Sea otters spend the majority of their day taking it easy, resting by floating on their backs. Groups or "rafts" of sea otters congregate in calm, quiet waters. The highest number of sea otters recorded in such a raft totaled over two thousand animals - that would have been quite a sight to see!

This one would float peacefully, stretch a bit and preen, then resume the "position." Sounds like a great way to spend a lazy, Friday afternoon!

Have a blessed weekend! Thank you so much for your views and comments! They are greatly appreciated!

© 2016 Craig Goettsch - All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use without permission is prohibited.

I observed this owl hunting along the roadside in the late afternoon sunlight. I sat quietly in one place in the ditch becoming part of the environment and this method had enabled me to bag some good shots of this owl doing what it did naturally. I was fortunate that this owl tolerated me and kept hunting in the same area.

Here, it flew past me to perch on a fence post to resume listening to prey beneath the snow.

Taken on Jan.2017, Temp: -15C; 3.45pm, an hour before sunset

Nikon D500 w/ 300f4D+1.4X

Lightroom 6.0

Copyrighted. All rights reserved. No unauthorized use.

Thank you very much for the visit and comment.

Amtrak 966 special passes the Port Henry station with the 108 50th anniversary locomotive. This will probably be the last special crew requalifying train as the "Adirondack" finally resumes service to Montreal after a three year hiatus.

CSX Q511 roughs up South Ottawa with a rare SD50-3 leading.

The legendary King Arthur has a direct association with the Castle Rocks of St John, courtesy of Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem of 1813, Bridal of Triermain. The poem tells the story of a young knight named Roland de Vaux who falls in love with a mysterious woman named Gyneth, who is revealed to be a fairy queen. The story takes place in the scenic Vale of St. John, near the town of Triermain. Gwyneth resides in the castle there (Castle Rock).

Synopsis of the poem:

The Bridal of Triermain interweaves three stories, all with a Lake District setting: the eighteenth-century courtship of Arthur and Lucy, the Arthurian Legend of 'Lyulph's Tale', and the twelfth-century romance of Sir Roland de Vaux.

In order to warn his aristocratic lover Lucy against excessive maidenly pride, the low-born poet Arthur recites 'Lyulph's Tale' in cantos I-II. He tells how how King Arthur is seduced by the enchantress Guendolen. When he abandons the pregnant Guendolen to resume his kingly duties, she swears revenge. Sixteen years later, the fruit of their union, Gyneth appears at Camelot to remind Arthur of his promise that should he and Guendolen produce a daughter, she would wed the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur declares a tournament with Gyneth's hand as the prize but instructs her to halt the combat before lives are lost. As the instrument of her mother's wrath, however, she does nothing to end the ferocious fighting, until Merlin arises from a chasm in the ground to punish her. She is sentenced to slumber in Guendolen's enchanted castle until awakened by a knight as brave as any of the Round Table.

The poet Arthur's courtship of Lucy proves successful and, following their marriage, Lucy begs him to tell of Gyneth's fate. In the third and final canto, then, he recounts the quest of the twelfth-century knight Sir Roland de Vaux of Triermain. He has heard Gyneth's legend and sets out to find the enchanted castle. Having located it in the Valley of Saint John, he successfully passes through a series of allegorical dangers and temptations (Fear, Avarice, Sensuality, Ambition) to awaken Gyneth from her five hundred-year sleep and win her hand.

Courtesy of www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/works/poetry/triermain.html

We've had some really cold but clear days. Then the clouds moved back in and the temperature went up to the low 50s (12 C). Our local birds, including this California Scrub Jay, are pretty used to this winter gloom.

Un rapace perdu dans le silence du soir, immobile sur une branche nue, face à un ciel dénudé.

Une image dépouillée où la nature se résume à trois éléments : l’oiseau, l’arbre et la lumière.

Dans cette simplicité se cache toute la force du minimalisme : moins d’objets, plus de présence.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

A raptor lost in the silence of evening, motionless on a bare branch against a stripped‑down sky.

A stripped‑back image where nature reduces itself to three elements: the bird, the tree, and the light.

Within this simplicity lies the strength of minimalism: fewer things, more presence.

