I committed this photocompositing hijack of the great Hokusai's masterpiece "The Wave" in order ro complete my series 36 views of Mont Saint Michel...

"Obee Jo" striding out ....

At Catterick Races in North Yorkshire

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

– Margaret Mead –

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

– Desmond Tutu –

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

– Dale Carnegie –

♫ TUNE ♫

This song was made to celebrate the power of speaking out in order to promote a more just world.

Juvenile Kingfisher about to take the plunge in the River Taff..

Amsterdam - Binnen Oranjestraat

Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.

I have committed the worst of sins one can commit.

I have not been happy.

Jorge Luis Borges

black and white version

No changing course at this point. On Armand Bayou.

I will be taking a break from flickr for a week or two. Stay cool out there.

All the Beauty of Life is Made Up of Light and Shadow

- Leo Tolstoy

Digging around on my Laptop, I found this Honeybee image in the 2015 archives, so here it is. My computer can’t fit into her jeans any longer, so I’m committed to deleting 500 Pics a day until she loses some Gigabytes. We’ll both feel better, and so will my Lightroom Catalog : )

_______________________________________________

More Information on the Honeybee than you may want to know:

Honeybee also spelled honey bee, are a group of insects in the family Apidae that in a broad sense includes all bees that make honey. This species is also called the European honeybee or the western honeybee.

All honeybees are social insects and live together in nests or hives. The honeybee is remarkable for the dancing movements it performs in the hive to communicate information to its fellow bees about the location, distance, size, and quality of a particular food source in the surrounding area.

There are two honeybee sexes, male and female, and two female castes. The two female castes are known as workers, which are females that do not attain sexual maturity, and queens, females that are larger than the workers. The males, or drones, are larger than the workers and are present only in early summer. The workers and queens have stingers, whereas the drones are stingless.

Queen honeybees store sperm in a structure known as the spermatheca, which allows them to control the fertilization of their eggs. Thus queens can lay eggs that are either unfertilized or fertilized.

Unfertilized eggs develop into drones, whereas fertilized eggs develop into females, which may be either workers or virgin queens.

Eggs destined to become queens are deposited in queen cells, which are vertical cells in the honeycomb that are larger than normal. After hatching, the virgin queens are fed royal jelly, a substance produced by the salivary glands of the workers. When not fed a diet consisting solely of royal jelly, virgin queens will develop into workers.

During the swarming season, in the presence of a weak queen or in the absence of a queen, workers may lay unfertilized eggs, which give rise to drones.

For all three forms of honeybees, eggs hatch in three days and then develop into larvae that are known as grubs. All grubs are fed royal jelly at first, but only the future queens are continued on the diet.

When fully grown, the grubs transform into pupae. Queens emerge in 16 days, workers in about 21 days, and drones in 24 days.

After emerging, the queens fight among themselves until only one remains in the hive. The old queen and the majority of her workers typically have left the hive by the time the new queens emerge.

The swarm, which typically reproduces during swarming, may form two or more new colonies at different nesting sites.

(Nikon D750, Sigma 180/2.8, 1/1600 @ f/14, ISO 1600, edited to taste)

He had not yet committed himself to the feeder below. First came the pause, the survey, the quiet assessment of shadows and movement. I've watched the same ritual play out among creatures thousands of miles from here, from wary antelope to towering giraffes. Different landscapes, different species, but the same ancient caution. For a moment, this little bluebird seemed every bit the sentinel, standing watch before carrying on with his day.

I started taking a picture a day beginning September 24, 2013 - today is 1,078 days in a row. My goal was to learn how to use my camera to take better pictures of my daughter but she has never liked being the subject so I haven't gotten much better at documentary or portrait photography.

What I have done is become obsessed with light. When I got home from working out today the sprinklers were on, it was about 10 minutes after sunrise. I committed to incorporating the light and the effect of the sprinklers so I sprawled out on the wet lawn determined to get the shot. I like the leaf that was there, it gives a hint that fall is in the air.

I feel like I was channeling Joy Jordan today.

Female Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) ready to strike; I mentioned in a previous post that our extreme drought along the CA Central Coast has affected the vole population. After this dive, the Barn Owl stayed on the ground for awhile--possible catching a Jerusalem cricket or other insect. SLO County; CA; USA; Sony a9; Sony 200-600mm lens at 441mm; ISO 6400; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec; hand held in low light; Topaz AI De Noise

A handshake was a contract, it was commitment to a deal, a friendship, or a sincere greeting.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,

committed people can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls

of oppression and resistance.

Robert Kennedy

We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to

participate in the process of change.

Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people,

can transform the world.

Howard Zinn (Historian)

(Author of: "A People's History of the United States" & "and Terrorism and War"

Also featured in documentary: "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train")

Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Stronger, more determined and committed than ever.

"A partner is someone who makes you more than you are, simply by being by your side."

