This was taken on the north side of 50th Street, between 7th Ave and 6th Avenue, when I was walking from the subway stop over to the Berlitz language center where I had decided to take a week of intensive German classes before heading off to Berlin ...

 

Note: I chose this as my "photo of the day" for Oct 4, 2015.

 

**********************************

 

This is the continuation of a photo-project that I began in the summer of 2008 (which you can see in this Flickr set), and continued throughout 2009-2014 (as shown in this Flickr set, this Flickr set, this Flickr set, this Flickr set, this Flickr set)), this Flickr set)), and this Flickr set)): a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. These are the people in my neighborhood, aka "peeps in the 'hood."

 

As I indicated when I first started this project six years ago, I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a zoom telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me. Sometimes I find an empty bench on a busy street corner, and just sit quietly for an hour, watching people hustling past on the other side of the street; they're almost always so busy listening to their iPod, or talking on their cellphone, or daydreaming about something, that they never look up and see me aiming my camera in their direction.

 

I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep my camera switched on, and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject. Indeed, some of my most interesting photos have been so-called "hip shots," where I don't even bother to raise the camera up to my eye; I just keep the zoom lens set to the maximum wide-angle aperture, point in the general direction of the subject, and take several shots. As long as I can keep the shutter speed fairly high (which sometimes requires a fairly high ISO setting), I can usually get some fairly crisp shots -- even if the subject is walking in one direction, and I'm walking in the other direction, while I'm snapping the photos.

 

With only a few exceptions, I've generally avoided photographing bums, drunks, crazies, and homeless people. There are plenty of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. There have been a few opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. This is one example, and here is another example.

 

The other thing I've noticed, while carrying on this project for the past six years, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, far more people who are not so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... unfortunately, there was just nothing memorable about them. They're all part of this big, crowded city; but for better or worse, there are an awful lot that you won't see in these Flickr sets of mine...

It was hard to resist taking several pictures of this young woman: she seemed so clean-cut, attractive, and well dressed as she stood in the square while chatting on her cell phone.

 

She then marched back and forth several paces, then went into the entrance to the 72nd Street subway station, came back out again, marched around, continued chattering on her cell phone, and occasionally glanced at me with a puzzled look as I snapped several pictures. A good ten minutes went by until she finally disappeared for good into the subway station, still chattering away on her cell phone...

 

Note: this photo was published in a Jul 9, 2009 photo titled "How to Ease Your Transition to Google Voice." It was also published in an Aug 1, 2009 XYHDTV blog titled "How Do I Know if She Likes Me?" It was also published in a Jun 11, 2010 Online Dating Finder blog, with the same title as the caption that I used on this Flickr page. And it was published in a Jul 21, 2010 blog titled "En busca del look perfecto para ir de rebajas." It was also published in an undated (mid-Oct 2010) "Second Store on the Web" blog titled "A Grеаt Option – Digital TV οח Yουr PC." And it was published in a Nov 1, 2010 blog titled "Get it for free! Put away your credit card – Tips on free online dating." It was also published in a Dec 3, 2010 First Date Conversation blog , with the same title and detailed notes as what I had written here on this Flickr page. And it was published in a Dec 18, 2010 blog titled "Single? Try Online Dating, It Works!"

 

Moving into 2011, the photo was published in a Jan 3, 2011 PC and Parts blog titled "Q&A: Is there a store online where I can get a powerbutton switch for a gateway essential 500 (pentium 3 500mhz)?" And it was published in a Jan 25, 2010 blog titled "The Best Things in Life are Usually Free – Online Dating and Singles Tips." It was also published in a Jan 27, 2011 blog titled "Help me please where can i work online from my laptop?" And it was published in a Jul 21, 2011 blog titled "Judging Female Sexual Attractiveness Based On The Clothes They Wear."

 

Moving into 2012, the photo was published in an Apr 9, 2012 www.my-essential.de/2012/04/09/dude-theres-some-guy-takin..., with the same caption and detailed notes I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Jun 21, 2012 blog titled "6 Little-Known Facts that Could Affect Your Air Miles." And it was published in an undated (early Dec 2012) blog titled "4 Good Reasons to Dress Up Well All The Time."

 

Moving into 2013, the photo was published in a Mar 20, 2013 blog titled "WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SAID NO TO BEING A BRIDESMAID."

 

**********************

 

This is part of an evolving photo-project, which will probably continue throughout the summer of 2008, and perhaps beyond: a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

 

I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me.

 

I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject.

 

For the most part, I've deliberately avoided photographing bums, drunks, drunks, and crazy people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I'm still looking for opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We'll see how it goes ...

 

The only other thing I've noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, far more people who are not so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... but there was just nothing memorable about them.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

As I shot this, I had to think about this song:

  

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Jesus loves you more than you will know

 

Wo wo wo

God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson

Heaven holds a place for those who pray

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey

 

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files

We'd like to help you learn to help yourself

Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes

Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Jesus loves you more than you will know

 

Wo wo wo

God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson

Heaven holds a place for those who pray

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey

 

Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes

Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes

It's a little secret, just the Robinsons' affair

Most of all, you've got to hide it from the kids

Coo coo ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson

Jesus loves you more than you will know

 

Wo wo wo

God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson

Heaven holds a place for those who pray

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon

Going to the candidates' debate

Laugh about it, shout about it, when you've got to choose

Every way you look at it, you lose

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

A nation turns its lonely eyes to you

Ooo ooo ooo

What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?

Joltin' Joe has left and gone away

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey

 

Manual setup, manual focus, available light, handheld. Hope, you enjoy!

It was my first photoshoot after the first covid19-shotdown in 2020. Celina is the naturally born model; lovable, nice, creative, expressive, confident in posing and so sympathetic. A wonderful young woman.

We were very productive that afternoon / evening. So look forward to some really exceptionally beautiful photos.

Horseshoe nailed to the Door of the Church of Saint Martin of Vilallonga in square of Països Catalans, Vilallonga de Ter, Ripollès, Girona, Catalonia.

  

CATALÀ

(Com sóc un martinenc nascut al barceloní barri de Sant Martí de Provençals, tinc una certa feblesa per allò esotèric relacional amb la bona sort que dóna tenir una o més ferradures a la porta de casa, que és resultat del costum dels cavallers de clavar a manera d'exvot les ferradures dels seus cavalls a la portes de les església dedicades a Sant Martí, per tant aquí poso un text de l’erudit Joan Amades).

