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For Monochrome Monday here's another view of these New York Central time machines.
I rarely go out with the specific goal of shooting the hind end of a train. While locomotives have always been the primary focus of railroad photographers since the earliest days of the genre at least a couple generations ago the rear ends were nearly as interesting. Until the mid 1980s every freight train was punctuated by a caboose each dressed in the unique colors and style of the owning road, of which there were far more in the pre mega-merger era. Go back a generation or two further than that to the pre Amtrak era and the rear end of passenger trains were just as interesting often brought up by observation cars of varied styles and colors and frequently adorned with neon logos or stylish nameplates befitting the status of the train.
Alas those days have been relegated to the history books and if you want to photograph a caboose rolling you have to visit a heritage railroad or participate in a photo freight reenactment. Similarly you won't find an observation car on any modern Amtrak trains so unless you want to travel north to see VIA's classic Canadian, you have to visit a museum or be lucky enough to catch a private car or executive train out on the line.
However in recent years the New Jersey based United Railroad Historical Society has begun running regular excursions along the Hudson River (and even a few as far as Chicago!) with their trio of original New York Central Railroad cars that they add to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains.
Bringing up the rear of Amtrak train 233 (Empire Service from New York Penn Station to Albany-Rensselaer) are NYC tavern-lounge number 43 (Budd built 1947), Pullman bedroom lounge 'Swift Stream' (Budd 1949), and observation lounge car 'Hickory Creek' built by Pullman-Standard for the 1948 refit of the flagship 20th Century Limited.
All three cars would have regularly traveled these rails on their original trains, though originating at Penn Station instead of Grand Central would seem blasphemous to those old Central men! The Hickory Creek resplendent in her Henry Dreyfuss designed two toned grey livery splits the Central era small target GRS type SA signals as she sails north up Main1 at MP 99 on modern day Amtrak's Hudson Line which opened between New York and Albany in 1851 as the Hudson River Railroad.
In 1864 the road was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt along with the New York and Harlem. Meanwhile in 1853 Erastus Corning had assembled a plethora of small local lines as the New York Central Railroad running from Albany to Buffalo and in 1867 Vanderbilt merged it with his road to create the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad and the rest as they say is history. The line passed from the NYC, to Penn Central, Conrail, and ultimately CSXT until December 2012 when Amtrak took over control and dispatching of the line from Poughkeepsie to Hoffmans (where it joins the busy Mohawk Subdivision) under a long term lease agreement with CSXT.
As for these trips check out this website to learn more about what the URHS offers:
www.hudsonriverrail.com/experiences
And for an in depth history of each of these three cars check out these links:
www.urhs.org/rolling-stock#/nyc43
Tivoli, New York
Saturday October 26, 2024
In the 19th century, specific buildings for entertainment appeared in many cities, including stone circuses. Ghent also joined this international trend. In 1894, the so-called "Nieuw Cirkus" was built, designed by architect Emile De Weerdt .and was eventually inaugurated as a stone circus, where numerous companies gave performances, also during the winter.
Shortly after World War II, the Winter Circus was transformed into Ghislain Mahy's garage. In this transformation, the entire circus interior was lost. In its place came a completely new concrete structure with an elaborate system of ramps that allowed cars to drive all the way to the top. In 1978, the garage closed its doors and the building continued to serve as a depot for vintage cars for two more decades. After that, the building stood virtually empty.
n order of the City, sogent purchased the historically valuable building in 2005 with the intention of renovating and repurposing it with respect for its rich heritage value.
A little different than my more recent posts, isn't it? After some discussion with a Facebook friend who posted images of a Eurofighter Typhoon from an airshow in Northern Ireland yesterday, it occurred to me that I hadn't posted this image from earlier this year at the airshow from Langley AFB in Virginia... there was a reason why. This Hornet was flying by so fast and so close that I clipped its nose in the original image... "Rats!" No such luck for a retake, so I combined two images in Photoshop. Sounds easy, right? The angles and lighting were different throughout the series of images, however, so it took a bit of work... of which I will not bore you with the details.
I grew up in a military environment, closely connected to aviation, particularly fast movers like this one. Back in that day, it wasn't unusual to hear the occasional explosive sonic boom... we called it the "Sound of Freedom". Times are different now, though there are some places where it still occurs... for a reason. There's a corridor where my parents once lived (and where my oldest brother now lives) where F-15 Eagles that have undergone repairs and upgrades at Robins AFB in Georgia transition to supersonic speeds and high Gs to make sure parts don't fall off. You can see a tiny arrowhead shape in the upper atmosphere, likely around 8 miles up, moving much faster than commercial aircraft... then you'll notice a puff of vapor around it. As it is with thunder and lightning, depending on how far away it actually is, you'll feel the shock wave as it moved into supersonic speeds seconds later, which is impressive on its own... but the sonic boom afterwards sounds like 10 sticks of dynamite going off, even from so far away. I brought a girlfriend on a visit to my parents many years ago. The whole family was there and we had all just sat down to breakfast when a shock wave occurred that rattled everything in the house... we knew the boom was coming, but acted like nothing had happened. My friend was already wide-eyed with concern to the shock wave, but when we didn't react to the sonic boom, she said, "Am I the only one who heard that?" Our response: "Heard what?" Wish I could have filmed that!
This aircraft is real close to punching through the speed of sound here, in a condition known as transonic... two specific shock waves are made evident in the vapor. Here's the text I used on a previous image of this same aircraft: This is a U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet, flown by Lt Scott Lindahl, callsign "MacGruber", with Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106) out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. A Hornet looks fast even when it's parked on the ramp... here, MacGruber is pushing it at just under the speed of sound, Mach .96 at sea level, or 730 mph. The jet is condensing the vapor in the air around it by decreasing the air pressure and density along some of its structure at this high speed.
That Mach number isn't consistent along the Hornet's curves... some of the curved parts force the air moving over them to supersonic speed, while linear parts are still subsonic, creating a condition known as transonic... transonic speeds form troughs of lower pressure than the ambient air along the airframe. The rapid pressure change also lowers the temperature around the aircraft enough to reach the dew point... instant clouds on a humid morning such as this. That's the scientific explanation, but here, I'm just as happy that it's making it appear to be doing what it actually is in a still shot... moving fast! Try tracking that in any viewfinder... blink and you've missed it.
I'm former Air Force, and had spent some quality time right here at Langley AFB, in Hampton, Virginia... it was a great show here highlighting airpower at its best, but it was also nice to show my wife some good stompin' grounds from the past. I can't close this without a big thank you to Lt Lindahl for his service in troubled times.
In a strikingly specific instance of mimicry, the patterns on the wings of this moth (Macrocilix maia) appear to resemble two flies feeding at a glistening bird dropping. This, coupled with a pungent odor that the moth emits, may be enough to dissuade a predator from considering a meal. Although flies are certainly edible, they nevertheless sometimes serve as models for mimicry because they are so quick and agile that most birds won't bother pursuing them. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
Every year, mostly between the months of December and January, hordes of photographers descend on an obscure stretch of coastline located at the end of a dodgy road in Big Sur to capture the setting sun through a natural archway on Pfeiffer Beach. This was taken last year after I almost bottomed out my Prius trying to get get from PCH down to the parking area after the road was heavily damaged by one of the rare rainstorms we had. For more information on shooting the Keyhole Arch including compositional ideas and logistical concerns, please feel free to check out my new article up today at : The Resonant Landscape
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Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
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Folkloric
- Bark is reported to be vomitive and aphrodisiac.
- Decoction of bark used for catarrh.
- Tender fruit used as emollient.
- Decoction of bark regarded as a specific in febrile catarrh.
- Gum is astringent; used for bowel complaints. In children, gum with milk, given as cooling laxative. Also used for urine incontinence in children.
- Gum used as styptic, given in diarrhea, dysentery, and menorrhagia.
- In Liberia, Infusion of bark used as mouthwash.
- Infusion of leaves, onions, and a little tumeric, used for coughs.
- Young roots, shade-dried and powdered, is a chief ingredient in aphrodisiac medicines.
- Tap-root of young plant used for gonorrhea and dysentery.