________________________________________PdF______

Lol, actually this lovely nanna was helping what I guess to be her little grandson to wave jump. I have my outrageous hat on today because my mood isn't so good....Alas Beau my Golden Retriever has misplaced one of the two ancient teddies (well the lost one is a Lion actually but was soft and raggy ) the same as the old Teddy we purchased quickly for when I bought him home from the whelping pen. I rubbed both into his smelly fur and and he has suckled on one or the other over the ten years of his life... we have searched for days but can't find Lion anywhere. I woke at 4.30 am and at 6.30 am was almost sick with tiredness trying to think of new places to look. Even my son joined the search yesterday and both Jon and I resumed this morning. No Lion ........

Several hours later 4 worn knees ( I even knelt on the bar divider between a cloak room and hall and am limping badly. We are going to try the shed in a little while when we feel a little recovered…Beau keeps lying all morose in his dog bed in the kitchen 😞

When spiders are away...droplets are there.

The SILLIEST question that I can ask is how many droplets of water are there!

La idea de construir un temple expiatori (és a dir, a partir de donatius) dedicat a la Sagrada Família va partir del llibreter Josep Maria Bocabella, inspirat pel sacerdot Josep Manyanet —canonitzat el 2004—, fundador de la Congregació de Fills de la Sagrada Família i de la Congregació de Missioneres Filles de la Sagrada Família de Natzaret, encarregades de promoure el culte a la Sagrada Família i de fomentar l'educació cristiana de nens i joves.[6] El 1866, Bocabella va fundar l'Associació de Devots de Sant Josep, entitat dedicada entre altres qüestions a recaptar fons per a la construcció d'un temple. Per a la difusió de la seva tasca, va editar a partir del 1867 una revista, titulada inicialment El Propagador de la devoción a San José, inspirada en la revista francesa Le propagateur de la dévotion à Saint Joseph, publicada a Dijon pel pare Joseph Huguet.[7][b]

El 31 de desembre de 1881, Josep Bocabella va comprar per 172.000 pessetes uns terrenys situats a la zona del Poblet, aleshores una barriada de Sant Martí de Provençals.[8][9][c][10] Delimitats pels carrers de Mallorca, Provença, Marina i Sardenya, corresponien a una de les illes del Pla Cerdà, la qual, però, era més gran que les altres perquè, en principi, estava previst construir-hi un hipòdrom.[8]

El projecte fou encomanat a l'arquitecte Francesc de Paula Villar i Lozano, que va traçar un projecte neogòtic amb una església de tres naus amb creuer i un absis amb deambulatori, rebutjant la idea de Bocabella de fer una rèplica del santuari de Loreto, que se suposa va ser la casa de Josep i Maria a Natzaret.[11] El dia de Sant Josep de 1882, el bisbe Urquinaona posava la primera pedra,[12][13][14] coincidint amb la proclamació al Concili Vaticà I de sant Josep com a patró de l'Església Universal. Els desacords de Villar amb Bocabella van fer que aquest demanés assessorament a l'arquitecte Joan Martorell i Montells i van provocar la dimissió del primer. Aleshores, es va oferir el càrrec a Martorell, però aquest el va rebutjar i va recomanar Gaudí, que havia treballat per a ell com a ajudant, i el 1883, assumí la direcció de les obres.[15]

El desembre de 1884, Gaudí signà el projecte de la capella de Sant Josep a l'absis de la cripta, que fou inaugurat el 19 de març de 1885, en el qual intervingueren els escultors Llorenç Matamala i Piñol i Carles Mani.[16] Se sap que en aquest any hi treballaven un equip de vuit paletes, deu picapedrers, dotze escultors i un nombre indeterminat de fusters i serrallers.[17] El 1891 van començar les obres de la façana del Naixement,[cal citació] i des del 1895, la gestió del projecte va a càrrec de la Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, una fundació canònica per a promoure la construcció del temple mitjançant donatius i iniciatives privades.[cal citació]

A partir de l'encàrrec de la casa Milà de l'any 1906, Gaudí pràcticament es concentraria només en l'obra de la Sagrada Família que, de fet, ocuparia tota la seva carrera, ja que feia un quart de segle que en dissenyava i dirigia la construcció i moriria fent-ho; així i tot, el temple només quedava embastat.[18] Va poder veure'n construïda una part del costat de l'Epístola amb la façana del Naixement, de la qual només la torre de sant Bernabé estava acabada totalment i una part del mur exterior de l'absis.[cal citació]

