View allAll Photos Tagged current
Landsat image of current volcanic flows on Hawaii (the Big Island), Hawaii. The locations of volcanic activity show up as bright red spots. In the image above, near the eastern tip of the island, there's a large bright red area that marks the location of current, ongoing lava extrusion. Even with simply a casual comparison of the image above with earlier imagery indicates that the current volcanic activity has made its way to the Pacific Ocean (see very dark-colored area that represents recent basalt flows) and that lava is extending into other areas that have not had active flows for a while. Included in this view are the villages of Leilani Estates, and Pāhoa, among others.
This is a high-resolution, false-color satellite image, from Landsat 8; image acquired on May 30, 2018. Please place your cursor above the image, then click on the image in order to see more detail; click on the image a second time to get back to your normal viewing.
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers. Of these, only about 20 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers. Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.
The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions - namely Hinduism and Jainism - suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains.
LOCATION
Khajuraho group of monuments are located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in Chhatarpur district, about 620 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. The temples are in a small town also known as Khajuraho, with a population of about 20,000 people (2001 Census).
Khajuraho is served by Civil Aerodrome Khajuraho (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai. The site is also linked by Indian Railways service, with the railway station located approximately six kilometres from the monuments entrance.
The monuments are about 10 kilometres off the east-west National Highway 75, and about 50 kilometres from the city of Chhatarpur, that is connected to Bhopal - the state capital - by the SW-NE running National Highway 86.
HISTORY
The Khajuraho group of monuments was built during the rule of the Rajput Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand. Most temples were built during the reigns of the Hindu kings Yashovarman and Dhanga. Yashovarman's legacy is best exhibited by Lakshmana temple. Vishvanatha temple best highlights King Dhanga's reign. The largest and currently most famous surviving temple is Kandariya Mahadeva built in the reign of King Ganda from 1017-1029 CE. The temple inscriptions suggest many of the currently surviving temples were complete between 970 to 1030 CE, with further temples completed during the following decades.
The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba, the capital of the Chandela dynasty, in the Kalinjar region. In ancient and medieval literature, their kingdom has been referred to as Jijhoti, Jejahoti, Chih-chi-to and Jejakabhukti.
Khajuraho was mentioned by Abu Rihan-al-Biruni, the Persian historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his raid of Kalinjar in 1022 CE; he mentions Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahuti. The raid was unsuccessful, and a peace accord was reached when the Hindu king agreed to pay a ransom to Mahmud of Ghazni to end the attack and leave.
Khajuraho temples were in active use through the end of 12th century. This changed in the 13th century, after the army of Delhi Sultanate, under the command of the Muslim Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and seized the Chandela kingdom. About a century later, Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller in his memoirs about his stay in India from 1335 to 1342 CE, mentioned visiting Khajuraho temples, calling them “Kajarra” as follows:
...near (Khajuraho) temples, which contain idols that have been mutilated by the Moslems, live a number of yogis whose matted locks have grown as long as their bodies. And on account of extreme asceticism they are all yellow in colour. Many Moslems attend these men in order to take lessons (yoga) from them.
— Ibn Battuta, about 1335 CE, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah, Translated by Arthur Cotterell
Central Indian region, where Khajuraho temples are, remained in the control of many different Muslim dynasties from 13th century through the 18th century. In this period, some temples were desecrated, followed by a long period when they were left in neglect. In 1495 CE, for example, Sikandar Lodi’s campaign of temple destruction included Khajuraho. The remoteness and isolation of Khajuraho protected the Hindu and Jain temples from continued destruction by Muslims. Over the centuries, vegetation and forests overgrew, took over the temples.
In the 1830s, local Hindus guided a British surveyor, T.S. Burt, to the temples and they were thus rediscovered by the global audience. Alexander Cunningham later reported, few years after the rediscovery, that the temples were secretly in use by yogis and thousands of Hindus would arrive for pilgrimage during Shivaratri celebrated annually in February or March based on a lunar calendar. In 1852, Maisey prepared earliest drawings of the Khajuraho temples.
NOMENCLATURE
The name Khajuraho, or Kharjuravāhaka, is derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, खर्जूर means date palm, and vāhaka, वाहक means "one who carries" or bearer). Local legends state that the temples had two golden date-palm trees as their gate (missing when they were rediscovered). Desai states that Kharjuravāhaka also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for deity Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).
Cunningham’s nomenclature and systematic documentation work in 1850s and 1860s have been widely adopted and continue to be in use. He grouped the temples into the Western group around Lakshmana, Eastern group around Javeri, and Southern group around Duladeva.
Khajuraho is one of the four holy sites linked to deity Shiva (the other three are Kedarnath, Kashi and Gaya). Its origin and design is a subject of scholarly studies. Shobita Punja has proposed that the temple’s origin reflect the Hindu mythology in which Khajuraho is the place where Shiva got married; with Raghuvamsha verse 5.53, Matangeshvara honoring ‘’Matanga’’, or god of love.
