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If You Look at the Fore of the Photo You can See a Swell Where the Water Rises up. Thus the Name Boiling Springs.
‘30 Moments before May’ explores a mixing of both the traditional snapshot with images of unusually documented subjects and experiences over 30 days, creating a body of work both very personal and revealing. The further process of hand printing each individual image, thus reliving the ‘moment’ has ensured a collection of images chosen carefully with much thought to the photographers feelings of those times experienced.
30 Hand Printed C-types - 8x10
Lunch time for two young robins
What did Father find?
Big fat tadpoles of some kind
Thus the robins dined
CN 2099 and 2562 lead a rerouted Q19991-29 down the ramp from 16th Street Tower, about to duck under 18th St and negotiate 21st St Crossing. Due to total replacement of the interlocking at Homewood, for several days all traffic normally routed via the former EJ&E to the south end of Markham Yard via Matteson could only access the north end, resulting in reroutes through the city. Northbound traffic used the ex-IC Chicago and Freeport Subdivisions to Munger to access the "J", and southbounds used the Waukesha Sub to the IHB connection at B-12, then the Eldson Sub from Blue Island to the Markham connection at Harvey. Due to clearance issues on the IC route through Chicago, intermodal traffic is not normally routed this way, thus, the rerouted trains could not operate with doublestacked containers, as is the norm on their regular route.
at Moreton Sea Defences
On quiet a high tide the waves crashed over the defences at Moreton and I just love the misty, dreamy effect you get with thus 2 second exposure.
[polski opis niżej]
This is probably the steepest elevation in the entire Warsaw area - although for past couple of years it is no longer the Warszawa Jelonki - Radiowo railway line, but an ordinary ArcelorMittal Warszawa branch siding, called "steelworks".
The consequence of the construction of the expressway (S8 - on the left) was the change of the elevatiopn of the track up to the overpass, so that it could pass over the S8 road. Thus probably the steepest grade in the entire Warsaw was created, the more severe that relatively heavy freight trains travel here, and the maximum speed on the siding is set by its regulations at 25 km/h, so there is no chance of speeding up before the elevation.
In the photo, SM42-819 with a consist of flat Res wagons (for loading billets or bars - the basic products of Warszawa Steelworks), a few minutes after leaving the Warszawa Jelonki station, climbs the flyover. March 13, 2022.
Photo by Jarek / Chester
Oto chyba najbardziej stromy podjazd w całym Warszawskim Węźle Kolejowym - chociaż od paru lat to już nie jest linia kolejowa Warszawa Jelonki - Radiowo, ale zwykła bocznica ArcelorMittal oddział Warszawa, zwana "hutą".
Konsekwencją budowy drogi szybkiego ruchu (S8) było wyciągnięcie bocznicy do góry na estakadę, by mogła bezkolizyjnie przejść nad drogą S8. Powstało chyba najbardziej strome wzniesienie na całym WWK, tym bardziej dotkliwe, że jeżdżą tu stosunkowo ciężkie składy towarowe, a z kolei maksymalna prędkość na bocznicy jest ustalona jej regulaminem na 25 km/h, a więc nie ma szans na rozpędzenie się przed wzniesieniem.
Na zdjęciu SM42-819 ze składem płaskich wagonów Res (pod załadunek kęsów lub prętów - podstawowego produktów Huty Warszawa) kilka minut po odjeździe ze stacji Warszawa Jelonki wspina się na estakadę. 13 marca 2022 roku.
Fot. Jarek / Chester
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière (Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière) is a minor basilica in Lyon. It was built with private funds between 1872 and 1884 in a dominant position overlooking the city. The site it occupies was once the Roman forum of Trajan, the forum vetus (old forum), thus its name (as an inverted corruption of the French Vieux-Forum).
The design of the basilica, by Pierre Bossan, draws from both Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, two non-Gothic models that were unusual choices at the time. It has four main towers, and a belltower topped with a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary. It features fine mosaics, superb stained glass, and a crypt of Saint Joseph.
Fourvière actually contains two churches, one on top of the other. The upper sanctuary is very ornate, while the lower is a much simpler design. Work on the triumphant basilica was begun in 1872 and finished in 1884. Finishing touches in the interior were not completed until as late as 1964.
Bossan's first sketches for the basilica seem to date from 1846. At the time he was in Palermo.
The basilica has acquired the local nickname of "the upside-down elephant", because the building looks like the body of an elephant and the four towers look like its legs.
I was sat on a bench at the River Stour when this guy popped up to take a look! I really fought the urge to use my camera as it was such an amazing experience but I couldn't completely resist! (thus the snap shot)
People seem to have much passion for scarce things than things with large quantity. The reason behind is very obvious. Scarce things are more precious and valuable. Leica has introduced many high quality lenses of little productions, which have attracted a lot of collectors. Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 aspherical produced during 1989-1994 is one of the excellent representatives. As the production processes were very hard and complex, it had only a limited production of 2000 items. In spite of the bigger size, its optical design and the sharpness of photos are much more excellent than early Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4. Thus, it has been chased after by many collectors.
Leica has always been having a strict requirement on the optical design of lens. Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 aspherical consists of construction of 9 elements in 5 groups with unique feature of two front and back concave outer surfaces. The lens contains two hand-polished aspherical surfaces. They are of the same polishing method used in Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 in year 1966. Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 is the first lens in the world produced with aspherical surfaces to improve the aberration problem of non-aspherical surfaces. However, the hand polishing method is very time consuming and difficult. It cannot guarantee success. Leica experienced a lot of failures without giving up. After a long period of six years, these 2000 excellent pieces were finally issued. Leica’s spirit makes this scarce lens more valuable.
