eDification photos on Flickr

Eglise Sainte-Catherine, La Roche-Derrien, Côtes d'Armor, Bretagne, France by Claude

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De style roman et gothique, ses parties les plus anciennes remontent au XIII siècle. Des traces subsistent de l'usage défensif opéré par le connétable Olivier de Clisson. Classée Monument Historique, elle renferme un vrai trésor : ses orgues proviendraient de la célèbre Abbaye de Westminster.

Le clocher dont l´édification a entraîné la destruction du côté droit du porche ouest fut probablement construit au cours de la deuxième moitié du 14e siècle. Les baies du premier niveau, présentent une modénature caractéristique, à ressauts et chanfreins pénétrant directement dans les ébrasements. Ce trait de style que l´on l'intérieur dans la chapelle des fonts, sur le porche sud ainsi que sur plusieurs des arcades de la nef est directement emprunté à la nef de la cathédrale de Tréguier. Les hautes fenêtres de l´étage des cloches, à traverses et lancettes trilobées, leurs chapiteaux à corbeille lisse dédoublée, les arcs à ressauts et chanfreins, que l´on retrouve aussi sur les baies du troisième niveau, appartiennent sans conteste au répertoire du 14e siècle, et plus particulièrement à celui du Trégor. Enfin le traitement du dernier étage et son raccord avec la flèche méritent une attention particulière. Son garde-corps à quadrilobes ajourés, interrompu au milieu de chaque face par la partie inférieure d´une baie à meneau et traverse, baie implantée dans l´axe des quatre ouvertures médianes de la base de la flèche auxquelles elles devaient être reliées par de petits gâbles aigus caractéristiques du style trégorrois. Cette disposition reprend ici celle prévue à l´origine au sommet de la tour de croisée de Tréguier et qui fut inachevée. La réfection de la flèche dans les années 1820-1830 a respecté, sans la restituer complètement cette disposition élégante, qui faisant l´économie des habituels clochetons d´angle, évitait la surcharge sur une tour de faible surface.

Built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles, its oldest parts date back to the 13th century. Traces remain of its defensive use by Constable Olivier de Clisson. A listed historical monument, it houses a true treasure: its organ is said to have come from the famous Westminster Abbey.

The bell tower, whose construction led to the destruction of the right side of the west porch, was probably built during the second half of the 14th century. The first-level windows feature characteristic moldings with projecting moldings and chamfers that extend directly into the embrasures. This stylistic feature, found inside the baptistery, on the south porch, and on several of the nave's arcades, is directly borrowed from the nave of Tréguier Cathedral. The tall windows of the bell tower, with their trefoil transoms and lancets, their capitals with smooth, double-layered corbels, and the stepped and chamfered arches, also found on the bays of the third level, undoubtedly belong to the 14th-century repertoire, and more specifically to that of the Trégor region. Finally, the treatment of the top floor and its connection to the spire deserve particular attention. Its openwork quatrefoil balustrade, interrupted in the middle of each face by the lower part of a mullioned and transomed window, is positioned in line with the four central openings at the base of the spire, to which they were intended to be connected by small, pointed gables characteristic of the Trégor style. This arrangement echoes the one originally planned for the top of the crossing tower at Tréguier, which was never completed. The restoration of the spire in the 1820s-1830s respected, without completely restoring, this elegant arrangement, which, by saving on the usual corner pinnacles, avoided overloading a tower of small surface area.

a (LLTV)_v_bw_o_n (ca. 1965-67, Bell Aerosystems Co. photo, no. C25321) by Mike Acs

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“Transforming the LLRV into the LLTV involved a long series of changes. This artist’s conception shows the LLTV with the addition of another window, positioned to replicate the LM’s layout and the pilot’s limited view. Although a roof was installed in the LLTV, the proposed window in front of the pilot was never added.

