View allAll Photos Tagged cleanesting
Named one of the cleanest beaches in the United States, Newport Beach is a paradise for beach-going visitors. With over 10 miles of beaches ideal for families, surfing, body boarding or just sunbathing, Newport is the ideal OC beach destination. Within our coastline find stellar views, waves and soft sands at Corona del Mar State Beach, Crystal Cove State Beach and Park, or in Newport Beach itself, along Balboa Peninsula or further north along Pacific Coast Highway. And if hiking trails and bird watching are part of your vacation plans, look no further than Newport's Upper Newport Bay ecological preserve and reserve and Crystal Cove State Park, with its picturesque Los Trancos and El Moro Canyons are coastal hiking trails that will not disappoint.
Settings:
Camera : Canon EOS 60D
Lens : Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6
Exposure : 15 secs
Aperture : f/10.0
Focal Length : 10 mm
ISO Speed : 100
Not the cleanest shot of the otter ive taken but sometimes you have to make the best of the situation
60 Seconds of Marstons Brewery on a very cold December morning. I pass this view on my commute and when the weather is very cold with hardly any wind it looks superb, a longer exposure looked the cleanest on this occasion.
Easily one of the cleanest S13's I've ever seen. After a very detail oriented build this is one car that the owner now has to enjoy.
View LARGE!!!
Full story: v2lab.com/theory/?p=5513
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Cart Marking showcases a truly unique collection of transport dating back from the horse and cart, to the latest, cleanest, greenest, and safest in use today.
The regulation of carts dates back over 750 years to the early days of The City with the ceremony of cart Marking evolving over time.
Today we bring all that history back to life with a modern twist. You will see vehicles ranging from handcarts and horse-drawn carts and carriages to steam engines, military vehicles and motorcycles. With historic, vintage and specialist vehicles – new and old – including the latest sustainably-powered vehicles on display.
The vehicles enter Guildhall Yard through the arch to be branded as part of this unique ceremony. As each one is presented, a commentator tells visitors about its history and relevance today. Once in position the Sheriffs, Master Carman, his two Wardens and the Master Glover, dressed in traditional robes will brand each vehicle with a red-hot iron, a ritual known as Cart Marking. It takes about two hours for all the vehicles (carts) to pass though Guildhall Yard, get marked and then process through again on a celebratory drive-past.
Good to see this one again, one of the tidiest and cleanest MK4 Fiesta's that I've seen locally. It's also quite an early one and a basic one at that.
Fitted with the original Elliott's Ford dealer sticker and number plates, this tidy little car had covered just 33,891 miles at last MOT in November. It's on its third owner.
I've never been much of a sunstar shooter but from time to time I like to go after one and see how it turns out. While up at Rainier this past summer I saw this little scene just as the sun poked its way above the treeline. I realize this isn't the cleanest or most explosive sunstar ever, but I kind of think it gives some needed punch to a simple scene.
Blue Lagoon - Iceland
For slideshow click here:
We maken een wandeling rond het complex van de Blue Lagoon. Het is een aangelgd meer in een lavaveld met afzetting van witte klei. Vanuit de cafetaria hebben we een zicht op het zwembad.
The Blue Lagoon (IJslands: "de blauwe lagune") is een geothermisch bad in de buurt van Grindavík, zuidwest IJsland.
Het bad, of eigenlijk een kunstmatig meer, ligt in een oud met mossen begroeid lavaveld. Het water heeft een temperatuur van 39 graden celsius en bevat ongeveer 2,5% zout. Het warme water is eigenlijk een bijproduct van de geothermische elektriciteitscentrale van Svartsengi. Het water is rijk aan mineralen, silicaten en blauwwieren die het een lichtblauwe, bijna opalescerende kleur geven. Het bad trekt veel mensen met de huidziekte psoriasis omdat het water een helende werking zou hebben. Het bad is een van de grootste toeristische trekpleisters van IJsland.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lagoon_(zwembad)
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. Bláa lónið is situated approximately 20 km (12 mi) from the Keflavík International Airport and 39 km (24 mi) from the capital city of Reykjavík, roughly a 20-minute drive from the airport and a 50-minute drive from Reykjavík.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lagoon_(geothermal_spa)
Reykjavik (IJslands: Reykjavík) is de hoofdstad van IJsland. Het is de meest westelijke hoofdstad van Europa, en met een ligging net ten zuiden van de poolcirkel is het ook 's werelds meest noordelijk gelegen hoofdstad.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reykjavik
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It has a latitude of 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a souvereign state, and is a popular tourist destination. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxa Bay. With a population of around 120,000 (and over 200,000 in the Capital Region), it is the heart of Iceland's cultural, economic and governmental activity.
Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to Ingólfur Arnarson, was established in AD 874. Until the 19th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the next decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reykjav%C3%ADk
For slideshow click here:
Incredibly tidy, possibly the cleanest Nova I've seen out of a show for a good 10 years, the bumpers letting it down slightly.
After this initial sighting I saw this again parked in roughly the same place a few weeks later, I'm going to assume to was a tradesman's as there was a site just behind.
Kayangan Lake is considered the cleanest lake in the Philippines. This pristine hidden beauty can be accessed after a steep 10-minute trek from the entrance. Swim and snorkel in its cyrstal-clear torquoise waters surrounded by lush greenery and limestone cliffs and underwater formations! www.coronphilippines.com/
Named one of the cleanest beaches in the United States, Newport Beach is a paradise for beach-going visitors. With over 10 miles of beaches ideal for families, surfing, body boarding or just sunbathing, Newport is the ideal OC beach destination. Within our coastline find stellar views, waves and soft sands at Corona del Mar State Beach, Crystal Cove State Beach and Park, or in Newport Beach itself, along Balboa Peninsula or further north along Pacific Coast Highway. And if hiking trails and bird watching are part of your vacation plans, look no further than Newport's Upper Newport Bay ecological preserve and reserve and Crystal Cove State Park, with its picturesque Los Trancos and El Moro Canyons are coastal hiking trails that will not disappoint.
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Lens : Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6
Exposure: 5 secs
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Miami (/maɪˈæmi/; Spanish pronunciation: [miˈami]) is a seaport city at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Florida and its Atlantic coast. As the seat of Miami-Dade County, the municipality is the principal, central, and the most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area and part of the second-most populous metropolis in the southeastern United States.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the eighth-most populous and fourth-largest urban area in the U.S., with a population of around 5.5 million.
Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Group's inventory. In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked 33rd among global cities. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs.
According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America" and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.
Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises. Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies. The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers, and biotechnology industries.
For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World", has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world. It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.
Metropolitan Miami is the major tourism hub in the American South, number two in the U.S. after New York City and number 13 in the world, including the popular destination of Miami Beach.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
Perhaps the cleanest Rock Island PS-3 bay hopper I have seen in decades, this historical gem was headed west in Oconomowoc.
Cart Marking showcases a truly unique collection of transport dating back from the horse and cart, to the latest, cleanest, greenest, and safest in use today.
The regulation of carts dates back over 750 years to the early days of The City with the ceremony of cart Marking evolving over time.
Today we bring all that history back to life with a modern twist. You will see vehicles ranging from handcarts and horse-drawn carts and carriages to steam engines, military vehicles and motorcycles. With historic, vintage and specialist vehicles – new and old – including the latest sustainably-powered vehicles on display.
The vehicles enter Guildhall Yard through the arch to be branded as part of this unique ceremony. As each one is presented, a commentator tells visitors about its history and relevance today. Once in position the Sheriffs, Master Carman, his two Wardens and the Master Glover, dressed in traditional robes will brand each vehicle with a red-hot iron, a ritual known as Cart Marking. It takes about two hours for all the vehicles (carts) to pass though Guildhall Yard, get marked and then process through again on a celebratory drive-past.
The third largest lake in France, believed to have been formed when large alpine glaciers melted many thousands of years ago. It's known as 'Europe's cleanest lake.'
