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Dolomiti - I laghi dei Piani.
... da subito questa foto dei laghi dei Piani (realizzata con l'unione di 6 scatti effettuati alle spalle del rifugio Locatelli) ha richiamato alla mia mente un pezzo dei Genesis che ho amato tantissimo ... e, con questo brano, il mito della Ninfa Salmacis e di Ermafrodito, rielaborato da Ovidio ...
Ovid's account relates that Hermaphroditus was nursed by naiads in the caves of Mount Ida a sacred mountain in Phrygia (present day Turkey). At the age of fifteen, he grew bored with his surroundings and traveled to the cities of Lycia andCaria. It was in the woods of Caria, near Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum, Turkey) that he encountered the nymph, Salmacis, in her pool. She was overcome by lust for the boy, who was very handsome but still young, and tried to seduce him, but was rejected. When he thought her to be gone, Hermaphroditus undressed and entered the waters of the empty pool. Salmacis sprang out from behind a tree and jumped into the pool. She wrapped herself around the boy, forcibly kissing him and touching his breast. While he struggled, she called out to the gods that they should never part. Her wish was granted, and their bodies blended into one form, "a creature of both sexes". Hermaphroditus prayed to Hermes and Aphrodite that anyone else who bathed in the pool would be similarly transformed, and his wish was granted.
Ermafrodito (in greco antico: Ἑρμαφρόδιτος), era il figlio nato dalla relazione segreta tra Ermes e Afrodite.
Il giovane, da neonato, era stato allattato dalle Naiadi nelle grotte del Monte Ida, una montagna sacra situata nella regione della Frigia, in Asia Minore.
All'età di quindici anni cominciò la sua esplorazione del mondo e fu proprio nel corso di essa che arrivò in Caria, sulle rive di un grande lago.
Qui, in un boschetto, nei pressi di Alicarnasso, lo vide la giovane ninfa Salmacis la quale si innamorò perdutamente di lui.
In preda alla passione Salmacis cercò di sedurre il giovanetto, ma da questi fu respinta.
Salmacis allora si nascose e quando Ermafrodito si spogliò ed entrò nelle acque del lago per dissetarsi si gettò su di lui, abbracciandolo.
Mentre il giovane si dibatteva, lei chiese agli dei di potersi unire per sempre al suo amato e di non esserne mai separata.
Il suo desiderio venne accolto e i due divennero un essere solo, i loro corpi si fusero in una singolare creatura di entrambi i sessi, metà maschio e metà femmina.
Ermafrodito, prima di sparire sul fondo del lago, maledisse Salmacis, chiedendo, per coloro che si fossero bagnati nelle acque del lago, il suo stesso destino.
Questo il testo del pezzo dei Genesis:
From a dense forest of tall dark pinewood,Mount Ida rises like an island.Within a hidden cave,
nymphs had kept a child;Hermaphroditus, son of gods, so afraid of their love.As the dawn creeps
up the skyThe hunter caught sight of a doe.In desire for conquest,He found himself within a
glade he'd not beheld before.
Hermaphroditus:"Where are you, my father?Give wisdom to your son"
Narrator:"Then he could go no fartherNow lost, the boy was guidedby the sun"
And as his strength began to failHe saw a shimmering lake.A shadow in the dark green
depthsDisturbed the strange tranquillity.
Salmacis:"The waters are disturbedSome creature has been stirred"
Narrator:"The waters are disturbedNaiad queen Salmacis has been stirred"
As he rushed to quench his thirst,A fountain spring appeared before himAnd as his heated
breath brushed through the cool mist,A liquid voice called, "Son of gods, drink from my
spring".The water tasted strangely sweet.Behind him the voice called again.He turned and saw
her, in a cloak of mist aloneAnd as he gazed, her eyes were filled with the darkness of the lake.
Salmacis:"We shall be oneWe shall be joined as one"
Narrator:"She wanted them as oneYet he had no desire to be one"
Hermaphroditus:
"Away from me cold-blooded woman
Your thirst is not mine"
Salmacis:
"Nothing will cause us to part
Hear me, O Gods"
Unearthly calm descended from the sky
And then their flesh and bones were strangely merged
Forever to be joined as one.
The creature crawled into the lake.
A fading voice was heard:
"And I beg, yes I beg that all who touch this spring
May share my fate"
Salmacis:
"We are the one
We are the one"
Narrator:
"The two are now made one,
Demi-god and nymph are now made one"
Both had given everything they had.
A lover's dream had been fulfilled at last,Forever still beneath the lake.
In una densa foresta di grandi pini scuri
Il monte Ida sorge come un’isola
In una caverna nascosta le ninfe avevano cresciuto un bambino:
Ermafrodito, figlio di dei,
che dovevano nascondere il loro amore
Mentre l’alba saliva nel cielo
Il cacciatore vide tracce di cerva
Desideroso di conquistarla
Si ritrovò in una radura che non aveva mai visto prima
Ermafrodito: “Dove sei, padre mio?
Dai saggezza a tuo figlio”
Narratore: “A quel punto non riuscì più ad andare avanti
Perso, il ragazzo era guidato dal sole”
E quando iniziarono a mancargli le forze
Vide un lago scintillante
Un’ombra dall’abisso verde scuro
Disturbò quella strana tranquillità
Salmacis: “Le acque sono agitate
Una creatura si è mossa”
Narratore: “Le acque sono agitate
La regina naiade Salmacis è stata disturbata”
Quando lui corse a placare la sua sete
Una sorgente apparve davanti a lui
E quando il suo fiato bollente si fece largo tra la fresca foschia
Una voce limpida disse “Figlio di dei, bevi alla mia fonte”
L’acqua era stranamente dolce
Dietro di lui la voce risuonò ancora
Si girò e la vide vestita solo di un manto di nebbia
E quando lui la guardò fisso, gli occhi di lei si erano riempiti dell’oscurità del lago
Salmacis: “Saremo una sola cosa”
“Saremo uniti come un’unica cosa”
Narratore: “Lei voleva che fossero una cosa sola
Ma lui non voleva”
Ermafrodito: “Lontana da me donna dal sangue freddo
La tua sete non è la mia”
Salmacis: “Niente ci costringerà a separarci
Ascoltatemi, o Dei !”
Una calma sovrannaturale discese dal cielo
E poi le loro carni e ossa furono stranamente mescolate
per sempre per diventare una cosa sola
La creatura strisciò nel lago
Si udì una voce fioca:
“E chiedo che tutti coloro che tocchino questa sorgente
Possano condividere il mio destino”
Salmacis: “Siamo una cosa sola
Siamo una cosa sola”
Narratore: “I due erano ora diventati uno
Il semidio e la ninfa erano diventati un’unica cosa”
Entrambi avevano dato tutto ciò che avevano
Un sogno di amante era stato soddisfatto alla fine
Per sempre racchiuso nel lago
Entrambi avevano dato tutto ciò che avevano
Un sogno di amante era stato soddisfatto alla fine
Per sempre racchiuso nel lago.
p.s. io al lago non mi sono avvicinato ...
Legend relates that in 1127, while King David I was hunting in the forests to the east of Edinburgh during the Feast of the Cross, he was thrown from his horse after it had been startled by a hart. According to variations of the story, the king was saved from being gored by the charging animal when it was startled either by the miraculous appearance of a holy cross descending from the skies, or by sunlight reflected from a crucifix which suddenly appeared between the hart's antlers while the king attempted to grasp them in self-defence. As an act of thanksgiving for his escape, David I founded Holyrood Abbey on the site in 1128.
