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One of Leicestershire Police Tactical Support group's smart Mercedes Sprinter Public Order Vans is seen here parked up on a visit to their HQ. My thanks go to the officer for allowing the visit and moving and lighting the vehicles up for photos.
17th October 2014
© Copyright IOW 999 Pics - No Unauthorized Use.
WELL ENHANCER LWI / DIVE SUPPORT VESSEL
COILED TUBING CAPABILITIES, MONOHULL PERFORMANCE
The Well Enhancer is designed to minimize production downtime and provides cost effective well maintenance, production enhancement and well abandonment solutions. With 1,100m2 of main deck space and the ability to run rigid riser and coiled tubing, the vessel can also perform a range of well testing and production flowback services.
The vessel features a 150 Te multi-purpose tower (MPT), capable of deploying wireline and coiled-tubing. The vessel also features kill pumps and a 100 Te main crane and is currently capable of conducting LWI operations to a depth of 600m.
The DP3 Well Enhancer features a purpose built derrick over a 7m x 7m moonpool and has a travelling block rated to 150 Te capacity in passive mode.
The Well Enhancer’s 18 man saturation diving spread is rated to 300 m, and combined with the vessel’s work/observation class ROVs, provides for full IRM and light construction services and diving support for any tree systems which require manual intervention to facilitate LWI operations.
Abandoned in 1962 with the completion of the Crookton Line Change, this 400 foot curved bore is part of the original A&P alignment somewhere circa 1882-ish. In 1897, the ATSF acquired the A&P assets and operated the route under the ATSF subsidiary Santa Fe Pacific railroad. A year later tragedy struck the route when wooden timbers supporting the tunnel caught fire - at least two men perished fighting the blaze. This prompted a reconstruction of the tunnel incorporating steel boilerplate replacing the original wooden shoring in the ceiling. During WWII the tunnel was considered of such military importance that guards were posted to prevent sabotage, and two wooden guard shacks were added at each portal. In 1943, Jack Delano photographed some of the wartime action here as requested by the Office of War Information.
More information can be found in David Myricks "Railroads of Arizona" Vol. 4.
Hit the L key for a better view. Thanks for the favs and comments. Much appreciated!
Model: Julia
Location: St.Albert
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All of my photographs are under copyright ©. None of these photographs may be reproduced and/or used in any way without my permission.
© VanveenJF Photography
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The OV-10 Bronco was initially conceived in the early 1960s through an informal collaboration between W. H. Beckett and Colonel K. P. Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to live near each other. The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support.
The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads as runways. Speed was to be from very slow to medium subsonic, with much longer loiter times than a pure jet. Efficient turboprop engines would give better performance than piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted on the centerline to get efficient aiming. The inventors favored strafing weapons such as self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets. The airframe was to be designed to avoid the back blast.
Beckett and Rice developed a basic platform meeting these requirements, then attempted to build a fiberglass prototype in a garage. The effort produced enthusiastic supporters and an informal pamphlet describing the concept. W. H. Beckett, who had retired from the Marine Corps, went to work at North American Aviation to sell the aircraft.
The aircraft's design supported effective operations from forward bases. The OV-10 had a central nacelle containing a crew of two in tandem and space for cargo, and twin booms containing twin turboprop engines. The visually distinctive feature of the aircraft is the combination of the twin booms, with the horizontal stabilizer that connected them at the fin tips. The OV-10 could perform short takeoffs and landings, including on aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious assault ships without using catapults or arresting wires. Further, the OV-10 was designed to take off and land on unimproved sites. Repairs could be made with ordinary tools. No ground equipment was required to start the engines. And, if necessary, the engines would operate on high-octane automobile fuel with only a slight loss of power.