My cleanest shot yet of this rather reclusive and shy bird. Was lucky to spot it in the backyard among the dead leaves and twigs looking for grubs. It is common in well-wooded areas of the Indian Subcontinent. The species shows a preference for shady damp areas, and like many Zoothera thrushes, can be quite secretive. I have spotted this bird in the backyard only a few times before but am sure it is a regular visitor. The subspecies found in peninnsular India south to Kerala has strange markings as seen here. They have a white throat and face sides, with two black stripes running downwards from below the eyes. It has a swift, silent flight, but when disturbed will often sit motionless until the threat has passed. An effectiive stategy considering how hard it is to detect. The Orange-headed Thrush is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms and fruit. It nests in trees but does not form flocks.
Probably the cleanest MK1 Mondeo I've seen in about a decade; this beautiful late Verona soec model was parked on its own away from other cars, which shows that the owner of this car clearly cherishes it dearly. Finished in Jewel Green, there wasn't a single dent or blemish on this car. It was polished to perfection and besides the wheel trims looked as though it had just rolled out of the dealership and nowhere near 20 years old.
Supplied by Elliotts Ford of Bishop Auckland, which is now a Lidl supermarket and a stone's throw from where this was spotted. The private reg was evidently fitted when new; this is unsurprisingly a one owner car. At last MOT in June it had just ticked over a tiny 60,000 miles.
Lake Kivu is a wonderful place in Rwanda, the cleanest lake i've seen in my life, even more than Geneva one!
In the Brasserie area, you can find hot springs where people like to come fishing and having a bath, specially the kids.
© Eric Lafforgue
Miami is a seaport city at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Florida and its Atlantic coast. As the seat of Miami-Dade County, the municipality is the principal, central, and the most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area and part of the second-most populous metropolis in the southeastern United States.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the eighth-most populous and fourth-largest urban area in the U.S., with a population of around 5.5 million.
Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Group's inventory. In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked 33rd among global cities. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs.
According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America" and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.
Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises. Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies. The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers, and biotechnology industries.
For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World", has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world. It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.
Metropolitan Miami is the major tourism hub in the American South, number two in the U.S. after New York City and number 13 in the world, including the popular destination of Miami Beach.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgewater_(Miami)
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
37716 Looking the cleanest shes ever been in years, with her added embelishments sat Growling away at York Holgate Works Yard 16/12/2023
South Beach seen from the headland at Point Reyes Lighthouse
South Beach gesehen von der Landspitze beim Point Reyes Leuchturm
Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre (287.44 km2) park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve. Some existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue within the park. Clem Miller, a US Congressman from Marin County wrote and introduced the bill for the establishment of Point Reyes National Seashore in 1962 to protect the peninsula from development which was proposed at the time for the slopes above Drake's Bay. All of the park's beaches were listed as the cleanest in the state in 2010.
The Point Reyes peninsula is a well defined area, geologically separated from the rest of Marin County and almost all of the continental United States by a rift zone of the San Andreas Fault, about half of which is sunk below sea level and forms Tomales Bay. The fact that the peninsula is on a different tectonic plate than the east shore of Tomales Bay produces a difference in soils and therefore to some extent a noticeable difference in vegetation.
The small town of Point Reyes Station, although not actually located on the peninsula, nevertheless provides most services to it, though some services are also available at Inverness on the west shore of Tomales Bay. The even smaller town of Olema, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Point Reyes Station, serves as the gateway to the Seashore and its visitor center, located on Bear Valley Road.
The peninsula includes wild coastal beaches and headlands, estuaries, and uplands. Parts of the park are private farms and ranches which have commercial cattle grazing. These were leased back when the park was purchased to continue these historic uses. Other parts are under the jurisdiction of other conservation authorities with the National Park Service provides signage and manages visitor impact on the entire peninsula and Tomales Bay. The Seashore also administers the parts of the Golden Gate National Recreation area, such as the Olema Valley, that are adjacent to the Seashore.
The northernmost part of the peninsula is maintained as a reserve for tule elk, which are readily seen there. The preserve is also very rich in raptors and shorebirds.
The Point Reyes Lighthouse attracts whale-watchers looking for the gray whale migrating south in mid-January and north in mid-March.
