they float and dare not gloat

above the earth on air so light

that gravity has no tethers nor grip

their dance celebrates their grace

make haste

like a breezy lace

to watch the flow

and not let go

and release the desire

to unknowingly change their homes

with new ones of our owns.

save their space on earth

so their home in the air

will be theirs, forever.

"In all of us there is a huge amount of healing that has to take place before our deep and authentic quest for union with God … escapes the gravitational pull of our psychological woundedness and self-justification …

"What really happens when one enters the cloud of unknowing, resting in God beyond thoughts, words and feelings, is a profound healing of the emotional wounds of a lifetime. As these wounds are gradually surfaced and released in prayer … more and more the false self weakens and the true self gradually emerges … a deepening of the spiritual faculties is occurring as well … leading to a blossoming of the traditional virtues of faith, hope and love."

- Cynthia Bourgeault, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening

When I sigh for the vanishing green as the wind blows without

the orchestra played by the millions of hands of leaves and branches-I

go on creating the trees in my mind.

But -some may find in them -not trees and leaves -but a reflection of my mind!

This is perhaps-when one falls in love with something-one -unknowingly

becomes that. Then there exists only one-not TWOs or many.

I'm the soil whereon grow the trees!

Explore Frontpage | 16.12.2008 (Thank you everybody! :D)

(BIG HUGS to gorgeous Rachel for capturing the screenshot for me! :D)

Highest Position - Explore #1

Explore Calendar

(Great thanks to buddy Frank for capturing the #1 screenshot for me too!)

This is quite similar to another shot i posted 2 months ago. I believe at that time when i processed this hdr, i must be feeling quite happy & unknowingly unleash the saturation beast in me haha! Yesterday was the naughty beast :P Now that i look at this, i wonder if the colours are a bit too intense or is it because the strong colour theme fits the atmosphere really well back then? i've noticed a couple of ghost artifacts here & there but seriously i'm just too lazy to reprocess this so let's hope you don't get blinded by the power of my redness! :D

View LARGE On Black to feel the intensity :P

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About

The Mossy Rocks at the Glenelg Beach

The Shot

Standard 3 exposure shot (+2..0..-2 EV) with tripod using Sigma DC HSM 10-20mm lens

Photomatix

- Tonemapped generated HDR using detail enhancer option

Photoshop

- Added 1 layer mask effect of 'curves' to increase the contrast

- Added 1 layer mask effect of 'saturation' (yellows & reds) to tone up part of the sky

- Blended in +2 EV exposure shot to correct the darkness of the rock section

- Blended in 0 EV exposure shot to correct the movement of water

- Applied dodging on the remaining dark area of the rocks

- Used 'unsharp mask' (as always) on the background layer

You

All comments, criticism and tips for improvements are (as always) welcome

Music

Dr Hook – A Little Bit More

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[explore]

This is for my Flickr friends for being the lovely flowers in my life-path ..every step of the way....and bringing me so much joy :)

Unknowingly, you have helped me during my most difficult times with your kind and encouraging words.... Thanks! :))

Explore Aug 10, 2008 #274

I had an unknowing model

I pray we could come to this darkness so far above light. If only we lacked sight and knowledge so as to see, so as to know, unseeing and unknowing, that which lies beyond all vision and knowledge.

-Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Mystical Theology

Macro photography workshop, Orchid House, San Diego Zoo

Many orchids are endangered, mostly due to habitat destruction and over-collection. The IUCN has assessed 880 species of orchids, and categorizes more than 500 of them as Vulnerable or Endangered—and of those, 162 are Critically Endangered. All orchids are protected by CITES. It is illegal, whether for profit or pleasure, knowingly or unknowingly, to transport orchids across international borders without the proper paperwork.

San Diego Zoo Global assists in the conservation of orchids. The San Diego Zoo is a Designated Plant Rescue Center. The Orchid House, with more than 900 orchid taxa, provides an appropriate environment for plants that have been confiscated from the illegal orchid trade. Zoo horticulturists grow, propagate, and share orchids with other botanical gardens.

As I walked along the Lake Ontario shoreline a complete surprise to turn and see this Red Fox sitting only feet away. I may have unknowingly disturbed it but a couple of quick photos and off it went.

Thank you for viewing

Excerpt from an email from flickr I received today.

From:

Flickr Customer Service

Subject:

Community Guideline Warning [Photo Moderation Change]

Hello S✪ULUL₳☈,

This is a message from the Flickr Trust & Safety team.

If you don't apply filters correctly, there's a very good chance another member will let us know - in fact that's why we've taken action today.