The aircraft had responsive handling and could fly for up to 5½ hours with external fuel tanks. The cockpit had extremely good visibility for both pilot and co-pilot, provided by a wrap-around "greenhouse" that was wider than the fuselage. North American Rockwell custom ejection seats were standard, with many successful ejections during service. With the second seat removed, the OV-10 could carry 3,200 pounds (1,500 kg) of cargo, five paratroopers, or two litter patients and an attendant. Empty weight was 6,969 pounds (3,161 kg). Normal operating fueled weight with two crew was 9,908 pounds (4,494 kg). Maximum takeoff weight was 14,446 pounds (6,553 kg).
The bottom of the fuselage bore sponsons or "stub wings" that improved flight performance by decreasing aerodynamic drag underneath the fuselage. Normally, four 7.62 mm (.308 in) M60C machine guns were carried on the sponsons, accessed through large forward-opening hatches. The sponsons also had four racks to carry bombs, pods, or fuel. The wings outboard of the engines contained two additional hardpoints, one per side. Racked armament in the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods with white phosphorus marker rounds or high-explosive rockets, or 5" (127 mm) four-shot Zuni rocket pods. Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-dropped unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6 battlefield illumination flares, and other stores were also carried.
Operational experience showed some weaknesses in the OV-10's design. It was significantly underpowered, which contributed to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain because the pilots could not climb fast enough. While specifications stated that the aircraft could reach 26,000 feet (7,900 m), in Vietnam the aircraft could reach only 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Also, no OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.
The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, as well as in the service of a number of other countries. In U.S. military service, the Bronco was operated until the early Nineties, and obsoleted USAF OV-10s were passed on to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for anti-drug operations. A number of OV-10As furthermore ended up in the hands of the California Department of Forestry (CDF) and were used for spotting fires and directing fire bombers onto hot spots.
This was not the end of the OV-10 in American military service, though: In 2012, the type gained new attention because of its unique qualities. A $20 million budget was allocated to activate an experimental USAF unit of two airworthy OV-10Gs, acquired from NASA and the State Department. These machines were retrofitted with military equipment and were, starting in May 2015, deployed overseas to support Operation “Inherent Resolve”, flying more than 120 combat sorties over 82 days over Iraq and Syria. Their concrete missions remained unclear, and it is speculated they provided close air support for Special Forces missions, esp. in confined urban environments where the Broncos’ loitering time and high agility at low speed and altitude made them highly effective and less vulnerable than helicopters.
Furthermore, these Broncos reputedly performed strikes with the experimental AGR-20A “Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS)”, a Hydra 70-millimeter rocket with a laser-seeking head as guidance - developed for precision strikes against small urban targets with little collateral damage. The experiment ended satisfactorily, but the machines were retired again, and the small unit was dissolved.
However, the machines had shown their worth in asymmetric warfare, and the U.S. Air Force decided to invest in reactivating the OV-10 on a regular basis, despite the overhead cost of operating an additional aircraft type in relatively small numbers – but development and production of a similar new type would have caused much higher costs, with an uncertain time until an operational aircraft would be ready for service. Re-activating a proven design and updating an existing airframe appeared more efficient.
The result became the MV-10H, suitably christened “Super Bronco” but also known as “Black Pony”, after the program's internal name. This aircraft was derived from the official OV-10X proposal by Boeing from 2009 for the USAF's Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance requirement. Initially, Boeing proposed to re-start OV-10 manufacture, but this was deemed uneconomical, due to the expected small production number of new serial aircraft, so the “Black Pony” program became a modernization project. In consequence, all airframes for the "new" MV-10Hs were recovered OV-10s of various types from the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
While the revamped aircraft would maintain much of its 1960s-vintage rugged external design, modernizations included a completely new, armored central fuselage with a highly modified cockpit section, ejection seats and a computerized glass cockpit. The “Black Pony” OV-10 had full dual controls, so that either crewmen could steer the aircraft while the other operated sensors and/or weapons. This feature would also improve survivability in case of incapacitation of a crew member as the result from a hit.