A colony of elephant seals usually congregate on Chimney Beach, which is protected by 100-foot (30 m) cliffs. In January 2019, during the federal government shutdown, park rangers were not working and the seals colonized and had pups on Drakes Beach, and its parking lot. Small-group tours to view the seals from the edge of the parking lot began the following month after the shutdown ended.
Point Reyes lies within the California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion.
In his book The Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula, Jules Evens identifies several plant communities. One of the most prominent is the Coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest, which includes Coast live oak, Tanoak, and California bay and reaches across the southern half of Inverness Ridge toward Bolinas Lagoon. Unlogged parts of this Douglas-fir forest contain trees over 300 years old and up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter. But despite these large, old trees, the forest may nevertheless be a result of European settlement. The Coast Miwok people who once lived in the area set frequent fires to clear brush and increase game animal populations, and early explorers' accounts describe the hills as bare and grassy. But as the Native American settlements were replaced by European ones from the seventeenth century onward, the forests expanded as fire frequency decreased, resulting in the forests we see today.
The Bishop pine (Pinus muricata) forest is found on slopes in the northern half of the park. Many of these trees growing in thick swaths came from seeds released after the 1995 Mt. Vision fire.
Salt, brackish, and freshwater marshlands are found adjacent to Drakes Estero and Abbotts Lagoon. The other communities identified by Evens are the coastal strand, dominated by European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria), ice plant (Carprobrotus edulis, also called sea fig or Hottentot fig), sea rocket (Cakile maritima) and other species that thrive on the immediate coast; northern coastal prairie, found on a narrow strip just inland from the coastal strand that includes some native grasses; coastal rangeland, the area still grazed by the cattle from the peninsula's remaining working ranches; northern coastal scrub, dominated by coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis); and the intertidal and subtidal plant communities.
Point Reyes is home to the only known population of the endangered Sonoma spineflower, Chorizanthe valida.
The Point Reyes Lifeboat Station is a National Historic Landmark. It is the last remaining example of a rail launched lifeboat station that was common on the Pacific coast.
Nova Albion, Francis Drake's 1579 campsite; Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho's 1595 wreck; and fifteen associated Native American sites are included in the Drakes Bay Historic and Archaeological District National Historic Landmark. This encompasses 5,965 acres (24.14 km2) along the coast of Drakes Bay.
Kule Loklo, a recreated Coast Miwok village, is a short walk from the visitor center.
More than 30,000 acres (120 km2) of the Point Reyes National Seashore are designated as the Phillip Burton Wilderness, named in honor of California Congressman Phillip Burton, who wrote the legislation creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and was instrumental in helping to pass the California Wilderness Act of 1984.
The Point Reyes National Seashore attracts 2.5 million visitors annually. Hostelling International USA (part of Hostelling International) maintains a 45-bed youth hostel at the Seashore.
Point Reyes National Seashore Association, formed in 1964, collaborates with the Seashore on maintenance, restoration and educational projects.
(Wikipedia)
Die Point Reyes National Seashore ist ein Schutzgebiet an der Pazifikküste im Marin County, etwa 55 Kilometer nördlich von San Francisco im US-Bundesstaat Kalifornien. Sie umfasst nahezu die volle Fläche einer geologisch bemerkenswerten Halbinsel sowie einen kleinen Streifen des Ozeans. Das knapp 290 km² große Schutzgebiet wurde am 13. September 1962 unter US-Präsident John F. Kennedy eingerichtet, wird vom National Park Service verwaltet und von über zwei Millionen Besuchern im Jahr zum Wandern, Zelten und zur Naturbeobachtung besucht.
Das Gebiet verdankt seine Besonderheit der Plattentektonik. Die Point Reyes Halbinsel liegt auf der Pazifischen Platte, die sich im Verhältnis zur Nordamerikanischen Platte nach Norden bewegt. Zwischen ihnen verläuft die San-Andreas-Verwerfung. Das Granit-Gestein der Halbinsel entspricht geologisch dem der Tehachapi Mountains, rund 500 Kilometer weiter südlich, zwischen Bakersfield und Los Angeles. Heute ist der Verlauf der San-Andreas-Verwerfung durch die Küstenlinie im Süden des Gebietes und die 20 Kilometer lange, aber nur einen Kilometer breite Tomales Bay östlich der Halbinsel markiert. Ein Earthquake-Trail genannter Lehrpfad informiert über die Geologie, die Geschichte und die Erdbeben in der Region.
