View allAll Photos Tagged Unresolved
This pink dolphin was observed at the Seatran Ferry terminal at Don Sak in Surat Thani Province. This was the best series of a few unsuccessful attempts to capture a feeding dolphin,
Wikipedia: The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan as a common name. Some biologists regard the Indo-Pacific dolphin as a subspecies of the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (S. plumbea) which ranges from East Africa to India. However, DNA testing studies have shown that the two are distinct species. A new species, the Australian humpback dolphin (S. sahulensis), was split off from S. chinensis and recognized as a distinct species in 2014. Nevertheless, there are still several unresolved issues in differentiation of the Indian Ocean-type and Indo-Pacific-type humpback dolphins.
An adult Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is grey, white or pink and may appear as an albino dolphin to some. Populations along the coasts of China and Thailand have been observed with pink skin. The pink color originates not from a pigment, but from blood vessels which were overdeveloped for thermoregulation.
Conservation status: Vulnerable
A solitary figure holds a wing-like wire structure in its arms. The object seems both fragile and unresolved – like something slipping away. The figure’s gaze is calm, yet inward. It might be an attempt to hold on to something loved, even as it begins to fade.
To me, there is great tenderness in this gesture – as if one is still carrying the weight of the relationship, while the other is already drifting away.
Nuvole Bianche drifts softly over them, like something remembered, but never quite named.
Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi is known for minimalist piano pieces that feel more like reflections than performances — quiet, deliberate, deeply human.
His music often moves like breath – minimal, emotional, made to be felt more than explained.
the place: Retrospect
Cuttagee Bridge's future remains unresolved. Emergency stabilisation works have been completed but load and speed limits still apply. Meanwhile drivers can still enjoy the views and the comforting clunkety clunk as they pass over the timber plank decking.
Индустар 50-2 (Industar 50-2) 50mm f3.5 @ f8
Photo By: Cate Infinity
📍Location: Drone Haven
David Lynch
1946-2025
"Fix your Hearts or Die"
The phrase “Fix your hearts or die,” attributed to David Lynch, resonates with profound themes of emotional healing and the imperative to confront our inner turmoil. In the surreal landscape of Lynch's storytelling, this mantra emerges as a haunting echo—a call to awaken from the slumber of unresolved pain. In Lynch's universe, the act of facing one’s feelings is not just a choice; it’s a necessity. His films vibrate with the intensity of human struggles, revealing that failure to address our emotional wounds can trap us in a cycle of stagnation, leaving our spirits in decline. To "fix" one's heart suggests a journey—a pilgrimage of self-discovery where self-reflection, creative expression, and connection with others weave a tapestry of resilience. This path leads not merely to survival but to a vibrant existence that pulses with life. Lynch’s philosophy transcends boundaries, intricately entwining with the narratives he crafts. His work implores us to dive deep into the shadows of our emotions, to confront the truths we often fear. It is within this brave engagement that we find true vitality, where darkness and light coexist, shaping our humanity. In the end, “Fix your hearts or die” transforms from a stark warning into a transformative invitation—an exploration of what it means to be fully alive in a world that challenges us constantly.
Crafted with care by Jay Pockets, this stunning statue pays tribute to the visionary filmmaker, David Lynch, at Drone Haven. Explore more about Jay Pocket's intricate craftsmanship at his shop, BroRO: www.flickr.com/photos/199444636@N04/
The poignant phrase “Fix Your Hearts or Die,” selected by Dia G., encapsulates Lynch’s profound philosophy on emotional healing and the human experience.
My entry for the Summer Joust,
the Heroic Duel category.
Archduke Henrik of the blue Falcon faction had dedicated his life in loyal service to the former king. However, when the newly crowned red Falcon king Petrus dismissed him from his post, rage consumed his heart. Fuelled by a sense of betrayal, Archduke Henrik leapt from a rooftop, determined to challenge the king to a fight.
As he descended, King Petrus stood in shock, startled by the archduke's audacious act. But in that instant, something shifted within him. He recognized the pain in Henrik's eyes, the years of unwavering loyalty now shattered.
Unsheathing his sword, Archduke Henrik challenged the king to a duel, their clash symbolizing the fracture that had befallen the kingdom. With each clash of steel, their unresolved grievances manifested.
🎧 pete → Ride That Train ❥
—————
special thanks to: lelutka, simple bloom, kunglers, and tuus sl (maybe soon).
—————
. featured items .
♥ kunglers » alloy necklace @trés chic [¹] //new//
package includes:
≕ unrigged necklace, texture hud w/5 metals,6 cords,
≕ 7 beads,7 stones
≕ see the product details
♥ [sb] » *evox avalon* juliafire softarch diamond [brows]
package includes:
≕ 60 hd appliers [plain,4 different cuts w/12 tones]
≕ 05 hd materials (for each brows type)
≕ 60 pieces of bom wearables [plain,4 different cuts w/12 tones]
≕ plus 4 add-ons scars and sratches
≕ see the product details
≕ also available on marketplace.
♥ tuus » inez evo 3.1-x steffi v1.0 [shape] //new// maybe soon
♥ lelutka » evo-x head-inez 3.1 //new//
≕ see the product details
≕ 3.1 evo-x release and hud updates include:
≕ evo and evo x toggle buttons available across
all heads.
≕ options to blend or mask lashes have been updated.
≕ save slots have been removed for eye socket, lashes,
hd brows, hd eyelids, and hd lips and replaced with
a new, standalone style hud.
≕ 6 new eyes have been added for a total of 18 eyes.
≕ 2 new eye brows have been added for a total of 6 eye brows.
≕ 2 new eye shadows have been added for a total of 8
eye shadows.
≕ alpha mode has been added to the lip area. now when you
use the mask option, you will be able to manipulate
how much of your lipstick will show.
≕ layer materials (none) and hd complex toggle buttons
have been added under settings:
≏ clicking hd complex removes materials from
hd brows, both hd eye shadow layers, lashes, eye sockets
≏ clicking hd lips removes materials from the hd lips
≏ note: when materials are removed, the glossiness (if any)
on these layers will be removed.
≏ note: use the repair materials button (if necessary) to fix any
unresolved materials issues
tip: removing materials is useful to eliminate hair/head alpha
interaction (if hair has materials enabled), leaving
your head layers, alpha clipping free.
scripts updates:
≕ scripts have been polished to reduce lag, and make
the hud and heads operate smoother and respond faster.
≕ for indepth technical details see the faq for evo and evo-x
—————
. anatomy, hair, and makeup .
[glam affair] » steffi layer [lel evo-x, ivory c]
≕ shown with: freckles, blush [not included]
tram » k1108 hair @c88 until dec.6, 2021
ag. » prestigue eyes [azure]
toksik » lashes 3 [evo[-x],hd,fatpack]
maitreya » lara v5.3 base + petite v1.0 addon
[glam affair] » body skin [fit,lara,ivory,bom]
omega » system installer [lelutka,eyes]
. clothing and accessories .
tram » k1108 hair baret accesssory w/hud
dolly daydream » isobel top [m.lara petite]
dolly daydream » isobel skirt [m.lara]
dolly daydream » isobel panty liner [m.lara]
. setup .
cameron rowley » mesh train [taken @Jodis Station]
t. wizardly » ad-hoc pose, n/a
lelutka » axis hud face
lumipro » lumipro 18 lighting/posing system
. endnotes .
¹the trés chic event → nov.10 ‐ dec.10, 2021 ↪ teleport
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copyright © 2021 truth wizardly. all rights reserved.
// -wednesday, november 24, 2021 9:00:36 pm est-
// @20211123_lel_inez_3.1_ga_steffi_ivory_[final,v1].png
©All rights reserved. Image can not be inserted in blogs, websites or any other form, without my written permission.
Thanks for stopping by, everything is always very appreciated
I will not say much about a subject that I have dealt with a great deal in the past. Just the point of the situation.
After a crazy reception, you will know that Italy has closed its ports with this new government. To raise awareness in a Europe that closed its eyes and turned its back.
The intention was to raise awareness, not to punish those who are at sea.
It was meant to discourage departures, to find ways to help these people at home.
Of course this was not the case, because man is not as intelligent as he seems.
And our sea is shipwrecked, as are our hearts, in the face of yet another unresolved problem.
I don't think this song was written with this in mind, but, reading the lyrics, I found words that fit the theme
"My Bed" evokes the mentality of an obsessive collector. Here, compulsive collecting serves as a substitute for a partner. Such a hoarder no longer communicates with living beings, but with objects.
Mark Manders considered studying psychology before he became an artist. He did, however, marry a psychotherapist specializing in grief counseling. The clay child refers to unresolved grief.