 

[...] La virtut que posseeix sant Martí per a esquivar el diable es va estendre a les ferradures del bestiar que ell protegia. D'ací que hom pengi ferradures al darrera de les portes, per tal d'esquivar el diable i els endimoniaments. Aquest costum i la creença que comporta són universals dins del món cristià. Cal dir, tanmateix, que la valor màgica i protectora que hom atribueix a la ferradura és antiguíssima, indubtablement molt anterior al cristianisme. Respon a un acte de selenolatria, puix que el poble estableix una influència lunar damunt de la ferradura per raó de la semblança d'aquest ferro amb la mitja lluna. Es tracta, doncs, d'un cas de màgia imitativa o simpàtica de tipus corrent. Sant Martí havia estat el patró de la cavalleria catalana abans d'ésser-ho sant Jordi. També era patró del bestiar de ferradura. Els genets antics havien reclamat el favor d'aquest sant perquè els protegís i els salvés les cavalcadures quan estaven malaltes, i li oferien les ferradures a tall d'ex-vot o de presentada. Les esglésies antigues dedicades a sant Martí solien tenir la porta adornada amb ferradures rebudes com a presentades. Nosaltres, de nois, encara n’ havíem vist de clavades a la porta de l'església de Sant Martí de Provençals, avui ja dins la ciutat de Barcelona. Antigament, el patronatge de sant Martí damunt del bestiar de peu rodó havia estat comú a tots els pobles cristians. Fa de mal determinar si el patronatge del sant va passar dels cavallers a llurs cavalleries o si, al contrari, d'advocat del bestiar el seu tutelatge es va estendre fins als genets. […]

 

ENGLISH

(As I am a native of Martinenc born in the Barcelona district of Sant Martí de Provençals, I have a certain weakness for the esoteric relationship with the good luck of having one or more horseshoes on the door, which is the result of the custom of knights to nail way of votive offering the horseshoes of his horses at the doors of the church dedicated to St. Martin, so here I put a scholarly text written by Joan Amades).

 

[...] The virtue possessed by St. Martin to dodge the devil spread to the horseshoes of the cattle he protected. Hence one hangs horseshoes behind the doors, in order to dodge the devil and demons. This custom and the belief it entails are universal within the Christian world. It must be said, however, that the magical and protective value attributed to the horseshoe is very old, undoubtedly much earlier than Christianity. It responds to an act of selenolatry, since the town establishes a lunar influence on the horseshoe due to the similarity of this iron with the crescent. It is, therefore, a case of imitative or sympathetic magic of the current type. Sant Martí had been the patron saint of Catalan cavalry before Sant Jordi. He was also a pattern of horseshoe cattle. The ancient riders had demanded the favor of this saint to protect them and save their horses when they were sick, and offered him horseshoes as an ex-vow or as a presentation. The old churches dedicated to St. Martin used to have the door adorned with horseshoes received as presented. We, as boys, had still seen them nailed to the door of the church of Sant Martí de Provençals, today in the city of Barcelona. In the past, the patronage of St. Martin on round-footed cattle had been common to all Christian peoples. It is difficult to determine whether the patronage of the saint passed from the knights to their cavalries or whether, on the contrary, from the lawyer of the cattle his tutelage extended to the horsemen. […]

   

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. ~ George Washington Carver

 

Explore - March 4, 2009

 

Happy 41st Imagoism Thursday my friends.

 

~Herman Melville

gandalfsgallery.blogspot.com/2011/02/henri-de-toulouse-la...Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge provides us with a personal and sympathetic insight into Parisian nightlife. This painting is an intriguing depiction of late nineteenth-century Parisian history, a period when cafe nightlife was alive with intrigue, vitality, and colour. The composition of this painting is quite striking also. In the right foreground, the singer and dancer May Milton seems to be plunging out of the painting, yet in the left foreground, the viewer is blocked by a railing from entering the scene. A group of five people are crowded in the centre. Toulouse-Lautrec places himself almost on the same plane with the seated group. As your eye travels to the foreground, the space becomes less defined and seems to open up.

 

[Oil on canvas, 123 x 141 cm]

Mother and daughter, on the northeast corner of Broadway & 87th St. The building behind them is actually the "Montana" apartment building, where I lived from 1998 to 2006.

 

Note: this photo was published in a Dec 10, 2009 blog titled "You Sound Just Like Your Mom (Really)." It was also published in an Apr 15, 2010 blog titled "Parents Working At Home Hurts Kids." And it was published in an Apr 20, 2010 blog titled "Is Working at Home Bad Parenting?" It was also published in a Nov 21, 2010 blog titled "Work At Home Moms."

 

Moving into 2012, the photo was published in a Jan 2, 2012 "Mag for Women" blog titled "Women Are Better At Multitasking. Find Out Why?" It was also published in a Feb 10, 2012 blog titled "Four Apps That a Mom Can’t Live Without." And it was published in an Aug 3, 2012 blog titled "Mama Drama: Interventions for Interrupters," as well as an Aug 8,2012 blog titled "RUn Your Household Like a CEO."

 

********************

 

This is part of an evolving photo-project, which will probably continue throughout the summer of 2008, and perhaps beyond: a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

 

I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me.

 

I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject.

 

For the most part, I've deliberately avoided photographing bums, drunks, homeless people, and crazy people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I'm still looking for opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We'll see how it goes ...

 

The only other thing I've noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, *far* more people who are *not* so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... but there was just nothing memorable about them.

Sony Fe 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, developed in Affinity

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." - George Washington Carver

 

HBM! Taken while walking on the Promenade, part of the Waterfront Recreational Trail, a Shared Path in Toronto.

  

Thanks for visiting, have a good week, be safe, healthy and hopeful.

In the Boathouse at Winkworth Arboretum, Godalming, Surrey, UK (National Trust)

 

Not as sharp as I normally like, so recommend you don't look too close :-) (ok, i get that a comment like that would normally prompt me to do exactly that but, really, don't... Trying to focus manually was tricky, coupled with dark conditions and lots of people wandering around...not a good combination. One day I'll actually take a tripod with me when I go somewhere :-( )

 

Fairly sympathetic edits - a little CEFex, a smidgen of SEfex, but mainly just tightening in affinity.

This fellow can often be found, sitting quietly, hour after hour, on Broadway between 79th and 80th Street.

 

Note: this photo was published in a Sep 4, 2009 Change.org blog titled "5 Things You Absolutely Must Know About Homelessness." It was also published in a Mar 31, 2010 Washington Area Women's Foundation blog, titled "Giving Back to the Homeless." And it was published in a Sep 21, 2011 Huffington Post blog titled "Hunger In Chicago: Study Shows 1 In 5 Chicagoans Aren't Sure Where They'll Find Their Next Meal." It was also published in a Nov 18, 2011 blog titled "Thanksgiving: Food for Thought . . . ’cause that’s all some folks have [35 PICS]."

 

Moving into 2013, the photo was published in an Oct 17, 2013 blog titled "Helping the Homeless."

 

***************************

 

This is the continuation of a photo-project that I began in the summer of 2008: a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

 

As I indicated when I started this project in 2008, I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me.

 

I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject.