人們為何對數量多的東西沒有太大的熱情，卻爭先追趕數量稀少的東西呢？這不就是因為稀少的東西來得更珍貴，來得更有價值。徠卡 (Leica) 生產了很多高質素，而出產量又十分少的鏡頭，吸引了很多收藏家的目光。在1989-1994年期間生產的Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 aspherical (雙非)是其中的表表者。由於製作工序繁複，只限量生產了2000支便停產了。除外型較大外，無論是光學設計，還是相片的銳利度，都比前期的Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4出色，得到很多收藏家的青睞。
Leica一向對光學設計很講究，Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 aspherical (雙非) 使用9片5組的鏡片，擁有前後兩個凹陷的表面鏡片，在當時是獨有的特徵。這支鏡頭包含兩片人工手磨的非球面鏡片，它們的打磨技術與1966年Noctilux 50mm f/1.2的非球面鏡片的打磨技術相似，Noctilux 50mm f/1.2是全世界首支使用非球面鏡片技術製造的鏡頭，改善了球面鏡片的像差問題。可是人工手磨非常耗時，製作難度高，不能百份百確保手磨的成品理想，經過多番失敗後，以長達6年的時間才成功完成這2000支優秀的鏡頭。Leica不斷嘗試，永不言敗的精神，更加增添了這支產量稀少的鏡頭的收藏價值。
Here's a series of photos I took of the potted poinsettia plant at our front door.
The Christmas poinsettia legend begins long ago with a peasant girl in Mexico, faced with a problem on Holy Night: she lacked the means to contribute a gift in the Christ Child ceremony at the church, as all the other children would be doing. The girl was, however, reassured that, to use a modern expression, "it's the thought that counts."
Taking this advice, she picked some roadside weeds on the way to church to make a bouquet. But when she arrived at the church and it was time for her to present her gift, the bouquet of weeds was transformed into something much more colorful: red Christmas poinsettias! Thus was born an enduring tradition, as we continue to associate Christmas poinsettias with the holiday season.
...Thus the days pass, and our sojourn
is not displeasing, for, it goes without saying,
it is not supposed to last forever.
C.P. Cavafy
Dunfermline's first Versa, and thus far oldest vehicle, to receive the new corporate livery is 25252.
Erst nach dem Tod von Friedrich Wilhelm II. 1797 wurden die innen noch nicht fertig gestellten Seitenflügel des Schlosses von König Friedrich Wilhelm IV. zwischen 1843 und 1848 ausgestaltet. Er liebte Italien und ließ die zu den Flügeln überleitenden Viertelkreisbögen mit Dekorationen ausmalen, die an die von Raffael entworfenen Malereien in den Loggien des Vatikan erinnern.
It was only after the death of Frederick William II in 1797 that the side wings of the palace, which had not yet been completed on the inside, were decorated by King Frederick William IV between 1843 and 1848. He loved Italy and had the galleries in form of quarter-circle arches leading to the wings painted with decorations reminiscent of the paintings designed by Raphael in the loggias of the Vatican.
Das Marmorpalais liegt romantisch auf einer Terrassenanlage direkt am Seeufer im Neuen Garten. König Friedrich Wilhelm II. ließ das mit schlesischem Marmor verkleidete Bauwerk 1787–1793 als Sommerresidenz errichten. Sein Architekt Carl von Gontard schuf damit das erste und einzige preußische Königsschloss im Stil des Frühklassizismus. Dem musisch veranlagten und dem Gedankengut der Rosenkreuzer verbundenen König diente Schloss und Garten als privater Rückzugsort. Die Inneneinrichtung des Marmorpalais, u. a. von Carl Gotthard Langhans entworfen, ist von antikem Formengut beeinflusst. Zahlreiche Marmorkamine und antike Skulpturen wurden dafür eigens in Italien erworben. Die Räume entstanden zudem in enger Beziehung zu der ländlichen Idylle der Umgebung. So wurden z.B. aus einheimischen Hölzern kostbare Intarsien und hochwertige Holzfußböden geschaffen. Die kostbare Ausstattung wird darüber hinaus durch die feinen Seidenbespannungen und die zwei Standuhren aus dem Nachlass der Madame Pompadour sowie die umfangreiche Sammlung hochwertiger Keramikvasen aus der englischen Wedgwood-Manufaktur bereichert.
www.spsg.de/schloesser-gaerten/objekt/marmorpalais/
The Marble House is romantically situated on a terraced site directly on the lakeshore in the New Garden. King Frederick William II had the structure with its exterior accents of Silesian marble erected from 1787–93 as a summer residence. His architect Carl von Gontard thus created the first and only Prussian royal palace in the early neo-Classical style. The palace and garden served as a secluded retreat for the artistically inclined king, who had an enthusiasm for Rosicrucian ideas. The Marble House’s interior decoration, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, among others, draws on design traditions founded in classical antiquity. Numerous marble fireplaces and ancient sculptures were acquired in Italy expressly for this palace. The interiors were also conceived to closely echo the pastoral setting, with, for example, the use of native woods to create exquisite intarsia and high-quality wooden floors. The choice décor was further enhanced with fine silk wall coverings and two grandfather clocks from the estate of Madame Pompadour, as well as an extensive collection of outstanding ceramic vases from the English Wedgwood manufactory..
Hu 2 is a small (120 arc seconds) and extremely faint (and thus rarely-imaged) planetary nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Image captured on my remote dual rig at Fregenal de la Sierra in Spain between 6-11 November 2021.
Scopes: APM TMB LZOS 152 Refractors
Cameras: QSI6120wsg8
Mount: 10Micron GM2000 HPS
A total of 42 hours 25 minutes image capture (OIIILRGB)
More details at: www.imagingdeepspace.com/hu-2.html
Thus far the Sky-Watcher Esprit 120ED has been performing well! Currently testing it out on some lunar imaging using a Televue Powermate 2.5x and ZWO ASI290MC camera. Wondering how a 4x Powermate would work on this setup?