This pink dolphin was observed at the Seatran Ferry terminal at Don Sak in Surat Thani Province. This was the best series of a few unsuccessful attempts to capture a feeding dolphin,
Wikipedia: The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan as a common name. Some biologists regard the Indo-Pacific dolphin as a subspecies of the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (S. plumbea) which ranges from East Africa to India. However, DNA testing studies have shown that the two are distinct species. A new species, the Australian humpback dolphin (S. sahulensis), was split off from S. chinensis and recognized as a distinct species in 2014. Nevertheless, there are still several unresolved issues in differentiation of the Indian Ocean-type and Indo-Pacific-type humpback dolphins.
An adult Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is grey, white or pink and may appear as an albino dolphin to some. Populations along the coasts of China and Thailand have been observed with pink skin. The pink color originates not from a pigment, but from blood vessels which were overdeveloped for thermoregulation.
Conservation status: Vulnerable
McCullough's concrete replica of Horseshoe Bend is not one of the most photographed spots in screwedCITY, but it's reelENDLESSly alluring for friends or acquaintances being indulged in heated arguments while walking on their way home. Many of those arguments take interesting turn at the prominent point of walkabout bend, but if particular argument remains unresolved leaving debaters with nothing to summarize, so called „no conclusion“ fee per debater is charged by city official stationed at the exit point of McCullough's seventh architectural wonder.
We can be pretty sure that our beloved Spiral Arts Gallery visitors (still involved in heated argument from previous image) will do what every screwedCITYzen does – it's better to pay than admit that you're wrong...
What I really wanted to do was spend the day at home, catching up with normal life, pottering around the garden and planning what to plant where for the summer, and returning to the huge backlog of images from the trips to Madeira and the New Forest. After coming home from the latter a few days earlier I’d packed the van again the very next day to meet up with Mark and Wendy, our old hiking buddies who were touring Cornwall in their motorhome. By the time I returned home on Sunday afternoon I slumped onto the sofa and slept until tea time, woken by a text from my son in Wadebridge, who wanted to add another escapade to our friends’ visit the following day. My first reaction was to decline. I had plans for almost every day of the forthcoming week, and I really wanted a breather from life for twenty-four hours. But then it occurred to me that Tom’s time is far more precious than mine; he’d be back at work the following morning, and even though it was a bank holiday which means I usually hide in the garden, I said I’d be at his around noon, from where we’d push on to a couple of places that until now had always just been interesting looking dots on the map.
To start with, we headed for Port Isaac, home of TV’s Mr Grumpy, Doc Martin, a number of pasty hungry herring gulls and more than a smattering of bank holiday visitors. Only Wendy’s pasty came under attack, and fortunately for Tom and myself, it was of the vegetarian variety, so we didn’t feel obliged to share our steak filled options in recompense for failing to warn our friends about the likelihood of needing to repel airborne assaults. Following this, we spent the entire car parking allowance hunting for sea glass on the beach. Of course we did. What else would you do in a picture perfect postcard village riddled with pubs and ice cream parlours? “We’re looking for Sea Badger Droppings!” affects my son in a strangely Bristolian sounding accent whenever asked by strangers what they’re missing. The odd thing is he was born in Truro, so quite why he suddenly decides to sound like he’s the new tambourine player in The Wurzels for these moments is a question that remains unresolved. The fact that he believes for a moment even the most gullible tourist might fall for the ruse also requires further explanation. Surely everyone knows the Sea Badgers only ever leave the Isles of Scilly and come to the mainland for the mating season in the autumn?
And then we moved on to the bit I’d been looking forward to. Tom’s partner Rhi grew up in Tintagel, and had arranged to meet us later at Trebarwith Strand, her local childhood haunt after finishing her shift as a paramedic. We ate at the pub which sits above the water overlooking the sea, where I was so wrapped up in the prospect of the sunset shoot that I raced through my Waldorf Salad almost without reference to Fawlty Towers at all. I also failed to notice the presence of the famous face sitting at the opposite table; one who appeared in the locally filmed TV series mentioned above if you were wondering. Of course, I’d already done my homework, which mostly consisted of examining the weather and tide apps that tell me whether I should get excited, and then viewing a certain Mr Pedlar’s (you know him!) photos in these pages to see what to expect. And in a rare moment of perfect fusion, it seemed the gods were on my side. The high tide I'd anxiously coveted for this location would be just an hour before sunset and in the previously featureless sky, groups of fluffy clouds were gathering like old friends to hang in stillness over Gull Rock. My plate now clear of all the remaining Waldorfs, I raced down to the water’s edge like a child excused from the dinner table, only to find the plum spot taken by an interloper. I knew I should have brought a sandwich and refused to budge for two hours – naturally if I’d been here on a photography only mission rather than a social engagement that’s exactly what I would have done. Soon he was followed by three or four more tripod bearing togs, each competing for ground in a very limited space, and to add insult to injury not one of them appeared to be Mr Pedlar himself. It goes without saying that if Lee had been present they’d have seen him sharpening his famous elbows and all headed for the pub in varying states of fear for their personal safety to soak up restorative brandies in an instant, leaving me with only himself to contend with.
But high tide Trebarwith offers a secret weapon to the intrepid tripod wielder, in the form of a narrow ledge of rock to the left of the funnel where we were all standing. With a degree of care and the removal of the varifocals that suddenly become about as useful as a house made of cheese when looking at the space around my feet, I hopped across the stream that cuts through the rock shelf on its way to the sea. Finally I had the space I wanted, from where I could watch the rest of them fight for position on the other side of the divide. One of them decided to offer some counsel. “Take care down there. I once watched someone slip over on that bit, and when they carried him back to safety his kneecap wasn’t in the same place it had been when he first went down there.” I nodded and smiled. I’d already negotiated a section that the falling tide had uncovered and was all too aware of exactly how slippery the green and black areas that I’d so studiously avoided were. Two hours earlier, on the other side of high tide it had been bone dry here and the difference on the surface beneath my feet was all too palpable. I moved very slowly, just a few yards forward; every inch was undertaken with the utmost caution in my most grippy of hiking shoes, using the tripod as a makeshift walking stick until I reached a small crack in the rock above the receding sea that offered a bit of traction. Now I could concentrate on setting up the shot, waiting for those moments when an incoming wave washed back towards the sea, the brightness of the white water softening to an icy blue after the break. Above us, the dreamy shroud began to light from underneath as the sun, cloaked in a glorious bold and bright orange made its final bow. As long as I stayed on my feet, I might just get a shot. At least if I got it right, I wouldn’t have to take my chances here again on another visit. Probably.
I’ve often thought that pride is an unattractive trait, and blowing one’s own trumpet should be put to one side in favour of reluctant acceptance of a positive reaction from one’s peers where merited. But in this case, I have to admit I was rather excited about sharing the image, and the entire brass section, accompanied by an oboe, a couple of flutes and three very noisy recorders has been turned to full volume on presenting the final result. I like this shot rather a lot. In fact I'd go as far as to say it's one of my favourites. So much in fact that I’m going to get it printed and put it on the wall at home. Of course it’s pure luck really. It's not often that you turn up at a brand new location to conditions you never dared to hope for. Not often you get to take a shot that makes you this happy when you’re in the company of people who didn’t come here armed with tripods and bags full of camera gear.
The farewell was not long after I took this shot. Mark and Wendy were heading back to the campsite near Tintagel as their adventures in the beautiful county that we call home came towards a close. Tom and Rhi headed back to their home in Wadebridge and work the next day. For a while I sat at the wheel of my car and grinned into the fading light. Somewhere out on the water, a skulking pair of Sea Badgers grinned back as they slipped beneath the surface and began the long journey back to the Scillies.
This photograph captures the solemn presence of the Jan Palach Memorial, a modern sculptural tribute located in Prague. Shot in 2008, the image resonates with deep historical and emotional weight. The monument honors Jan Palach, a Czech student who self-immolated on January 16, 1969, in protest against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. His sacrifice became a spark of resistance and a symbol of moral courage throughout Europe.
The sculpture appears stark and minimal, yet powerful — an interplay of absence and presence. It stands not only as a commemorative form but as a visual echo of silence, protest, and unresolved memory. Captured through a contemplative lens, the framing emphasizes texture, shadow, and the geometry of the memorial in contrast with its urban surroundings. The tone of the image, whether color-muted or in black and white, reinforces the enduring solemnity of the act it commemorates.
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
© Bob Dylan - 1975
"River Stour Reves" 1985
This is an Infra-Red film image taken in the 1980s. They all give ghostly dream-like impressions that don't equate to what was 'really' seen by the human eye. I-R film renders most green plants white and that's what's happened here with the leaves on the trees. Not as interesting an image as another taken half an hour afterwards ( 'Water Meadow Dreams' ) in my opinion as there was a focal point in the latter. Here although there are 2 figures on the left, they're moving though the image and hence left unresolved. Taken in my home town of Canterbury, Kent, UK
« Rivière Stour Reves » 1985
Il s'agit d'une image de film infrarouge prise dans les années 1980. Elles donnent toutes des impressions fantomatiques et oniriques qui ne correspondent pas à ce qui a été « réellement » vu par l'œil humain. Les films infrarouges rendent blanches la plupart des plantes vertes et c'est ce qui s'est passé ici avec les feuilles des arbres. À mon avis, cette image n'est pas aussi intéressante qu'une autre prise une demi-heure plus tard (« Watermeadow Dreams »), car cette dernière comportait un point focal. Ici, bien qu'il y ait deux personnages sur la gauche, ils se déplacent dans l'image et ne sont donc pas résolus.