━━━━━━━✁━━━━━━━

Many thanks to my haters, i do appreciate all the time you spend thinking about me.

Id like to send the envier some love you need it the most.

Thank you for praising me unknowingly and being such a great reminder that the people not liking my pictures obviously paying the most attention.

This picture is for you with lots of love coming your way.

Get well soon.

Bitter is the taste of my contempt for those

Protecting their dreamscape; as such becoming foe

Of humanity and reason; for truth they can't endure

Reality denied; like sick that fear the cure

I paint myself with the blood of life

So cruelly culled by the hands of Adam

Armed with hate and malice; for millennia to come

And with the vengeance of that

Which will be coldly laid to waste without regrets

I can no longer sit back and watch

Whilst this abomination takes its course

Unknowing was our kind, when he was made to be

A demon in holy skin, whose light has blinded ever since

And inspired foolishness for generations to come and last

Life just runs its course; no entity to blame

No swarm of spiteful locusts, to plunder in his holy name

I've seen both past and future; the rape of life to be

So I will do what must be done; revealed to me

Visions of mass destruction

Amassing strength within my soul

A cage to hold the fury

Of the grim works beyond my grasp

I can see their temple of Lies

Appearing in front of me

An empire of wrath and exile

Which was never supposed to be

The glorious destruction of both religion and mankind...

Edin lifeless in ashes lies

Then I found myself in a courtyard

A thousand eyes accusing me

To rally the course of the future and more

For countless new horrors the way made free

There is no action without consequence

As I freed myself from the clutches of guilt

One cannot change what has been done

The lesson learned alas my friends

The battle’s never, ever, truly won!

A man must fall to rise again.

Shylmagoghnar

Poor mantis. I unknowingly hacked on its host plant last evening, and worked some more this morning when I saw it. I helped it over to a neighbor plant, a salvia, and of course then ran for the camera. I pestered it off and on for 45 minutes or so, poor thing, but I did say "thank you" for the photo session. As for the shallow DOF, there was a breeze and the salvia stems are plenty wispy, so definitely no focus stacking here. One of the few of my pics reasonably sharp end to end.

BTW, the plant being demolished is one of the yellow Lantana. The little one-gallon plants from 10 years ago are humongous. To give you an idea, I've filled the big city recycling can over the brim, with a big pile waiting on the ground for the next trash day. They're pretty and the bees and butterflies enjoy them, but they just get too big too fast. I've slowly cut their number in half, thinking now I might half it again. Some actually got replaced with the Mexican Sage (the purple flowers), and frankly, they're getting oversized as well, but one mature plant doesn't fill the recycling can like the Lantana.

2021 is ending. We have not let go our guard and watching anxiously in vain the unseen, ever mutating semi-life form that ,we were told, killed millions and still killing..... We have lost our trust on others worrying the next human could be working unknowingly for this unseen killing enemies. Is this released by fearful Kali to force us to stare at loss ,, Lost of job, lives, friends , close one.... ; force us to stare at the useless gov ......

OK so this if from sometime in April 2023 and been sitting in my HDD for 18 months now

My PC finally shit itself in March 2023 to the point of no return after a long battle to keep it alive so I rebuilt a new rig with purchased compatible components to my own specs…. Waited 3 weeks for individual parts to arrive, assembled, tested, install Windows 10 also other software, was up and running in 1 week, was offline 4 weeks in total…. I had anxiety also withdrawal symptoms the whole fucking time 😉

My first SL login was at Sunny’s where I had my finally crash when my PC shit itself…. Elodie just happen to be there in a booth doing her own thing and so I used her (unknowingly) as my test subject to fire off some shots and play around with my new GPU settings…. I did however nudge Elodie advising I have done so, sent her the pic and was given permission to post it 😘

Please read about 🚳 My 17 year old Motorcycle Warrior 😭

Join my Flickr Group 📩

Secondlife ♾️ DAILY

The universe in its persistent becoming is richer than all our dreamings.

-STUART KAUFFMAN

That darkness of our unknowing is not sin but an inevitable limitation.

