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Our hopes for action shots this week were dashed, but hope springs eternal for next week. Here, we're preparing with plenty of rest!
ID
87405
Listing Date
30 December 2005
History
Built in the final decade of the C19 and shown on the 1900 Ordnance Survey.
Exterior
A late-Georgian-style 3-storey 2-window shop and house of cream-painted pebble-dashed front, slate roof and shared roughcast stack to the R. A C20 shop front has plate-glass shop windows, wider to the R, and recessed glazed door in the return of the L-hand window. On the L side is a C20 half-glazed panel door to the house. All ground floor openings are under a deep modern fascia, painted on the L side only. Above are 2-pane horned sash windows on the L side to the 1st and 2nd floors. On the R side is a 2-storey canted oriel window with 4-pane horned sashes, under a hipped roof with finial. The 2nd floor windows are shorter. On the L side is rainwater head dated 1935 (probably originally belonging to the Palace Cinema).
The rear elevation, which is set back on the R side, is rendered and retains 4-pane sash windows.
Reasons for ListingListed for its special architectural interest as a commercial and residential building of definite late C19 character, and for its contribution to the historical townscape.
britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300087405-house-and-yesterye...
The crows dominated. Robins, yellow nuthaches, sparrows and cedar waxwings dashed in when possible to grab a bite. Very hard to capture them.
While I madly dashed across the Mendota Sub chasing this Heritage duo, I was trying to include a CB&Q-era signal bridge to identify that these things were out of place. Unfortunately, BNSF has been decimating those signals and replacing them with Safetrans signals, which look exactly like the ones NS has been installing 'back home'.
There were still a few bridges left in the Chicagoland area, but the severe backlighting would not make such a shot there acceptable.
I finally nabbed the Heritage duo passing under a CB&Q bridge just outside of Galesburg. This signal has since been removed.
On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.
There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was.
Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!
Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.
In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.
“Suppose this is it…” I said as I looked at the address written on the small slip of paper Fluxx had given me ages ago. I then gazed upward at what looked to be a decently sized facility with “Flickr Fighters” printed on a sign above the entrance.
“Must be a typo…”
Shaking off the peculiar wordage I marched inside to find surprisingly few of my colleagues. Hardly any of which I recognized.
This could prove difficult…
“You alright there Count?” A slightly modulated voice spoke behind me.
I quickly whipped around to find a figure clad in silver and purple power armor with a cape similar to my own. I recognized them from the Halloween incident but like most instances, I could not remember their name.
“Ah, Hello there. By chance do you have any idea where we keep the archives?”
“Try the office next to the meeting room.”
“Which is where exactly?”
“Just follow me…” the figure said with a sigh as he marched through the lobby and down the hall.
We reached the office and they walked over to the filing cabinet and attempted to open it only to discover it was locked.
“Allow me.” I said calmly as I pulled out a couple of bobby pins from my pocket. And began picking the lock.
“Why don’t you just carry lock picks?” They asked likely wondering why a gentleman had hairpins on his person.
“Lock picks always raise suspicion… Not to mention I never could get the hang of them…”
With that, a satisfying “click” sounded as I positioned the last pin and opened the drawer.
“Let’s see… ah, here we are.”
I pulled out a large folder filled with sheets of paper containing a photo of each member along with their name, powers, and a summary of their background.
“What is it you’re looking for anyway?”
“I’m looking for heroes with portal generation abilities…” I answered as I flipped through the papers.
“You mean like this?”
With a flick of the wrist, the hero summoned a small purple rift in space-time about the size of a pie pan.
Then something clicked in my cluttered mind and I remembered that the hero in front of me went by the name Rift Runner.
“Well. I feel like an idio-“
Suddenly a fellow in a black tactical suit wearing a bandana over his mouth entered the office.
“What’s going on here?!” Agent Sharp exclaimed.
“Oh bother, time to go!” I said quickly grabbing Rift runner’s shoulder and shifting to a random dimension.
“Youch! Watch it man, that hasn’t fully healed- What the?! Where the heck are we?!” Rift shouted as he looked around clearly startled by our sudden change in location.
I looked around and saw we stood in a room with yellow wallpaper covered in mildew stains, slightly damp foul-smelling carpet and Fluorescent lights that buzzed loudly overhead.
“It appears we have ended up in the realm known only as the backrooms.” I replied as I pocketed the folder.
“Backrooms? Sounds like one of those crazy stories you find online…”
“Well my friend, the multiverse is often a very odd thing. Sometimes one realm’s crazy story is another’s reality… Now, if we just stay put we should return to the realm we came from shortly.”
“Can’t you just shift us back?”
“One does not enter or exit this realm on purpose. Only by accident. If I were to shift now we’d end up in one of the more treacherous levels of this office building of the damned…”
Suddenly a loud howl echoed through the halls causing Fluffenstein to leap out of my pocket and dash off down the hall.
“Oh bugger! Come on! And try to keep up, this place will drive you mad if we get separated!” exclaimed as I pulled out my cutlass and a bottle of almond water before we ran through the endless halls after the cat.
As we searched I explained the Apophis Ra situation to Rift in order to try and maintain our sanity.
“So what does this guy have to do with me?” Rift asked.
“Well, I honestly have no idea what Apophis is capable of. Thus I devised a backup plan utilizing portals just in case- There!”
I pointed as a white blur dashed towards us and clung to the leg of my trousers.
“Easy there mate. You’re safe now.” I said consoling the frightened feline as I picked him up and gently placed him in my coat. Buttoning it to ensure he stayed put.
“I wouldn’t be so sure Count…” Rift said pointing to a pair of shadowy creatures in the distance slowly approaching us.
“Hounds…” I whispered as I passed Rift the bottle of almond water. “Here, start backing up slowly and If they turn hostile douse them with this.”
Rift nodded and we began to walk backwards. The creatures slowly picking up speed and their appearance becoming clearer as they got closer. Revealing not the canine shape they had at a distance but that of distorted and tangled humanoids walking on all fours with unnatural movements. With a loud snarl, the creatures began rapidly scuttling towards us. I quickly raised my sword and prepared to strike the beast in front as it lunged towards me when suddenly a pair of purple vortexes opened in front of the first creature and above the other as the first tumbled in and sank its claws into the other’s back causing a fight to break out between them. I turned to my companion to see he had his hand raised and was breathing heavy as though he had just had quite a workout.
“Quick Mate, the water!” I exclaimed.
Rift tossed me the bottle and I ripped off the cap frantically before splashing the liquid onto the beasts causing them to scream in pain as it burned their shadowy hide.
I then began shouting and swinging my sword as I walked towards them and the creatures scrambled back down the hall they came from.
“Haha! That’s it ya yella bellied beasties! Run back to the void where ya belong!” I shouted as I pocketed my weapon and turned back to my companion.
“Exceptional work my friend!” I said as I went to pat Rift on the shoulder but caught myself before I made the mistake.
“What even were those things?!”
“Most refer to them as the Hounds of Tindalos after one of Lovecraft’s abominations.” I explained. “Now then, what say we find a way out of this wretched place before Cuthulhu shows up…”
“Should I take that last statement a joke or an actual concern?”
“Best to take it as both mate…” I replied with a laugh. “Best to take it as both.”
After a bit more walking we turned a corner to find the hallway opened into a desert landscape filled with mesquite bushes and cacti.
“Ah, an exit!” I stated as we walked into the “room” only for the hallway to vanish once we turned around.
“Now. Let’s find out where we are…” I said as I began pulling out my navigational equipment. Compass, spyglass, sextant and the like.
“Hold on Capt Sparrow.” Rift said likely referencing something. “Let me handle this.”
Rift then pulled out a smartphone and opened up some sort of map on it.
“Looks like we’re just outside Laredo. Just a quick jump and we’ll be back in Advent City.”
Rift opened a portal under our feet and we disappeared through it and landed in the lounge room of the Flickr Fighters Headquarters. Rift landing on a chair while I crashed backwards into the coffee table.
“Sorry about that Count. I’m used to traveling alone.”
“That’s understandable. Most Vampire hunters choose to be lone wolves…” I said as I picked myself up and let the cat out of my coat before I sat down on the couch.
“Vampire hunter? What are you talking about?”
“Your cape, it’s a trophy from a vampire hunt correct?” I asked. “Got mine after a fight with Dracula last centur- er, a few years ago.”
Rift shook his head.
“I Just thought the cape looked cool and the guys back at HQ whipped this one up for me.” Rift explained. “It helps with gliding and deflects heat and ice rays.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at Rift’s description.
“Fancy. But I’ll stick with being able to say I pulled mine out of the dust pile that was once a legendary strigoi.”
Just then our discussion was interrupted by the lights flickering out and then on again to reveal the sudden and dramatic arrival of agent sharp.
“The folder. Hand it over.” He said sternly.
I sighed as I pulled out the file and tossed it onto the coffee table. (Which was now cracked down the center and was being held up by only three legs.)
“Anything else officer?” I asked mocking Sharp’s serious tone.
“Yes. You’ve yet to show up at any of the group training sessions or any of the meetings…”
“In my defense, I wasn’t aware either of those were things.”
“I figured as much.” Sharp said shifting to a somewhat softer tone as he picked up the file. “According to Fluxx you only knew about Gravestein last Thursday because he happened to say something to you.”
“Hey, I was at the warehouse wasn’t I? What’s the big deal?”
“The point I’m getting at is the Flickr fighters rely upon communication between heroes. And we can’t function properly if one of them doesn’t even have a phone.”
“I’ll have you know I have two excellent telephones.” I said pulling one out of my pocket. “Why this one even has one of those newfangled rotary dial setups.”
“Man, I didn’t know they still made these…” Rift said as he picked up one of my phones and fiddled with the dial. “And how exactly are we supposed to send you messages on these?”
“Well, I figured we could set up a party line. Telephones still have that right?”
“No Count, they do not.” Sharp said with a sigh. “Look, you have access to a multiverse full of tech. Just find a smartphone you like and then get someone more technologically inclined to connect it to HQ’s network for you.”
“Not to mention you’ll have access to the group files and don’t have to raid the office.” Rift said passing the phone back to me.
As I stuck the phone into my pocket I noticed a sneaky look in Sharp’s eyes as a smirk came across his face.
“Which reminds me, which of you left a hairpin jammed into the lock on the cabinet?”
“He did it.” Rift said quickly slipping through a portal before I had a chance to pull him down with me.
“Well. I believe some extra time in the training room will be suitable consequences. I’ll see you at 0500 tomorrow morning for your first session.”
Sharp then exited the room and once he was a good distance away Rift appeared through a portal and landed back in his seat.
“Sorry man, I survived one training session with him, I don’t know if I’d last through another.”
“Quite alright ol’ chap. But you better not let me down tonight.”
“No prob. I’ll meet you at the museum ’round eleven. This should be interesting…”
That evening…
I walked around the museum half shifted to avoid detection. Looking at the exhibits to pass the time as I waited for either Rift or Apophis to arrive.