In Rust the slow violence of time into a visual storm. Layers of molten orange, scorched crimson, and shadow-black collide in a composition that feels both organic and industrial—like the corroding edge of memory itself.
At first glance, the piece radiates with energy, even aggression. But beneath the turbulence lies quiet entropy: the inevitability of decay, the poetry of wear. This is not destruction for spectacle, but transformation as a condition of being—where beauty oxidizes into something deeper, stranger, and unresolved.
Rust invites us to see erosion not as an end, but as a process. A process that stains, softens, and ultimately reveals what survives beneath the surface.
This beautiful male wood duck was just what I needed after seeing my surgeon today. Eye issue still unresolved, but will have the tubes removed by the 1st of the year. If that doesn't work, I will have another surgery, and tubes put back in. UGH, not what I wanted to hear.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Deep beneath the surface layers of the Veil, beyond time-slick roots and memory-laced fogs, lies the Hollow Confluence — a spiraling, endless current where all forgotten paths, faded thoughts, and untied ends of the Hollow Veil are drawn. It is not a place one reaches, but a place one is carried to, slowly, unknowingly, through every unresolved choice.
The Confluence is shaped like no place at all. Ribbons of memory float like rivers in the air. Lost names spiral through echo-tides. Fragments of every realm pass through here: a bloom from the Hourless Garden, a broken stone from Nevercross Bridge, a whisper from the Vault.
The Spiral Drown: A central gyre of emotion and memory, slowly rotating — those who step into it may emerge transformed… or emptied.
The Unweaving Trestle: A ghostly lattice bridge that collapses behind each step forward.
The Refracted Choir: Distant voices of every unspoken word, layered until meaning becomes music.
The Loombasin: A pool of raw possibility, glowing with discarded futures.
Justicia is a genus of flowering plants in the Acanthaceae family. It is the largest genus within the family, encompassing around 700 species with hundreds more as yet unresolved. They are native to tropical to warm temperate regions of the Americas, India and Africa. The genus serves as host to many butterfly species, such as Anartia fatima. Common names include water-willow and shrimp plant, the latter from the inflorescences, which resemble a shrimp in some species. The generic name honours Scottish horticulturist James Justice. They are closely related to Pachystachys.
Justicia aurea
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I’ll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”
— Bob Dylan
____________________________________________
These photographs are of one of several overnight shelters the homeless advocacy non-profit I am on the Board and Housing Committee of is still able to keep open. This shelter, quite ironically, is in an abandoned branch bank.
17 beds. Full, with people begging to get in, every night, as with all our shelters. Last night, even in early December, the temperature dipped to the low teens.
With the Nazis in Washington now aggressively and cruelly taking away what little we have had to try to try to keep people alive, hope becomes increasingly hopeless.
“Let them eat cake”, they say. “Just look at the renderings of the gold plated ballroom we are building. Maybe your dreams will keep you warm.”
Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Don't search for answers now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything.
+++Rainer Maria Rilke++++
So my efforts to identify this fungus are unresolved. Is it carbon ball or Brittle Cinder Fungus? Or does Kretzschmaria Deusta identify them. Found in a small patch in the 280 acre Culberson Woods Nature Preserve in Clinton County. It's known as a wet beech forest, with a thin layer of white clay on top of its soil. The only trail is a 3 mile loop with no shortcuts.
The girls landed a world away from Kayla’s underground shelter.
Birdsong filled the air. The girls sat beneath the canopy of a broad-limbed tree, its shade dappling the grass around them. Nearby, the river whispered—its waters burbling softly over stones.
Adrienne studied Kayla’s face. “You’re very pale.”
Kayla felt her neck, uncertain. “I think I’m okay. I thought I was finished. But something hit me in the tunnel. I felt... very ill. I had strange thoughts. Visions I didn’t recognize.”
Kayla gave a dry laugh. “You look much worse than me.”
“Pffft… I was only blown up. That’s all” Adrienne smiled, smoothing her hair with a shaky hand. “I think I’m starting to adjust to this new life.”
Kayla looked over, “How did you find me?”
“We tracked your VDD signal. I jumped to the last known location. When I landed, I heard you scream. Grabbed the pistol from my backpack and ran toward the sound.”
Kayla glanced around, absorbing the contrast to the tunnel’s oppressive gloom. “Where are we?”
Adrienne’s expression softened. “This my refuge, my shelter. I’ve come here since I was a child. We are far from anyone here.”
“It’s beautiful here,” Kayla murmured. Then her voice faltered. “But I saw you jump—with someone. I thought it was me. From... another time? Where is she?”
Adrienne hesitated. Her silence stretched. “She’s gone. It’s a long story. One you need to hear.”
As Adrienne started to recount the last few days, Kayla stopped her. “Wait. I already know this. I saw it all—in the tunnel, in the visions I had. I remember. They are real! The other Kayla you were with… we must be one again.”
Adrienne blinked, stunned. Relief flickered across her face.
Kayla sat up, gripping Adrienne’s arm. Her voice surged with urgency. “Adrienne, I know where the nest is. I’ve seen it. I was there.”
Then her excitement dimmed. “But the mission has failed. We’re out of time. The explosives are gone. The reptilians raided the shelter. Took everything. All the charges I was sent with... they were the last our people had.”
She looked away. “Even if I’d planted them, the nest is far more massive than imagined. I doubt it would’ve been enough.”
Silence settled again, heavy and unresolved.
Then Adrienne leaned forward, her eyes alight. “It's not over yet. I have an idea.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can view Quantum Fold episodes in order from the beginning in her album titled, Quantum Fold:
www.flickr.com/photos/199076397@N02/albums/72177720326169...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is an A.I. image generated using my SL avi.
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Unresolved Message
My Interplanetary Memories
Interplanetary Travel
As I track down the lost civilization of Plutonia, I feel like the protagonist of a sci-fi and sleuthing novel. A special sleuth on the trail of a lost civilization and tasked with finding them. Nor did I have a single piece of evidence that I would find the Plutonians. However, I had abandoned my main mission for a while in order to find them. This was my new assignment. The only result I reached in my research to find the Plutonians was a radio signal with the same frequencies from different planets. This radio signal was like morse code transmitted at different intervals and at different speeds. However, I had not yet deciphered the meaning of this radio signal. All I could reach was the location where the signal came from. Every time I visited the planet where these radio signals came from, all I came across was a new abandoned planet. After a while, I realize that I'm starting to see myself as part of this lost civilization. It was like I was the only one left from a lost civilization. And, in a way, my search for the lost civilization seemed to have turned into my search for my new home. I think the idea that little by little I would not be able to return to my own home was taking over me completely. This pushed me to seek a new living space. I was looking for my new home, far from home.
Camera: Canon EOS Kiss X7i
Photograph by Yusuf Alioglu
Location: Outer space (space)
Original Mixed Media Painting of Acrylic, Gelatos and Graphite on Shelf Paper mounted on Cradled Wood. Resin finish. 16 x 12"
Married couples can drift apart for various reasons, often rooted in changes that occur over time. As life evolves, priorities shift, and couples may find themselves growing in different directions due to career demands, personal interests, or parenting responsibilities. Communication breakdowns, unresolved conflicts, and unmet emotional needs can create a sense of distance. Additionally, the routine of daily life might lead to complacency, where the relationship is taken for granted, reducing the emotional connection that once brought the couple together. Without intentional effort to nurture the relationship, these factors can slowly erode the bond, causing couples to drift apart.
Chard, Somerset, UK.
I love this story so much that I have collected images of a man in the belly of the whale for much of my adult life. I think I live in that whale’s belly permanently, with loads of unresolved questions and painful paradoxes in my life. Yet God is always “vomiting” me up in the right place—in the complete opposite direction that I’ve been trying to run (Jonah 2:10).
--Title: The tears of things / by Richard Rohr.
Don't use this image on any media without my permission.
© All rights reserved.
Please NO multigroup invites! Por favor NO invitaciones a multigrupos!
CANON EOS 400D EXIF 1/800 f/10 75-300 mm ISO 400 + HDR
Se sabe que las gaviotas viven hasta 40 años en cautiverio y hasta 36 en libertad.
La defensa del territorio, la formación de parejas, las interacciones entre progenitores y polluelos y otras actividades implican un comportamiento al servicio de la comunicación que se manifiesta en posturas, movimientos y llamadas, algunas de las cuales son de notable complejidad con su forma y función.
