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The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star comprising about 99.86% of the total mass of the Solar System. It is a near-perfect sphere, with an oblateness estimated at about 9 millionths,which means that its polar diameter differs from its equatorial diameter by only 10 km. As the Sun consists of a plasma and is not solid, it rotates faster at its equator than at its poles. This behavior is known as differential rotation, and is caused by convection in the Sun and the movement of mass, due to steep temperature gradients from the core outwards. This mass carries a portion of the Sun’s counter-clockwise angular momentum, as viewed from the ecliptic north pole, thus redistributing the angular velocity. The period of this actual rotation is approximately 25.6 days at the equator and 33.5 days at the poles. However, due to our constantly changing vantage point from the Earth as it orbits the Sun, the apparent rotation of the star at its equator is about 28 days. The centrifugal effect of this slow rotation is 18 million times weaker than the surface gravity at the Sun's equator. The tidal effect of the planets is even weaker, and does not significantly affect the shape of the Sun
I just love this shot. A poppy gets a foothold on the retaining wall of the Theater of Dionysos on the flanks of the Acropolis in Athens. But, besides making for a nice photo, this shot shows off some significant ancient masonry. This wall dates to early Imperial Roman days and represents the final set of major renovations to the theater, holding back the earthen bank making up 'house right'. The incised marginal draft, highlighting the perfection of the fit between the drystone blocks, is characteristic of Roman large ashlar masonry of the time.
To view more of my images, of Stowe Landscape Gardens please click
"here"
Please, no images, or group invites, thank you!
The gardens (known as Stowe Landscape Gardens), a significant example of the English garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust in 1989 and are open to the public. The parkland surrounding the gardens is open 365 days a year. National Trust members have free access to the gardens but there is a charge for all visitors to the house which goes towards the costs of restoring the building. In the 1690s, Stowe had a modest early-baroque parterre garden, owing more to Italy than to France, but it has not survived, and, within a relatively short time, Stowe became widely renowned for its magnificent gardens created by Lord Cobham. The Landscape garden was created in three main phases, showing the development of garden design in 18th-century England (this is the only garden where all three designers worked). From 1711 to c.1735 Charles Bridgeman was the garden designer and John Vanbrugh the architect from c.1720 until his death in 1726. They designed an English baroque park, inspired by the work of London, Wise and Switzer. After Vanbrugh's death James Gibbs took over as architect in September 1726. He also worked in the English Baroque style. In 1731 William Kent was appointed to work with Bridgeman, whose last designs are dated 1735 after which Kent took over as the garden designer. Kent had already created the glorious garden at Rousham House, and he and Gibbs built temples, bridges, and other garden structures. Kent's masterpiece at Stowe is the Elysian Fields with its Temple of Ancient Virtue that looks across to his Temple of British Worthies. Kent's architectural work was in the newly fashionable Palladian style. In March 1741, Capability Brown was appointed head gardener. He worked with Gibbs until 1749 and with Kent until the latter's death in 1748. Brown departed in the autumn of 1751 to start his independent career as a garden designer. In these years, Bridgeman's octagonal pond and 11-acre (4.5 ha) lake were extended and given a "naturalistic" shape, and a Palladian bridge was added in 1744, probably to Gibbs's design. Brown contrived a Grecian valley which, despite its name, is an abstract composition of landform and woodland, and developed the Hawkwell Field, with Gibbs's most notable building, the Gothic Temple (now one of the properties leased from the National Trust but maintained by The Landmark Trust). As Loudon remarked in 1831, "nature has done little or nothing; man a great deal, and time has improved his labours". After Brown left, Earl Temple, who had inherited Stowe from his uncle Lord Cobham, turned to a garden designer called Richard Woodward, who had been gardener at Wotton House, the Earl's previous home. The work of naturalising the landscape started by Brown was continued under Woodward and was accomplished by the mid-1750s. At the same time Earl Temple turned his attention to the various temples and monuments. He altered several of Vanburgh's and Gibbs's temples to make them conform to his taste for Neoclassical architecture. To accomplish this he employed Giovanni Battista Borra from 1752 to 1756. Also at this time several monuments were moved to other parts of the garden. Earl Temple made further alterations in the gardens from the early 1760s. This is when several of the older structures were demolished and this time he turned to his cousin Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford who was assisted by Borra, whose most notable design was the Corinthian Arch. The next owner of Stowe, the Marquess of Buckingham, made relatively few changes to the gardens. He planted the two main approach avenues, added 28-acre (11 ha) to the garden east of the Cobham Monument and altered a few buildings. Vincenzo Valdrè was his architect and built a few new structures such as The Menagerie with its formal garden and the Buckingham Lodges at the southern end of the Grand Avenue, and most notably the Queen's Temple. He also created the formal gardens within the balustrade he added to the south front of the house and demolished a few more monuments in the gardens. The last significant changes to the gardens were made by the next two owners of Stowe, the 1st and 2nd Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos. The former succeeded in buying the Lamport Estate in 1826, which was immediately to the east of the gardens, adding 17 acres (6.9 ha) to the south-east of the gardens to form the Lamport gardens. This work was overseen by the head gardener, James Brown, who remodelled the eastern arm of the Octagon Lake and created a cascade beyond the Palladian Bridge. From 1840 the 2nd Duke of Buckingham's gardener Mr Ferguson created rock and water gardens in the new garden. The architect Edward Blore was also employed to build the Lamport Lodge and Gates as a carriage entrance, and also remodelled the Water Stratford Lodge at the start of the Oxford Avenue. As Stowe evolved from an English baroque garden into a pioneering landscape park, the gardens became an attraction for many of the nobility, including political leaders. Indeed, Stowe is said to be the first English garden for which a guide book was produced. Wars and rebellions were reputedly discussed among the garden's many temples; the artwork of the time reflected this by portraying caricatures of the better-known politicians of history taking their ease in similar settings. Stowe began to evolve into a series of natural views to be appreciated from a perambulation rather than from a well-chosen central point. In their final form the Gardens were the largest and most elaborate example of what became known in Europe as the English garden. The main gardens, enclosed within the ha-has (sunken or trenched fences) over four miles (6 km) in length, cover over 400 acres (160 ha), but the park also has many buildings, including gate lodges and other monuments. Many of the temples and monuments in the garden celebrate the political ideas of the Whig party and include quotes by many of the writers who are part of Augustan literature, also philosophers and ideas belonging to the Age of Enlightenment.
Stowe House is a grade I listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school and is owned by the Stowe House Preservation Trust who have to date (March 2013) spent more than £25m on the restoration of the house. Stowe House is regularly open to the public and can be explored by guided tour all year round or during the school holidays you can explore at your own pace with a multimedia guide.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To view a map of the gardens, please click "here"
This Common Myna has procured a food item. As an introduced species, Common Myna can disrupt existing ecological processes — an effect that can be particularly significant on an island such as Taiwan. I saw this bird on my first day of birding in that country, with excellent guide An (David) Chou, when we went to some areas in Yilan County southeast of the capital city of Taipei.
