Boeddhistische tempel Wat Si Rattanaram in de provincie Nan. De tempel is omringd door weelderig groen en rustgevende geluiden van de natuur. Ze is een spirituele gids en zocht voortdurend naar manieren om haar verbinding met de natuur te verdiepen. Ze vertelde dat ze op een dag bij de waterval zat en merkte een groep beschermde vissen op die bekend stonden als Tor Soro. Deze prachtige vissen met hun zilverkleurige schubben en elegante bewegingen waren van onschatbare waarde voor het lokale ecosysteem. Maar Mae Chanya besefte dat ze ook bedreigd werden. Gedreven door compassie en respect voor alle levende wezens keerde ze terug naar de Boeddhistische tempel en sprak met de monastieke gemeenschap over de noodzaak om de beschermde vissen te behouden en hun leefgebied te beschermen. Samen organiseerden ze bewustmakingscampagnes en educatieve programma's om de lokale bevolking bewust te maken van de waarde van de Tor Soro-vissen en het belang van behoud. Sindsdien mag er niet gevist worden bij de Tat Luang waterval. De lokale mensen zijn steeds meer gaan waarderen hoe de inspanningen van Mae Chanya en de monastieke gemeenschap hebben bijgedragen aan het behoud van de Tor Soro-vissen bij de waterval. Ze waren verbaasd en verheugd om te zien hoe de vispopulatie was gegroeid en gedijde in het beschermde gebied. Inmiddels zijn de waterval en de beschermde vissen een symbool van trots en gemeenschapszin voor de lokale bevolking.

carthage.edu

Carthage College is a private college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. It enrolls 2,600 full-time and 200 part-time students.

Carthage awards bachelor's degrees with majors in more than 40 subject areas and master's degrees in three areas. Carthage has 150 faculty. It is an affiliate of the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.

Carthage College was founded in Hillsboro, Illinois, by Lutheran pioneers in education, and chartered by the Illinois General Assembly on January 22, 1847. Originally known as The Literary and Theological Institute of the Lutheran Church in the Far West, its name was soon shortened to Lutheran College and known locally as Hillsboro College. With a two-person faculty and 79 students, Hillsboro promised "a course of study designed to be thorough and practical, and to embrace all the branches of learning, usually pursued in the best academies and colleges".

In 1852, the college moved to Springfield, Illinois, and assumed the name of Illinois State University. During this period, Abraham Lincoln served briefly on the Board of Trustees from 1860 to 1861, while his son Robert Todd Lincoln was a student in Illinois State University's preparatory academy from 1853 to 1859. Illinois State University's enrollment dwindled during the Civil War and closed in 1868. In 1870, several faculty reestablished the college in the rural west-central city of Carthage, Illinois, where the college acquired its current name.

After years of financial challenges, shifts in Lutheran synodical support, and searches for a suitable location, Carthage's board of trustees voted unanimously in 1957 to open a campus in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The lakeshore campus was dedicated on October 14, 1962.

By 1962, the college launched an era of growth. The next decade brought a period of continuous expansion. Enrollment increased fivefold, endowment tripled, and physical assets increased 600 percent. In Fall 1995, Carthage enrolled 1,527 full-time students, setting a new record. Intensive national searches have built a teaching-oriented faculty holding Ph.D.s from major graduate programs across the country. Since 2001, the college has invested more than $130 million in new construction, major renovations and technological acquisition.

After years of financial challenges, shifts in Lutheran synodical support, and searches for a suitable location, Carthage's board of trustees voted unanimously in 1957 to open a campus in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The lakeshore campus was dedicated on October 14, 1962

I only got to shoot this once but what a sight! While home visiting from Alaska nearly eight years ago I met my friend Nick Athanus for a chase of his hometown railroad.

The Grafton and Upton Railroad is the rarest of shortlines. It was never part of a class 1, it wasn't a former mainline, it has operated independently since inception, and it sat virtually abandoned save for one mile of track and one customer before rising like the Phoenix seemingly from the dead to be rebuilt from end to end with a diverse, busy, and growing customer base. Now how many lines can say THAT?!