Por ejemplo, durante el cortejo, las gaviotas ejecutan exhibiciones de amenaza, pero lo hacen en secuencias que en apariencia modifican su significado. El reconocimiento entre individuos por estos medios ha sido demostrado de forma experimental. Los vínculos de pareja pueden ser duraderos.
Las gaviotas pueden prosperar a expensas de otras especies. Por ejemplo, se conocen casos en que las gaviotas de mayor tamaño han expulsado de sus territorios de nidificación a gaviotas más pequeñas, en parte a través de la depredación de huevos y polluelos.
Las actividades carroñeras de las gaviotas pueden afectar también a la ecología de los entornos urbanos. Los aeropuertos (y los vertederos que suelen haber en sus inmediaciones) las atraen en gran número, y representan un peligro para los aviones; se trata de un problema aún sin resolver.
En algunos lugares se recolectan huevos de gaviota como alimento.
Gulls are known to live to 40 years in captivity and released to 36.
Territorial defense, training partners, interactions between parents and chicks and other activities involving the behavior of communication which is manifested in posture, movements and calls, some of which are of considerable complexity in their shape and function .
For example, during courtship, gulls exhibits run threat, but at sequences that appear to alter its meaning. The recognition of these individuals has been demonstrated experimentally. The pair of links can be long lasting.
Seagulls can thrive at the expense of other species. For example, cases are known in the larger gulls are expelled from their territories of gulls nesting in smaller, partly through the predation of eggs and chicks.
The activities of scavengers gulls may also affect the ecology of urban environments. Airports (and landfills typically have in their vicinity) attract the large numbers and represent a hazard to aircraft, the problem is still unresolved.
In some places gull eggs are harvested as food.
The heart may 'jump' once too often, it is said
from the moment we raise a thought from it's bed
eyebrows might rouse the sight ahead of it's own sound
the speed with which we are lost and preferably found
is entwined into intervals and silhouettes by sunsets
the duality of senses find an enclave before light forgets
swamped is the benevolent piece of mind, head in the clouds
seeking Sun and warmth taken up by Pine and Oak shrouds
from all this land failed to embrace let it never be forgotten
but forgive the unprincipalled leaders and all their begotten
for the Suns of evolution will shine when the time is absolutely right
and before any questions are raised when the day is out of sight
rains continue to fall this apparently peaceable day
cloud banks my mind ever further beneath the covers where I pray
for the warmth of a Summer true to bring me out of the malaise
the one that preaches as much as it disobeys
my command of rites to empower a season's trestle
as July cold becomes insupportable for Summer to wrestle
away from it's misplaced instatement, a nutcase unresolved
for it's we that'll crack first now in dire need of heat devolved
the days shrink from haphazard deluges: an unruly mob in tow
battering down our resistance to a futile mope apropos
of the nothingness now felt between showers victory chants
such weather is maddening for our routine it now transplants
give a chance and be fair when instance becomes habitual
grief-ridden forecasts dampen down what is now a long-range ritual
postponements become abandonements all too quickly
and all of a sudden the season is lost when we give in so meekly...
fight, fight, fight it, don't ever be so much as slighted by it!
for it is our life, our world, our hopes and dreams we must acquit.
by anglia24
10h20: 17/07/2008
©2008anglia24
Viburnum × bodnantense, the Bodnant viburnum, is a Group of hybrid flowering plant cultivars of garden origin. They originate in a cross between V. farreri and V. grandiflorum made by Charles Puddle, head gardener to Lord Aberconway at Bodnant Garden, Wales around 1935.
The most famous selection, 'Dawn', is a substantial deciduous shrub growing to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall by 1.5 m (4.9 ft) broad. In winter and early spring the bare branches are clothed with fragrant pink blooms, and later by narrow, heavily-veined oval leaves. These turn bright red in autumn, and are often accompanied by small globose red fruits. Though hardy down to −20 °C (−4 °F), like all early-flowering shrubs the flowers can be affected by late frost – which in turn affects the production of fruit. This shrub requires a sheltered position in full sun or partial shade, in soil that stays moist.
The cultivars 'Dawn', 'Deben' and 'Charles Lamont' are recipients of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
According to the Plant List, Viburnum × bodnantense is an unresolved name, meaning that it has not yet been accredited as a valid botanical name or synonym.
two children walk side by side, their quiet steps echoing through the dim, urban tunnel. the neon lights overhead flicker, casting faint reflections on the polished tiles. they carry remnants of the day—perhaps candy or toys—but their faces betray a mix of focus and weariness. the world around them, grimy and shadowed, feels far too vast for their small figures. they walk together, yet somehow the space between them and the city stretches infinitely. everything is still, but something about their path feels unresolved—like a passage through the unspoken loneliness of a city night.
For a long time ago there have been rumors about small alien community in Split. Apart from unresolved disappearances of several trekkie aficionados, the matter never caught attention of serious ufologists. However, data stream from one of our survey posts clearly indicates that aliens are among us, and are of species 8472, i.e. fluidic space dwellers. 8472 are metamorphs, but they seem to naturally drop their camouflage in vicinity of rogue Asian tourists. Something tells us that Cholo instantly forgot about his toothache when witnessing alien presence, though another question emerged – how exactly is etva connected with fluidic space? Need some cross-referencing? Check the excerpts from etva's ocular implant: www.flickr.com/photos/61357175@N08/
The human mind is a storehouse of thoughts - some resolved, some unresolved. For those that have been dealt with are put to rest. For those that aren't, are suspended...and in our pursuit for a denouement, we become slaves to our own thoughts. How long? ... as long as it takes to discover the last thought till the next one enslaves.
After a string of 4 clear nights in late March, it's been a long time since we have had a stretch of clear moonless nights. So no astrophotography for me…
In the meantime, I had upgraded one of my astro cameras to a new camera known as the ZWO ASI2600MM-Pro. This is a mono camera based on a new generation of larger APS-C size sensors. It offers much higher resolution, a full 16-bits of dynamic range, outstanding noise characteristics, and a much deeper well capacity (which means I can overexpose bright areas of the image - stars - much more before I saturate the sensor). This was also a bigger and heavier camera and I needed to rework my rig to balance things out. I have been eager to test this out.
Recently I had that chance. Choosing Messier 63 - the Sunflower Galaxy as my target I took over 15 hours of exposures through Luminesce, Red, Green, Blue and Hydrogen-Alpha filters over the nights of May 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. I thought I had clear nights but it turns out that thin clouds passed through on EVERY night - enough cloud to mess-up my exposures but not enough to shut things down. I inspected every single frame and I ended up throwing out 5 HOURS of data due to "Cloud Pollution". I got to tell you - that HURTS.
So about our Target…
I have captured M63 before and I wanted to see what difference I could make with a new camera and a bit more experience under my belt. I am very pleased with the result of my first effort with this camera. Good detail, excellent color.
Located 29.3 Million Light Years away, this is what Wikipedia has to say about M63:
Messier 63 or M63, also known as NGC 5055 or the seldom-used Sunflower Galaxy,[6] is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici with approximately 400 billion stars.[7] M63 was first discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain, then later verified by his colleague Charles Messier on June 14, 1779.[6] The galaxy became listed as object 63 in the Messier Catalogue. In the mid-19th century, Anglo-Irish astronomer Lord Rosse identified spiral structures within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which such structure was identified.[8]
The shape or morphology of this galaxy has a classification of SAbc,[5] indicating a spiral form with no central bar feature (SA) and moderate to loosely wound arms (bc). There is a general lack of large-scale continuous spiral structure in visible light, so it is considered a flocculent galaxy. However, when observed in the near infrared, a symmetric, two-arm structure is seen. Each arm wraps 150° around the galaxy and extends out to 13,000 light-years (4,000 parsecs) from the nucleus.[9]
M63 is a weakly active galaxy with a LINER nucleus – short for 'low-ionization nuclear emission-line region'. This displays as an unresolved source at the galactic nucleus that is cloaked in a diffuse emission. The latter is extended along a position angle of 110° relative to the north celestial pole, and both soft X-rays and hydrogen (H-alpha) emission can be observed coming from along nearly the same direction.[10] The existence of a super massive black hole (SMBH) at the nucleus is uncertain; if it does exist, then the mass is estimated as (8.5±1.9)×108 M☉,[11] or around 850 million times the mass of the Sun.
Here is the detail around this image:
*Number of frames is after bad or questionable frames were culled.