A bird's eye view of the former Rockingham (Anglican) Church (1875-1941) in Rockingham, Ontario, Canada.
The Rockingham Church, formerly known as St. Leonard's Anglican Church, was built by Reverend John S. J. Watson and others around 1875 when the hamlet of Rockingham was a thriving community. Essentially abandoned in the 1940s, closed in 1941, and by the mid-1990s the building had deteriorated significantly. Watson was the founder of Rockingham, at the time known as Watson's Mill.
In 1995, the Friends of the Rockingham Church formed to save the building from destruction. Major structural repairs were carried out in 1999 and 2000.
A post and beam structure, the building is a unique survivor of its kind in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada, and one of the oldest remaining buildings in the area.
In 1999, the Townships of Brudenell, Lyndoch & Raglan designated the church a heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Here's a history of the Rockingham Church: rockinghamchurch.org/a-little-history/
As well as this one, with podcasts regarding John Watson: As well as this one: rockinghamchurch.org/
We had our first significant snowfall today. It was about four inches of heavy wet stuff that I expected would melt quickly, but it didn't. More is on the way. This scene was close enough to home for me to walk to. Those cottonwoods were bright yellow just a day ago, so I guess most autumn foliage photography is done for the year.
The significant population of African Elephants that use the Amboseli National Park are the real key draw for safari tourists like ourselves. These elephants are free to roam wherever they please but the conditions and environment afforded by the National Park mean that many are found within the confines of the park all year round.
We did see elephants elsewhere on our safari travels but not in anywhere near the same numbers. There is of course plenty of other wildlife to be found within this park but the wide open spaces and large population of elephants and of course their shear size meant that it was the elephants that caught our attention.
Note the lone large bull elephant in the background.
Pentax K-1, SMC Pentax-M 28/2.8
For PentaxForums Single in October Challenge
I've cut back my booze intake significantly in the past few weeks - STRICTLY FOR VANITY and not for "actual" health reasons. I just don't need the calories. :-) I've replaced late night wine with herbal tea. I'm getting results and it's a delightful ritual, anyway, especially since the weather is getting chilly.
2019 was one of those record-setting wet springs in the southwest. Spurred by significant rainfall, many desert areas had super blooms of wildflowers. Driving along familiar highway and various other roads, David and I remembered those areas being desolate with little plant life. This time around, we were driving through perfume-laden roads and carpets of yellows and purples surrounded us.
One of such super bloom fields was this stretch of desert sunflowers. Measuring a few inches across, these flowers were some of the larger blooming varietals. Even in the harshest and dry environment flowers find a way to thrive when the conditions are right.
My second pass at this object. Captured a few more hours of data to add to the first set. I used very short exposures with the rgb camera to avoid the bright star nearby (Gamma Cassiopeiae) from over saturating the surrounding area.
"Cassiopeia's Ghost Nebula is a reflection and emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is often referred to as "Cassiopeia’s Ghost" due to its wispy, ghostly appearance. Here is an overview of its key characteristics:
Location and Distance: Cassiopeia’s Ghost Nebula lies approximately 550 light-years away from Earth. It is located near the bright star Gamma Cassiopeiae, a variable star that plays a critical role in illuminating the nebula.
Appearance and Structure: The nebula appears as a faint, ghostly cloud, with delicate, wispy features that resemble spectral forms. It has a combination of emission and reflection characteristics:
Emission Features: The red hue of the nebula comes from the ionization of hydrogen gas caused by the ultraviolet radiation from Gamma Cassiopeiae.
Reflection Features: The blue tones in the nebula are the result of starlight from Gamma Cassiopeiae being reflected off the surrounding dust particles.
Illuminating Star: Gamma Cassiopeiae, a massive and highly energetic Be-type star, is the primary source of radiation that influences the nebula. The intense radiation from this star causes the hydrogen gas in the nebula to glow and the dust to scatter the light.
Visibility and Observing: Cassiopeia’s Ghost Nebula is relatively faint and best observed through long-exposure astrophotography. It can be challenging to see with small telescopes but becomes more apparent with the use of filters and under dark sky conditions.
Scientific Interest: The nebula is of significant interest to astronomers studying the effects of stellar radiation on interstellar matter. It serves as an example of how nearby massive stars can shape and alter the appearance of nebulae."
Askar ACL200: 200mm f/4, ASI533MM : Ha 36x5m , Sii 34x5m
Askar ACL200: 200mm f/4, ASI533MC : rgb 821@15s
Nikon 70-200mm 200mm f/2.8, ASI533MM : Oiii 56@5m
Guided on ZWO AM5
Captured with N.I.N.A. processed with PixInsight, Ps
Having been rained off in the morning from shooting Kirkjufell we stopped on our way backlit a service station for coffee . We spotted a picture on the wall of the church but had no idea how significant a landmark it was in Iceland .
I can't believe I was able to capture this moment. The moment of the male placing his wing on the female while they make eye contact is a rare and deeply personal glimpse into their interaction from what I've read. This type of behavior isn't just endearing—it's also a significant moment reflecting their bond and potential courtship or pair maintenance.
This might just be the most significant tree stump in Tasmanian history. In 1976 on this very site a group of conservationists across all political groups decided to establish The Wilderness Society. It was to become the major organiser of the campaign to save the Franklin and Gordon rivers from being dammed.
"Wilderness - Celebrating Australia's Protected Places"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU2cs53qvXw
This old tree (not a native) had been planted in the 1890s by the original settlers, and provided plenty of firewood when it was felled. But the stump became a symbol. Like the mythical Round Table in King Arthur's court, this table-like stump has been sat around for many years as environmentalists discussed their plans to protect the Tasmanian wilderness.
August 27, 2011 - Amherst Nebraska
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"Stacked Plates" is storm chasers jargon for us to describe a strongly striated mesocyclone! Oh this was a B E A U T Y!
Late August 2011. This was a LP (Low Precip) Storm, and she didn't drop an ounce of rain. If anything did come down it evaporated before it hit the ground. It was so damn hot and humid and was just happy the sun was blocked out by the clouds and then this came along. Along with the severe warning it had on it a few counties north of my location as it moved south.
You can clearly see the mid-level inflow bands. Better known as striations. These were so well defined it was jaw dropping!
When the storm got close enough I couldn't really see or verify a wall cloud of any type. We had a few lowerings, but nothing significant to get me to report it. So I really can't call this a supercell. But it sure was fun one to witness!
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The Scott–Vrooman House is both an architecturally and historically significant home located in Bloomington. Ground was broken in 1869 on a three-story Italianate style house on an acre of high ground in what was then known as Dimmett's Grove. The Italianate-style residence was designed by architect G.W. Bunting for Matthew T. and Julia Green Scott.