--Albert Kim

Christmas, 2018

A Canada Goose about to land. Kane County, Illinois

There is nothing more precious for human to be committed to humanity....

Taken in Gurez valley, Kashmir Himalayas, India

A field covering a few acres covered in poppies as a memorial to a veteran who committed suicide.

Warning:

May spontaneously flirt with sunshine,

steal your pool float,

and accidentally become the reason the party lasts a little longer. 😉

Out here collecting sunsets,

making memories,

and pretending I totally planned this level of fabulous.

If you need me...

I'll be wherever the music is loud,

the drinks are cold,

and the laughs are impossible to count.

SummerFest has begun...

and I'm fully committed to the assignment.

😉☀️🍹🌴

CREDITS ♥

PRIMFEED ♥

✨ Thank you for the love, every view, favorite, award and Your support. 💋💕

The scuffles we witnessed on the lek usually involved a couple of birds facing off and trying to grab feathers from each other. These two birds, however, were much more committed to conflict-- multiple times we saw them latch on to each other and end up rolling on the ground as they tried to get the other to submit. They always strutted away, apparently no worse for the wear, but it was a bit unnerving. They were definitely the exception to what we saw, though.

... dem sozialem Status verpflichtet

Rolls Royce

Merks-Motor-Museum (Nürnberg)

www.merks-motor-museum.de

Committed to Ferrania P30 using a Hasselblad X-Pan and 45 mm lens. Developed using Ars-Imago FD as per the Massive Dev chart and scanned with an Epson V850 using Silverfast. Positive conversion and contrast done with Negative Lab Pro.

committed to tradition

“You’re committed, you realize. You are…under the jurisdiction of me…the staff.” She’s holding up a fist, all those red-orange fingernails burning into her palm. “Under jurisdiction and control—”

- Nurse Ratched |One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

SL Prompt Project 2022

Taken at What's Lost Spirits

I’ve lost a bit of mojo getting out to the beach for photography these last couple of months. I’ve been giving too much priority to working out and partying. In my defence it was Christmas and New Year I guess. Time to change that! I think I’ve found my motivation in a 100X group on Flickr , where you commit to taking 100 photos of subject “X”. Not to be confused with 100 X-rated photos 😉 So I’ve committed to taking 100 new “Waterscapes” this coming year. I’ve been to all but a couple of the coast’s 49 beaches , but why not go back and enjoy them all over again . They are always fun to visit and there is always something new & different to see. And I haven’t paid anywhere near enough attention to our 4 large lakes and numerous rivers, creeks and bays. Besides, I don’t think I have enough seascapes in my gallery 😂

So this is waterscape photo 1 of 100 for 2025.

Hope everyone is having a great week! Thanks for all the kind comments , they are always greatly appreciated.

Blackrock diving platform, Salthill, Galway, Ireland, following Storm Bert.

Inside Saint Dymphna's Mental Hospital

Always bring a couple of doorstops when you Urbex.

We're Here! : Anything Goes

Regno Unito, Londra, Archway, Inverno 2015

A Hornsey Lane, tra il 1897 e il 1900, il precedente ponte ideato da Nash venne sostituito con l'attuale ponte di ferro. Sebbene la vista su Londra sia fantastica, starsene in piedi qui è difficile senza pensare alle anime tormentate di coloro che in questo stesso posto hanno deciso di mettere fine alle loro vite. A quanto pare infatti questo ponte è uno dei luoghi con più suicidi al mondo tanto da meritarsi il soprannome di “Suicide Bridge”. Quando, alla fine del 2010, tre uomini in tre settimane si suicidarono gettandosi dal ponte, fu istituita dai residenti locali una campagna per mettere in atto misure anti-suicidio.

Between 1897 and 1900, Nash's bridge was replaced with the present cast-iron Hornsey Lane Bridge. The view across London is fantastic, but standing here it is hard not to be jostled by the spirits of the troubled souls who must have stood in exactly the same place before ending their lives. It is apparently one of the most frequented such places worldwide. When, at the end of 2010, three men in three weeks committed suicide by jumping from the bridge, a campaign was set up by local residents for better anti-suicide measures to be put in place.

Shape: Manbod shapes Mainstore - Benny x LeLUTKA Camden 4.0

Hair: Vango - Benny Hair @ Alpha

Mesh head: LeLutka - Camden 4.0 (gift for 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS)

Eyes: [ VelvetVue ] - Ellie Eyes @ Anthology Event

Skin: Voglia - Camden skin

Shirt: Totally wicked - Mark shirt @ Alpha

Bracelet: RAWR Mainstore - Committed bracelet @ Alpha

Accessories: RVN Store - so far so good

Committed male Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) in the Dive; low light; Sony a9; Sony 200-600mm lens at 600 mm; ISO 4000; 1/1000 sec; f/6.3; handheld; Topaz De Noise and Sharpen; No fish this time

Taken for the Macro Mondays theme of 'Card'

I placed my National Trust Membership Card on the Members Handbook to take this shot.