El 12 de juny de 1926, Antoni Gaudí va ser sepultat a la capella de la Mare de Déu del Carme de la cripta.[cal citació] A la seva època, hi van col·laborar molts dels seus deixebles i ajudants, com Francesc Berenguer, Josep Maria Jujol, Josep Francesc Ràfols, Cèsar Martinell, Joan Bergós, Francesc Folguera, Josep Canaleta i Joan Rubió, i a la seva mort, es va fer càrrec de les obres un altre dels seus deixebles, Domènec Sugrañes, que va finalitzar la construcció de les tres torres de la façana del Naixement que quedaven pendents.[cal citació]

El 20 de juliol de 1936, tot just iniciada la Guerra Civil espanyola, grups d'exaltats anarquistes van incendiar el temple i van destruir bona part del taller en el qual Gaudí havia treballat i on hi havia els seus esbossos, maquetes i models. Tot i que es va perdre molt material van quedar restes de les maquetes, que es van restaurar, i la documentació que s'havia publicat en El Propagador, en l'Àlbum i que havia estat recollida pels seus deixebles, com Isidre Puig i Boada.[cal citació]

L'any 1944 es van reprendre les obres per un equip dirigit per Francesc de Paula Quintana i Vidal, Isidre Puig i Boada, Lluís Bonet i Garí, els quals, a la mort del primer l'any 1966, continuaren fins a l'any 1981, en què prengué el relleu Francesc Cardoner i Blanch.[19] El 1985 va ser nomenat director Jordi Bonet i Armengol,[20][21] amb un equip on figuraven Carles Buxadé, Joan Margarit i Jordi Faulí i Oller.[20] El 2012, Jordi Bonet va ser substituït per Jordi Faulí i Oller.[22]

El 18 de març de 2007 se'n va commemorar el 125è aniversari de la col·locació de la primera pedra amb una festa, concerts i ballant una sardana (La Santa Espina) encerclant tot el temple.[23]

Segons les darreres previsions, la torre de Jesús s'acabaria a finals del 2025, i el 2026 es faria la inauguració oficial, coincidint amb el centenari de la mort de Gaudí.[24]

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família,[a] otherwise known as Sagrada Família, is a church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), in 2005 his work on Sagrada Família was added to an existing (1984) UNESCO World Heritage Site, "Works of Antoni Gaudí".[5] On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.[6][7][8]

On 19 March 1882, construction of Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned,[5] Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the church's crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.[9]

Relying solely on private donations, Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, anarchists from the FAI set fire to the crypt and broke their way into the workshop, partially destroying Gaudí's original plans.[10] In 1939, Francesc de Paula Quintana took over site management, which was able to go on with the material that was saved from Gaudí's workshop and that was reconstructed from published plans and photographs.[11] Construction resumed to intermittent progress in the 1950s. Advancements in technologies such as computer-aided design and computerised numerical control (CNC) have since enabled faster progress and construction passed the midpoint in 2010. In 2014, it was anticipated that the building would be completed by 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death,[12] but this schedule was threatened by work slowdowns caused by the 2020–2021 depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] In March 2024, an updated forecast reconfirmed a likely completion of the building in 2026, though the announcement stated that work on sculptures, decorative details and a controversial proposed stairway leading to what will eventually be the main entrance is expected to continue until 2034.[14]

Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said "it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art",[15] and Paul Goldberger describes it as "the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages".[16]

Though sometimes[when?] described[by whom?] as a cathedral, the basilica is not the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Barcelona; that title belongs to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral).