(Bell Aerosystems C25321)”

Above per "NASA Monographs in Aerospace History no. 35" (NASA SP-2004-4535/Unconventional, Contrary, and Ugly: The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle), page 135, at:

www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/LLRV_Monograph.pdf

Credit: ALSJ website

Submitted for your approval/my edification:

Note the striking similarity in the vast, flat expanse of pavement stretching out toward the horizon, with control tower/associated buildings in the distance, and the near identical attitude/orientation & exhaust plume of the LLRV/LLTV, in both this work and that of the more 'prevalent' and iconic (in my world) depiction by Carl Zoschke. Even the similarity of the printed block letter signatures; despite being all capitals in the Zoschke version (other than the "L" in “CARl”, oddly) and all lower case in “brown”.

Hmm...

'Paul Brown' <---> Carl Zoschke??? I’m serious.

I suppose “Mr. Brown” may have emulated the style of the senior?, master?, mentor? However, wouldn’t he want to establish or promote his style, within whatever/if any parameters established by Bell Aerosystems management/art department?

"God sells us all things at the price of labor." ~Leonardo da Vinci by ~RichArtpix~

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"The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on." ~Elbert Hubbard

Lost Souls by Floris van Breugel

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Joshua Trees at night under some surreal lighting.

Interested in lightpainting and Joshua Trees? Still got a spot on Steve Sieren and I's workshop this Feb!

Twilight Workshop!

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Prints available: http://artinnaturephotography.com/

Adventures for your entertainment and edification: http://artinnaturephotography.com/wordpress

Plus ça change . . . by A.Davey

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Difficult as it might be to believe, people haven't always had thousands of plays in the form of streaming "content" available on demand for their entertainment and edification. Go far enough back in time, to a time before the invention of the motion picture, and the only way to experience a play was to go to the theater or an amateur production or put one on.

My discovery of a stupendously large catalogue of "acting plays" made me realize that the demand for that type of entertainment was much greater than I ever imagined.

How many professional, amateur and ad hoc acting companies must there have been to justify such an extensive catalogue?

Of this list, were any of the plays never produced?

How many playwrights had a hand in this body of works? Were they on staff or did they work as freelancers?

Were any of these plays or others in T.S. Dennison's catalogue adapted for the silver screen? Were any of then vehicles that launched a famous actor's career?

Does the fact each entry lists the running time of the play mean that all of them were produced and timed, or was there a way of estimating the length of a play without having to mount a performance?

Which is your favorite title of all that are listed below? Mine is "Not Such a Fool as He Looks."

=====================================================

DENISON’S ACTING PLAYS.

A Partial List of Successful and Popular Plays.

Large Catalogue Free.

Price 15 Cents Each, Postpaid, Unless Different Price is Given.

DRAMAS, COMEDIES, ENTERTAINMENTS, Etc. Male. Female.

After the Game, 2 acts, 1¼ hrs.(25c)...........................1.......... 9

All a Mistake, 3 acts, 2 hrs.(25c).................................4...........4

All That Glitters Is Not Gold, 2 acts, 2 hrs. ..............6...........3

Altar of Riches, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c),.........................5...........5

American Hustler, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c)..................... 7...........4

Arabian Nights, 3 acts, 2 hrs........................................4...........5

Bank Cashier, 4 acts, 2 hrs.(25c).................................8...........4

Black Heifer, 3 acts, 2 hrs.(25c)...................................9............3

Bonnybell, 1 hr.(25c)..........................................................Optnl.

Brookdale Farm, 4 acts, 2¼ hrs.(25c)........................7.............3

Brother Josiah, 3 acts, 2 h.(25c)..................................7............4

Busy Liar, 3 acts, 2¼ rs.(25c).......................................7...........4

Caste, 3 acts, 2½ hrs.....................................................5............3

Corner Drug Store, 1 hr.(25c).......................................17............14

Cricket on the Hearth, 3 acts,1¾ hrs...........................7............8

Danger Signal, 2 acts, 2 hrs..........................................7............4

Daughter of the Desert, 4 acts, 2¼ hrs.(25c)6M 4F

Down in Dixie, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c)8M 4F

East Lynne, 5 acts, 2¼ hrs. 8M 7F

Editor-in-Chief, 1 hr.(25c) 1M 0F

Elma, 1¾ hrs.(25c) Optnl.