-On the Mystery, DISCERNING DIVINITY IN PROCESS, Catherine Keller

Just occasionally I get tempted to join in, but I always resist. If you use other social media and photography is your thing, chances are you get adverts from editing software providers, regardless of the fact that you're already a paying customer, telling you all about the latest sky replacement tools and the facility to squeeze as many real life unicorns as you can sensibly into your images. I can't help but stop and read the comments sometimes, and am always intrigued by the ones who profess to be completely against editing of any type whatsoever. Among them I'll find the sage counsel of the genius who states there's no need at all, because they always take their photographs correctly in the first place. Do they never get dust spots on their sensors or specks on their lenses? They're obviously far cleverer than I am, so I don't ask them how they manage to avoid low light noise with the ISO rammed up to twenty gazillion, or how they pull back the shadows and drop the highlights, or how they reduce the saturation that cameras often seem to add of their own accord. I'm still not sure how they manage to get a shot looking reasonably in focus throughout the scene at longer focal lengths either. But it seems they can. I just can't be dealing with the plaudits from one side and the vaguely focussed vitriol from the other, as they accuse me of adding too many unicorns under my replacement sky. The conversation is often heated as responses get shorter and shorter, often just reduced to a couple of short words, one of which is unrepeatable. I often wonder whether the "Be Kind" movement needs to intervene at such moments. So I scroll past and look at other peoples' photos instead, with and without unicorns. I tend to prefer the ones without the unicorns, but that's just me. When Topaz put up an advert for their wares, the posturing gets even more intense, even over the utility suite programmes that are only there to enhance file sizes for heavy crops and reduce noise or sharpen blurs.

So yes I admit it. I've never been tempted by the replacement sky option, and I'm studiously avoiding the new "add unicorn" button in Photoshop, but I do edit my raw files. Call me Mr Manipulator if you like, but if such luminaries as Mads, Nigel, Gavin and all the rest of them do, then why on earth wouldn't I? And until cameras are able to see what the human eye does instead of averaging everything out, I don't think there's any other option when you shoot into those big dynamic range scenes. Mostly I blunder through, slowly accumulating half an idea of what I'm supposed to be doing, and gradually I'm getting the hang of how it all works - often with the help of those YouTube gurus who've unknowingly dragged me through the process. Maybe I've learned about two percent of what Photoshop does now. The other ninety-eight could take several lifetimes.

But here's the thing - this shot, taken at sunset on that blustery bluff above Hay on Wye has been barely touched. All I did was crop it to this aspect ratio and slightly twiddle the white balance before frowning briefly and concluding nothing further was needed. Not even a unicorn or two. Those hazy hilly layers before the setting sun spoke for themselves, or so I felt.

What about you? Unicorns or not unicorns? Nobody judges you here.

When I saw him for the first time,

His gentle soul shimmered on the surface of the sea

Unnoticed by many, hard to look away for me

Each day, he came in peaceful waves, slowly, gradually

Through the deep waters, I started to measure his majesty

His tides were already breaching through endlessly, crowning me the mermaid of his seven seas

Jama ❤ Plus que tout...

-----

♫ Ólafur Arnalds - A Sunrise Session with JFDR (some kind of peace) ✨

-----

Note :

Remember to press L to display the image in full screen.

All the poses used in my pictures are made from scratch by me

No AI used

Well in the days of working for a living, any mention of things like planning committee meetings would have had me quivering in my shoes and sweating in anticipation as I searched for the exits. But these days it just means that the three of us are convening to take pictures at the coast before washing away our poor compositions with something warm and hoppy. Much more like it. The planning? Oh yes, we’re off to Dartmoor again soon to take photographs up on the moors and down in the dells for a few days. And then there’s that East Anglia winter adventure that’s currently threatening to germinate into reality from the seed of inspiration in Lee’s brain. Where shall we go to discuss these lofty notions? How about Holywell Bay on a Monday evening? Something for everyone. Lee can hide up on the dunes and point his long lens at unknowing subjects as they walk their dogs across the beach. Dave can find beauty in a clump of maram grass that nobody else can see. And I can potter about on the sand looking for suitable lead ins towards the sea. Perfect.

Remember a few months ago when we gathered at Godrevy? Probably not. I don’t think either of the other two produced an image from that outing. Not one that they shared, anyway. Dave had disappeared off towards a gully to try and photograph the waves swishing through it and wasn’t seen until some time later. Lee was using a new camera for the first time - one that in time honoured tradition he’s already moved on in favour of his recent bargain basement Pentax acquisition. It’s nineteen years old and has barely been used. Apparently you have to wind it up with a big brass key and hide under a black curtain to get it working. It only has a few more pixels than my last film camera did. Along with the Pentax he picked up a similarly economical lens and is currently having a lovely honeymoon period with his new set up. One man, one camera, one lens. Will he still have it by the time we set off for Dartmoor at the end of August, or will he have replaced it with an Instamatic? Only time will tell.