I couldn’t help but notice the differences in this dimension’s history I wasn’t aware of. The Sphinx not having a nose, three pyramids at Giza instead of four. But oddest exhibit of all was in the American history exhibit. A playbill from the Ford theatre’s production of “Our American Cousin.” Perhaps this realm’s version of the event went differently than I had learned. If Lincoln hadn’t bent down to retrieve his wife’s handkerchief Booth’s scheme could have easily succeeded.
“Excuse me, sir.” The night guard said rounding the corner and walking towards me. “I’m gonna have to ask you to le- GAH!”
The guard screamed and frantically drew his weapon as he saw the beam of his flashlight hit the wall behind me.
“Ah, Sorry my good fellow.” I said shifting back to where I was no longer translucent and held up my ITF badge. I’m an agent from the Interdimensional Task Force. I’m here to investigate a potential robbery.”
“Interdimensonal? Look, kid, I have no idea what the heck you are or what you’re doin’ here and I honestly don’t care. Now come along-“
Suddenly a portal opened under the guard and he disappeared through it.
“Gotten in trouble with the cops already?.” Rift said as he walked up behind me.
“So it would seem… The ITF must not be very well known in this realm.”
I then noticed rift was holding a cloth knapsack and something in it was moving.
“um, what’s in the bag?”
“your cat.” Rift said shoving the bag in my face. “you left them at HQ. Thought you might need them for whatever plan you have.”
I hadn’t thought of that… If Apophis’ is fascinated with the Egyptian religion then Fluffenstein could be a valuable weapon.
Genius idea mate! Just like The Battle of Pelusium!”
“The what?”
“During the first Persian conquest of Egypt, Cambyses II’s troops painted cat faces on their shields and placed dogs, sheep, cats, ibises and whatever other animals the Egyptians held sacred onto the front lines. Thus, the Egyptians surrendered at once instead of facing the ‘cat army.'”
“Huh, neat… But last time I checked two guys and a cat aren’t an army…”
“What we need is not an army, but a lookout.” I answered. “Follow me into the Egyptian exhibit.
We walked down the hall a ways until we came to a room filled with ancient Egyptian artifacts. Or rather, what the people of this dimension assume to be Egyptian.
“See that camera up there?” I said gesturing to the security device above us in the corner of the room.
“Lemme guess. you want me to head up to the security room and keep an eye on the cameras while you wait here for Apophis”
“You catch on quickly my friend.” I said with a grin. “When he gets here focus on the Egyptian exhibit’s camera and whenever you see me tip my hat open a rift under Apophis into that sarcophagus over there.”
“You got it Count.”
Rift gave me a quick salute before opening a rift behind him and disappearing through it.
“Well Fluffenstein.” I said pulling the kitten from the bag. “I hope that Antiquitus has the same superstitions as Third Dynasty Egypt.”
Around thirty minutes had passed and I had shifted in an armchair from my lair and was beginning to doze off in it whilst stroking Fluffenstein. Something about petting a small furry creature always puts one’s mind at ease.
Suddenly the lights in the room turned on and then began flickering rhythmically as an electronic noise began echoing around me.
I quickly stood up and shifted the chair away to my lair and tucked Fluffenstein behind my back under my cape.
Wait a minute, that noise, is that, music?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Cbb0AyhBU
Suddenly a cloud of blue smoke appeared and Apophis Ra stepped through it holding an ankh staff in one hand and a strange obsidian tablet in the other.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen…” The Cultist said in a semi-robotic voice. “Apophis Ra here coming at you live with a crossover I have been waiting dynasties to make! Here he is, the menace of the multiverse, Bane of Anubis, Count Dimensio!”
“Bane of Anubis? That’s a new one…” I joked trying to mask my confusion as Apophis held the tablet up towards me.
“Oh yeah, my dude! That ol’ doggo is ticked with you. What with your tomb raiding and all. Right folks?”
“Who the devil are you talking to?!”
I exclaimed in frustration as I scanned the room. “What manner of multidimensional demons have you brought here?”
“Chill, I’m just vloggin dude, Gotta keep them followers posted on my conquest of the multiverse.”
“Well, I’m afraid your cult’s quest ends here…” I said drawing my sword.
“I wouldn’t be so sure…” Apophis replied as he set his device on top of a nearby crate and held up his staff with both hands. “BEHOLD THE POWER OF APOPHIS RA!”
As he tapped the end of his staff on the floor a loud hissing erupted from the walls and hundreds of vipers began pouring out of the cracks and formed a defensive ring around their master.
“Impressive eh? Go ahead my man, try and strike me!” Apophis taunted
“With pleasure…” I said tipping my hat.
On cue, a rift opened under Apophis and he fell into the sealed sarcophagus in the corner.
Before a larger rift opened and the vipers fell into it.
“Well, that was easy.” Rift said as he appeared beside me.
“Indeed, I didn’t even have to use the-“
Suddenly I was cut off by the sound of a laser blast and the lid of the sarcophagus shattering and flying across the room.
“HEY! Not cool dude!” Apophis shouted as he lept out of the casket. “You totally messed up the vibe I had going!”
“Never mind…” I said with a sigh as I dodged a blast from the arch of Apophis’ staff.
“Did he just say vibe? I thought you said he was a Cultist.” Rift asked as we ducked behind a display case whilst Apophis was firing his staff and swinging it around like a maniac whilst doing some kind of strange dance. “He looks more like one of those annoying internet celebrities…”
“I’m certain, he even has a magic tablet that he uses to keep his followers updated on the fight.”
“Tablet huh. Where?”
I pointed out the strange device to Rift and he opened a portal under it causing it to fall right into his hands.
“Uh, Count? this is just a smartphone.” Rift explained looking the device over. “albeit a rather strange looking one. I mean it looks like he’s live-streaming the fight on some kind of youtube style site but the text is all in caps and some kind of weird language.”
“All in capitals? Hand me that…”
I took the phone and sure enough, it was filming us right that moment and many different people were posting messages beside the video in what appeared to be Latin. Or at least a variant of it.
“Hmm, I believe you’re right… it does appear to be an internet-like system..”
“Hey, I have an idea.” RIft whispered. “If his internet is anything like ours I know something that just might give us an advantage.”
“Hey! You fellas comin’ out or am I gonna have to disappoint all my followers?” Apophis asked mockingly before smiling towards where his phone had been and noticing it wasn’t there.
“What the- WHO STOLE MY EYE-PHONE?”
“You mean this?” I taunted as I shifted through the display and walked into the center of the room. “Sorry ‘dude’ but I just had a talk with your followers they think this fight is missing something.”
“Oh yeah? And what do my loyal legion of fans what to see?”
“BEHOLD! THE SLAYER OF RODENTS, DESTROYER OF HOUSEPLANTS! FLUFFENSTEIN!!!” I exclaimed pulling the cat out and holding him in view of the phone’s camera.
“GAH! GET THAT BASTET SPAWN AWAY FROM ME!!” Apophis screamed as he stumbled backward.
“Well now, An Egyptian who’s afraid of cats? Now I’ve seen everything…” I said with a laugh.
“I’m n-not afraid of th-them I’m just Aler- aah, Aah, ACHOO!!”
Apophis then entered a sneezing fit and dropped his staff in the process. which rift quickly snatched up with a portal.
“Allergic?” Rift said with an obvious chuckle in his voice he was trying to hide.
“Yeah…” Apophis answered with a sniffle, reaching for his staff and fumbling around with watery eyes.
“Well, It appears we have the upper-hand here Apophis… Perhaps you better come along peacefully before we have to take you to a hospital…”
“Sure man, ACHOO! J-just get that thing away from me…”
a short while later we had Apophis in cuffs and we had just finished dropping off Fluffenstein at my lair with Jack.
“Right, So I assume you’ll take it from here?” Rift asked.
“I can, but I’d prefer if I had someone else with me. helps keep the cops from getting suspicious if I have a hero with me…”
“But I thought you work for some top-secret Men in black style organization?”
Men In Black? Good heavens no. It’s just the inter-dimensional police. Not the CIA. Now come on…”
I grabbed Rift and Apophis’ shoulders and shifted into the large front lobby of the police station.
marble pillars lining the walls, royal blue carpeting, and a large wooden desk in the center.
“Well look what we got here.” The red-haired woman at the desk stated. “Chief said you’d be comin’ in with a convict but I didn’t expect you to bring in two.”
“Uh, No Miss Lana. This is Rift Runner, He’s part of the hero team I joined.”
Lana raised an eyebrow suspiciously as she looked Rift over.
“If you say so sugar. leave Apophis with Charlie and then head on back to the chief’s office. I’ll let her know Y’all are here…”
“Thank you, ma’am. Come on Rift.”
I walked towards what must have seemed like a wall to Rift and apophis until we stepped through it and into the prisoner processing center.
“So this is where you guys lock up the crooks?” Rift asked.
“No, this is just where we throw the book at em, and that fellow over there is our head book thrower. How’s it going, Charlie?”
The tall gawky looking man jolted up in his seat and straightened his uniform only to sigh once he turned his desk chair around to find me.
“Oh, It’s just you. I thought it was somebody important.” Charlie said with a yawn. “Just stick the perp in cell seven while I work out the papers…”
“Cell seven? Well now, You’re a lucky man Apophis.” I joked. “You get to stay in my old room.”
Apophis merely rolled his eyes as rift shoved him down the hall and into the cell with a seven above it.
“Right, You have a good evening Charlie, I’ll fill out any paperwork later. Gotta go see chief.”
“HEY! you still haven’t turned those papers from-“
I quickly grabbed Rift and shifted to the Cheif’s office door before Charlie could finish.
“Sorry about that Rift, I can’t stand paperwork…”
“Tell me about it. you wouldn’t believe how many reports Sharp has us fill out when we capture a villain…”
“You’re preaching to the choir mate. Preaching to the choir…”I said with a grin as I knocked on the door.
“Enter…” The Chief replied from inside.
I opened the door to see Chief Cahill standing at the window behind her desk. gazing out at the futuristic skyline of Capitus Prime.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Chief asked as she turned around and sat down at her desk and turned on the banker’s lamp that sat on it.
“I always prefered the look of Capitus Delta.” I replied.
“Of course you would. Have a seat Jones, You too Monteleone.”
“HOW DID YOU KNOW-“
“Your Name? Oh relax, I know more about you flickr fighters than Sharp! why else would I have sent Jones here to Advent city to serve his parole.”
“Well, just don’t tell anybody alright? I prefer to keep my secret identity.”
“Of course, My lips are sealed…” Chief replied with a locking motion over her lips. “Now then, tell me everything that happened…”
:-) This is an example how risky a photo graphers life can be. I was focused on the sunrise - and out of nowhere this shoking wave dashed on the beach. I´m really happy nobody was hurt.
I dashed outside, barefooted and in shorts, as soon as I saw the potential of this glancing light. My wife is convinced that I am losing my senses!