- Bark in diuretic; in sufficient quantities, produces vomiting.
- In Cambodia, bark used for fevers and diarrhea. Also, as a cure for inebriation, used to bring about perspiration and vomiting.
- Malays used the bark for asthma and colds in children.
- In India, roots used for gonorrhea, dysuria, fevers. Decoction of bark used for chronic dysentery, diarrhea, ascites, and anasarca. Tender leaves also used for gonorrhea.
- In Java, bark mixed with areca nuts, nutmegs, and sugar candy, used as diuretic and for treatment of bladder stones. Infusion of leaves used for cough, hoarseness, intestinal catarrh, and urethritis. Leaves also used for cleaning hair.
- In the Cameroons, bark, which has tannin, is pounded and macerated in cold water and applied to swollen fingers.
- In French Guiana, decoction of flowers used for constipation.
- In Mexico, used for boils, insect bites, mange; used as anti-inflammatory; bark and leaf decoctions used as poultices. Bark decoction taken internally as emetic, diuretic and antispasmodic.
- Bark used for liver and spleen conditions, abdominal complaints, flatulence, constipation.
- Leaves used as emollient. Decoction of flowers is laxative.
- In Nigerian folk medicine, used for treatment of diabetes and infections. Leaves used as alterative and laxative, and as infusion for colic in man and in livestock. Seed oil used in rheumatism. Also, leaves used as curative dressings on sores and to maturate tumors.
- Compressed fresh leaves used for dizziness; decoction of boiled roots used to treat edema; gum eaten to relieve stomach upset; tender shoot decoction used as contraceptive; leaf infusion taken orally for cough and sore throat. (34)
- In India and Malaya, used for bowel complaints.
- In the Ivory Coast, mucilage obtained by boiling used to remove foreign bodies from the eye. Also, bark sap given to sterile women to promote conception.
- In West Africa, used for diarrhea and gonorrhea.
source: stuart xchange
dawn on hill
Da Lat's specific sights are pine wood (forming the name: "City of thousands of pine trees") with twisting roads and tree marigold blossom in the winter. The city’s temperate weather stands in contrast to Vietnam's otherwise tropical climate. Mist covering the valleys almost year-round leads to its name "City of Eternal Spring".
"Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi" is a succulent native to Madagascar. The specific epithet "fedtschenkoi" honors botanist Boris Alexeevich Fedtschenko (1873-1947), who was director of the Imperial Botanic Garden at St. Petersburg.
The common name for Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi is Lavender Scallops, in reference to its leaves with scalloped margins. It has flower clusters above the foliage on purple stems. The pendant flowers have sepals with a pearly sheen clasping their bases, and emerging from these are four flaring petals. The petals are variable: light orange, red-orange or rose.
Wikipedia
A young couple on the street of Hanoi. It's weekend and this specific street is open only for pedestrians. This city is the best destination in Vietnam for wanderers like me.
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Gears I use:
[I put them all here to increase my search visibility - sorry for long post]
Camera 1: Sony a9
Camera 2: Sony A7III
Actioncam: Gopro Hero 8 Black
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Lens: Wide angle Sony 24mm f1.4 G-Master
Lens: Walk around Sony FE 35mm f1.8
Lens: Long tele Sony 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 G-Master
Lens: Versatile - portrait Sony FE 55mm f1.8 Zeiss
Lens: Wide angle zoom Sony 16-35mm GM
Lens: Ultra wide angle MF zoomLaowa 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 C-Dreamer FE
Lens: Macro - portrait - product Sony FE 90mm G macro OSS
Lens: Do-it-all Sigma 24-70mm DG DN Art
Lens: Dreamy bokeh Samyang 85mm F1.4 AF E-mount
Legend says that Wild Bill Hickok (real name: James Butler Hickok) was shot in the back of the head during a poker game while holding specific cards, namely the ace of spades, ace of clubs, eight of spades, and eight of clubs and an unknown fifth card and this hand of cards has become known as “the dead man’s hand.”
Although it’s true Hickok was shot and killed that day there is no conclusive evidence what exact cards he was holding at the time of his death were those. To date, no contemporary accounts have been discovered that might reveal what the hand was.
Good story though
Brockholes is a new kind of nature reserve, an unreserved reserve owned and managed by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.
There's lots to see and do at Brockholes, you can hunt out our floating Visitor Village with a restaurant, shops and Welcome Centre or explore our family-friendly hides, walking trails and play area.
At Brockholes you can explore our beautiful reserve, see the wildlife that call it ‘home’ or hunt out our Visitor Village with restaurant and shops, all of which float (yes really!) on one of our lakes.
Our floating Visitor Village features a gift shop and a restaurant providing stunning views across the lake. You can also discover our interactive Welcome Centre and learn all about the wildlife that you could see on-site. Be sure to call in to pick up a welcome leaflet that will help you plan your day. You can view the reserve map in our Welcome Leaflet here to help you plan your first visit.
2013/14 Opening Times:
4th November 2013 to 31 March 2014 10am-4pm
1st April 2014 to 31st October 2014 10am-5pm
Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only
Car Park Charges
We don't charge for entry and any profits made here go back into looking after the reserve. So every time you pay for parking, treat yourself in the shop or enjoy some lunch, you are helping look after the reserve and the wildlife that visits us!
Sorry no dogs allowed!
There is a good reason! Dogs can disturb wildlife, especially nesting birds. If your dog was to get too close to a nesting bird it would cause the mother to leave the nest. So to avoid any accidents we ask that you don’t bring your dog. (Assistance dogs are welcome.)
Explore the reserve
Brockholes is one of the best sites in the UK for many species of bird and has one of the largest strips of ancient woodland in the county. You can take a stroll by the River Ribble, explore our woods or enjoy the lakes on site, which have all been specially designed to attract all kinds of wildlife for you to see!
Walks around Brockholes
What can I see at Brockholes?
Read about the happy habitats we've been working hard to create at Brockholes.
Watch out!
The Visitor Village floats on water and there are lots of areas of open water on the reserve. Take care in these areas and keep an eye on any children with you. The following activities are not allowed on the reserve:
Barbecues and fires
Fishing
Swimming
Please do not feed the birds
Big gulls know it’s much easier to find food when we leave it lying around rather than finding their own lunch. Here at Brockholes we have lots of species breeding with us, little ringed and ringed plover, lapwing, oystercatcher and redshank. Unfortunately the big gulls will eat the chicks of these special birds so if we feed the gulls and encourage them to stay there is a big chance that they will eat our important chicks, so please do not feed the birds and take your leftover picnic away with you.
www.brockholes.org/our-journey
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been working on developing Brockholes for nearly 20 years, here is an overview of our journey.
1992 Lancashire Wildlife Trust first contests the quarrying of Brockholes.
27 November 2006 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has four weeks to raise £50,000 to buy the Brockholes site, near Preston, and protect it from development. Brockholes sits next to J31 of the M6 and is the size of 120 football pitches.
15 January 2007 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust makes the biggest land purchase in its history - thanks to donations from Wildlife Trust members, and an investment of £800,000 from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) under the Newlands scheme. The project to buy and develop Brockholes is also supported by The Tubney Charitable Trust.
3 May 2007 Ian Selby is appointed as Brockholes project manager. Ian has 20 years' experience of managing the North West's canal network for British Waterways, followed by environmental regeneration work. Sophie Leadsom, Brockholes' new reserve manager, has worked in conservation for 14 years.
July 2007 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced the launch of a new open competition to design new visitor facilities.
5 October 2007 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust announced the shortlist for the new multi-million pound visitor centre. 61 architects from all over Europe submitted designs. The five were Adam Khan Architects, Arca, Architecture 2B, AY Architects, McDowell + Benedetti.
25 February 2008 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) and partners announce the winner of its competition to design a visitor facility. Adam Khan Architects was selected for its inspirational design concept: "A Floating World". Designed as a cluster of buildings constructed largely of wood and other sustainable materials, it resembles an ancient marshland village.
April 2008 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust announced the completion of its first phase of preparatory work, including the restoration of the wetlands, creation of ponds, seeding of meadows, planting new hedgerows and trees, making access paths and building proper bird watching hides.