In the church was preserved, in a golden reliquary, an object said to be a fragment of the True Cross brought by David's mother, St. Margaret, from Waltham Abbey, and known thereafter as the Black Rood of Scotland (the Holyrood (cross)). At the battle of Neville's Cross, in 1346, this precious relic fell into the hands of the English, and it was placed in Durham Cathedral, from where it disappeared at the Reformation.
Sanctuary marker for Holyrood Abbey, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
The abbey was originally served by a community of Augustinian Canons Regular from Merton Priory. The layout of the original church at Holyrood, now known only from excavations, probably came from the 1125 church at the priory. In 1177 the papal legate Vivian held council here. In 1189 the nobles and prelates of Scotland met here to discuss raising a ransom for William the Lion.
The completed building consisted of a six-bay aisled choir, three-bay transepts with a central tower above, and an eight-bay aisled nave with twin towers at its west front. Some scholars believe the high vaults to be sexpartite (though this is not clearly supported by the 17th century illustrations of the interior). Such a design was probably archaic in that period, and difficult to execute or maintain. Evidence of the construction qualitiesof the stonemasons has remained on the S aisle vaults, which are set on an almost square plan of 4.4 m (14 feet), but built relatively roughly, with thin flagstones and not much attention to keeping the vertices straight. They were probably plastered, with exposed thin ribs.
Among the chief benefactors of Holyrood during the four centuries of its existence as a religious house were Kings David I and II; Robert, Bishop of St. Andrews; and Fergus, Lord of Galloway.
Around the abbey was a five mile area of sanctuary, taking in much of Holyrood Park, where debtors and those accused of crimes could appeal to the Bailie of Holyroodhouse for protection. Brass sanctuary stones mark the boundary of the sanctuary on the Royal Mile. Those granted sanctuary would be given lodgings in the buildings around the abbey and obtained the nickname 'Abbey Lairds'.
The Parliament of Scotland met at the abbey in 1256, 1285, 1327, 1366, 1384, 1389 and 1410. In 1326, Robert the Bruce held parliament here, and there is evidence that Holyrood was being used as a royal residence by 1329. The Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton (1328), which ended the First War of Scottish Independence, was signed by Robert I in the "King's Chamber" at Holyrood in March 1328. The abbey's position close to Edinburgh Castle meant that it was often visited by Scotland's kings, who were lodged in the guest house situated to the west of the abbey cloister. In the mid-15th century, with the emergence of Edinburgh as the main seat of the royal court and the chief city in the kingdom, the Kings of Scots increasingly used the accommodation at Holyrood for secular purposes. James II and his twin brother Alexander, Duke of Rothesay, were born there in October 1430. James was also crowned at Holyrood in 1437 and building works were carried out before his marriage there in 1449. Between 1498 and 1501, James IV constructed a royal palace at Holyrood, adjacent to the abbey cloister.
A corps of guards were instituted at the end of the 15th century to guard the monarch and enforce law and order within the precincts of the palace and Abbey Sanctuary called the High Constables and Guard of Honour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Royal influence over the abbey further increased when in 1538 Robert Stewart, the infant, illegitimate son of James V, was appointed as commendator of Holyrood.
The ruins of the abbey church
During the War of the Rough Wooing, the invading English armies of the Earl of Hertford inflicted structural damage on Holyrood Abbey in 1544 and 1547. Lead was stripped from the roof, the bells were removed, and the contents of the abbey were plundered. In 1559, during the Scottish Reformation, the abbey suffered further damage when a mob destroyed the altars and looted the rest of the church. With the reformation and the end of monastic services, the east end of the abbey church became redundant. In 1569, Adam Bothwell, the commendator of Holyrood, informed the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland that the east end was in such a state of disrepair that the choir and transept should be demolished. This was done the following year, retaining only the nave, which by then was serving as the parish church of the burgh of Canongate. Between 1570 and 1573 an east gable was erected, closing the east end of the former nave, all but two of the windows in the nave were blocked up, the royal tombs were removed to a new royal burial vault in the south aisle and the old east end was demolished.
The abbey was extensively remodelled in 1633 for the coronation of Charles I.
In 1686, James VII established a Jesuit college within Holyrood Palace. The following year, the Protestant congregation was moved to the new Kirk of the Canongate, and the abbey was converted into a Roman Catholic Chapel Royal and the chapel of the Order of the Thistle. The abbey church was remodelled according to the plans of James Smith, and was fitted with elaborate thrones and stalls for the individual Knights of the Thistle, carved by Grinling Gibbons. However, in 1688, following the Glorious Revolution, the Edinburgh mob broke into the abbey, entered the Chapel Royal and desecrated the royal tombs.
The association of the church with these events and the absence of a royal court left the building out of public interest. The ageing timber roof trusses were replaced by stone vaults and outer stone slabs in 1758-60 by the architect John Douglas and the stonemason James McPherson. However this proved to be a disastrous change. The excessive weight of the stone could not be supported by the walls. The strength of stone vaults depends on the containment of their thrusts, which the decayed flying buttresses could not contain any more, and a small movement can cause severe deformation and collapse. It took six years for the deformation to become alarming. This forced the Barons of the Exchequer (the administrators of the Palace) to close the church on safety grounds in 1766, following inspection by William Mylne.
On 2 December 1768 the roof collapsed in two stages, leaving the abbey as it currently stands, a roofless ruin.
The restoration of the abbey has been proposed several times since the 18th century – in 1835 by the architect James Gillespie Graham as a meeting place for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and, in 1906, as a chapel for the Knights of the Thistle – but both proposals were rejected.
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them- Thoreau- Thank you Susan for relating it to me.
(Cropped only)
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
© Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, 1927
………………………………….
The Little Charmer… (not about me…)
Oh! What a person can get, with the right charm!
And all those tales, she'll tell, regardless of harm...
Convinced to help out, by her little sweet song -
You won't be aware, of the fun ride, you're on...
The heart and the purse strings will soon be untied,
To meet her own needs - you'll not know, that she's lied....
You! Unwittingly taken, to be a soft touch,
While She! cannot believe such a run of good luck,
Congratulating herself, that it's all under wraps -
Not thinking, two stories conflicting, at some stage, perhaps,
Might collide with each other, when they shall reveal
How dishonest, she is, to give you a raw deal...
If end results turn awry, I think, she would not relate,
Be conscious enough, to differentiate -
When inflow outweighs the exit amount,
Leads to, sooner than later, a surplus account...
To get something for free, someone else always pays,
Universal Laws never cease to amaze...
Regarding her ongoing greed, her delight to connive...
It may not ever happen, but she could realise:
All those things, she does have, and did so crookedly earn,
Karma's decided, This Little Charmer, just did not deserve!
© Pearl, 25th April, 2013.
………………………………………………………………….
The 1890 Empress Flour Mill on Queen Street is category C industrial heritage building, which means that its removal is a permitted activity. There are two plaques on the front of the building, one relating to the 118 year old structure and the other to the 1921 grain silos. With a height of 35 metres the category B listed heritage silos are the town's most prominent landmark. They're still in use and will not be demolished.
Relating to a blog I posted today about how I'm fine taking my clothes off in abandoned buildings yet totally afraid to pose clothed in public view, I went outside to take a photo. Granted, it was just on the corner of my street, but someone even walked by while I was setting up the camera and nothing bad happened! Baby steps. That's what it's all about.