Enchanted Wood, 1¾ h.(35c) Optnl.

Eulalia, 1½ hrs.(25c) Optnl.

Face at the Window, 3 acts, 2 hrs.(25c) 4M 4F

From Sumter to Appomattox, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 6M 2F

Fun on the Podunk Limited, 1½ hrs.(25c) 9M 14F

Handy Andy (Irish), 2 acts, 1½ h. 8M 2F

Heiress of Hoetown, 3 acts, 2 hrs.(25c) 8M 4F

High School Freshman, 3 acts, 2 h.(25c) 1M 2F

Home, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 4M 3F

Honor of a Cowboy, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 13M 4F

Iron Hand, 4 acts, 2 hrs.(25c) 5M 4F

It’s All in the Pay Streak, 3 acts, 1¾ hrs.(25c) 4M 3F

Jayville Junction, 1½ hrs.(25c) 14M 17F

Jedediah Judkins, J. P., 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 7M 5F

Kingdom of Heart’s Content, 3 acts, 2¼ hrs.(25c ) 6M 12F

Light Brigade, 40 min.(25c) 1M 0F

Little Buckshot, 3 acts, 2¼ hrs.(25c) 7M 4F

Lodge of Kye Tyes, 1 hr.(25c) 1M 3F

Lonelyville Social Club, 3 acts, 1½ hrs.(25c) 1M 0F

Louva, the Pauper, 5 acts, 2 h. 9M 4F

Man from Borneo, 3 acts, 2 hrs.(25c)52

Man from Nevada, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 9M 5F

Mirandy’s Minstrels(25c) Optnl.

New Woman, 3 acts, 1 hr. 3M 6F

Not Such a Fool as He Looks, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 5M 3F

Odds with the Enemy, 4 acts, 1¾ hrs. 7M 4F

Old Maid’s Club, 1½ hrs.(25c) 2M 16F

Old School at Hick’ry Holler, 1¼ hrs.(25c) 12M 9F o

Only Daughter, 3 acts, 1¼ hrs. 5M 2F

On the Little Big Horn, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 10M 4F

Our Boys, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 6M 4F

Out in the Streets, 3 acts, 1 hr. 6M 4F

Pet of Parson’s Ranch, 5 acts, 2 h. 9M 2F

School Ma’am, 4 acts, 1¾ hrs. 6M 5F

Scrap of Paper, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 6M 6F

Seth Greenback, 4 acts, 1¼ hrs. 7M 3F

Soldier of Fortune, 5 acts, 2½ h. 8M 3F

Solon Shingle, 2 acts, 1½ hrs. 7M 2F

Sweethearts, 2 acts, 35 min. 2M 2F

Ten Nights in a Barroom, 5 acts, 2 hrs. 7M 4F

Third Degree, 40 min.(25c) 1M 2F

Those Dreadful Twins, 3 acts, 2 hrs.(25c) 6M 4F

Ticket-of-Leave Man, 4 acts, 2¾ hrs. 8M 3F

Tony, The Convict, 5 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 7M 4F

Topp’s Twins, 4 acts, 2 h.(25c) 6M 4F

Trip to Storyland, 1¼ hrs.(25c) 17M 23F

Uncle Josh, 4 acts, 2¼ hrs.(25c) 8M 3F

Under the Laurels, 5 acts, 2 hrs. 6M 4F

Under the Spell, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c) 7M 3F

Yankee Detective, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 8M 3F

FARCES, COMEDIETTAS, Etc.