So a bit of history. The G&U story began in 1873 when the Grafton Center Railroad was chartered to build a 3 ft narrow gauge line between Grafton and North Grafton, which officially opened for business on August 30, 1874. At North Grafton the railroad established a connection with the Boston & Albany Railroad, a later subsidiary of the New York Central. The company remained a three-mile narrow-gauge for the next 13 years until July, 1887 when it was renamed as the Grafton and Upton Railroad, converted to standard gauge, and set its sights to the southeast at Milford. Two years later in 1889 the line had reached Upton and on May 17, 1890 the entire route was open to Milford, a distance of 16.5 miles, where it connected with the Milford & Woonsocket Railroad (a later subsidiary of the New Haven).

Between 1894 and 1979 the railroad was owned by its largest customer, the massive Draper Corporation of Hopedale that one time employed some 3000 people as the largest maker of power looms in the country for the textile industry. But in 1978 Draper successor Rockwell Corporation closed the mill and sold the railroad which seemingly had little reason to exist any longer and little future. The track beyond Hopedale to Milford had not been used since 1973 when Penn Central terminated the interchange there since after acquiring the New Haven a few years earlier there was no need to connect with the G&U at both ends. By 1988 the G&U was no longer running to Hopedale at all and the tracks were out of service. In the mid 1990s the G&U did revive the line to haul highway salt down to their tiny yard in Upton for transloading, but I never made it to see that happen before it too was gone.

When I was growing up the G&U had one working locomotive, an Alco S4 resplendent in St. Louis Manufacturer's Railroad paint. I never saw it run, however, as it was always sitting with the stack capped at the railroad's sole customer, Washington Mills just about a mile south of the then Conrail interchange in North Grafton. By the time I had learned of the railroad's existence back then their other two original units in G&U black and yellow were long out of service. I do have one significant souvenir off original G&U GE 44-tonner #99 bought new in 1946 and scrapped in 2009. Around that same period the two Alcos also sadly met their demise.

But all was not lost...as sad as seeing those locomotives go along with the demolition of the last original G&U buildings in Hopedale those losses signaled a rebirth. In an entirely improbable turn of events the road was purchased in 2008 and the new owner began rehabbing the entire railroad. Over the past decade the line has grown busier than it's ever been with a large new yard and transload facility in West Upton, two busy customers in Hopedale and a new propane distribution facility in North Grafton. And the future looks even brighter as the connection to Milford has been reestablished after nearly 50 years out of service and now the G&U has commenced serving CSXT's former customers on the MBTA owned Milford Running Track.

During the transition era as business was being cultivated and the railroad was being rebuilt the line operated with vintage first generation EMDs. By far the most fascinating was this one GU 1501 an EMD F7A blt. Jun. 1952 as BLE 720A. In those early days it shared the active roster with a GP9, CF7, and assorted rebuilt GP7s and 9s of Santa Fe and Grand Trunk heritage. While many have since been scrapped, this classic F7 remains stored and may run again someday.

Today this area is wide open and cut back and equipped with crossing signals, and you'll find far younger patched CSXT MP15s leading trains. But on this day it was still a slow weed grown pike belying its early interurban heritage. The old Bessemer gal seems to be sneakily peaking around the corner as she pulls up to the George Jordan Blvd. crossing near MP 3.1 so the conductor can flag them through three crossings in quick succession here in Grafton Center

Grafton, Massachusetts

Thursday September 18, 2014

Location-Rattatak

Sly's Log-

This has been quite the mission, I’ve lost count of how many months we’ve been on this rock. We were beginning to wonder if we would ever hear from the Republic after we lost contact with them for a few months. We were all glad when we finally got communications reestablished with the Republic once again and got a fresh mission. While most of the 316th handle the droid bunkers around the desert, our job was to get General Kenobi inside the main Separatist outpost and sabotage their communications and retrieve the tactical droid within the base. We finally arrived on site of the outpost and the general thought it would be best if Nix and I head toward the control room so we could get the droid and destroy their communications all at once. General Kenobi and the rest of the squad went throughout the outpost, eliminating the rest of the droid forces.

We reached the control room and caught the droids by surprise. Once we got inside we found the tactical droid that contained vital intel and also some droids protecting him. The droids fired on us protecting the tactical droid, but it was no use. We had a clear path for the tactical droid.