The other major change relating to the Central Connect withdrawals is that the 93 is more-or-less replaced by the LC9. It’s similar but not identical and funded by Leicestershire County Council between Nottingham and Bottesford (despite the vast majority of the route falling within Nottinghamshire).
Since the drivers and vehicles for this route are based out of Grantham, some journeys extend to there, to allow travel on what would otherwise be dead mileage for changeovers. However the Grantham to Bottesford section has even more going on which I’ll delve into at a later time.
Journeys on the LC9 are covered by two individual duties which interwork onto different routes, so it starts off with vehicle ‘A’, then swaps to vehicle ‘B’, and then later on back to ‘A’ again. The route regulars are these YY64 E200s, plus a pair of 75 plate E200 MMCs that originated at Chaserider. The 64 plates are 6cyl and have some poke to them.
Here YY64 GWF turns down Friar Lane, Nottingham, on 2.2.26
Auguste Renoir.
Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist, ragged lady or devil in the bush) is an annual garden flowering plant, belonging to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is native to southern Europe (but adventive in more northern countries of Europe), north Africa and southwest Asia, where it is found on neglected, damp patches of land.
The specific epithet damascena relates to Damascus in Syria. The plant's common name comes from the flower being nestled in a ring of multifid, lacy bracts. It is also sometimes called devil-in-the-bush.
It grows to 20–50 cm (8–20 in) tall, with pinnately divided, thread-like, alternate leaves. The flowers, blooming in early summer, are most commonly different shades of blue, but can be white, pink, or pale purple, with 5 to 25 sepals. The actual petals are located at the base of the stamens and are minute and clawed. The sepals are the only colored part of the perianth. The four to five carpels of the compound pistil have each an erect style.
The fruit is a large and inflated capsule, growing from a compound ovary, and is composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seeds. This is rather exceptional for a member of the buttercup family. The capsule becomes brown in late summer.
Nigella from "Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens" Arcadia. California.
A particular situation that relates to Poverty;
Gregory White - is a homeless man in Louisiana who was arrested for stealing food from a grocery store. The retail
value of the food was $39. He was assessed $339 in fines and fees and was jailed. His charges were later changed
to community service because he could not pay the fines. But when he could not pay the bus fare to complete his community service, he went back to jail. He spent a total of 198 days behind bars, and his incarceration cost the City of New Orleans $3,500.
(American Civil Liberties Union, “IN FOR A PENNY: The Rise of America’s New Debtor’s Prisons.”)
Can anybodyout there relate to this adult burrowing owl (dad)? I feel that I can ... seems to me that it's just looking for a little bit of shade from the heat and a bit of solitude from its routine busy day duties.
See, this dad had numerous burrowing owlets to provide for and a mate that also requires a bit of attention. The owlets can be quite demanding at times ... not to mention noisy. Where better can there be than to fly off to a nearby tree that the young can't quite navigate yet. LOL
It's an absolutely gorgeous day here on the western slope of Colorado, though I honestly wish it would be a bit cooler. Hopefully it won't be that long, though the cold weather from a few weeks ago got me anxious for more.
Happy Weekend everyone. Hope that you're out there enjoying it.
© 2017 Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
I met this giraffe doing a feeding type of this and boy was he only there for the food and that’s it which is obviously pretty relatable I think
The title can relate to the car or this man's low riding pants. Decide for yourself. I have no idea what these two are talking about. For all we know, he may have a lesion on his stomach or maybe he painted a smiley face on his chest, or maybe he's just proud of his abs. In any event, it was an unusual moment in an interesting setting. The old 1958 Chevy Bel Air completes the scene. And yes, the horizon is off purposely. Havana, Cuba, March 2019
Best viewed large by pressing "L". All rights reserved
I came across the quote used in the title somewhere - I rather relate to it - although I'm not sure I quite fit the 'antique' model (others will disagree I'm sure!)
This is me and my youngest grandaughter Melody playing together. she had spied my Lego men and wanted to play with those - so, knowing who would have the job of putting those fiddly arms and legs back on after she'd pulled them apart, I steered her in the direction of some of my boyhood toys - no stereotyping in this house!
Quite nice really because when I grew out of them my little bro used them, then my son played them to near death, and now my grandaughter loves them
The photo was taken by my 30 year old son (Uncle Ben to Melody) and edited by moi.Oh, and your'e looking at the room where I do all my editing - my study/music room.
Have a fab day - it's nearly weekend!
In a split second after I took this photo she walked away, and I couldn't help but wonder what her thoughts were as she had lingered at the artwork for quite a while before I took this photo. The white clothing she wore, plain and simple, made me think she could relate to the minimalistic and simple artwork she seemed to be admiring.
I do relate so well to this quote....art is my solace no matter the end result....the only time my brain isn't running at high speed... the only time I'm quiet...it's my meditation.
Thank you to borealnz for the texture.
This is a monochrome development of a severe crop (8:5 - 6000 x 3750px) of this infrared panorama:
www.flickr.com/photos/197010762@N05/52540030590/in/dateta...
Sometimes, as opposed to develop straight for b&w, I do several false-color developments first and then convert these in different ways which gives me a lot of leverage regarding contrast and how the highlights, midtones and shadows turn out and relate to each other. But it's more effort though..
Nikon D90 (APS-C, fullspectrum mod)
Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di ll VC HLD
Hoya R72 (720nm infrared pass-filter)
ISO200, 24mm, f/6.3, 0,8sec
panorama head, tripod, remote
(adj.) *Alpine:
Relating to or characteristic of alps.
Alpine Decor, Lurs, Alpes de Haute Provence, France.
PixNote:
Lurs (you pronounce the "s") a very attractive and very picturesque village, perched on a narrow butte overlooking the Durance valley. Lurs is a tourist village, but not too well known and not too crowded. There's no real commerce in the village, but one good hotel-restaurant and one great restaurant.
PixQuote:
"I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it."
~Author Unknown
A revolutionary technique of expression because it relates to time in an absolutely special way; the image, with its multiple meanings, can only be found if it exists in the photographer before it is fixed on film and must then be reconquered when it becomes an image to look at. A search within a search, a continuous collection of moments for the moment which in the photographic moment will be fixed forever.
～ Kamir
P.S. Non-HDR-processed / Non-GND-filtered ● Black Card Technique 黑卡作品
Modestine was reluctant to climb the 'interminable hill" out of Goudet and frankly we can relate her to point of view! In fairness to Modestine, by all reports she was seriously overload by Robert Louis Stevenson.
We paused on the climb to look back and take in the view of Goudet.
Day 2 of 12 - Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille to Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas: Walking the Chemin de Stevenson (GR 70 Robert Louis Stevenson Trail) in the south of France.
I would have used my printer with this text, but our stupid printer has had a "incompatible print cartrige(s)" error notice for the last two days. it is really sad. You always feel the urge to print something whenever you can't. Hopefully you all can read my handwriting, because according to my family i have the worst illegible handwriting in the world.
My week 6 photo is taken on film, so it will be uploaded after i get it developed.
I finished the book "An abundance of Katherines." It was amazing. Different than "Looking for Alaska" but you could still feel the same magic in it. I'm going to try and get a copy of Paper Towns and see if i like it just as much as his other books. The thing I really like about John Green books, is not only that the characters are ones I can relate too, but because his books are so interesting. They really have some sort of substance to it. And I like it.