Under the Spell, 4 acts, 2½ hrs.(25c)7M 3F

April Fools, 30 min. 3M

Assessor, The, 10 min. 3M 2F

Aunt Matilda’s Birthday Party, 35 min. 1M 2F

Baby Show at Pineville, 20 min. 1M 9F

Bad Job, 30 min. 3M 2F

Betsy Baker, 45 min. 2M 2F

Billy’s Chorus Girl, 25 mi. 2M 3F

Billy’s Mishap, 20 min. 2M 3F

Borrowed Luncheon, 20 min. 5

Borrowing Trouble, 20 min. 3M 5F

Box and Cox, 35 min. 2M 1F

Cabman No. 93, 40 min. 2M 2F

Case Against Casey, 40 min. 23M

Convention of Papas, 25 min. 7M

Country Justice, 15 min. 8M

Cow that Kicked Chicago, 20 m. 3M 2F

——————————————

T. S. DENISON & COMPANY, 154 W. Randolph St., Chicago

OLN0610 Staying Home - Frozen Lockdown by Timothy Jones

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Staying Home Covid-19 is here and we all have to stay at home to halt the spread of the virus. We photographers are reduced to taking pictures in the house, so here are a few things of interest.

Frozen Lockdown We are still under isolation conditions, despite the politico posturing, trying to make things that aren't true policy for the future.

No Alpine tunnels here, just the cold blast of reality captured for your edification.

Photographic Information

Taken on 1st May,2020 at 0928hrs with a Nikon Coolpix S3300 digital compact camera, post-processed in Adobe Photoshop CS5.

Flowers for Giants by Floris van Breugel

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Delicate Rhodie blooms in Del Norte, from last year. I scouted this spot out, and spent the better part of 5 days waiting for fog to come in. The minute I did, I ran (yep, ran) the three miles out to this spot... only to find that this was the only spot that didn't have fog. Still, I thought it was worthy of being a keeper.

Please view large.

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Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/

Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/

2014 Cactus Classic Invitational by Jim Purcell

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Sporting Chance Center, Tucson, AZ Jan 19, 2014 — Dinamo # 7 bumps against Dessert Stars Volleyball.

PENTAX K-5

smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM, @ 64mm

ISO 3200, ƒ4, 1/500

g-a_v_bw (Jan. 6, 1964 AW&ST mag., Westinghouse Electric Corp. ad, pg. 22) by Mike Acs

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Posted primarily for my own edification. Other than the brush-stroke sky enhancement and, to a lesser degree, the craters, the LEM ascent stage in the ad certainly looks to be that rendered by Mr. Crowley in the original work linked below.

- If so, was the original work also commissioned by Westinghouse?

- Is it featured in some other Westinghouse ad?

- Or was it rejected? I wouldn’t think so, it’s gorgeous, but who knows. If so, possibly, albeit counter intuitively, allowing for it’s survival?

Also:

- The Gemini spacecraft looks like a “Big-G” to me. If so…an oops?

- Mr. Crowley was the mis/unidentified artist responsible for many of, if not most of the covers of the beloved “HOW AND WHY Wonder Books”. Also linked below.

Fascinating information on Mr. Crowley, who unfortunately, passed on in 2019:

www.doncrowley.com/index.html

www.doncrowley.com/bio.html

Both above credit: Don Crowley website

wenaha.com/artist/don-crowley/

Credit: Wenaha Gallery website

Quite a transformation/evolution:

cowboyartistsofamerica.com/active-members/deceased/don-cr...

Credit: Cowboy Artists of America website

www.greenwichworkshop.com/thumbnails/default.asp?a=18&amp...

Credit: Greenwich Workshop website

Vulcan Light by Floris van Breugel

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Starlight on Planet Vulcan... ;)

View large. Or View On Black.

Steve Sieren and I are considering teaching a twilight photography workshop this winter or spring. It would likely be a weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Park, where we would cover everything from capture in the field for images like this, as well as light painting, and on to processing. Joshua Tree is a great place for night photography due to the relatively dark skies, and wonderfully bizarre trees and rocks. During the day/golden hour we would of course spend our time photographing things in normal lighting conditions. If you would be interested in such a workshop, let me know!