“Get the droid sir!”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nice to finally build for the Corps again.

Enjoy!

I only got to shoot this once but what a sight! While home visiting from Alaska nearly eight years ago I met my friend Nick Athanus for a chase of his hometown railroad.

The Grafton and Upton Railroad is the rarest of shortlines. It was never part of a class 1, it wasn't a former mainline, it has operated independently since inception, and it sat virtually abandoned save for one mile of track and one customer before rising like the Phoenix seemingly from the dead to be rebuilt from end to end with a diverse, busy, and growing customer base. Now how many lines can say THAT?!

So a bit of history. The G&U story began in 1873 when the Grafton Center Railroad was chartered to build a 3 ft narrow gauge line between Grafton and North Grafton, which officially opened for business on August 30, 1874. At North Grafton the railroad established a connection with the Boston & Albany Railroad, a later subsidiary of the New York Central. The company remained a three-mile narrow-gauge for the next 13 years until July, 1887 when it was renamed as the Grafton and Upton Railroad, converted to standard gauge, and set its sights to the southeast at Milford. Two years later in 1889 the line had reached Upton and on May 17, 1890 the entire route was open to Milford, a distance of 16.5 miles, where it connected with the Milford & Woonsocket Railroad (a later subsidiary of the New Haven).

Between 1894 and 1979 the railroad was owned by its largest customer, the massive Draper Corporation of Hopedale that one time employed some 3000 people as the largest maker of power looms in the country for the textile industry. But in 1978 Draper successor Rockwell Corporation closed the mill and sold the railroad which seemingly had little reason to exist any longer and little future. The track beyond Hopedale to Milford had not been used since 1973 when Penn Central terminated the interchange there since after acquiring the New Haven a few years earlier there was no need to connect with the G&U at both ends. By 1988 the G&U was no longer running to Hopedale at all and the tracks were out of service. In the mid 1990s the G&U did revive the line to haul highway salt down to their tiny yard in Upton for transloading, but I never made it to see that happen before it too was gone.

When I was growing up the G&U had one working locomotive, an Alco S4 resplendent in St. Louis Manufacturer's Railroad paint. I never saw it run, however, as it was always sitting with the stack capped at the railroad's sole customer, Washington Mills just about a mile south of the then Conrail interchange in North Grafton. By the time I had learned of the railroad's existence back then their other two original units in G&U black and yellow were long out of service. I do have one significant souvenir off original G&U GE 44-tonner #99 bought new in 1946 and scrapped in 2009. Around that same period the two Alcos also sadly met their demise.

But all was not lost...as sad as seeing those locomotives go along with the demolition of the last original G&U buildings in Hopedale those losses signaled a rebirth. In an entirely improbable turn of events the road was purchased in 2008 and the new owner began rehabbing the entire railroad. Over the past decade the line has grown busier than it's ever been with a large new yard and transload facility in West Upton, two busy customers in Hopedale and a new propane distribution facility in North Grafton. And the future looks even brighter as the connection to Milford has been reestablished after nearly 50 years out of service and now the G&U has commenced serving CSXT's former customers on the MBTA owned Milford Running Track.

During the transition era, as business was being cultivated and the railroad was being rebuilt, the line operated with vintage first generation EMDs. By far the most fascinating was this one GU 1501 an EMD F7A blt. Jun. 1952 as BLE 720A. Trailing is GU 1750 a GP9R originally built by EMD in Nov. 1957 as PRR 7205. Passing from PC to CR she was later sold the the Providence and Worcester where she didn't spend long before ending up on the Bay Colony for many years before moving here around 2008.

In those early days these two shared the active roster with a CF7, and assorted rebuilt GP7s and 9s of Santa Fe and Grand Trunk heritage. While many have since been scrapped, these two remain stored and may run again someday.

Here they are headed toward Upton along the serpentine hill and dale former interurban profile of the spunky little independent road. This signature photo location is at about MP 4.5 as they approach the Old Upton Road grade crossing.