Ok in the last paragraph I wandered off topic completely. I’ll try again. That Godrevy gathering at the end of April was the last time we’d met before this evening at Holywell Bay. Every so often I try to rouse the troops, but standard procedure is for one of them to be chirpy and enthusiastic while the other may have expired for all we know. Both of them are able to swap over and adopt either of these polar opposite roles at any given time, and after a while I generally give up and move on. But just now and again, the stars align and both of them land on their heads as they get out of bed in the morning and start displaying intentions to renew acquaintanceships with cameras. And now was one of these rare occasions. Besides which, we'd booked an AirBnB in Tavistock and it might be a good time to start talking about what we want to take pictures of when we get there.

And so we went to Holywell Bay, where roles were strangely reversed. It was Dave who took pot shots of beach strollers from high up on the dunes, while Lee found foregrounds in the sand. I’m a sucker for the latter at this beach, so at least one of us remained true to form; intransigent and dully predictable, with no Plan B. But I like how much variety there is on this beach, even when I’m using the same formula most of the time. Every low tide is different from the last. You just have to find a suitable patch of interesting looking sand without any footprints on it. And this evening there was a hint of colour in the sky too.

At the end of the evening, by which point the sun had disappeared behind the obligatory bank of low cloud that was sitting on the horizon and refusing to budge, we opened three bottles of Dartmoor Ale and toasted the forthcoming trip.

During yesterday's photo shoot, I unknowingly left the multi-exposure setting on, resulting in this unexpected gem. The layered effect turned out surprisingly captivating! Lesson learned: always double-check camera settings before powering down. For Sliders Sunday - I modified the background to make it more appealing.

In the hushed stillness of the rainforest, she sits—watchful, composed, and unknowingly regal.

Her eyes, deep and reflective, tell of seasons endured, stories untold, and a world shifting around her.

She is no monarch by human design, yet her presence commands respect.

In her aging face lies a quiet strength—etched not in gold or crown, but in the texture of time, survival, and silent leadership.

This portrait does not seek grandeur.

It seeks connection—a fleeting moment where gaze meets gaze, and instinct meets empathy.

She is a queen not of lands, but of legacy.

A matriarch of the forest, witness to its secrets, bearer of its rhythm.

I was here for the second time in just three evenings, looking over a view that I’ve seen many times before, but never photographed. Wheal Coates lay on the other side of the steep descent to the water at Chapel Porth, while in front of me lay another sea, a purple and yellow one filled with the perfect complimentary colours of summer heather and emerging gorse. The steady hum of bees at work filled the listless air on a perfectly calm August evening. Two days earlier, the sun had rudely vanished behind clouds without warning as we walked from the rough pockmarked car park above Porthtowan along the stony paths towards the rocky outcrop that stands over the beach far below. Only after sunset did the sky fill with a luminous pink sheen, but the land was hidden in shadows by then. I found a composition I liked and planned to return when the light was better. As we began one of Ali’s rather more circuitous routes back to the car, I turned the camera on this view over the broad expanse of wild summer blooms. A practice run for another evening.

And now, forty-eight hours later under a soft summer sun, the tripod placed carefully among the flowers on one of the many patches of bare earth that disappear with a low point of view, the colours were looking quite wonderful. I began a series of focus stacks, the fifth of which was interrupted by a young lady walking along the path and straight across the middle of my frame. No problems though. I took the final shot twice to blend her out, before resting for a couple of minutes to survey the scene. There was still that first composition I’d found to go and have a look at, and then I’d finish by setting up at the tip of the headland, pointing my camera towards Wheal Coates and the sea below as volley after volley of waves charged and swelled into the narrow beach on the incoming tide. A summer evening in Cornwall in its purest form.

And then, as I might have expected had I been prepared for it, she went and stood on top of the outcrop. Well of course she did - people do that all the time here. There’s almost always someone standing there gazing out across the water. And for once my brain was operating at a reasonable speed, so - and aren’t these magnetic filters so very wonderful at times like this? - I froze the moment and committed her to my SD card. Everything you ever needed to know about what the professionals like to call “visual weight” right there on that compact patch of raised ground. Had Dave and Lee been with me, I suspect that each would have been instructing the other to go and stand there to perform hero poses for the camera. I don’t usually join in that sort of thing, although I have on occasion placed Ali in an image such as this. We have one taken at Kynance Cove on the wall at home and another from the Brecon Beacons on the mantlepiece. But here was a random stranger, doing what people generally do here on a Saturday evening - locals and visitors alike, just wandering along the network of paths and enjoying the views. In fact, if you start peeping into the pixels you’ll find a few more people taking the airs of Chapel Porth and Wheal Coates; some alone, others in groups. I’ve counted a total of eleven people. And a dog. Let me know if you find a twelfth, won’t you?