DESCRIPTION
The temple site is within Vindhya mountain range in central India. An ancient local legend held that Hindu deity Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the dramatic hill formation in Kalinjar area. The center of this region is Khajuraho, set midst local hills and rivers. The temple complex reflects the ancient Hindu tradition of building temples where gods love to play.
The temples are clustered near water, another typical feature of Hindu temples. The current water bodies include Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also called Ninora Tal) and Khudar Nadi (river). The local legends state that the temple complex had 64 water bodies, of which 56 have been physically identified by archeologists so far.
All temples, except one (Chaturbhuja) face sunrise - another symbolic feature that is predominant in Hindu temples. The relative layout of temples integrate masculine and feminine deities and symbols highlight the interdependence. The art work symbolically highlight the four goals of life considered necessary and proper in Hinduism - dharma, kama, artha and moksha.
Of the surviving temples, 6 are dedicated to Shiva and his consorts, 8 to Vishnu and his affinities, 1 to Ganesha, 1 to Sun god, 3 to Jain Tirthanks. For some ruins, there is insufficient evidence to assign the temple to specific deities with confidence.
An overall examination of site suggests that the Hindu symbolic mandala design principle of square and circles is present each temple plan and design. Further, the territory is laid out in three triangles that converge to form a pentagon. Scholars suggest that this reflects the Hindu symbolism for three realms or trilokinatha, and five cosmic substances or panchbhuteshvara. The temple site highlights Shiva, the one who destroys and recycles life, thereby controlling the cosmic dance of time, evolution and dissolution. The temples have a rich display of intricately carved statues. While they are famous for their erotic sculpture, sexual themes cover less than 10% of the temple sculpture. Further, most erotic scene panels are neither prominent nor emphasized at the expense of the rest, rather they are in proportional balance with the non-sexual images. The viewer has to look closely to find them, or be directed by a guide. The arts cover numerous aspects of human life and values considered important in Hindu pantheon. Further, the images are arranged in a configuration to express central ideas of Hinduism. All three ideas from Āgamas are richly expressed in Khajuraho temples - Avyakta, Vyaktavyakta and Vyakta.
The Beejamandal temple is under excavation. It has been identified with the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahpati Kokalla inscription.
Of all temples, the Matangeshvara temple remains an active site of worship. It is another square grid temple, with a large 2.5 metres high and 1.1 metres diameter lingam, placed on a 7.6 metres diameter platform.
The most visited temple, Kandariya Mahadev, has an area of about 6,500 square feet and a shikhara (spire) that rises 116 feet. Jain templesThe Jain temples are located on east-southeast region of Khajuraho monuments. Chausath jogini temple features 64 jogini, while Ghantai temple features bells sculptured on its pillars.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE TEMPLES
Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala. This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure.
The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles.
The circle of mandala circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other. The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas.
Most Khajuraho temples deploy the 8x8 padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires. The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.
The architecture is symbolic and reflects the central Hindu beliefs through its form, structure and arrangement of its parts. The mandapas as well as the arts are arranged in the Khajuraho temples in a symmetric repeating patterns, even though each image or sculpture is distinctive in its own way. The relative placement of the images are not random but together they express ideas, just like connected words form sentences and paragraphs to compose ideas. This fractal pattern that is common in Hindu temples. Various statues and panels have inscriptions. Many of the inscriptions on the temple walls are poems with double meanings, something that the complex structure of Sanskrit allows in creative compositions. All Khajuraho temples, except one, face sunrise, and the entrance for the devotee is this east side.Above the vastu-purusha-mandala of each temple is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara (or Vimana, Spire). Variations in spire design come from variation in degrees turned for the squares. The temple Shikhara, in some literature, is linked to mount Kailash or Meru, the mythical abode of the gods.In each temple, the central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the pilgrim to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa and the main deity. The pillars, walls and ceilings around the space, as well as outside have highly ornate carvings or images of the four just and necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This clockwise walk around is called pradakshina. Larger Khajuraho temples also have pillared halls called mandapa. One near the entrance, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapas are also arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. This use of same underlying architectural principle is common in Hindu temples found all over India. Each Khajuraho temple is distinctly carved yet also repeating the central common principles in almost all Hindu temples, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as “an organism of repeating cells”.
CONSTRUCTION
The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons. Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.
The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be precision carved. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails and intricate jewelry.
While recording the television show Lost Worlds (History Channel) at Khajuraho, Alex Evans recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. They concluded that these temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.