Grafton, Massachusetts

Thursday September 18, 2014

The Carrousel and Tuileries Gardens

The Tuileries are the largest and oldest public park in Paris. Their official incorporation into the Musée du Louvre on January 1, 2005, reestablished the historic coherence of the vast royal palace and its grounds. The gardens were an integral part of the palatial scheme created by the kings of France. With their landscaping, vistas, and sculptures, they provide the perfect complement to the buildings. The preservation of this exceptional historic monument and the interlinking of the Tuileries and Carrousel gardens have made it possible to bring a major art form—that of landscape design—into the Louvre.

In group Fictitious Reality 44TH Exhibition-Martha MGR

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Martha MGR's Blog

With the news recently that Edaville has been sold and will be the new home of King Richard's Faire I thought I'd share another from my visit last year. Good news is that the plans include retaining the existing railroad and still running trains at least during the Christmas festival of lights season,

Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.

For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.

To learn more check out these links:

edaville.com/about-us/

mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/

Here she is leading a four car freight consisting of three flat cars around the shortened loop passing the siding along the south shore of Lower Atwood Reservoir and approaching the private Eda Ave. crossing near the shop. For a small locomotive weighing in at about only 17 tons, she sure puts on quite a good show! The cars (three of them at least) recently arrived from South Africa where they once operated on the now closed Avontuur Railway, which at 177 miles was the longest two foot gauge railway ever built. If anyone has more history of these specific cars I'd love to learn more about them.

Carver, Massachusetts

Sunday December 22, 2024

Twin IHB GP40-2's meet NS train 31K - yes, that's what I said 31K has been reestablished! - at CP Calumet in East Chicago, IN.

Photo by John Eagan

WyoJones standing next to a sign near the Visitor’s Center at Hakið in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland. Þingvellir, Iceland’s First National Park, stands out both for its natural beauty and its incredible role in the history of Iceland.

Icelandic history at Þingvellir dates from 930 AD when the ancient parliament of the Viking parliament was organized. Þingvellir translated literally means "Assembly Plains”. The Parliament, called The Alþing, met at Þingvellir from 930 to 1798 AD. even throughout the Icelandic Civil War in the 13th Century. The meetings were held in the shelter of the Almannagjá Gorge. In 1799 the Alþing stopped meeting due to Danish colonialism. The Alþing was reestablished in 1845 but convened in Reykjavik not Þingvellir and with limited powers given it by the King of Denmark. It met only sporadically. A independence movement started around the same time. People who favored independence from Denmark started meeting again at Þingvellir in 1848 to 1944. National Festivals were also ocassionally held here. It wasn’t until 1907 that the Alþing started meeting regularly again but still in Reykjavik. In 1928, just before the 1000 anniversary of the foundation of Alþingi in 1930, the parliament made Þingvellir a National Park. When Iceland declared its independence from Denmark in 1944, the declaration was made at Þingvellir.

While Þingvellir’s cultural and historical heritage draws many visitors, it’s geological history is also fascinating. The park sits on the Mid-Atlantic Rift with its west side on the North American tectonic plate, while east side lies on the Eurasian plate. In Iceland, the rift is above sea-level, and nowhere can you see the edges of both plates as clearly as in Þingvellir. The plates are bounded by a series of cliffs with a rift valley in between. This rift valley forms the main geologic feature in the park.

References:

icelandroadguide.com/items/hakid/

notendur.hi.is/oi/geology_of_thingvellir.htm

guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/jorunnsg/ingvellir-...

notendur.hi.is/oi/geology_of_thingvellir.htm

www.thingvellir.is/en/history-nature/history/

icelandmag.is/article/9-essential-things-know-about-thing...

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England. It is also known just as Holy Island.[2] It constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland.[3] Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century. It was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England a priory was reestablished. A small castle was built on the island in 1550.

Here is another from the same day that I shot this fabulous F7/GP9 duo as seen here: flic.kr/p/2nyqppS

They brought the train to West Upton and then after some switching the crew continued south with three different units. GP9R GU 1751 (blt. Nov. 1958 as a GP9 for the GTW numbered 4932) she is trailed by 1800 and 1801 (ex Santa Fe GP7us blt. Oct. 1952 and Jan. 1952 and ATSF GP7s 2784 and 2698 respectively). They are seen here entering the remains of the yard which is on the cusp of a rebirth. This abandoned private crossing at about MP 13.4 once provided access to the massive factory complex beyond. It was this factory and its singular industry that sustained the road for its first century.