I headed down towards the rocks to line up the other, slightly more complex composition I’d found, only to be faced with the same young lady sitting in a hollow, pointing her phone extravagantly across the scene and then back at herself in the full and unmistakable confidence of youth. An Instagrammer I suspect, probably about to get a billion megahits in Virtualworld. I’d already photographed her once, and she was far too close for comfort now, so I left her to her own devices and made the last few strides to the top of the steep cliffside scramble down towards the water - where in time I found another new shot I’d never even noticed before.

For a moment I thought I might pipe up, tell her that she had just fitted the missing piece to a picture I’d just taken, and offer her a free copy of the finished image. But I feel it's never a good idea to approach a woman on her own, especially when you're getting on a bit. Not unless you're George Clooney selling overpriced coffee in TV adverts anyway. And I look more like George Formby, so with a tinge of regret, the unknowing heroine of this tale doesn’t have the picture on her wall. Although if it was you, do get in touch.

The sun was low when we left the Death Valley. The sun cast nice shadows on the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, when we took shots from a distance with a long lens. Two people posted for us unknowingly and serendipitously.

I processed a photographic, a balanced, and a paintery HDR photo from two RAW exposures, blended them selectively, carefully adjusted the color balance and curves, and desaturated the image. I welcome and appreciate constructive comments.

Thank you for visiting - ♡ with gratitude! Fave if you like it, add comments below, like the Facebook page, order beautiful HDR prints at qualityHDR.com.

-- ƒ/8.0, 210 mm, 1/400, 1/1600 sec, ISO 200, Sony A6000, SEL-55210, HDR, 2 RAW exposures, _DSC9624_5_hdr2pho1bal1pai5f.jpg

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography

This chipmunk had a pretty nice setup at the top of observation point in Zion National Park, Utah. As hikers stopped to enjoy the view, it would run around where they sat looking for food scraps. While you should not feed the animals, occasionally someone unknowingly drops a scrap and the chipmunks play clean up. This particular chipmunk did just that as someone near us dropped part of their snack.

Sim wandering and managed to catch this guy! Thanks so much for unknowingly posing, and allowing me to post your pixels!

Sim wandering and taking pictures of people who catch my eye. Another delightful capture, and unknowing model Dorian. Thank you for letting me snap you and upload your image. I adore unique Avatars :D

...Send your love into the future

Send your love into the distant dawn ...

Inside your mind is a relay station

A mission probe into the unknowing

We send a seed to a distant future

Then we can watch the galaxies growing

This ain't no time for doubting your power

This ain't no time for hiding your care

You're climbing down from an ivory tower

You've got a stake in the world we ought to share

You see the stars are moving so slowly

But still the earth is moving so fast

Can't you see the moon is so lonely

She's still trapped in the pain of the past

This is the time of the worlds colliding

This is the time of kingdoms falling

This is the time of the worlds dividing

Time to heed your call...

Send your love into the future

Send your precious love into some distant time

And fix that wounded planet with the love of your healing

Send your love

(Sting)

Send your love

Send your love live

Colchester county, NS

Sometimes peoples judge others unknowingly. They'd remember that, Ability Talks!!!

.

.

Device: Canon EOS 60D

© Syed Fahad

I've been after an image of this waterfall for several years and finally got round to finding it. The water levels were not optimum but there was more than enough to show off its beauty!

I have unknowingly driven past this spot on quite a number of times as it is actually quite near the road, but tucked away from sight as you drive by.

I think its best angle is actually from the other bank but I didn't have my wellies with me and the exposed rocks were very slippy looking, so I'll save that view for my next visit! This was a 10 second shot using a 6 stop filter and circular polariser.

Paris

:

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, drew a circle with a piece of red chalk and said: “When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever their diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle.”

I'm sure I'm not the only sewer (that word just doesn't seem right btw) who has been saved when losing a pin or needle on the floor...

The Magnetic properties of these scissors is very useful!

Dressmaking scissors hung with three 1" pins hanging off the blades. Every time I tried to arrange my full selection of pins, they would start falling off, so three will have to do.

Backdrop is the next fabric I plan to sew into something.

I remember as an NHS physio hearing of someone who unknowingly knelt on a needle stuck in their carpet. An X-Ray for persisting knee pain and inexplicable intermittent joint locking some months later showed the culprit sitting within the joint space!

Treasure Hunt 59: Scissors

A single light illuminates against the long rain filled night.