CHRONOLOGY
The Khajuraho group of temples belong to Vaishnavism school of Hinduism, Saivism school of Hinduism and Jainism - nearly a third each. Archaeological studies suggest all three types of temples were under construction at about the same time in late 10th century, and in use simultaneously. Will Durant states that this aspect of Khajuraho temples illustrates the tolerance and respect for different religious viewpoints in the Hindu and Jain traditions. In each group of Khajuraho temples, there were major temples surrounded by smaller temples - a grid style that is observed to varying degrees in Hindu temples in Angkor Wat, Parambaran and South India.
The largest surviving Saiva temple is Khandarya Mahadeva, while the largest surviving Vaishnava group includes Chaturbhuja and Ramachandra.
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple plan is 109 ft in length by 60 ft, and rises 116 ft above ground and 88 ft above its own floor. The central padas are surrounded by three rows of sculptured figures, with over 870 statues, most being half life size (2.5 to 3 feet). The spire is a self repeating fractal structure.
ARTS AND SCULPTURE
The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices. Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples. James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art": "Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles....Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples."
The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva Temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities; however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings. The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition. For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era. These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.
There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples. Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,
This state which is “like a man and woman in close embrace” is a symbol of moksa, final release or reunion of two principles, the essence (Purusha) and the nature (Prakriti).
— Stella Kramrisch, 1976
The Khajuraho temples represent one expression of many forms of arts that flourished in Rajput kingdoms of India from 8th through 10th century CE. For example, contemporary with Khajuraho were the publications of poems and drama such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika and Kavyamimansa. Some of the themes expressed in these literary works are carved as sculpture in Khajuraho temples. Some sculptures at the Khajuraho monuments dedicated to Vishnu include the Vyalas, which are hybrid imaginary animals with lions body, and are found in other Indian temples. Some of these hybrid mythical art work include Vrik Vyala (hybrid of wolf and lion) and Gaja Vyala (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas may represent syncretic, creative combination of powers innate in the two.
TEMPLE NAME - DEITY - YEAR COMPLETED
Chausath Yogini - Devi, 64 Yoginis - 885
Brahma - Vishnu - 925
Lalgun Mahadev - Shiva - 900
Matangeshwar - Shiva - 1000
Varaha - Vishnu - 950
Lakshmana - Vaikuntha Vishnu - 939
Parshvanath - Parshvanath - 954
Visvanatha - Shiva - 999
Devi Jagadambi - Devi, Parvati - 1023
Chitragupta - Sun, Chitragupta - 1023
Kandariya Mahadeva - Shiva - 1029
Vamana - Vamana - 1062
Adinath Jain Temple - Rishabha - 1027
Javeri - Vishnu - 1090
Chaturbhuja - Vishnu - 1110
Duladeo (Duladeva) - Shiva - 1125
Ghantai - Jain Tirthankara - 960
Vishnu-Garuda - Vishnu - 1000
Ganesha - Shiva - 1000
Hanuman - Hanuman - 922
Mahishasuramardini - Devi - 995
Another set of my current favourite Ischnura elegans, this is another female, this madam climbed onto my finger when I offered it and allowed me to take this set of shots before flying off, NO Damselflies are ever hurt whilst taking my photo's and they always fly off after the photoshoot unscathed.
Giving some serious attitude.
"Following the disastrous defeats of Roman troops at Lake Trasimene and Cannae—the bloodiest in ancient history—the Roman general, consul, and dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus came up with a brilliant strategy to contend with Hannibal’s superior forces. He would not confront the enemy; he would simply delay engaging the Carthaginians, all the while dogging them in the hope of wearing them down. The strategy proved successful, ultimately making possible Scipio’s bolder move, which put an end to the Second Punic War with the invasion of Carthage. For this Fabius earned the name cunctator, meaning delayer, from which English derives the noun cunctation. Until this very day, Fabius Maximus is known in most schoolbooks as the temporizer, the delayer—the more usual translation of cunctator—which means: he who waits out his enemy, who makes time, who, to use a more current and pedestrian term, gives the enemy time. It is also the first thing I learned when I was taught angling as a boy. Let your prey think he’s safe, draw him in, cut him slack, lure him until you’ve got him well and tight, then … yank as hard as you can."
- André Aciman, Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere (2011)
Anticipation
Currently untraced
Watercolor and gum arabic
10.24 X 7.28 in., 26 X 18.5 cm
Signed
Provenance:
Edward and Evelyn Grindlay, Westcott, Dorking, England and then by descent (S) East Anglican Fine Art & Antiques 27 April 2021, Lot 1200 (P) £7,000, $9,700
This is another version of the watercolor in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and an earlier, more austere version of The Expectant, a watercolor from 1848, formerly at Blair House, Manchester, England and now in a private collection. This watercolor appears to be badly faded.