The cockpit armor protected the crew and many vital systems from 23mm shells and shrapnel (e. g. from MANPADS). The crew still sat in tandem under a common, generously glazed canopy with flat, bulletproof panels for reduced sun reflections, with the pilot in the front seat and an observer/WSO behind. The Bronco’s original cargo capacity and the rear door were retained, even though the extra armor and defensive measures like chaff/flare dispensers as well as an additional fuel cell in the central fuselage limited the capacity. However, it was still possible to carry and deploy personnel, e. g. small special ops teams of up to four when the aircraft flew in clean configuration.
Additional updates for the MV-10H included structural reinforcements for a higher AUW and higher g load maneuvers, similar to OV-10D+ standards. The landing gear was also reinforced, and the aircraft kept its ability to operate from short, improvised airstrips. A fixed refueling probe was added to improve range and loiter time.
Intelligence sensors and smart weapon capabilities included a FLIR sensor and a laser range finder/target designator, both mounted in a small turret on the aircraft’s nose. The MV-10H was also outfitted with a data link and the ability to carry an integrated targeting pod such as the Northrop Grumman LITENING or the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). Also included was the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) to provide live sensor data and video recordings to personnel on the ground.
To improve overall performance and to better cope with the higher empty weight of the modified aircraft as well as with operations under hot-and-high conditions, the engines were beefed up. The new General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines improved the Bronco's performance considerably: top speed increased by 100 mph (160 km/h), the climb rate was tripled (a weak point of early OV-10s despite the type’s good STOL capability) and both take-off as well as landing run were almost halved. The new engines called for longer nacelles, and their circular diameter markedly differed from the former Garrett T76-G-420/421 turboprop engines. To better exploit the additional power and reduce the aircraft’s audio signature, reversible contraprops, each with eight fiberglass blades, were fitted. These allowed a reduced number of revolutions per minute, resulting in less noise from the blades and their tips, while the engine responsiveness was greatly improved. The CT7-9Ds’ exhausts were fitted with muzzlers/air mixers to further reduce the aircraft's noise and heat signature.
Another novel and striking feature was the addition of so-called “tip sails” to the wings: each wingtip was elongated with a small, cigar-shaped fairing, each carrying three staggered, small “feather blade” winglets. Reputedly, this installation contributed ~10% to the higher climb rate and improved lift/drag ratio by ~6%, improving range and loiter time, too.
Drawing from the Iraq experience as well as from the USMC’s NOGS test program with a converted OV-10D as a night/all-weather gunship/reconnaissance platform, the MV-10H received a heavier gun armament: the original four light machine guns that were only good for strafing unarmored targets were deleted and their space in the sponsons replaced by avionics. Instead, the aircraft was outfitted with a lightweight M197 three-barrel 20mm gatling gun in a chin turret. This could be fixed in a forward position at high speed or when carrying forward-firing ordnance under the stub wings, or it could be deployed to cover a wide field of fire under the aircraft when it was flying slower, being either slaved to the FLIR or to a helmet sighting auto targeting system.
The original seven hardpoints were retained (1x ventral, 2x under each sponson, and another pair under the outer wings), but the total ordnance load was slightly increased and an additional pair of launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinders or other light AAMs under the wing tips were added – not only as a defensive measure, but also with an anti-helicopter role in mind; four more Sidewinders could be carried on twin launchers under the outer wings against aerial targets. Other guided weapons cleared for the MV-10H were the light laser-guided AGR-20A and AGM-119 Hellfire missiles, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the light Hydra 70 rockets, the new Laser Guided Zuni Rocket which had been cleared for service in 2010, TV-/IR-/laser-guided AGM-65 Maverick AGMs and AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missiles, plus a wide range of gun and missile pods, iron and cluster bombs, as well as ECM and flare/chaff pods, which were not only carried defensively, but also in order to disrupt enemy ground communication.