A major remodeling of the house in 1900-1901 saw it enlarged by approximately sixty percent. The architect for the remodeling was Arthur L. Pillsbury, who added Romanesque features such as the arches on two new porches. Today the house remains a good example of a brick Italianate house that was sympathetically expanded, using terra cotta and brick, in Romanesque style. The exterior and floor plan of the house are unaltered since the renovation of 1900-1901.
The house is historically significant because of the national and state prominence of two of its occupants: Mrs. Julia Green Scott (1839-1923) and her son-in-law, Carl Vrooman. Matthew T. Scott made his fortune in real estate as a pioneer landlord and gentleman farmer. When he died in 1891, Mrs. Scott took on the management of 12,000 acres of farm land, using scientific methods to increase production. She enrolled forty of her tenant farmers in agricultural courses at the University of Illinois. She undertook the major renovation of her home in 1900-1901, and along the way was elected president of the McLean County Coal Company. During the Flu Pandemic of 1918, she turned this spacious home into a hospital.
Mrs. Scott also exerted leadership through the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) which, at that time, was the most influential body of women in America. Mrs. Scott's sister, Letitia Stevenson, was wife of U.S. Vice President Adlai Stevenson I and one of the founders of the D.A.R.
Julia Scott, the daughter of Matthew and Julia Green Scott, was married to Carl Schurz Vrooman. Vrooman (1872-1966) was an intellectual. He was an author, orator, and reformer who served as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture during Woodrow Wilson's two terms as President of the United States. He also was the originator of the war garden campaign during World War I that served as a precursor to the Victory Garden campaigns during World War II. City residents were urged to transform their yards into gardens, with the aim of having every section of the country self-supporting in the way of vegetables for food. After World War I, Vrooman directed the shipment of more than a billion bushels of corn to restore Europe's shattered agriculture.
The Scott-Vrooman House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Vrooman Mansion is now a bed and breakfast.
Bloomington is the seat of McLean County. It is adjacent to Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington is 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago, and 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis. The estimated population of Bloomington in 2019 was 77,330, with a metro population of 191,067.
When a significant rainstorm rolls across the open desert area east of where I live, not only does the water level in the Mojave River rise, but west of the river, the shallow basins among the scrub brush pool with rainwater, too, like this low spot near the western escarpment did after a cold front blew through late last winter. A slim crescent of ice can be seen on the near end of the shallow pool, wrought by the freezing nighttime temperatures.
Film: The film I shot this image with, 35mm Eastman Panchro No. 10, came from Adam Paul of the ClassicFilmShop on Etsy. It was packaged as vintage unexposed motion picture film when he bought it, with a perforated paper leader about 10ft/3m long, and had an expiration date of 1931. He shot some test rolls with a still camera, found it was viable film, estimated the film speed to be around ISO 0.3, cut some of the film in 20-exposure lengths, and loaded them into half a dozen 35mm cartridges. He warned that there was some moderate fog, biased toward one edge (see the image's top edge), and that there was some slight delamination, with the emulsion beginning to separate from the base, also along one edge (I lost a couple of images because of edge separation on their negatives during development). Despite the caveats, I thought I'd give it a try—how often can you shoot film that expired in 1931? I suspect that the "No. 10" in the film's name represents the original film speed, ASA 10. As I mentioned in the notes to my recent picture with the Reyna Cross III in which I used expired Perutz film, Perutz made an early film for the first Leica in 1925 with a film speed of ASA 4. By 1926, Perutz film speed was up to ASA 7, and by 1930, film speeds of ASA 10-12 were common. So for this film expired in 1931, ASA 10 sounds about right.
Camera: To shoot this 1931 film, I wanted to use a camera from the same period. It would have to use 35mm film, and have a tripod mount and B shutter setting for the long exposures necessary because of the slow film speed. The nearest I had was a 1938 Kodak Bantam 4.5. It's an 828 film camera, but 828 is, after all, simply 35mm roll film without the sprocket holes. So I rolled eight exposures of film from one of the Panchro No. 10 cartridges in homemade 828 backing paper, cut down from old 120 backing paper (www.pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=spool828), and off I went :-) I used my Dad's old Stanrite Superpod tripod from the early 60s, and shot two images at each of four different places, three in the Mojave riverbed, and one in the barnyard, each time using two different shutter/aperture settings: one second at f/5.6, and two seconds at f/8. I developed the film in Arista Liquid Developer (1+9) for 7:25 minutes @ 67 degrees, and scanned it with an Epson V600 scanner. An interesting adventure :-)
Museum Marta Herford, Germany
With its flowing and tilting walls, Marta in Herford, East Westphalia, is one of the most unusual museum buildings worldwide. For the facade, American star architect Frank Gehry chose dark red bricks, which contrast with the bright stainless steel roof and the white plastered building core.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Herford had developed into a significant location for its furniture and clothing industry. This highly productive and globally active economic structure led committed individuals in 1996 to the idea of setting an unmistakable mark in the region. The basic idea was to bring together art, economy, and society in a spectacular building. The decision for Frank Gehry as architect and Jan Hoet as founding director gave the project its decisive direction. On May 7, 2005, Marta Herford was finally ceremoniously opened with great public interest.
The swinging movement of the forms is echoed in the loose arrangement of stones on the ground, and the undulating roofscape also reflects the adjacent course of the Aa river. Inside the museum, this continues: as dynamic spatial volumes with an almost dance-like choreography, the architecture transforms every exhibition into a unique spatial experience. In addition to the galleries, the Gehry building also includes the light-filled Marta Café with an outdoor terrace by the water, the museum shop, and an event forum. A completely different architectural language of straight lines and right angles opens up to visitors in the lobby.
The core of the museum is an former textile factory of the Ahlers company, which was built in 1959 by Walter Lippold. Gehry left this building largely unchanged in its basic structure. While the first floor of this existing building houses additional exhibition spaces with the Lippold Gallery, above it are the Marta Studio, the Marta offices and seminar rooms, as well as the premises of the associations of the wood and furniture industry of North Rhine-Westphalia. With its opening in May 2005, the city of Herford also sent a clear signal for a future-oriented development of the station district. The sculptures around the Marta grounds are among the most important artworks in the city. In recent years, the museum has also contributed through its gradual expansion to visitors experiencing Marta as a vibrant meeting place. Thus, the Marta Studio on the second floor offers ideal conditions for a diverse workshop program in museum education. And the idyllic garden at the Marta Depot, designed by the renowned “atelier le balto”, invites visitors to a spontaneous stay with a view of the river at any time.
Phanom Rung, one of the largest and most significant of all Khmer temples in Thailand, is located on top of an extinct volcano. The temple was build between the 10th and 13th century on the ancient route from the Khmer capital Angkor Thom to Phimai, the site of another large Khmer temple further West in Nakhon Ratchasima. A 160 meter long processional walkway leads to the impressive central sanctuary. As the main sanctuary was constructed out of pink sandstone, Phanom Rung is also known as “stone castle”. Phanom Rung has been restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department. The monument has been submitted to UNESCO’s tentative list for consideration as a future World Heritage Site.