March 2009 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust secured £8million of funding from the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The investment was made under ‘Newlands’, a NWDA and Forestry Commission programme that is regenerating brownfield land across the Northwest into economically viable community woodland.
Summer 2009 Volunteers gave us 134 hours of their time to help propagate our own reed seedlings on-site. We ended up with 20,000 new redd seedlings ready to plant out around our new visitor centre, creating two hecatres of brand new reedbed.
August 2009 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust were granted detailed planning permission for the site.
December 2009 Contractors first day of work as they begin to construct the iconic floating visitors centre. Press conference being held with a ‘cutting of the first sod’
November 2010 A herd of longhorn cattle move into Brockholes to graze the reserve.
December 2010 BBC Countryfile fronted by Julia Bradbury visit Brockholes to film a feature that airs in January 2011.
March 2011 Brockholes makes history as the Visitor Village is floated for the first time.
Easter Sunday 2011 Brockholes opens its doors to the public for the first time!
www.brockholes.org/happy-habitats-brockholes
Happy habitats at Brockholes
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust are using their expertise to create habitats that will encourage lots of different species to visit the site, read more about the work we are doing on the reserve...
Number 1 Pit
Uniform and steep, the edges around the original gravel pit used to look very different. The island looked different too – an egg-shaped piece of land sticking out of the water by three metres. These land profiles weren’t great for the bird species and aquatic invertebrates we wanted to attract. So, with bulldozer and digger we pushed earth into the lake to create shallow, underwater ledges and peninsulas where birds can roost and feed, safe from predators. Diving ducks, such as Great Crested Grebe, now hunt for fish in the deep water.
Nook Pool
The edge of this pool has been planted with reed to create places for small fish and aquatic invertebrates like dragonfly larvae to hide and grow, away from predator fish. The shelter provided by the vegetation provides an ideal hunting ground for lots of species of dragonfly including the impressive Brown Hawker and Emperor Dragonfly.
Meadow Lake
This shallow lake is great for bird watching: when the water level is down, wading birds feed on small invertebrates in the exposed mud. This lake has some of the richest water plant life in and around it, including White Water Lily and Cuckooflower. The reed fringes are becoming well established and hold some of the largest populations of birds on site. The islands provide safe roosting and breeding areas, we keep the vegetation short so the birds can watch out for predators.
Boilton Marsh
This area is part of our newly created wet grassland habitat. We remodelled 17,000 cubic metres of quarry spoil to create 10 hectares of wet grassland with nearly 2km of channels and five pools. This is the ideal habitat for breeding wading birds such as Lapwing, Redshank and Snipe. We now graze traditional breeds of cattle and sheep that thrive on the coarse grasses and rushes and provide the low grassland sward that encourages wading birds to nest.
The channels and pools are kept topped up by using a high-level reservoir, filled from Number One Pit by way of a solar pump.
Woodland
Brockholes is fringed by the ancient woodland of Boilton, Red Scar and Tunbrook Woods. Woodland has grown here for thousands of years and developed a very rich variety of wildlife. Looking after our trees and paths will help the woodland to thrive and enable you to see the wildlife safely.
Reedbeds
Reedbeds are home to Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Reed Buntings and Water Rail. We protect the new reed from grazing birds like Coot, Mute Swan and Canada Goose, by erecting chicken wire fences and baling string barriers. It will take several years before our lak fringes start to look like reedbeds. You might notice that the Visitor Village has been nestled in reedbed. This helps it to blend into the reserve and allows you to hear the song and chatter of the birds that nest there.
www.brockholes.org/brockholes-partners-and-funders
Brockholes partners and funders
For the past ten years, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside have been working to secure this site of national environmental importance, and restore habitats to their full potential.
The £8.6 million of regeneration funding was provided for the Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Reserve project has been granted under 'Newlands' - a £59 million, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Forestry Commission programme to transform brownfield land into durable community woodland, which act as catalysts for economic, social and environmental gain.
The Lancashire Environmental Fund awarded £446,000 for the development of the education facilities, hides and infrastructure on the site. Tubney Charitable Trust granted £350,000 for Biodiversity and Natural England DEFRA's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund awarded circa. £300,000. The Environment Agency granted £50,000 for the continued development of Brockholes.
The support of these funders helped make Brockholes a reality, as did the amazing support from our public appeal, which raised an amazing £63,000 - the most successful public appeal the Lancashire Wildlife Trust has ever run!
Volunteering at Brockholes
Around 200 volunteers have now been recruited, inducted and trained to begin volunteering at Brockholes, so we offer an enormous thank you to all who are helping it make such a big impact on our visitors... Volunteers truly are the face of Brockholes.
There are currently some exciting opportunities to be had volunteering here at Brockholes. Please have a look below at roles (you can click on the titles to download a full role description) which might suit you and click here to register, mentioning Brockholes and the role on the form.
Seasonal Activities Volunteer
Our seasonal activities program is the ideal opportunity for young people aged 16-23 to get involved here at Brockholes.
Running throughout all school holiday periods, you are expected to volunteer for 7 hours per week (normally one full day).
The Seasonal Activities Volunteer role is ideal for friendly, outgoing people who want to utilise their creative skills and help visitors – in particular children – enjoy the reserve. You will work alongside other volunteers to plan and deliver a variety of activities including pond dipping, guided walks, bird watching. The role will also include assisting with larger events such as our Extreme Adventure Weekend and Craft Fayres. Support will be given to you by the Events & Communications Manager.
This placement is perfect for those undertaking various award schemes, such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, as over the course of the summer you have the opportunity to gain upto 50 volunteering hours.
For full details on the role and what it entails, click here.
Seasonal Retail & Visitor Services
Our seasonal activities program is the ideal opportunity for young people aged 16-23 to get involved here at Brockholes.
As a volunteer for Retail & Visitor Services you will provide a warm welcome for visitors, helping to ensure that their Brockholes experience is a positive one. You will help visitors by providing them with information about products on sale in our gift stores and help them plan their visit by telling them about the various events and activities we have on offer.
The role suits a friendly, outgoing person who has an interest in wildlife and conservation.
Running throughout the school holiday periods, you are expected to volunteer for 7 hours per week (normally one full day).
This placement is perfect for those undertaking various award schemes, such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, as over the course of the summer you have the opportunity to gain upto 50 volunteering hours.
Each volunteer will be required to undergo a minimum of 1 and a half days training before they start. If you’d like to find out more or ask questions about any of these roles do not hesitate to get in touch with Catherine Haddon, Volunteering Support Officer on 01772 324 129 or email volunteer@lancswt.org.uk
Awards
Brockholes has scooped many high profile awards since opening in April 2011:
2013 Lancashire Tourism Award for Best Conference/Meeting venue
VisitEngland's Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) 'Excellent'
Green Tourism Gold Award
Customer at the Heart Award
Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards 'Marketing Campaign of the Year'
National Wood Award
BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ for the interim design stage
Chartered Institute of Building Services – Building of the Year 2011
Civic Trust Award
Civic Trust Special Award for Sustainability
Highly Commended in portfolio of Newlands sites in Landscape Awards
CIWEM Living Wetlands award
Greenbuilds award
Green Apple Awards for the Visitor Centre
Sustainable Project of the year – 2012 Building Awards
RICS North West – Overall award
RICS North West – Tourism and Leisure
RICS NW – Design & Innovation
RIBA North West Building of the Year
RIBA North West Sustainability Award
RIBA Award for top 50 new buildings in the UK
Brockholes is an award winning-venue, which floats on one of our lakes - the only one of its kind in the UK.
Combine this unique design with access straight off the M6, a beautiful nature reserve, ample parking and on site catering, and you have found yourself the perfect venue for your next event. View our Conference Brochure here.
We think Brockholes is the natural place to do business, our dedicated centre can cater for 50 to 130 delegates.
We have a choice of two conference rooms and a reception/break-out area.
www.brockholes.org/conference-packages
At Brockholes we want you to be in control of your event as much as possible. This is why we have created these basic packages, enabling you to tweak each element to build an individual event.
Alternatively, we can cater to your specific requests if you require half day, early morning or evening hire.
Here is an overview of our conference packages, please contact us for a quote.