A mesmerizing dance of light and texture, where abstract shapes flow like ripples in a liquid mirror. The interplay of tones creates a visual symphony of movement and depth. This was created using one of my digital photos and Filter Forge, and Lightroom. Rotate it around and find the flow that works for you, Wayne.
Moved my Collectors to here. The Novi's were originally on this closet but I don't have them on display at all anymore.
Place: Bomenbuurt, Den Haag
Origineel Nederlands
With its current owner since 1985!
Volgens de eigenaar is deze Colt te koop.
Punta Gorda is a city in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census the city had a population of 16,641. It is the county seat of Charlotte County and the only incorporated municipality in the county. Punta Gorda is the principal city of the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area and is also in the Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda Combined Statistical Area.
Punta Gorda was the scene of massive destruction after Charley, a Category 4 hurricane, came through the city on August 13, 2004. Charley was the strongest tropical system to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and the first hurricane since Hurricane Donna in 1960 to make a direct hit on Florida's southwest coast. In the immediate years following the storm, buildings were restored or built to hurricane-resistant building codes. The new buildings, restorations and amenities concurrently preserved the city's past while showcasing newer facilities. During this time, Laishley Park Municipal Marina was built and the Harborwalk, Linear Park and various trails were created throughout the city for bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
The name Punta Gorda ("Fat Point") has been on maps at least since 1851, referring to a point of land that juts into Charlotte Harbor, an estuary off the Gulf of Mexico. It was in the late 1800s that early settlers began to arrive in what is the present-day Punta Gorda area.
Frederick and Jarvis Howard, Union Army veterans, homesteaded an area south of the Peace River near present-day Punta Gorda about a decade after the close of the Civil War. In 1876, James and Josephine Lockhart bought land and built a house on property which is now at the center of the city. Approximately two years later Lockhart sold his claim to James Madison Lanier, a hunter and trapper.
In 1879, a charter for a railroad with termini at Charlotte Harbor and Lake City, Florida was established under the name Gainesville, Ocala, and Charlotte Harbor Railroad. It was taken over by the Florida Southern Railroad, which reaffirmed Charlotte Harbor as a terminus in its own charter. Lanier with his wife lived there until 1883, when 30.8 acres (12.5 ha) were sold to Isaac Trabue, who purchased additional land along the harbor and directed the platting of a town (by Kelly B. Harvey) named "Trabue". Harvey recorded the plat on February 24, 1885. At the time, Isaac was in Kentucky, and his cousin, John Trabue, was in charge of selling lots. Kelly, a native of the Peace River area, started referring to the new town as Punta Gorda. He later explained that the Spaniards called the area Punta Gorda, and local businesses included Punta gorda within their companies' names.
Less than ten years after the first settlements in the area, railroads rolled into the town of Trabue in June 1886, and with them came the first land developers and Southwest Florida's first batch of tourists. Punta Gorda became the southernmost stop on the Florida Southern Railroad, until an extension was built to Fort Myers in 1904, attracting the industries that propelled its initial growth.
In 1887, twelve years after the first settlers trekked to Charlotte Harbor, 34 met at Hector's Billiard Parlor to discuss incorporation. Once Punta Gorda was officially incorporated, mayoral elections took place and a council was formed. The first mayor, W. H. Simmons, was elected. The new city was renamed Punta Gorda.
Phosphate was discovered on the banks of the Peace River just above Punta Gorda in 1888. Phosphate mined in the Peace River Valley was barged down the Peace River to Punta Gorda and Port Boca Grande, where it was loaded onto vessels for worldwide shipment. In 1896, the Florida Times-Union reported that phosphate mining was Punta Gorda's chief industry and that Punta Gorda was the greatest phosphate shipping point in the world. By 1907, a railroad was built direct to Port Boca Grande, ending the brief phosphate shipping boom from Punta Gorda.
In 1890, the first postmaster, Robert Meacham, an African American, was appointed by Isaac Trabue as a deliberate affront to Kelly B. Harvey and those who had voted to change the name of the town from Trabue to Punta Gorda.
The Punta Gorda Herald was founded by Robert Kirby Seward in 1893 and published weekly during its early years.The newspaper covered such events as rum running, other smuggling activities, and lawlessness in general. It underwent many changes in both ownership and name over time, and today is known as The Charlotte Sun Herald.
Early Punta Gorda greatly resembled the modern social climate of various classes living together and working together. While the regal Punta Gorda Hotel, at one point partly owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt, reflected the upper class, Punta Gorda was a pretty rough town, as most frontier towns were. Punta Gorda's location at the end of the railway line spiked the crime rate, resulting in approximately 40 murders between 1890 and 1904. This included City Marshal John H. Bowman, who was shot and killed in his front parlor on January 29, 1903, in view of his family.