It has been slow at the stream the last few days.
I think i know why.
Cooper's hawk, Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 10, 2022.
Photo by Anne, through the Wonderful Wildlife Window.
Accipiter cooperii.
Life is tricky for male Cooper’s Hawks. As in most hawks, males are significantly smaller than their mates. The danger is that female Cooper’s Hawks specialize in eating medium-sized birds. Males tend to be submissive to females and to listen out for reassuring call notes the females make when they’re willing to be approached. Males build the nest, then provide nearly all the food to females and young over the next 90 days before the young fledge.
source-allaboutbirds-org
The 'Pearl of the Adriatic', on the Dalmatian coast, was an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik was historically based on maritime trade. As the capital of the Republic of Ragusa, a maritime republic, the city achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy. The beginning of tourism in Dubrovnik is associated with the construction of the Imperial Hotel in Dubrovnik in 1897. According to CNNGo, Dubrovnik is among the 10 best preserved medieval walled cities in the world. Although Dubrovnik was demilitarised in the 1970s to protect it from war, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) for seven months and received significant shelling damage. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
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Thank you all known and unknown friends in Flickr for your visit
After their numbers were significantly purged a few years ago at the height of the "PSR" fever, kept thinking that I would have shot my last KCS 70Mac. But guess it was just a run of good luck, as I kept running across them right up to my last visit before the CP takeover. While many seemed to be assigned to bigger locals and transfer jobs, over the last year a few ventured out into the regular freight pool again. Here we have the 3943 leading a newer Ace on the daily Artesia to Shreveport manifest, passing by the old feed mill at Choudrant.
With a Minolta MC Rokkor-PF 58mm f1.4. Stopped down a little. This lens sharpens up significantly stopped down just a couple of clicks.
The River Mawddach in Gwynedd, North Wales, has its source in a wide area of Snowdonia. It is 28 miles in length, and many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river. The catchment area is bounded to the east by the Aran Fawddwy massif and to the west and north by the Harlech dome which forms a watershed just south of Llyn Trawsfynydd. The Mawddach flows into the sea at Barmouth.
The river is prone to very rapid rise and fall in level depending on rainfall. Rainfall can also be very heavy and it falls on very base-poor soils leading to episodes of strongly depressed pH. Despite this, the river sustains an important salmon and trout fishery and the countryside through which it flows is some of the most spectacular and scenic in the UK.
Atop a rock outcrop ridge overlooking the barren strip mined wastelands significant of the Pennsylvania coal belt region, a faded purple 1970s era, MGB automobile emerged across the horizon, appearing to float above the tree topped hills. A head turner for sure, for upon second glance a red Ford pickup truck could also be spotted, upon which the MGB was ever so precariously balanced. A confusing sight to comprehend, especially while cruising at highway speeds down Interstate 81 while trying to maintain lanes. Soon the highway gently curved in toward the natural topography of the surrounding terrain and with it the hovering automobiles became obscured, lost behind a hill of trees. This all happened so quickly, I at first wondered if the bizarre sight was just a coal country mirage, perhaps my eyes were merely playing tricks upon me, fatigued by the endless expanse of repetitive woodland scenes.
With a desire to investigate further, I took the next exit and soon found myself walking along a railroad bed roughly paralleling the interstate highway I had just exited from. The strong summer sun beat relentlessly across my face, the dry heat amplified further by the coal and ashen laden soil which resonated the suns rays right back at me like a convection oven, evaporating my sweat before it could even form. The seldom used tracks cut along the base of a strip mined mountain, providing little shade. The further I walked the steeper the mountain became and the more I hated myself for leaving my water bottle back in the car. Unprepared to bushwhack up a sheer cliff face where I suspected up top the vehicles to exist, I decided to backtrack toward where I saw a power line cut meander up the mountain face. It became evident that this electric pole right-of-way was also actively used by ATVs and dirt bikes for a well worn trail zig-zagged up toward to my presumed destination.
The trail turned out to be quite treacherous as the loose dry sandy soil and gravel ripped up by barrages of ATVs, resulted in many steps forward actually being three steps backward. Despite the rapid regression at times, progress was made and the terrain began to level out. Atop the summit, a second narrower trail lead off in into the shaded woods. If it weren't for the spray painted sign reading "car totem pole --->" I'd probably have been lost and summited the mountain for no reason. This trail continued for a solid half mile until right before my very eyes the floating MGB appeared yet again. This time however I could be sure it was no mirage. As I walked closer I could see an iron beam had been driven through the center of at least half a dozen vintage automobiles all stacked upon another. Four guy wires anchored the vehicles to the ground below, preventing the vehicles from spinning around the pole like larger then life Christmas decorations. A car shish kebab I thought to myself, until I stopped and realized "no, it's a shish carbab", an automotive effigy that can truly only exist in Pennsylvania, land of abandoned automobiles. And with such a realization, I knew I had a future story and a photo title, but still no water and a steep climb back down a mountain ahead of me.
A view of the Oglesby Mansion on William St. in Decatur, where lawyer, former Civil War General, Illinois Governor, and U.S. Senator Richard J. Oglesby (1824-1899) and his second wife Emma lived from 1874 to 1882. Oglesby was elected to serve as Illinois Governor in the elections of 1864, 1872, and 1884. After being inaugurated for this second term as Governor in 1873, Oglesby stepped down from his office to be appointed to the United States Senate by his Lt. Governor, John Lourie Beveridge, who had become Governor following Oglesby's resignation. Oglesby served a full six-year term to the U.S. Senate from 1873 to 1879. In 1884, Oglesby was elected Governor for a third time, and completed his full term which ended in 1889. After an unsuccessful run to be reelected to his Senate seat. Oglesby spent his remaining years in retirement and died at his "Oglehurst" estate in Elkhart, Illinois, where he is buried.
Oglesby purchased the property on which the house was built in 1859, and apparently lived in an older structure that was incorporated in the extant house. By 1868-69, Governor Oglesby contacted a Chicago architect, William LeBaron Jenney (father of the skyscraper) to provide plans for a new house. After the death of his first wife, Anna, the plans were put aside. The governor and his second wife, Emma, brought them back out after their marriage, modified them, and hired D.C. Shockley, a Decatur contractor, as the builder. The new house was attached to the east side of the old house, and the old one was used for a kitchen and servants’ quarters.
The house was built in the Italianate style with a low pitched roof and a widow’s walk. The decorative brackets are one of the main features of the Italianate style. On the front of the house are two-story bay windows of contrasting design with diamond-shaped window panes. The main floor of the house features a library, dining room, parlor, sun porch, and kitchen. The second floor was the family’s private space, containing several bedrooms. Eleven-foot ceilings are emphasized by long, narrow windows
and french doors. There are eight fireplaces.