Die Halbinsel hat grob die Form eines Dreiecks, dessen Spitze in westsüdwestlicher Richtung in den Pazifik zeigt. Der südliche Teil des Gebietes ist eine überwiegend bewaldete Hügelkette, deren höchster Punkt der Mount Wittenberg mit 428 Meter ist. Der Norden besteht aus einer langgezogenen Landzunge, die die Tomales Bucht vom Meer trennt. Die Spitze des Dreiecks ist auf ihrer Südseite durch eine Drakes Estero genannte Bucht mit mehreren tiefen Fingern gegliedert. Am äußersten Punkt liegt der Point Reyes Leuchtturm.
Das Kap ist der windigste Punkt der nordamerikanischen Pazifikküste, die höchste gemessene Windgeschwindigkeit betrug 212 km/h, und zugleich der Ort mit dem zweithäufigsten Auftreten von Nebel auf dem nordamerikanischen Kontinent.
Die harschen klimatischen Bedingungen auf dem baumfreien Felsplateau haben eine an diese Bedingungen angepasste Pflanzenwelt geschaffen. Die als California coastal prairie bezeichnete Lebensgemeinschaft ist geprägt durch kurzhalmige Gräser, die mit vielfältigen, überwiegend einjährigen Blütenpflanzen durchsetzt sind. Darunter sind mehrere Arten, die nur an wenigen Standorten überlebt haben. Die Sonoma spineflower (Chorizanthe valida) aus der Familie der Knöterichgewächse wuchs bis im Jahr 2000 in nur einem kleinflächigen Bestand im Schutzgebiet und wurde seither von den Rangern an einem zweiten Standort etabliert.
Douglas-Iris
Für das Gebiet typisch sind die Douglas-Iris (Iris douglasiana), mehrere Arten der Gattung Waldlilien (Trillium), Haselwurzarten und mehrere Nachtkerzengewächse. Das Areal enthält auch das südlichste Vorkommen der seltenen und ausschließlich an der kalifornischen Küste vorkommenden Lilium maritimum.
Die Hügelkette im Süden der Halbinsel ist großteils bewaldet, auf der Nordflanke auf Granitboden ist die Bischofs-Kiefer die Leitart der Wälder. Die Südseite mit Böden aus Schiefer und Sandstein wird überwiegend von Douglasien bestanden. Hier kommt der bedrohte Fleckenkauz vor.
Die Strände von Point Reyes sind das wichtigste Brutgebiet des Seeregenpfeifers in Kalifornien, sein Schutz war der wesentliche Grund für die Unterschutzstellung 1962. Im Gebiet kommen aber auch andere bedeutende Arten vor, wie die Schopfwachtel, der symbolische Staatsvogel Kaliforniens, der Coho-Lachs, die Stahlkopfforelle und das Stummelschwanzhörnchen. Kalifornische Seelöwen leben in einer besonders exponierten Bucht.
In den 1970er-Jahren wurden zehn Tule-Wapiti im Gebiet angesiedelt. Aus ihnen entstanden bis heute (Stand: 2014) zwei Herden mit zusammen etwa 500 Tieren. Davon lebt knapp die Hälfte in einem eingezäunten Gebiet der ehemaligen Pierce Point Ranch am Tomales Point, die anderen verteilen sich frei im Rest des Gebiets. Der Wanderfalke wird seit kurz nach der Jahrtausendwende in einem Wiedereinbürgerungsprojekt gefördert. Er brütete früher in einer größeren Population in der Steilküste.
Point Reyes ist in besonderem Maße für die Vogelwelt bedeutend. Im Gebiet wurden rund 490 Arten nachgewiesen, das ist annähernd die Hälfte aller Vogelarten Nordamerikas. Diese herausragende Biodiversität verdankt die Halbinsel der Kombination der Lage im milden, feuchten Klima am Vogelzug-Weg entlang der Küste, den vielfältigen Landschaften mit Küste, Hügeln verschiedener Höhenlage, Felsstrukturen, offenen Landschaften, sowie dem großflächigen Schutzgebiet. In den Monaten Mai und November können von der Küste Grauwale auf ihrem Zug entlang der Küste beobachtet werden.