Walking along the promenade I looked down at the beach and saw a guy coming out of the sea and walking towards the path. I watched and thought what a great stranger he'd make. I hesitated and then plucked up the courage to go and speak to him about the strangers project. I dashed down the stairs to the beach and just caught his attention before he went into a building. I started to tell him about the project and what I was doing when he said "no problems, I'm a photographer and I'm used to asking people if I can take their photo's". I cannot believe I asked a professional photographer if I could take his portrait! Meet Kevin or lomokev his Flickr name. There was no need for me to ask him questions about himself as I could have checked it all out on Flickr: www.flickr.com/people/lomokev/
Kev has been a member of the Brighton Swimming Club since about 2003. The building I saw him going into was the clubs arches premises and their pool is the sea around the pier in all weathers. Brave man! The club is the oldest swimming club in England and has been going since 1860.
Kev and I talked about his photography and he said he'd gone to college to study Art and they gave him a list of items they needed, one of which was an SLR camera. He's not looked back since then.
We talked about the light and the best settings and I took a few shots blurring the background and a few with the pier and the lifeboat clearly in the background. I've chosen this one because, for me, it sets the scene perfectly. After all we are in Brighton.
Thank you Kev. Your portrait definitely stands out in my 100 strangers project. Hope you like it ;-}}
Check out the rest of the stranger portraits in my project at Chris's 100 Strangers Project:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_marina/sets/72157644764299551/
And find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page: www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
Spotted him through the window whilst making our evening meal, dashed out of the back door and he posed for me.
Nearly burnt the tea!
One of two images. We are having bizarre weather for January, here in Troy, New York, USA, January 10, 2016. It's a gray, drizzly day with temps in the mid-50s F. At about 4:30 pm, the skies opened &, for about 15 minutes, we had a severe thunderstorm, complete with heavy rain & wind! As it passed, I looked out my apartment window on lurid, yellow sunshine, highlighting the trees against the gathering gloom of dusk & revealing a full rainbow! Naturally, I dashed for my shoes & camera & out the door I went! It was lovely to behold! Not until I looked at the images on my computer did I notice the dimmer second bow to the right of the first!
The Myth.
Daughter of Minos, king of Crete, and Pasiphae. She married Theseus, king of Athens, and bore him two sons, Acamas and Demophon. At the core of her legend is her relationship with her stepson Hippolytus, Theseus’ son by the Amazon Antiope (or Hippolyte). In what seems to have been the traditional story told by Apollodorus (Epit. I, 18-19), “Phaedra, after she had borne two children, Acamas and Demophon, to Theseus, fell in love with the son he had by the Amazon, to wit, Hippolytus, and besought him to lie with her. Howbeit, he fled from her embraces, because he hated all women. But Phaedra, fearing that he might accuse her to his father, cleft open the doors of her bed-chamber, rent her garments, and falsely charged Hippolytus with an assault. Theseus believed her and prayed to Poseidon that Hippolytus might perish. So, when Hippolytus was riding in his chariot and driving beside the sea, Poseidon sent up a bull from the surf, and the horses were frightened, the chariot dashed in pieces, and Hippolytus, entangled in the reins, was dragged to death. And when her passion was made public, Phaedra hanged herself.” (Sir James George Frazer, Ed)
Phaedra was the subject of at least three Attic tragedies, two by Euripides entitled Hippolytus and a Phaedra by Sophocles. According to Euripides’ second and extant Hippolytus (428 BC), Phaedra is the innocent victim of the struggle between divine powers, and the plain story of Apollodorus is treated with great psychological refinement. Phaedra is a virtuous woman and has been made to fall in love by Aphrodite, who is getting her revenge on Hippolytus, the chaste follower of Artemis, for ignoring her worship. Phaedra, ashamed of this dishonorable love, has struggled to conquer her passion in silence – but to no avail, and so now she is trying to starve herself to death. Her nurse, alarmed because of her obvious illness, worms her secret out of her; and it is the nurse, anxious to ease her mistress’ sufferings, who reveals her love to Hippolytus.
He responds to these well-meant overtures with bitter rage against women in general and Phaedra in particular, and she, afraid that he will tell everything to Theseus, writes a letter to her husband accusing Hippolytus of rape, a slander designed to protect her children from a disgrace they do not deserve. “This day I shall die” she says, “and bring pleasure to Aphrodite, my destroyer. I shall be the victim of a bitter love. But there is another whom I will hurt in dying ….” Then she hangs herself from the rafters. Theseus returns to find his wife dead, to read the letter, and to curse Hippolytus to death by the bull from the sea.
Source: Jennifer R. March. “Dictionary of Classical Mythology”.
The Sarcophagus.
The unhappy love of Phaedra towards Hippolytus was carved several times on Roman sarcophagi. The sculptors represented this myth in two variants, both organized into two panels. The scene carved on the leftmost panel is always the same. It represents the main characters in their house: Phaedra with her nurse surrounded by some handmaids, and Hippolytus ready for the hunt. The two versions differ for the subject carved on the rightmost panel. This sarcophagus is an example of the first variant in which the heroic scene of wild boar hunting follows the domestic scene.
In more recent time the hunting scene is been substituted with a scene involving other characters and temporally and geographically distant from the previous one: the arrival of the delegation sent to Athens to inform Theseus about the death of his son Hippolytus, (2nd variant dating from 2nd half of III cent. AD.)
An archway divides the front panel of the sarcophagus into two halves. At the far left of the frieze sits the richly dressed Phaedra on a sumptuous throne, the arm-rests of which are supported on a sphinx. Overcome by her longing for her handsome stepson, she has turned her head towards a female servant standing behind her; to her right another servant props her chin in her hand, either listening or thinking. The lovesick heroine is portrayed as a respectable and desirable woman of high social standing: a length of her cloak lies over the head on which she wears a diadem, her robe slips Venus—like from her shoulder, and in her right hand she holds a hand garland. The miniature Amor-Psyche group before Phaedra’s throne, and the cupid leaning on a torch at her feet, represent her desire for Hippolytus, who is preparing to depart for the hunt. He holds a spear or lance in his left hand and wears only a chlamys, and stands in front of a temple, doubtless that of Artemis, while his horse beside him paws the ground impatiently. His perfect heroic body, presented frontally to the viewer, contrasts effectively with the flaccid, wrinkled skin of the old nurse next to him. She is holding out her left hand in entreaty or supplication, and has brought her right hand to her mouth in an ambiguous gesture. Two servants accompany Hippolytus: an older man with a beard, of whom only the head is visible next to the tip of the hero's lance, and a younger one, with ‘barbarian‘ features, who carries a throwing-spear over his left shoulder and takes charge of two valuable hunting-dogs.
Beyond the wall limiting the domestic ambience, in the right half of the frieze, Hippolytus is engaged in his favorite activity: the hunting. Riding his horse, he is about to throw his spear against a wild boar suddenly came out from the trees. One of his dogs has already bitten a leg of the beast. Hippolytus is accompanied by a man riding beside him, and by a woman dressed as an Amazon. She is raising her arms to support and urge the hunter. This female character is “Virtus”, the goddess who personifies the value and the strength of the warrior.
The sarcophagus dating from the early 3rd century AD was found in subterranean tomb located along the Via Latina near Rome. Many sarcophagi were here found. Among these, the remarkable Adonis’ sarcophagus preserved at the Vatican Museums and describing the myth of awesome Adonis and Aphrodite.
Source: Zanker P. & Ewald BC., “Vivere con i Miti. L’iconografia dei sarcogagi Romani”
Marble sarcophagus
Ca. 210 AD
Vatican City State, Vatican Museums, Museo Gregoriano Profano
Are There No Mercies Which You Have Experienced?
"I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us." [Isaiah 63:7]
Then why can you not to do this? Are there no mercies which you have experienced? What, though you are gloomy now, can you forget that blessed hour when Jesus met you, and said, “Come to me”? [Matthew 11:28] Can you not remember that rapturous moment when he snapped your fetters, dashed you chains to the earth, and said, “I came to break your bonds and set you free”? Or if the love of your espousals be forgotten, there must surely be some precious milestone along the road of life not quite grown over with moss, on which you can read a happy memorial of his mercy towards you? What, did you never have a sickness like that which you are suffering now, and did He not restore you? Wert you never poor before, and did He not supply your wants? Was you never in straits before, and did He not deliver you? Arise, go to the river of your experience, and pull up a few bulrushes, and plait them into an ark, wherein your infant, faith; may float safely on the stream. Forget not what your God has done for you; turn over the book of your remembrance, and consider the days of old. Can you not remember the hill Mizar? [Psalm 42:6] Did the Lord never meet with you at Hermon? Have you never climbed the Delectable Mountains? Have you never been helped in time of need? No, I know you have. Go back, then, a little way to the choice mercies of yesterday, and though all may be dark now, light up the lamps of the past, they shall glitter through the darkness, and you shall trust in the Lord till the day break and the shadows flee away. “Remember, O Lord, your tender mercies and your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old.” [Psalm 25:6] Hallelujah God bless
not the greatest size disparity among spiderkind, but he was still very nervous - very difficult to photograph the closer approaches, as he dashed in and out very quickly - motion blur at 1250/s - 1/320s - plus the shaking of the webs make her vibrate as well - took quite a few shots - though I'm not sure he ever achieved his objective of sticking the pedipalp in - but maybe just too quick for me :)
#rd Level Diagram
Dashed dark graphite lines are 36 ft clear span beams in floor of 3rd level (T between 2 & 5 and B-1 between 2 & 5). An error occurs in the drawing as the beam at 'T' should be aligned with the exposed stone wall of the exterior to the east.
Dashed blue lines indicate the 3rd level roof line. The ceiling height is uniform across the gallery and into the bedroom, but drops down over the fireplace and EKjr's desk.
The planting box on the terrace is a clerestory to the guest bathroom below - the only room in the entire house not to have glass on at least one of the four walls.
Now it's time to start on the sections.
My first attempt of a startrail. Got this dashed line instead of a straight line because of a 30s gap between shots. You can see a few airplanes crossing the sky and the lights of some cars driving by the valley on the lower right.
There were only two photographers left at Tunnel View after twilight when the other guy told me he was gonna try to do a startrail, so I followed him until I run out my last battery. Had I more spare batteries, I would have waited for the Milky Way. Maybe next time...
I used my old manual focus Pentax M 50mm f.17 for its wide aperture and infinity focus.
Yosemite National Park, Californa, USA
Pentax K-5 II + smc Pentax M 50mm f1.7
31 shots @ 30s f1.7 ISO400
On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.
There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was.
Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!
Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.
In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.
Funny story this one, I spotted a fly on my windowsill yesterday and ran inside (as we mad macro photographer types do) and grabbed the camera.
Dashed back outside quickly making adjustments to the f/stop and flash settings , approached the fly .... bzzzzzzzz off it went... BUGGER IT!
I looked all around the area it had flown to ... no seeing it anywhere. Went inside called it a day.