Film
Clouds (out of focus-the way i like it)
Fujifilm 400 ISO
NIkon n90s, 50mm 1.4
Appropriate to post an image relating to the railway on rail 200 day
This image depicts Network Rail class 153 '153376' Slowing down through Newcraighall on its way into Millerhill Yard. I was expecting to see at least one other fellow railway enthusiast here as its usually popular with the spotters but this time round it was just me. Not even the passengers waiting on their train into Edinburgh took any notice of it!
This was a really well exposed image and the OHLE provided the perfect frame. and thankfully it was traveling slowly as I don't remember setting the AF to Continuous!
Thasos or Thassos (Greek: Θάσος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Thrace and the plain of the river Nestos but geographically part of Macedonia. It is the northernmost Greek island, and 12th largest by area. Thasos is also the name of the largest town of the island (also known as Limenas Thasou, "Harbour of Thasos"), situated at the northern side, opposite the mainland and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) from Keramoti. Thassos island is a known from the ancient times for its termae making it a climatic and balneoclimateric resort area.
Prehistory
Lying close to the coast of Eastern Macedonia, Thasos was inhabited from the Palaeolithic period onwards,[1] but the earliest settlement to have been explored in detail is that at Limenaria, where remains from the Middle and Late Neolithic relate closely to those found at the mainland's Drama plain. In contrast, Early Bronze Age remains on the island align it with the Aegean culture of the Cyclades and Sporades, to the south; at Skala Sotiros[2] for example, a small settlement was encircled by a strongly built defensive wall. Even earlier activity is demonstrated by the presence of large pieces of 'megalithic' anthropomorphic stelai built into these walls, which, so far, have no parallels in the Aegean area.
There is then a gap in the archaeological record until the end of the Bronze Age c 1100 BC, when the first burials took place at the large cemetery of Kastri in the interior of the island.[3][4] Here built tombs covered with small mound of earth were typical until the end of the Iron Age. In the earliest tombs were a small number of locally imitated Mycenaean pottery vessels, but the majority of the hand-made pottery with incised decoration reflects connections eastwards with Thrace and beyond.
Antiquity
The island was colonized at an early date by Phoenicians, attracted probably by its gold mines; they founded a temple to the god Melqart, whom the Greeks identified as "Tyrian Heracles", and whose cult was merged with Heracles in the course of the island's Hellenization.[5] The temple still existed in the time of Herodotus.[6] An eponymous Thasos, son of Phoenix (or of Agenor, as Pausanias reported) was said to have been the leader of the Phoenicians, and to have given his name to the island.
Around 650 BC, or a little earlier, Greeks from Paros founded a colony on Thasos.[7] A generation or so later, the poet Archilochus, a descendant of these colonists, wrote of casting away his shield during a minor war against an indigenous Thracian tribe, the Saians.[8] Thasian power, and sources of its wealth, extended to the mainland, where the Thasians owned gold mines even more valuable than those of the island; their combined annual revenues amounted to between 200 and 300 talents. Herodotus says that the best mines on the island were those opened by the Phoenicians on the east side of the island, facing Samothrace.. Archilochus described Thasos as "an ass's backbone crowned with wild wood." The island's capital, Thasos, had two harbors. Besides its gold mines, the wine, nuts and marble of Thasos were well known in antiquity. Thasian wine was quite famous. Thasian coins had the head of the wine god Dionysos on one side and bunches of grape of the other.[9]
Thasos was important during the Ionian Revolt against Persia. After the capture of Miletus (494 BC) Histiaeus, the Ionian leader, laid siege. The attack failed, but, warned by the danger, the Thasians employed their revenues to build war ships [10] and strengthen their fortifications. This excited the suspicions of the Persians, and Darius compelled them to surrender their ships and pull down their walls. After the defeat of Xerxes the Thasians joined the Delian confederacy; but afterwards, on account of a difference about the mines and marts on the mainland, they revolted.
The Athenians defeated them by sea, and, after a siege that lasted more than two years, took the capital, Thasos, probably in 463 BC, and compelled the Thasians to destroy their walls, surrender their ships, pay an indemnity and an annual contribution (in 449 BC this was 21 talents, from 445 BC about 30 talents), and resign their possessions on the mainland. In 411 BC, at the time of the oligarchical revolution at Athens, Thasos again revolted from Athens and received a Lacedaemonian governor; but in 407 BC the partisans of Lacedaemon were expelled, and the Athenians under Thrasybulus were admitted.
After the Battle of Aegospotami (405 BC), Thasos again fell into the hands of the Lacedaemonians under Lysander who formed a decarchy there; but the Athenians must have recovered it, for it formed one of the subjects of dispute between them and Philip II of Macedonia. In the embroilment between Philip V of Macedonia and the Romans, Thasos submitted to Philip, but received its freedom at the hands of the Romans after the Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC), and it was still a "free" state in the time of Pliny.
Byzantine Era
Thasos was part of the Eastern Roman Empire, now known as the Byzantine Empire, from 395 on. According to the 6th-century Synecdemus, it belonged to the province of Macedonia Prima, although the 10th-century De thematibus claims that it was part of Thracia.[11] The island was a major source of marble until the disruption of the Slavic invasions in the late 6th/7th centuries, and several churches from Late Antiquity have been found on it.[11] The island remained in Byzantine hands for most of the Middle Ages. It functioned as a naval base in the 13th century, under its own doux, and came briefly under the rule of the Genoese Tedisio Zaccaria in 1307–13. Returning to Byzantine control, its bishopric was raised to an archdiocese by Manuel II Palaiologos. Thasos was captured by the Genoese Gattilusi family ca. 1434, who surrendered it to the Ottoman Empire in 1455.[11] Following the Ottoman conquest of the Despotate of the Morea in 1460, the former Despot Demetrios Palaiologos received lands on the island.[11]
It is related that the Byzantine Greek Saint Joannicius the Great (752–846) in one of his miracles freed the island of Thasos from a multitude of snakes.
Ottoman Era
Thassos joined the Ottoman Empire in 1456.[12] Under the Ottoman rule, the island was known as Ottoman Turkish: طاشوز Taşöz. Between 1770 and 1774, the island was briefly occupied by a Russian fleet. By this time the population of Thassos had gravitated to the inland villages as a protective measure.[13] Nearly 50 years later, a revolt against Ottoman rule arose in 1821, at the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, led by Hatzigiorgis Metaxas, but it failed. The island was given by the Sultan Mahmud II to Muhammad Ali of Egypt as a personal fiefdom in the late 1820s, as a reward for Egyptian intervention in the War of Greek Independence (which failed to prevent the creation of the modern Greek state). Egyptian rule was relatively benign (by some accounts Muhammad Ali had either been born or spent his infancy on Thasos) and the island became prosperous, until 1908, when the New Turk regime asserted Turkish control. The island was a kaza (sub-province), lastly of the Sanjak of Drama in the Salonica Vilayet, until the Balkan Wars. On October 20, 1912 during the First Balkan War, a Greek naval detachment claimed Thasos as part of Greece. From the day it reunited with Greece, it has remained so ever since.
Archaeological Discovery
On the November 23rd, 1902 issue of the New York Times (p. 5), it was reported that on the island of Thassos, archaeologist Theodore Bent discovered the tomb of Cassius, the one who slew himself after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. Cassius was buried by Brutus at Thassos, where the army of the patriots of the Republic had established its base of supplies.[14][15]
Modern era
During the Axis occupation (1941–1944) Thasos, along with the rest of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, came under Bulgarian control. The Bulgarian government renamed the island "Tasos" and closed its schools as a first step towards forced Bulgarization. The island's mountainous terrain facilitated small-scale resistance activity. With the end of the war and the withdrawal of Axis troops, the island was caught up in the Greek Civil War. Skirmishes and Communist guerilla attacks continued on Thasos until 1950, almost a year after the main hostilities were over on the mainland.