 

Thus far, I've generally avoided photographing bums, drunks, crazies, and homeless people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I'm still looking for opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We'll see how it goes ...

 

The only other thing I've noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, far more people who are not so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... but there was just nothing memorable about them.

Gracie passed away peacefully on Friday, October 11, 2024.

 

She’s had Cushings Disease and Diabetes for that past 4 years, and lived to be 14.She was very active until the last 2 weeks or so, when she slowed down, and ate less until she would not eat at all her last 2 days. The veterinarian was very sympathetic and made her passage as gentle as possible.

Those who have followed me on Flickr know that we had 3 dogs for several years, and Dylan passed way in February 2023. Toby and Gracie were together in the yard Friday morning until we took Gracie to the vet. I can see that Toby misses Gracie, as we all do.

Explore # 2 ...... many thanks to everyone.

 

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these ~ George Washington Carver.

The Former Brockville Post Office is a late-19th-century, two-and-a-half-storey, stone building. It is prominently situated in the core of Brockville within a group of 19th-century public buildings. The formal recognition consists of the post office building on the legal property on which it sat at the time of recognition.

HERITAGE VALUE

The Former Brockville Post Office was designated a national historic site in 1983 because: it is representative of small urban post offices designed by Thomas Fuller; it possesses architectural merit, this is to say it has not undergone major exterior alteration; it possesses integrity, that is to say that its siting is sympathetic.

The Brockville Post Office is a good example of the post offices erected by the Department of Public Works in smaller urban centres during Thomas Fuller's term as Chief Architect (1881-1886).

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minute, June 1983; Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Plaque Text, June 1986.

With most Eurasian forces defeated, after the success of Operation Cetshwayo, the UFA thought that they would have almost no problems clearing out the remaining pockets of resistance. They were wrong, the African states that still had large Eurasian presences, were able to equip resistance members, and soon more conflicts would appear in Africa. After the breakout of fighting at Kinshasa’s Chinatown, the Congo became a hostile place, with the new forces of Eurasian fighters battling the local forces.

 

The UFA particularly targeted slums towns and other poor areas, where Eurasian loyalists usually gathered, using the broken down buildings to stage weapons, and plan attacks. The slums around Kinshasa’s Chinatown were a popular place for sympathetics to the Eurasian cause. This caused many UFA soldiers to be sent there. Within weeks, parts of the slums had become ridden with bullet holes, and dead bodies from all sides, even the occasional citizen who was caught in the crossfire. On one such skirmish, a group of well equipped Eurasians had been seen near one of the murky green, polluted swaps near a vast section of ruined buildings. One of the local UFA commanding officers sent a small group consisting of 4 men, to investigate.

 

It was after dusk, when the first gunshot rang out. One of the less armored UFA reconnaissance officers, screamed out in pain, and slumped down, almost dead. From behind a curve in the path, the three Eurasian soldiers approached, with the one who had undoubtedly killed the reconnaissance officer, leading the other two. He was the first to die. The other Eurasians crept back a bit, while the other two UFA troopers came up behind the one who had just shot the lead Eurasian dead. While only outnumbered by one, and with superior gear, the Eurasians now crept forward, aiming their guns….

  

I finally build a scene for World in Darkness, so enjoy!

  

And yes the title is a Metallica reference

So, the book's plot summary, lazily copied from wikipedia:

 

"Driven to mental anguish as the result of total isolation by the National Socialists, Dr. B, a monarchist hiding valuable assets of the nobility from the new regime, maintains his sanity only through the theft of a book of past masters' chess games which he plays endlessly, voraciously learning each one until they overwhelm his imagination to such an extent that he becomes consumed by chess.

After absorbing every single move of any variation in the book, and having nothing more to explore, Dr. B begins to play the game against himself, developing the ability to separate his psyche into two personas: I (White) and I (Black). This psychological conflict causes him to ultimately suffer a breakdown, after which he eventually awakens in a sanatorium. Being saved by a sympathetic physician, who attests his insanity to keep him from being imprisoned again by the Nazis, he is finally set free.

After happening to be on the same cruise liner as a group of chess enthusiasts and the world chess champion Czentovic, he incidentally stumbles across their game against the champion. Mirko Czentovic was a peasant prodigy possessing no obvious redeeming qualities besides his gift for chess. Dr. B helps the chess enthusiasts in managing to draw their game in an almost hopeless position. After this effort, they persuade him to play alone against Czentovic. In a stunning demonstration of his imaginative and combinational powers, Dr. B sensationally beats the world champion.

Czentovic immediately demands a return game to restore his honour. But this time, having sensed that Dr. B played quite fast and hardly took time to think, he tries to irritate his opponent by taking a lot of time before making a move, thereby putting psychological pressure on Dr. B, who gets more and more impatient as the game proceeds. His greatest power turns out to be his greatest weakness: he reenacts the match in his mind repeatedly with all imaginable possibilities so rapidly that Czentovic's deliberation and placidness drive him to distraction and ultimately insanity, culminating in an incorrect move after which Dr. B awakens from his frenzy.

"

 

Model: Gustavo Neves

Vest: Jhonny Braz

Assistants: Guilherme Costa & Fernando Barreto

  

An increasingly sensitive vein of interiority has been throbbing in the cosmos from the start, but conventional science is not wired to take its pulse…

 

… It would be enough for scientists to admit that their method of objectifying and measuring aspects of the natural world simply leaves out the deeper dimension of subjectivity and the inside story of cosmic awakening...

 

… The inside story also includes human intellectual, moral, and aesthetic awareness, and it covers our species’ religious longing for deliverance from suffering, death, and meaninglessness. Over the course of cosmic history, the “thickness” of subjectivity has widened and its temperature has been elevated…

 

… The trail of artifacts visible in the outside story can serve as a “text” that allows us to read what is going on inside…

 

… The religious subjectivity of humans is made concrete in works of art, written texts, and liturgical performances whose inner meaning can be grasped only by human subjects who have undergone personal transformations that allow for a sympathetic entry into the mysterious world of religious awakening…

 

… No matter where or when it began, however, the story of religious awakening on earth is just as much part of the cosmic story as the formation of galaxies and the forging of carbon atoms essential to the existence of living subjects.

 

-THE COSMIC VISION OF

TEILHARD DE CHARDIN John F. Haught

© 2014 Alan Mackenzie.

 

www.alanmackenziephotography.com

 

Facebook

 

The Sussex countryside is exceptionally green during June. The uniformity is relieved somewhat in early July, when yellows and reds are introduced. Waterpit Hill, to the north of Falmer, is rich in wildlife and scenery. The farmland is managed sympathetically to bird, animal and insect life, which is why I think it is the best part of Brighton for nature lovers.

To view more images of Lower Slaughter, please click

"here" !

 

Please do not insert images, or group invites; thank you!