In 1972 the mansion was purchased by the Macon County Conservation District with a state grant. Restoration began in 1976. The care and operation of the house are under the direction of the Governor Oglesby Mansion, Inc.
The Richard Oglesby House is a significant architectural and historical property in the Decatur Historic District, a residential historic district in the Millikin Heights neighborhood of Decatur. The district encompasses the city's historic Near West and Southwest neighborhoods and was formed beginning in the 1850s and continuing through the 1920s. The Decatur Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Decatur is the seat of Macon County. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in central Illinois. Decatur has an economy based on industrial and agricultural commodity processing and production. The city is home of private Millikin University and public Richland Community College.
Decatur's estimated population for 2019 was 70,746, making Decatur the thirteenth-most populous city in Illinois, and the state's sixth-most populous city outside the Chicago metropolitan area.
The Rock Island Railroad Bridge located on the Caney Fork & Western Railroad line has multiple areas of high significance that land it on the HistoricBridges.org list, and combine to make it one of the most significant railroad bridges in the State of Tennessee. First, the bridge's main spans are rare examples of pin-connected Warren trusses. Pratt trusses were far more common than Warren trusses during the pin-connected era. Warren trusses became popular only after the riveted connection was popular. This bridge's Warren truss spans are configured as two larger spans which are arranged so that the bridge bears on short piers at the bottom chord, and two shorter spans which bear on tall piers at the top chord. Another notable detail of the Warren trusses is that a third truss line was added to this bridge at a later date in between the original truss lines which would have strengthened the bridge. The third truss line is of heavier construction, indicating its newer construction, but is riveted and uses pin-connections, indicating this is a very old alteration, such that the alteration itself has historic significance.
As rare as the Warren truss spans are, the bridge's approach spans are even more rare and are pin-connected Kingpost deck truss spans. The Kingpost truss configuration is one of the rarest truss configurations among surviving bridges, and it is usually found on highway bridges and as a pony truss. As such, the railroad deck truss Kingpost spans are doubly rare. Frustratingly, these spans are absolutely buried behind trees and are hard to view and photograph even in the winter. The Kingpost spans did not appear to have a third truss line added like the Warren truss spans.
The bridge was built between 1871 & 1872 and spans approximately 660 feet across Great Falls Lake (created in 1917) on the Caney Fork River. It was originally built for the Memphis & Charleston Railroad on its disconnected branch line from Tullahoma, TN to Sparta, TN. Today the railroad track and land is owned by the Tri-County Railroad authority and operated by the previously mentioned Caney Fork & Western Railroad.
This photo was taken in 2013 during my previous Project 365…please visit my album for this “REMASTERED” Project 365 as I revisit each day of 2013 for additional photos to share!!
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the link below:
Due to Ice in the switches, 542 was unable to switch the yard at Guelph Junction. They had to enter the yard off the wye, not a common move for them. They parked there and detrained to begin trying to clear the switches.
Like much of England, the site of the New Forest was once deciduous woodland, recolonised by birch and eventually beech and oak after the withdrawal of the ice sheets starting around 12,000 years ago. Some areas were cleared for cultivation from the Bronze Age onwards; the poor quality of the soil in the New Forest meant that the cleared areas turned into heathland "waste", which may have been used even then as grazing land for horses.
There was still a significant amount of woodland in this part of Britain, but this was gradually reduced, particularly towards the end of the Middle Iron Age around 250–100 BC, and most importantly the 12th and 13th centuries, and of this essentially all that remains today is the New Forest.
There are around 250 round barrows within its boundaries, and scattered boiling mounds, and it also includes about 150 scheduled ancient monuments. One such barrow in particular may represent the only known inhumation burial of the Early Iron Age and the only known Hallstatt culture burial in Britain; however, the acidity of the soil means that bone very rarely survives.
Following Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain, according to Florence of Worcester (d. 1118), the area became the site of the Jutish kingdom of Ytene; this name was the genitive plural of Yt meaning "Jute", i.e. "of the Jutes". The Jutes were one of the early Anglo-Saxon tribal groups who colonised this area of southern Hampshire. The word ytene (or ettin) is also found locally as a synonym for giant, and features heavily in local folklore.
Following the Norman Conquest, the New Forest was proclaimed a royal forest, in about 1079, by William the Conqueror. It was used for royal hunts, mainly of deer. It was created at the expense of more than 20 small hamlets and isolated farmsteads; hence it was then 'new' as a single compact area.
The New Forest was first recorded as Nova Foresta in Domesday Book in 1086, where a section devoted to it is interpolated between lands of the king's thegns and the town of Southampton; it is the only forest that the book describes in detail. Twelfth-century chroniclers alleged that William had created the forest by evicting the inhabitants of 36 parishes, reducing a flourishing district to a wasteland; however, this account is thought dubious by most historians, as the poor soil in much of the area is believed to have been incapable of supporting large-scale agriculture, and significant areas appear to have always been uninhabited.
Two of William's sons died in the forest: Prince Richard sometime between 1069 and 1075, and King William II (William Rufus) in 1100. Local folklore asserted that this was punishment for the crimes committed by William when he created his New Forest; 17th-century writer Richard Blome provides exquisite detail:
In this County [Hantshire] is New-Forest, formerly called Ytene, being about 30 miles in compass; in which said tract William the Conqueror (for the making of the said Forest a harbour for Wild-beasts for his Game) caused 36 Parish Churches, with all the Houses thereto belonging, to be pulled down, and the poor Inhabitants left succourless of house or home. But this wicked act did not long go unpunished, for his Sons felt the smart thereof; Richard being blasted with a pestilent Air; Rufus shot through with an Arrow; and Henry his Grand-child, by Robert his eldest son, as he pursued his Game, was hanged among the boughs, and so dyed. This Forest at present affordeth great variety of Game, where his Majesty oft-times withdraws himself for his divertisement.
The reputed spot of Rufus's death is marked with a stone known as the Rufus Stone. John White, Bishop of Winchester, said of the forest:
From God and Saint King Rufus did Churches take, From Citizens town-court, and mercate place, From Farmer lands: New Forrest for to make, In Beaulew tract, where whiles the King in chase Pursues the hart, just vengeance comes apace, And King pursues. Tirrell him seing not, Unwares him flew with dint of arrow shot.
The common rights were confirmed by statute in 1698. The New Forest became a source of timber for the Royal Navy, and plantations were created in the 18th century for this purpose. In the Great Storm of 1703, about 4000 oak trees were lost.
The naval plantations encroached on the rights of the Commoners, but the Forest gained new protection under the New Forest Act 1877, which confirmed the historic rights of the Commoners and entrenched that the total of enclosures was henceforth not to exceed 65 km2 (25 sq mi) at any time. It also reconstituted the Court of Verderers as representatives of the Commoners (rather than the Crown).
As of 2005, roughly 90% of the New Forest is still owned by the Crown. The Crown lands have been managed by the Forestry Commission since 1923 and most of the Crown lands now fall inside the new National Park.