In this configuration, a contract for the conversion of twelve mothballed American Broncos to the new MV-10H standard was signed with Boeing in 2016, and the first MV-10H was handed over to the USAF in early 2018, with further deliveries lasting into early 2020. All machines were allocated to the newly founded 919th Special Operations Support Squadron at Duke Field (Florida). This unit was part of the 919th Special Operations Wing, an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It was assigned to the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command and an associate unit of the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). If mobilized the wing was gained by AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) to support Special Tactics, the U.S. Air Force's special operations ground force. Similar in ability and employment to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Tactics personnel were typically the first to enter combat and often found themselves deep behind enemy lines in demanding, austere conditions, usually with little or no support.
The MV-10Hs are expected to provide support for these ground units in the form of all-weather reconnaissance and observation, close air support and also forward air control duties for supporting ground units. Precision ground strikes and protection from enemy helicopters and low-flying aircraft were other, secondary missions for the modernized Broncos, which are expected to serve well into the 2040s. Exports or conversions of foreign OV-10s to the Black Pony standard are not planned, though.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 42 ft 2½ in (12,88 m) incl. pitot
Wingspan: 45 ft 10½ in(14 m) incl. tip sails
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 290.95 sq ft (27.03 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 64A315
Empty weight: 9,090 lb (4,127 kg)
Gross weight: 13,068 lb (5,931 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 17,318 lb (7,862 kg)
Powerplant:
2× General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each,
driving 8-bladed Hamilton Standard 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter constant-speed,
fully feathering, reversible contra-rotating propellers with metal hub and composite blades
Performance:
Maximum speed: 390 mph (340 kn, 625 km/h)
Combat range: 198 nmi (228 mi, 367 km)
Ferry range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) with auxiliary fuel
Maximum loiter time: 5.5 h with auxiliary fuel
Service ceiling: 32.750 ft (10,000 m)
13,500 ft (4.210 m) on one engine
Rate of climb: 17.400 ft/min (48 m/s) at sea level
Take-off run: 480 ft (150 m)
740 ft (227 m) to 50 ft (15 m)
1,870 ft (570 m) to 50 ft (15 m) at MTOW
Landing run: 490 ft (150 m)
785 ft (240 m) at MTOW
1,015 ft (310 m) from 50 ft (15 m)
Armament:
1x M197 3-barreled 20 mm Gatling cannon in a chin turret with 750 rounds ammo capacity
7x hardpoints for a total load of 5.000 lb (2,270 kg)
2x wingtip launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs
The kit and its assembly:
This fictional Bronco update/conversion was simply spawned by the idea: could it be possible to replace the original cockpit section with one from an AH-1 Cobra, for a kind of gunship version?
The basis is the Academy OV-10D kit, mated with the cockpit section from a Fujimi AH-1S TOW Cobra (Revell re-boxing, though), chosen because of its “boxy” cockpit section with flat glass panels – I think that it conveys the idea of an armored cockpit section best. Combining these parts was not easy, though, even though the plan sound simple. Initially, the Bronco’s twin booms, wings and stabilizer were built separately, because this made PSR on these sections easier than trying the same on a completed airframe. One of the initial challenges: the different engines. I wanted something uprated, and a different look, and I had a pair of (excellent!) 1:144 resin engines from the Russian company Kompakt Zip for a Tu-95 bomber at hand, which come together with movable(!) eight-blade contraprops that were an almost perfect size match for the original three-blade props. Biggest problem: the Tu-95 nacelles have a perfectly circular diameter, while the OV-10’s booms are square and rectangular. Combining these parts and shapes was already a messy PST affair, but it worked out quite well – even though the result rather reminds of some Chinese upgrade measure (anyone know the Tu-4 copies with turboprops? This here looks similar!). But while not pretty, I think that the beafier look works well and adds to the idea of a “revived” aircraft. And you can hardly beat the menacing look of contraprops on anything...
The exotic, so-called “tip sails” on the wings, mounted on short booms, are a detail borrowed from the Shijiazhuang Y-5B-100, an updated Chinese variant/copy of the Antonov An-2 biplane transporter. The booms are simple pieces of sprue from the Bronco kit, the winglets were cut from 0.5mm styrene sheet.