Thasos, the capital, is now informally known as Limenas, or "the port". It is served by a ferry route to and from Keramoti a port close to Kavala International Airport, and has the shortest possible crossing to the island. Scala Prinos 20 km south of Thassos town is served by a ferry route to and from Kavala
Administration
Thasos is a separate regional unit of the East Macedonia and Thrace region, and the only municipality of the regional unit.[16] As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Thasos was created out of part of the former Kavala Prefecture. The municipality, unchanged at the Kallikratis reform, includes a few uninhabited islets besides the main island Thasos. The province of Thasos (Greek: Επαρχία Θάσου) was one of the provinces of the Kavala Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality.[17] It was abolished in 2006.
Geography
Thasos island is located in the northern Aegean sea approximately 7 km (4 mi) from the northern mainland and 20 kilometres (12 miles) south-east of Kavala, and is of generally rounded shape, without deep bays or significant peninsulas. The terrain is mountainous but not particularly rugged, rising gradually from coast to centre. The highest peak is Ypsario (Ipsario), at 1,205 metres (3,953 feet), somewhat east of centre. Pine forest covers much of the island's eastern slopes.
Historically, the island's population was chiefly engaged in agriculture and stockbreeding, and established villages inland, some of them connected via stairways (known as skalas) to harbors at the shore. The local population gradually migrated towards these shoreline settlements as tourism began to develop as an important source of income. Thus, there are several "paired villages" such as Marion–Skala Maries, with the former inland and the latter on the coast.
Geology
This section may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve this section to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. The talk page may contain suggestions. (January 2013)
The Island is formed mainly by gneisses, schists and marbles of the Rhodope Massif. Marble sequences corresponding to the Falacron Marbles intercalated by schists and gneisses, are up to 500m thick and are separated from the underlying gneisses by a transition zone about 300 m thick termed the T-zone consisting of alternances of dolomitic and calcitic marbles intercalated by schists and gneisses.
The rocks have undergone several periods of regional metamorphism, to at least upper amphibolite facies, and there was a subsequent phase of retrograde metamorphism. At least three periods of regional deformation have been identified, the most important being large scale isoclinal folding with axes aligned north-west. The T-zone is deformed and is interpreted by some authors as a regional thrust of pre-major folding age. There are two major high angle fault systems aligned north-west and north-east respectively. A large low-angle thrust cuts the gneiss, schist and marble sequence at the south-west corner of the island, probably indicating an overthrusting of the Serbomacedonian Massif onto the Rodope Massif.
The Late Miocene oil-producing Nestos-Prinos basin is located between Thassos island and the mainland. The floor of the basin is around 1,500 m deep off the Thassos coast (South Kavala ridge; Proedrou, 1988) and up to 4.000–5.000 m in the axial sector between Thassos and the mainland. The basin is filled with Late Miocene-Pliocene sediments, including ubiquitously repeated evaporite layers of rock salt and anhydrite-dolomite that alternate with sandstones, conglomerates, black shales, and uraniferous coal measures (Proedrou, 1979, 1988; Taupitz, 1985). Stratigraphically equivalent rocks on the mainland are clastic sediments with coal beds, marine to brackish fluvial units and travertines.
Mining history
The earliest mining on the island has been dated to around 13,000 BC, when paleolithic miners dug a shaft at the site of the modern-era Tzines iron mine for the extraction of limonitic ochre.[18] Mining for base and precious metals started around the 7th century BC with the Phoenicians, followed in the 4th century by the Greeks, then the Romans. These later mines were both open-cast and underground., mostly to exploit the island's numerous karst hosted calamine deposits for their lead and silver. Gold, copper and iron were also found; the Byzantines quarried marble on the island.
In the early 20th century, mining companies exploited the island's Zinc-lead rich calamine ores, with a yield of around 2 million tonnes, and a processing plant at Limenaria produced zinc oxide. Iron ore was mined on a significant scale from 1954 to 1964, with a yield of around 3 million tonnes. Since 1964, surveys have established the existence of a deep-level zinc-lead deposit, but the only mining activity on the island has been marble quarrying.
Economy
By far the most important economic activity is tourism. The main agricultural products on the island are honey, almonds, olives (famously Throuba olives) and olive oil, as well as wine, sheep, goat herding and fishing. Other industries are lumber and mining which includes lead, zinc and marble, especially in the Panagia area where one of the mountains near the Thracian Sea has a large marble quarry. The marble quarries in the south (in the area of Aliki), now abandoned, were mined during ancient times.
Communities
Towns and villages with over 100 inhabitants are:
Agios Georgios (149)
Astris (129)
Kallirachi (651)
Kinyra (104)
Limenaria (2,441)
Maries (182)
Ormos Prinou (122)
Panagia (820)
Potamia (1,216)
Potos (688)
Prinos (1,185)
Rachoni (365)
Skala Kallirachis (631)
Skala Marion (377)
Skala Rachoniou (206)
Sotiras (368)
Thassos (Limenas Thasou) (3,130)
Theologos (731)
Historical population[edit]
YearTownMunicipality
19812,312–
19912,600–
20013,14013,765
20113,24013,770
Beaches
Skala Prinos,with lots of pines, lying at a several kilometres length. This wonderful beach is ideal for swimming, clean and sandy. In 2004 it became a Blue Flag beach.
Pachis, with clear water and a lot of visitors
Rachoni, long beach with a forest
Glyadi, with golden sand and shallow sea
Skala Potamia and Golden Beach, one of the most clean beaches on the island. Also has a camping site, lots of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
Giola is a natural swimming pool with crystal clear turquoise waters! Giola is located in the village of Astris, a few kilometers from Limenaria and Potos, on the south side of the island.[19]
Saliara, with white sand (also known as Marble beach).[20]
Paradise, Paradise Beach is approximately 23 km from Thassos town via the coastal road that circles the Island. Although not signposted itself there is a signpost for the “Paradise Bar on the Beach” which is visible from the anticlockwise direction (keep an eye in the rear view mirror if travelling clockwise). There is space for a few cars by the main road (5-10mins walk).[21]
Metalia Beach Thassos: Metalia beach is situated on the foot of a villa at Limenaria. It is a fine sandy beach ideal for children and lies 39 km south west of Limenas, the capital of Thassos.[22]
Glykadi Beach Thassos: Just 4.5 km north-west of Port Thassos beach is Glikadi. Overlooking Thasopoula, this sandy beach of 150 meters with the blue waters offers relaxation in a lush natural environment. It is organized into umbrellas and sunbeds from a beach bar but no other infrastructure.[23]
Sights
Polygnotos Vagis Municipal Museum in Potamia
Archaeological Museum of Thasos in Thasos town
Polygnotos Vagis Municipal Museum in Potamia
Folklore Museum of Limenaria
Archangel Michael's Monastery
Saint Panteleimon Monastery:it was built in 1843 and became monastery in 1987. According to inhabitants of Thassos, someone wanted to built it in favor of Saint Panteleimon. The workers started the building at a location, but next day when they wanted to continue with the construction, the part they had built was destroyed and their tools were missing. It had happened on following days. One day they saw footprints on the ground and followed them until they founded their tools. Finally they built the monastery at that spot.