The G&U story began in 1873 when the Grafton Center Railroad was chartered to build a 3 ft narrow gauge line between Grafton and North Grafton, which officially opened for business on August 30, 1874. At North Grafton the railroad established a connection with the Boston & Albany Railroad, a later subsidiary of the New York Central. The company remained a three-mile narrow-gauge for the next 13 years until July, 1887 when it was renamed as the Grafton and Upton Railroad, converted to standard gauge, and set its sights to the southeast at Milford. Two years later in 1889 the line had reached Upton and on May 17, 1890 the entire route was open to Milford, a distance of 16.5 miles, where it connected with the Milford & Woonsocket Railroad (a later subsidiary of the New Haven).

In 1902 the railroad purchased the 2 3/4 mile long Upton Street Railway trolley system which was named the 'Electric Loop' or 'Upton Loop'. Passenger service on this loop and the main line (which was also electrified in its entirety at the same time) was provided by cars leased from the Milford and Uxbridge Street Railway for 18 years until the loop was abandoned in 1920.

Electric operations typically took place during the daytime, while steam locomotives used the tracks during the nighttime hours. All passenger operations on the mainline ended in August 1928 and electric freight operations ceased in July 1946 when the steeple cabs were replaced by two new GE 44 tonners which was joined by a 70 tonner in 1948 and and Alco S4 1001 also purchased new. For some photos of those historic locomotive check out this excellent site: www.hope1842.com/hope1842/gulocos.html

Between 1894 and 1979 the railroad was owned by its largest customer, the massive Draper Corporation of Hopedale that one time employed some 3000 people as the largest maker of power looms in the country for the textile industry. But in 1978 Draper successor Rockwell Corporation closed the mill and sold the railroad which seemingly had little reason to exist any longer and little future. The track beyond Hopedale to Milford had not been used since 1973 when Penn Central terminated the interchange there since after acquiring the New Haven a few years earlier there was no need to connect with the G&U at both ends. By 1988 the G&U was no longer running to Hopedale at all and the tracks were out of service. In the mid 1990s the G&U did revive the line to haul highway salt down to their tiny yard in Upton for transloading, but I never made it to see that happen before it too was gone.

When I was growing up the G&U had one working locomotive, an Alco S4 resplendent in St. Louis Manufacturer's Railroad paint. I never saw it run, however, as it was always sitting with the stack capped at the railroad's sole customer, Washington Mills just about a mile south of the then Conrail interchange in North Grafton. By the time I had learned of the railroad's existence back then their other two "original"units in G&U black and yellow were long out of service. I do have one significant souvenir off original G&U GE 44-tonner #9 bought new in 1946 and scrapped in 2009. Around that same period the two Alcos also sadly met their demise.

But all was not lost...as sad as seeing those locomotives go along the demolition of the last original G&U buildings in Hopedale those losses signaled a rebirth. In an entirely improbable turn of events the road was purchased in 2008 and the new owner began rehabbing the entire railroad. Over the past decade the line has grown busier than it's ever been with a large new yard and transload facility in West Upton, two busy customers in Hopedale and a new propane distribution facility in North Grafton. And the future looks even brighter as the connection to Milford was recently reestablished after nearly 50 years out of service.

Alas this rebirth has come at a cost as two of the three rebuilt geeps seen here have now been scrapped, and the old Draper mill was demolished in its entirety in 2021 after more than four decades of being vacant and assorted proposals for preservation and reuse.

Hopedale, Massachusetts

Thursday September 18, 2014

Viewed from Squirrel Point Light.

"Phippsburg is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Kennebec River. The population was 2,155 at the 2020 census. It is within the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. A tourist destination, Phippsburg is home to Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, Fort Popham State Historic Site; it is also home to Fort Baldwin which overlooks Fort Popham, and Popham Beach State Park, as well as Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge. The town includes part of Winnegance.