2010 CALENDARS now shipping!! - florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/gallery/8609384_K59HN

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Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/

Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/

Woman passes public primary school for girls in Tehran by Damon Lynch

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An Iranian woman walks by a girl's public primary school in area 7 of Tehran, near Shariati street. The outside of the school is illustrated with colorful murals in a cartoonish style intended to appeal to children. Photo taken on August 10, 2007 in Tehran, Iran.

Salt I | Camargue by dynamo.photography

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The Camargue (French pronunciation: [kaˈmaʁɡ]) (Provençal Carmaga) is a natural region located south of Arles, France, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône River delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western one is the Petit Rhône.[1]

Administratively it lies within the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, the appropriately named "Mouths of the Rhône", and covers parts of the territory of the communes of Arles – the largest commune in Metropolitan France, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer – the second largest – and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône. A further expanse of marshy plain, the Petite Camargue (little Camargue), just to the west of the Petit Rhône, is in the département of Gard.

Camargue was designated a Ramsar site as a "Wetland of International Importance" on 1 December 1986.

Contents

1 Geography

2 Flora and fauna

3 Regional park

4 Human Influence

5 In popular culture

6 See also

7 References

8 Sources

9 External links

Geography

Map of the Camargue

With an area of over 930 km2 (360 sq mi), the Camargue is western Europe's largest river delta. It is a vast plain comprising large brine lagoons or étangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes. These are in turn surrounded by a large cultivated area.

Approximately a third of the Camargue is either lakes or marshland. The central area around the shoreline of the Étang de Vaccarès has been protected as a regional park since 1927, in recognition of its great importance as a haven for wild birds. In 2008, it was incorporated into the larger Parc naturel régional de Camargue.

Flora and fauna

Flamingos in the Camargue

Horses and cattle in the Camargue

The Camargue is home to more than 400 species of birds and has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.[2] Its brine ponds provide one of the few European habitats for the greater flamingo. The marshes are also a prime habitat for many species of insects, notably (and notoriously) some of the most ferocious mosquitos to be found anywhere in France. Camargue horses (Camarguais) roam the extensive marshlands, along with Camargue cattle (see below).

The native flora of the Camargue have adapted to the saline conditions. Sea lavender and glasswort flourish, along with tamarisks and reeds.

Regional park

Main article: Parc naturel régional de Camargue

Officially established as a regional park and nature reserve in 1970, the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue covers 820 km². This territory is some of the most natural and most protected in all of Europe. A roadside museum provides background on flora, fauna, and the history of the area.

Human Influence

Humans have lived in the Camargue for millennia, greatly affecting it with drainage schemes, dykes, rice paddies and salt pans. Much of the outer Camargue has been drained for agricultural purposes.

The Camargue has an eponymous horse breed, the famous white Camarguais. Camargue horses are ridden by the gardians (cowboys), who rear the region's cattle for fighting bulls for export to Spain, as well as sheep. Many of these animals are raised in semi-feral conditions, allowed to roam through the Camargue within a manade, or free-running herd. They are periodically rounded up for culling, medical treatment, or other events.

A 20th-century "gardian" home. The pole is used to climb up and oversee the animals

Few towns of any size have developed in the Camargue. Its "capital" is Arles, located at the extreme north of the delta where the Rhône forks into its two principal branches. The only other towns of note are along the sea front or near it: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, about 45 km to the southwest and the medieval fortress-town of Aigues-Mortes on the far western edge, in the Petite Camargue. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is the destination of the annual Romani pilgrimage for the veneration of Saint Sarah.