“Do your best to pretend not to know that [thoughts] are pressing so hard upon you . . . and try to look over their shoulders, as it were, searching for something else—and that something is God, enclosed in a cloud of unknowing.”14 This requires a considerably more skillful use of thoughts. Thoughts that had previously pummeled us we can now use to steady our gaze into what Meister Eckhart calls “breadth without breadth, expanseless expanse,”15 “God, enclosed in a cloud of unknowing.” What had previously fragmented us now helps steady us. This gaze is the eye of silence cleared of much clutter.

-An Ocean of Light Contemplation, Transformation, and Liberation, Martin Laird, O.S.A.

The NS OCS train continues on a deadhead move to Chicago after being help up in Berea, Ohio for nearly an hour. Even the passenger cars shined from the street lights making for a very classy train. Unknowingly, this would be the last time I would see these engines as they were discontinued and sold off to highest bidder at auction.

For this shot I just wanted to show off the engines without much background scenery. I was able to do just that and I believe it paid off.

Learning is much like fishing, you never know what you are going catch, but unless you cast a line, you will catch nothing. My five year old granddaughter taught me another lesson today when she said to me: “Dada, how do you know so much?”

She unknowingly shamed me as I really don't know too much at all, and it made me think again about how much we don't know yet think we do. So I've gained some knowledge over the years to impress a five year old, but the most important knowledge gained is the one being how ignorant I am of nearly everything.

But that's a good thing as it at least means I know enough to understand how ignorant I am. She sweetly reminded me to be more humble. You never stop learning. My ignorance is vast but the knowledge to be learned is infinite, so there's no shame in knowing you are always ignorant of something. The shame comes from any arrogance born of ignorance. Beware the confident expert certain of all things. I wish I was five again. There's so much to discover and wonder at, and so few years left. I'd better keep casting that line out there.

youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4

The silence before the sound

the silence before the sound

is a quiet envelope between

the now and the after,

your last moment of unknowing

before the sowing

of whatever

whoever

wherever

comes next.

words

words, words

too many words

blending into babble,

then filling a bubble

that grows until

it floats away,

leaving only silence.

A guide has entered this life

in silence.

His message is only heard

in silence.

Take a sip of his precious wine

And lose yourself.

Don’t insult the greatness of his love,

For he helps all those who suffer,

in silence.

“Let him keep careful watch over his thoughts. Let him observe their intensity, their periods of decline and follow them as they rise and fall. Let him note well the complexity of his thoughts, their periodicity, the demons which cause them, with the order of their succession and the nature of their associations.”

-Evagrius, The Praktikos, chap. 50, in The Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer, trans. J. Bamberger (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1981), 29-30

He says, whenever you are plagued by distractions, “try to look over their shoulders, as it were, searching for something else—and that something is God, enclosed in the cloud of unknowing.”

-The Cloud of Unknowing, chap. 32, in The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works, trans. A. C. Spearing (Harmondsworth, UK Penguin, 2001), 55.

The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is considered to be the largest living reptile. Males can grow up to a length of 6 m (20 ft) and a weight of 1,000–1,300 kg (2,200–2,900 lb). These apex predators ambush their prey and then drown or swallow it whole. Despite the name, saltwater crocodiles can be found anywhere there is water. This includes freshwater lakes, creeks, rivers and billabongs. The saltwater crocodile has a long history of attacking humans who unknowingly venture into its territory. The low level of attacks in Australia may be due to extensive efforts by wildlife officials to post crocodile warning signs at numerous at-risk billabongs, rivers, lakes and beaches. The photo was taken from a boat on the Daintree River in Far North Queensland.

...at the Hawk Conservancy Andover.

Egyptian Vultures are an endangered species. From peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/vultures/egypti... :

Sadly, this species was recently uplisted to "Endangered" by BirdLife International meaning that it is in trouble and is in danger of disappearing from the wild. This uplisting occurred when the Egyptian Vulture population crashed dramatically throughout much of its range. This crash could have been caused, in great part, by their consumption of livestock contaminated with the veterinary drug, Diclofenac. Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug that people give their livestock (cattle, donkeys) when they fall ill. Though diclofenac may help their animals feel better for a little while, eventually the animals will get sick again. When the cow or donkey that has been treated with this drug dies, the diclofenac remains in their system. When vultures feed on the remains of these animals, they unknowingly swallow meat and tissue that contains traces of this drug along with their meal. The diclofenac poisons the vultures, which makes them very sick. Many of them die because their kidneys fail.

The Hawk Conservancy is a wonderful place - as its name suggests, its mission is to conservation of bird of prey. They have done a lot of sterling work along with other organisations around the world to raise awareness of the plight of birds of prey worldwide.