 

Lower Slaughter is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, located in the Cotswold district, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of the town of Stow-on-the-Wold. The village is built on both banks of the River Eye, which also flows through Upper Slaughter. At the west end of the village there is a 19th-century water mill with an undershot waterwheel and a chimney for additional steam power. There is a ford where the river widens in the village and several small stone footbridges join the two sides of the community. While the mill is built of red brick most of the 16th and 17th century homes in the village use Cotswold sandstone and are adorned with mullioned windows and often with other embellishments such as projecting gables. Records exist showing that Lower Slaughter has been inhabited for over 1000 years. The Domesday Book entry has the village name as “Sclostre”. It further notes that in 1066 and 1086 that the manor was in the sheriff's hands. Lower Slaughter Manor, a Grade-II listed 17th-century house, was granted to Sir George Whitmore in 1611 and remained in his family until 1964. The 13th century Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Much of the current structure was built in 1866; however, the spire and peal of six bells was recently restored. In May 2013 it was reported in the national news that the Parish Council were fiercely opposed to the presence of an icebox tricycle selling ice creams for seven days a week, six months of the year, citing that the trading times were excessive, increased footfall would prevent the grass from growing and that children could climb on the trike and fall into the nearby river.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Slaughters Country Inn is privately owned and offers a relaxed ambience, a style that is sympathetically balanced between the original features of a 17th Century building and contemporary design. The blend of old and new creates the perfect retreat in a beautiful country location

Nelson is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The community is in the Pacific Standard Time zone. The location of Nelson is in El Dorado Canyon, Eldorado Mountains. The town is in the southeast region of the Eldorado Valley. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 37. Nelson is located along Nevada State Route 165, about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of its junction with U.S. Route 95. Route 165 continues east 5 miles (8 km) to a dead end at Nelsons Landing on the Colorado River, 18 miles (29 km) by water north of Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mojave. Nelson is about 25 miles (40 km) from Boulder City by road. The area known as Nelson was originally called Eldorado in 1775, by the Spaniards who made the original discoveries of gold in the area that is now Eldorado Canyon. The town was the site of one of the first major gold strikes in Nevada and one of the biggest mining booms in state history. Gold and silver were discovered here around 1859. The rush to the canyon began in 1861, several mining camps were established in the canyon, and a steamboat landing at the mouth of the canyon on the Colorado River, called Colorado City. In its heyday, the area established a reputation for being rough and lawless. During the American Civil War, deserters from both the Union and Confederate armies would wander there, hoping that such an isolated location would be the last place military authorities would look for them. Among the early mines established was the notorious Techatticup Mine in the middle of the canyon. Disagreements over ownership, management and labor disputes resulted in wanton killings so frequent as to be routine and ordinary. Despite the sinister reputation of the mine, it along with others in the town produced several million dollars in gold, silver, copper and lead. The mines in the canyon were active from about 1858 until 1945. The community called Nelson was named for Charles Nelson, a camp leader who was slain in his home, along with four other people, in 1897 by the renegade Indian, Avote. Between, 1901 and 1905 the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was built across southern Nevada, through Las Vegas, to Daggett, California where it connected to the AT&SF, and the complete Salt Lake–Los Angeles line was opened on May 1, 1905. This nearby railhead ended the need for steamboats at Eldorado Canyon, the landing and the mill there were abandoned. The town of Nelson was born near the head of the canyon nearest the road to the railroad, the post office of Eldorado was closed on August 31, 1907 and moved to Nelson. The mines and the landing are accessible through the town of Nelson off US 95 about 25 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Much of Nelson, which was not impacted by the 1974 flood, remains today and is located near the top of the wash, away from the flood channels. The sparsely populated community consists mainly of privately owned ranch houses, and a river and mining tour business housed in a former Texaco gas station, north of the road from the Techatticup Mine, that has been used as a filming location for several feature films, including 3000 Miles to Graceland. The fate of Nelson's Landing is a warning to visitors to this region who should watch for conditions leading to flash flooding. They should also be cautious of open mines and ventilation shafts.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson,_Nevada

 

El Dorado Canyon is a canyon in southern Clark County, Nevada famed for its rich silver and gold mines. The canyon was named in 1857 by steamboat entrepreneur Captain George Alonzo Johnson when gold and silver was discovered here. It drains into the Colorado River at the former site of Nelson's Landing. The town of Nelson lies in the upper reach of the canyon. Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours operates mid way in the canyon at the Techatticup Mine one of the oldest and most productive mines in the canyon. Prospecting and mining in the El Dorado Canyon had been going on from at least 1857 if not earlier. But in April 1861, as the American Civil War began, word got out that silver and some gold and copper lodes had been discovered by John Moss and others in what became known as El Dorado Canyon, in New Mexico Territory, now Nevada. The canyon was on the west side of the river sixty five miles above Fort Mohave at what was then considered the limit of navigation of the river. George A. Johnson came up river and made a deal to supply the mines with his steamboats at a lower price than that provided overland across the Mohave Desert from Los Angeles. That fall news of the strikes in the Colorado Mining District, (by 1864 also called the Eldorado Canyon District), brought a flood of miners to the canyon. Several mining camps were founded in the canyon over the years. At the beginning San Juan, or Upper Camp were at the top of the canyon miles from the river near the modern town of Nelson. Midway down the canyon near the Techatticup Mine were Alturas and Louisville. At the mouth of the canyon was the boat landing of Colorado City. During the time of the American Civil War, three new mining camps developed in the middle canyon. In 1862, Lucky Jim Camp was formed along Eldorado Canyon above January Wash, south of the Techatticup Mine. Lucky Jim Camp was the home of miners sympathetic to the Confederate cause. A mile up the canyon was a camp with Union sympathies called Buster Falls. In late 1863, Col. John R. Vineyard, at the time a California State Senator for Los Angeles, completed a ten stamp mill the first in the canyon, on its north side just below Lucky Jim Camp, at what soon became El Dorado City. Vineyard's mill, assembled from mill parts salvaged from abandoned works in the Mother Lode country of California, processed the ore of its mines and cut out the cost of shipping the ore out to San Francisco for such processing, cutting costs in half. George Alonzo Johnson's steamboat company losing this downstream ore trade and making fewer trips up to the Canyon responded by raising its freight rates. From 1865 to 1867 as part of Mohave County, Arizona Territory, El Dorado Canyon had its own post office. In 1867, to secure the riverboat traffic and protect miners in the canyon from Paiute attacks the U.S. Army established Camp El Dorado, an outpost at the mouth of El Dorado Canyon that remained until it was abandoned in 1869. From 1870 the mines again were active to the point where from 1879 to 1907 El Dorado Canyon again had a post office, now in Clark County, Nevada. The mines continued to produce ore until World War II.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado_Canyon_(Nevada)

Usually pictures like these get a lot of positive comments on Flickr.