Felling of broadleaved trees, and their replacement by conifers, began during the First World War to meet the wartime demand for wood. Further encroachments were made during the Second World War. This process is today being reversed in places, with some plantations being returned to heathland or broadleaved woodland. Rhododendron remains a problem.
During the Second World War, an area of the forest, Ashley Range, was used as a bombing range. During 1941-1945, the Beaulieu, Hampshire Estate of Lord Montagu in the New Forest was the site of group B finishing schools for agents[18] operated by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) between 1941 and 1945. (One of the trainers was Kim Philby who was later found to be part of a spy ring passing information to the Soviets.) In 2005, a special exhibition was mounted at the Estate, with a video showing photographs from that era as well as voice recordings of former SOE trainers and agents.
Further New Forest Acts followed in 1949, 1964 and 1970. The New Forest became a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1971, and was granted special status as the New Forest Heritage Area in 1985, with additional planning controls added in 1992. The New Forest was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 1999, and it became a National Park in 2005.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Forest and www.thenewforest.co.uk/
The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the Mustelidae, or weasel family, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft). Atypical of mustelids, the giant otter is a social species, with family groups typically supporting three to eight members. The groups are centered on a dominant breeding pair and are extremely cohesive and cooperative. Although generally peaceful, the species is territorial, and aggression has been observed between groups. The giant otter is diurnal, being active exclusively during daylight hours. It is the noisiest otter species, and distinct vocalizations have been documented that indicate alarm, aggressiveness, and reassurance.
The giant otter ranges across north-central South America; it lives mostly in and along the Amazon River and in the Pantanal.
Its distribution has been greatly reduced and is now discontinuous. Decades of poaching for its velvety pelt, peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, considerably diminished population numbers. The species was listed as endangered in 1999 and wild population estimates are typically below 5,000. The Guianas are one of the last real strongholds for the species, which also enjoys modest numbers — and significant protection — in the Peruvian Amazonian basin. It is one of the most endangered mammal species in the neotropics. Habitat degradation and loss is the greatest current threat.
The giant otter shows a variety of adaptations suitable to an amphibious lifestyle, including exceptionally dense fur, a wing-like tail, and webbed feet. The species prefers freshwater rivers and streams, which are usually seasonally flooded, and may also take to freshwater lakes and springs. It constructs extensive campsites close to feeding areas, clearing large amounts of vegetation. The giant otter subsists almost exclusively on a diet of fish, particularly characins and catfish, but may also eat crabs, turtles, snakes and small caiman. It has no serious natural predators other than humans, although it must compete with other species, including the neotropical otter and caiman species, for food resources.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_otter
I was really happy to see them in the wild! It was one of my dreams and goals of my last trip to Pantanal!
Wishing everyone a wonderful Tuesday!
Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!
©All rights reserved. Do not use without my express consent. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.
Designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm of Hunt, Eager & Burns, this 5,400 sq. ft. Arts and Crafts style mansion was built in 1910 for Decatur businessman William J. Grady and his first wife, Sarah. The 11-room house continued to be home for Grady after he divorced Sarah in 1921, married Esther Bonney in 1926 and even after Esther died in 1961. They had no children. Indeed, the second family to live at No. 3 Millikin Place didn't move in until the year after the one-time president of Faries Mfg. Co. died in 1968 at age 92.
The W. J. Grady House holds the distinction of being the first house to be completed on Millikin Place, located along the north edge of the historic James Millikin House and property shown earlier in this series (see my album: Macon County, Illinois).
The core characteristics of the Arts and Crafts movement are a belief in craftsmanship which stresses the inherent beauty of the material, the importance of nature as inspiration, and the value of simplicity, utility, and beauty.
The W. J. Grady House is a significant architectural property in the Decatur Historic District, a residential historic district in the Millikin Heights neighborhood of Decatur. The district encompasses the city's historic Near West and Southwest neighborhoods and was formed beginning in the 1850s and continuing through the 1920s. The Decatur Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Decatur is the seat of Macon County. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in central Illinois. Decatur has an economy based on industrial and agricultural commodity processing and production. The city is home of private Millikin University and public Richland Community College.
Decatur's estimated population for 2019 was 70,746, making Decatur the thirteenth-most populous city in Illinois, and the state's sixth-most populous city outside the Chicago metropolitan area.
The W.J. Grady House is an architecturally significant property in the Decatur Historic District, a residential historic district in the Millikin Heights neighborhood of the city that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
First significant rain in 2 months so had to grab a few photos of our maple tree from our front door. Too lazy & too rainy to go anywhere. :-) Some not in sharp focus, very darkish mood and light. Stole the title from The Carpenters song since raining on a Monday. :)
Took this a good while ago. Gordon, Huntress and Michael Lane have actually all gotten significant updates since this was taken but ah well. I don't want to set em all up again.
Anyways, just wanted to get this out of my files and into my photo-stream. Cheers, folks!
If for nothing else, this one is maybe worth a look for the fairly unusual view of Stob Ghabhar; although it has to be said that it's definitely not its 'best side'.
There are significant elements of this composition that I'm not keen on, & only remind me of the difficulties I endured attempting to utilise my immediate surroundings to best effect. Not my finest hour, that's for sure.
Since I still have a significant backlog of images from Iceland, sometimes - instead of going through them one after another - I look through them randomly to see if any stand out, and this time it was one from the beautiful Hraunafossar which we visited at the end of our trip.
After we enjoyed a quick dip in the hot water of the Búðardalur hot pot, which was on our way from the Westfjords to Reykjavik, we continued our drive through the amazing landscape and decided to make a short detour to the Hraunafossar. From the parking lot, it was only a short walk to the viewing platforms where you can see turquoise water coming out of the porous black lava which is covered with beautiful greenery. Every time I arrive at epic locations, I kind of feel overwhelmed and need a little time to find some compositions that work, but in this case I have to give credit to my girlfriend for spotting the composition you see here, which I shamelessly stole from her (after politely asking of course).
Taking this image wasn't easy as we were standing on a wooden floor that was shaking when people were walking over it (we could have moved a little to the side, but then the angle was not ideal and trees in the foreground blocked the view a bit) and since it’s not too far away from Reykjavik, I guess you can image how many people visit this location. I also had to zoom in to 200mm to isolate the waterfall and using filters to get a longer exposure together with the occasional wind gusts made this composition not easy to get.
After getting at least one sharp image, I noticed that my girlfriend was struggling with sharpness and soon we identified the problem: Her tele lens does not have a tripod collar and she didn’t have an L-bracket at that time. This means that - in order to take a long exposure in portrait orientation - she had to tilt the ball head of her tripod to the side, where the weight of the camera and lens caused the camera to move down introducing some blur in her images. At first we thought that the reason might be her cheaper tripod, but then I gave her my tripod with which she got the same blurry images. This meant that the only reason could be the small tripod plate on the bottom of her camera, and it only took a quick look to see that it was noticeably shifted. Fortunately, I had another spare tripod plate with me and using this together with my tripod made it possible that she also got the result she wanted. After spending way to much time at this location, we continued upstream to see the Barnafoss as well. Finally, we got a coffee at the restaurant next to the parking lot before we continued to the Reykjavik campsite with a slightly sad feeling that our trip goes to an end. I hope you like it!
