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The aim of yesterday's short walk was to have a look at an old Yorkshire Water company sighting tower
For my friend NatuurfotoRien/Rien in Holland, who loves corvids.
I had this odd notion that when I retire I would carve a totem pole, and so over the years, I learned more and more about northwest coast art, culture, and carving. One of the pieces I studied was this - a huge cedar sculpture carved by the great sculptor, Bill Reid, to whom the telling of this ancient story is credited.
Bill Reid was a Haida indian (Haida is their word for “human”). The Haida tribe lives in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of northern Canada (below Alaska), in a special place they call Haida Gwaii. Bill is widely credited for reviving the arts of the northwest coast - he was an amazing sculptor. I am disappointed I will never meet him.
The northwest coast tribes have many gods - all animals. Raven is the Haida equivalent of “fox”. Tricky, playful, smart, inquisitive - these are all qualities of Raven, whose play and trickery created the stars in the sky, the sun, the ocean and man.
The man-size (literally) sculpture is inside the University of British Columbia museum in Vancouver, Canada. When it was installed, Bill had the children of Haida Gwaii come to the installation - each with bottles of sand from the beach at Haida Gwaii, so Raven, could be installed in his native soil.
Here is his telling of their genesis myth - one of the most sacred stories in Haida culture:
The Story of the Raven Creating Man by Bill Reid
The great flood which had covered the earth for so long had receded, and even the thin strip of sand now called Rose Spit, stretching north from Naikun village lay dry. The Raven had flown there to gorge himself on the delicacies left by the receding water, so for once he wasn't hungry. But his other appetites - lust, curiosity and the unquenchable itch to meddle and provoke things, to play tricks on the world and its creatures - these remained unsatisfied.
He had recently stolen the light from the old man who kept it hidden in a box in his house in the middle of the darkness, and had scattered it throughout the sky. The new light spattered the night with stars and waxed and wane in the shape of the moon. And it dazzled the day with a single bright shining which lit up the long beach that curved from the spit beneath Raven's feet westward as far as Tao Hill. Pretty as it was, it looked lifeless and so to the Raven quite boring. He gave a great sigh, crossed his wings behind his back and walked along the sand, his shiny head cocked, his sharp eyes and ears alert for any unusual sight or sound. Then taking to the air, he called petulantly out to the empty sky. To his delight, he heard an answering cry - or to describe it more closely, a muffled squeak.
At first he saw nothing, but as he scanned the beach again, a white flash caught his eye, and when he landed he found at his feet, buried in the sand, a gigantic clamshell. When he looked more closely still, he saw that the shell was full of little creatures cowering in terror of his enormous shadow.
Well, here was something to break the monotony of his day. But nothing was going to happen as long as the tiny things stayed in the shell, and they certainly weren't coming out in their present terrified state. So the Raven leaned his great head close to the shell, and with the smooth trickster's tongue that had got him into and out of so many misadventures during his troubled and troublesome existence, he coaxed and cajoled and coerced the little creatures to come out and play in his wonderful, shiny new world. As you know the Raven speaks in two voices, one harsh and strident, and the other, which he used now, a seductive bell-like croon which seems to come from the depths of the sea, or out of the cave where the winds are born. It is an irresistible sound, one of the loveliest sounds in the world. So it wasn't long before one and then another of the little shell-dwellers timidly emerged. Some of them immediately scurried back when they saw the immensity of the sea and the sky, and the overwhelming blackness of the Raven. But eventually curiosity overcame caution and all of them had crept or scrambled out. Very strange creatures they were: two-legged like the Raven, but there the resemblance ended. They had no glossy feathers, no thrusting beak. Their skin was pale, and they were naked except for the long black hair on their round, flat-featured heads. Instead of strong wings, they had thin stick-like appendages that waved, and fluttered constantly. They were the original Haidas, the first humans.
For a long time the Raven amused himself with his new playthings, watching them as they explored their much expanded-world. Sometimes they helped one another in their new discoveries. Just as often, they squabbled over some novelty they found on the beach. And the Raven taught them some clever tricks, at which they proved remarkably adept. But the Raven's attention span was brief, and he grew tired of his small companions. For one thing, they were all males. He had looked up and down the beach for female creatures, hoping to make the game more interesting, but females were nowhere to be found. He was about to shove the now tired, demanding and quite annoying little creatures back into their shell and forget about them when suddenly - as happens so often with the Raven - he had an idea.