Monastery of the Assumption
Kastro: its foundation year is unknown. This village must have been created during the years of Frankish domination.
Krambousa Isle: it can be found across the coast of Skala Potamia. The thick vegetation make it impossible to explore all parts of it. It is full with spacial wild vegetable called "Krambi". The little church of Saint Daniel is located at the top of the hill. The inhabitants visit this church on the day of the Saint every year.
Notable people
Archilochos (7th century BC) warrior and poet. "You led us a thousand strong at Thasos, fields fattened by corpses."
Aglaophon (6th–5th century BC) painter, teacher and father of Polygnotus and Aristophon.[24]
Hegemon of Thasos comedian, inventor of parody
Leodamas (4th century BC) mathematician
Neseus of Thasos, painter
Polygnotos Vagis (1892–1965) Thasos-born US sculptor
Polygnotus (mid-5th century BC), painter
Stesimbrotos (c. 470 BC - c. 420 BC) sophist
Theagenes of Thasos Olympic boxer (480 BC), Pankratiast (476 BC) and runner.[25]
Vassilis Vassilikos (1934) poet and author
Demetrios Vassiliades (1958) Indologist scholar and author
I can relate, Teddy.
I took this shot last fall and made it a B&W for a challenge. I really like the original, though, and I feel a sense of anguish from seeing this little bear up there.
15 years ago yesterday my sweet Momma went on to the next place. As I told my friends yesterday, that's 5,475 days of me missing her. Make that 5,476 now.
RED relates to the BASE chakra situated at the base of the spine
The organs to which this chakra relates are the kidneys and bladder .(The kidneys are formed within the pelvis and here they link with the base chakra energy, although prior to birth they rise to the position in the loins with which we are more familiar). The vertebral column, hips and legs are also areas related to this chakra. The endocrine gland to which this colour relates is the adrenal gland.
On the psycho-spiritual level, this chakra relates to self awareness. That is to say our awareness of ourselves as human beings and our place on earth. It is the area of survival and relates to our basic human instincts of fight or flight. Red gives us courage and strength. The colour relates to stability and security.
© All rights reserved
[polska wersja niżej]
This photo relates to the flood in Gdańsk, about which I have written here, but I think I will rewrite the story again and provide a better view on the story background.
It's one of trains diverted from electrified mainline into secondary diesel route: originally nigh train no. 38209 from Kraków Płaszów to Koszalin. SU46-039 on the train head yet in original paint scheme from Żagań depot. After the diesel - here "cold" originally employed to this train EP07-338. The train is passing Gdańsk Osowa station entering two-track section towards Gdynia. July 11, 2001.
Photo by Jarek / Chester
9 lipca 2001 roku w Gdańsku to był całkiem ładny dzień, przynajmniej taki się zaczął i trwał do południa. Koło niego nadciągnęły ciemne chmury, zapowiadając kolejną letnią gwałtowną burzę. Jak spadały pierwsze krople deszczu, nikt nie przeczuwał, że w ciągu popołudnia na miasto lunie dwa razy więcej wody, niż w całym typowym lipcu. Każdy metr kwadratowy przyjął prawie 130 litrów, a tylko między 15 i 17 spadło, a w zasadzie dosłownie polało się strumieniem z nieba 90 litrów na metr kwadratowy. Ulice leżące na zboczach moreny dennej falistej, bo miasto to nie tylko wybrzeże, ale i morenowe pagórki, zamieniły się w dna potoków spływających w dół. No a w dole, głównie na południu, u brzegu płaskiego terenu ujścia Wisły zaczęło tworzyć się jezioro.
Wpływająca od południa z Kaszub niewielka Radunia przerwała w paru miejscach kanał, w którym biegła i zalała południowa część miasta, dzielnice od Oruni (dolnej), przez Lipce do Świętego Wojciecha. Powódź dotknęła też nasypy linii kolejowej, uszkadzając torowisko w paru miejscach. Pod wodą były też tory samego Gdańska Głównego. Ruch kolejowy między Pruszczem Gdańskim (a w zasadzie Tczewem) i Gdańskiem na kilka dni zamarł.
Ponieważ jednak mówimy o czasach, gdy kolej była jedna, wielka i niepodzielna (choć podzielona na sektory), naprędce wypracowano rozwiązanie, które w dzisiejszych czasach byłoby nie do pomyślenia - skierowano objazdem wszystkie dalekobieżne pociągi pasażerskie na trasy objazdowe. I tak pociągi z Gdyni w kierunku Bydgoszczy jechały starą Magistralą Węglową przez Kościerzynę i Wierzchucin i dalej na Łódź, czy Katowice. Pociągi w kierunku Malborka i dalej Olsztyna czy Warszawy jechały zaś przez Kościerzynę, Bąk, Czersk i dalej "Ostbahnem" do Tczewa, gdzie powracały na normalne trasy. Oczywiście na trasach objazdowych zastosowanie miała trakcja spalinowa, a elektrowozy ciągnące pociągi nie zostawały odczepiane (oprócz paru wyjątków) i odbywały podróż "na zimno" na objazdach.
Z punktu widzenia podróżnego te objazdy to rozwiązanie tylko po części rozsądne - dzisiaj zapewne wprowadzono by komunikację autobusową od Tczewa do Gdyni, przez co nastąpiłoby wydłużenie jazdy może sumarycznie o godzinę. Wtedy, przez wprowadzone objazdy, pociągi doznawały kilkugodzinnych opóźnień, a całkiem niedawna likwidacja niektórych stacji na "węglówce" drastycznie pogorszyła przepustowość dwutorowej linii. Z drugiej strony, pasażer w kuszetce, czy sypialnym z głębi kraju na Hel, dotarł do celu podróży w tym samym łóżku, tyle, że 3-6 godzin później.
Sytuacja awaryjna trwała parę dni, po czym przywrócono ruch po głównej linii, z pewnymi ograniczeniami (ograniczenie prędkości w miejscach podmycia nasypu). Jeszcze parę dni po przywróceniu ruchu część pociągów towarowych kursowała niezelektryfikowanym objazdem z uwagi na problemy z przepustowością.
Na zdjęciu SU46-039, jeszcze w oryginalnych żagańskich szatach, z nocnym pociągiem 38209 z Krakowa Płaszowa do Koszalina, opuszcza stację w Gdańsku Osowie. Za dieslem - elektrowóz oryginalnie ciągnący nocnego "kuriera" - EP07-338. 11 lipca 2001 roku.
Fot. Jarek / Chester
Cathedral (noun).
1. any large and important church
2. the principal Christian church building of a bishop's diocese
3. relating to or containing or issuing from a bishop's office or throne; "a cathedral church"
Last May as usually I’ve been in Europe. At this time my way began in West Germany: Essen, Dusseldorf, Cologne...
I was so delighted by Cologne Cathedral, the music imprinted in stone lace of this giant. So ...I took this image for defining of word CATHEDRAL.
Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria) is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne, and is under the administration of the archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned as a monument of Christianity, of German Catholicism in particular, of Gothic architecture and of the continuing faith and perseverance of the people of the city in which it stands. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cathedral is a World Heritage Site, one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany, and Cologne's most famous landmark, described by UNESCO as an "exceptional work of human creative genius".
Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete. It is 144.5 meters long, 86.5 m wide and its towers are approximately 157 m tall. The cathedral is one of the world's largest churches and the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. For four years, 1880-84, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument. It has the second-tallest church spires, only surpassed by the single spire of Ulm Minster, completed 10 years later in 1890. Because of its enormous twin spires, it also presents the largest facade of any church in the world. One of the Treasures of the cathedral is the High Altar which was installed in 1322. It is constructed of black marble, with a solid slab 15 feet long forming the top. The front and sides are overlaid with white marble niches into which are set figures, with the Coronation of the Virgin. There is a lot of great wooden sculptures and other art treasures inside the interior of CATHEDRAL.
Much better viewed large View On Black
Explore #367, 08/27/2010
Nourlangie Rock (Burrunggui), Nawurlandja & Nanguluwurr– Kakadu National Park
Burrunggui (sometimes spelled Burrunguy, previously called Nourlangie Rock) is located in an outlying sandstone formation of the Arnhem Land Escarpment within the Kakadu National Park which is in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the traditional Country of the Gun-djeihmi speaking people and according to Traditional Owners, was shaped by Ancestral beings in the creation period of the Dreaming. It was included on the World Heritage Register. Kakadu National Park is included on UNESCO the World Heritage List due to its exceptional natural and cultural values.
Europeans were first in the area of Nourlangie Rock in about 1845, after Ludwig Leichhardt’s explorations passed through the area. By the 1880s, European buffalo and buffalo shooters had moved into the area, and local Traditional Owners joined their shooting parties. Traditional owners told the buffalo shooters about the Dreaming stories at Burrungui and the many names of all the natural features of the landscapes. Chaloupka argues that the Europeans couldn’t remember all of the names, and called the area ‘Nourlangie’, a confused pronunciation of the name of the area generally called ‘Nawulandja’.
There are a number of shelters in amongst this large outcrop. The shelters contain amazing paintings that represent the Aboriginal Dreaming, with depictions of Namandi spirits, both male and female figures and one with six fingers on each hand. Many paintings in the Burrungui area also depict European items and introduced animals. Pigments are mostly of yellow, white and red ochre, with red ochre being used as a chalk to draw on the rock surface in some places. Early art at the site is evidenced in handprints on the rock in red pigment, or gars being flung on the rock. The paintings at Burrungui are in the Mimi and x-ray style, with Mimi being older and representative of Dreaming Ancestral beings. There are even depictions of Thylacines (Tasmanian Tigers), known to have been extinct in the area for at least 3,500 years. Superimpositioning of many animals such as kangaroos layered over one another, assist in the establishment of a temporal sequence at the site, however there appears to still be much research and work needed at the site for this to occur.
The rock art faces many threats to its survival, including tourists and destruction from natural processes such as ant trail that go across the older panels at Burrungui, water damage and wasp nesting. Interpretive signage is present at the art sites to assist visitors in understanding these rock art treasures and the importance of their preservation.
The Anbangbang Shelter drawings are some of the most famous in the National Park. One of the intricate paintings in Anbangbang shelter was created by Najombolmi, a renowned artist of the Bardmardi clan, who painted the images with his friends in the 1963-64 wet season. Najombolmi lived between 1895 and 1967 and is thought to have created around 604 paintings at 46 sites in Arnhem Land. Najomboli was also known as ‘Barramundi Charlie’ by some.
X-ray paintings are naturalistic depictions of animals that show the internal organs and other anatomical features, which were mostly painted by Aboriginal people in red and white ochre. One such painting created by Najombolmi depicts anthropomorphic figures of Ancestral beings such as Namarrgon (lightning man), painted in the x-ray style using European blue, that Chaloupka said came from the blue pigment put in washing by Europeans as a toner to keep clothes white. Paintings and rock art such as this among the only rock art that provides absolute dating of when it was produced, as rock art is notoriously difficult to date.
Anbangbang was excavated by archaeologists in 1981 and was found to have first been occupied more than 6000 years ago, with some occasional use being up to 20,000 years ago and with intensification of site use occurring between 800 and 1200 years ago when the nearby lagoon was fully formed
Najombolmi also painted at Nangawulurr Shelter (formerly spelled Nangaloar). It is located on the northern side of Burrungui (Nourlangie Rock). Nangawulurr shelter features many styles of Aboriginal rock art that appear in other sites around the region in one area. It includes hand prints, Mimi figures in ceremonial dress, Ancestral beings, x-ray animals and dolphin-like creatures depicted in red ochre. It also features a white depiction of a two-masted sailing ship with an anchor and dingy, which may relate to the early European buffalo shooters in the area). Unfortunately due to the fame of the site for its amazing rock art, in the early 1970s tourists came and destroyed some features and even stole Aboriginal Ancestral Remains from the site.
Anbangbang Billabong
Anbangbang Billabong lies in the shadow of Nourlangie Rock within Kakadu National Park and is a good place to view a wide range of wildlife. Large numbers of water fowl and wading birds inhabit the billabong and many wallabies can be found grazing around the water’s edge. There is a walking trail around the circumference of Anbangbang billabong with many picnic areas. The Anbangbang Billabong is overlooked by the Nawurlandja and Nourlangie plateaus. In the wet season, it is fed by runoff from these plateaus, as well as overflow from Nourlangie Creek, however during the dry season it is cut off.
Like much of Kakadu, Anbangbang Billabong is home to a particularly large variety of bird life. The fluctuating water levels draw waterfowl such as Magpie Geese, Pelicans, Darters, Spoonbills and Brolga. Other fauna known to frequent the billabong include Wallabies, File Snakes, Long-necked Turtles, Dingoes and Goannas.
Mangroves lining the billabong support populations of Freshwater mussel. Adjacent woodlands play host to a different ecosystem again. The nearby Nawurlandja plateau supports local populations of Short-eared rock-wallaby and Chestnut-quilled rock pigeon, among other species.
The swelling billabong promotes seasonal growth of Sedges, Grasses and Water Lilies, and Freshwater mangrove line the water's edge. Swamp areas support many types of paperbark, in particular the Weeping paperbark, Silver-leaved paperbark and Broad-leaved paperbark.
The woodlands surrounding the billabong are a lush habitat comprising an abundance of plant species. Darwin woollybutt and Darwin Stringybark dominate, with large populations of Fan palms, Kapok, Red Apples, Wattle and Pandanus.
Like much of Kakadu, the Anbangbang Billabong region's climate is monsoonal. The region's aboriginal owners recognize six seasons, however these can be reduced to vastly differing dry and wet seasons where the billabong is respectively depleted and replenished.
Some impressive hummingbird facts relate to their flying skills. Unlike any other species of bird, hummingbirds can fly backwards. Even more incredibly, it has recently been discovered that this is actually an efficient means of moving, and requires roughly the same energy as flying forwards. Flying backwards allows hummingbirds to cheerfully reverse from flowers after they feed, saving energy and looking seriously impressive into the bargain.
Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (16 mi) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art."
The temple's modern name, Bantãy Srĕi—citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty—is probably related to the intricacy of the bas relief carvings found on the walls and the tiny dimensions of the buildings themselves. Some have speculated that it relates to the many devatas carved into the walls of the buildings. Apsaras, divine nymphs or celestial dancing girls, are characters from Indian mythology. Apsaras and devatas are ubiquitous at Angkor, but are most common in the foundations of the 12th century. Depictions of true (dancing) apsaras are found, for example, in the Hall of Dancers at Preah Khan, in the pillars that line the passageways through the outer gallery of the Bayon, and in the famous bas-relief of Angkor Watdepicting the churning of the Ocean of Milk.