 

Crafty, original and artistic they are indeed!

 

Doubt if it will happen here, but I couldn't resist the experiment :-)

 

= = = = =

 

Taken in an deserted home.

 

Sometimes in the future this sympathetic Belgian village will disappear. Growth of the Antwerp harbour will erase it forever.

 

Doel expedition with Kaspar, Basta and Paix.

DIE IN THE DISCO #5: Darkwave, Coldwave, Ebm, Postpunk, Techno

 

Right click link. Select "Open in New Window"

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhYbtTPa1QA

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.

Back to Elk Island. Not sure how many I will post from there as I am not sure that my images are showing up for everyone. I have contacted Flickr a couple of times recently and although they are sympathetic, they assured me that they are working on it.

 

I am not crazy how it is paddling away from me I really liked the National Park-like colours and how the reflections harmonize with the colours of the Drake.

Detailing on a suburban 19th century brick cottage with later sympathetic additions .

 

Chelmer

Brisbane

Note: this photo was published as #485 in Flickr's "Explore" page on May 21, 2009. But then it was dropped. Boo hoo ...

 

*****************************

This is the continuation of a photo-project that I began in the summer of 2008: a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

 

As I indicated when I started this project in 2008, I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me.

 

I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject.

 

Thus far, I've generally avoided photographing bums, drunks, crazies, and homeless people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I'm still looking for opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We'll see how it goes ...

 

The only other thing I've noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, far more people who are not so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... but there was just nothing memorable about them.

Go on - watch closely... large and dark. Don't be scared.

 

Farringdon Station as it stands today... poised on the brink of 'redevelopment' which I desperately hope is sympathetic and preserves the original features, while removing all the grotty add-ons which have appeared over the years.

 

Time to get down there and grab some shots of the old familiar before it's too late.

 

Opened on the 9th January 1896 it was the Western terminus of the Metropolitan Railway - the other end being at Praed Street, now Paddington. This was the world's first Metro railway and ran steam trains which were specially adapted for underground use. To be honest, semi underground since it wasn't covered for the entire distance and there were ventilation grills and open cuttings a plenty.

 

The original terminus was a short distance from the current station, which was opened on 23rd December 1865 and was called Farringdon and High Holborn... the name which graces the station building, but not the 'official' station name.

 

Interesting to note the parcels office to the right - a sign of times past when there was a goods yard at Farringdon, and busy sidings towards both Moorgate and Smithfield.

 

At the risk of exposing my geek credentials, the station sign - as highlighted above - is one of the few remaining examples of the original Johnston Railway font. The current font goes by the wonderful name of P22 Underground Pro. There are some subtle differences, mostlly around the way curved letters (e.g the S) end and overall the 'feel' is quite different. The old sign on Finsbury Park bus station was classic Johnston.

 

Have a close look when you're next there.... go on, free the inner geek.

 

Krapy Rub Snif is Finsbury Park backwards.

JOX 440P was an ECW bodied Daimler Fleetline, new to Midland Red in 1976. Here it is seen waiting at Wolverhampton with the 890 service to Bridgnorth, in the backgound the distinctive building of Chubbs, now sympathetically restored as an arts complex. One of Peters more challenging scans!

 

Peter Shoesmith

This was our base for the night in the district of Chettinad, in Southern India. The hotel has been converted very sympathetically from its previous mansion status into a welcoming and stylish hotel, also offering delicious Tamil food. (No, I didn’t arrange the furniture like that, but I might have adjusted one of the lamps just a little)

It was my first photoshoot after the covid19-shotdown. Celina is the naturally born model; lovable, nice, creative, expressive, confident in posing and so sympathetic. A wonderful young woman.

We were very productive that afternoon / evening. So look forward to some really exceptionally beautiful photos.

We are sympathetic to our friends in the northeastern US who are enduring another winter blast. . . though our neighbor's cow here seemed not to mind the snowstorm. . . we had to keep wiping the lens clean, and fumbling the dials with numb hands was a bit of a challenge. . .and then the zoom lens on our little camera froze up. . . literally. . .

a succulent is always prepared to tear up

www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/b...

  

Also known as the peewit in imitation of its display calls, its proper name describes its wavering flight. Its black and white appearance and round-winged shape in flight make it distinctive, even without its splendid crest. This familiar farmland bird has suffered significant declines recently and is now an Red List species.

  

Overview

 

Latin name

  

Vanellus vanellus

 

Family

  

Plovers and lapwings (Charadriidae)

  

Where to see them

  

Lapwings are found on farmland throughout the UK particularly in lowland areas of northern England, the Borders and eastern Scotland. In the breeding season prefer spring sown cereals, root crops, permanent unimproved pasture, meadows and fallow fields. They can also be found on wetlands with short vegetation. In winter they flock on pasture and ploughed fields. The highest known winter concentrations of lapwings are found at the Somerset Levels, Humber and Ribble estuaries, Breydon Water/Berney Marshes, the Wash, and Morecambe Bay.

  

When to see them

  

All year round. Leaves upland areas after the breeding season and moves to lowland fields for the winter. Large numbers of N European birds arrive in autumn for the winter.

  

What they eat

  

Worms and insects

  

Population

 

UK Breeding:- 140,000 pairs

 

UK Wintering:- 650,000 birds

  

Breeding

  

The winter flocks begin to break up in February, when the birds will start to return to their breeding grounds.

 

The lapwing has a spectacular songflight. The male wobbles, zigzags, rolls and dives while calling to advertise his presence to rival males and potential mates. The birds tend to nest in loose groups. Individual territories are small about 0.4-0.8 ha and are only held until the chicks hatch.

 

In the breeding season, lapwings need a mosaic of habitats, because they need different conditions for nesting and for chick rearing.

 

The nest is a scrape in the ground, lined with a variable amount of plant material. The birds need a good all round view from the nest to spot predators, and nest either on bare ground or in short vegetation. They often choose rough or broken ground to aid concealment of the nest. Spring sown crops and rough grazing are ideal.

 

They lay clutches of four cryptically coloured eggs from late March to early June, and chicks hatch 3-4 weeks later. They are covered in down when they hatch, and are able to walk about and feed within hours.

 

Soon after hatching, the parents will lead them to suitable feeding areas, where the supply of surface invertebrates is good and the vegetation low. They particularly need to have nearby grassland, especially if it contains flood pools and damp patches.

 

The transfer between the nesting and chick-rearing habitats can be hazardous, and chick survival often depends on how far they have to travel. The families stay in the chick-rearing habitat until the young are ready to fly at 5-6 weeks old. Lapwings only rear one brood a year, but may lay up to four replacement clutches if the eggs are lost.

   

Legal status

  

The lapwing is fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; it an offence to kill, injure or take an adult lapwing, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.