3 Hours later I went to make myself a drink in the kitchen..... yes the fly had flown into my house and was there all along!
Took the opportunity to golden syrup a piece of paper and take a few shots on a white background. Flash and 2 ping pong ball diffused Ikea lamps used as light source
We dashed over to the darkside of the Pennines today along the M62, where people have been known to lose years of their lives due to a single flake of snow landing.
The roads were pretty hard going with fog, snow, and ice covering a lot of the ground for the first hour but thankfully we arrived without incident and was able to give my mum a surprise for her birthday.
I was the passenger before anyone starts panicking about me taking photos and driving.
I purposefully made the ship with the ability to break in half so I could get the farther sunk shot. This is probably my first pirate MOC... I just might have to do a few more!
“Sir! She’s sprung a leak!” The first mate dashed into the pirate Captain’s cabin, flushed and out of breath.
The Captain raised a scowling face. “Man the pumps then! You know what to do!”
“This is no ordinary leak, sir. She’s going fast!”
“Whad’ya mean, she’s goin’?” The Captain followed the words with a string of curses and then nearly bowled his mate over as he rushed topside. “All hands on deck! Man the pumps! Full force!” The next instant he was down in the hull with the mate beside him, pointing out the leak. The Captain’s face twisted in rage. “Who did that? That’s no leak. We’ve been scuttled! Who had the last watch?”
The mate shifted uneasily. Water poured in, soaking both men’s boots, but neither seemed to notice. At last he muttered, “Billy was at the tiller.”
“Billy?! That good for nothin’… Lazy – I’ll make him pay! Probably did it a purpose – wants us all ta drown!”
The mate was about to reply, but instead he ejaculated, “Good heavens! We’re sinking!” The words ended in a kind of scream. For the water was now rushing furiously in, threatening to sweep both off their feet.
“Shut your mouth!” the Captain spat, climbing topside again and ignoring his dripping garments.
At that moment the ship tilted violently, sending both men along with several other pirates into the scuttles. Billy fell too, slamming into the Captain.
“You! – You did this!” The Captain grabbed the unfortunate cabin boy by the neck.
Billy shuddered, turning terrified eyes to the Captain’s ferocious look.
“Well?! Answer me!”
With sudden boldness the boy spoke up. “I did do it.”
“Treason! Mutiny! You’ll pay for this!”
“Of course he will,” the mate grumbled. “We’re all goin’ to the bottom!”
“I’ll make sure Billy gets there first!” the Captain exclaimed, uttering a fearful oath.
Another lurch of the ship freed Billy from the Captain’s grasp for a second and he scrambled to his feet, desperately climbing toward the prow which was now pointing to the sky.
Cries and shouts resounded through the ship, which had now begun to sink in earnest. And yet for all their desperate plight, the pirates only quarreled and fought with each other, all eager to prolong their miserable lives by as many minutes as they could, even if it meant sending another to his death. The more reckless dove into the rum supply, determined to drown in drink for the last few minutes before they really drowned. Slowly the ship sank lower and lower, and now many of the pirates, forced to realize their plight, screamed in terror. Those who had sent so many to their deaths were unwilling to go themselves.
Above deck the Captain pulled himself aft by main force, practically tearing the boards, almost foaming at the mouth in his impotent rage. Billy clung to the bowsprit, unsure whether to face the Captain’s fury or spring overboard at once. He shuddered as he looked down into the water, and, opening his clasp knife, resolved to defend himself.
Ropes and bits of iron slid down the decks along with other miscellany. The Captain lost his hold – caught it again – and in desperation, pulled out his pistol.
Billy shuddered and tried to shrink into as small a target as possible.
The next instant a heavy sack smashed into the Captain’s legs and with a terrible cry he crashed headlong into the churning water.
And now the ship had almost completely sunk, and Billy was left alone. A sudden silence – an eerie silence – succeeded the fearful shouts. Billy climbed farther up the bowsprit until he was perched as high atop it as possible.
He had done it, and he thought his own life was a small price to pay for the blessing of ridding the sea of such a scourge. But other thoughts came to him in those moments that seemed like a life time as he straddled the rough timber, knife still in hand. After all, the quick, almost painless death to which he had sent his comrades seemed a poor repayment for their actions. They would have died, eventually, anyways – he had only hastened it by a year or two – and was that all? For all their villainy, for all their injustice, for having taken him, still a little child, and made him virtually their slave, dragging him through unspeakable horror? …hate surged through him, and he half cursed himself for taking such a poor and flavorless vengeance.
Then he thought of the deeds he himself had taken pleasure in doing, and loathed himself as heartily as any of his companions.
Was this all life had? Was there no real justice? The thought was intolerable to him. Far better to stand condemned, as he knew he would be, then to think that in the end, wrong would win.
But perhaps… perhaps… could mercy be found? Even for him?
The still, silent waters closed over the pirate ship, leaving no trace.
On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.
There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was.
Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!
Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.
In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.
April 16, 2025.
Moores Creek National Battlefield; commemorates the 1776 victory of a thousand patriots over about eight hundred loyalists at Moore's Creek. The battle dashed the hopes of British provincial governor Josiah Martin for regaining control of North Carolina for the Crown. The loyalist defeat simultaneously ended British plans for an invasionary force to land in Brunswick Town.
This image shows a region of Mars known as Arcadia Planitia in wider context.
The dashed inset box indicates the Arcadia Planitia region. The area outlined by the larger solid white box within the dashed inset indicates the area imaged by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) aboard ESA’s Mars Express orbiter on 10 November 2024 (orbit 26333). The smaller white box shows the part of the surface featured in this new image release.
[Image description: A colour-coded topographic map of Mars, showing the elevation differences across the planet's surface. The globe of Mars is depicted with various regions highlighted in different colours: blue and green for lower elevations, and yellow and red for higher elevations. Notable features are labeled, including 'Olympus Mons' and 'Tharsis volcanoes', both located in high-elevation red areas. The 'North pole' is indicated at the top of the globe. An inset map on the left shows a zoomed-in region labelled 'Arcadia Planitia'. The inset also marks an area as 'HRSC orbit 26333'. A colour bar at the bottom left indicates elevation from -9 km (dark blue) to 21 km (white).]
Credits: Labeled infographic: ESA; background image of Mars: NASA/USGS, ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; inset image: NASA/MGS/MOLA Science Team
But after wasting several hours of the salespeople time, he told them he forgot his wallet…and has no money or pockets…He then dashed around the Apple Store, making faces at babies, waving his arms, and doing flips…He suddenly STOPPED! …And MOTIONED everybody to keep QUIET!…AND without warning...the old fool lifted his ass bone and commence to FARTING "YANKEE DOODLE" and laughing his ass off…
That's when, The FBI, a SWAT team and several UNDERTAKERS was called in to calm him down and he was driven away under armed escort out the store.
Needless to say, both HE and INNOCENT ME!…Have since been banned globally "forever" from entering any Apple Store or using any Apple products...True Story!
Thanks A Lot Skeleton Man!…Now I got to go back to using a PC…"YOU DIRT BAG"
Please hit "L" for a -far- better view
On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.
There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was.
Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!
Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.
In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.
For Window Wednesdays. The owner of the van that these two boxer dogs were in, was delivering something to my neighbour so I dashed out with my camera to get a quick snap...just in time as the driver was just leaving but he very kindly waited for me to take the photo.
Having dashed our hopes of taking a train out 45034 is leaving, light engine, the loco was being driven from the 'wrong' end and would head back towards Bescot. The photograph was taken from Bull Street, 12/12/1983
45034 was built as D42 at Derby works and put into traffic 19/08/1961, it lasted until 01/07/1987 when it was withdrawn and it was cut at M.C. Metals (Springburn) 01/05/1992
Copyright Geoff Dowling; all rights reserved
Dashed out to the Black Rabbit yesterday afternoon to catch the falling of the sun behind Arundel castle . The Arun is very full at the moment making for a great reflection
I was watching a Twenty20 cricket match* on TV and noticed the sky was really starting to show some form - dashed outside and was presented with this amazing sight. Fired off 17 shots from the street outside our house. Looked painted and quite Turneresque I thought. Hope you enjoy it. Could become my next desktop image. (Made it to Explore. Thank you.)
* Our local South Australian 'Redbacks' were playing the New South Wales 'Blues' in the final and I'm pleased to say we had a very impressive win. Silverware at last.
PS Our team is named after the Australian Redback Spider, a close relation to the Black Widow but their venom is not quite as deadly. There are about 250 cases per year where people are bitten and need antivenom, oh, and only the female bite is dangerous. Now, where have I heard that before :-)
Night Sky, Adelaide, South Australia
THE STORY.
The frozen gales and salty air blasted against Sir Angus's face as he sailed over the rolling, foamy swells in the seemingly never-ending, icy ocean.
He stared forward, motionless, with his mind racing far away, focused on the horrible tidings he had heard. Not two days ago, on his furlough in the far South of Garheim,
He had been accosted with account after account of tales that war was hot upon the land, spreading like wildfire in the provinces of Loreos and the counties of Lenfald.
When he returned, he knew precisely what to do. He and his faithful bagpiper set out from the harbor of Rothburg into the restless, misty expanse of endless sea.
Fear was encroaching on his own mind, and concern was beginning to creep in that his own beloved nation of Garheim would be pulled in... or, heaven forbid, swallowed... in this contention.
His train of thought was dashed to pieces as they descended the great swell. A spear of craggy rock was suddenly exposed as the wave receded.
Awakened from his reverie, Angus quickly brought his attention back to the task at hand - survival!
"Hard to starboard, Jack!" He cried as the little boat was wrenched hard sideways. They just grazed the menacing boulders.
Then Sir Angus gasped as more rocks rose up. "Hard port, hard port!"
"Aye, Milord!" The sturdy wee bagpiper answered.
The boat swerved again, nearly throwing Angus off-balance.
The waves began to calm as they neared their target. Then, out of the mist, high above the water, a fiery red beacon gleamed over the sea.
"Land Ho, Jack!"
"Thank goodness, Milord!!"
As they approached, a voice called down from above. "Who be down there!?" A crusty old voice inquired.
"Yalmar, It is I! Sir Angus."
"What be this month's password, my friend?"
"Behold, the Doose have horns!"
A chuckle. "That be correct. Welcome, Sire!"
A rope was tossed down after this greeting, allowing them to tie up their small craft. Soon the two highlanders were up on the high plateau.
"Glad to see you, Angus! Come, let's be gettin' ourselves inside before we freeze."
As they approached the great lighthouse, Sir Angus got straight to the point at hand. "I'll take both birds this time, express."
"I can do that. Where to?"
"From the fishing village of Greng to Port o' Grandhaven."
Yalmar's eyebrows rose. "Why such a great journey, milord, if I may ask? Surely not another crusade! They called one not a fortnight ago!"
"Hostilities this time, my old friend."
"Loreos and the Outlaws AGAIN?!!"