For the cockpit donor, the AH-1’s front section was roughly built, including the engine section (which is a separate module, so that the basic kit can be sold with different engine sections), and then the helicopter hull was cut and trimmed down to match the original Bronco pod and to fit under the wing. This became more complicated than expected, because a) the AH-1 cockpit and the nose are considerably shorter than the OV-10s, b) the AH-1 fuselage is markedly taller than the Bronco’s and c) the engine section, which would end up in the area of the wing, features major recesses, making the surface very uneven – calling for massive PSR to even this out. PSR was also necessary to hide the openings for the Fujimi AH-1’s stub wings. Other issues: the front landing gear (and its well) had to be added, as well as the OV-10 wing stubs. Furthermore, the new cockpit pod’s rear section needed an aerodynamical end/fairing, but I found a leftover Academy OV-10 section from a build/kitbashing many moons ago. Perfect match!
All these challenges could be tackled, even though the AH-1 cockpit looks surprisingly stout and massive on the Bronco’s airframe - the result looks stockier than expected, but it works well for the "Gunship" theme. Lots of PSR went into the new central fuselage section, though, even before it was mated with the OV-10 wing and the rest of the model.
Once cockpit and wing were finally mated, the seams had to disappear under even more PSR and a spinal extension of the canopy had to be sculpted across the upper wing surface, which would meld with the pod’s tail in a (more or less) harmonious shape. Not an easy task, and the fairing was eventually sculpted with 2C putty, plus even more PSR… Looks quite homogenous, though.
After this massive body work, other hardware challenges appeared like small distractions. The landing gear was another major issue because the deeper AH-1 section lowered the ground clearance, also because of the chin turret. To counter this, I raised the OV-10’s main landing gear by ~2mm – not much, but it was enough to create a credible stance, together with the front landing gear transplant under the cockpit, which received an internal console to match the main landing gear’s length. Due to the chin turret and the shorter nose, the front wheel retracts backwards now. But this looks quite plausible, thanks to the additional space under the cockpit tub, which also made a belt feed for the gun’s ammunition supply believable.
To enhance the menacing look I gave the model a fixed refueling boom, made from 1mm steel wire and a receptor adapter sculpted with white glue. The latter stuff was also used add some antenna fairings around the hull. Some antennae, chaff dispensers and an IR decoy were taken from the Academy kit.
The ordnance came from various sources. The Sidewinders under the wing tips were taken from an Italeri F-16C/D kit, they look better than the missiles from the Academy Bronco kit. Their launch rails came from an Italeri Bae Hawk 200. The quadruple Hellfire launchers on the underwing hardpoints were left over from an Italeri AH-1W, and they are a perfect load for this aircraft and its role. The LAU-10 and -19 missile pods on the stub wings were taken from the OV-10 kit.
Painting and markings:
Finding a suitable and somewhat interesting – but still plausible – paint scheme was not easy. Taking the A-10 as benchmark, an overall light grey livery (with focus on low contrast against the sky as protection against ground fire) would have been a likely choice – and in fact the last operational American OV-10s were painted in this fashion. But in order to provide a different look I used the contemporary USAF V-22Bs and Special Operations MC-130s as benchmark, which typically carry a darker paint scheme consisting of FS 36118 (suitably “Gunship Gray” :D) from above, FS 36375 underneath, with a low, wavy waterline, plus low-viz markings. Not spectacular, but plausible – and very similar to the late r/w Colombian OV-10s.
The cockpit tub became Dark Gull Grey (FS 36231, Humbrol 140) and the landing gear white (Revell 301).
The model received an overall black ink washing and some post-panel-shading, to liven up the dull all-grey livery. The decals were gathered from various sources, and I settled for black USAF low-viz markings. The “stars and bars” come from a late USAF F-4, the “IP” tail code was tailored from F-16 markings and the shark mouth was taken from an Academy AH-64. Most stencils came from another Academy OV-10 sheet and some other sources.