In Point Reyes wurde ein Großteil des Horrorfilms The Fog – Nebel des Grauens von John Carpenter gedreht. Vor allem der Leuchtturm spielt in diesem Film eine zentrale Rolle.
(Wikipedia)
Scientific concern about changes to atmospheric composition is not new. Back in 1974, I found myself part of a project to find a suitable location for Australia to build a specialised station to measure the background composition of the atmosphere. The site needed the cleanest possible air to study, so it had to be reasonably remote yet still accessible.
Lord Howe Island was one siting possibility for the station. An airstrip was being built there to enable normal air services, but it was incomplete and the only way to fly to the island was by flying boat: this was the last regular airline service in the world still operated by the old ‘boats’. With the runway coming soon they had been sold and were being retired. One had been taken out of service to prepare for the trip overseas, by replacing the seats and other fittings with long range tanks, but the other was doing limited service.
We had a smooth trip out, lifting off from Sydney Harbour past one of the Manly hydrofoil ferries, then banking east over Pinchgut. That trip itself was an unforgettable experience. There is no comparison between the modern ‘cattle class’ and the 1930s timber-panelled ambiance, large windows, and generally spacious and relaxed style of the old flying boats.
The return trip was to be two days later, but on the second night a huge gale came up, broke the flying boat’s moorings, and washed it aground. These flying boats had been the island’s lifeline for many years, and it was a disconsolate crowd of locals and visitors who gathered around the damaged aircraft on the beach next morning.
As I mentioned though, the other flying boat was out of service being refitted, and the runway was unfinished. We had become castaways on a sub-tropical paradise! Unfortunately it was winter and the weather was poor, which took off the gloss somewhat. Finally, after a week, the other flying boat was returned to passenger-carrying standard and the waves and weather improved enough for it to retrieve us. We began our take-off run from alongside the stranded flying boat on the beach
As a footnote, the atmospheric monitoring station was finally built in north-west Tasmania and has been doing valuable research ever since. The damaged flying boat was repaired and went back to England, where it now has pride of place in a special museum.
The streets of San Miguel de Allende are some of the cleanest streets I have seen. What I have observed is that someone from each house and business sweeps their portion of the street daily. It's a system that seems to work well, at least for narrow streets in a small town.
Photo taken in Argentina / This photo was selected as "Most Interesting" in EXPLORE FLICKR!! (http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/2006/02/01/page2/)
This is a picture shot at a street of Malynnog village of Meghalaya. This is the cleanest village of Asia
Kayangan lake coron , one of the philippine`s cleanest lakes . take a dip in the refreshing turquoise waters there .
the lake is lined by sheer limestone cliffs .
Miami is a seaport city at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Florida and its Atlantic coast. As the seat of Miami-Dade County, the municipality is the principal, central, and the most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area and part of the second-most populous metropolis in the southeastern United States.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the eighth-most populous and fourth-largest urban area in the U.S., with a population of around 5.5 million.
Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Group's inventory. In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked 33rd among global cities. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs.
According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America" and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.
Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises. Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies. The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers, and biotechnology industries.
For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World", has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world. It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.
Metropolitan Miami is the major tourism hub in the American South, number two in the U.S. after New York City and number 13 in the world, including the popular destination of Miami Beach.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgewater_(Miami)
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
85% organic unbleached AP flour, 10% organic whole wheat, 5% organic light rye. This is the cleanest bread available, just flour, water, salt and yeast (starter).
I don't know if it is psycological or real, but my 3 year old starter just seems to make better tasting bread the longer the starter ages. Considering the vast majority of wild yeast in the starter comes from the flour you use as opposed to the popular misconception of "wild yeast in the environment", I really can't say if my starter is any better now than when I first cultured it. There is a bacterial component to starter that does mature and evolve over time, and perhaps that is responsible for the improvement in flavor. Whatever the reason, this bread is amazing.