Dvarapalas are human or demonic temple guardians, generally armed with lances and clubs. They are presented either as a stone statues or as relief carvings in the walls of temples and other buildings, generally close to entrances or passageways. Their function is to protect the temples. Dvarapalas may be seen, for example, at Preah Ko, Lolei, Banteay Srei, Preah Khanand Banteay Kdei. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banteay_Srei)
Title: Photograph of the Robert Peary Sledge Party Posing with Flags at the North Pole, 04/07/1909
Production Date: April 7, 1909
Photograph of the Robert Peary Sledge Party Posing with Flags at the North Pole, 04/07/1909 (ARC ID 542472); Robert E. Peary Family Collection: Photographs Relating to the Nicaragua Canal Surveys, 1884 - 1888; National Archives Gift Collection of Materials Relating to Polar Regions, 1949 - 1976; Record Group 401; National Archives.
Taken April 7, 1909, this is a photo of Robert Peary's North Pole Expedition sledge party. The original caption reads: “Ooqueh, holding the Navy League flag; Ootah, holding the D.K.E. fraternity flag; Matthew Henson, holding the polar flag; Egingwah, holding the D.A.R. peace flag; and Seeglo, holding the Red Cross flag.”
Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=542472
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted
Use Restrictions: Unrestricted
The Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva) is a medium-sized plover. The genus name is Latin and means relating to rain, from pluvia, "rain". It was believed that golden plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The species name fulva is Latin and refers to a tawny colour.[2]
The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, and back on the wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border, and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black. In winter, the black is lost and the plover then has a yellowish face and breast, and white underparts.
It is similar to two other golden plovers: the Eurasian and American plovers. The Pacific golden plover is smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged than the European golden plover, Pluvialis apricaria, which also has white axillary (armpit) feathers. Overall, the Pacific golden plover is found to be more similar to the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, with which it was once considered conspecific as "lesser golden plover".[3] The Pacific golden plover is slimmer than the American species, has a shorter primary projection, longer legs, and is usually found to have more yellow on the back.
This wader forages for food on tundra, fields, beaches and tidal flats, usually by sight. It eats insects and crustaceans and some berries.
The breeding habitat of Pacific golden plover is the Arctic tundra from northernmost Eurosiberia into western Alaska. It nests on the ground in a dry open area.
It is migratory and winters in south Asia and Australasia. A few winter in California and Hawaii, USA. In Hawaii, the bird is known as the kōlea, and in New Zealand it is known to Māori as kuriri. It is very rare vagrant to western Europe. They return to the same wintering territory each year, which allowed scientists in Hawaii to attach tiny light level geolocator devices to the birds and then retrieve them the following year in the same location. This research revealed that these birds make the 4800 km non-stop flight between Alaska and Hawaii in 3–4 days
Whilst looking at things relating to Plaxton of Scarborough, its probably worth sharing this picture too. I think it was taken on the occasion of a coach operators association visit.
To the fore we have a very nice Supreme bodied Leyland Leopard for Martindales of Ferryhill, PPT 400P . . . which helps date the pictures to '75/6.
The next two Supremes in line are, I suspect, two Bedford YMTs for Harry Shaw of Coventry, NVC 3 & 10P. Further down is the only sevice bus in view which would probably be a Ford 'Derwent' for East Kent.
“Urban art is a style of art that relates to cities and city life. In that way urban art combines street art and graffiti and is often used to summarize all visual art forms arising in urban areas, being inspired by urban architecture or thematizing urban live style.
The notion of 'Urban Art' developed from street art that is primarily concerned with graffiti culture. Urban art represents a broader cross section of artists that as well as covering traditional street artists also covers artists using more traditional media but with a subject matter that deals with contemporary urban culture and political issues.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_art
“Wild Flowers are not weeds"
Street Art is the modern, urban wildflowers
What's the difference between Graffiti Tagging and Street Art?
1. Street Art is constructive, Graffiti Tagging is destructive.
2. Street Art adorns the urban landscape, Graffiti Tagging scars it and accelerates urban decay.
3. Street Art stretches your mind, Graffiti Tagging is a slap in your face.
4. Street Art is about the audience, Graffiti Tagging is about the tagger.
5. Street Art says "Have you thought about this?", Graffiti Tagging says "I tag, therefore I exist".
6. Street Art was done with a smile, Graffiti Tagging was done with a scowl.
7. Street Art takes skill, Graffiti Tagging takes balls.
8. We mourn losing Street Art and celebrate losing Graffiti Tagging.
Good Street Art is great, good Graffiti Tagging is gone!
”http://www.graffitiactionhero.org/graffiti-tag-vs-street-art.html
Additional interesting sites
www.osnatfineart.com/urban-art.jsp
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_art
Graffiti_27 LR
I can't say how often I've driven Messenger Road, a potholed passage which never really goes where I'm going. It's a bridge between things, like so much of my life seems to be. It's a metaphor in my mind for a kind of prophecy, the sort you say and then go about trying to make come true. Things to share and the drive to share them, I've got more of that than most. I was once accused of being a "wannabe profit", and though the typo is accurate in the sense that I could use the money, the term "prophet" doesn't really fit me. There is no targeted truth in what I'm writing, no big vision or dream to relate. I'm not planning on predicting the future, only trying to do that old tribal thing. Campfire tales and cave paintings, so we can look back on our lives and back at our faces, and see something that keeping our thoughts to ourselves couldn't show.
November 20, 2022
Paradise, Nova Scotia
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The Hôtel des Invalides (English: "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (French pronunciation: [lezɛ̃valid]), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the
, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the former hospital chapel, now national cathedral of the French military, and the adjacent former Royal Chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters. The latter has been converted into a shrine of some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon.
The title of this relates to an article I read some time ago by Ken Rockwell, www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm, in which he explains what is "Good Bokeh", I found it interesting because I happen to be one of those people that think the word good when describing a medium such as photography is subjective and even sometimes what is generally "bad" can be "good" every now and again, if you know what I mean. He even has a chart showing what "poor", "neutral" and "good" bokeh looks like, and I am proud to say I have achieved what I think he describes as "neutral" or "poor" bokeh. Yeah for me!!! :-)))
In truth, I don't disagree with him in looking at this image there is something a little too harsh in the blobs of light here. It certainly is not the "smooth and silky" kind of bokeh. But you know after drinking a few of those glasses of what is in the foreground, nothing was in focus, and that is clearly seen in this image (as nothing in the shot is clearly in focus), so I call the shot a success!! :-))))
Here is a link to the entire story (which is a great read, seriously), www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm, and an excerpt is below.
"Bokeh describes the appearance, or "feel," of out-of-focus areas. Bokeh is not how far something is out-of-focus, bokeh is the character of whatever blur is there.
Unfortunately good bokeh doesn't happen automatically in lens design. Perfect lenses render out-of-focus points of light as circles with sharp edges. Ideal bokeh would render each of these points as blurs, not hard-edged circles."
So I guess I have a good lens and a "neutral" or perhaps "poor" bokeh shot to show for it! All of this is posted in good spirits, hope it reads that way! Cheers!!! :-))
HBW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think, people the world over can relate to a steaming cup of coffee. The taste the smell, the warmth it brings you on a cold morning. You can just sit and hold your piping hot mug to your chest, with both hands, enjoying the quiet of the morning, before the others awake, to run about the house and brake the magic of silence.
I love the atmosphere of this image. The bright light and dark shadow, cut through by the steam.
I used 4 Speedlights to stop the motion of the falling coffee beans and the coffee splashes.