71 x 90 seconds, bin 1x1 @ -15C, unity gain, ZWO Gen II L Filter
81 x 90 seconds, bin 1x1 @ -15C, 0 gain, ZWO Gen II R Filter
67 x 90 seconds, bin 1x1 @ -15C, unity gain, ZWO Gen II G Filter
79 x 90 seconds, bin 1x1 @ -15C, unity gain, ZWO Gen II B Filter
27 x 300 seconds, bin 1x1 @ -15C, unity gain, Astronomiks 6nm Ha Filter
Total of 9.7 hours
25 Darks at 300 seconds, bin 1x1, -15C, gain 0
50 Darks at 90 seconds, bin 1x1, -15C, gain 0
30 Dark Flats at Flat exposure times, bin 1x1, -15C, gain 0
30 R Flats
30 G Flats
30 B Flats
30 L Flats
30 Ha Flats
Capture Hardware:
Scope: Astrophysics 130mm Starfire F/8.35 APO refractor
Guide Scope: Televue 76mm Doublet
Camera: ZWO AS2600mm-pro with ZWO 7x36 Filter wheel with ZWO LRGB filter set,
and Astronomiks 6nm Narrowband filter set
Guide Camera: ZWO ASI290Mini
Focus Motor: Pegasus Astro Focus Cube 2
Camera Rotator: Pegasus Astro Falcon
Mount: Ioptron CEM60
Polar Alignment: Polemaster camera
Software:
Capture Software: PHD2 Guider, Sequence Generator Pro controller
Image Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop - assisted by Coffee, extensive processing indecision and second guessing, editor regret and much swearing…..
La Rábida, Huelva (Spain).
The hols of the boats are full.
Las bodegas de los barcos ya están llenas.
ENGLISH
On the evening of August 3, 1492, Columbus departed from Palos with three ships; one larger carrack, Santa María, nicknamed Gallega (the Gallician), and two smaller caravels, Pinta (the Painted) and Santa Clara, nicknamed Niña (the Girl). (The ships were never officially named). They were property of Juan de la Cosa and the Pinzón brothers (Martin Alonzo and Vicente Yáñez), but the monarchs forced the Palos inhabitants to contribute to the expedition. Columbus first sailed to the Canary Islands, which was owned by Castile, where he restocked the provisions and made repairs, and on September 6, he started what turned out to be a five-week voyage across the ocean.
Land was sighted at 2 a.m. on October 12, 1492, by a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana (also known as Juan Rodríguez Bermejo) aboard Pinta. (Columbus would claim the prize.) Columbus called the island (in what is now The Bahamas) San Salvador, although the natives called it Guanahani. Exactly which island in the Bahamas this corresponds to is an unresolved topic; prime candidates are Samana Cay, Plana Cays, or San Salvador Island (named San Salvador in 1925 in the belief that it was Columbus's San Salvador). The indigenous people he encountered, the Lucayan, Taíno or Arawak, were peaceful and friendly. In his journal he wrote of them, "It appears to me, that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion." He also wrote of them, two days after landing, "I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#First_voyage
--------------------------
CASTELLANO
Cristóbal Colón, en representación de los Reyes Católicos de España, realizó cuatro famosos viajes desde Europa a América en 1492, 1493, 1498 y 1502. En el primero de ellos llegó a América el 12 de octubre de 1492, a una isla de las Bahamas llamada Guanahani, cuya exacta localización aún se discute. En el tercer viaje llegó a territorio continental en la actual Venezuela.
El primer viaje de Colón se inició en Palos de la Frontera, el 3 de agosto de 1492. La escuadra colombina estaba formada por las carabelas Pinta, Niña y Santa María. Para el equipamiento de las naves fue decisiva la colaboración de los hermanos Pinzón, que participaron también en el viaje. Colón se dirigió hacia las Canarias y desde la isla de Gomera se lanzó a la travesía del Atlántico (6 de septiembre). El 12 de octubre llegó a la isla Guanahaní (Walting, en las Bahamas), a la que llamó San Salvador. Arribó después a la isla de Cuba, bautizada con el nombre de Juana, y posteriormente a La Española. El 25 de diciembre encalló la carabela Santa María y con sus restos construyó un fuerte llamado Navidad, en el que dejó una pequeña guarnición. Con las dos naves restantes, la Pinta y la Niña, emprendió el viaje de retorno (16 de enero de 1493). Durante la travesía las dos naves se separaron. Colón llegó a Palos el 15 de marzo y marchó a Barcelona para informar a los reyes de su descubrimiento.
Fuente: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descubrimiento_de_Am%c3%a9rica
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Apart from a known and possibly breeding population in Arizona (southeast of Tucson), the cat has largely been extirpated from the United States since the early 1900s.
This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of sturdier build and its behavioral and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. While dense rainforest is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrain. It is strongly associated with the presence of water and is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming. The jaguar is a largely solitary, stalk-and-ambush predator, and is opportunistic in prey selection. It is also an apex and keystone predator, playing an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations of prey species. The jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats.[3] This allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles[4] and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain.[5]
The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include habitat loss and fragmentation. While international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still regularly killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America. Although reduced, its range remains large; given its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of numerous indigenous American cultures, including that of the Maya and Aztec.
Etymology
A jaguar at the Milwaukee County Zoological GardensThe word jaguar is pronounced /ˈdʒæɡwɑr/ or, in British English, /ˈdʒæɡjuː.ər/. It comes to English from one of the Tupi-Guarani languages, presumably the Amazonian trade language Tupinambá, via Portuguese jaguar.[6] The Tupian word, yaguara "beast", sometimes translated as "dog",[7][8] is used for any carnivorous mammal.[9] The specific word for jaguar is yaguareté, with the suffix -eté meaning "real" or "true".[6][9][10]
The first component of its taxonomic designation, Panthera, is Latin, from the Greek word for leopard, πάνθηρ, the type species for the genus. This has been said to derive from the παν- "all" and θήρ from θηρευτής "predator", meaning "predator of all" (animals), though this may be a folk etymology[11]—it may instead be ultimately of Sanskrit origin, from pundarikam, the Sanskrit word for "tiger".[12]
Onca is the Portuguese onça, with the cedilla dropped for typographical reasons, found in English as ounce for the Snow Leopard, Uncia uncia. It derives from the Latin lyncea lynx, with the letter L confused with the definite article (Italian lonza, Old French l'once).[13]
In many Central and South American countries, the cat is referred to as el tigre ("the tiger")
Taxonomy
The jaguar, Panthera onca, is the only extant New World member of the Panthera genus. DNA evidence shows that the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard share a common ancestor and that this group is between six and ten million years old;[14] the fossil record points to the emergence of Panthera just two to 3.8 million years ago.[14][15] Phylogenetic studies generally have shown that the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is basal to this group.[14][16][17][18] The position of the remaining species varies between studies and is effectively unresolved.
Based on morphological evidence, British zoologist Reginald Pocock concluded that the jaguar is most closely related to the leopard.[18] However, DNA evidence is inconclusive and the position of the jaguar relative to the other species varies between studies.[14][16][17][18] Fossils of extinct Panthera species, such as the European Jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) and the American Lion (Panthera atrox), show characteristics of both the lion and the jaguar.[18] Analysis of jaguar mitochondrial DNA has dated the species lineage to between 280,000 and 510,000 years ago, later than suggested by fossil records.[19Geographical variation
While numerous subspecies of the jaguar have been recognized, recent research suggests just three. Geographical barriers, such as the Amazon river, limit gene flow within the species.The last taxonomic delineation of the jaguar subspecies was performed by Pocock in 1939. Based on geographic origins and skull morphology, he recognized eight subspecies. However, he did not have access to sufficient specimens to critically evaluate all subspecies, and he expressed doubt about the status of several. Later consideration of his work suggested only three subspecies should be recognized.[20]
Recent studies have also failed to find evidence for well defined subspecies, and are no longer recognized.[21] Larson (1997) studied the morphological variation in the jaguar and showed that there is clinal north–south variation, but also that the differentiation within the supposed subspecies is larger than that between them and thus does not warrant subspecies subdivision.[22] A genetic study by Eizirik and coworkers in 2001 confirmed the absence of a clear geographical subspecies structure, although they found that major geographical barriers such as the Amazon River limited the exchange of genes between the different populations.[19] A subsequent, more detailed, study confirmed the predicted population structure within the Colombian jaguars.[23]
Pocock's subspecies divisions are still regularly listed in general descriptions of the cat.[24] Seymour grouped these in three subspecies.[20]
Panthera onca onca: Venezuela through the Amazon, including
P. onca peruviana (Peruvian Jaguar): Coastal Peru
P. onca hernandesii (Mexican Jaguar): Western Mexico – including
P. onca centralis (Central American Jaguar): El Salvador to Colombia
P. onca arizonensis (Arizonan Jaguar): Southern Arizona to Sonora, Mexico
P. onca veraecrucis: Central Texas to Southeastern Mexico
P. onca goldmani (Goldman's Jaguar): Yucatán Peninsula to Belize and Guatemala
P. onca palustris (the largest subspecies, weighing more than 135 kg or 300 lb):[25] The Pantanal regions of Mato Grosso & Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, along the Paraguay River into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
Physical characteristics
The jaguar is a compact and well-muscled animal. There are significant variations in size and weight: weights are normally in the range of 56–96 kilograms (124–211 lb). Larger males have been recorded at 160 kilograms (350 lb)[26] (roughly matching a tigress or lioness), and smaller ones have extremely low weights of 36 kilograms (80 lb). Females are typically 10–20% smaller than males. The length of the cat varies from 1.62–1.83 metres (5.3–6 ft), and its tail may add a further 75 centimeters (30 in). It stands about 67–76 centimeters (27–30 in) tall at the shoulders.[27]
The head of the jaguar is robust and the jaw extremely powerful. The size of jaguars tends to increase the farther south they are located.