Our Conference brochure can be viewed in digi-book format here.
Day Delegate Package
Private room hire from 9am - 5pm
Tea and coffee served on arrival with bacon rolls
Mineral water for each guest
Tea and coffee served mid-morning
Buffet lunch served with tea, coffee and fresh fruit platter
Tea, coffee and biscuits served mid-afternoon
Use of a flip chart, screen and projector
Recycled pen and notepad for each delegate
Dedicated co-ordinator to assist you throughout the planning to delivery of your meeting
24 Hour Delegate Package
All of the above plus;
Three course dinner
Full breakfast
Accommodation in a standard bedroom at our recommended accommodation supplier
Accommodation
Preferential rates are available on request from a local hotel when booking through the Brockholes Sales Team.
We can tailor our packages to suit your needs. Make the UK's first floating venue your next choice
Please contact us for more information or to arrange a meeting or showround with our Conference Sales Co-ordinator
Call us on 01772 872005 or enter your details below and we will contact you to discuss your requirements.
www.brockholes.org/sponsorship-opportunities
Sponsorship Opportunities
Brockholes is an award winning nature reserve owned and manages by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, which was opened in 2011. The 250 acre reserve is already attracting record numbers of breeding birds and around 170,000 visitors each year. Brockholes runs a wide range of events throughout the year and has a particularly strong offer for families. Events include wild families, school holiday clubs, school and community group visits, self led trails and larger festivals during the summer holidays.
The key marketing campaigns run targeting families include Christmas, Summer and Easter. Each campaign targets a series of family focused publications across the North West, with a monthly average reach online of over 40,000 people through the website and social media. Advertising and direct marketing campaigns have an average reach of 70% of the total North West population.
Sponsorship and Partnership Opportunities
Summer at Brockholes sees a host of family events each year, from school holiday clubs to open air theatre, guided walks to family fun. Over the Summer period, Brockholes expects to welcome over 60,000 visitors. The marketing campaign is multi channel and will reach a wide audience of families across the North West. Brockholes has also been featured in the National Press for some of the unique events run. We have some new opportunities for sponsorship and partnership, which will allow your business to raise brand awareness and fulfill part of your Corporate Social Responsibility by supporting Brockholes and The Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Summer at Brockholes Headline Sponsorship £4500
Expose your brand to thousands of families across the North West.
- Logo on all Summer promotional material
- Inclusion in all four of the Summer e-news and Lancashire Wildlife Trust e-news
- Sponsor Feature on Brockholes.org
- On site promotion
- Promotion through social media channels
- Inclusion in all PR activity
- Temporary use of Brockholes logo on promotional material directly related to the partnership
Wild Families Sponsorship £4000 per year
Our Wild Families events are always fully booked. With themes ranging from scarecrow hunts to nature detectives, each event provides quality family time for family members of all ages. Events are run throughout school holidays.
-Logo on marketing materials for Wild Families
-Inclusion in PR for trail launch
-Inclusion in social media activity
-Inclusion in Brockholes e-news
Seasonal Trail Sponsorship £500 per trail
Each visitor to Brockholes can collect their free seasonal trail on arrival. The trail helps visitors to explore the reserve, learn more about what to see and how the reserve changes with the season and challenges them to spot things.
-Logo on sponsorship trail
-Inclusion in PR for trail launch
-Inclusion in social media activity around the trail
Half term at Brockholes £1500
-Logo on all marketing materials
-Inclusion in launch PR
-Social media promotion
Annual Headline Sponsorship £10,000
- Logo inclusion on all Promotional Material
- Dedicated web page on Brockholes.org
- On site promotion
- Dedicated stand area on key event days
- Promotion through Brockholes and LWT e-news, member magazine
- Promotion through social media channels
- Inclusion in all PR activity
-Discounted delegate rate on our conference facilities
Children's Corner £500
Would you like to help brighten up the children's corner in our restuarant for our younger visitors?
-Inclusion in PR activity
-Recognition in the children's area
-Inclusion in activity to our database promoting the new area
To talk to us more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Ruth Gaskell rgaskell@lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129.
www.brockholes.org/commercial-opportunities
Commercial Opportunities
Make Brockholes your business
Businesses are being offered an opportunity to become partners in a North West tourism and wildlife success story.
Brockholes nature reserve is entering the second phase of development which will provide commercial opportunities for other businesses and boost local employment.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust attraction attracted 185,000 people to its nature reserve and the first ever floating visitor village in the UK, last year. It is looking to top that visitor figure this year.
Just off the M6 at Preston and easily accessible from anywhere in the UK, Brockholes has received more than 30 regional and national awards despite only opening in 2011. Visitors continue to pour in despite the reserve being surrounded by the attractions of Manchester, Blackpool and Liverpool.
The business has shown year-on-year growth and, as a result, is seeking commercial partners for the next phase of development.
Anne Selby, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust said “Brockholes has performed incredibly well despite being launched in a recession. We have steered the business through the stormy weather and achieved fantastic results.
“We are now looking to move into the next phase of development. As a conservation charity, we want to ensure our focus remains on the nature conservation of the reserve, whilst ensuring the commercial income supports this work. We are looking for expressions of interest at this stage and asking businesses to be creative with their proposals.”
The Visitor Village has a restaurant, shops, conference centre, welcome centre and education centre. Major companies have made use of the conference centre including RBS and Aldi. The surrounding nature reserve is continuing to grow, with an increasing population of resident creatures and rare visitors like red kite, bittern and otter.
Anne continued: “Brockholes received funding for the initial start up and development phases but it was always designed to be a self-sustaining model. By making the most of the commercial opportunities and keeping these balanced carefully with the needs of nature, we believe we can continue to success of Brockholes into the future and achieve even more fantastic results for wildlife, our wide range of visitors and the tourism economy”.
Opportunities include retail, water sports (non-motorised), indoor play provision, events partners and mobile food concessions. However, the Trust is open to hear if any investors would wish to develop sympathetic commercial facilities on the site.
An opportunity information pack is available by request from:
Karen Williams Karen.Williams@brockholes.org
Expressions of interest should initially be made to
Lindsey Poole, Commercial Development Manager lpoole@lancswt.org.uk
Group Visits
Whether it’s a full day out or just a quick stop off on the way to your destination, Brockholes is the ideal place for groups to visit.
There's so much for all ages to see and learn about at Brockholes. Everyone from toddlers to seniors will find something to fascinate them, whether through our exciting range of organised events, or by just wandering around the site.
We are passionately committed to lifelong learning for all – our belief is that everyone should leave knowing something they didn't when they arrived! The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has over a decade of experience in delivering environmental education, so you can relax, enjoy the surroundings and be sure to come away both enchanted and enlightened...
We have several options for various groups, each with a variety of benefits. For more information click on the relevant link below…
Coach Groups
School Groups
Community Groups
To enquire about group visits please call 01772 872000 or email info@brockholes.org. Or leave your details on the form below and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Coach Groups
Situated next to Junction 31 on the M6, we are the ideal stop for coach trips, whether it is for a short stop, as a green motorway services, or as part of a full day visit.
Free entry for coaches and convenient coach drop-off point
We have a variety of walking trails for your group to explore, ranging from half an hour to 2 hours in length.
We have our floating visitor village that features a stunning waterside restaurant, 2 unique gift shops and a welcome centre with exhibits, which are ideal should your guests decide for something less active (or if the weather lets you down)!
All our buildings are fully accessible, while the vast majority of our paths are well surfaced, level and suitable for wheelchairs.
We now have a more convenient drop-off point exclusively for coaches and in addition have a number of benefits for coach groups:
• Free entry to the reserve and visitor centre
• Free coach parking
• Refreshment voucher for the coach driver
• Free familiarisation visit for group organisers
• Free meet and greet at the coach (on request)
• Free Brockholes welcome leaflet and trail guide
• Free events and activities throughout the year (visit our events calendar for details)
• Free play area
• Pre-booked guided tours (available at an extra charge)
• Adapted toilets available at the visitor centre
Please note that there is a 4 metre high bridge on the entrance to Brockholes. We also advise all coaches to let us know of their visit in advance by calling us on 01772 872000.