I originally planned to go into New York City to photograph counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags. I wanted to blog about the frequent sightings of Coach, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton handbags at CVS. In my naivety, I used to believe all the bags were authentic. However, I believe now that while the majority of the Coach and Burberry bags were real, the clear majority of Louis Vuitton fashions were counterfeit. My suspicions were confirmed upon my numerous conversations with customers about their handbags. Many of them would mention they "fell off the truck" at Canal Street when I commented about their pretty handbags. In fact, the only confirmation of an authentic Louis Vuitton fashion was from a man who had a Vuitton wallet. When I asked him about the plethora of counterfeits running around, he also mentioned Canal Street. He has seen the counterfeits himself and they look absolutely authentic. I, too, had to see these gorgeous counterfeits. Thus, began an excursion to Canal Street to start my Blackout Day!
Paul accompanied me on this excursion to the City. We were supposed to have lunch with our friend Peter, but he was unavailable and would soon disappear into a cellular void. We headed into NYC via the Newport/Pavonia PATH station and then hopped out on Christopher Street only to hop into a subway to take us to Chinatown and into the heart of mystery.
We noticed alot of scenes like this on Canal Street. Hordes of people would gather around in a small circle while a Chinese merchant would quickly lift up a tarp covering a table in order to reveal the counterfeit merchandise beneath; all the while, the merchant would nervously glance up and around the sidewalk area. Presumably they were looking for cops, but maybe they were just looking for suspicious activity counter to their own. The merchant in this picture quickly closed up shop and sent the customers away after he caught me taking pictures of his business.
Paul and I continued to walk along Canal Street observing the suspicious activities of the day. Merchants would often not even have the counterfeit merchandise underneath the tarp. They would just have a paper with pictures of all the products with them. After a customer chose a product, the merchant would then retrieve the fake Vuitton bag. I found it extremely difficult to photograph a bag because there weren't any around! I was also afraid that merchants would try to seize my camera or break my legs if they caught me taking pictures of them.
I walked into a store and saw this woman clutching a Vuitton bag. My eyes immediately lit up and I asked her (in spanish) if I could photograph her bag. I finally had a photo of a Vuitton bag! Her companion insisted that it was a real bag when I asked about its authenticity. I'm not sure whether to believe him or not. Later in the day, I would continue to ask people if I could photograph their Vuitton bags, only to receive strange looks in return. I would end up just photographing their bags without their permission.
We then made a quick stop at City Hall to photograph the infrastructure in order to "examine" its vulnerabilities and weaknesses. After I took this photo, the officer of the USMS SDNY (United States Marshal Service - Southern District of New York) who is pointing on the left, walked up to me and ordered me to stop photographing government property. I burned with rage as I wished again for a hidden camera. After this encounter, we went to Union Square for a drink at the Heartland brewery. We both had their Indiana Pale Ale, which was pretty good. Paul and I planned to head over to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn for a drink, then head back here to buy a gallon of beer to take home. Little did we know what was in store for us on the subway to Brooklyn.
This is the subway car I was trapped in for over an hour. This L-line subway left the 1st Avenue station and was heading over to Brooklyn when at about 4:20 the subway stopped and the lights went off. The crew reassured us that it was just the subway line and that things we were going to start moving very soon. However, it was soon apparent we weren't going anywhere, and the problem was probably larger than we expected. After all, where were the cops and fire department to help us? The man in the forefront of this photograph pointed this out. The chickens on the train grew restless as the air got really fucking thick and the temperature must've been around 100 degrees inside the car. People from the cars in front of us began an exodus to the back of the train - it was a light trickle of people at first and then it became quite obvious that people were trying to leave. Some gangbangers in the back of our car climbed out onto the catwalk and disappeared into the darkness. Eventually everyone realized this subway train had to be evacuated. Oh boy!
The procession to the back of the train was slow and aggravating. Apparently only the front and the back of the train had doors open to the catwalk. So we made a run for the back of the train and encountered a mass of humanity in the second to last car, where there was an opening. It was even hotter inside this car than the car we were stuck in because there were so many people jammed together trying to get out. We were all penned in and sharing bodyheat and it was nasty. People in the car started losing their nerves and tried prying other doors open and yelling for people to push and get out of the way. Quite scary. Eventually we all got out onto the catwalk.
The catwalk was narrow and dirty to the max. I refused to touch anything except the girl in front of me ;) Paul would later emerge out of the train station with hands that were black as night. I felt like I was in the Temple of Doom. The tunnel was pitch black, save for a few flashlights of the engine company that was there to assist us. The catwalk would go from narrow to extremely narrow without warning and there were multiple "dirty" obstacles in the way. I luckily used my LCD screen on my camera to help light my way (which unfortunately used the battery power I wish I had later in the night). I tried to shut my camera off for a second to conserve the battery, but I found myself horribly frightened at negotiating the catwalk in pitch black darkness.
After emerging from the darkness back onto the surface, we headed back to Union Square (and we'd be back again!). It was amazing to see all the throngs of people walking uptown on the avenue. It was like thousands of salmon pushing upstream to spawnsville. Cars tried to wrest back control of the streets with intermittent success, but the humans put up fierce resistance. Eventually, the machines were allowed one lane, and pedestrians controlled the rest of the avenue.
We marched onto Times Square, where there were thousands of more people milling around. It was so strange to see the place without electricity. This Square is notorious for light pollution that makes the night seem like the afternoon. John Stossel from ABC's 20/20 was there to work the crowd and report about the courageous self-control the humans have displayed in not looting and actually helping other people out. At this point in time, I was fully expecting a riot come nightfall.
Paul and I decided to check out the Ferry to see if it was a viable means to return to New Jersey. However, it was quite a mess. The lines had to be at least 10 blocks long with no movement in sight. Another pedestrian we talked to said that she had been on line for half an hour and didn't move anywhere - and she even cut the line! So, with that in mind, our next alternative was to walk to the Lincoln tunnel and see if we could walk the tunnel to New Jersey. Who would've thought that it would come to this!?
When we reached the tunnel, it was apparent that there would be no walking, and apparently very limited driving inside the tunnel. Floods of buses came through the tunnel and into New York. Probably every bus in the region came to lend a hand. They lined the streets for blocks and people would walk up to the bus driver's window and ask where the bus was heading. If the destination was suitable, the pedestrians would hop on in. What convenience! We had an opportunity to exit New York and take a bus to Hoboken. Fortunately, we burned that bridge and opted to wait for nightfall and the possibility of social unrest.