Jaguar skull and jawboneFurther variations in size have been observed across regions and habitats, with size tending to increase from the north to south. A study of the jaguar in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Mexican Pacific coast, showed ranges of just 30–50 kilograms (66–110 lb), about the size of the cougar.[28] By contrast, a study of the Jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal region found average weights of 100 kilograms (220 lb) and weights of 300 lb or more are not uncommon in old males.[29] Forest jaguars are frequently darker and considerably smaller than those found in open areas (the Pantanal is an open wetland basin), possibly due to the smaller numbers of large herbivorous prey in forest areas.[30]
A short and stocky limb structure makes the jaguar adept at climbing, crawling and swimming.[27] The head is robust and the jaw extremely powerful. The jaguar has the strongest bite of all felids capable of biting down with 2000 lbs of force twice the strength of a lion, and the second strongest of all mammals after the spotted hyena; this strength is an adaptation that allows the jaguar to pierce turtle shells.[4] A comparative study of bite force adjusted for body size ranked it as the top felid, alongside the clouded leopard and ahead of the lion and tiger.[31] It has been reported that "an individual jaguar can drag a 360 kg (800 lb) bull 8 m (25 ft) in its jaws and pulverize the heaviest bones".[32] The jaguar hunts wild animals weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 lb) in dense jungle, and its short and sturdy physique is thus an adaptation to its prey and environment.
A melanistic jaguar. Melanism is the result of a dominant allele but remains relatively rare in jaguars.The base coat of the jaguar is generally a tawny yellow, but can range to reddish-brown and black. The cat is covered in rosettes for camouflage in its jungle habitat. The spots vary over individual coats and between individual Jaguars: rosettes may include one or several dots, and the shape of the dots varies. The spots on the head and neck are generally solid, as are those on the tail, where they may merge to form a band. The underbelly, throat and outer surface of the legs and lower flanks are white.[27]
A condition known as melanism occurs in the species. The melanistic form is less common than the spotted form (it occurs at about six percent of the population)[33] of jaguars and is the result of a dominant allele.[34] Jaguars with melanism appear entirely black, although their spots are still visible on close examination. Melanistic Jaguars are informally known as black panthers, but do not form a separate species. Rare albino individuals, sometimes called white panthers, also occur among jaguars, as with the other big cats.[30]
While the jaguar closely resembles the leopard, it is sturdier and heavier, and the two animals can be distinguished by their rosettes: the rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger, fewer in number, usually darker, and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard lacks. Jaguars also have rounder heads and shorter, stockier limbs compared to leopards.[35
[edit] Reproduction and life cycle
Jaguar females reach sexual maturity at about two years of age, and males at three or four. The cat is believed to mate throughout the year in the wild, although births may increase when prey is plentiful.[36] Research on captive male jaguars supports the year-round mating hypothesis, with no seasonal variation in semen traits and ejaculatory quality; low reproductive success has also been observed in captivity.[37] Female estrous is 6–17 days out of a full 37-day cycle, and females will advertise fertility with urinary scent marks and increased vocalization.[36] Both sexes will range more widely than usual during courtship.
Mother about to pick up a cub by the neckMating pairs separate after the act, and females provide all parenting. The gestation period lasts 93–105 days; females give birth to up to four cubs, and most commonly to two. The mother will not tolerate the presence of males after the birth of cubs, given a risk of infanticide; this behaviour is also found in the tiger.[38]
The young are born blind, gaining sight after two weeks. Cubs are weaned at three months but remain in the birth den for six months before leaving to accompany their mother on hunts.[39] They will continue in their mother's company for one to two years before leaving to establish a territory for themselves. Young males are at first nomadic, jostling with their older counterparts until they succeed in claiming a territory. Typical lifespan in the wild is estimated at around 12–15 years; in captivity, the jaguar lives up to 23 years, placing it among the longest-lived cats.[29]
Social activity
Like most cats, the jaguar is solitary outside mother-cub groups. Adults generally meet only to court and mate (though limited non-courting socialization has been observed anecdotally[38]) and carve out large territories for themselves. Female territories, which range from 25 to 40 square kilometers in size, may overlap, but the animals generally avoid one another. Male ranges cover roughly twice as much area, varying in size with the availability of game and space, and do not overlap.[38][40] The jaguar uses scrape marks, urine, and feces to mark its territory.[41]
Like the other big cats, the jaguar is capable of roaring (the male more powerfully) and does so to warn territorial and mating competitors away; intensive bouts of counter-calling between individuals have been observed in the wild.[42] Their roar often resembles a repetitive cough, and they may also vocalize mews and grunts.[29] Mating fights between males occur, but are rare, and aggression avoidance behaviour has been observed in the wild.[41] When it occurs, conflict is typically over territory: a male's range may encompass that of two or three females, and he will not tolerate intrusions by other adult males.[38]
The jaguar is often described as nocturnal, but is more specifically crepuscular (peak activity around dawn and dusk). Both sexes hunt, but males travel further each day than females, befitting their larger territories. The jaguar may hunt during the day if game is available and is a relatively energetic feline, spending as much as 50–60% of its time active.[30] The jaguar's elusive nature and the inaccessibility of much of its preferred habitat make it a difficult animal to sight, let alone study.
Hunting and diet
Illustration of a jaguar battling a boa constrictor
Illustration of a jaguar killing a tapirLike all cats, the jaguar is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. It is an opportunistic hunter and its diet encompasses 87 species.[30] The jaguar prefers large prey and will take adult caiman, deer, capybara, tapirs, peccaries, dogs, foxes, and sometimes even anacondas . However, the cat will eat any small species that can be caught, including frogs, mice, birds, fish, sloths, monkeys, and turtles; a study conducted in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize, for example, revealed that jaguars there had a diet that consisted primarily of armadillos and pacas.[41] Some jaguars will also take domestic livestock, including adult cattle and horses.[43]
The jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats. It is an adaptation that allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles.While the jaguar employs the deep-throat bite-and-suffocation technique typical among Panthera, it prefers a killing method unique amongst cats: it pierces directly through the temporal bones of the skull between the ears of prey (especially the Capybara) with its canine teeth, piercing the brain.[44] This may be an adaptation to "cracking open" turtle shells; following the late Pleistocene extinctions, armoured reptiles such as turtles would have formed an abundant prey base for the jaguar.[30][42] The skull bite is employed with mammals in particular; with reptiles such as caiman, the jaguar may leap on to the back of the prey and sever the cervical vertebrae, immobilizing the target. While capable of cracking turtle shells, the jaguar may simply reach into the shell and scoop out the flesh.[38] With prey such as smaller dogs, a paw swipe to the skull may be sufficient in killing it.
The jaguar is a stalk-and-ambush rather than a chase predator. The cat will walk slowly down forest paths, listening for and stalking prey before rushing or ambushing. The jaguar attacks from cover and usually from a target's blind spot with a quick pounce; the species' ambushing abilities are considered nearly peerless in the animal kingdom by both indigenous people and field researchers, and are probably a product of its role as an apex predator in several different environments. The ambush may include leaping into water after prey, as a jaguar is quite capable of carrying a large kill while swimming; its strength is such that carcasses as large as a heifer can be hauled up a tree to avoid flood levels.[38]
On killing prey, the jaguar will drag the carcass to a thicket or other secluded spot. It begins eating at the neck and chest, rather than the midsection. The heart and lungs are consumed, followed by the shoulders.[38] The daily food requirement of a 34 kilogram animal, at the extreme low end of the species' weight range, has been estimated at 1.4 kilograms.[45] For captive animals in the 50–60 kilogram range, more than 2 kilograms of meat daily is recommended.[46] In the wild, consumption is naturally more erratic; wild cats expend considerable energy in the capture and kill of prey, and may consume up to 25 kilograms of meat at one feeding, followed by periods of famine.[47] Unlike all other species in the Panthera genus, jaguars very rarely attack humans. Most of the scant cases where jaguars turn to taking a human show that the animal is either old with damaged teeth or is wounded.[48] Sometimes, if scared, jaguars in captivity may lash out at zookeepers.[49]
[edit] Ecology
[edit] Distribution and habitat
The jaguar has been attested in the fossil record for two million years[24] and it has been an American cat since crossing the Bering Land Bridge during the Pleistocene epoch; the immediate ancestor of modern animals is Panthera onca augusta, which was larger than the contemporary cat.[23] Its present range extends from Mexico, through Central America and into South America, including much of Amazonian Brazil.[50] The countries included in this range are Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica (particularly on the Osa Peninsula), Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States and Venezuela. The jaguar is now extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay.[2] It occurs in the 400 km² Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize, the 5,300 km² Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, the approximately 15,000 km² Manú National Park in Peru, the approximately 26,000 km² Xingu National Park in Brazil, and numerous other reserves throughout its range.