History

Origins

Sagrada Família was inspired by a bookseller, José María Bocabella [es], founder of Asociación Espiritual de Devotos de San José (Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph). After a visit to the Vatican in 1872, Bocabella returned from Italy with the intention of building a church inspired by the basilica at Loreto. The apse crypt of the church, funded by donations, was begun 19 March 1882, on the festival of St. Joseph, to the design of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, whose plan was for a Gothic revival church of a standard form. The apse crypt was completed before Villar's resignation on 18 March 1883, when Antoni Gaudí assumed responsibility for its design, which he changed radically.[17] Gaudi began work on the church in 1883 but was not appointed Architect Director until 1884.[citation needed]On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked: "My client is not in a hurry."[18] When Gaudí died in 1926, the basilica was between 15 and 25 percent complete.[9][19] After Gaudí's death, work continued under the direction of his main disciple Domènec Sugrañes i Gras until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Parts of the unfinished basilica and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the war. The present design is based on reconstructed versions of the plans that were burned in a fire as well as on modern adaptations.[14] Since 1940, the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Garí and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The illumination was designed by Carles Buïgas. The director until 2012 was the son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol. Armengol began introducing computers into the design and construction process in the 1980s.[citatiThe central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. In 2002, the Sagrada Família Schools building was relocated from the eastern corner of the site to the southern corner, and began housing an exhibition. The school was originally designed by Gaudí in 1909 for the children of the construction workers.[20]

As of 2006, work concentrated on the crossing and supporting structure for the main steeple of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave, which will become the Glory façade. Computer-aided design technology has allowed stone to be shaped off-site by a CNC milling machine, whereas in the 20th century the stone was carved by hand.[21] In 2008, some renowned Catalan architects advocated halting construction[22] to respect Gaudí's original designs, which, although they were not exhaustive and were partially destroyed, have been partially reconstructed in recent years.[23]

Since 2013, AVE high-speed trains have passed near Sagrada Família through a tunnel that runs beneath the centre of Barcelona. The tunnel's construction, which began on 26 March 2010, was controversial. The Ministry of Public Works of Spain (Ministerio de Fomento) claimed the project posed no risk to the church.[24][25] Sagrada Família engineers and architects disagreed, saying there was no guarantee that the tunnel would not affect the stability of the building. The Board of the Sagrada Família (Patronat de la Sagrada Família) and the neighborhood association AVE pel Litoral (AVE by the Coast) led a campaign against this route for the AVE, without success.[citation needed] In October 2010, the tunnel boring machine reached the church underground under the location of the building's principal façade.[24] Service through the tunnel was inaugurated on 8 January 2013.[26] Track in the tunnel makes use of a system by Edilon Sedra in which the rails are embedded in an elastic material to dampen vibrations.[27]

The main nave was covered and an organ installed in mid-2010, allowing the still-unfinished building to be used for liturgies.[28] The church was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 7 November 2010 in front of a congregation of 6,500 people.[29] A further 50,000 people followed the consecration Mass from outside the basilica, where more than 100 bishops and 300 priests were on hand to distribute Holy Communion.[30]In 2012, Barcelona-born Jordi Faulí i Oller took over as architect of the project.[31][32] Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher.[33] Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and Josep Maria Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.

Chief architect Jordi Faulí announced in October 2015 that construction was 70 percent complete and had entered its final phase of raising six immense steeples. The steeples and most of the church's structure were planned to be completed by 2026, the centennial of Gaudí's death;[14] as of a 2017 estimate, decorative elements should be complete by 2030 or 2032.[34][failed verification] Visitor entrance fees of €15 to €20 finance the annual construction budget of €25 million.[35] Completion of the structure will use post-tensioned stone.[36]

Starting on 9 July 2017, an international mass is celebrated at the basilica every Sunday and holy day of obligation, at 9 a.m., and is open to the public (until the church is full). Occasionally, Mass is celebrated at other times, where attendance requires an invitation. When masses are scheduled, instructions to obtain an invitation are posted on the basilica's website. In addition, visitors may pray in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and Penitence.[37]

The stone initially used in its construction came from the Montserrat mountain, but it became clear that as quarrying there went deeper, the stone was increasingly fragile and an alternative source had to be found. Since 2018 stone of the type needed to complete the construction has been sourced from the Withnell Quarry in Brinscall, near Chorley, England.[3

Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby, BC.

I've recently come to understand the amount of time you spend on an edit does not dictate how good that image will ultimately be. Some require more work, some less, but in the end each one will succeed or fail on it's own merits... there's a metaphor for life somewhere in there.

I'm also just beginning to appreciate how much there is I don't know, how much more I need and want to learn, and how much growth I have yet to do. We are at our core an incomplete project, capable of change, growth, and betterment. I've been stalled for a few years, but I'm ready now to resume the trek up the mountain of personal growth.