He picked up the men, and in spite of their struggles and cries of fright he put them on his broad back, where they hid themselves among his feathers. Then the Raven spread his wings and flew to North Island. the tide was low, and the rocks, as he had expected, were covered with those large but soft-lipped molluscs known as red chitons. The Raven shook himself gently, and the men slid down his back to the sand. The he flew to the rock and with his strong beak pried a chiton from its surface.
Now, if any of you have ever examined the underside of a chiton, you may begin to understand what the Raven had in his libidinous, devious mind. He threw back his head and flung the chiton at the nearest of the men. His aim was as unerring as only a great magician's can be, and the chiton found its mark in the delicate groin of the startled, shell-born creature. There the chiton attached itself firmly. Then as sudden as spray hitting the rocks from a breaking wave, a shower of chitons broke over the wide-eyed humans, as each of the open-mouthed shellfish flew inexorably to its target.
Nothing quite like this had ever happened to the men. They had never dreamed of such a thing during their long stay in the clamshell. They were astounded, embarrassed, confused by a rush of new emotions and sensations. They shuffled and squirmed, uncertain whether it was pleasure or pain they were experiencing. They threw themselves down on the beach, where a great storm seemed to break over them, followed just as suddenly by a profound calm. One by one the chitons dropped off. The men staggered to their feet and headed slowly down the beach, followed by the raucous laughter of the Raven, echoing all the way to the great island to the north which we now call Prince of Wales.
That first troop of male humans soon disappeared behind the nearest headland, passing out of the games of the Raven and the story of humankind. Whether they found their way back to the shell, or lived out their lives elsewhere, or perished in the strange environment in which they found themselves, nobody remembers, and perhaps nobody cares. They had played their roles and gone their way.
Meanwhile the chitons had made their way back to the rock, where they attached themselves as before. But they too had been changed. As high tide followed low and the great storms of winter gave way to the softer rains and warm sun of spring, the chitons grew and grew, many times larger than their kind had ever been before. Their jointed shells seemed about to fly apart from the enormous pressure within them. And one day a huge wave swept over the rock, tore them from their footholds and carried them back to the beach. As the water receded and the warm sun dried the sand, a great stirring began among the chitons. From each emerged a brown skinned, black-haired human. This time there were both males and females among them, and the Raven could begin his greatest game: the one that still goes on.
They were no timid shell-dwellers these, but children of the wild coast, born between the sea and land, challenging the strength of the stormy North Pacific and wresting from it rich livelihood. Their descendants built on its beaches the strong, beautiful homes of the Haidas and embellished them with the powerful heraldic carvings that told of the legendary beginnings of great families, all the heros and heroines and the gallant beasts and monsters who shaped their world and their destinies. For many generations they grew and flourished, built and created, fought and destroyed, living according to the changing seasons and the unchanging rituals of their rich and complex lives.
It's nearly over now. Most of the villages are abandoned, and those which have not entirely vanished lie in ruins. The people who remain are changed. The sea has lost much of its richness, and great areas of land itself lie in waste. Perhaps it's time the Raven started looking for another clamshell.
A small crowd formed at Monarch to witness the unbelievable sight for 2021 of three SD40-2Fs cowl units powering a train on a Class 1 railroad. Here the dynamic trio are pulling towards to west switch at Monarch to begin spotting a customer and lifting their train of empty ballast cars. Unfortunately for us, that also spelled the end of our short chase in daylight.
Walking with 2 friends in the Humber Bay Shores Park tonight. We can see our Condo building in the distance.
A rare sight around this area (Bearsden) - a number 60A bus! Taking my life in my hands standing in the central reservation of Maryhill Road though I once did similar on the Champs Elysee. Not much difference.
Grand Canyon, South Rim, at the Desert View Watchtower historical landmark.
We knew it was coming, but didn't expect it to unfold this way.
We were carefully monitoring this site for a while and I'm safe to publish this as they are ready to move on with their life.
In a middle of a busy urban park , white-faced heron nest. very successful season for them , Third offspring is behind the left-one.
White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae - Jells Lake - VIC ( 20-10-2017)
Nobbys Head in Newcastle, NSW, was first sighted by a European, Captain James Cook on 10th May 1770. A pier which took 38 years to construct by convict labour joined this island to the mainland. A lighthouse is located on the headland. Today there is a popular walkway up to Nobbys Head. It lies at the entrance of Newcastle Harbour.
I love the clouds in this image!
Another photo of the beautiful female leopard that ran alongside the road as we were driving along. We stopped the car and she came up beside the car and hid behind a bush and began watching some Impala on the opposite side. They spotted her and she decided to just sit and wait. There were no other cars around for quite a while, so a wonderful sighting where we had her to ourselves for photos.