"Nay, but Loreos and Lenfald... and potentially Garheim."
"Ooh, that is news."
By the time Angus was finished informing Yalmar of what was afoot, they had ascended the staircase and were atop the lighthouse's balcony.
The high railings did and excellent job keeping out the frosty gusts, and the three men could work comfortably in the great blaze of the beacon fire.
Yalmar hobbled over to a small cage in the corner of the tower, put on some heavy gloves, and unlatched the cage door. The men beheld two majestic gray-and-black spotted
falcons!
"Great Scott! Falcons?" Jack gaped at the graceful birds of prey.
"I'll explain later lad, we have work to do." Sir Angus seated himself at a small wooden table and began to write the missive.
MESSAGE: WARNING! LOREOS - LENFALD HOSTILITIES GROWING! NO WAR YET, BE PREPARED.
Thirty copies were written. Ten for the northern-bound falcon, and twenty for the southern-bound, who had a larger territory to cover.
"They'll deliver a message in each village on this side of the continent in less than nine hours. Are we all set?" Asked Yalmar, with the great beasts of the air in each hand.
"Ready! Let them fly!" replied Angus, his heart thrilling at the sight.
Yalmar loosed the birds with a gentle thrust, and they took wing, rocketing into the sky with the wind at their backs, vanishing into the misty heavens.
All three men watched silently for several minutes. Then Yalmar turned with with a grin on his wrinkled visage, and inquired "So... what should next month's password be, then?"
THE TOWER:
This firm lighthouse is conveniently situated on a island, fifteen miles from the harbor of Rothburg. Surrounding it is a large maze of razor-sharp rocks, making it impossible for large boats to approach. And even if they could, the only way up is by rope ladder, making this fortress incredibly defendable. And with the carrier falcon express line, if the city of Rothburg was ever attacked, in a matter of hours, the entire east half of Garheim would know of the attack.
THE CLIFF FALCONS:
Highly unusual birds of prey, these intelligent, majestic birds build small nests on the sides of gigantic cliffs, which can be found very easily with a built-in homing device twice as strong as the common carrier pigeon. Besides, that, they are much less vulnerable than the smaller pigeons.
HISTORY:
Legend has it that during the first colonization of Garheim, a clever knight discovered the falcons had this homing instict and used them to his great advantage against a clan of horrible outlaws. Thus, he made his symbol from these majestic animals - and today, we have the sign of the Falcon as one of Garheim's primary standards.
Brother Steven, C&C welcome!
While scanning the latest posts on [FabFree](fabfree.wordpress.com/) today, I noticed that Belle Epoch had several gorgeous Pride items on their Gifts for Members board. I love Belle Epoch and am already a member, so dashed over to pick up my gifts. While there, I saw this lovely soft pink dress, free for Teleport Hub members, so grabbed that too. I also snagged the 50L Chiffon Hair by Stealthic that was also mentioned on FabFree. I adore Stealthic hair!
It took a bit of browsing through my inventory to put the backdrop together, but it was worth it. I even managed to get some unopened packages unboxed. (I won’t say how many unopened boxes I have…)
* Dress - Ophelia by Belle Epoch (Teleport HUB Group Gift)
* Earrings - Heart Earrings by Cazimi (Group Gift)
* Necklace - Disco Silver Necklace by Heartsdale Jewelry
* Headpiece - Pride Crown by Belle Epoch
* Bouquet - Pride Bouquet by Belle Epoch
* Eyes - Pride Gift by January (Swank event)
* Hair - Chiffon by Stealthic. Currently 50L on Marketplace
* Maitreya Lara X body
* Lelutka Kaya 3.1 head
* Skin - Isla Sorbet by The Skinnery
* Eyebrows - BOM Eyebrows #1. Swank Pride GIFT
* Pose - Demi by BellePoses plus the holding pose in the bouquet
* Backdrop - The Rainbow Tomorrow Nights (RARE gacha item) by The Bearded Guy
* Background Flowers - Circa - “Flowers On The Water" Wall Flower Display - Violet
* Wild Flower Path by Two Moon Gardens
* Wild Grass Flower Blue by Evergreen Gardens
* Lighting - Annan Adored Light Explosion 3
I went to my parent's evening sessions for my daughters, popped home, got in the car and dashed to the harbour because it was a still, hazy night. I spent 20 minutes there and rushed back. I love these moments, but a calm approach would be more relaxing.
How many hundreds of times during the course of a 30 year love affair have you and your very lovely lady dashed off the disco dance floor at the end of a date late night in search of someplace dark and romantic where y’all could decompress before heading back home to sleep? Doesn’t this new ‘S’ Bar by SBE seem like the kind of place folks leaving Hakkasan at the MGM Grand, or the Foundation Room up in the Mandalay Bay Penthouse, would go to after a very hectic night of nightclub dancing? 🤔
Truro Cornwall. Night flying was cancelled so I dashed over to Truro to try out the, then, new Kodacolour ASA1000 film I had just managed to get.
Copyright Susan Ogden
I was all ready to set up my scanner today and try some things with it, when i looked out the window and saw fog. My adult ADD brain got very excited and i grabbed my keys and my camera and bag and dashed out on a fog stalk.
Fog here this time of year is not common. Actually fog here usually happens when my brain is asleep...as in the morning...before 8am. My brain prefers night hours so i usually miss fog stalks. It was suppose to be 61 today and after the snow yesterday i should have known fog would be possible...it fell short of 61 by 20 degrees.....i should be a weather forecaster, since they are right even less often than i am! But i digress...
i drove up the mountain and visited a few spots that i know have some nice trees....lone trees are hard to find here. They all seem to have buddies. i love solitary trees....especially in fog. I spent about an hour and a half tooling around town to spots i know would look pretty awesome in a fog shroud. Most were on top of the mountain...the fog in the valley where i live was light and not as challenging. i like the challenge of thick fog.
On my way back down the back side of the mountain (so i could check on the Asylum and 343 in Middle Valley), i came upon the little red barn that i shot in the snow...the one i mentioned in my post of it that if it was going to snow there should be a red barn nearby ....and just as i turned to look at it, to the left and a bit deeper back, was this silo...attached to an old house made from another barn. There was this little gnome....i did a double take! i had not noticed him there before, attempting to hold up the silo!
I felt bad enough for him out there in the miserable dampness, so i figured i owed him a quick shot of his efforts. I hope he manages to hold it up for the owners....would be rather costly to have to put a whole new wall in their house!
Happy Sunday evening....may it be as warm and peaceful for you, as i plan on it being for me!
JUST DO IT!!!
That's what my sister tells me almost everyday.
That's what my best friend tells me every once in a while.
That's what even "Nike" tells everybody. JUST DO IT. Hahaha
That's what the little voice in my head tells me every night.
I don't really have trouble sleeping except for some nights.... Nights that I call "Haunted by Ideas" night. I simply stay awake for hours just thinking about art and expressing myself. I get ideas about photos I would like to take, about paintings, videos, drawings, even inventions and crazy ways to do things. It's amazing but at the same time exhausting. To be able to fall asleep, I have to get up and write at least one of them down. Otherwise they (the ideas) won't let me sleep. They are not even good ideas, they are just things that apparently are desperate to get out of my head.... lol
So I decided to start the treatment for my insomnia with this 365 project. I've been procrastinating this for years now. I feel so scared and vulnerable but it has to be done. I need this time for myself to just express something, anything, everything...
This year is going to be very intense for me. I'm moving countries again (this time to England). Starting from scratch is never easy but I'm looking forward to it and hopefully this project will be even more fun because I will have so many new things to learn and live.
Oh, I forgot to talk about the picture...
One of my favourite things about the "Haunted by Ideas" nights is the lighting in my room. After some time with your eyes closed the outside lights are so bright inside. I love the little stripes in the ceiling every time a car passes by. So as I finally decided to start the 365 project last night, I took this picture and slept like a baby.
It's a double exposure actually, but that's because I have so many thing to get out of my head that at least the first one had to be a double shot.... =D
I was in the garden looking at something else when I spotted this guy. I dashed back inside to get my camera hoping that he would still be there when I got back. Luckily he was, but he soon jumped off and nearly gave me a heart attack!
I was staying quite close to the beach at Low-Newton, went for an evening stroll and spotted this delightful group, dashed back for my camera and was rewarded!
The only Grade I listed parkland and gardens in South Yorkshire, Wentworth Castle Gardens is home to no fewer than 26 listed buildings and monuments, each of them with a different tale to tell. Stories of power, wealth and politics, family infighting, misery and hope can be found in the history of Wentworth Castle Gardens, and its monuments, statues and buildings help us truly understand its past.
The Wentworths were one of the most important families in Yorkshire. Long before the time of the English Civil War (1642–51), members of the Wentworth family held seats of power and influence in the area, building the imposing estate at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire as their home.
When William Wentworth, the 2nd Earl of Strafford (1626–95) died childless, his nephew Thomas Wentworth (1672–1739) expected to inherit the family fortune and their grand home at Wentworth Woodhouse. His hopes were dashed when the fortune and Wentworth Woodhouse instead passed to his cousin, Thomas Watson.
Infuriated, Thomas Wentworth used his skills as a soldier and diplomat to plot revenge. Within a few years he had bought, extended and renamed his own house and estate, just six miles away from Wentworth Woodhouse, at the estate we now know as Wentworth Castle. In 1711 he even acquired the old family title, the Earldom of Strafford – all to outshine his ‘obnoxious relative.’
In 1714, the crown of England controversially passed from the Stuart royal line to the Hanoverians. This 1734 monument is dedicated to Anne, the last Stuart monarch, and is unique in an English garden. It’s an almost treasonous statement by Thomas Wentworth, and hints at what he thought of the regime change.
The geometric design of this maze-like garden was very fashionable when it was first created for Thomas Wentworth in 1713. But there’s a patriotic message here too: Thomas created the design to combine the crosses of St George and St Andrew, celebrating the union of Scotland and England in 1707. This union was a proud moment in Queen Anne’s reign, and so even after her death this garden stands as proof of his loyalty to her.
Although recognised as one of the UK's greatest 18th century landscaped estates, the house and gardens Thomas Wentworth had built are closely tied to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In 1713, he was instrumental in securing for Britain the lucrative monopoly to transport and sell enslaved people from African countries to the Spanish empire. The design of his grand house and garden was in part a celebration of his pride in this ‘achievement'.
Thomas also made direct profit from the trade, partly from shares he owned and partly through his marriage to Anne Johnson (c.1684–1754) whose family were deeply involved in the slave trade by building ships for the East India Company and working for the Royal African Company.
In 1711, Wentworth was appointed joint negotiator of the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the long War of the Spanish Succession. As part of these negotiations, Britain gained the monopoly to supply enslaved people from African countries to the Spanish colonies in the Americas – known as the ‘Asiento.’