Que la Estrella de la Navidad nos guie y proteja con su luz durante el 2021!

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo 2021 para todos!

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May the Christmas Star guide and protect us with its light during 2021!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021 to all!

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La cúpula del Baptisterio de Parma.- Italia

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de Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptisterio_de_Parma

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El baptisterio de Parma (en italiano, battistero di Parma) es un baptisterio —edificio destinado al rito del bautismo cristiano— italiano del siglo XIII que está situado junto a la catedral de Parma y se considera estilísticamente como un punto de unión de la arquitectura románica y la arquitectura gótica.

El baptisterio fue encomendado al arquitecto y escultor lombardo Benedetto Antelami (ca. 1150 – ca. 1230), del que poco se sabe, que inició la decoración en 1196, de acuerdo con una inscripción que se conseva sobre el portal.

La datación de la obra terminada es bastante compleja y solo recientemente ha sido apoyada por algunos documentos. En 1216 el alzado alcanzaba solamente hasta el segundo orden de la loggia, donde se dispuso una cobertura temporal plana. El precioso mármol rosa de Verona dejó de llegar por diferencias políticas con Ezzelino da Romano, señor de Verona, y hasta 1249 fue posible retomar la construcción de los registros superiores del baptistero.

La conclusión se produciría hacia 1270, ya muerto Antelami, cuando el edificio fue consagrado solemnemente. Al parecer, sin embargo, el proyecto de Antelami fue continuado hasta su conclusión.

...

La cúpula

La cúpula está dividida en gajos. Dieciséis nervaduras, de mármol rosa de Verona, irradian hacia fuera desde el centro de la cúpula, cada una de ellas terminando en una columna, a su vez, superpuesta sobre otra hasta alcanzar el suelo.

La autoría de las pinturas, ejecutadas con la técnica rápida de la témpera, no consigue acuerdo de los eruditos que las han estudiado: unos las datan en los años 1260 de maestros con modos bizantinos, otros optan por una datación hacia finales del 1200 de un taller dirigido por Grisopolo que se hacía llamar "pictor Par(men)sis".

Las figuraciones de la cúpula se dividen en seis bandas horizontales concéntricos. Comenzando en la parte superior:

la primera banda representa el cielo rojo del eterno amor ;

la segunda banda tiene un fondo azul (el Empireo) con rombos, cada una de ellos con una estrella: es la representación del cielo nocturno estrellado de Jerusalén con una invocación al Paradiso;

la tercera banda tiene los doce apóstoles y los cuatro evangelistas;

la cuarta banda, en el gajo sobre el altar, presenta a Cristo in trono, y a la izquierda la Madonna y a la derecha San Juan Bautista; en los otros trece espacios están varios profetas;

la quinta banda contiene doce episodios de la vida de san Juan Bautista, y de cuatro santos;

en la sexta banda (los arcos) se representan escenas de la vida de Abrahan, los cuatro elementos naturales (agua, aire, tierra, fuego), las cuatro estaciones y la Virgen.

...

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Dome of the Baptistery of Parma.- Italy

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from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptisterio_de_Parma

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The Baptistery of Parma (Italian: Battistero di Parma) is a religious edifice in Parma, northern Italy. Architecturally, the baptistery of Parma Cathedral marks a transition between the Romanesque and Gothic styles, and it is considered to be among the most important Medieval monuments in Europe.

The city council of Parma commissioned Benedetto Antelami to build the baptistery in 1196. The outside of pink Verona marble is octagonal. The inside contains sixteen arches, forming alcoves each containing a painted scene. All these are 13th and 14th century frescoes and paintings. The most striking part of the Baptistery, however, is its painted domed ceiling. Sixteen rays come out of the center of the ceiling, which each correspond to the arches.

However, problems were posed over time as the paintings were not true frescoes. The paint would start to come off the walls and would be literally hanging on. Due to this, the Baptistery had to be painstakingly consolidated and restored with syringes and spatulas.

translation from spanish version:

The baptistery was entrusted to the Lombard architect and sculptor Benedetto Antelami (ca. 1150 - ca. 1230), of which little is known, who began the decoration in 1196, according to an inscription that is preserved on the portal.