For any further information please just call 01772 872000, email info@brockholes.org
School Groups
Our 250 acre nature reserve and Visitor Village is a great place for school groups to visit. Children can learn about the geological history and how the quarrying has shaped the land today. And because we are a new nature reserve, you can watch it grow! It is also home to the UK's first floating Visitor Village.
Most importantly of all, the children will be able to see that Brockholes is home to a host of wildlife, with many different species of bird popping by throughout the year, along with brown hare, dragonfly and deer to name a few!
Facilities
Your school will have use of the education centre on our floating visitor village and you will have at least one Education Officer dedicated to your group throughout the day.
Plus... NEW FOR 2014!
Next year your school will be able to get even closer to nature at Brockholes by booking an education session in our new purpose-built bird hide classroom, right on the edge of the lake!
The hide will overlook No 1 Pit Lake which is home to many different species of birds and you'll also be able to look across to the new sand martin wall, which will provide valuable breeding habitat when they arrive in spring.
Why not your details below if you'd like us to keep to informed of these exciting new developments!
Programmes
We offer a wide range of programmes including:
Big Adventure in a Miniature World
Life Cycles
Migration and Hibernation
Environmental Art
Geography and Geology
Forest School
You can read more about the education programmes available at Brockholes here.
Education Team
Our Education Team are based at Brockholes and have a huge amount of experience in inspiring young people about the natural world. They are a lively bunch and pride themselves on creating an exciting and memorable experience for your school. You can read about how great our team is here: Meet the Education Team.
Outreach
Can't get to us? Then we can come to you! Our outreach education programme is very popular and offers a wide range of programmes for those who are unable to reach Brockholes.You can view our Outreach Programmes here.
For any information just call us on 01772 872000 for more information, email eduadmin@lancswt.org.uk
Community Groups
Brockholes is a great place to bring your community group, whether it's the Scouts, Guides, Cubs, Brownies or Beavers or a rambling or photography group, there is something for everyone!
As well as exploring our stunning nature reserve you can enjoy an activity such as a guided walk, a mini-beast hunt or an environmental art session.
You can visit Brockholes during the day or we have special community group evenings when the reserve is open beyond our usual opening hours. Group activities usually take place between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
Forest Schools
Forest Schools is a unique outdoor learning experience that improves children's self-esteem, confidence and abilities.
Brockholes provides an inspirational setting for Forest Schools sessions and training, and is conveniently located just off junction 31 of the M6 at Preston.
Our Forest School sessions are designed and delivered by our experienced and fully qualified Education Team including our Level 3 Trained Forest Schools Practioner.
Our next Forest Schools adult training session will be running in October. To find out more about Forest School sessions at Brockholes please call 01772 872017 or email kphillips@lancswt.org.uk
Shop til you flock
Why not drop into our two on-site shops, The Nest and Village Store, which are packed with all sorts of goodies. We've a variety of products from local beverages and food, to cards and books and crafts and jewellery. They are the perfect place to pick up a unique gift... and there's plenty of treats for the little ones too!
The Nest
The Nest is home to an inspiring collection of gifts, jewellery, books, toys, arts & crafts. Discover what's inside The Nest here.
The Village Store
The Village Store stocks a wide range of products, from locally sourced food and drink treats to bird food, garden accessories and wildlife books. Come and look inside here.
Membership of the Wildlife Trust
Brockholes is a Lancashire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve. You can become a member today or talk to our friendly staff members and volunteers on your next visit to Brockholes. Gift membership is available in The Nest or you can buy it online here.
Our restaurant is the perfect place to stop and watch the world go by with panoramic views of our lake. Scrumptious homemade dishes and a taste bud tingling selection of Lancashire's finest local produce are all here to tempt you, along with fair trade tea and coffee.
Our restaurant is open from 10am to 5pm.
www.brockholes.org/very-special-occasions
Brockholes is a fantastic place for your very special occasions.
Our floating venue is one of the newest and most unique in Lancashire and promises you and your guests an unforgetable event whatever the occasion.
We have a dedicated function centre that can accomodate weddings, christenings and all sort of functions.
The clean, contemporary finish of our venue means that you have the perfect opportunity to put your own stamp on your event, with a flexible range of catering available from our on-site restaurant.
We have a dedicated Conference and Events Co-ordinator that will be available to help you plan your special occasion.
Very Special Weddings
We had our first wedding celebration September 2011 and since then it's been all go with Wedding Fayres and lots more bookings for this year and next. Find out more about weddings at Brockholes here.
Very Special Christenings
Brockholes is a real family friendly venue for a Christening celebration that you will remember for years to come. Find out more here.
For general enquiries about holding a function at Brockholes please call 01772 872005 or email philip.dunn@brockholes.org.
Whenever I notice other flickrers posting pics with specific color/theme for each day like Blue Monday, Pink Tuesday, Bokeh Wednesday etc... I always wondered... who started this tradition? Is it specific to flickr ? There
should be some reason behind it.
I personally think it kind of restricts people to shoot & post pictures with that specific color/theme in mind for each day. I 100% agree that I get to see some amazing pictures for each theme... but somehow I am not drawn into it. So here I am with my own Twilight Tuesday pic.
I hope this doesn't distract people from commenting about the actual pic...
hehe...
Location : Pearl Street Bridge over Woodall Rodgers Freeway, DALLAS, TX.
Same place from where i took this shot.
Also geotagged
P.S: Guess what? I am gonna post my buddy icon picture tomorrow :)
Roquefort-sur-Soulzon is a commune in the Aveyron department, in the region of Occitania, southern France.
Roquefort is located on the Causse du Larzac and is famous for its ewe derived products including milk, wool, and meat. Much of the activity in the commune centres on the production and distribution of Roquefort cheese. To be legally termed Roquefort cheese, it must follow the rules laid down by the federal standards of the Appellation d’Origine. According to archaeologists, the cheese making process in the specific caves dates back to 900 C.E.
A visitor centre illustrates the process of making Roquefort cheese and offers guests a chance to sample and purchase the product. Visitors can also visit the Cambalou caves which are 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and 300 metres (980 ft) wide in which the cheeses are aged before they are ready to be sold.
The gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica), formerly Sterna nilotica, is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek gelao, "to laugh", and khelidon, "swallow". The specific niloticus is from Latin and means of the Nile.
This is a fairly large and powerful tern, similar in size and general appearance to a Sandwich tern, but the short thick gull-like bill, broad wings, long legs and robust body are distinctive. The summer adult has grey upperparts, white underparts, a black cap, strong black bill and black legs. The call is a characteristic ker-wik. It is 33–42 cm (13–17 in) in length and 76–91 cm (30–36 in) in wingspan. Body mass ranges from 150–292 g (5.3–10.3 oz).
In winter, the cap is lost, and there is a dark patch through the eye like a Forster's tern or a Mediterranean gull. Juvenile gull-billed terns have a fainter mask, but otherwise look much like winter adults.
Juvenile Sandwich terns have a short bill, and are frequently mistaken for gull-billed tern where the latter species is uncommon, such as North Sea coasts.
It breeds in warmer parts of the world in southern Europe, temperate and eastern Asia, both coasts of North America, eastern South America. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details.
All forms show a post-breeding dispersal, but the northern breeders are most migratory, wintering south to Africa, the Caribbean and northern South America, southern Asia and New Zealand.
The gull-billed tern is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
This species breeds in colonies on lakes, marshes and coasts. It nests in a ground scrape and lays two to five eggs. While widely distributed in freshwater areas in Eurasia, it is associated almost solely with saltwater, coastal areas in North America.
This is a somewhat atypical tern, in appearance like a Sterna tern, but with feeding habits more like the Chlidonias marsh terns, black tern and white-winged tern. It used to be grouped in the genus Sterna but is now placed on its own in the genus Gelochelidon.
The gull-billed tern does not normally plunge dive for fish like the other white terns, and has a broader diet than most other terns. It largely feeds on insects taken in flight, and also often hunts over wet fields and even in brushy areas, to take amphibians and small mammals. It is also an opportunistic feeder, and has been observed to pick up and feed on dead dragonflies from the road.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull-billed_tern
Acrylic, ink, collage (50 x 50 cm)
The initial spark behind this was the Madonna by Sandro Botticelli which reminded me of something that would have been commissioned by a merchant's or sailors guild. I did not want the specific religious aspect so I removed the Jesus and replaced it with a conch.