In 1895, the National Trust founders, Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley pledged to preserve our historical and natural places. Their aim was not only to save important sites, but to open them up for everyone to enjoy.

The National Trust is committed to promoting and preserving those places of natural beauty and historic interest for which it has the privilege to be responsible for the benefit of the nation, for everyone for ever.

The Trust is proud of what has been achieved over the last 126 years and is determined to maintain those high standards of conservation, stewardship and curatorial care for which it has been recognised throughout the world.

Its achievements have enabled the general public and the Trust’s members and visitors to enjoy and appreciate the countryside, coastline, gardens, historic buildings and collections, all of which encapsulate so much of the history of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is a duty to tell that history in a complete, balanced and accurate way, and without judgement.

The National Trust continues as a guardian of the past, and for the future, to uphold its duty to maintain and enhance what has been entrusted to its care. (taken from the National Trust website)

#4880 - 2021 Day 131: We've committed to No Mow May, a scheme to not mow the grass through the month of May, to encourage pollenators in to the wild flowers. We have the ubiquitous daisies and dandelions of course, but already there are signs of other wild plants, such as acquilegia, fox and cubs, and selfheal ... I'll make a few more studies over the month I think.

This Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys) perched on a stem of purple Stachytarpheta flowers at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in soft afternoon light. Its speckled plumage and subtle brown tones sit in natural harmony with the greenery. La Minga is known for its rich biodiversity. This hummingbird is native to the Andean cloud forests, and in Ecuador it ranges from about 1,400 to 3,000 meters on both slopes of the Andes. Its nest is a bulky cup of moss and cobweb lined with plant fiber. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/180 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, the cloud forest around La Minga, along with its water sources.

©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer

Tapetenreste in verfallener Russenkaserne

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (Peter 2:21-25)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Have a blessed Good Friday!

For sale - committed seller - needs a little TLC... Indiana lakeside property with potential

Kat Chauveau

Committed to Ferrania P30 using a Hasselblad X-Pan and 45 mm lens. Developed using Ars-Imago FD as per the Massive Dev chart and scanned with an Epson V850 using Silverfast. Positive conversion and contrast done with Negative Lab Pro. Dust cleaning and local contrast in Photoshop.

The fella was particularly committed to fishing. We saw him fishing here on several evenings when we walked that way, once with a large barracuda in the sand beside him. So we know he had some success.

We don't know these people, but I like the implied story we get from the positions and directions of their bodies and fishing rods. What do you think the story is?

RCAF CF-188 Hornet 188776 in special NORAD 60th Anniversary markings (North American Aerospace Defense Command) Canada’s fighter force is committed to protecting North America from airborne threats and as a part of Operation NOBLE EAGLE, RCAF CF-188s maintain a constant state of alert to safeguard North American skies.

Committed to Ferrania P30 using a Hasselblad X-Pan and 45 mm lens. Developed using Ars-Imago FD as per the Massive Dev chart and scanned with an Epson V850 using Silverfast. Positive conversion and contrast done with Negative Lab Pro. Dust cleaning and local contrast in Photoshop.

This bear is in a relaxed lope checking out some fish splashing ahead. He has not yet committed to the chase, though. I love the splash of water off his front foot that mirrors his impressive claws

Late afternoon sun slipping past the trees outside to enter through the glass panes and metal window screen to rest on the wall of a small bedroom cell in Z Ward.

Z Ward was a separate building at the Glenside Mental Hospital that catered for the criminally insane. The criteria for being an inmate was having committed a crime and posing a danger to others and/or themselves due to insanity. Built in 1885, it is now empty and preserved by the National Trust.

On the 12th of May, 1943, Szmul Zygielbojm committed suicide. Szmul was a member of the Polish Government in Exile. Being in London, he was aware of the Warsaw Ghetto and also of the Jewish resistance movement there with its tunnels and bunkers. This resistance was crushed by the Nazis and the Ghetto was stripped of its Jewish inmates. Szmul's farewell note contains this paragraph:

"I cannot continue to live and to be silent while the remnants of Polish Jewry, whose representative I am, are being murdered. My comrades in the Warsaw Ghetto fell with arms in their hands in the last heroic battle. I was not permitted to fall like them, together with them, but I belong with them, to their mass grave. By my death, I wish to give expression to my most profound protest against the inaction in which the world watches and permits the destruction of the Jewish people."

Fuji X-Pro1, Helios 44M-7.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) descends to catch large fish; Embarcadero; Morro Bay; CA USA

Shot with a "Tomioka-Copal 75 mm F 2.8" (enlarging) lens on a Canon EOS R5.