The dating of the finished work is quite complex and has only recently been supported by some documents. In 1216 the elevation reached only up to the second order of the loggia, where a flat temporary cover was arranged. The precious pink marble from Verona stopped arriving due to political differences with Ezzelino da Romano, lord of Verona, and until 1249 it was possible to resume the construction of the upper registers of the baptistero.

The conclusion would take place around 1270, Antelami already dead, when the building was solemnly consecrated. Apparently, however, the Antelami project was continued to completion.

...

The dome

The dome is divided into segments. Sixteen ribs, made of pink Verona marble, radiate outward from the center of the dome, each ending in a column, in turn, superimposed on another until reaching the floor.

The authorship of the paintings, executed with the rapid technique of tempera, does not get the agreement of the scholars who have studied them: some date them in the 1260s by masters with Byzantine modes, others opt for a dating towards the end of 1200 of a workshop directed by Grisopolo who called himself "pictor Par (men) sis".

The figures of the dome are divided into six concentric horizontal bands. Starting at the top:

the first band represents the red sky of eternal love;

the second band has a blue background (the Empireo) with rhombuses, each one with a star: it is the representation of the starry night sky of Jerusalem with an invocation to Paradiso;

the third band has the twelve apostles and the four evangelists;

the fourth band, in the segment above the altar, presents Christ on the throne, and on the left the Madonna and on the right Saint John the Baptist; in the other thirteen spaces are various prophets;

the fifth band contains twelve episodes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, and four saints;

in the sixth band (the arches) scenes from the life of Abraham, the four natural elements (water, air, earth, fire), the four seasons and the Virgin are represented.

...

Early morning, as dawn arrives, we set off to hike to Wild Wadi. Along a path then down a slope, cross a bridge, and climb a hill, turn left, through a gap in crag, path then takes us up to Giants ridge.

Long gentle climb, round a corner, and we are now on side of ridge. The path levels out, then slopes down, to only climb once more; steeper now we carry on, soon another ridge comes into view.

Gradient is gentler, our walk is easier, up slight hill, then down another, a sharp climb, and we scramble up upon the ridge. Our feet and limbs ache so stop for rest.

We look up and take in, the splendour of the Jumeira Beach Hotel Aged by years of wind, and rain, and snow; steep weathered walls of stone fashioned so like a Giants Castle in the sky.

Looking down, we gasp, because its like we’re in an aeroplane so high we are above the valley streams, and smaller hills, path below laid out, a map for us to see our climb.

Our pain is now forgotten in admiration for the beauty of our mountain walk. Rested we resume our climb, white wispy clouds appear, that promise rain will come this afternoon.

Taken By : Meeeeeeeee =D

Place : Wild Wadi

We had So much Fun GuYs .. Hope we can do it again ^_^ Summer time...

After pausing just short of the signal for a considerable amount of time, the eastbound NS freight train has been given the high clear and is preparing to resume their climb towards Elkhorn Tunnel as their lead engines belch exhaust and grind forward on the afternoon of August 22, 2022, in Keystone, WV.

Two weeks ago, I began observing activity in an Osprey nest in Southeastern Ontario and witnessed a single nestling being attended by both parents. Female ospreys lay three to four eggs three days apart with hatching taking place in the same sequence. Upon my return to the nest site, I observed the previous chick had significantly grown in size if not in beauty. I took a few portraits of the single chick with its mother thinking that there might have been only a single nestling. However, sometime later a younger sibling popped up in the open and I now suspect a third, still younger chick might be laying out of view in the bottom of nest. Time will tell. The adult male was very busy making food deliveries to this Thousand Islands address, but also caught its breath and took a rest on his favorite snag limb some distance away before resuming its hunt for fish. Stay tuned for the next update.