How can you help? Donate to continue their work.

www.hawk-conservancy.org/about/

www.hawk-conservancy.org/support-us/donate/

Don't you love how the flowers, birds and animals don't know anything about Covid-19 and just go about their business of living and enjoying life?

A faint light on the horizon, possibly the Märket Lighthouse.

Fun fact:

In 1885, Finland built a lighthouse on Märket Island to prevent shipwrecks in the treacherous waters of the Baltic Sea. But they unknowingly placed it on the Swedish side of the tiny island.

Rather than tear it down or spark a diplomatic feud, the two countries agreed in 1985 to redraw the border. The result is a bizarre zigzag line that loops around the lighthouse, keeping it officially on Finnish territory while preserving Sweden’s original land share.

One of Europe’s quirkiest cartographic twists :-).

Day 181/365

Flickr Lounge: photographer's choice

To show what a good husband I have, we were driving home from a visit to the lake that didn't really net me most of the photos I wanted since the presence of fishermen was keeping some of the wildlife away. And my husband said, "That was a skunk!" and turned the car around to go back, easing up somewhat near it with the quiet Prius, and allowing me several minutes to photograph this beautiful, mostly white skunk. Most of the time I could only see white fur above the grass, but I watched for chances to see its head as well.

Oh, and unknowingly I didn't have a card in my camera, but it took photos anyway, and to my relief putting the card back in saved the photos.

Am 23. August 2024 ließ ich mich zu einem Ausflug ins Ostallgäu überreden. Ziel sollte sein, die orientrote 218 406 vor dem IC-Zugpaar 2084/85 zu fotografieren. Im Nachhinein bin ich sehr froh, die Tour unternommen zu haben, konnte dadurch doch unwissentlich eine der letzten Fahrten des "Nebelhorns" auf der Allgäubahn dokumentiert werden. Wenige Tage später verkehrte die Verbindung zum letzen Mal. Es trat beim Stellwerk in Oberstdorf ein gravierender Schaden auf, die Weichen zu den Abstellgleisen mit der Zugvorheiz-Anlage können nicht mehr angesteuert werden. Die Reparatur scheint so aufwändig zu sein, dass man lieber gleich das Fernzug-Angebot eingestellt und für 2025 gar nicht erst bestellt hat. Alternative Möglichkeiten zur Abstellung und zur Zugbehandlung gibt es im Allgäu ebenfalls keine mehr. Was wie ein Schildbürgerstreich klingt, ist leider symptomatisch für den Zustand der Deutschen Bahn. Am besagten 23. August 2024 kam die mustergültig in den Zustand der frühen Epoche V zurück versetzte 218 406 mit ihrem IC 2084 nach Hamburg Altona fast pünktlich die Günzacher Steige hinauf gefahren und konnte von mir bei Mittelberg aufgenommen werden. Die zwei Kühe ließen sich von der Durchfahrt des Zuges nicht irritieren - als hätten sie es geahnt, dass sie künftig beim Grasen ohnehin nur noch von Triebwagen der Baureihen 612 und 633 und mit viel Glück (aus Sicht eines Eisenbahnfreundes) durch einen Güterzug gestört würden.

On 23 August 2024, I was convinced to take a trip to the Ostallgäu. The aim was to photograph the Orient red 218 406 in front of the IC train pair 2084/85. In retrospect, I am very glad that I undertook the trip, as it enabled me to unknowingly document one of the last journeys of the ‘Nebelhorn’ on the Allgäu railway. A few days later, the train ran for the last time. There was serious damage to the control centre in Oberstdorf and the switchyard sidings to the tracks with the train pre-heating system could no longer be controlled. The repair seems to be so costly that the long-distance train service has been cancelled and not even ordered for 2025. There are also no alternative options for heating and train handling in the Allgäu region. What sounds like a prank is unfortunately symptomatic of the state of Deutsche Bahn. On 23 August 2024, 218 406, which had been perfectly restored to the condition of early Era V, drove up the Günzacher Steige almost punctually with its IC 2084 to Hamburg Altona and I was able to take a picture of it near Mittelberg. The two cows were unperturbed by the train's passage - as if they had guessed that in future they would only be disturbed while grazing by class 612 and 633 railcars and, with a lot of luck (from a railway enthusiast's point of view), by a freight train.

I get a kick of getting close to the wildlife and making portait shots with the greatest details. One day, I hope this shy geese will allow me to do that... However, my preferred photographic moments will always remain those where the bird, (unknowingly there is no doubt) share a bit of its intimacy with the photographer.