There was an obscene number of people sprawled on the ground at the makeshift refugee camp aka Madison Square Garden. I do not know what they were waiting for, but there were alot of them to negotiate through. At this point, we began to scour for food. New York City's resources were being rapidly depleted, we had to get our share. Many bodegas and deli's were closed. Some ingenious entrepreneurs moved all of their perishable foodstuffs and drinks outside onto the sidewalk. The Happy Blackout Day streetfair had begun!
Even more ingenious storeowners parked cars on vertically on the sidewalk with their headlights beaming into this store. One deli that we inexplicably frequented numerous times yesterday had a jeep parked on the sidewalk with its high-beams shining inside. They really ripped us off price-wise, but hey, you pay for the atmosphere.
Radios also played a critical part in hearing about news from the outside world. On more than one occasion, Paul and I would stop to listen in on Julia Poppa of 10/10 WINS The news was never good, but the communal experience of sharing a radio with fellow transient peoples on a pitch black street was comforting.
Sometime during the night, we eventually made our way back to Union Square a third time. We were drawn by the hint of light and the loud sound of rhythmic drum beats. There was a huge orgy of dancing and merriment in the square. The closest thing I can relate it to is the Zion rave scene in the Matrix Reloaded. This place was off the wall - it was a huge celebration of societal goodwill. At this point in time, Paul and I were resting up - Paul bought a 6-pack of Beck's and we eagerly took long swigs in front of the Po-Po! It was a great place to have some beers, eat some Pirate's booty and take in the atmosphere. There would be no rioting tonight, just alot of orgies. After Union Square, we dropped by Washington Square and saw the same festivities being led by NYU frat boys.
Paul and I wandered around for a long time in the dark and kept walking in circles. Eventually we made our way to the Christopher Street station to take the Path home - as usual, there were police officers outside it. However, Paul wanted to go to Battery Park and take the ferry back from there. I relented - I wanted to extend the experience too, but not as long as it would eventually turn out. We first dropped by this park on the Hudson river and watched the Jersey City skyline while drinking beer and sitting on the grass like hippies.
Then there was this hour long trek to Battery Park only to find out the ferry wasn't operating. I think Paul lost his cool here, but he'll really lose it in Hoboken! After a cabbie offered to take us to Newark for $40 (then $30), we found a cool cabbie that would take us back to Christopher Street station for whatever price we found fit. This cabbie was actually heading to Jersey himself since he was low on gas - I hope he found some. Anyway, we finally got on the Path and opted to get off in Hoboken. What a mistake! We anticipated that the car garage would be closed at this hour (1AM) and it would be easier for Jason to pick us up from here. However, Jason wasn't able to pick us up, and Paul's dad would be able to...in Newark. So we went back into the station, waited a little longer in the sweatbox (the entire station was being run on by generator) and finally Paul talked to a PATH employee and found out there would be no more trains coming into Hoboken because the train signals were not working. We got off the last train in Hoboken! Ahhh! Prudence and Expediency were on our side at last when NJ Transit offered to take us and 3 other people to Newark Penn Station, for free! Hooray for NJ Transit! They were the super happy ending to this 15 hour journey of mystery and excitement!
This is my favorite picture of the evening; it was snapped while we were aimlessly wandering the city. In the afternoon I was at unease because I was having negative fantasies about the origins of this event. I felt much more at peace during the dark evening. Yesterday I logged the most miles in a day for my feet, and yet I enjoyed every moment of it. Maybe it was because I will never experience another day like this again. I will never be able to see the stars from the middle of New York City like I did that night. I will never again be able to be in the middle of the financial district, and look up to see the only illumination comes from the moon. What a beautiful sight that was.
There were also some less metaphysical achievements accomplished yesterday. When is the next time I will be able to take a public leak in Battery Park, Greenwich village, Financial District, and some other place in lower Manhattan? I also probably won't be able to walk in the middle of an unlit street while drinking a beer again. Everyone had free reign of the city yesterday, and everyone had a good time at it. Oh yeah, we also saw Jay-Z leave a bar ;)
This pretty, cloud-like object may not look much like a galaxy — it lacks the well-defined arms of a spiral galaxy, or the reddish bulge of an elliptical — but it is in fact something known as a lenticular galaxy. Lenticular galaxies sit somewhere between the spiral and elliptical types; they are disc-shaped, like spirals, but they no longer form large numbers of new stars and thus contain only ageing populations of stars, like ellipticals.
NGC 2655’s core is extremely luminous, resulting in its additional classification as a Seyfert galaxy: a type of active galaxy with strong and characteristic emission lines. This luminosity is thought to be produced as matter is dragged onto the accretion disc of a supermassive black hole sitting at the centre of NGC 2655. The structure of NGC 2655’s outer disc, on the other hand, appears calmer, but it is oddly-shaped. The complex dynamics of the gas in the galaxy suggest that it may have had a turbulent past, including mergers and interactions with other galaxies.
NGC 2655 is located about 80 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe). Camelopardalis contains many other interesting deep-sky objects, including the open cluster NGC 1502, the elegant Kemble’s Cascade asterism, and the starburst galaxy NGC 2146.
Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Fillipenko, CC BY 4.0
The picture has indeed no added color saturation. On the left, a massive cloud front moved over the lake while the sun was about to set on the right, thus lighting up the cloud front.
Just moved to Windows 7 recently, thus didnt have photoshop and lightroom installed onto my PC, so was away for awhile.
Hope all my friends are doing great.
I mistakenly left the ISO at 1600, causing a lot of noise.
Last summer, I needed to have some time alone. I needed to drive through the mountains to find myself back. Thus, I decided to drive to the maximum passes above 2000 meters (6000 feets) and shoot what remains the most relaxing place(s) to me: Mountains, Alps...
- Bonneval-sur-Arc / Col de l'Iseran
- Savoie (73)
- 2750 meters.