"Clancy is an all-or-nothig kinda dog-"

No I'm not!

"For example, he can greet people so enthusiasically

at times that he has to be calmed-"

No I don't!

"And playing with me, whether in the house or outside

chasing a ball, he's so fully activated, I worry about

him hurting himself again-"

No you don't!

"...And, as you might have noticed, he likes having the

last word."

Yes I do!

(This photo is two months old, but illustrates for

our purpose Clancy's commitment to, and for, life)

________________________________________________

Prescott-Russell Trail, Ottawa, Ontario

510 Clancy 9yrs 18wk

Clancy's YEARBOOK 10: www.flickr.com/photos/130722340@N04/albums/72157720201164845

MONOCHROME Clancy: www.flickr.com/photos/130722340@N04/albums/72157655760302498

EXPLORE Clancy: www.flickr.com/photos/130722340@N04/albums/72157656171825332

And now for more of the gardens.

Samuel Untermyer was born in Virginia in 1858, and as a boy moved to New York City after the Civil War. He was a founding partner in the law firm of Guggenheimer, Untermyer & Marshall, and was the first lawyer in America to earn a one million dollar fee on a single case. He was also an astute investor, and became extremely wealthy.

Untermyer was also passionately interested in horticulture. He famously said that if he could do it over again, he would want to be the Parks Commissioner in New York City! Unlike most wealthy garden-owners, Untermyer was expertly knowledgeable about horticulture. The level of horticulture at the Untermyer Gardens was nationally famous, and some great gardeners got their training there.

His ambition for the garden was that it be not less than the "finest garden in America."*

The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy was founded in 2011 by Stephen F. Byrns to reclaim the lost splendor of Untermyer Gardens, a Yonkers municipal park that is the home of the finest Indo-Persian garden in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1899 Samuel Untermyer purchased Greystone, the former estate of Samuel Tilden. In the forty one years Untermyer owned Greystone, he transformed the gardens and greenhouses into some of the most celebrated gardens in America. After expanding the estate through property purchases to the north and east of the original estate, he hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to design the gardens in 1916. These gardens sprawled over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson River and were maintained by 60 gardeners and supplied by 60 greenhouses. It was open to the public on a weekly basis during the 1920s and for special events, including displays of his famous chrysanthemums and tulips. Thirty-thousand people visited it on one day in 1939.

Upon Samuel Untermyer’s death in 1940, the garden was left in limbo while the estate was settled and a plan to care for it determined. A core part of the gardens was acquired by the City of Yonkers in 1946. In the 1990s, another parcel was acquired, bringing its present acreage to 43. Today, its prestige as one of the greatest gardens in America has been restored, and it is one of the top visitor destinations in Westchester County.

Now, here is an interesting tidbit connected to this park and gardens. It might be hard to believe, but these beautiful gardens, and this property fell into a state of disrepair back in the 1970's. And it was a period in the NYC area when drugs and crime were a major problem. And the occult, and tales of the occult seemingly had generated some new interest. Neighbors around the gardens would hear chanting and see people walking in the park carrying flaming torches. The remains of skinned dogs were also found, and it became apparent that witchcraft and devil worship was at play in park. Satanic scribblings and ominous graffiti appear on columns, towers, and decrepit walls; cryptic markings alluding to a traumatic time in New York City’s history. And now the story gets even more interesting, particularly for those who remember the serial killer "Son of Sam," who later was identified as David Berkowitz, the accused killer of 6, and possibly more. Berkowitz was a devil worshiper and cult follower, and frequented the park in those days on many occasions. Interestingly, a man named Sam Carr, was “the high official of the Devil’s Legion,” and probably how Berkowitz had identified himself as the murderer by leaving a note behind saying it was the "son of Sam" who had committed the crime. In 1976, the crime spree and murders had terrified the people living in the area, and it was until Berkowitz was actually captured in 1977 that the city once again relaxed some.

“A thousand times more crimes have been committed in the name of love than in the name of hate..”

― Sidney Sheldon, The Other Side of Midnight

SLURL: Kintsugi; Spirited Beyond

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Runaway/71/122/24

[3rd out of 12 Photos]

P.S. I knew where I wanted the Wellspring little world globe but to get the right angle was a challenge. To allow one of the deers to peek through and join the duck and chicken around the well. The source of water for us humans to help sustain us and the environment around us. In the middle of Kintsugi's city just fits so well.

Isn't it everlasting? It will always take over in the end in some way or the other. There will always be a wellspring of nature, or at least, we can only help make it that way. Save animals, plant more trees or tiny plants and take care of your surroundings. If we make it a lifestyle, we can help make the world a better place by loving the very existence it came with. When you love, you automatically learn to care. I dream of a day when all the tall skyscrapers will be slowly overrun by crawling ivy, beautiful flowers and birds just making nests in every nook. I dream of a wellspring of hope and love, always.