Wentworth considered the treaty a crowning achievement in his diplomatic career and something to be proudly represented in his house and gardens. This included a sundial, now in the conservatory, in the form of a kneeling African man – a legacy of the enslavement of Africans and the objectification of Black bodies in British and European art.
‘To the memory / of the Rt. Hon. / Lady Mary Wortley Montagu / who in the Year 1720 / Introduced Inoculation / of the Small Pox into / England from Turkey’.
An example of an extremely early memorial dedication to a non-royal woman was probably added to an older monument by Thomas’ son, William (1722–91). It's also known as the Sun Memorial.
Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu (1689-1762) was a poet and letter-writer, well known for her travel writing, including descriptions of Muslim women and their lives in the 18th century Ottoman Empire. Her life and work continues to fascinate and she is seen by many today as a proto-feminist and historic LGBT+ figure.
After seeing inoculation against smallpox practised in Constantinople (now Istanbul), she made British medical history by helping to make it fashionable in British high society during the 1720s. William Wentworth and his three sisters were all treated to protect them from the terrible disease.
It is not certain when the monument, which is a copy of an ancient obelisk in Rome, was first erected. It originally had a bronze disc on top which was rumoured to be angled to reflect the sunlight across to the Wentworth Woodhouse estate. Could this be another example of family rivalry on show? It has also been suggested that the name is also an 18th century pun on ‘sun’ and ‘son.’
In 1744, William Wentworth dedicated this grand column to his late father in law, the 2nd Duke of Argyll. Shortly before his death, the Duke had been punished for opposing the government's harsh anti-Jacobite policies in Scotland. This column dedicated to his memory is topped with a statue of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, who faces south to London. Was William making a subtle political comment with this monument?
A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek ἄνισος anisos, "unequal" and πτερόν pteron, "wing", because the hindwing is broader than the forewing). Adult dragonflies are characterized by large, multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Dragonflies can be mistaken for the related group, damselflies (Zygoptera), which are similar in structure, though usually lighter in build; however, the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold their wings folded at rest, along or above the abdomen. Dragonflies are agile fliers, while damselflies have a weaker, fluttery flight. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural colouration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each.
Fossils of very large dragonfly-like insects, sometimes called griffinflies, are found from 325 million years ago (Mya) in Upper Carboniferous rocks; these had wingspans up to about 750 mm (30 in), but were only distant ancestors, not true dragonflies. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world.
Dragonflies are predators, both in their aquatic nymphs stage (also known as naiads) and as adults. In some species, the nymphal stage lasts for up to five years, and the adult stage may be as long as ten weeks, but most species have an adult lifespan in the order of five weeks or less, and some survive for only a few days. They are fast, agile fliers, sometimes migrating across oceans, and often live near water. They have a uniquely complex mode of reproduction involving indirect insemination, delayed fertilization, and sperm competition. During mating, the male grasps the female at the back of the head, and the female curls her abdomen under her body to pick up sperm from the male's secondary genitalia at the front of his abdomen, forming the "heart" or "wheel" posture.
Dragonflies are represented in human culture on artefacts such as pottery, rock paintings, statues and Art Nouveau jewellery. They are used in traditional medicine in Japan and China, and caught for food in Indonesia. They are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness in Japan, but seen as sinister in European folklore. Their bright colours and agile flight are admired in the poetry of Lord Tennyson and the prose of H. E. Bates.
Evolution
Dragonflies and their relatives are similar in structure to an ancient group, meganisoptera, from the 325 Mya Upper Carboniferous of Europe, a group that included the largest insect that ever lived, Meganeuropsis permiana from the Early Permian, with a wingspan around 750 mm (30 in);. Known informally as "griffinflies", their fossil record ends with the Permian–Triassic extinction event (about 247 Mya). The Protanisoptera, another ancestral group that lacks certain wing vein characters found in modern Odonata, lived from the Early to Late Permian age until the end Permian event, and are known from fossil wings from current-day United States, Russia, and Australia, suggesting they might have been cosmopolitan in distribution. While both of those groups are sometimes referred to as "giant dragonflies", in fact true dragonflies/odonata are more modern insects that had not evolved yet.
Modern dragonflies do retain some traits of their distant predecessors, and are in a group known as palaeoptera, ancient-winged. They, like the gigantic pre-dinosaur griffinflies, lack the ability to fold their wings up against their bodies in the way modern insects do, although some evolved their own different way to do so. The forerunners of modern Odonata are included in a clade called the Panodonata, which include the basal Zygoptera (damselflies) and the Anisoptera (true dragonflies). Today, some 3,000 species are extant around the world.
The relationships of anisopteran families are not fully resolved as of 2013, but all the families are monophyletic except the Corduliidae; the Gomphidae are a sister taxon to all other Anisoptera, the Austropetaliidae are sister to the Aeshnoidea, and the Chlorogomphidae are sister to a clade that includes the Synthemistidae and Libellulidae. On the cladogram, dashed lines indicate unresolved relationships; English names are given (in parentheses)
Distribution and diversity
About 3,012 species of dragonflies were known in 2010; these are classified into 348 genera in 11 families. The distribution of diversity within the biogeographical regions are summarized below (the world numbers are not ordinary totals, as overlaps in species occur).
Dragonflies live on every continent except Antarctica. In contrast to the damselflies (Zygoptera), which tend to have restricted distributions, some genera and species are spread across continents. For example, the blue-eyed darner Rhionaeschna multicolor lives all across North America, and in Central America; emperors Anax live throughout the Americas from as far north as Newfoundland to as far south as Bahia Blanca in Argentina, across Europe to central Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. The globe skimmer Pantala flavescens is probably the most widespread dragonfly species in the world; it is cosmopolitan, occurring on all continents in the warmer regions. Most Anisoptera species are tropical, with far fewer species in temperate regions.
Some dragonflies, including libellulids and aeshnids, live in desert pools, for example in the Mojave Desert, where they are active in shade temperatures between 18 and 45 °C (64.4 to 113 °F); these insects were able to survive body temperatures above the thermal death point of insects of the same species in cooler places.
Dragonflies live from sea level up to the mountains, decreasing in species diversity with altitude. Their altitudinal limit is about 3700 m, represented by a species of Aeshna in the Pamirs.
Dragonflies become scarce at higher latitudes. They are not native to Iceland, but individuals are occasionally swept in by strong winds, including a Hemianax ephippiger native to North Africa, and an unidentified darter species. In Kamchatka, only a few species of dragonfly including the treeline emerald Somatochlora arctica and some aeshnids such as Aeshna subarctica are found, possibly because of the low temperature of the lakes there. The treeline emerald also lives in northern Alaska, within the Arctic Circle, making it the most northerly of all dragonflies.
General description
Dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) are heavy-bodied, strong-flying insects that hold their wings horizontally both in flight and at rest. By contrast, damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) have slender bodies and fly more weakly; most species fold their wings over the abdomen when stationary, and the eyes are well separated on the sides of the head.
An adult dragonfly has three distinct segments, the head, thorax, and abdomen, as in all insects. It has a chitinous exoskeleton of hard plates held together with flexible membranes. The head is large with very short antennae. It is dominated by the two compound eyes, which cover most of its surface. The compound eyes are made up of ommatidia, the numbers being greater in the larger species. Aeshna interrupta has 22650 ommatidia of two varying sizes, 4500 being large. The facets facing downward tend to be smaller. Petalura gigantea has 23890 ommatidia of just one size. These facets provide complete vision in the frontal hemisphere of the dragonfly. The compound eyes meet at the top of the head (except in the Petaluridae and Gomphidae, as also in the genus Epiophlebia). Also, they have three simple eyes or ocelli. The mouthparts are adapted for biting with a toothed jaw; the flap-like labrum, at the front of the mouth, can be shot rapidly forward to catch prey. The head has a system for locking it in place that consists of muscles and small hairs on the back of the head that grip structures on the front of the first thoracic segment. This arrester system is unique to the Odonata, and is activated when feeding and during tandem flight.
The thorax consists of three segments as in all insects. The prothorax is small and is flattened dorsally into a shield-like disc, which has two transverse ridges. The mesothorax and metathorax are fused into a rigid, box-like structure with internal bracing, and provide a robust attachment for the powerful wing muscles inside. The thorax bears two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. The wings are long, veined, and membranous, narrower at the tip and wider at the base. The hindwings are broader than the forewings and the venation is different at the base. The veins carry haemolymph, which is analogous to blood in vertebrates, and carries out many similar functions, but which also serves a hydraulic function to expand the body between nymphal stages (instars) and to expand and stiffen the wings after the adult emerges from the final nymphal stage. The leading edge of each wing has a node where other veins join the marginal vein, and the wing is able to flex at this point. In most large species of dragonflies, the wings of females are shorter and broader than those of males. The legs are rarely used for walking, but are used to catch and hold prey, for perching, and for climbing on plants. Each has two short basal joints, two long joints, and a three-jointed foot, armed with a pair of claws. The long leg joints bear rows of spines, and in males, one row of spines on each front leg is modified to form an "eyebrush", for cleaning the surface of the compound eye.
The abdomen is long and slender and consists of 10 segments. Three terminal appendages are on segment 10; a pair of superiors (claspers) and an inferior. The second and third segments are enlarged, and in males, on the underside of the second segment has a cleft, forming the secondary genitalia consisting of the lamina, hamule, genital lobe, and penis. There are remarkable variations in the presence and the form of the penis and the related structures, the flagellum, cornua, and genital lobes. Sperm is produced at the 9th segment, and is transferred to the secondary genitalia prior to mating. The male holds the female behind the head using a pair of claspers on the terminal segment. In females, the genital opening is on the underside of the eighth segment, and is covered by a simple flap (vulvar lamina) or an ovipositor, depending on species and the method of egg-laying. Dragonflies having simple flaps shed the eggs in water, mostly in flight. Dragonflies having ovipositors use them to puncture soft tissues of plants and place the eggs singly in each puncture they make.
Dragonfly nymphs vary in form with species, and are loosely classed into claspers, sprawlers, hiders, and burrowers. The first instar is known as a prolarva, a relatively inactive stage from which it quickly moults into the more active nymphal form. The general body plan is similar to that of an adult, but the nymph lacks wings and reproductive organs. The lower jaw has a huge, extensible labium, armed with hooks and spines, which is used for catching prey. This labium is folded under the body at rest and struck out at great speed by hydraulic pressure created by the abdominal muscles. Whereas damselfly nymphs have three feathery external gills, dragonfly nymphs have internal gills, located around the fourth and fifth abdominal segments. Water is pumped in and out of the abdomen through an opening at the tip. The naiads of some clubtails (Gomphidae) that burrow into the sediment, have a snorkel-like tube at the end of the abdomen enabling them to draw in clean water while they are buried in mud. Naiads can forcefully expel a jet of water to propel themselves with great rapidity.