In 1925, a bungalow was built by Joseph Blanchard, an African American sea captain and fisherman. The Blanchard House Museum still stands as a museum, providing education for the history of middle-class African American life in the area.
Punta Gorda in the 20th century still maintained steady growth. Charlotte County was formed in 1921 after DeSoto County was split. Also in 1921, the first bridge was constructed connecting Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor along the brand-new Tamiami Trail. This small bridge was replaced by the original Barron Collier Bridge in 1931, and then by the current Barron Collier Bridge and Gilchrist Bridge crossing the Peace River.
During World War II, a U.S. Army airfield was built in Punta Gorda to train combat air pilots. After the war, the airfield was turned over to Charlotte County.Today the old airfield is the Punta Gorda Airport, providing both commercial and general aviation.
Punta Gorda's next intense growth phase started in 1959 with the creation of a neighborhood of canal-front home sites, Punta Gorda Isles, by a trio of entrepreneurs, Al Johns, Bud Cole and Sam Burchers. They laid out 55 miles of canals 100 feet wide and 17 feet deep using dredged sand to raise the level of the canal front land. This provided dry home sites with access to the Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico. Johns went on to develop several other communities in Punta Gorda, among which were Burnt Store Isles, another waterfront community with golf course, and Seminole Lakes, a golf course community. These communities provided waterfront or golf course homes for retirees with access to a downtown with shopping, restaurants, and parks.
In the early 1980s at the site of the old Maud Street Fishing Docks, a new shopping, restaurant and marina complex, Fishermen's Village, was constructed that continues to be one of Southwest Florida's primary attractions.
In 2004, a major hurricane, Hurricane Charley, moved through Punta Gorda, damaging many buildings, but also creating an opportunity for revitalization of both the historic downtown and the waterfront. During the first part of the twenty-first century, Punta Gorda has continued to grow and improve, adding a new Harborwalk which continues to expand, a linear park which winds through the city, many new restaurants, and neighborhoods.
A replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 5, 2016. The city also features the Whispering Giant statue, a public art sculpture of the face of a Native American man and a Native American woman.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
This and the other one are supposed to be for the Still Life With ... group. I am having trouble deciding which one. It is supposed to be my last in the series of 3. What do you think? This or the one with the white background back ground?
Best viewed large!
Explore, July 24, 2006
Clockwise from top right - Life booklet of index cards bound in leather; green postcard bag; large Midori Traveler's notebook with Blackwing pencil; dark brown Life notebook cover (for books and iPad); Kaweco rollerball pen with leather case; MT washi tape; Traveler's stamp; golden clip from Japan; Faber-Castell Ambition fountain pen in Pearwood
The sad story of Clydeside 2000
McGill’s Buses have repainted their only active double-decker, Enviro 400 J8960 (66XKW) into a heritage livery, proudly proclaiming that the company has been serving Barrhead, Renfrew, Paisley and Glasgow since 1933. That claim needs to be taken with a slight pinch of salt, given that many will know that the current version of McGill’s Buses has only been in existence since 2001.
However, there is indeed some substance behind the statement. The livery of the bus is of the original McGill’s of Barrhead company, founded in 1933 and looks superb on the bus, again proving how good retro liveries look on modern vehicles. This company was sold to Clydeside Buses, formerly Clydeside 2000, in 1997.
Clydeside 2000 was what at one time been the northern operations of Western SMT, part of initially the Scottish Transport Group and later the Scottish Bus Group. Western SMT, through a series of purchases and mergers had grown to be the dominant operator in much of south-west Scotland. It’s operations stretched from over the border into England right up to north of Glasgow. Indeed at one stage it even had operations in Islay and as far north as Oban. It served towns in between including the towns of Ayr, Dumfries, Kilmarnock, Renfrew and Paisley, with services to and from Glasgow as well as services to Edinburgh shared with Eastern Scottish. It also ran many Anglo-Scottish services to towns and cities in England and Wales as well as to Stranraer, for ferry crossings to the six counties of Northern Ireland, it truly was one of the Group’s powerhouses and its black and white coaches as well as red and cream buses were a familiar sight in Scotland.
In 1985, in preparation for deregulation the following year, Western SMT was renamed Western Scottish Omnibuses Limited. This was more complex than it actually seemed, given the company was registered in England due to historical reasons and indeed the company was initially named Western Scottish Limited and some buses actually ran with this legal lettering, only to have that changed to match the other Scottish Bus Group companies. Apparently the wish was for the Group companies to accommodate a description of what they did in their company names, hence the addition of the word omnibus into the names. Although the omnibus name seems somewhat quaint these days….