Photographed at RSPN Frampton Marsh {Lincolnshire, UK} Avocets carry out a frenzied "ritual", which they always seem to perform whenever anybody unknowingly gets anywhere close to their Young.

The smaller Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus - had, unknowingly it seemed, strayed into the Coot's - Fulica atra - territory and was happily swimming around when the Coot finally spotted it .... you can see what happened next. The poor little Moorhen was chased completely off the pond and only escaped when it ran up onto the land and far enough away for the Coot to be happy. I heard the noises whilst strolling along and turned to see what was happening, I had one shot only and this was it. Seen at Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Burscough, Lancashire.

This Picture is fully © Copyrighted.

None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

Trio of Flares on Friday. A Chicago-bound Wisconsin Central train behind a pair of recently acquired Santa Fe SD45s. I was working for the ATSF at the time and unknowingly would be employed by the WC in less than two years.

The station becomes a stage, the sun a spotlight — and she, unknowingly, the lead.

Leica Q2 Monochrome

Summilux 28mm/f1.7 Asph.

This small pond sit in a clearing by the woodland behind my house. Over the years I've come to realize its special powers. I visit here often. I look not into the water itself, rather the world as reflected by the water. It forms a proverbial gazing ball that produces an eerie, sometime otherworldly view of the environment that surrounds it. I've seen amazing scenes here, stunning visualizations of sky and clouds. Blazingly vibrant autumnal hues. The coolness of summer leaves. Starry nights. Full moons. And the sun from every conceivable angle. Some winters the reflections disappear as the magic water is transformed into a sheet of ice. Snow covered at times, and sometimes thick enough to support my weight. I've walked across the pond, carefully, mindful of the many visions that have crossed beneath my feet. Late winter begins the transformation process. The snow melts and the ice turns a comforting shade of green, sort of like a coke bottle. Finally the ice melts and the water takes on a startling blackness that mellows with the onset of spring. My favorite times here are off hours, especially twilight. The reflections take on a distorted look. All of the moodiness of encroaching darkness is somehow magnified in the waters. I captured that feeling quite unknowingly this time last year. As is often the case, I snapped a photo out of a desire to capture the feeling of a moment rather than any real expectation of a quality photo. But in the blurry, imperfect moment emerged this image that perfectly summed up all of my emotion about these waters. At this moment, simultaneously attractive but horrifying.

Ophelia had just left her families home that was in a small town know for best mechanics of the Empire to became a world class Adventurer and Archaeologist.

She hopes to find Adventure and Wisdom but most of all Treasures and maybe even the Perfect Man!! One that is faithful, Cute, Strong and all ways dose what she wants to do... No matter how much shopping it is ^_^

It would seem well this little darling was out looking for Archaeologist things She had happened across this Star and just like that she picked it up.

I wander what this Treasure might lead me to, Thought Ophelia as she unknowingly had locked her fate with the others that wore heading to the Star Forge.

Will this little darling find Treasure a long her path?

Or is she headed to Certain Doom?

September 9, 2023 - Lexington Nebraska

*** Like | Follow | Subscribe | NebraskaSC ***

Watch that afternoon video on Flickr Click Here

High Quality Prints Available...Click Here

Early September 2023...

Gear Packed & Primed! Drove west from Kearney out to Lexington Nebraska area. Once the warnings started to fire out in West Central Nebraska. It was time to do my thing. It was to see one of the last supercells of the summer of 2023 & I wasn't gonna miss out. This truly had incredible, beautiful structure. Was tornado warned & had all the right elements for what I do.

No I didn't see a Tor-nader that day. I got a few snaps of what I think was a wall cloud to the cell northwest of my location.

I was there for the structure & I got those incredible snaps... It is what I came for!

*** PERSONAL NOTE***

I travel a lot of roads LESS TRAVELED than most in Nebraska due to what I do. After the Lexington Nebraska event.. I had to shoot back a few miles due my proximity to the storm.

As I traveled west then south from Overton Nebraska .. Via Nebraska Road "748" heading west. My normal spot was taken due to harvesting from the farmers. Cows were in my favorite spot. So a drove a few miles to the west. I had been by here about 1000+ times but never realized there there was an historical marker here.

So unknowingly, as I pulled into this little area with no power-lines I found a new place to take snaps but it has some historical value. Thought I would add this link for those of you that are curious about this Famous Nebraska Historical Marker.

The Plum Creek Massacre

Click Here

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

*** Please NOTE and RESPECT the Copyright ***

© Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography - All Rights Reserved

This image may not be copied, reproduced, published or distributed in any medium without the expressed written permission of the copyright holder.

#ForeverChasing

#NebraskaSC