 

The only exception is legitimate farming practices that cannot be reasonably delayed, although farming methods can often be modified to reduce the impact on the lapwings.

  

Population trends

  

Lapwing numbers have decreased in Britain since the middle of the 19th century. The early declines were caused by large scale collection of eggs for food. Introduction of the Lapwing Act in 1926 prohibited this, and was followed by a considerable recovery in bird numbers.

 

Since the 1940s lapwing declines have been driven by large-scale changes to farming. Large areas of grassland were converted to arable, marginal land was drained and improved, and chemicals were introduced for fertilisers and pest control with increasing reliance on them. By 1960 the lapwing population had stabilised at a lower level.

 

Another sharp and sustained decline started in the mid-1980s, with range contractions in south-west England and in parts of Wales. This followed further intensification and specialisation - abandonment of rotations, switch from spring to autumn sown crops, increased drainage, increased use of agrochemicals. Such changes have resulted in much of the arable land becoming unsuitable for nesting by April because the crop grows too high. Tillage, drainage and pesticides have also caused a reduction in food availability.

 

As pasture land is improved, the resulting increased risk of trampling by livestock, earlier cutting for silage and lower food availability have affected lapwings adversely. Phasing out of rotational farming and shift of arable to the east of England and pastureland to the west of England has removed the habitat mosaic that is essential for successful chick rearing.

 

Mosaic where grass and spring tillage fields are close together has declined significantly in recent years, and the loss of this prime habitat has resulted in a decline in lapwing numbers.

 

Nest failures on arable land come from egg losses during cultivation and from predation, and poor chick survival due to crop growth. Crop growth can also shorten the laying season.

 

The declines in lapwing population have been greatest in southern England and Wales, where the farming changes have been greatest and farmland is the only suitable habitat for the lapwing. Between 1987 and 1998 lapwing numbers dropped by 49% in England and Wales. Since 1960 the numbers dropped by 80%.

 

The birds have fared better in Scotland, where the crucial changes to farming were introduced later than in England and Wales. However, even there the numbers have dropped by 29% since 1987.

 

Lapwings have to fledge at least 0.6 young per pair each year to maintain the population. They usually can achieve this in rough grazing and unimproved pastures, but often not on arable land or improved grassland. Since the birds cannot produce enough chicks to offset the natural mortality of adults, population declines.

 

It is possible to halt and reverse the decline in lapwing numbers with sympathetic farming methods, which include creation of a mosaic of spring sown crops and grassland, managing grazing pressure and maintaining damp areas on unimproved grassland. Agri-environment schemes in each part of the UK provide grants to help land-owners manage their land to help lapwings.

  

Survival

  

Egg survival and hatching success varies depending on the habitat, and appears to have declined in some habitats over the past decade.

 

Main causes of nest failure are predation, agricultural activity and desertion. While the birds often re-lay, changes in cropping practices often result in the habitat being unsuitable for replacement clutches because the vegetation has grown too tall, thus shortening the potential breeding season.

 

Only about 25-40% of chicks survive to fledging. Most of the chick mortality occurs in the first few days after hatching, when chicks are most vulnerable to cold or wet weather, and when they may be undertaking hazardous journeys from nesting to feeding areas. The further chicks have to go, the lower their survival.

 

Once the birds have reached adulthood, they can expect to live a further 4-5 years. The oldest known individual was about 20 years. Lapwings normally breed one year after fledging.

 

Adjunto una maravillosa composición de Deuter

 

Pulsar CTRL al mismo tiempo que el símbolo ♫♫ ♫♫

♫♫ ♫♫ Earth Light ♫♫ ♫♫

 

www.linkingoo.com/foto/

www.fotoandros.com

www.fluidr.com/photos/35196188@N03

www.youtube.com/user/25elgaucho

www.youtube.com/user/25elgaucho/videos?tag_id=&view=0...

es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do

    

VER vídeo:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1OwaYeQYzc&list=UUn_FRdMLWzj...

  

Los coccinélidos (Mariquitas), son insectos pequeños, con un tamaño reducido que va de 5 a 8 milimetros. De forma redondeada u oval, brillantes, suelen ser de vivos colores, con manchas negras sobre un fondo naranja, amarillo o rojo, en forma de puntos o rayas (no es un caparazón sino gruesas alas transformadas, llamadas élitros, que protegen las alas funcionales para el vuelo, el segundo par). Algunas especies son peludas. Su cabeza, antenas y patas son negros. Las extremidades cortas. Dado que son útiles, coloridos e inofensivos para los humanos, son insectos vistos tradicionalmente con simpatía e incluso se les considera en algunos lugares signo de buena suerte.

 

They are small insects, with a reduced size from 5-8 millimeters. Rounded or oval, glossy, often brightly colored, with black spots on a orange background, yellow or red, in the form of spots or stripes (not a carapace but thick transformed wings, he called elytra that protect functional wings for flight, the second pair). Some species are hairy. His head, antennae and legs are black. The short limbs. Since they are useful, colorful and harmless to humans, insects are traditionally viewed sympathetically and are even found in some places good luck sign

.

My attempt at painting A painting The Slaughters Country Inn, in Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire, England, using Photoshop!

 

"Click here" Oil Painting! ............. Your turn to have a go; if you have Photoshop CS3, or later!

  

To view more images of Lower Slaughter, please click "here" !

 

Lower Slaughter is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, located in the Cotswold district, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of the town of Stow-on-the-Wold. The village is built on both banks of the River Eye, which also flows through Upper Slaughter. At the west end of the village there is a 19th-century water mill with an undershot waterwheel and a chimney for additional steam power. There is a ford where the river widens in the village and several small stone footbridges join the two sides of the community. While the mill is built of red brick most of the 16th and 17th century homes in the village use Cotswold sandstone and are adorned with mullioned windows and often with other embellishments such as projecting gables. Records exist showing that Lower Slaughter has been inhabited for over 1000 years. The Domesday Book entry has the village name as “Sclostre”. It further notes that in 1066 and 1086 that the manor was in the sheriff's hands. Lower Slaughter Manor, a Grade-II listed 17th-century house, was granted to Sir George Whitmore in 1611 and remained in his family until 1964. The 13th century Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Much of the current structure was built in 1866; however, the spire and peal of six bells was recently restored. In May 2013 it was reported in the national news that the Parish Council were fiercely opposed to the presence of an icebox tricycle selling ice creams for seven days a week, six months of the year, citing that the trading times were excessive, increased footfall would prevent the grass from growing and that children could climb on the trike and fall into the nearby river.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Slaughters Country Inn is privately owned and offers a relaxed ambience, a style that is sympathetically balanced between the original features of a 17th Century building and contemporary design. The blend of old and new creates the perfect retreat in a beautiful country location

My sister Jan and I spent an evening walking along the Thames Path (Riverside Walk) London and come across these fabulous images.