Later in 1985, Western’s northern operations were hived off as the newly formed Clydeside Scottish Omnibuses Limited, leaving Western with the rest. This was one of several new companies that the Group created to prepare for this brave new deregulated world. Sadly, despite a bold new image and several innovations, including reintroducing crew operations on AEC Routemasters acquired from London Buses, shared ticketing with other Group companies and new cross-city routes shared with Kelvin Scottish, an accounting error surrounding its costs being underestimated. This saw the Clydeside company plunge into heavy losses, on top of sustained competition from Strathclyde’s Buses. This occurred at a critical time for the company, as the Group was heading towards privatisation and a sell-off of its subsidiaries.
It was felt that as a result of this, Clydeside wasn’t in a fit state to be privatised and so it was reunited with Western, with the assumption that the larger company would be a more attractive option rather than the financially stricken Clydeside on its own. However Western’s management were very much in charge of the new combined company and the company swiftly moved to obliterate much of the Clydeside image. It’s Routemasters, which the company had pioneered in Group operations, were swiftly withdrawn, replaced by more - ahem - ‘modern’ one person operated vehicles to reduce staffing costs and buses in Clydeside colours begun to be swiftly repainted in Western’s then current livery. Legal lettering was to be now for Western Scottish’s then Kilmarnock base. However it did retain the Clydeside trading name on Western’s livery for that former company’s operations with the notable exceptions of the depots in Greenock and Largs in Inverclyde as well as Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, which were branded as normal Western vehicles, even though each depot sat on the shores of the River Clyde, for which the Clydeside name was singularly relevant.
These changes under Western ownership were deeply unpopular with the former Clydeside staff and led to much internal strife between the two factions within the company. So, it was eventually agreed that if the management buy-out of Western was successful under Group’s privatisation process, the former Clydeside operations would be immediately sold on to the former remaining Clydeside management and staff as an employee buy-out. The Western management buy-out was successful, although as part of that buy-out Western retained sole operations of Service 4 between Ayr and Glasgow, which had previously been jointly operated between the two companies, and the Rothesay fleet and depot,. This was mainly due to Clydeside not wanting them, as the tendered operations were due to be renewed on Rothesay and it was felt it was too much of a risk for the new fledgling company if the tenders were not successful, as the tendered operations made up a significant part of that depot’s output. In the event, the tenders made under Western were successful but such is hindsight. Greenock and Largs depots would come back to Clydeside too.
So for the princely sum of £1.25 million the Clydeside operations passed to the new Clydeside 2000 company, a price that probably covered a significant part of what Western’s management paid for the combined company. It was an odd name choice but the company began to repaint buses in the former Clydeside colours, albeit laid out slightly differently in a more modern style, and the Clydeside 2000 trading name was adopted for the new company. which had its headquarters within Paisley depot. The purchase was supported with assistance from another company, English based Luton & District, a company which was to play a pivotal later role in the story. That company held a 24% stake in Clydeside 2000.
Like a lot of newly privatised bus companies, Clydeside 2000 struggled. It contracted, closed its depots in Paisley - it’s then head office - and Thornliebank in southern Glasgow as well as it’s sub-depot in Largs. It’s fleet age was poor at an average of 13 years. a legacy of the Group’s freeze on new vehicles purchases in the run up to privatisation. Under the Group, the only brand new buses that Clydeside had received were some Alexander AM-bodied Dodge/Chrysler/Renault S56 minibuses and several Leyland Lions with Alexander RH-bodies. The Lions may seem an odd choice but they were actually built for sister company Kelvin Scottish. Sadly, Kelvin didn’t take them as it had its own significant issues at the time and the buses languished at Alexanders’ premises for a while in Kelvin’s Cumbernauld Express livery for sale with no buyers. In the end, the Group agreed to take them and allocated them to Clydeside, where they proved useful additions on Clydeside’s local express routes, branded as Quicksilver.
Funds for new vehicles were tight and relatively newer vehicles were sold to raise funds to buy more but older vehicles to get by. A good example of this was the sale of all the company’s Dennis Dominators to a Hong Kong based company and its Leyland Lions to operators down south, including Chester City Transport. When vehicles were purchased they tended to be second hand. Or indeed third or fourth hand! An example of this was a batch of Alexander Y-type Leyland Leopards bought from Kelvin Central and Lancaster City Transport, some of which ran in their previous liveries but with Clydeside 2000 fleetnames, particularly confusing when the ex-Kelvin Central ones began to appear on routes in Glasgow….. It suffered from heavy competition, especially in Greenock where in many cases the rule book went out the window. Although it reached a tact understanding with Strathclyde’s Buses that saw competition reduced between the two and services withdrawn. However even after that, it still gave Strathclyde’s Buses a significant foothold in Clydeside 2000’s area. As part of the deal, some Strathclyde’s Buses MCW Metroriders went on extended loan to Clydeside 2000, allowing them to replace earlier mini-buses with better vehicles.