There were some girls. The comet was thus popular then. We could enjoy watching the great comet together. My rig was working alone.
Sun distance: 0.569 AU
Earth distance: 0.474 AU
Equipment: Sony DSC RX1 on a compact tripod on the ground
Exposure: 8 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO1,000
The exposure started at 9:38:14 October 13, 2024UTC or 18:38:14 October 13, 2024JST, Japan Standard Time during twilight.
site: 49m above sea level at lat.37 19 23 North and long. 138 26 18 East in the parking at Hijirigahana Yoneyama Niigata 新潟県米山 聖ヶ鼻 Wind was mild, and ambient temperature was about 18 degrees Celsius or 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Half moon was high in the sky at the night. Guiding was rough near the horizon, and guide error RMS was around 3" in total.
One of my favorite shots from this years Juniper trip (still 300+ shots to review and edit) thus far!
A Great egret snatchers yet another bait fish from the surface of Silver Glen. I love the angle of his eyes and the reflection at the bottom!
The Lake Placid Tower in Lake Placid, Florida, formerly named Placid Tower, Tower of Peace or Happiness Tower, is a closed observation tower 240 feet (73.2 m) tall according to early sources (before 1982) or 270 feet (82.3 m) tall according to late sources (after 1986). However, no physical modification of the tower occurred in the interim that would explain a 30-foot increase in height. It rests on ground 142 feet (43 m) above sea level (NAVD 88). As a warning to aircraft, the top of the tower, including antennae, is stated to be 392 feet (119.5 m) above sea level by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Thus, the height of the tower above ground, including antennae, is 250 feet (76.2 m) (392–142=250), which excludes a 270-foot architectural height, allowing only a 240-foot architectural height. Counting the tower's 8-inch (20.3 cm) courses yields a height above ground of 235–236 feet (71.6–71.9 m), so the lowest few feet of the 240-foot height, those resting on the foundation, are underground, providing space for an elevator pit.
According to early sources the tower has three observation levels, at 192 feet (58.5 m) behind windows, at 200 feet (61.0 m) on an open air balcony, and at 225 feet (68.6 m) in the open air crow's nest, Eagle's Nest, or Birds eye vantage point on top of the elevator shaft but below roof tracery. The apex of the tower is a flashing red aircraft warning light. The tower is 360 feet (110 m) above sea level according to two late sources, the latter stating that that elevation applies to the eagle's nest, which is consistent with the crow's nest elevation of early sources (142+225=367≈360). The tower offered a 40-mile (65 km) panoramic view.
Earnest Oakley Hunt dreamed of building an observation tower when he moved to Orlando in 1938, then moved to Sebring in 1947 and found the perfect location in nearby Lake Placid. He and Robert Gray formed Air View Corporation to build the tower. The tower was designed by architect A. Wynn Howell of Lakeland, built by Ridge Builders of Sebring in 1960 for $350,000 (equivalent to $2,300,000 in 2018), and opened January 1, 1961. Most sources state that it was the tallest concrete block structure in the world when it opened, with 90,000 concrete blocks, but the magazine Florida Architect states that it was built of reinforced concrete. One source states that the tower included 100,000 limestone blocks from Ocala while another states that it was faced with ceramic tile, implying that the tower has a facade of limestone tile.
The tower below the balcony is 25 feet 4 inches (7.72 m) square, with its four vertical corners replaced by grooves (each 8 inches (20 cm) per side). The section above the balcony is 21 feet (6.40 m) square, also with corner grooves. Each wall is divided into vertical thirds. The outer thirds are composed of reinforced concrete blocks with a facade of limestone tile.
The middle thirds are composed of decorative breeze or fence concrete blocks. The tower has a foundation made from 520 cubic yards (400 m3) of concrete reinforced with 80,000 pounds (36,000 kg) of steel. The tracery atop the tower is made of gold anodized aluminum.
Because of low ticket sales, the tower closed in 1982 when the owner would not pay their Internal Revenue Service taxes, but it was re-opened in 1986. The small group of owners still faced sluggish sales, and the tower and its restaurant continued to struggle, despite features such as a petting zoo in its plaza, and a pay phone at the top billed as the "highest pay phone in Florida."The last owner who operated the tower as a tourist attraction was Lake Placid Tower Group owned by Mark Cambell since 1992. He sold it to CHL Tower Group on November 6, 2003 which has operated it as a cell phone tower ever since. Even though the tower closed about 2003, it still has two red "OPEN" signs at its top, facing north and south
Originally, the tower above the balcony had the same basic design scheme as that below it. But after the tower closed, the portion of the tower from the balcony up was redesigned with a white and cyan (blue-green) color scheme. The limestone tile of the outer thirds of the walls was covered with white stucco, and the middle thirds were covered with thin cyan-colored panels which blocked the bird's eye view. These panels covered the two opposing triangular openings in the middle third of each wall and the breeze or fence blocks between them. The roof tracery above and the balcony below them were also painted cyan.
The Tower View restaurant at the base of the tower closed in 2015. The tower is among 35 designated Lake Placid historic structures. It is one of three towers in Central Florida, including the Citrus Tower, built in 1956, 100 miles (160 km) to the north in Clermont, and Bok Tower, built in 1929, 50 miles (80 km) to the north in Lake Wales.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Placid_Tower
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Corno del Renon prides itself with the prettiest 360° view in South Tyrol - and rightly so! “For who wishes to see all of Tyrol at one sight shall climb these heights”, thus wrote Ludwig Purtscheller, mountaineer of the later 19th century, about Rittner Horn/Corno del Renon. And, if you’ve ever experienced the vastness that opens in front of you up there, if you’ve ever felt that rush of goosebumps at the sight of so much unfiltered beauty, you will surely agree with Purtscheller: The view at the top here reaches 360° to the horizon and back - absolutely open, clear and unobstructed. The onlooker’s eyes roam from the Dolomites - UNESCO World Heritage Site – spreading in one arch from southeast to south, over the summits of Peitlerkofel/Sass de Putia to the Geißlerspitzen/Gruppo delle Odle peaks, to Schlern/Sciliar and further on over Rosengarten/Catinaccio to Latemar all the way to Schwarzhorn/Corno Nero and Weißhorn/Corno Bianco.