PS: Thanks again to my girlfriend for having such an amazing eye for compositions and for letting me steal this one. If you have some time, I think she would really appreciate it if you would also check out her images: www.flickr.com/photos/193130995@N02/
Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord --Importance of memory--
Landschaftspark is a public park located in Duisburg-Meiderich, Germany. It was designed in 1991 by Latz + Partner (Peter Latz), with the intention that it work to heal and understand the industrial past, rather than trying to reject it. The park closely associates itself with the past use of the site: a coal and steel production plant (abandoned in 1985, leaving the area significantly polluted) and the agricultural land it had been prior to the mid 19th century
Conception and creation
In 1991, a co-operative-concurrent planning procedure with five international planning teams was held to design the park. Peter Latz’s design was significant, as it attempted to preserve as much of the existing site as possible. Unlike his competitors, Latz recognized the value of the site’s current condition. He allowed the polluted soils to remain in place and be remediated through phytoremediation, and sequestered soils with high toxicity in the existing bunkers. He also found new uses for many of the old structures, and turned the former sewage canal into a method of cleansing the site.
Design
The park is divided into different areas, whose borders were carefully developed by looking at existing conditions (such as how the site had been divided by existing roads and railways, what types of plants had begun to grow in each area, etc.). This piecemeal pattern was then woven together by a series of walkways and waterways, which were placed according to the old railway and sewer systems. While each piece retains its character, it also creates a dialogue with the site surrounding it. Within the main complex, Latz emphasized specific programmatic elements: the concrete bunkers create a space for a series of intimate gardens, old gas tanks have become pools for scuba divers, concrete walls are used by rock climbers, and one of the most central places of the factory, the middle of the former steel mill, has been made into piazza. Each of these spaces uses elements to allow for a specific reading of time.
The site was designed with the idea that a grandfather, who might have worked at the plant, could walk with his grandchildren, explaining what he used to do and what the machinery had been used for. At Landschaftspark, memory was central to the design. Various authors have addressed the ways in which memory can inform the visitor of a site, a concept that became prevalent during Postmodernism.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landschaftspark_Duisburg-Nord
You might also look at these adresses:
Francesco Guardi (Venice, 5 October 1712 - Venice, 1 January 1793) - Venetian gala concert (1783) - oil on canvas 67.7 x 90.5 cm - Alte Pinakothek Munich
Tra i più significativi esponenti del vedutismo veneziano, si formò sullo stile di Canaletto, diversificandosene per la diversa interpretazione ed elaborazione della luce, particolarmente apprezzata dopo la rivoluzione impressionista.
Among the most significant exponents of Venetian landscape painting, he trained in the style of Canaletto, diversifying himself for the different interpretation and processing of light, particularly appreciated after the Impressionist revolution.
Oldie but a goodie. Freestyle painted in 1994 with Chen under the south Minneapolis Tracks. This piece was really significant at the time and was a relatively different style then people were used to seeing in Minneapolis. I basically rocked a piece in what I consider to be a style in the culture of Cali graffiti at the time. It wasn't as good as what I was used to seeing but I was so infuenced at the time by writers that I had grown up admiring like Risky, Power, Slick, Hex, Dream (L.A.), Green and Charlie that it came out in my style. Originally, I painted with Chen but he never finished and I did. Funny thing is, while painting this, I had a younger writer (now a famous T.C. writer) and his Mom, stand behind me and watch me and ask me questions the whole time. I didn't mind. At them time, I was just flattered to have anyone take notice. Also, when I came back a few days later to try to get a photo, I didn't realize that there was a group of people sitting up on the embankment behind the wall. When I took the photo, I heard some people start screaming and yelling at me. I began to walk away and noticed that a small mob had decided to attempt to snatch my camera and jump me. As they approached, I took off running to gain a distance on them. I figured I had a better shot at fighting one or two that followed before the rest caught up. I ran about 10 blocks with some of them on my tail. I finally stopped when it was me and only one other dude. I grabbed the biggest rock I could find and quickly turned and started to go for him. As I got about 5 feet away, he realized that he was alone and that I had now become the aggressor and he stopped dead in his tracks. I think that he had thought that I would be afraid of him. With a giant rock in my hand, I wasn't afraid of shit. He paused and I started to threaten him. He couldn't understand me because he only spoke Spanish but knew I meant business. Right about then, a female approached and intervened. She stated, "He thought you were trying to take a picture of us. We are homeless and drug addicts. We were using drugs and he thought you took a picture of us. Don't hurt him." I told her to tell him I was only taking pictures of my graffiti. She did. He quickly changed his demeaner and when I saw him change to a nonaggressive attitude, I put the rock down. We clearly had a stand off that was based off of a misunderstanding. He looked me over and then they turned and walked back to join their group and I climbed the bridge embankment I was at and went home. It was A really intense sitiuation and I am glad that nothing bad ended up happening. It could have been bad on both our ends. Crazy times!
This aircraft overshot the runway upon landing at YVR on Nov 19, 2024 and suffered significant damage (and remains at YVR)
My grandmother would have found that to be significant for some reason or another...I think it's just because I just re-filled my cup.
This photo isn't significant for the image but for the lesson learned right as I took it. You see, I had picked up Magnus' holee roller before taking this photo. And, well, I used my left hand to stabilize the camera. . . the very same hand that was holding the holee roller. You can likely guess. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. . . IMPACT! Let's just say that Magnus has a really hard head. And in football his tackle would have been illegal. Silly me. I vow NOT to hold a favorite Magnus toy up against my head again. Let's hope I stick to that. . . ouch. Blindsided.
[SOOC, f/1.4, ISO 100, shutter speed 1/500, +2/3 EV]
After a significant delay around Bluffs due to some air problems on the aging equipment, the final NS Train 255 Triple Crown Services RoadRailer is back underway on the NS Springfield-Hannibal District at Maysville. FRED flashes. The K5LA more than a mile ahead of 95 trailers echoes across the cornfields. TCS Bogies will never polish those shiny rails again. The sky is red, and the train rides off into its final sunset.
Losing these trains is like the death of a friend. I know these things either ran great, or ran awful. I know they had air problems, especially late in life. I know they tore in half on occasion. But, there was no other freight train on the planet like them. I've always said they're the only train you could hear go by from a distance, sight unseen, and identify without a shadow of doubt what it was. That sustained single truck cadence always allowed me to tell when they were going by at night, rattling the frog 1,800 feet from our kitchen window the past 3 years.