Site of the Popham Colony, Phippsburg was—between 1607 and 1608—the first known English settlement attempt in New England. During its brief existence, colonists built Virginia of Sagadahoc, the first ship in Maine's long history of shipbuilding.

The next British settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River began in 1653; Thomas Atkins, a fisherman, purchased from the sachem Mowhotiwormet, commonly called Chief Robinhood, the southern end of Phippsburg (with the exception of Popham). Atkins Bay bears his name. The population gradually increased until King Philip's War, when Indigenous peoples in August 1676 attacked the eastern side of the Kennebec River, massacring and scalping the colonists, or else carrying them into captivity. Dwellings were burned and stocks of cattle killed. The entire area was abandoned.

Resettlement commenced in 1679 at Newtown, located on the southern end of Arrowsic Island (across the river from present-day Phippsburg Center). About 1684, Francis Small had a trading post at Cape Small, which bears his name. But in 1689 the area was again destroyed and deserted during King William's War. With the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1713, conflict was formally ended between the Abenaki and English settlements. In 1714, Newtown was reestablished, then incorporated in 1716 as Georgetown-on-Arrowsic by the Massachusetts General Court. Also in 1716, the Pejepscot Proprietors established a little fishing village called Augusta at the Small Point Harbor area of Phippsburg. Dr. Oliver Noyes, director of the colony, erected a stone fort 100 feet (30 meters) square to protect it. In 1717, Governor Samuel Shute held a conference at Georgetown-on-Arrowsic with tribal delegates, who arrived in a flotilla of canoes and encamped on Lee Island.

But in summer of 1723 during Dummer's War, the Norridgewocks and 250 of their Indian allies from Canada, incited by the French missionary Sebastien Rale, attacked the area. Again it was deserted, with the stone fort destroyed. Governor William Dummer's Treaty of 1725 restored peace, and in 1737 an attempt was made to resettle Cape Small Point. The boundaries of Georgetown-on-Arrowsic were enlarged to encompass most of present-day Phippsburg, Bath (which then included West Bath), Woolwich and Georgetown.

Slow resettlement of the Phippsburg peninsula found ten farms along the Kennebec River by 1751, with five more on the Casco Bay side. But the districts gathered into Georgetown-on-Arrowsic began splitting away; in 1759, Woolwich withdrew, followed in 1781 by Bath. In 1814, Phippsburg was set off and incorporated. The original petition requested that it be named Dromore after one of the town's oldest sections, but Massachusetts chose instead to honor one of its royal governors, Sir William Phips—actually a native of Woolwich.

Between 1842 and 1890, wooden ships were built at Phippsburg. It also had numerous tidal mills.

Fort Popham was built during the Civil War to guard the mouth of the Kennebec, on the site of a much smaller battery built in 1808. It became the control center for an underwater minefield in the 1890s. The more modern Fort Baldwin was built between 1905 and 1912 and was garrisoned in both World Wars.

In 1891 Phippsburg ceded Ragged Island to Harpswell, but in 1917 it further added to its roster of islands by annexing nine Casco Bay islands including Bushy, Hen, Bear, Malaga, Burnt Coat, Black Snake, Wood, Little Wood, and Gooseberry Islands. Malaga was later offered to, but refused by, Harpswell.

During the Gilded Age, Popham Beach developed into a resort area, with steamboats transporting excursionists from Bath. Today, the town's principal industries are fishing and tourism.

In 1971, Phippsburg was the site of the discovery of the Spirit Pond runestones, purported evidence of pre-Columbian European exploration of North America, but now shown to be a modern hoax. The three stones were found by Walter J. Elliot, Jr., a carpenter from Bath, Maine. The runestones are now in the possession of the Maine State Museum in Augusta, Maine." (Wikipedia)

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Quedan invitados a ver mi nuevo portfolios : Ranelagh

are invited to see my new portfolio: Ranelagh

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Ranelagh was initially developed by the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, which opened a station at the site in 1911, and formed La Compañía de Tierras del Sud (Southlands Company) to oversee the real estate development plan. The town's name was in homage to the Viscount Ranelagh an Irish nobleman who had Ranelagh Gardens built in Chelsea, England in 1742. The first ten chalets (built in Tudor style) were completed in 1913, the post office in 1915, and the first school in 1916.