Follow the Link to find out where to win 1200L for my one year anniversary of blogging, also Find out where to get all the items you see in this picture mainly ft. Foreign, Little Miss, and Clove all at the Ninety Nine October 2016 Event: delisadventures.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/clown-sighting/
Tensioning there was a tree that immediately looked at what I was doing and probably also wanted to get into the frame! I could not refuse him!
Formosa Beach - Torres Vedras - Portugal
Formosa is located in the southern part of Santa Cruz, bordered to the south by the Amoeira Beach Amoeira and north to Guincho Beach.
Forming a small but very nice and cozy bay surrounded by lofty and rugged cliffs, is a very sheltered beach that protects swimmers from the cold north winds, making this beach frequented at all seasons of the year.
Beach served by an extensive, but narrow but narrow sandy area, is a beautiful bay that invites for a paused and relaxed swim.
Due to its location within the urban environment and, being endowed with various infrastructure and beach facilities, it becomes convenient for all Santa Cruz residents - way walk to the beach.
Nikon D800 + Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4.0G ED VR @ 18 mm
ISO 50 - f/11 - 15 sec
Lee Pro Glass ND 0.9 + Lee GND 0.6 HE + Lee GND 0.3 SE
A rare sight. Swallows sitting still! LOL!
I've tried to catch them skimming the lake but they are just too fast for me!
This little village really has the best beach! Beautiful structures, stones covered with moss, a lot of wooden poles and of course the sight of Cap Blanc-nez!
There’s something highly exciting for children about escaping someone else’s sight. Perhaps it is from playing "Boo" when you hold a hand in front of your face then say "boo" as you move the hand away. It often gets a smile from both baby and adult. At an early stage children believe they can not be seen if their eyes are covered as though when two people can not see each others' eyes they become invisible. Does this go on into adulthood? When we don't look at a beggar does that make them invisible?
Maybe I think too much on Sundays?
Leaving Varanasi was difficult to do, but had to follow my plans. After, a plane trip back to Delhi and a three hour road trip, I reached Agra.
This iconic site in Agra, India has never been high on my list of things to see. Places like this seem over rated and definitely are crowded. I hate crowds and detest crowds caused by tours. People lose all of their civility when found in this environment. None the less, I braved all of this to see the marble wonder.
I got there right after it opened in the early morning hours as did a swarm of others. I must say that the white marble masterpiece is a sight to behold and I tried use the spectators to partially frame the shot. I do believe that the white marble is the most beautiful in the light of the early morning rather than later in the morning.
A reminder that all of my images are copyrighted and are not for your use in any way unless you contact me. Thank you for dropping by. I greatly appreciate your visits and comments.
www.divine-name.info/coins.htm
Image:
Sight on Sluis. At the bottem the coat of arms.
Text:
* IEHOVAH * PRIVS * DEDERAT * ORDIN-TRAIEC
Another photo of a leopard that we saw as we were driving around Kruger National Park. We were so lucky on this day with four leopard sightings - 2 on the ground and 2 in trees.
In just over a week we will be in the air on our way to the UK, so I will be slowing down on my South African adventure photos. I will still add some from time to time though - I have so many.
Mine arrived yesterday and I must say that I am very happy with her.
Her hair is very stiff (like concrete! ;) but the style is very nice and the gel used is good- you cannot see marks from a hair net, it does not flock and there is none of it on her face.
While some fellow collectors find the fashion and especially the shoes and jewelry in combination with the fluffy dress too edgy, I must say I love it. I mean, hey, who really wants another Sunday dress with flower print for their dolls?? One of the reasons why I nevr got a Tonner doll is that their ensembles are mostly way too conservative for me.
Blue sky and fluffy white clouds are a sight to behold when near this building, the tallest in Philadelphia.
Many were critical of it's design when it hit the skyline, but those folks must have never seen it on days like this. I could shoot here till my battery died. Sun in and out of clouds making for unique light.
I shot this and a few others, all of which brought a smile to my face. I can't remember if I shot this vertical or horizontal, but this is how it imported to LR and I rather liked it.
I know this is a familiar face in my stream, but I'll keep showing it until I stop smiling.
Three Amtrak P42's in Erving, MA sure were a sight on a misty morning in August, 2014. As evidenced by the white flags, this was an "Extra" movement for the American Association of Private Railcar Owners as they were en route to Portland, Maine. This was really cool to see, and I am very glad I got up to see it.