I generally don't want my paintings to be tied to a particular meaning or message. I'd rather set up a framework for the various elements to contrast, collide, co-exist and get to know each other inside the painting. Above all, I want to be able to invite the viewer to pick up on clues and intentions and add their own ideas and thoughts to the piece.
I collage (glue) bits of printed paper, photos, gold leaf and illustrations on before, during, and after the painting and drawing gets done. I use the collage as if it was just another thing in my artist's box of tricks.
I knew I wanted this one to have the Madonna as a sort of wandering sea-bride amidst an archipelago of strange and unfamiliar culture. I was also thinking of a favourite painting of mine, 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' (c.1555) by (probably not) Pieter Bruegel. From this came the ecstatic and over-ambitious raptor flying towards the sun (in this case the moon) and Icarus and Deadalus falling on the other side.
The moon is painted on top of a catholic devotional text. There are so many meanings attached to Renaissance religious imagery and the paraphernalia associated with catholicism, that including them can be tricky, and give off an over-ecclesiastical odour. It is like salt in chowder... it can give it good flavour or it can ruin it.
I'm not religious anymore but I can't resist the ostentatious and luxuriant trappings, the tortured ecstasy, the gilded signposts to heaven, the power, the glory.
"...Catholicism tells you at a very early age the world is not what you see; that beyond everything you see, and the appearance – or the accidents as they're known – there is another reality, and it is a far more important reality. So it's like running in the imagination." -Hilary Mantel
There's a current running through my work of historical exploration, the age of Columbus, Cook and Cortes. What they saw and what they expected to see when they arrived into a bay or archipelago beyond the known experience, the strangeness of the flora and fauna, the alien systems of worship...and what the soon-to-be-colonised or conquered people felt. I like the mixture of genres in certain Renaissance painting, and the hierarchy of events, and mixing all this up in my paintings, placing modern buildings like the Gherkin in there, so the whole thing doesn't become an homage. Also placing the 'life-goes-on' things like the bird- feeding and plants growing, the cycle of nature, the habitats, the settlements, creating an environment that exists solely inside the painting like an aquarium.
The materials used include ink, acrylic paint, watercolour, gold leaf, found paper, and printed paper. The central plant is a pink flowering tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa), rising out of a mound of gold leaf and gold ornamentation on printed paper.
The printed papers I use are of Japanese origin, which I source from Carta Pura in Munich www.flickr.com/photos/kasaa/4330976492/ The red, blue, black and white chequer-board and wave and flower patterns come from here.
Some buildings come from Renaissance frescoes, old views of Siena, and current affairs publications. The 'tree' to the right of the 'apple' tree uses part of Kandinsky's 'Cossacks' www.artrepublic.com/prints/9578-cossacks.html , and the red dog by the lake on the right comes from H. Bosch's 'The Conjurer' www.oceansbridge.com/oilpaintings/product/93995/theconjur...
I like both the above artists as their work invites the eye in on a journey around the painting, and what happens around the fringes of the work is often treated with equal importance.
Some of the clouds are from fabric patterns, and the text in the sky comes from early Christian Irish devotionals. The Gaelic script comes from an Irish printed book from the turn of the century from my father's things, and the plant b/w drawings come from an old botany manual.
The cat and the bird inhabiting different parts of the painting are there as competing elements in a food-chain or hierarchy of interests, and to provide an element of tension.
Lions do not mate at a specific time of year and the females are polyestrous. Like those of other cats, the male lion's penis has spines that point backward. During withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation. A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is in heat. They normally mate after every 15-20 minutes for 2-3 days whilst on their honeymoon. The average gestation period is around 110 days; the female gives birth to a litter of between one and four cubs in a secluded den, which may be a thicket, a reed-bed, a cave, or some other sheltered area, usually away from the pride.
King Loki of Kilo Saba Pride is seen busy in procreation during a Photography Safari on a late evening game drive just as the sun was setting in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
Once again, while rummaging through some old file folders looking for a specific image, I came across a digitally-dusty file from a group of images taken back in 2011 during a walk-about in Toronto’s Kensington Market area. At the time I was taken by this composition of a pair of mannequins on a balcony at 14 Kensington Avenue, a vintage clothing store. A check on Google Maps showed it has survived to the present as such. In considering how to process it, I was distracted by protruding sky at the top of the frame so keeping the sooc format was out. I finally settled on a pano-format crop to keep the attention on the red-blue contrasting colours and the horizontal lines. Once again, it is worth looking over overlooked files. - JW
Date Taken: 2011-03-06
Date PP: 2023-05-30
(c) Copyright 2023 JW Vraets
Tech Details:
Taken using a hand-held Nikon D5000 fitted with an AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lense set to 55mm, ISO400, Auto WB, Matrix metering, Aperture Priority Mode, f/8.0, 1/800 sec with an EV-0.33 exposure bias. PP in free Open Source RAWTherapee from Nikon JPEG source file: set final image size to be 9000px wide, crop the image to a 2:1 format, apply Tone Mapping at default levels, slightly increase Contrast and Chromaticity in L-A-B mode, increase Vibrance a little, save. PP in free Open Source GIMP: use the Colour Balance tool to remove a slight residual green colour cast, save, scale image to 8000 px wide, sharpen, save, add fine black-and-white frame, add bar and text on left, save, scale image to 4000 px wide for posting online.
Ever since I was a little girl I was obsessed with movies. I have a specific taste in films and tend to remember my favorite dialogue lines which I use in conversations (sometimes for the fun of the others, but mostly in rather awkward situations).
I was introduced into the world of cinema by my father who used to illegally copy his favorite films to video cassettes and could definitely be called an action film buff. Feeling privileged that in my childhood watching a film meant waiting for it either on TV or on a video cassette, I was constantly eager to watch and discuss more. Back in a day, people were longing for films as some of them were quite tricky to find. Even though I watched ‘Alien’ (1979), ‘Scarface’ (1983), and other epic movies hundreds of times, it wasn’t until the final month in a school in the year 2008 that I came across David Lynch’s films.
The first film by Lynch that I watched was my beloved ‘The Elephant Man’, which is without a doubt the least Lynch’s film one could ever imagine. I was so deeply touched by the story of the film that I decided to study the history of cinema and later use it in my photography. I always had an obsession with characters. I loved to play and pretend to be somebody else. Lynch’s characters are incredibly believable sometimes bizarre and weird, but who is not?
I've watched ‘Mulholland Drive’, ‘Blue Velvet’, ‘Lost Highway’ and of course ‘Eraserhead’. Each film is a separate experience worth writing about. Lynch is in every detail, an incredible professional. He doesn’t set the goal to be totally understood, he shows the vision and striking peculiarities of this world.
His world is dark, bizarre, perverse yet beautiful. And I want to be the part of it.
| blog
BY A 15-year-old SCHOOL KID who got an A+ for this entry:
The Lord's Prayer Is not allowed in most US Public schools any more.
A kid in Minnesota, wrote the following
NEW School Prayer:
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the State..
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong..
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles...
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
Casa da música from architect Rem Koolhaas. Porto - Portugal
Olympus XA2 + Kodak Ektachrome Extra 100 (Expired)
Nothing special about this image. It is one of hundreds, even thousands, of images I never posted... hundreds of butterflies, hundreds of Lantana...
But, it caught my eye and made me happy, so I posted it.
I like the way the butterfly is holding on the the edges of the specific bloom it wants and is about to plunge its proboscis into it.
FOUR CHOPPERS AND A CASTLE
Shrewsbury Castle provides the backdrop as Class 20's 007 and 142 "Sir John Betjemen" with 189 and 205 both in blue livery on the rear make their way to Coton Hill Yard from Shrewsbury Station for servicing after arriving with the (1Z41) 0902 Gloucester to Shrewsbury "Chopper Topper" charter organised by "Pathfinders Tours". The charter visits Hams Hall Reception Line and to Donnington Railfreight Terminal in Shropshire. In addition to a number of Goods Loops and requested specific lines, the route also features traversal of the Oxley Chord, the hard climb over Cannock and ascent of the Lickey Incline.