The Neue Synagogue (New Synagogue) on Oranienburger Straße was built from 1859 to 1866 as the main synagogue of the Berlin Jewish community,. The eastern Moorish building was designed by Eduard Knoblauch. Following Knoblauch's death in 1865, Friedrich August Stüler took responsibility for the majority of its construction as well as for its interior arrangement and design. One of the few synagogues to survive Kristallnacht, it was badly damaged prior to and during World War II and subsequently much was demolished. The building was completely burned after Allied bombing during the Battle of Berlin, a series of British air raids lasting from November 1943 until March 1944. In 1958, the Jewish Community of East Berlin had the ruined rear sections of their building demolished, including the soot-blackened ruin of the main prayer hall, leaving only the less-destroyed front section. The damaged central dome on top of the front section was also torn down in the 1950s. It was not until the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that reconstruction of the front section began. From 1988 to 1993, the structurally intact parts of the building close to the street, including the façade, the dome, and some rooms behind were restored as the Centrum Judaicum (Jewish Center); the main sanctuary was not restored. In May 1995, a small synagogue congregation was reestablished using the former women's wardrobe room. The area behind the restored frontage, formerly the main prayer hall, remains an empty space, and is open to visitors.

Galisteo Basin Area History

Galisteo is probably the best historically documented of the GBASPA sites. Early Spanish documents frequently mention Pueblo Galisteo, which has been tentatively identified as Pueblo Ximena, which was still occupied in 1540 when visited by Coronado. Castaño de Sosa saw the village in 1590 and called it San Lucas. Oñate visited the pueblo in 1598 and renamed it Santa Ana, but the name was changed to Santa Cruz de Galisteo. The pueblo participated in the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 and was abandoned when the populace, fearing reprisals, moved to Santa Fe, where they stayed until 1693, yielding the city to Don Diego de Vargas after a bitter fight. Many were killed or sold into slavery by de Vargas. In 1706 Governor Cuevo y Valdes collected the remnants, then living at Tesuque, and reestablished the pueblo under the name Santa Maria de Galisteo. Ninety Tano Indians were moved at that time. In 1782 there were 52 families, but by 1794, smallpox and Comanche raids forced its inhabitants to move to Santo Domingo Pueblo.

*Galisteo Basin Archaeology Sites Protection Act

(Bison bison). Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma.

At the turn of the 20th century, most of the wild places of the lower 48 states and Canada had been forever changed by the hand of man. In less than 100 years a seemingly endless bounty of wildlife had been all but wiped out. Tens of millions of bison, elk, pronghorn, and deer were killed until only a handful of each were left, and extinction seemed imminent. In the case of the plains bison, some estimates put the population in the late 1800s at as low as 300 individuals.

Fortunately, the voice of hunters, outdoorsman, conservationists and preservationists of the time was loud enough that governments intervened and laws regulating the hunting and sale of wildlife were enacted, and efforts were made to protect wildlife habitat. This marked the gradual recovery of many species. Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, for example, was first set aside as a refuge for wild game in 1901. Bison were reintroduced shortly after that, and elk populations were reestablished shortly after that, returning both species to the prairies and woodlands from which they had been eliminated a few decades prior.

Today many species have recovered, with White-tailed Deer reaching a population size near historic highs. Bison remain controversial, however, and politics play heavily in the management of this species. Fears of impacts to the cattle industry mean that it is unlikely that truly free ranging populations will return to the iconic prairie dweller's former range. Today wild populations exist in protected areas, many with high fences to ensure that they do not escape preserve boundaries.

It makes me sad, to a degree, that they will never move across the plains as they once did, the sound thousands of hooves pounding earth carrying across the prairie sky like thunder. Then again, there is not enough prairie left today to sustain those historic numbers. It makes me happy, however, that this incredible animal still exists, and I am able to see them in person, and not as lithographic prints in old natural history texts. And it makes me even happier that their numbers have increased to a point that they can begin to repatriate portions of their former range, even if only in small protected pieces. Long live the king of the plains, and one of most important, iconic wild animals of the western hemisphere.