The jaguar can range across a variety of forested and open habitat, but is strongly associated with presence of water.The inclusion of the United States in the list is based on occasional sightings in the southwest, particularly in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In the early 1900s, the jaguar's range extended as far north as the Grand Canyon, and as far west as Southern California.[45] The jaguar is a protected species in the United States under the Endangered Species Act, which has stopped the shooting of the animal for its pelt. In 2004, wildlife officials in Arizona photographed and documented jaguars in the southern part of the state. For any permanent population to thrive, protection from killing, an adequate prey base, and connectivity with Mexican populations are essential.[51] On February 25, 2009 a 118 lb Jaguar was caught, radio-collared and released in an area southwest of Tucson, Arizona; this is farther north than had previously been expected and represents a sign that there may be a permanent breeding population of Jaguars within southern Arizona. It was later confirmed that the animal is indeed the same male individual (known as 'Macho B') that was photographed in 2004 and is now the oldest known Jaguar in the wild (approximately 15 years old.)[52] On Monday March 2, 2009, Macho B, which is the only jaguar spotted in the U.S. in more than a decade, was recaptured and euthanized after he was found to be suffering from kidney failure.[53]
Completion of the United States–Mexico barrier as currently proposed will reduce the viability of any population currently residing in the United States, by reducing gene flow with Mexican populations, and prevent any further northward expansion for the species.[54]
The historic range of the species included much of the southern half of the United States, and in the south extended much farther to cover most of the South American continent. In total, its northern range has receded 1,000 kilometers southward and its southern range 2,000 km northward. Ice age fossils of the jaguar, dated between 40,000 and 11,500 years ago, have been discovered in the United States, including some at an important site as far north as Missouri. Fossil evidence shows jaguars of up to 190 kg (420 lb), much larger than the contemporary average for the animal.[55]
The habitat of the cat includes the rain forests of South and Central America, open, seasonally flooded wetlands, and dry grassland terrain. Of these habitats, the jaguar much prefers dense forest;[30] the cat has lost range most rapidly in regions of drier habitat, such as the Argentinian pampas, the arid grasslands of Mexico, and the southwestern United States.[2] The cat will range across tropical, subtropical, and dry deciduous forests (including, historically, oak forests in the United States). The jaguar is strongly associated with water and it often prefers to live by rivers, swamps, and in dense rainforest with thick cover for stalking prey. Jaguars have been found at elevations as high as 3,800 m, but they typically avoid montane forest and are not found in the high plateau of central Mexico or in the Andes.[30]
Substantial evidence exists that there is also a colony of non-native melanistic leopards or jaguars inhabiting the rainforests around Sydney, Australia. A local report compiled statements from over 450 individuals recounting their stories of sighting large black cats in the area and confidential NSW Government documents regarding the matter proved wildlife authorities were so concerned about the big cats and the danger to humans, they commissioned an expert to catch it. The three-day hunt later failed, but ecologist Johannes J. Bauer warned: "Difficult as it seems to accept, the most likely explanation is the presence of a large, feline predator. In this area, [it is] most likely a leopard, less likely a jaguar."[56]
Ecological role
The adult jaguar is an apex predator, meaning that it exists at the top of its food chain and is not preyed on in the wild. The jaguar has also been termed a keystone species, as it is assumed, through controlling the population levels of prey such as herbivorous and granivorous mammals, apex felids maintain the structural integrity of forest systems.[28][57] However, accurately determining what effect species like the jaguar have on ecosystems is difficult, because data must be compared from regions where the species is absent as well as its current habitats, while controlling for the effects of human activity. It is accepted that mid-sized prey species undergo population increases in the absence of the keystone predators and it has been hypothesized that this has cascading negative effects.[58] However, field work has shown this may be natural variability and that the population increases may not be sustained. Thus, the keystone predator hypothesis is not favoured by all scientists.[59]
The jaguar also has an effect on other predators. The jaguar and the cougar, the next largest feline of the Americas, are often sympatric (related species sharing overlapping territory) and have often been studied in conjunction. Where sympatric with the jaguar, the cougar is smaller than normal and is smaller than the local jaguars. The jaguar tends to take larger prey and the cougar smaller, reducing the latter's size.[60] This situation may be advantageous to the cougar. Its broader prey niche, including its ability to take smaller prey, may give it an advantage over the jaguar in human-altered landscapes;[28] while both are classified as near-threatened species, the cougar has a significantly larger current distribution.
[edit] Conservation status
Jaguar populations are rapidly declining. The animal is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources,[2] meaning it may be threatened with extinction in the near future. The loss of parts of its range, including its virtual elimination from its historic northern areas and the increasing fragmentation of the remaining range, have contributed to this status. The 1960s saw particularly significant declines, with more than 15,000 jaguar skins brought out of the Brazilian Amazon yearly; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of 1973 brought about a sharp decline in the pelt trade.[61] Detailed work performed under the auspices of the Wildlife Conservation Society reveal that the animal has lost 37% of its historic range, with its status unknown in an additional 18%. More encouragingly, the probability of long-term survival was considered high in 70% of its remaining range, particularly in the Amazon basin and the adjoining Gran Chaco and Pantanal.[50]
The major risks to the jaguar include deforestation across its habitat, increasing competition for food with human beings,[2] poaching, hurricanes in northern parts of its range, and the behaviour of ranchers who will often kill the cat where it preys on livestock. When adapted to the prey, the jaguar has been shown to take cattle as a large portion of its diet; while land clearance for grazing is a problem for the species, the jaguar population may have increased when cattle were first introduced to South America as the animals took advantage of the new prey base. This willingness to take livestock has induced ranch owners to hire full-time jaguar hunters, and the cat is often shot on sight.[29]
The Pantanal, Brazil, seen here in flood condition, is a critical jaguar range area.The jaguar is regulated as an Appendix I species under CITES: all international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited. All hunting of jaguars is prohibited in Argentina, Belize, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, the United States (where it is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act), Uruguay and Venezuela. Hunting of jaguars is restricted to "problem animals" in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, while trophy hunting is still permitted in Bolivia. The species has no legal protection in Ecuador or Guyana.[24]
Current conservation efforts often focus on educating ranch owners and promoting ecotourism.[62] The jaguar is generally defined as an umbrella species — a species whose home range and habitat requirements are sufficiently broad that, if protected, numerous other species of smaller range will also be protected.[63] Umbrella species serve as "mobile links" at the landscape scale, in the jaguar's case through predation. Conservation organizations may thus focus on providing viable, connected habitat for the jaguar, with the knowledge that other species will also benefit.[62]
Given the inaccessibility of much of the species' range—particularly the central Amazon—estimating jaguar numbers is difficult. Researchers typically focus on particular bioregions, and thus species-wide analysis is scant. In 1991, 600–1,000 (the highest total) were estimated to be living in Belize. A year earlier, 125–180 jaguars were estimated to be living in Mexico's 4,000 square kilometer (2400 mi²) Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, with another 350 in the state of Chiapas. The adjoining Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, with an area measuring 15,000 square kilometers (9,000 mi²), may have 465–550 animals.[64] Work employing GPS–telemetry in 2003 and 2004 found densities of only six to seven jaguars per 100 square kilometers in the critical Pantanal region, compared with 10 to 11 using traditional methods; this suggests that widely used sampling methods may inflate the actual numbers of cats.[65]
On 7 January 2008 United States Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall approved a decision by the George W. Bush Administration to abandon jaguar recovery as a federal goal under the Endangered Species Act. Some critics of the decision said that the jaguar is being sacrificed for the government's new border fence, which is to be built along many of the cat's typical crossings between the United States and Mexico.[66]
In the past, conservation of jaguars sometimes occurred through the protection of jaguar "hotspots". These hotspots were described as Jaguar Conservation Units, and were large areas populated by about 50 jaguars. However, some researchers recently determined that, in order to maintain a robust sharing of the jaguar gene pool necessary for maintaining the species, it is important that the jaguars be interconnected. To effect this, a new project, the Paseo del Jaguar, as been established to connect the jaguar hotspots.[67]
Fonte-Wikipedia.
Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on an uneventful morn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence I got repaid with scorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
(Bob Dylan)
This image is of Sorrento Terrace Dalkey or what I call "Millionares Row". The house on the left end of the block No.8 is the home of property developer. Robin Power. In the middle of the terrace is the home of film maker, Neil Jordan while the house at the very end is the most famous house on the "Terrace". In Ireland's boom years this area was known as "Bel Eire".
From the Irish Times August 13th 2015
Dublin’s most expensive residential home – Number 1 Sorrento Terrace, Dalkey – has been sold. The high profile end-of-terrace property with spectacular views of Dublin Bay on the area’s most exclusive coastal strip was sold in recent weeks to a US buyer for about €10.5 million.