Decals were also used to create the trim on the propeller blades and markings on the ordnance.
Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and some exhaust soot stains were added with graphite along the tail boom flanks.
A successful transplantation – but is this still a modified Bronco or already a kitbashing? The result looks quite plausible and menacing, even though the TOW Cobra front section appears relatively massive. But thanks to the bigger engines and extended wing tips the proportions still work. The large low-pressure tires look a bit goofy under the aircraft, but they are original. The grey livery works IMHO well, too – a more colorful or garish scheme would certainly have distracted from the modified technical basis.
Masked Up and Supporting Small Business in Downtown Baker City Oregon
Out exploring historic downtown Baker City, Oregon during the summer of COVID.
Baker City, Oregon’s historic downtown is one of the largest and most intact turn of the 20th century downtowns in the Northwest and is surrounded by historic neighborhoods. The downtown has been beautifully restored and revitalized over the years and is a vibrant and bustling district with lots of small locally owned shop. Throughout the year, the downtown hosts a number of festive celebrations and special events.
Even during this COVID Summer, business was brisk with lots of customers both local and visitors wearing masks and strolling the streets and visiting shops in small groups. Business owners have adapted well to the new normal and while working diligently to keep everyone's safety a top priority, seem to be adjusting to the new normal for small businesses in a COVID era
Visitors to downtown will find numerous art galleries throughout Baker City’s historic downtown including the Crossroads Carnegie Art center in the restored Carnegie Library building as well as multiple restaurants and a variety of gourmet and artisan food and spirits. And while shopkeepers are masked up they are visibly happy to greet and wait on customers who are also willing to follow the current CDC guidelines
For more information about other community events in Baker County visit the Baker County Tourism website at www.travelbakercounty.com
Support teams arrive at the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. The Demo-2 test flight for NASA's Commercial Crew Program was the first to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station and return them safely to Earth onboard a commercially built and operated spacecraft. Behnken and Hurley returned after spending 64 days in space. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A converted Greenlight Diecast model of a Ford Transit Custom. I’ve added lots of details to this model to represent one of the Incident Support Units used by the Met Police.
Rolleiflex 3.5e
Schneider Kreuznach Xenotar 75mm f3.5
Ilford HP5 plus at ISO 1600
1 Hours 30 Minutes in Rodinal 50:1, 1 minute agitation to start and then 20 seconds of really gentle inversions every 30mins
Standing on uneven soft ground is not easy when wearing high heels. Luckily the trees give me plenty of support. Maybe you will give me your hand and give me some support too, so we can comfortably make a forest walk together? I’d love that!
Inside the Nef of the Grand Palais, Paris. It was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900. Read more about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palais
© All Rights Reserved. Please do not use or reproduce this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission.
SL Cares!
During this time, with the world at our fingertips, lets show support and love for eachother. Love wins all!
If you find it in your heart to provide support for others please feel free to join. We may not have all the answers but we can be there.
If you are impacted do not feel alone. All are welcome!
I am not sure how this will work but if this helps one person it was well worth it!
SL Group
secondlife:///app/group/2901e642-f9bc-91b6-39d1-eb83f05d7a88/about
Cpl. David Merrifield, assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, puts the finishing touches on an obstacle course the U.S. Marines built at Price Barracks in Belize June 30, 2014. The Marines are in Belize as part of Southern Partnership Station 2014. Southern Partnership Station 2014 is a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps deployment focused on subject matter expert exchanges with partner nation militaries and security forces in Central and South America and the Caribbean. U.S. military teams work with partner nation forces during naval maritime-focused training exercises, military-to-military engagements and community relations projects in an effort to enhance partnerships with regional maritime activities and improve the operational readiness of participants. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brett Cote/Released)
may her feet never touch the ground
let her ankles support only the weight of her heart
should I ever have been so fortunate
i wish never to escape the grasp of her love
i might be king for a lifetime
but a prisoner of her grace for an eternity
Supporting-Local-Business Day / Social Distancing Day 198, 09/27/2020, Williamsburg, NY
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 7 Plus back dual camera 3.99mm f/1.8
ƒ/1.8 4.0 mm 1/3500 20
Some abstract fun. A bit more texture on the beam than I would have liked...