The Camargue was exploited in the Middle-Ages by Cistercian and Benedictine monks. In the 16th-17th centuries, big estates, known locally as mas, were founded by rich landlords from Arles. At the end of the 18th century, they had the Rhône diked to protect the town and their properties from flooding. In 1858, the building of the digue à la mer (dyke to the sea) achieved temporary protection of the delta from erosion, but it is a changing landform, always affected by waters and weather.

The north of the Camargue is agricultural land. The main crops are cereals, grapevine and rice. Near the seashore, prehistoric man started extracting salt, a practice that continues today. Salt was a source of wealth for the Cistercian "salt abbeys" of Ulmet, Franquevaux and Psalmody in the Middle Ages. Industrial salt collection started in the 19th century, and big chemical companies such as Péchiney and Solvay founded the 'mining' city of Salin-de-Giraud.

The boundaries of the Camargue are constantly revised by the Rhône as it transports huge quantities of mud downstream – as much as 20 million m³ annually. Some of the étangs are the remnants of old arms and legs of the river. The general trend is for the coastline to move outwards as new earth is deposited in the delta at the river's mouth. Aigues-Mortes, originally built as a port on the coast, is now some 5 km (3.1 mi) inland. The pace of change has been modified in recent years by man-made barriers, such as dams on the Rhône and sea dykes, but flooding remains a problem across the region.

In popular culture

The area was the namesake of Operation Camargue during the First Indochina War of the French in its colony of Vietnam.

Captain Horatio Hornblower, RN raided the Étang de Vaccarès in 1810, according to C. S. Forester's 1938 novel A Ship of the Line.

The 1953 children's film Crin-Blanc, known in English as White Mane, portrays the Camarguais horses and region through the eyes of a boy. Directed by Albert Lamorisse, the black-and-white film won the Prix Jean Vigo award and the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prize, both for short film.

The majority of the youthful romance movie Friends (1971) takes place in the Camargue, with numerous scenes of wetlands and wildlife. "Michelle's Song," from the soundtrack by Bernie Taupin and Elton John, includes the phrase, "tiny daughter of the Camargue."

The Hammer Films thriller Maniac (1963) was partly filmed in the Camargue.

Part of the plot of Alistair MacLean's thriller, The Way to Dusty Death, is set in the Camargue.

Large parts of Michael Moorcock's Dorian Hawkmoon fantasy cycle take place in a future version of the Camargue (spelt Kamarg in the novels).

Part of Eagle Strike, the fourth book in the Alex Rider series of spy novels for young adults by Anthony Horowitz, is set in the Camargue.

The ultra-rare Pininfarina-designed Rolls-Royce Camargue was named after the region.

Patricia Wilson's book, the Gathering Darkness, is set in Camargue with the hero Luc holding the title of a Marquee.[3]

Articles connexes

Réserve naturelle nationale de Camargue

Parc naturel régional de Camargue

Abbaye d'Ulmet

Musée de la Camargue

Route du sel de la Camargue au Rouergue

Le Parc naturel régional de Camargue est un parc naturel régional situé dans le sud de la France, à l'ouest de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Il a été créé le 25 septembre 19701. Il comprend une grande partie de la Grande Camargue entre les bras du delta du Rhône.

Sommaire

1 Un site d'importance européenne et mondiale

2 Le syndicat mixte de gestion

3 Galerie d'images

4 Notes et références

5 Voir aussi

5.1 Articles connexes

5.2 Liens externes

Un site d'importance européenne et mondiale

Logo du parc.

La Camargue est un site d'importance européenne2 et nationale majeure pour les oiseaux locaux, pour les migrateurs et particulièrement pour les hivernants puisqu'il s'agissait en 2000-2005 du premier site français en nombre d'hivernants accueillis chaque année (122 000 oiseaux, devant le Bassin d'Arcachon qui en accueille 105 000). La Camargue est aussi connue pour accueillir le flamant rose3. C'est pour cette raison que le territoire de la Camargue fait l'objet de mesures de protection et d'engagements internationaux4 :

En 1928 fut créée la réserve botanique et zoologique. L'arrêté ministériel en date du 24 avril 1975 classe officiellement la Camargue en Réserve Naturelle Nationale. Elle est gérée par la Société nationale de protection de la nature. La zone protégée, essentiellement celle de l'étang de Vaccarès, couvre 13 117 hectares. C'est l'une des plus grandes réserves humides d'Europe. Son habitat regroupe 276 espèces d'oiseaux dont 258 d'intérêt patrimonial.