The six-bed, which has been on the market since 2013 for €12 million, has had mixed fortunes. It recently gained the title “Ireland’s unluckiest property” after being involved in eight legal cases in a decade.
Number 1 Sorrento was purchased by Irish businessman Terry Coleman in 1998 for IR£5.9 million (€7.5 million) – the highest price ever paid at the time for a Dublin property. Coleman extensively modernised and extended it, pouring an estimated €13 million into a painstaking refurbishment. It was then placed back on the market in 2006, asking a breathtaking €30 million.
A sale was very nearly completed for €22 million at the time to bankrupt solicitor Brian O’Donnell, former owner of the controversial Gorse Hill property nearby. But the deal fell through over an unresolved legal issue with the house next door. This in turn led to a number of legal proceedings being taken by Coleman against contractors for the refurbishment. These have since been resolved.
Sorrento House was returned to the market in 2013 with a reduced selling price of €12 million. Sherry FitzGerald and Lisney were joint agents for the sale, which was brokered through Christies International. The agents declined to comment on the purchase except to confirm that the new buyer plans to use Sorrento House as a private residence.
To appreciate the splendour of Sorrento Terrace and the Dalkey area, I recommend that you watch the video below in full screen.
PFW_7981-003
More pics in blog [close up & mid stand to see outfit] <3
Skin: Enfer Sombre - Lia [Mannequin Tone]
Head: LeLUTKA - Avalon Head
Body: eBODY - Reborn
Hair: no.match_ - No Mystery
Eyeshadow: XiuXiu - Elaine Eyeshadow [@ Sabbath Event] NEW!!!
Outfit: Stiff - Azmodan Set [@ Sabbath Event] NEW!!!
Boots: (aeone) Paloma Chunky Boots [@ Sabbath Event] NEW!!!
Poses: [piXit] Rent Free [@ Sabbath Event] NEW!!!
“Sensitive people are the most genuine and honest people you will ever meet. There is nothing they won’t tell you about themselves if they trust your kindness. However, the moment you betray them, reject them or devalue them, they become the worse type of person. Unfortunately, they end up hurting themselves in the long run. They don’t want to hurt other people. It is against their very nature. They want to make amends and undo the wrong they did. Their life is a wave of highs and lows. They live with guilt and constant pain over unresolved situations and misunderstandings. They are tortured souls that are not able to live with hatred or being hated. This type of person needs the most love anyone can give them because their soul has been constantly bruised by others. However, despite the tragedy of what they have to go through in life, they remain the most compassionate people worth knowing, and the ones that often become activists for the broken hearted, forgotten and the misunderstood. They are angels with broken wings that only fly when loved.”
- Shannon L. Alder
"...i would like to beg you... to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. and the point is to live everything. live the questions now. perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."
~rainer maria rilke~
beloved words...
thank you for the inspiration, maggie. :)
may all travelers find joy!!
jeanne
assembled and altered images, january 19, 2008
(a 35mm color slide taken in 1979, a digital (cameraphone) photo taken yesterday... and a golden tray for serving tea)
An original story by Geoffrey Piltz copyright 2023
Balgrain is an ancient house. Of the many stories of those who have lived in it, the most well known and strangest is the tale of the Black Hound.
In 1765 Margaret Borthwick was heiress to the Balgrain estate. She had been orphaned at seven when father was killed in a hunting accident, her mother having died soon after her birth. Her father’s sister and husband became her guardians and raised Margaret as a daughter, their two sons becoming as brothers to her.
As heiress to a considerable estate many men courted her. The older were turned away by Margaret herself, and the younger by her guardians, concerned as they were to protect her from mere fortune hunters. Although Margaret understood their reasons for each rejection, and it did not embitter her towards her aunt and uncle, she became, like most young women of the time, increasing anxious for a husband as the time of her majority, when she could wed whom she chose, approached.
Finally her twenty-first arrived and she entered into her inheritance. Balgrain House, which had been kept in repair for her by a small staff, saw full life again for the first time in fourteen years to host a grand ball in celebration of her birthday and her new status as the Lady Balgrain.
All the gentry of the surrounding countryside and relatives and friends from farther afield attended the gala. Among them came an Irish adventurer by the name of Edward Powers who was staying in the vicinity as a guest of a distant neighbour. He was, as in all the best romances, tall, dark and handsome, and Margaret, longing as she was for a husband, was irresistibly attracted to him, and before the evening ended had convinced herself that she was wildly in love with this stranger.
Handsome, with impeccable manners, conversation and deportment, Powers’ only slight defect, readily overlooked, was his odd eyes - the right one was blue and the left hazel. His hosts, the distant neighbours, believed that he was of the great Powers family of Wicklow. Accepting this Margaret, now being of age, married Powers inside three months against her adoptive family’s advice and wishes.
Powers’ true position and nature showed immediately. His position was that he was of lowly birth, penniless and lived by gambling and sponging off his hosts as he moved from one country house party to another. He was by nature a wastrel. When he learnt that the Balgrain house and estate were entailed so that he could not sell or raise money on the real property, and that fourteen years of estate income had been invested in irredeemable 3% Government annuities, he became livid with anger and railed against his wife for entrapping him into poverty! After running through Margaret’s ready money in a mere three months he began drinking to excess and was frequently drunk and violent, striking servants with no provocation. He held wild late night drinking bouts at the house accompanied by low-life companions found in local ale houses. The only check to his actions came when following a drunken diatribe against his wife he actually struck her. Her cousins on hearing of this openly threatened him with a public horse whipping if it happened again. The vehemence of their language and the violence of their demeanour caused him to break off all association with Margaret so that they occupied separate parts of the house and ceased to even see or talk to each other.
Margaret and Powers had only been married for four months when the night of Powers’ disappearance, or transformation, came. One morning after a late night filled with loud sounds from Powers’ side of the house - sounds of drunken carousing, slamming doors, shouting and a dog’s barking - a house maid had tentatively and timidly opened the door to Powers’ drawing room to see a dark figure asleep in the shadow beneath the table. This was not unusual and the maid had started to quietly clean up the room when the figure awoke and crawled from under the table. At this the maid fled screaming.
The maid’s cries brought other servants and then Margaret to the drawing room door. The maid was almost incoherent and the only sense that could be had from her was that “drink had turned the master into a beast”. Fearful of what Powers may have done two man servants, followed by Margaret, cautiously entered the room to see that its only occupant was a large black dog. Puzzled surprise turned to astonishment as the dog stood up on its hind legs and walked towards Margaret looking directly into her eyes with its own, one blue and one brown. Stunned, Margaret uttered a faint sound and collapsed insensible upon the floor.
On acquaintance the dog proved friendly and amiable, unlike Powers, and, apart from a desire for beer which he would beg for on his hind legs whenever he saw a tankard, he had no vices. All agreed that he was much to be preferred to Powers. He was christened “Master” and took Powers’ place as faithful companion to Margaret and guardian of Balgrain, duties he discharged faithfully for many years.
Of Powers the man no trace was ever found and no report of him ever came from distant places. Opinion became equally divided between those who believed that he had been turned into a dog by some enchantment or curse and those who simply saw the thing as an insoluble mystery. No mystery is insoluble, in full or part, however, if only those with some knowledge of the matter can be found. One such person appeared seven years later, the year that “Master” died, Powers was declared legally dead and Margaret remarried.
An itinerant came into the area earning money by exhibiting at local fairs and inns a large brown dog that walked on its hind legs and drank beer. This naturally aroused the interest and curiosity of the people, for all were familiar with the story of the Black Hound, and the showman was brought before the magistrate. Here he told this story.
Seven years previously the showman had come north bringing with him a trained black dog. On a light summer’s evening he met on the road a tall, dark gentleman with one blue and one brown eye who was a little drunk. The gentleman was greatly taken with the dog, for like him it drank, was dark haired and had the same odd eyes, and the gentleman insisted on buying the animal. The showman did not want to sell his livelihood but was unwilling to resist a social superior who could make trouble for him so the sale was made. He then followed the gentleman home hoping to steal back the dog and witnessed a violent incident. Two young men rode up to the door of the house and knocked loudly calling for Powers. After some time Powers suddenly threw open the door, stuck a pistol into the stomach of one of the callers and pulled the trigger. Fortunately for the young man the pistol flashed in the pan without firing. The other young man then struck Powers violently on the head knocking him to the ground. The young men rode off, both on one horse leading the other horse with Powers’ body on it. The showman fled in great fear and had never been north again in seven years.
While this solved the mystery of the appearance of the Black Hound the matter of Powers’ disappearance remained unresolved. Suspicion naturally fell upon Margaret’s cousins but on the showman’s evidence the blow to Powers’ head could be claimed to be justifiable, his body had never been found and he was now legally dead. So to the satisfaction and approval of all it was decided to let sleeping dogs lie.