Colouration
Many adult dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural colouration, making them conspicuous in flight. Their overall colouration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours. Blues are typically created by microstructures in the cuticle that reflect blue light. Greens often combine a structural blue with a yellow pigment. Freshly emerged adults, known as tenerals, are often pale-coloured and obtain their typical colours after a few days, some have their bodies covered with a pale blue, waxy powderiness called pruinosity; it wears off when scraped during mating, leaving darker areas.
Some dragonflies, such as the green darner, Anax junius, have a noniridescent blue that is produced structurally by scatter from arrays of tiny spheres in the endoplasmic reticulum of epidermal cells underneath the cuticle.
The wings of dragonflies are generally clear, apart from the dark veins and pterostigmata. In the chasers (Libellulidae), however, many genera have areas of colour on the wings: for example, groundlings (Brachythemis) have brown bands on all four wings, while some scarlets (Crocothemis) and dropwings (Trithemis) have bright orange patches at the wing bases. Some aeshnids such as the brown hawker (Aeshna grandis) have translucent, pale yellow wings.
Dragonfly nymphs are usually a well-camouflaged blend of dull brown, green, and grey.
Biology
Ecology
Dragonflies and damselflies are predatory both in the aquatic nymphal and adult stages. Nymphs feed on a range of freshwater invertebrates and larger ones can prey on tadpoles and small fish. Adults capture insect prey in the air, making use of their acute vision and highly controlled flight. The mating system of dragonflies is complex, and they are among the few insect groups that have a system of indirect sperm transfer along with sperm storage, delayed fertilization, and sperm competition.
Adult males vigorously defend territories near water; these areas provide suitable habitat for the nymphs to develop, and for females to lay their eggs. Swarms of feeding adults aggregate to prey on swarming prey such as emerging flying ants or termites.
Dragonflies as a group occupy a considerable variety of habitats, but many species, and some families, have their own specific environmental requirements. Some species prefer flowing waters, while others prefer standing water. For example, the Gomphidae (clubtails) live in running water, and the Libellulidae (skimmers) live in still water. Some species live in temporary water pools and are capable of tolerating changes in water level, desiccation, and the resulting variations in temperature, but some genera such as Sympetrum (darters) have eggs and nymphs that can resist drought and are stimulated to grow rapidly in warm, shallow pools, also often benefiting from the absence of predators there. Vegetation and its characteristics including submerged, floating, emergent, or waterside are also important. Adults may require emergent or waterside plants to use as perches; others may need specific submerged or floating plants on which to lay eggs. Requirements may be highly specific, as in Aeshna viridis (green hawker), which lives in swamps with the water-soldier, Stratiotes aloides. The chemistry of the water, including its trophic status (degree of enrichment with nutrients) and pH can also affect its use by dragonflies. Most species need moderate conditions, not too eutrophic, not too acidic; a few species such as Sympetrum danae (black darter) and Libellula quadrimaculata (four-spotted chaser) prefer acidic waters such as peat bogs, while others such as Libellula fulva (scarce chaser) need slow-moving, eutrophic waters with reeds or similar waterside plants.
Behaviour
Many dragonflies, particularly males, are territorial. Some defend a territory against others of their own species, some against other species of dragonfly and a few against insects in unrelated groups. A particular perch may give a dragonfly a good view over an insect-rich feeding ground; males of many species such as the Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher) jostle other dragonflies to maintain the right to alight there. Defending a breeding territory is common among male dragonflies, especially in species that congregate around ponds. The territory contains desirable features such as a sunlit stretch of shallow water, a special plant species, or the preferred substrate for egg-laying. The territory may be small or large, depending on its quality, the time of day, and the number of competitors, and may be held for a few minutes or several hours. Dragonflies including Tramea lacerata (black saddlebags) may notice landmarks that assist in defining the boundaries of the territory. Landmarks may reduce the costs of territory establishment, or might serve as a spatial reference. Some dragonflies signal ownership with striking colours on the face, abdomen, legs, or wings. The Plathemis lydia (common whitetail) dashes towards an intruder holding its white abdomen aloft like a flag. Other dragonflies engage in aerial dogfights or high-speed chases. A female must mate with the territory holder before laying her eggs. There is also conflict between the males and females. Females may sometimes be harassed by males to the extent that it affects their normal activities including foraging and in some dimorphic species females have evolved multiple forms with some forms appearing deceptively like males. In some species females have evolved behavioural responses such as feigning death to escape the attention of males. Similarly, selection of habitat by adult dragonflies is not random, and terrestrial habitat patches may be held for up to 3 months. A species tightly linked to its birth site utilises a foraging area that is several orders of magnitude larger than the birth site.
Reproduction
Mating in dragonflies is a complex, precisely choreographed process. First, the male has to attract a female to his territory, continually driving off rival males. When he is ready to mate, he transfers a packet of sperm from his primary genital opening on segment 9, near the end of his abdomen, to his secondary genitalia on segments 2–3, near the base of his abdomen. The male then grasps the female by the head with the claspers at the end of his abdomen; the structure of the claspers varies between species, and may help to prevent interspecific mating. The pair flies in tandem with the male in front, typically perching on a twig or plant stem. The female then curls her abdomen downwards and forwards under her body to pick up the sperm from the male's secondary genitalia, while the male uses his "tail" claspers to grip the female behind the head: this distinctive posture is called the "heart" or "wheel"; the pair may also be described as being "in cop".
Egg-laying (ovipositing) involves not only the female darting over floating or waterside vegetation to deposit eggs on a suitable substrate, but also the male hovering above her or continuing to clasp her and flying in tandem. The male attempts to prevent rivals from removing his sperm and inserting their own, something made possible by delayed fertilisation and driven by sexual selection. If successful, a rival male uses his penis to compress or scrape out the sperm inserted previously; this activity takes up much of the time that a copulating pair remains in the heart posture. Flying in tandem has the advantage that less effort is needed by the female for flight and more can be expended on egg-laying, and when the female submerges to deposit eggs, the male may help to pull her out of the water.
Egg-laying takes two different forms depending on the species. The female in some families has a sharp-edged ovipositor with which she slits open a stem or leaf of a plant on or near the water, so she can push her eggs inside. In other families such as clubtails (Gomphidae), cruisers (Macromiidae), emeralds (Corduliidae), and skimmers (Libellulidae), the female lays eggs by tapping the surface of the water repeatedly with her abdomen, by shaking the eggs out of her abdomen as she flies along, or by placing the eggs on vegetation. In a few species, the eggs are laid on emergent plants above the water, and development is delayed until these have withered and become immersed.
Life cycle
Dragonflies are hemimetabolous insects; they do not have a pupal stage and undergo an incomplete metamorphosis with a series of nymphal stages from which the adult emerges. Eggs laid inside plant tissues are usually shaped like grains of rice, while other eggs are the size of a pinhead, ellipsoidal, or nearly spherical. A clutch may have as many as 1500 eggs, and they take about a week to hatch into aquatic nymphs or naiads which moult between six and 15 times (depending on species) as they grow. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent as a nymph, beneath the water's surface. The nymph extends its hinged labium (a toothed mouthpart similar to a lower mandible, which is sometimes termed as a "mask" as it is normally folded and held before the face) that can extend forward and retract rapidly to capture prey such as mosquito larvae, tadpoles, and small fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. Some naiads, such as the later stages of Antipodophlebia asthenes, hunt on land.
The nymph stage of dragonflies lasts up to five years in large species, and between two months and three years in smaller species. When the naiad is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it stops feeding and makes its way to the surface, generally at night. It remains stationary with its head out of the water, while its respiration system adapts to breathing air, then climbs up a reed or other emergent plant, and moults (ecdysis). Anchoring itself firmly in a vertical position with its claws, its skin begins to split at a weak spot behind the head. The adult dragonfly crawls out of its nymph skin, the exuvia, arching backwards when all but the tip of its abdomen is free, to allow its exoskeleton to harden. Curling back upwards, it completes its emergence, swallowing air, which plumps out its body, and pumping haemolymph into its wings, which causes them to expand to their full extent.
Dragonflies in temperate areas can be categorized into two groups, an early group and a later one. In any one area, individuals of a particular "spring species" emerge within a few days of each other. The springtime darner (Basiaeschna janata), for example, is suddenly very common in the spring, but disappears a few weeks later and is not seen again until the following year. By contrast, a "summer species" emerges over a period of weeks or months, later in the year. They may be seen on the wing for several months, but this may represent a whole series of individuals, with new adults hatching out as earlier ones complete their lifespans.
Sex ratios
The sex ratio of male to female dragonflies varies both temporally and spatially. Adult dragonflies have a high male-biased ratio at breeding habitats. The male-bias ratio has contributed partially to the females using different habitats to avoid male harassment. As seen in Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), male populations use wetland habitats, while females use dry meadows and marginal breeding habitats, only migrating to the wetlands to lay their eggs or to find mating partners. Unwanted mating is energetically costly for females because it affects the amount of time that they are able to spend foraging.
Flight
Dragonflies are powerful and agile fliers, capable of migrating across the sea, moving in any direction, and changing direction suddenly. In flight, the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions: upward, downward, forward, backward, to left and to right. They have four different styles of flight: A number of flying modes are used that include counter-stroking, with forewings beating 180° out of phase with the hindwings, is used for hovering and slow flight. This style is efficient and generates a large amount of lift; phased-stroking, with the hindwings beating 90° ahead of the forewings, is used for fast flight. This style creates more thrust, but less lift than counter-stroking; synchronised-stroking, with forewings and hindwings beating together, is used when changing direction rapidly, as it maximises thrust; and gliding, with the wings held out, is used in three situations: free gliding, for a few seconds in between bursts of powered flight; gliding in the updraft at the crest of a hill, effectively hovering by falling at the same speed as the updraft; and in certain dragonflies such as darters, when "in cop" with a male, the female sometimes simply glides while the male pulls the pair along by beating his wings.
The wings are powered directly, unlike most families of insects, with the flight muscles attached to the wing bases. Dragonflies have a high power/weight ratio, and have been documented accelerating at 4 G linearly and 9 G in sharp turns while pursuing prey.
Dragonflies generate lift in at least four ways at different times, including classical lift like an aircraft wing; supercritical lift with the wing above the critical angle, generating high lift and using very short strokes to avoid stalling; and creating and shedding vortices. Some families appear to use special mechanisms, as for example the Libellulidae which take off rapidly, their wings beginning pointed far forward and twisted almost vertically. Dragonfly wings behave highly dynamically during flight, flexing and twisting during each beat. Among the variables are wing curvature, length and speed of stroke, angle of attack, forward/back position of wing, and phase relative to the other wings.
Flight speed
Old and unreliable claims are made that dragonflies such as the southern giant darner can fly up to 97 km/h (60 mph). However, the greatest reliable flight speed records are for other types of insects. In general, large dragonflies like the hawkers have a maximum speed of 36–54 km/h (22–34 mph) with average cruising speed of about 16 km/h (9.9 mph). Dragonflies can travel at 100 body-lengths per second in forward flight, and three lengths per second backwards.
