View allAll Photos Tagged Tenacity
A gnarled trunk still clinging to a rock wall is a sign of persistence in the face of difficult situations.
I wonder how many storms have thrown wind, rain, waves, snow and ice against this tenacious trunk; how many days of blazing sun have heated that rock face; how many Canadian winters have brought unimaginable cold to those branches...and yet a few leaves show that there is life still remaining in that ancient tree growing from a sheer rock face.
After leaving its berth at the ABT Terminal at the Leopold Dock, the 2016 built vessel is seen here lining up to enter the Berendrecht lock as it heads out to sea and onwards to the German port of Brünsbuttel.
The vessel is assisted on the bow by the Port of Antwerp Authority tug nr. 22
The extraordinary Tenacity of Bolton is a 55ft yacht - ketch - that was originally built as part of a GCSE project by Bolton School to celebrate the millennium, but taking 9 years to complete before finally setting sail from Glasson Basin, Lancaster, in 2007. For the full story see here:
www.boltonschool.org/senior-boys/extra-curricular-activit...
(Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and first noted in existance in 1516. It comprises a co-educational nursery, co-educational infant school (ages 5–7), single sex junior schools (ages 7–11) and single sex senior schools including sixth forms (ages 11–18). With almost 5,000 pupils, it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.)
In September 2014, the "Tenacity of Bolton" was gifted to the Tall Ships Youth Trust to be operated by the Trust, with Bolton School pupils continuing to make use to the ketch The Trust, formerly the Sail Training Association, based in Portsmouth and Liverpool, is a charity registered with the Charity Commission. It was founded in 1956 and is dedicated to the personal development of young people aged 16 to 25 through the crewing of ocean-going yachts
I'm in the middle of nowhere. The train station is a 30 minute hike away, if you walk fast. Looking back, I see skyscrapers in the far distance, seeming no taller than the nearby orange trees. I had just made the 30 mile bike ride from Tokyo to Middle of Nowhere, Saitama, Japan. Here, giant letters loomed before me: 聖天宮. In Japanese, it’s read as Seitenkyū. However, the Chinese reading is more appropriate here: Xien Ten Gong. The Holy Celestial Palace. I had arrived at Japan’s largest Daoist temple. Bluntly, it's shocking that this place exists, let alone in this strange, out-of-the-way location. To use a Wyoming analogy, it's akin to driving 30 miles east of Cheyenne on I-80, taking the exit at Burns, Wyoming (population 301), stopping to the Antelope Truck Stop to refuel, and discovering an authentic Sikh Indian restaurant inside. And yet, improbable as it is, both these places exist. To appreciate the long odds Daoism had to survive, it's necessary to briefly discuss Daoism history. In the mid-17th century, the Ming Dynasty fell. Chinese intellectuals in the 17th century partially laid the blame on Daoism. The government, in addition to reemphasizing Confucian teachings, actively rejected Daosim. Following centuries of religious persecution, only a single copy of the Daozang, the core Daoist religious canon, had survived. It was against this backdrop that the Cultural Revolution began in the 1960s, damaging and destroying many of the surviving temples and sites. The government forced many of the remaining Daoist clergy to disavow their religion, then sent them to labor camps. In short, recent Daoism history is one of struggle and strife, with few opportunities to spread. And now, here in Japan, a thousand miles from Daoism’s ancestral homeland, stands one of their largest temples in Asia, defiantly holding firm despite centuries of oppression. Now, when I think of my own struggles when studying abroad—trying to speak a foreign language I don’t fully understand, adjusting to cultural norms completely alien to my own, struggling to complete even the basic paperwork to move into my new home—I think of this temple. I consider that they faced the same kinds of struggles, but also life-or-death struggles that completely surpass what I face as a student studying abroad. They survived the centuries of persecution, a civil war, and relocation to multiple different countries. When I feel like my own spirit is flagging in the face of my challenges abroad, it reminds me of how strong the human spirit really is. It’s a reminder how much the human spirit can endure. And sometimes, I need that reminder. They built this temple against all odds. It’s a testament to their resilience, fortitude, and audacity. And it’s absolutely beautiful.
tenacity - a trait that is truly a mixed 'blessing'
it doesn't know any better or how to be any different
so it hangs on .... blindly
never realising it will be unseen or ripped out
perhaps it is better to be ignorant of your fate
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quote at teardrop's link:
I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so fuckin' heroic. ~ George Carlin
The extraordinary Tenacity of Bolton is a 55ft yacht - ketch - that was originally built as part of a GCSE project by Bolton School to celebrate the millennium, but taking 9 years to complete before finally setting sail from Glasson Basin, Lancaster, in 2007. For the full story see here:
www.boltonschool.org/senior-boys/extra-curricular-activit...
(Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and first noted in existance in 1516. It comprises a co-educational nursery, co-educational infant school (ages 5–7), single sex junior schools (ages 7–11) and single sex senior schools including sixth forms (ages 11–18). With almost 5,000 pupils, it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.)
In September 2014, the "Tenacity of Bolton" was gifted to the Tall Ships Youth Trust to be operated by the Trust, with Bolton School pupils continuing to make use to the ketch The Trust, formerly the Sail Training Association, based in Portsmouth and Liverpool, is a charity registered with the Charity Commission. It was founded in 1956 and is dedicated to the personal development of young people aged 16 to 25 through the crewing of ocean-going yachts
In the 1980s, my father, Ian, and I undertook some sailings with Reg Lindop of Ellesmere Port (in Cheshire). He had built his own cabin cruiser, the TENACITY, and later converted her from diesel to steam, to get a more authentic feel for canal travel. In that guise she can be seen here about to enter the water at Preston Brook Marina in Runcorn (also Cheshire). Reg, who can be seen in the picture is, sadly, no longer with us. Dad was also taken from us, only a short while ago (26th April 2020). This photo, taken by my father, reminds me of some happy times and wonderful experiences; on this occasion, as we took TENACITY to Manchester on the Bridgewater Canal, and then she sailed back to Ellesmere Port via the Manchester Ship Canal.
141229-N-DC018-131 CHANGI, Singapore (Dec. 29, 2014) Republic of Singapore Navy Fleet Commander, Col. Lew Chuen Hong speaks with U.S. Navy leadership during a ship tour of littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3). Currently on a 16-month rotational deployment in support of the Asia-Pacific Rebalance, Fort Worth is a fast and agile warship tailor-made to patrol the region's littorals and work hull-to-hull with partner navies, providing 7th Fleet with the flexible capabilities it needs now and in the future. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Antonio P. Turretto Ramos/Released)
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