Corno del Renon гордится самым красивым видом на 360 ° в Южном Тироле - и это правильно! «Ибо тот, кто хочет увидеть весь Тироль с одного взгляда, поднимется на эти высоты», - так писал Людвиг Пурчеллер, альпинист конца 19-го века, о Риттнер-Хорн / Корно-дель-Ренон. И, если вы когда-либо испытывали необъятность, которая открывается перед вами там, если вы когда-либо чувствовали прилив гусиной кожи при виде такой нефильтрованной красоты, вы наверняка согласитесь с Пурччеллером: вид сверху здесь достигает 360 ° к горизонту и обратно - абсолютно открытый, чистый и беспрепятственный. Глаза наблюдателя бродят от Доломитовых Альп - объекта всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО - простираются в одной арке с юго-востока на юг, над вершинами Пейтлеркофель / Сасс-де-Путия до вершин Гейслерспитцен / Группо делле Одле, до Шлерна / Шилиар и далее по Розенгартену / Катиначчо до Латемара вплоть до Шварцхорна / Корно Неро и Вайсхорна / Корно Бьянко.
Urania Sternwarte is a public observatory in the Lindenhof quarter of Zurich, Switzerland. Its name Urania refers to the muse of astronomy in Greek mythology. It features a restaurant (main building) and a bar with panoramic view (tower).
History
Its origins base on a first observatory on the roof of the Zunfthaus zur Meisen. In 1759, so called «Astronomische Kommission» succeeded from this location for the first time, to define Culminatio solis and thus calculated the exact global location of the city of Zurich. In later years, astronomical observations were done from the Grossmünster's southern "Karl's tower", followed by scientific observations (not for public use by interested enthusiasts) from the Federal observatory, built 1861/64 for ETH Zurich by Gottfried Semper.
In 1899, the Zurich merchant Abraham Weill Einstein initiated the oldest observatory in Switzerland, situated near Werdmühleplatz (Uraniastrasse). On June 15, 1907, the observatory was given to operational use. Its 51 metres (167 ft) tower dominates the western end of Zurich's historic Altstadt.
Telescope
Urania's refracting telescope is equipped with a Fraunhofer two-lens system of 30 cm aperture and focal length of 5.05 meters, allowing maximal 600-fold magnification (mostly used 150- to 205-fold magnification). The refractor in the dome area is the center of the imposing tower building: The telescope stands on a pillar, contact-free installed through the center of the building to the foundations of the business house Urania, fitted with anti-vibration installations.
Its optical telescope measures twelve tons and was designed by Carl Zeiss AG in Jena, Germany, considered as a technical masterpiece. Urania's refractor topped technological history as "Urania type". On its centenary anniversary, telescope and dome were fully renewed. The Zeiss telescope, still meeting today's demands, was dismantled in March 2006, and in Jena fully restored. On April 25, 2007, the telescope was hoisted into the observatory's 51 m high dome, on May 4, 2007, its second opening ceremony was celebrated.
Observations and limitations
The observatory offers guided tours – Moon, Solar System objects, stars, star clusters, interstellar clouds, and galaxies – and special events for a wide audience, as well as individual tours for schools and groups. Paid public tours can be found on clear weather from Tuesday to Friday, starting at 20:00 (8 pm). The central location and the city of Zurich overriding observation tower also provide an unusual view of the city, Lake Zurich and Alps. The Urania house hosts a restaurant and an exclusive Bar, too. At the same time, its location in the middle of the city of Zurich is a serious problem: light pollution allows restricted observations of few galaxies and nebulae. Therefore, observations are limited practically to the moon and planets and bright celestial objects.
Cultural heritage of national importance
The observatory is, as part of the building ensemble at that area, listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class A object of national importance.
(Wikipedia)
Die Urania-Sternwarte Zürich (offizielle Bezeichnung) ist eine Volkssternwarte im Quartier Lindenhof (Kreis 1) in Zürich. Sie ist die älteste Volkssternwarte der Schweiz. Ihren Namen Urania verdankt sie der Muse der Sternkunde aus der griechischen Mythologie – namentlich abgeleitet von Uranos, dem Himmel in Göttergestalt.
Anlage
Gebäude
Die Ursprünge der Volkssternwarte gehen auf ein erstes Observatorium auf dem Dach des Zunfthauses zur Meisen zurück. Von diesem Standort aus gelang es der «Astronomischen Kommission» im Jahr 1759 erstmals, die Culminatio solis und damit die exakte Ortsbestimmung der Stadt Zürich auf dem Globus zu berechnen. In späteren Jahren erfolgten astronomische Beobachtungen vom (südlichen) «Karlsturm» des Grossmünsters. Die Eidgenössische Sternwarte wurde zwischen 1861 und 1864 im Zusammenhang mit dem Bau der Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule (ETH) von Gottfried Semper für Forschungszwecke errichtet, war aber für die Öffentlichkeit üblicherweise nicht zugänglich.
Der Verkauf eines Grundstückes beim Werdmühleplatz an den Kaufmann Abraham Weill-Einstein, unter dem Vorbehalt, auf dem Bauplatz «binnen fünf Jahren von der Eigentumsüberrtragung an gerechnet eine schöne, der Lage des Bauplatzes angemessene Baute zu erstellen,» initiierte im Jahr 1899 die Planung der ältesten Volkssternwarte der Schweiz. Im April 1905 legte die Bausektion dem Stadtrat den Projektentwurf vor, und bereits Mitte Juni 1905 erfolgte der Baubeginn im Rahmen der von Gustav Gull geplanten «Urania-Achse» Sihlporte–Uraniastrasse–Zähringerplatz. Hierbei handelte es sich um ein Projekt mit Bebauungsplänen für ein «Gross-Zürich», von welchen nur Teile der «Bürostadt Urania» mit dem Wohn- und Geschäftshaus und der Sternwarte (Uraniastrasse 9) sowie den Amtshäusern I–IV zwecks Zusammenfassung der städtischen Amtsstellen an der linksseitigen Limmat verwirklicht wurden.