 

The City of London wanted to replicate etchings, engravings, drawings and lithographic prints of Southwark Bridge onto tiles for their pedestrian underpass (north side) of Southwark Bridge.

The traditional Victorian panel layouts were printed sympathetically so they looked like traditional 'Delftware' on Victorian tiles.

   

Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña - Escocia - Kylesku - Puente

 

ENGLISH:

 

The Kylesku Bridge is a distinctively curved concrete box girder bridge in north-west Scotland that crosses the Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin in Sutherland.

 

In June 1978 the Highland Regional Council asked Ove Arup & Partners Scotland to prepare a feasibility study for a bridge, in their capacity as consulting civil engineers, and was prepared by March 1979.

 

Construction for the approach roads, costing £4 million, began in summer 1981. Construction of the bridge began in August 1982, with Morrison Construction and Lehane Mackenzie and Shand the chief contractors.

 

It was constructed by building out the supporting legs and then lifting into place the central span, which had been constructed on land and then moved onto a barge by rail and weighed 640 tonnes (630 long tons; 710 short tons).

 

The cost of the bridge was £4 million, although was earlier budgeted at £2.75 million. The bridge opened to traffic in July 1984, and was formally opened by the Queen on 8 August 1984.

 

The bridge crosses water which is approximately 120 metres (390 ft) wide and up to 25 metres (82 ft) deep, leading to fast tidal currents. It replaced the ferry between Kylesku and Kylestrome, which was 400 metres to the east.

 

The bridge is 275 metres (902 feet) long with a 79 metre long main span. The bridge deck is at a height of 24 metres (79 ft) above high water to provide navigation for ships.

 

The bridge deck is supported by V-shaped inclined piers, with eight inclined legs, in order to reduce the length of the main span. The lateral forces from each leg balance, so the total force on the foundations is vertically downwards. The spread of legs supports the bridge in winds which can exceed 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), and also loads resulting from the curvature of the bridge. There is no joint between the legs and the deck of the bridge, with the expansion joints and bearings being located at the abutments to facilitate straightforward maintenance. The legs are formed from reinforced concrete and the deck from prestressed concrete using cables tensioned at up to 52200 kN.

 

The bridge is designed to be sympathetic to the surrounding country, and the approaches were chosen to minimise changes to the landscape.

  

A brown bear sitting in his cave, his shelter.

 

Bears tend to have a sad look. Lost in a world that is increasingly changing at the expense of animals and nature. With this photo I’ve tried to expose the emotions of the moment: the innocent and precarious look in his eyes, the sympathetic desperation.

 

This shot was made during the last rays of light. As a result, a natural Low Key photo with no distractions of his surroundings. Just the look of the bear. In black and white, the empathy is even bigger.

Stokesay Castle is the most complete and best-preserved fortified medieval manor house in England. Located in a quiet Shropshire valley near the Welsh border, the castle is known for its remarkable 13th-century Great Hall, stone towers, and ornate 17th-century timber-framed gatehouse.

 

The core of the castle, including the great hall, solar (private apartment block), and north and south towers, was largely completed by 1291. The use of the same team of carpenters throughout is evidenced by shared carpenter's marks on the timbers. The imposing appearance, particularly the south tower, was a status symbol echoing the grand castles built by King Edward I in North Wales, though its actual military strength was superficial.

 

The castle passed through the Vernon family in the 16th century and was sold to Sir George Mainwaring in 1596, and then to Dame Elizabeth Craven and her son William, the 1st Earl of Craven, in 1620. William Craven made the only substantial addition to the castle's fabric since the 13th century: an ornate, timber-framed gatehouse built around 1640-1641.

 

In the 18th century the castle was let to tenant farmers who used parts for agricultural purposes, including using the great hall as a granary and the south tower basement as a smithy.

Antiquarian interest grew in the 19th century, and in 1869, wealthy glove manufacturer John Derby Allcroft bought the estate. He embarked on a sympathetic and extensive restoration program that aimed to preserve the existing structure rather than rebuild it.

 

The Allcroft family maintained the castle for over a century, opening it to the public. In 1986, Jewell Magnus-Allcroft placed the castle into the guardianship of English Heritage, which assumed ownership upon her death in 1992. Today, Stokesay Castle stands as an exceptionally complete and rare example of a medieval fortified manor house, offering a unique glimpse into 13th-century life.

A SERIES OF CANDLE-LIT LANTERNS:

before the winter over here started i handmade a series of about 200 lanterns out of paper, and lit the images stenciled on them with candles lighting them up: www.flickr.com/photos/thisislimbo/sets/72157600304155485/ .

but as the rain got more and more frequent, it thought i would postpone it until the weather was more sympathetic. now that it is, i thought about trying to make it a little more developed and the attached pics are what cam out of it.all the brighter spaces are the candlelight shining through rice paper applied to a cut-out hole in the cardboard.

what i like about the lanterns is that it deals with the frail temporary aspect of putting up art in street.if i take the best case scenario (that nobody takes the piece after a short while and there are no extreme winds or rain) then the longest life span of these pieces will be that of the candles, which is probably just a few hours. therefore, when someone runs into it on the street they know that it was placed there not so long ago and they, by coincidence, got there in the small time frame that the piece was "active", hopefully giving them the feeling that it was placed there especially for them, and maybe guiding them,following them home and subtly lighting up their way.

 

To view more images of Lower Slaughter, please click

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Lower Slaughter is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, located in the Cotswold district, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of the town of Stow-on-the-Wold. The village is built on both banks of the River Eye, which also flows through Upper Slaughter. At the west end of the village there is a 19th-century water mill with an undershot waterwheel and a chimney for additional steam power. There is a ford where the river widens in the village and several small stone footbridges join the two sides of the community. While the mill is built of red brick most of the 16th and 17th century homes in the village use Cotswold sandstone and are adorned with mullioned windows and often with other embellishments such as projecting gables. Records exist showing that Lower Slaughter has been inhabited for over 1000 years. The Domesday Book entry has the village name as “Sclostre”. It further notes that in 1066 and 1086 that the manor was in the sheriff's hands. Lower Slaughter Manor, a Grade-II listed 17th-century house, was granted to Sir George Whitmore in 1611 and remained in his family until 1964. The 13th century Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Much of the current structure was built in 1866; however, the spire and peal of six bells was recently restored. In May 2013 it was reported in the national news that the Parish Council were fiercely opposed to the presence of an icebox tricycle selling ice creams for seven days a week, six months of the year, citing that the trading times were excessive, increased footfall would prevent the grass from growing and that children could climb on the trike and fall into the nearby river.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Slaughters Country Inn is privately owned and offers a relaxed ambience, a style that is sympathetically balanced between the original features of a 17th Century building and contemporary design. The blend of old and new creates the perfect retreat in a beautiful country location