FENCH

Mon troisième jour sur Séoul. Une matinée où je traîne encore dans les quartiers environnants la "Galerie K" où j'expose. L'art me semble présent ici et partout, s'affichant sous de si nombreuses formes. Ici aussi, comme à Tokyo, des immeubles peuvent être entièrement consacrés à une galerie unique. Eaux et gaz à tous les étages. Dans l'un d'entre eux, je ne croiserais pas âme qui vive sur 4 étages. Je finirai sur sa terrasse à succomber à l'enivrement des lieux et de la cité. Après un déjeuner délicieux composé surtout d'une poule cuite au bouillon, farcie de riz aromatisé, je file vers l'ambassade des Etats Unis, en passant par le bâtiment 119, histoire de prendre la température suite à l'énorme manifestation de la veille. Calme plat, flics un peu partout. Là se trouve aussi l'immense Palais royal de Gyeongbokgung. Un lieu où tout est vaste. Ici le mystère s'établit pas à pas devant vos yeux. J'y pénétrerai le lendemain et assisterai même à la levée de sa garde. Un peu plus tard après une nouvelle douche à l'hôtel, je reprendrai ma marche errante dans la nuit de Séoul. Le GPS sera ma boussole en des lieux que je ne saurai nommer, désolé.

ENGLISH

My third day on Seoul. A morning where I still hang in the surrounding neighborhoods "Gallery K" where I expose. Art seems to me here and everywhere, appearing in so many forms. Here too, as in Tokyo, buildings can be entirely dedicated to a single gallery. Water and gas on all floors. In one of them, where I would not cross a living soul on 4 floors. I will finish on his terrace to succumb to the intoxication of the place and the city. After a delicious lunch consisting mostly of a chicken cooked in broth, stuffed with flavored rice, I go to the Embassy of the United States, through building 119, just to take the temperature following the huge demonstration of the day before. Quiet flat, cops everywhere. There is also the huge royal palace of Gyeongbokgung. A place where everything is vast. Here the mystery is established step by step before your eyes. I will enter the next day and will even attend the lifting of his guard. A little later after a new shower at the hotel, I will resume my wandering walk in the night of Seoul. The GPS will be my compass in places that I can not name,sorry.

My Resume, created with PS CS5.

Thanks to www.jackazphotography.com/

Businesses resume after 7 years or so on the used-to-be top street of Saigon

A photo taken on the way to Pitt Lake in Grand Narrows Regional Park in Pitt Meadows near Vancouver, BC, Canada. I stopped along the road to take this photo.

About this photo: I went for a job orientation last week for only a few hours and on my way back (around 10.30am) I drove to Pitt Lake to take some photos. The weather was so nice and it was quite hot already. We've been having sunny weather for a couple of weeks already, but since Monday it's been really hot (30 C/87 F). The sun was positioned perfectly at this time of the day.

When I drove towards the lake I like how you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. No cars to be seen, so I stopped along the road and walked into the middle of the road to take this photo as I was nearing Pitt Lake.

I used a circular polarizer and I added some contrast and saturation in Photoshop to this photo to bring out the colours a little more.

View On Black

Thank you for dropping by and I hope you like this photo!

Ann :)

Some information on the Pitt Lake area: Pitt Lake is located in Grant Narrows Regional Park in Pitt Meadows which is about 45 minutes east of downtown Vancouver. Pitt Lake is the second-largest lake in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, being about 53.5 square km (20.5 square mi) in area. It is about 25km (15.6mi) long and about 4.5km (2.8mi) wide at its widest, and is also one of the world's largest tidal lakes, its confluence with the Fraser being only a few miles upstream from that river's estuary into the Strait of Georgia. Its southern tip, where the Pitt River resumes, is 40km (25mi)east of downtown Vancouver.

One from my earlier Skye trip which I overlooked. After the squally showers moved overhead a calm tranquil Neist resumed.

All rights reserved. Please do not use this or any of my pictures in any way without prior permission.

Thanks for looking.

A certain cat has been using the paving slabs to cool down. She was a bit under the weather last week but has now recovered and full service has resumed. I liked this shot because it looks like she has her arms folded in defiance, but she's actually just relaxing in the shade.

Not a blog post - just something my rather tired self enjoyed making, using two things I was really thrilled about putting together. Only to then end up following my whims into highlighting the silhouette only. And you know what? Sometimes, that's alright. Leave something for the imagination.

Body: CZ - Slim - a sincere thank you to Cloud Zifer for his incredible generosity, while I was out there exercising some serious idiocy. It's been an interesting journey leaning into this body in contrast to other possible combinations for this particular body type. And you know what? I enjoy it a lot, and wish there were more content out there for it. For something that is just like this - a simple moment. Which brings me to how thrilled I was that the pants were coming with this fit as well.