However it’s ever increasing average fleet age was causing apoplexy to the local Traffic Commissioner and eventually the company realised it would have to buy new buses simply to retain an operating licence and it started a tentative fleet renewal. Some Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz mini-buses and Alexander Dash boded Volvo B6s were acquired from local dealer stock. Later, an offer by Strathclyde’s Buses to buy the company was rebuffed - rather oddly given the company’s precarious position - but this left the door open to others as it was clear the company was touting itself as being available. Strathclyde’s Buses then acquired Kelvin Central, removing another potential suitor at a stroke.
Mergers and acquisitions were very much in vogue at the same time as the industry began to form the super-bloc of operators such as Stagecoach and Firstbus. Luton and District was by then owned by British Bus, the smallest of the three super-blocs forming at the time, and in late 1994, it made a successful offer through Luton and District to acquire Clydeside 2000. The offer was accepted and Clydeside 2000 became British Bus’s first - and indeed only - purchase in Scotland.
The new management broom made sweeping changes to Clydeside. The first thing they did was to rename the company to Clydeside Buses Limited. Apparently this was done as the new management saw the fleet name and thought it read Clydeside Zoo! To be fair the fleet did have a few Leopards, Lions and Tigers….a new brighter livery with the addition of white to the yellow and red presented a more positive image. The fleet name became simply Clydeside.
The British Bus era at Clydeside was notable for a rapid modernisation of the fleet. However this was from a company that had a very poor record of fleet renewal towards the companies it owned. So what was different with the Clydeside purchase? Well, apparently the company was told by the authorities that it didn’t improve its fleet it would be shut down by the loss of its licence! So British Bus had no choice but to invest in it. But to be fair, this investment and new livery saw a notable improvement in the overall fleet condition. Under Clydeside Buses it also expanded - of a sort - as it also acquired the original McGill’s of Barrhead business.
However trouble was yet again on the horizon, as parent British Bus had its own issues at the time. This was to do with some irregularities at the company. So it was taken over by the Sunderland based Cowie Group, mainly a car dealer, but through the purchase of such a business had acquired a small coach business in London, Grey-Green. Under Cowie, it has expanded this coach company into London tendered operations and then had purchased two of the London Buses subsidiaries, Leaside Buses and South London, when that was being privatised. Cowie had tried to introduce a corporate livery - of a sort - to its London acquisitions but it struggled to impose this. A fresh bit of thinking was required.
Cowie then decided in 1997 to rename its bus operations as Arriva. Clydeside Buses was renamed as Arriva Scotland West (SW) in 1998 but which traded as Arriva serving Scotland, a name that actually needed Governmental approval. Arriva was to be a national operator with a uniform image and style. If you stepped on an Arriva bus, it would be the same whether it was in Greenock or Guildford.
However Arriva SW had its own issues to deal with and with continued heavy competition in Inverclyde, it cut its losses and sold its Greenock operations in 2001 to some local businessmen there. The vehicle that was used for this was the original McGill’s licence which Arriva SW had kept active but dormant after purchasing the original McGill’s of Barrhead. .And so the company was transplanted down the Clyde Coast as McGill’s Buses.
Through a series of events and misfortunes, Arriva SW remaining operations was ultimately bought by the new McGill’s Buses in a reverse takeover of sorts and so the claim on this bus, a former Alexander Dennis demonstration vehicle, is technically correct as the present company is made up of bits of what was at one stage the original McGill’s of Barrhead, Western SMT, Western Scottish, Arriva SW, Clydeside Scottish, Clydeside Buses and Clydeside 2000. However they saddest part is undoubtedly Clydeside 2000, a company that started with such fresh hopes, contracted and went through such turmoil only to cease to exist barely a few years later.
Currently in Joshua Tree National Park. Loving all the warmth,boulders,sand, and desert quietness. I thought the rocks look like a whale coming out of the water with its tail sticking up as well.
near to far. grey. off white, white, black, navy, blue, green, red, pink, yellow, orange, golden tan, tan, chocolate & Brown. White with red laces enroute :)
Winds bear down on the ocean to create surface currents, seen here swirling off the coast of Florida in this NASA-created image, a still capture from a 4-minute excerpt of "Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth's Climate Engine," a fulldome, high-resolution movie playing at planetariums around the world.
The excerpt explores the fundamental power of the sun and how its energy drives the climate on Earth, and is made up entirely of new visualizations -- created by NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio -- that illustrate NASA satellite and model data of a coronal mass ejection from the sun, Earth's magnetic fields, and winds and ocean currents circulating around our planet.