Nelson is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The community is in the Pacific Standard Time zone. The location of Nelson is in El Dorado Canyon, Eldorado Mountains. The town is in the southeast region of the Eldorado Valley. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 37. Nelson is located along Nevada State Route 165, about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of its junction with U.S. Route 95. Route 165 continues east 5 miles (8 km) to a dead end at Nelsons Landing on the Colorado River, 18 miles (29 km) by water north of Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mojave. Nelson is about 25 miles (40 km) from Boulder City by road. The area known as Nelson was originally called Eldorado in 1775, by the Spaniards who made the original discoveries of gold in the area that is now Eldorado Canyon. The town was the site of one of the first major gold strikes in Nevada and one of the biggest mining booms in state history. Gold and silver were discovered here around 1859. The rush to the canyon began in 1861, several mining camps were established in the canyon, and a steamboat landing at the mouth of the canyon on the Colorado River, called Colorado City. In its heyday, the area established a reputation for being rough and lawless. During the American Civil War, deserters from both the Union and Confederate armies would wander there, hoping that such an isolated location would be the last place military authorities would look for them. Among the early mines established was the notorious Techatticup Mine in the middle of the canyon. Disagreements over ownership, management and labor disputes resulted in wanton killings so frequent as to be routine and ordinary. Despite the sinister reputation of the mine, it along with others in the town produced several million dollars in gold, silver, copper and lead. The mines in the canyon were active from about 1858 until 1945. The community called Nelson was named for Charles Nelson, a camp leader who was slain in his home, along with four other people, in 1897 by the renegade Indian, Avote. Between, 1901 and 1905 the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was built across southern Nevada, through Las Vegas, to Daggett, California where it connected to the AT&SF, and the complete Salt Lake–Los Angeles line was opened on May 1, 1905. This nearby railhead ended the need for steamboats at Eldorado Canyon, the landing and the mill there were abandoned. The town of Nelson was born near the head of the canyon nearest the road to the railroad, the post office of Eldorado was closed on August 31, 1907 and moved to Nelson. The mines and the landing are accessible through the town of Nelson off US 95 about 25 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Much of Nelson, which was not impacted by the 1974 flood, remains today and is located near the top of the wash, away from the flood channels. The sparsely populated community consists mainly of privately owned ranch houses, and a river and mining tour business housed in a former Texaco gas station, north of the road from the Techatticup Mine, that has been used as a filming location for several feature films, including 3000 Miles to Graceland. The fate of Nelson's Landing is a warning to visitors to this region who should watch for conditions leading to flash flooding. They should also be cautious of open mines and ventilation shafts.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson,_Nevada

 

El Dorado Canyon is a canyon in southern Clark County, Nevada famed for its rich silver and gold mines. The canyon was named in 1857 by steamboat entrepreneur Captain George Alonzo Johnson when gold and silver was discovered here. It drains into the Colorado River at the former site of Nelson's Landing. The town of Nelson lies in the upper reach of the canyon. Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours operates mid way in the canyon at the Techatticup Mine one of the oldest and most productive mines in the canyon. Prospecting and mining in the El Dorado Canyon had been going on from at least 1857 if not earlier. But in April 1861, as the American Civil War began, word got out that silver and some gold and copper lodes had been discovered by John Moss and others in what became known as El Dorado Canyon, in New Mexico Territory, now Nevada. The canyon was on the west side of the river sixty five miles above Fort Mohave at what was then considered the limit of navigation of the river. George A. Johnson came up river and made a deal to supply the mines with his steamboats at a lower price than that provided overland across the Mohave Desert from Los Angeles. That fall news of the strikes in the Colorado Mining District, (by 1864 also called the Eldorado Canyon District), brought a flood of miners to the canyon. Several mining camps were founded in the canyon over the years. At the beginning San Juan, or Upper Camp were at the top of the canyon miles from the river near the modern town of Nelson. Midway down the canyon near the Techatticup Mine were Alturas and Louisville. At the mouth of the canyon was the boat landing of Colorado City. During the time of the American Civil War, three new mining camps developed in the middle canyon. In 1862, Lucky Jim Camp was formed along Eldorado Canyon above January Wash, south of the Techatticup Mine. Lucky Jim Camp was the home of miners sympathetic to the Confederate cause. A mile up the canyon was a camp with Union sympathies called Buster Falls. In late 1863, Col. John R. Vineyard, at the time a California State Senator for Los Angeles, completed a ten stamp mill the first in the canyon, on its north side just below Lucky Jim Camp, at what soon became El Dorado City. Vineyard's mill, assembled from mill parts salvaged from abandoned works in the Mother Lode country of California, processed the ore of its mines and cut out the cost of shipping the ore out to San Francisco for such processing, cutting costs in half. George Alonzo Johnson's steamboat company losing this downstream ore trade and making fewer trips up to the Canyon responded by raising its freight rates. From 1865 to 1867 as part of Mohave County, Arizona Territory, El Dorado Canyon had its own post office. In 1867, to secure the riverboat traffic and protect miners in the canyon from Paiute attacks the U.S. Army established Camp El Dorado, an outpost at the mouth of El Dorado Canyon that remained until it was abandoned in 1869. From 1870 the mines again were active to the point where from 1879 to 1907 El Dorado Canyon again had a post office, now in Clark County, Nevada. The mines continued to produce ore until World War II.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado_Canyon_(Nevada)

"Located on the shores of Lake Dulverton about half way between Hobart and Launceston on Tasmania's Midlands highway, Oatlands is a hauntingly beautiful, intact colonial era village with its architecture covering a broad range of styles. A designated historic town, Oatlands is said to have the largest collection of pre-1837 buildings in Australia. 87 such buildings are located in the main street while a total of 138 sandstone buildings are found within the town boundary." www.ourtasmania.com.au/hobart//oatlands.html

 

The Town Hall was erected in 1881 to a design by architect W.H. Lord. The Georgian Revival style is sympathetic to the earlier buildings in the town.

 

A view of the same building in 1970. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152184588/view

  

The Saint Mary's Church in St Fagans, near Cardiff is a medieval church located in south Wales. Built in the 12th century it underwent extensive and sympathetic restoration in 1859, undertaken by G. E. Street in 1859. The Church of St Mary was listed as a Grade II* building on 28 January 1963.

View of Gedling village from Gedling country park. The parkland is built on the former colliery site of the same name and this azimuth location was the top of the slag heap high above the village. Today it has been transformed (but is in its infancy) into a facility that is used by keep fitters, dog walkers and photographers to name but a few. I have processed this series of images in mono using Silver Effects Pro 2 to give a sympathetic image to the prevailing climatic conditions.

 

Thanks for your visit and comments, I appreciate them very much! Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © Nigel Stewart