Périmètre du PNR.

Une partie du territoire est protégée par les directives européennes Oiseaux et Habitats, ce qui se traduit par des zones de protection spéciale (ZPS) et des Zones spéciale de conservation (ZSC), rassemblées au sein du réseau Natura 2000.

En outre, 193 000 hectares sont classés en Réserve de biosphère dans le cadre du Programme MAB de l'Unesco5.

Enfin, 114 000 hectares de la Camargue gardoise et de l'Île de Camargue (partie centrale du parc) sont inscrits sur la liste des zones humides d'importance internationale de la convention de Ramsar6.

Le syndicat mixte de gestion

Le parc naturel régional a été créé en 1970 par des acteurs privés regroupés au sein d'un syndicat mixte de gestion. Son premier Président fut François Hüe. Les manadiers sont attachés à promouvoir la race du cheval Camargue et l'AOC du Taureau Camargue. La riziculture fait partie intégrante de l'agriculture camarguaise.

Articles détaillés : Camargue (race bovine) et Riz rouge de Camargue.

L'Association des éleveurs français de taureaux de combat est étroitement associée à la préservation du parc, le maintien de l'élevage extensif des taureaux de combat, les taureaux de la « raço di Biòu » (d'origine Camargue), ainsi que les chevaux de race Camargue, l'élevage extensif permet la conservation des milieux humides qui font la richesse biologique du delta du Rhône. l'élevage extensif permet la conservation des milieux humides qui font la richesse biologique du delta du Rhône7. En 2004, le parc a été institutionnalisé. À la suite d'un recours administratif auprès du Conseil d'État, le 17 février 2007, il fait l'objet de la loi no 2007-1773 du 17 décembre 2007 prolongeant la durée de validité du classement du parc naturel régional jusqu'au 18 février 20118.

Galerie d'images

Paysage du parc naturel régional de Camargue.

Flamants roses.

Paysage de Camargue.

Pré salé de Camargue.

Notes et références

↑ « Parc de Camargue : 40 ans et de nouveau défis dans le delta », La Provence, 5 janvier 2010

↑ Parc de Camargue (prédiagnostic Natura 2000

↑ fiche indicateurs Oiseaux hivernants pour 2000-2005

↑ R. Vianet, 2004. La Camargue : géographie, réglementation et institution

↑ Fiche de la Réserve de biosphère de Camargue sur le site internet de MAB France

↑ (en) « Camargue », sur Service d’information sur les Sites Ramsar (consulté le 18 mars 2015)

↑ élevage et écologie

↑ la loi no 2007-1773 du 17 décembre 2007 à consulter sur Légifrance.

Prabarana Purnima'2018 by Ata Mohammad Adnan

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The festival, also known as Ashwini Purnima, marks the conclusion of the three-month-long seclusion of monks in monasteries for self-edification and atonement.

The release of sky lanterns commemorates an event in the life of Buddha, when he once clipped some strands of hair from his head and said that if he were qualified to attain supreme wisdom and enlightenment, the hair would go up instead of falling down. The strands of hair eventually went up.

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San Marco in Lamis Il Borgo- The Ancient village by michele masiero

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FotoSketcher water color effect and lively

Nikon coolpix p 7100

San Marco in Lamis è un comune italiano di 13.928 abitanti della provincia di Foggia, in Puglia.