To see the full, narrated excerpt, go to: youtu.be/ujBi9Ba8hqs
These visualizations were recently accepted to be shown at the SIGGRAPH 2012 computer animation conference. To read more about this, go to:
www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/dynamic-earth.html
The excerpt was also the basis for the 100th story released through the Scientific Visualization Studio's iPad app, called NASA Visualization Explorer. To see the app story in web form and to download the app, go to:
Unfortunately had to call in sick to work as I'm currently getting over the flu. I've had it since Christmas Eve. Was sent home early yesterday and just gave up with trying to struggle through the day today. Decided to go for a quick walk around the block to get some fresh air - there's only SO many hours you can spend in bed.
There are pretty much the only things I have built up right now. I'm reluctant to break up the M200 until I know exactly what I want to build next. I really want to attempt another sniper rifle, preferably a Remington 700, but light bley isn't the ideal colour.
Also, the M4 has undergone yet more changes! The most noticeable are the long ejection port and a new stock. I want to reduce the height of the hand guard area slightly but I can't bring myself to take it apart again just yet.
On the right-hand side you can see a green plate with some tan pieces on it; this is a MOC that I started late last year of a local building. Having never built a building based on a real-life building, progress is slow but I am determined to complete it some time this year, no matter the cost!
Well that's about it! Just lately I've been busy with college work and whatnot so I haven't really been in the building mood, but I'm sure I'll be back soon!
I am currently rowing in the Blake listening to the music of "Music Travel Love", and it just so happened that the song they played fit the scene. This is to all the couples out there, separated by the ocean (or distance), who use SL to live a life together. Carry on !!!! :)
Song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Za4CZVDQg
Slurl "in" the Blake:
Royal National Lifeboat Institution Tamar-class lifeboat 16-06 Frank and Anne Wilkinson.
16-06 is currently part of the relief fleet
Taken with a Nikon D7000
D28881. A popular place to visit is the late Neolithic period stone circles at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, southern England. The site dates back to between 8500 and 7000 BCE but the current stone circles only go back to around 2500 BCE. That’s still four and a half thousand years ago though!
Some of the stones were quarried nearby, but others came from the Presili Hills in south west Wales with others being transported all the way from the north of Scotland - that’s something in the region of 500 miles away!
The stones were arranged to be in alignment with the sunrise on the summer solstice and the sunset on the winter solstice and the horizontal lintel stones were held in place by means of mortise and tenon joints which just goes to show that those early builders were a clever lot!
The history of Stonehenge is far too long and complex to go into here but, as always, all the gen can be found on Wikipedia (where would we be without it?!):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge
It’s a fascinating place and a visit is highly recommended. Thursday, 5th March, 2026. Copyright © Ron Fisher 2026.
All belong to the same faction. The camo on the middle right is a Spetsnaz camo, with my own added twist. It will also go on the right guy. Not sure if I will put it on the legs. The left guys are more desert prepared, so I'm not sure if I should camo them. Knee pads by me.
Soon to be Modern Conflict Standards
-Sphinx
After a brief hiatus, I have been doing some actual building. The RG-99b was one my first MOCs, looking back at photos made me want to revisit it. As for the direction Grey ship has taken, well I have been watching too much Yamato 2199.
I take notes re: the day and doodle before I go to bed. I can do stuff AFTER the fact so maybe I can still do stickers and stuff - just later
I have wanted for some time to photograph the First Driver Training vehicles which are currently a common sight around Gosport and Lee on Solent but was not expecting to do so in these circumstances.
At lunchtime on Thursday 3 August 2017, Alexander ALX300 bodied Volvo B10BLE 62209/W597RFS had broken down on Broom Way, Lee on Solent close to the junction with Cherque Way. Just over an hour after my first picture, no recovery vehicle had reached the site.
200_3_P1020156CE
...in limbo with Canon...DH talking on phone to them now...busy with looking into rental for now. Fingers crossed that all will be well. Hopes up. Back soon...involved with all of this atm.
Taken not long before the big crash yesterday. The camera worked excellently, until it didn't. :)
***LATEST NEWS: Ten days from the time they get it...sooooo...overnight shipping here we come...and probably rental in the meantime...no more buying for my girls...DO hold me to that!
MV St Clare currently sails on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route operated by Wightlink. She was built in Gdańsk in 2001. From her introduction in 2001 until January 2004, St Clare was the longest ship regularly crossing between the Isle of Wight and the British mainland, but was overtaken by Red Funnel's Red Osprey following that vessel's stretching. St Clare can carry 878 passengers and 186 cars across three vehicle decks. All other vessels operating on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route carry 771 passengers and 142 cars.
Her service speed is 13 knots, measuring 5,359 gt, with a length of 86 metres, beam of 18 metres and loaded draught of 2.6 metres. The ship has a double-end design, where the ship can travel in both directions, so that when it arrives, the vehicles are always facing the correct direction for disembarkation so she does not have to turn around before docking. Her four 5-cylinder Wartsila diesel engines have a very distinctive exhaust sound, unfortunatley this does plague the ship with excessive vibration.