Die Urania-Sternwarte war der erste Betonbau, der in Zürich errichtet wurde. Der 51 Meter hohe Turm wurde ohne Verbindung zum übrigen Haus erstellt. Er stand auf einem Fundament von 48 Holzpfählen, die 12 Meter tief in den Baugrund aus Seekreide gerammt wurden, bis sie auf Fels stiessen. Darüber lag eine gegossene und erschütterungsfreie Betonplatte, die den Sockel des Teleskops trug. Am Samstag, dem 15. Juni 1907 fand die Eröffnung des Geschäftshauses und der Volkssternwarte statt. Seither gehört der rund 51 Meter hohe Turm zu den markantesten Bauten am westlichen Ende der historischen Altstadt und steht seit 1989 unter Denkmalschutz.
Teleskop
Das Fernrohr ist mit einem farbkorrigierenden, fraunhoferschen Zweilinsensystem von 30 Zentimeter Öffnung und einer Brennweite von 5,05 Meter ausgerüstet. Er ermöglicht eine bis zu 600-fache Vergrösserung der beobachteten Himmelsobjekte. Genutzt werden zumeist 150- bis 205-fache Vergrösserungen. Das Fernrohr im Kuppelraum bildet das Zentrum des imposanten Turmbaus: Das Gerät steht auf einer Säule, die berührungsfrei durch das gesamte Gebäude bis in die Fundamente des Geschäftshauses Urania reicht. Der Kuppelbau ist gegen Erschütterungen von innen und aussen mit Stützen vibrationshemmend abgestützt.
Im Vergleich zu kleineren, öffentlich zugänglichen Volkssternwarten nahm die Zürcher Urania zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts eine Sonderstellung ein. Das zwölf Tonnen schwere optische Teleskop wurde von Carl Zeiss in Jena, dem damals führenden Hersteller für optische Instrumente, entwickelt. Es galt als technische Meisterleistung, wie eine zeitgenössische Quelle berichtet: «Dieses Instrument stellt das Vollkommenste dar, was nach dem heutigen Stand der Wissenschaft, Präzisionsmechanik und Optik hergestellt werden kann. Speziell mit Bezug auf seine besondere Konstruktion und mit Rücksicht auf die populären Zwecke, denen es zu dienen hat, findet es nicht seinesgleichen.» Das Fernrohr prägte als «Urania-Typ» die Technikgeschichte; ein Modell befand sich im Deutschen Museum.
Anlässlich des hundertsten Jubiläums sollten das Teleskop und die Kuppel umfassend erneuert werden. Das mittlerweile einhundert Jahre alte Zeiss-Fernrohr, das mit seinen Abbildungsleistungen auch heutige Ansprüche weiterhin erfüllt, wurde im März 2006 demontiert und bis Anfang April 2007 von einer Spezialwerkstatt in Jena umfassend restauriert. Die damalige Betreiberin unterzog gleichzeitig auch die Gebäudekuppel und das Innere der Sternwarte einer Gesamterneuerung. In der Nacht vom 24. auf den 25. April wurde das Fernrohr in einer spektakulären Aktion mit einem 200-Tonnen-Kran in die Sternwarte gehievt und wieder installiert. Am 4. Mai 2007 erfolgte die feierliche Wiedereröffnung.
Aufgaben und Beobachtungen
Die Sternwarte bietet sternkundliche Führungen – Mond, Objekte im Sonnensystem, Sternhaufen, Sterne, kosmische Nebel, Galaxien – und Sonderveranstaltungen für ein breites Publikum sowie Einzelführungen für Schulen und Gruppen an. Die kostenpflichtigen öffentlichen Führungen finden jeweils Donnerstag, Freitag und Samstag bei jedem Wetter statt. Die zentrale Lage und der die Stadt Zürich überragende Beobachtungsturm gewähren zudem eine ungewöhnliche Aussicht auf die Stadt, den Zürichsee und die Alpen.
Gleichzeitig stellt gerade die Lage inmitten der Stadt Zürich ein schwerwiegendes Problem dar: Die Lichtverschmutzung behindert durch nach oben strahlende Fassadenbeleuchtungen die Beobachtungen, so dass nur noch wenige Galaxien und kosmische Nebel sichtbar sind. Daher beschränken sich Beobachtungen praktisch auf den Mond und die Planeten sowie helle Himmelsobjekte.
Die Urania-Sternwarte wird seit Juni 2008 von der gemeinnützigen Urania-Sternwarte Zürich AG betrieben, unterstützt unter anderem von der Astronomischen Gesellschaft Urania Zürich (AGUZ), der Volkshochschule des Kantons Zürich und der Stadt Zürich. Die Leitung der Sternwarte oblag von 1936 bis 2008 der Volkshochschule, deren Stiftungsrat das Grundkapital für die Gründung der neuen Betreibergesellschaft zur Verfügung gestellt hat.
(Wikipedia)
walking can be awkward
— as if the ground were whispering
something you didn’t want to hear
walking can also come easily
— as if your feet already knew
what you were still doubting
knowing can fall apart
into loose letters on the asphalt
and come together again
in a word you don’t know
yet remember instantly
a path can lose its direction
an arrival can find you
while you still think
you’re on your way
and the word is already lost again
with only your own shadow
for company
without quite knowing
how we ended up there
how language then began to breathe
and how the road smelled
of peach
and wet rope
— that is what remained
and yet I was not alone
on the contrary, with more
many, in fact
though they came
from every direction at once
and one walked backwards
a letter in one hand
and in the other your hand
as if we both
were bound for the same place
however I looked
I saw so much
so rarely
that I lost count
in my own window
where someone else stood
and waved
as if I were coming home
and when I looked up again
— it was so exact
that my finger
without me noticing
pointed to the moon
who stayed
as if she knew something
but would say nothing more
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
This is a dam. One side, forest that leads down to Hollywood. The other, water, the Hollywood reservoir, decent-sized lake that people aren't allowed in because...reservoir.