Pants: Thirst - Kane Jeans @ Equal10. To be entirely honest, a pair of jeans is a pair of jeans most of the time - there isn't much they can do differently. Steady, simple, just...there, you know? The majority won't inspire ideas or do anything other than...obviously, be a pair of jeans. And if you're like me, then many will inspire some kind of neurotic inspection around how well the cuffs fit around my favorite shoes, and how awkward it can look. So having something that IS different, that simply inspires different ideas and demands a different use, something that simply channels a different set of moods, tickles the part of me that's chronically chasing visuals.

Now if only I COULD wake up fully so I can resume normal transmission, that would be great.

While in the midst of this “wait a little longer” I am going to hush my incessantly worrying mind and harness opportunity. There is a “resume” button on the horizon. So here we go.

Time to press “resume” and move forward into this year with expectancy. Step into the future.

www.aleahmichele.com

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With school resuming this week, I decided to start making instructions for my models in Studio.

In addition to archiving my models online, making instructions allows for the use of newer pieces I didn't even know existed.

Thanks for looking!

Stagecoach Oxfordshire / 50443 YX70 LVJ / Oxford Tube Oxford - London Victoria / Hillingdon Western Avenue

I despise job hunting.

www.andrewmohrer.com

再開します。

Guest locomotive Great Western Railway Churchward 2800 Class 2-8-0 No. 2807 stands at Levisham Station, awaiting the arrival of the 11:04 reciprocal service, so it can resume working the 10:35 Grosmont to Pickering service on 28th September 2014, the third and final day of the NYMR Autumn Gala.

inspired by James Lileks and his blog and book of similar name... www.lileks.com/institute/

The original triangular cupola I began this tutorial with months ago is in the rear of this polyhedron. I only resumed work three weeks ago, spending perhaps an hour per weeknight folding each triangular cupola.

When I took this picture yesterday, I only had one more cupola to attach. As you can see, my technique has been to glue (yes, glue) the front and back of each cupola separately. In most cases I attached the 12 front hexagonal units before the 3 rear triangular units, but I reversed this order for the last cupola since it is easiest to do the inside before the outside when closing an object up permanently.

Of course I finished the object yesterday. Since I gave the polyhedron to Addie_Goodvibes this morning, I forgot to take a picture of the completed structure. (I'll have to take one later.) Update: See the next image in the set.

As usual I needed 510 sheets of paper to complete this polyhedron. Each sheet was 15x15cm, so the whole thing is about the size of a beach ball; I can fit my head through any of the decagonal holes. While the great rhombicosidodecahedron is fairly stable, I don't think it would be a wise idea to roll it around due to the weight of the paper.

www | snowhenge | dot | net

Streets of Chicago

Ceci est mon monde

another one from the stern.bild exhibition series

___

Roidweek 2017 # day 5

Littman 45 single / 53

Résumé Vidéo (10 mn pour 1h) :

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYhTNtX-A_8&list=PLTuAcbpDtw3...

@Yangshuo

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.”

(H.G. Wells)

The last time I stood here on Abbey Bridge, Nottingham to take photographs was probably forty eight years ago (see first comment). When I resumed railway photography in 2007, after basically a twenty year gap this location was severely limited due to substantial tree and vegetation growth since my visits in the 1970’s, hence ignored. However, driving over Abbey Bridge a few days ago I noticed Network Rail had appeared to have done some lineside vegetation removal and so I decided to pay a visit. As you can see they have removed all of the substantial trees and vegetation, returning the location back to its 1970’s look and opening it up for photography. The white building behind the train is the same building in the 1978 shot.

The traffic of course has changed substantially. In 1978 the main traffic was the constant flow of coal trains to/from the Lean Valley collieries, with the passenger traffic being basically the two hourly St Pancras – Nottingham – Sheffield service plus the Harwich Boat train and the couple of Nottingham – Glasgow trains. Now in 2026 no freight whatso ever and instead regular passenger services on the Robin Hood line up to Mansfield/Worksop, the hourly Norwich – Liverpool service and the hourly Leeds – Nottingham service.

East Midlands Railways 170202 approaches Lenton North Junction working 2D10, 11:49 Mansfield Woodhouse – Nottingham, 21st February 2026.

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis)

created for:DUC Challenge 1050

Original photo by: Raab

Texture by: SkeletalMess