I was rather lucky to see this specific spider catch two different small insects for a meal - this is the same spider as the earlier photo in which he'd caught a different small insect. This photo was taken shortly after that other shot, now with a bit of a bigger meal.
This is the first photo I've uploaded here that shows off the iridescent electric blue patch on his third leg that he uses in in displays and in attempts to seek attention from potential females that might be in the area. It's not visible at all angles, but at the right angle the effect is quite remarkable even to the naked eye (at least if you know what you're looking for).
-Gear and Settings-
Fujifilm X-T3 w/ Laowa 60mm Ultra Macro at ~2x magnification.
f8, SS 1/250, ISO 400
Lit with the kit flash diffused by paper mounted on the lens.
Cropped and edited in CaptureOne with minor additional edits in Photoshop.
>> i always work with some specific song/music that inspires me & i find a connection between them...for this >> ♪♫♪ & ♪♫♪
---
Another pose from the latest, "You got me there", can be found at
The sexy dress: .Shi Toga dress
Crow by alaskastock @ deviantart (alaskastock.deviantart.com/gallery/31769215#/d5bk9sd)
Photo/pose by me ______(can be found at studioneiro)
Like clockwork. December 21st is the longest night of the year the winter solstice. Makes sense to choose a clock-like snowflake, right? To see what I mean, view large!
At 12 and 4 o’clock, the branches of this snowflake are rising above the rest. This is a fun example of a “split star” snowflake, where a capped column grew in an unpredictable way. When two plates-like crystals are growing in parallel on either ends of a column, they grow outward at a fairly equal rate, but always fighting for the available water vapour. If one corner of the top plate gained more water vapour to grow out further by luck or chance, it would then have easier access to more water vapour. This would accelerate the growth in this corner, winning one of six battles.
Each corner of the initial two plates would fight for water vapour. If one plate won the battle in a specific corner, it would have exponentially more water vapour to fuel its growth. The top plate won two (almost three) of the battles. The branches at 12 and 4 are won by the top plate, then other four battles were one by the bottom plate. The 8 o’clock battle waged on for longer than the others, but eventually the bottom plate took the lead.
Of the largest side-branches, you’ll notice that some of them overlap instead of collide and fuse together (bottom right is a great example). This overlap is only possible because the branches are growing on different planes and do not directly come into contact with each-other. Other branches on the same plane fuse together while continuing to fight for more building blocks to fuel their outward growth.
Since the result resembles a clock, it might be fun to know that the average snowflake forms in minutes, not hours. After a half-hour a large snowflake would be fully-formed, and small hexagons might take a lot less time to grow. Snowflakes are one of the fastest growing crystals, and also one of the quickest to disappear. They begin to sublimate before our eyes, and have even begun to fade away by the time we can observe them. Time is always an important factor in photographing the snowflake at its best – you have to work quickly!
To see the results of this quick work over a number of years and taking a not-so-quick 2500 hours of cumulative time, check out “The Snowflake” print: skycrystals.ca/poster/ - detail you can get lost in, revealing the hidden beauty of winter.
For all of the photographic techniques and scientific curiosities regarding snowflakes, you’ll need a copy of Sky Crystals: skycrystals.ca/book/ - you’ll be surprised by the amount of information alongside the images in this 304-page hardcover book. :)
The Addiction Recovery Institute of America is among the foremost drug and alcoholism rehab centers around South Florida. At ARIA, our team of addiction specialists uses a combination of clinical, evidence-based treatment approaches and holistic approaches that are aimed at healing the whole person.
In addition to offering the full spectrum of treatment options from medically supervised detox through outpatient treatment and aftercare. And as a result of this broad range of offerings, we pride ourselves on tailoring each program to the client’s individual needs.
We are also proud to offer programs that are specific to brave first responders who are battling addiction issues and happy to say that the majority of our outpatient and aftercare programs are available via our extensive telehealth platform. If you or a loved one is battling a substance use problem, it is time you learned more about the Addiction Recovery Institute of America.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.loopnet.com/property/950-evernia-st-west-palm-beach-F...
www.pbcgov.org/PAPA/Asps/PropertyDetail/PropertyDetail.as...
www.trulia.com/p/fl/west-palm-beach/950-evernia-st-west-p...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Lions do not mate at a specific time of year and the females are polyestrous. Like those of other cats, the male lion's penis has spines that point backward. During withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation. A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is in heat. They normally mate after every 15-20 minutes for 2-3 days whilst on their honeymoon. The average gestation period is around 110 days; the female gives birth to a litter of between one and four cubs in a secluded den, which may be a thicket, a reed-bed, a cave, or some other sheltered area, usually away from the pride.
King Loki of the Kilo Saba Pride is seen busy in procreation during a Photography Safari on a late evening game drive just as the sun was setting in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
taken back to the memories of physics classes
a spring extended or contracted will return to it's relaxed position within specific parameters
Marine reserves constitute a specific measure that contributes to achieving a sustained exploitation of resources of fishing interest, establishing specific protection measures in delimited areas of traditional fishing grounds.
The effect of a marine reserve is manifested by a significant recovery of the fishing grounds in which it is inserted due to the dispersion of the species whose reproduction has been protected in it.
The seabed of the Isla Hormigas Cabo de Palos Marine Reserve is in incredible health, in this area artisanal fishing coexists with the recreational activity of recreational diving, both are compatible and the result is that divers can enjoy the best diving in the Mediterranean and one of the best in the world and fishermen benefit from a very abundant fishing ground.
There are 12 Marine Reserves in Spain and there should be more. In this photo we can see two of the most characteristic specimens of the area, the Goldblotch grouper and the Dusky grouper.
Photo taken in the Marine Reserve of Cabo de Palos (Murcia-Spain).
Copyright @2023 José Salmerón. All rights reserved.
Las reservas marinas constituyen una medida específica que contribuye a lograr una explotación sostenida de los recursos de interés pesquero, estableciendo medidas de protección específicas en áreas delimitadas de los caladeros tradicionales.
El efecto de una reserva marina se manifiesta por una recuperación significativa de los caladeros en los que está inserta por efecto de la dispersión de las especies cuya reproducción se ha protegido en la misma.
Los fondos de la Reserva Marina de Isla Hormigas Cabo de Palos, goza de una salud increíble, en esta área conviven la pesca artesanal con la actividad lúdica del buceo recreativo, ambas son compatibles y el resultado es que los buceadores podemos disfrutar del mejor buceo del Mediterráneo y uno de los mejores del mundo y los pescadores se benefician de un caladero muy abundante.
En España hay 12 Reservas Marinas y debería haber más.
En esta foto podemos ver dos de los ejemplares mas caracteristicos de la zona el Goldblotch grouper y el Dusky grouper.
Foto tomada en la Reserva Marina de Cabo de Palos (Murcia-España).
Copyright @2023 José Salmerón. Todos los derechos reservados.
I usually do not do reviews on specific products on Flickr. But a few people have asked me about my new heated glove liners. My winter photography was always limited because my fingers got so painfully cold if I tried to use my camera. I do not exaggerate when I say “ painfully”. These glove liners from Ororo.Canada have been so great in the 5 times I have gone out this month. One day was minus 24 when we did a morning hike.
The top picture shows the glove liners with the light to show that it is heating; the three bars indicate how much battery power I have and there is an easy on and off button that I press with my gloves on. The batteries are rechargeable and they fit in a pocket at my wrist where I plug them into a cord built into the glove pocket. I use a wool mitt over my liners to keep the warmth in. The heat radiates into my palm and around the edges of my fingers. I take the wool mitt off easily to use my camera with just the liners. I can shoot for about 10 minutes and then my fingers may start to feel cool. I will then tuck them into the mitts for just a few minutes and instantly they are warm again. No pain from the cold at all. I will look into a thin outer shell mitt instead of my wool mitts simply because I get down in the snow a lot. A shell would keep the liners drier.
The batteries seem to have a good life span in the cold and they recharge quickly. I hope this gives you something to think about. There may be other companies that have heated glove liners. Feel free to share any info in the comments for others to be informed.