The forest part, there's access, but it's a gate that's locked, only rangers and city employees allowed.
What you can perhaps tell from the curious expression on Calethia's face is that we are but minutes away from climbing over that gate and exploring the forest below us.
By "we" I mean me. By "exploring" I mean going down the path for about 90 seconds, long enough for Calethia to take a few pictures of me with my own camera, before texting me that a ranger has appeared and I should hide.
Thus began a very weird ten minutes which concluded with me getting tired of hiding, climbing back over the gate, encountering the ranger.
"What're you doing down there?"
"Oh, she threw my keys down here...women, am I right?" Then she and I scampered off back to our car, giggling all the way.
Thus need to dismiss some of those here:
www.ebay.co.uk/sch/coventrysaleoff/m.html?_nkw=&_armr...
More will be updated :D
Thus was made for a Home challenge on Take a Word, the Three Muses site.
I'm sure the sentiment strikes a chord in everyone's heart.
Thanks so much for your visit and comments. They are what keeps me going....
June xx
Moxie is working on a melancholic symphony, and the piano's a bit out of tune - thus her facial expression ;)
Thus concludes this year's puffin extravaganza! Won't be needing to do that again in a couple of years. Phew!
A bit of beach tumbleweed like thing (spikey flower heads) from the sand dune plants.
Round autumn the spiky seed heads are blown along the beach until they get trapped. Then the sand buries the seed balls which then release its seeds to restart the cycle of growth and dispersion. If the heads are trapped where they become saturated by the tide they breakup and these bits are then carried to other suitable areas to germinate.
Thus ends the lesson.
Taken at Himatangi beach, NZ.
>> Here are more of my beach finds on flickr :-)
A BONUS set of figbarf for Vinny as I couldn't help myself...
Tired of being on the losing side, the Dark Forces of Mordor set forward on a path of revenge. Leaning on what little those were able to glean from Saruman's steps into industry, they harnessed the lightning and created the means for their vengeance! Thus, they established the Mechanics Order/Death Order Cybernetics division of the Army of Sauron! Now, the men of the west would fear them and taste defeat!
Left to Right:
Power Fist Goblin
Teleportation-capable Wraith
Controlled, enhanced Troll
Kamikaze Uruk
Spider-Hai
The Corsa 505 program is focused on developing drivers into accomplished racers by competing in the deepest and most competitive fields in the nation.
To that end, the Spec Racer Ford is the most successful purpose built road racing car in the United States, with fields of over 30 cars at regional SCCA races and over 60 cars at the National Championship Runoffs. Additionally the Spec Racer Ford (SRF/SRF3) rules, stipulate that no performance enhancing modifications can be made to the car and thus the success of any racer in this class, is solely based on his or her own skill and nothing else. These attributes make the SRF3 Class the ideal platform for our Driver Development Program.
We are proud to have MBI Racing as our technical partner, providing full service 'arrive and drive' track support and driver coaching.
Located at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, MBI Racing is a full service race shop. The MBI team primarily races Spec Racer Fords (SRF/SRF3) but has considerable knowledge and experience in racing Formula Mazda, Formula Continental, and Formula F. To date, MBI has won thirteen Regional Championships and four National Championships.
Penn Central E40 electric #4977 poses in the yard at Morrisville, PA, January 23, 1976. Conrail is less than four months away from taking over the Penn Central's rail operations and thus inheriting this and it's unwanted brothers which originally came from the New Haven Railroad upon the NH's absorption into PC. The E40's were originally classed EP5s by the New Haven when they arrived in 1955 from GE. They were intended for high speed passenger operation between New York City and New Haven, CT. Teething problems from the outset were solved within a year of arrival from GE-mainly the large screened filters on the carbody sides which helped in cooling the electric motors along with the automatic blowers. What caused their downfall was the McGinnis/Alpert regime's greatly reduced maintenance on these and almost all other locomotives the NH had. The damage had been done and unfortunately they fared no better under Penn Central ownership. By the early '70s all were out of service and one even scrapped but someone at PC felt the road should rebuild three of them for freight service and so the 4977 became one of the lucky three to survive into Conrail ownership. Sadly the three never turned a revenue wheel for Conrail as that road had a lot more on it's plate to deal with than three oddball electrics of questionable reliability. The final three E40s were scrapped in 1979. This is an Ektachrome 6x6 color transparency originally marketed as a Super Slide. The film frame was mounted in a cardboard mount which allowed for projection with the proper slide carrier mounted to a projector. Unfortunately this also allowed for the image to be scratched badly.
John Stroup original.
Like a flower that has blossomed in the dry and barren sand,
We are born and born again most gracefully.
Thus the winds of time will take us with a sure and steady hand
when the river meets the sea
John Denver
TOMORROW, Thursday, September 29, at 12 (noon) slt, grand opening of the new exhibition of Thus Yootz, in the new main art gallery of the Kondor Art Center
Opening party with DJ Rinoa.
We spent three weeks in Sardinia in August 2018 as a family vacation, with not as much time as would have been needed to really explore this wonderful island from a photographic viewpoint.
Thus, after I retired a few months thereafter, I decided to go back on my own for another couple of weeks, and settled for end of March 2019. I rented a house on the western coast of the island, with people who also owned an apartment near the eastern coast, and were willing to include use of it in the rental. That gave me bases on both sides of the island, which was ideal, as the road situation on the mountainous, eastern side of Sardinia is quite bad, and it takes ages to go to one place to another.
As usual, I will caption in bold type below these introductory paragraphs whenever needed.
Old abandoned semaphore building on top of Capo Sperone, on the island of Sant’ Antioco, a small island off the southwestern tip of Sardinia. The dirt track leading up to he ruin is very bad and rocky. I had to drive slowly to avoid damaging the car body with small rocks projected by the tires, but it was worth it!