Added to Explore at #410. Thanks all.
the sand is supported by a branch, the sand gets there in high tides and this happen when low tide, looks beautiful in real, gust that the look is not that strong in the photo, have a great week
As a curiosity, I photographed this same palm tree (Geonoma schottiana) and its companion back in February 2021 using a different lens. In fact, I have yet another photo of these old friends taken in 2017 (I think), which I may post one day, for comparison's sake. The supporting tree has since died and is slowly decaying.
Support to Harmony Centre in Tbilisi
Many of them calls this place their second home, it's about a group of elderly people coming to "Harmony Centre" in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Home is the place where you find the warm welcome, where you can stay with others, where you feel warm, cozy and never hungry. They have no more neither the strength nor the health to work, most of them are jaded heavy, had long-term work, some had even important positions, and there are artists, doctors among them.
Empire, which promised so much left them with nothing, and when they found themselves with no children, husband or wife they realized they have nothing to live for and are completely alone. Then they discovered "Caritas” and Polish priests there. And there was prepared a place for them - "Harmony Centre", where they felt as those who have not been forgotten. So it was like this for the last few years. Today "Harmony" wants to live, to open its doors to those who knows what it means to be there very well, and also for those who come here for the first time and will stay.
... But its functioning is threatened; those who were the sponsors of the Centre due to various reasons cannot support it any longer. Without the support it will be closed this autumn. Some of the elderly, to whom yet no one said anything, as if sensing ask: “What will happen to me when “Harmony” will be closed, I do not have anyone?”
Why the "Harmony"?
“Almost all who come to the "Harmony" are lonely people. In their homes often they do not have hot water, heating - says Nana Nadzlviszvili, manager of the Centre - With us they can be together with others, not alone. For them, it is important to take a warm shower and stay in heated rooms, especially when winter comes. In the capital fairly common feature is the view of elderly people begging on the streets. Caritas Georgia helps as much as it can: organizes the canteen, clothing distribution point and etc. State aid granted to senior citizens social support, which, when converted into zloty, is 180 zł (43 EUR).
For whom is the “Harmony”?
In the "Harmony Centre" there are currently 40 people. They are lonely, sick and destitute people.
- I am a war veteran. I took part in the war in Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. I met Polish people, took care of them that is why I highly respect them. They are very friendly and warm people. "Harmony" is everything to me. My older daughter has died, and if there was no "Harmony" is would definitely lose my mind. Although it is difficult for me, here I feel much better. I am very grateful, thank you, that there is "Harmony" - says Ivlita Kuciaidze, age 92. Among the 40 mentees there are Ola Gardawa, age 87 (engineer), Raisa Giekowa, age 87 (physician, virologist), Dina Bogorodieckaja, age 88 (teacher), Emilia Manukoglian, age 67 (constructor, doctor). Collecting means for seniors in Georgia will continue until the Day of Grandparents, which in Poland is celebrated on 21st and 22nd of January. In Georgia this grandfathers and grandmothers have no one to help. They were alone. Can we support them? As Fr. Jerzy Limanówka, President of the Foundation Salvatti.pl noted - 3€ payment will be used to buy food, 5€ for food and cleaning, and 10€ for food, cleaning products and medications. There are no small amounts. "If the drop said: I'm not needed, there would be no ocean."
Donate any amount to the following account:
Name: Pallotynska Fundacja Misyjna Salvatti.pl
Bank name: Bank Pekao SA - Centrala
SWIFT code: PKOPPLPW
Account number / account (IBAN): PL 44 1240 1095 1111 0010 3468 8020
Title: Donation Harmony
or
PayPal: salvatti@salvatti.pl
Thank you!