I hope folks don't get bored looking at loaves after loaves. I am proud of the results!
Baked in my pellet grill for that wood fired oven taste. In my humble opinion the bread baked in the grill tastes better than from the electric oven in the kitchen. But that just might be me wanting it to taste better.....
It's now become part of our travelling calendar - we go on a city break for Jayne’s birthday in January - no presents for birthday's and Christmas, we travel instead. This year it was Seville. We had to drive 180 miles south to Stansted to fly there though, Friday afternoon on the A1, such fun... It was a really good drive down in actual fact, the best day for months, glorious blue sky and a fantastic sunset- and I was in a car. We got stung for tea and drinks in the Radison Blu but we were overnighting and leaving the car so we didn't have much choice. Ryanair aagh! Again no choice. To be fair to the abrasive Irish man O Leary things are better than they used to be and it was an acceptable flight.
We were hoping for better weather than we got- don't you always? It was. cold, windy and after some initial beautiful sun on our first afternoon, it was mostly grey. The wind died but so did the sun. The other little problem was that it was my turn for the awful cold that Jayne had been trying to get over. I was under the weather in more ways than one all week, it was only a cold but it was the worst I've had for ages and it didn't help my mood, particularly when the sun was absent. We had a few hours of really nice light here and there and I made the most of it - I think!
Seville has miles and miles of narrow cobbled streets, they seem to go on for ever. They are almost random in layout and it is extremely difficult to find your way around, it's easier to just keep walking and see what you find. So we did! The architecture is stunning and the history is fascinating. Aside from the ancient history the two events that seem to have had a massive recent influence are the Expo's of 1929 and 1992. The incredible buildings or 'Pavilions' that were built for a one off event are now part of the reason that people visit the city. The 1929 pavilions are fantastic, each one is a story in itself and a destination in its own right but there are a lot of them in Parque Maria Luisa. Plaza Espana, built by the hosts of course, is the biggest and I would imagine that you could make a project out of photographing the individual ceramic tile displays around it on their own. These incredible buildings really need the light to be right to get images that people want to see, flat bright light from bright grey skies is good for certain things but dramatic architecture deserves better - or maybe I'm looking for the easy way option. The other discovery that we made, we found just down the road from the hotel, about an hour into the trip – The Metropol Parasol. A giant lattice work parasol, apparently called ‘The Mushrooms’ locally and apparently the world’s largest wooden structure. You have to look twice, having discovered that it is wood. Only later did we discover that we could get to the top and there is an extensive walkway around the top of it. It is built on top of ancient ruins, ( still intact and viewable) a food market and bars etc. and has a plaza around it and on it, that is buzzing on weekend evenings. Walking around the top, the first people up it one day and being back to watch the sunset later was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
The 1992 Expo also covered a massive area but left behind lots of modern - and some very strange - buildings and arenas. Some are of a temporary nature and get dismantled others find a new use. The land used was on an island between two branches of the River Guadalquivir – Isla de la Cartuja. The branch that goes through the city is now a canal, blocked at its northern end by a barrier with a motorway on it, and is used extensively for water sports, mainly rowing. Many of the buildings are now used by private companies as headquarters , others have a very derelict look. The whole area- even though it is home to the theme park- which was shut for the winter, has a neglected air about it. There are weeds growing everywhere but fountains are switched on, which seemed odd. Unlike the city a short distance away, there are no cafes or bars or other people around for that matter, just us meandering through. The car park that was created for the event is massive, it stretches for miles, and I really mean miles. Totally derelict, just the odd person or dog walker around. There is even a railway line terminating here, in the middle of nowhere a modern and apparently unmanned station, like a ghost station. At this point, across the river proper is open countryside, much flatter than I expected and very easy for local walkers and cyclists to get to - also very calm and quiet, a place to linger and enjoy the peace.