Motion camouflage
n high-speed territorial battles between male Australian emperors (Hemianax papuensis), the fighting dragonflies adjust their flight paths to appear stationary to their rivals, minimizing the chance of being detected as they approach.[a] To achieve the effect, the attacking dragonfly flies towards his rival, choosing his path to remain on a line between the rival and the start of his attack path. The attacker thus looms larger as he closes on the rival, but does not otherwise appear to move. Researchers found that six of 15 encounters involved motion camouflage.
Temperature control
The flight muscles need to be kept at a suitable temperature for the dragonfly to be able to fly. Being cold-blooded, they can raise their temperature by basking in the sun. Early in the morning, they may choose to perch in a vertical position with the wings outstretched, while in the middle of the day, a horizontal stance may be chosen. Another method of warming up used by some larger dragonflies is wing-whirring, a rapid vibration of the wings that causes heat to be generated in the flight muscles. The green darner (Anax junius) is known for its long-distance migrations, and often resorts to wing-whirring before dawn to enable it to make an early start.
Becoming too hot is another hazard, and a sunny or shady position for perching can be selected according to the ambient temperature. Some species have dark patches on the wings which can provide shade for the body, and a few use the obelisk posture to avoid overheating. This behaviour involves doing a "handstand", perching with the body raised and the abdomen pointing towards the sun, thus minimising the amount of solar radiation received. On a hot day, dragonflies sometimes adjust their body temperature by skimming over a water surface and briefly touching it, often three times in quick succession. This may also help to avoid desiccation.
Feeding
Adult dragonflies hunt on the wing using their exceptionally acute eyesight and strong, agile flight. They are almost exclusively carnivorous, eating a wide variety of insects ranging from small midges and mosquitoes to butterflies, moths, damselflies, and smaller dragonflies. A large prey item is subdued by being bitten on the head and is carried by the legs to a perch. Here, the wings are discarded and the prey usually ingested head first. A dragonfly may consume as much as a fifth of its body weight in prey per day. Dragonflies are also some of the insect world's most efficient hunters, catching up to 95% of the prey they pursue.
The nymphs are voracious predators, eating most living things that are smaller than they are. Their staple diet is mostly bloodworms and other insect larvae, but they also feed on tadpoles and small fish. A few species, especially those that live in temporary waters, are likely to leave the water to feed. Nymphs of Cordulegaster bidentata sometimes hunt small arthropods on the ground at night, while some species in the Anax genus have even been observed leaping out of the water to attack and kill full-grown tree frogs.
Eyesight
Dragonfly vision is thought to be like slow motion for humans. Dragonflies see faster than we do; they see around 200 images per second. A dragonfly can see in 360 degrees, and nearly 80 percent of the insect's brain is dedicated to its sight.
Predators
Although dragonflies are swift and agile fliers, some predators are fast enough to catch them. These include falcons such as the American kestrel, the merlin, and the hobby; nighthawks, swifts, flycatchers and swallows also take some adults; some species of wasps, too, prey on dragonflies, using them to provision their nests, laying an egg on each captured insect. In the water, various species of ducks and herons eat dragonfly nymphs and they are also preyed on by newts, frogs, fish, and water spiders. Amur falcons, which migrate over the Indian Ocean at a period that coincides with the migration of the globe skimmer dragonfly, Pantala flavescens, may actually be feeding on them while on the wing.
Parasites
Dragonflies are affected by three major groups of parasites: water mites, gregarine protozoa, and trematode flatworms (flukes). Water mites, Hydracarina, can kill smaller dragonfly nymphs, and may also be seen on adults. Gregarines infect the gut and may cause blockage and secondary infection. Trematodes are parasites of vertebrates such as frogs, with complex life cycles often involving a period as a stage called a cercaria in a secondary host, a snail. Dragonfly nymphs may swallow cercariae, or these may tunnel through a nymph's body wall; they then enter the gut and form a cyst or metacercaria, which remains in the nymph for the whole of its development. If the nymph is eaten by a frog, the amphibian becomes infected by the adult or fluke stage of the trematode.
Dragonflies and humans
Conservation
Most odonatologists live in temperate areas and the dragonflies of North America and Europe have been the subject of much research. However, the majority of species live in tropical areas and have been little studied. With the destruction of rainforest habitats, many of these species are in danger of becoming extinct before they have even been named. The greatest cause of decline is forest clearance with the consequent drying up of streams and pools which become clogged with silt. The damming of rivers for hydroelectric schemes and the drainage of low-lying land has reduced suitable habitat, as has pollution and the introduction of alien species.
In 1997, the International Union for Conservation of Nature set up a status survey and conservation action plan for dragonflies. This proposes the establishment of protected areas around the world and the management of these areas to provide suitable habitat for dragonflies. Outside these areas, encouragement should be given to modify forestry, agricultural, and industrial practices to enhance conservation. At the same time, more research into dragonflies needs to be done, consideration should be given to pollution control and the public should be educated about the importance of biodiversity.
Habitat degradation has reduced dragonfly populations across the world, for example in Japan. Over 60% of Japan's wetlands were lost in the 20th century, so its dragonflies now depend largely on rice fields, ponds, and creeks. Dragonflies feed on pest insects in rice, acting as a natural pest control. Dragonflies are steadily declining in Africa, and represent a conservation priority.
The dragonfly's long lifespan and low population density makes it vulnerable to disturbance, such as from collisions with vehicles on roads built near wetlands. Species that fly low and slow may be most at risk.
Dragonflies are attracted to shiny surfaces that produce polarization which they can mistake for water, and they have been known to aggregate close to polished gravestones, solar panels, automobiles, and other such structures on which they attempt to lay eggs. These can have a local impact on dragonfly populations; methods of reducing the attractiveness of structures such as solar panels are under experimentation.
In culture
A blue-glazed faience dragonfly amulet was found by Flinders Petrie at Lahun, from the Late Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt.
Many Native American tribes consider dragonflies to be medicine animals that had special powers. For example, the southwestern tribes, including the Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni, associated dragonflies with transformation. They referred to dragonflies as "snake doctors" because they believed dragonflies followed snakes into the ground and healed them if they were injured. For the Navajo, dragonflies symbolize pure water. Often stylized in a double-barred cross design, dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery, as well as Hopi rock art and Pueblo necklaces.: 20–26
As a seasonal symbol in Japan, the dragonflies are associated with season of autumn. In Japan, they are symbols of rebirth, courage, strength, and happiness. They are also depicted frequently in Japanese art and literature, especially haiku poetry. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight.: 38
In Chinese culture, dragonflies symbolize both change and instability. They are also symbols in the Chinese practices of Feng Shui, where placements of dragonfly statues and artwork in parts of a home or office are believed to bring new insights and positive changes.
In both China and Japan, dragonflies have been used in traditional medicine. In Indonesia, adult dragonflies are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Images of dragonflies are common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewellery designs. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings. Douglas, a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bristol, named its innovatively designed postwar 350-cc flat-twin model the Dragonfly.
Among the classical names of Japan are Akitsukuni (秋津国), Akitsushima (秋津島), Toyo-akitsushima (豊秋津島). Akitsu is an old word for dragonfly, so one interpretation of Akitsushima is "Dragonfly Island". This is attributed to a legend in which Japan's mythical founder, Emperor Jimmu, was bitten by a mosquito, which was then eaten by a dragonfly.
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "horse-stinger", "devil's darning needle", and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls.: 25–27 The Norwegian name for dragonflies is Øyenstikker ("eye-poker"), and in Portugal, they are sometimes called tira-olhos ("eyes-snatcher"). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States terms "snake doctor" and "snake feeder" refer to a folk belief that dragonflies catch insects for snakes or follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. Interestingly, the Hungarian name for dragonfly is szitakötő ("sieve-knitter").
The watercolourist Moses Harris (1731–1785), known for his The Aurelian or natural history of English insects (1766), published in 1780, the first scientific descriptions of several Odonata including the banded demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens. He was the first English artist to make illustrations of dragonflies accurate enough to be identified to species (Aeshna grandis at top left of plate illustrated), though his rough drawing of a nymph (at lower left) with the mask extended appears to be plagiarised.[b]
More recently, dragonfly watching has become popular in America as some birdwatchers seek new groups to observe.
In heraldry, like other winged insects, the dragonfly is typically depicted tergiant (with its back facing the viewer), with its head to chief.
In poetry and literature
Lafcadio Hearn wrote in his 1901 book A Japanese Miscellany that Japanese poets had created dragonfly haiku "almost as numerous as are the dragonflies themselves in the early autumn." The poet Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) wrote haiku such as "Crimson pepper pod / add two pairs of wings, and look / darting dragonfly", relating the autumn season to the dragonfly. Hori Bakusui (1718–1783) similarly wrote "Dyed he is with the / Colour of autumnal days, / O red dragonfly."
The poet Lord Tennyson, described a dragonfly splitting its old skin and emerging shining metallic blue like "sapphire mail" in his 1842 poem "The Two Voices", with the lines "An inner impulse rent the veil / Of his old husk: from head to tail / Came out clear plates of sapphire mail."
The novelist H. E. Bates described the rapid, agile flight of dragonflies in his 1937 nonfiction book Down the River:
I saw, once, an endless procession, just over an area of water-lilies, of small sapphire dragonflies, a continuous play of blue gauze over the snowy flowers above the sun-glassy water. It was all confined, in true dragonfly fashion, to one small space. It was a continuous turning and returning, an endless darting, poising, striking and hovering, so swift that it was often lost in sunlight.
In technology
A dragonfly has been genetically modified with light-sensitive "steering neurons" in its nerve cord to create a cyborg-like "DragonflEye". The neurons contain genes like those in the eye to make them sensitive to light. Miniature sensors, a computer chip and a solar panel were fitted in a "backpack" over the insect's thorax in front of its wings. Light is sent down flexible light-pipes named optrodes[c] from the backpack into the nerve cord to give steering commands to the insect. The result is a "micro-aerial vehicle that's smaller, lighter and stealthier than anything else that's manmade".
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org/]
That late afternoon recently in Valencia, I just grabbed my camera bag and dashed out to catch that odd light
A shot of one of the dishes at Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. I dashed out last night to try catch the sun setting behind it, but the clouds had other ideas. Another day, but I quite liked this one.
It was quite a challenging shoot because of the cloud - either you exposed for the sky and the dish was lost (which it is a bit here) or you exposed for the cloud and the highlights all blew out. The colours were lovely also, orange on the bottom, blue higher up, but ultimately they made the photo too noisy, which is why I went with a mono shot to let the eye find the dish.
I converted the tank bag on my motorcycle to a camera bag using hand cut bits of packaging foam, which makes quick jaunts like this much easier. To know exactly what the sun would be doing I used this website. It just can't account for cloud alas.
Here’s another cute photo from the Ethiopian Wolf Project. These young wolf pups from the Meggity Pack were playing energetically. Training my lens on them as they dashed around was not an easy task! Fortunately I managed to capture this shot just as one caught the other’s tail :)
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