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Rockwood Conservation Area has a rich and unique geological aspect. A few specific features that are a part of the environment at the Rockwood conservation area include glacier bluffs, potholes, caves and some of the oldest dated trees in Ontario.
The cave system includes a series of 12 caves, which is one of the most extensive networks in Ontario. Within the caves is a prominent feature called flowstone, which over many years is created by flowing water that deposits a type of calcium carbonate called calcite.
Another feature at Rockwood are the potholes. Within the conservation area, there is over 200 potholes that all vary in measurements. These potholes are also known as giant's kettles, which are large cavities that have been drilled by flowing water carrying stones and gravel.
As well, glacial bluffs are seen at Rockwood. These have been formed over thousands of years after the earth’s most recent ice age ended. They can be relatively small and get as large as 30 meters deep and 200 meters wide.
During a specific time of year, there is a span of a few nights during which my evening walk from work takes me past this overgrown grassy field that sits largely forgotten behind some nearby businesses. The patch of grass itself is generally not terribly noteworthy but a few times of year it grows up full of dandelions and if you walk past at night, a nearby streetlight has this lovely backlighting effect on the puffs of dandelion seeds. It is a little thing really, but something about it always catches my imagination and often I think to myself I should make a photo of the scene. This almost never happens for one reason or another. Either I don't have a camera (rare) or I don't have a tripod to put it on (much more common) or I am tired (often) or whatever. I tell myself I will get it the next night but then I either forget or by the next day the grass has been mowed down or the seeds have blown away. And this has been going on for a few years now with no images to show for this little detail I have long enjoyed. But recently I was walking by with my Pentax 67 because I was borrowing a Lensbaby and was more motivated to carry it around with me, plus I had a tripod I was carrying home from work. It was late, I was tired and hungry and then I saw this scene and remembered all the years past in which I had walked by and missed the opportunity. So I set up, fiddled around a few moments and made this exposure. I wouldn't say I am enamored of the final result (it is interesting at least) but I am glad I finally made an image. It was a good few moments to stop and photograph in.
Pentax 67
Rollei Superpan 200
Specific "riparian" crown form in Quercus robur. On the edge of the hogh steep left bank of the Volga river in Togliatti
n my last post I mentioned all the sand/dust that comes off of specific river valleys in Kluane National Park. That, of course, means the sand has to get deposited somewhere (other than my camera bag, preferably). When it’s not getting into everything I own, it tends to accumulate in spots where the wind is forced to drop it, like in this scene. This spot right next to the road was somewhat sheltered from wind, allowing the flying sand to fall to the earth and create ever-changing patterns. I tried to shoot this from outside my car, and that was a bad idea. In the end, it was only shootable from inside a closed-window vehicle. And while I had wanted to focus stack, the scene changes incredibly fast as more sand gets deposited and the sand ridges move. In the end, I was able to capture a couple abstracts of the sand which I liked. Kind of reminded me of an ever-changing fingerprint! Enjoy!
dis-CONNECT - exhibition, piece by the artist Vhils, created by chiselling onto the door itself. The exhibition (sadly now finished) was based in a Victorian townhouse with site specific work from ten international artists created in lockdown.
In July and August 2015, we spent a few weeks touring the southern Italian provinces of Basilicata, Puglia and Campania.
I am in the process of uploading a selection of photographs from that trip. As usual, whenever relevant or necessary, I will write a specific caption below in bold type.
A cathedral by the sea: the San Niccola Pellegrino Romanesque cathedral is one of the most beautiful and impressive Romanesque churches I have ever seen.
I remember when I went to see it one morning, we were staying in our rented house on the Costa Amalfitana on the Mediterranean side of southern Italy (south of Naples) and I had to drive all the way across Italy to the Adriatic coast and back in the evening. My wife didn't want to come and I kept hoping it would be worth, and boy wasn’t I disappointed!
The erection of this enormous cathedral began in 1099 and was completed by 1149, i.e., at a time when the Puglia province was under Norman domination.
Lateral view of the façade with the Adriatic in the background. The cathedral is built right next to the water.
Spain : 1972 - 1973 for this specific model. The L series are the very last 600 made in Spain. Some were exported and rebadged as FIAT.
Total production since 1957 :
815.549 units
4 cylinder 767cc rear engine
32 HP DIN @ 5000 rpm
4 speed manual gearbox
Length : 3,29m
Weight : 615 kg
Speed : 115 km/h
Creekside along the Rock Wall Trail in Kootenay National Park, summer 2023.
Nikon FE
Fuji Superia 400
Nikkor 28mm f2.8 w/ND filter
Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Squirrels, no matter the specific species, are pretty much in most wildlife's food chain. So they need to be quite vigilant. I just love it when they scurry around the landscape in a haphazard sort of way ... but then periodically stop, look, & listen. Reminds me of something I always learned in elementary school when approaching a railroad crossing or even crossing an ordinary street. LOL
Kidding aside, squirrels are a photographer's best friend when the wildlife is scarce. I can remember trudging through thigh high snow in Denali NP chasing them ... yes, it was a slow day then too.
This particular one though was taken in Yellowstone NP last May. I just loved the way this little guy popped up on the rock to survey its surroundings for danger.
Thanks for stopping by to view. Hope that everyone is having a great weekend so far.
© 2016 Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
Hello Angels,
This is the second ring I'm releasing in my "mix and match" ring collection. I always thought "Great ring design! But it can only be worn on one specific finger ... what a bummer...", well, I plan to change that (･‿･)!
Inworld snapshot: gyazo.com/75c4d07d7bd845e7adf9dafaa6a5117b
--------------------------------
How do the rings work?
The ring design is the same, yet you can wear the ring on each finger on both the left and right hand individually!
L = left hand
R = right hand
1 = thumb
2 = index finger
3 = middle finger
4 = ring finger
5 = pinky
For example:
~Cherubim~ RING NAME (Body Type) L3 -> That means the ring is rigged for the left hand, for the middle finger!
Easy, right? ^_^
eBody Version: marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Cherubim-Cavra-Ring-eBody-Re...
Jake Version: marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Cherubim-Cavra-Ring-Jake-Ver...
Legacy F Version: marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Cherubim-Cavra-Ring-Legacy-F...
Legacy M Version: marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Cherubim-Cavra-Ring-Legacy-M...
The ever-changing landscape of CSX claimed another victim last week as Grand Rapids-Detroit trains Q328 and Q329 were abolished. All traffic will now come from Chicago, which has been tried in the past. What will happen now remains to be seen, but here's the last Q329 passing the old barn in McCords under appropriately gloomy skies.
Interested in purchasing a high-quality digital download of this photo, suitable for printing and framing? Let me know and I will add it to my Etsy Shop, MittenRailandMarine! Follow this link to see what images are currently listed for sale: www.etsy.com/shop/MittenRailandMarine
If you are interested in specific locomotives, trains, or freighters, please contact me. I have been photographing trains and ships for over 15 years and have accumulated an extensive library!
An early morning shot of the beach defences at Happisburgh which are not doing the job as a lot more of the cliffs seem to have disappeared since we were last there although the cliffs do seem to consist of nothing more than mud and sand.
You do not have the right to copy, reproduce or download my images without my specific permission, doing so is a direct breach of my copyright.
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
“A bird almost universally considered “cute” thanks to its oversized round head, tiny body, and curiosity about everything, including humans…. Chickadees may be found in any habitat that has trees or woody shrubs, from forests and woodlots to residential neighborhoods and parks, and sometimes weedy fields and cattail marshes. They frequently nest in birch or alder trees…. Chickadees are active, acrobatic, curious, social birds that live in flocks, often associating with woodpeckers, nuthatches, warblers, vireos, and other small woodland species. They feed on insects and seeds, but seldom perch within several feet of one another while taking food or eating. Flocks have many calls with specific meanings, and they may contain some of the characteristics of human language….. Most birds that associate with chickadee flocks respond to chickadee alarm calls, even when their own species doesn’t have a similar alarm call.”
Status : Least concern
Source : Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Brown Acres – Jackson County – Oregon - USA