As usual I researched and discovered as we walked, we averaged around 13 miles a day and tried to get off the beaten track. We were out around 8.15, before sunrise, and had orange juice, coffee and Tostada with the locals for breakfast. The trouble is that there are many miles of walking in a relatively small area, some streets are only a few feet wide so there are a lot of them to explore. Incredible ancient churches and squares are around every corner- it's a very religious place - Catholicism rules in Spain. Unfortunately many are only a few feet away from the building next to it and it is difficult to get a decent shot of them. Seville is also famous, historically, as a producer of ceramic tiles. A building isn’t complete without a tile display of some sort and it would be very easy to make a project out of tiles alone. It may be a little boring for any companions though!
We walked the length of the embankment a couple of times, it has graffiti from end to end, several miles of massive concrete walls covered in everything imaginable, from marker pen scribbling to works of art. It was suggested to me that allowing people to paint here might prevent them from daubing property and monuments in the city- it hasn't! Most alleyways and shutters have been attacked to a greater or lesser degree. Spain has very high youth unemployment and maybe this plays a role. To be truthful though we haven't seen a city that's free of graffiti. The other problem is dogs- or what they produce, it's everywhere, absolutely everywhere, in a week we saw only one person remove his dogs mess. Fortunately the city streets are cleaned exceptionally well, some of the cleanest we have come across, men (and a lot of women) and machines are washing and sweeping endlessly.
Having had the wettest winter on record at home - almost three months of rain - we didn't want more rain but we got it. The upside was the water and the reflections that it created made photography on the cobbled streets more interesting, particularly at night. I usually find that it takes me a while to get into the groove on a trip and this one was no different, I didn't start shooting with total disregard - street shots- for a couple of days. Whilst the locals wore quilted jackets and scarves we got down to tee shirts at times, the warmer afternoons would be welcome in summer, never mind January, in Huddersfield. I envied the cyclists, being able to train in temperatures like this in winter - I wish! You need a lot less willpower to get out there and train hard in pleasant weather.
From a photography point of view I had a frustrating time, I never felt to get to grips with the place- other than on the streets at night. Writing this on my phone on the flight home, I haven't a clue what I've got to work with when I get back. I usually edit first and write later. Generally I have a first look, I'm disillusioned, I then revisit and see things differently- thankfully! Architectural shots with a grey sky could be destined for the monochrome treatment, we'll soon see. I'm still editing stuff from our London trip before Christmas, it's getting decent views in black and white and I quite enjoy looking at them myself.
We visited most of the notable tourist destinations, and went up anything that we could. Seville doesn't have a high point-it's flat! Nothing really stands head and shoulders above the city. The Cathedral tower is over 300 feet but the Cathedral itself fills a lot of the view on some aspects. Being square and having to look through bars in recesses you don't really get a completely open aspect. A new 600 foot tower is close to being finished, it's an office block and I couldn't find any mention of it being a viewing point in the future.
Oranges were the last thing on my mind when I suggested going to Seville. There are 25000 orange trees in Seville and now is the time that they are laden with big-and sour- Seville oranges, they are everywhere, apparently they are the property of the city authorities and will be harvested and sent to the UK to be made in to marmalade at some point in the near future. These trees will soon be covered in fragrant blossom, the city will smell beautiful for a couple of months. Studying the surrounding area it would be good to tour in March or April I would think, the scents, longer days and better weather would make for a fantastic trip. One for the future. The sunrise on our final morning was the best of the week, this was what we had looked forward to, we had to leave for the airport at 9.00...... Needless to say it was raining hard as we drove the last twenty miles home. Nothing new there then.
As usual I have aimed to present a pretty extensive collection of photographs of our chosen destination, some, at first glance will be pretty mundane shots of everyday life on the streets, often though, close inspection will reveal something humorous, something that needs a bit of thought. Others are definitely just people going about their holiday or work. Travelling with someone else it wouldn’t be fair to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to nail the perfect long exposure or HDR image of a cathedral or similar in perfect light – the one stunning shot to add to the portfolio- it’s not really my thing, I go for an overview of the place in the time available. Looking at the postcards locally it becomes obvious that stunning shots of some of these buildings are hard to come by. Heavily corrected converging verticals were quite obvious – and most likely will be in my own shots. As the owner of tilt and shift lenses I never travel with one – ever! My knees are already creaking from the weight of the bag.