These very fascinating RoadRailer trains have traversed a number of routes on the NS System and other railroads over the past few decades, but they never caught on anywhere like the TSC trains did on the NS, and had an impressive 38 year run for what was basically an experimental piece of equipment and an unique intermodal concept.
With the decision made not to invest more in the equipment, the last remaining service lane since the others ended in 2015 was this one on the Former Wabash between Oakwood Yard in Detroit and Voltz Yard in Kansas City hosting trains 255 and 256 moving mostly auto parts headed to the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant at Claycomo that rolls F-150s and Transit vans off the line.
As the equipment aged out and slowly deteriorated and became more difficult to operate, for 9 years there's been a perpetual rumor that these trains were done "by the end of the year", and that day finally came on August 26th when this one arrived at Voltz. Secondhand green 53 foot containers take over this service next week double stacked in well cars and a few of these trailers on spine cars mixed in.
The first time I saw one of these was in 1997 around Taylorville, IL, just 20 miles from here. We were traveling up a parallel highway in a 1991 GMC Safari Van headed to a family function and one overtook us, then promptly left us in the dust behind a high hood GP50 leader. I knew about them prior to that moment, but until then I'd only seen them in print. That day sparked an interest in them that never died.
On that topic, the crowds out to see this train was amazing to see; a steam train sized chase pack. I'm glad to see so many other railfans got out to see them make their last trip and could appreciate the moment. We'll never see anything else like it. The Wabash just won't feel the same without those strings of trailers—built very appropriately, I might add, by Wabash National. I'm very thankful to have been fortunate enough to see them off into their last sunset.
8-25-24
Griggsville, IL
Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sens%C5%8D-ji:
Sensō-ji (浅草寺, officially Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji (金龍山浅草寺), also known as Asakusa Kannon (浅草観音)), is an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple, and one of its most significant. It is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. Structures in the temple complex include the main hall, a five-story pagoda and large gates. It is the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually.
The temple was destroyed during a 10 March 1945 firebombing air raid on Tokyo during World War II. The main hall was rebuilt in the 1950s. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, the temple became independent after the war. Leading to it is Nakamise-dōri street, containing many shops with traditional goods. Adjacent to the east of Sensō-ji is the Asakusa Shrine of the Shinto religion.
The Kaminarimon (雷門, "Thunder Gate") is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately lead to the Sensō-ji (the inner being the Hōzōmon) in Asakusa. The gate, with its lantern and statues, is popular with tourists. It stands 11.7 metres (38 ft) tall, 11.4 metres (37 ft) wide and covers an area of 69.3 square metres (746 sq ft). The first gate was built in 941, but the current gate dates back to 1960, after the previous gate was destroyed in a fire in 1865.
Four statues are housed in the Kaminarimon, two in the front alcoves and two on the other side. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on the west side. The original sculptures were severely damaged in the fire of 1865, with only the heads being saved, and the statues restored for the gate's 1960 reconstruction.
Two additional statues stand on the reverse of the gate: the Buddhist god Tenryū on the east, and the goddess Kinryū on the west side. These were donated in 1978 to commemorate the 1350th anniversary of the first appearance of the bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) at Asakusa, which led to the founding of Sensō-ji. The statues were carved by then-106-year-old master sculptor Hirakushi Denchū.
A giant red lantern (chōchin) hangs under the center of the gate. It is 3.9 metres (13 ft) tall, 3.3 metres (11 ft) wide and weighs approximately 700 kilograms (1,500 lb). The current lantern, the fifth iteration, was built by Takahashi Chōchin K.K in 2013 and has the same metallic base on the bottom as the previous lantern. The base has a name plate that says "Matsushita Denki", an abbreviated form of Panasonic's old Japanese name, Matsushita Denki Sangyo Kabushiki Gaisha.[16] The front of the lantern displays the gate's name, Kaminarimon (雷門). Painted on the back is the gate's official name, Fūraijinmon (風雷神門). During festivals such as Sanja Matsuri, the lantern is collapsed to let tall objects pass through the gate.
The characters 金龍山 (Kinryū-zan) on the tablet above the lantern read from right to left and reference the Sensō-ji.
Junk Food - "Lil Plushie Pal" is the perfect way to bring your significant other with you, where ever you go. Three different hand poses, male and female dressed dolls and super easy to follow directions can leave you feeling like they are right next to you. Available now and a like the funniest Valentine's gifts to be found both on MP and in-world.
Junk Food In-World (It's like Disney but for foodies!):
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Junk Food MP:
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Junk-Food-Lil-Plushie-Pal-Fa...
Junk Food on FB:
Junk Food Flickr:
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Junk Food on Discord:
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Under significant overcast, Maria Island and Hellfire Bluff from the beach at Marion Bay.
This with an Olympus OM-4Ti brought back to life with a careful disassembly and rebuild. Still need to replace the rear seals - a teeny bit of leakage along the bottom edge - but we all get that in the end...
Olympus OM-4Ti, Kodak TMAX 400, OM-Zuiko 28mm f/3.5, 1/125th sec at f/8, ISO 400
Lincoln made significant design changes in 1935, both with their model designations and engineering of their well respected luxurious automobiles. These changes began with the elimination of the KA and KB chassis numbers determining the wheelbase. All cars would be considered K-Series and have model designations instead. Both 136-inch and 145-inch choices in wheelbase still existed, but now each chassis would be offered with your choice of body, so buyers no longer felt obligated to buy the longer wheelbase to have the most prestigious offerings from Lincoln.
Improvements for 1935 would include a better center of gravity by moving the passenger compartment forward a full 11-inches to distribute and balance weight more evenly on the axle centers. The engines were now installed with five rubber mounts along with an improved camshaft and needle bearing tappet rollers for more silent operation. They also offered a better, smoother suspension. An engine oil filter and free-wheeling were now standard equipment, and helical cut gears and new synchronizing allowed for better, easier shifts from the transmission. Although, the longer wheelbase proved more popular with sales totaling 820 vehicles, the more desirable today are the 136-inch special order models from the LeBaron and Brunn coachbuilding shops. Only 580 cars would find this well-balanced, shorter chassis in 1935.
The shear presence and design of this LeBaron Convertible Roadster is impressive. Its size, curves, color, design, and rarity really make it irresistible when viewing in person. The rake of the windshield and convertible top, the curvature of the crowned, skirted fenders, the overall shape of the rear deck hiding the rumbleseat, and the forward vee’d grille all comprise a sleek and stimulating Lincoln. All Lincoln owners in 1935 were honored with leather interior seating, Art Deco inspired two-gauge instrumentation clusters, locking glovebox, sidemounts with steel covers, rear luggage rack, 17-inch wire wheels and whitewall tires as standard equipment. The greyhound mascot on the radiator was now a fixed ornament as well. The L-head engine measures 414 cubic inches and produces 150 horsepower while paired to a three-speed manual transmission.
Hope ya'all enjoy ................