San Marco in Lamis è nota soprattutto per la tradizionale Processione delle "fracchie", una manifestazione religiosa popolare molto suggestiva e assai singolare, che si ripete puntualmente da circa tre secoli ogni venerdì Santo per la rievocazione della Passione di Cristo, e che, ogni anno, richiama un grande afflusso di forestieri. Le fracchie sono delle enormi fiaccole, realizzate con grossi tronchi di albero di quercia o castagno aperti longitudinalmente a forma di cono e riempiti di legna, per essere incendiate all'imbrunire e divenire quindi dei falò ambulanti che illuminano il cammino della Madonna Addolorata lungo le strade del paese alla ricerca del figlio Gesù morto.Sembra che le origini di questo rito risalgano ai primi anni del XVIII secolo, epoca di edificazione della chiesa dell'Addolorata e le sue ragioni, oltre che di ordine religioso e devozionale, vadano collegate anche ad una motivazione di ordine pratico riconducibile alle precise condizioni fisiche dell'abitato. Infatti, quando venne costruita (1717), la chiesa dell'Addolorata si trovava fuori del centro abitato e lì sarebbe rimasta fino all'ultimo ventennio del XIX secolo. Una collocazione questa che sollecitò la fantasia degli abitanti, i quali pensarono di illuminare con le "fracchie" la strada che la Madonna percorreva dalla sua chiesa fino alla Collegiata, dove era custodito il corpo del Cristo. Le “fracchie più grandi possono essere lunghe anche 13-14 metri e pesare anche 60-70 quintali di legno di quercia , castagno o abete .

da wikipedia

San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13,928 citizens in the Italian province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy.

San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13.928 citizens and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism conted to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St. Matthew, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.San Marco in Lamis is known for the traditional procession of "fracchie", a very popular religious manifestation suggestive and very singular, that is repeated regularly from about three centuries each friday Saint for the reenactment of the passion of Christ, and that each year draws a large influx of foreigners. The fracchie are huge torches, made with large trees oak opened longitudinally cone-shaped and filled with wood, to be burned at dusk and become so a itinerant bonfires that illuminate the journey of our Lady of Sorrows along the roads of the country in search of the son Jesus died.It seems that the origins of this rite dates back to the early 18th century, a time of edification of the Church of our Lady of sorrows and his reasons as well as religious and devotional order, should be connected to a practical motivation due to precise physical conditions of the town. In fact, when it was built (1717), the Church of our Lady of Sorrows was out of town and would remain there until the last two decades of the 19th century. A bin that solicited the imagination of the inhabitants, whom they thought to illuminate with the "fracchie" the way that she ran from her church until the collegiate, where he guarded the body of Christ. The"Fracchia" can also get the length of 13-14 meters and weigh 60-70 quintals of wood of oak. From wikipedia

A Winnie the Pooh quote by muffett68 ☺ heidi ☺

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“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

—Winnie the Pooh

ANSH scavenger11 Winnie the Pooh day

(oddly enough this was the eleventh quote of 50)

Parenthetically and for the reader’s edification- it is not easy taking a picture of your own ear. Give it a go.

Prabarana Purnima'2018 by Ata Mohammad Adnan

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The festival, also known as Ashwini Purnima, marks the conclusion of the three-month-long seclusion of monks in monasteries for self-edification and atonement.

The release of sky lanterns commemorates an event in the life of Buddha, when he once clipped some strands of hair from his head and said that if he were qualified to attain supreme wisdom and enlightenment, the hair would go up instead of falling down. The strands of hair eventually went up.

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Centre Pompidou, Metz III by Wolfgang Staudt

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Wolfgang Staudt

The Centre Pompidou Metz is a museum of modern and contemporary arts designed by architects Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines and located in Metz, capital of Lorraine, France. It is built in the Amphitheatre District, near the Metz railway station and the German Imperial District. The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a branch of Pompidou arts centre of Paris, and features temporary exhibitions from the large collection of the French National Museum of Modern Art, the largest European collection of 20th and 21st century arts. The museum is the largest temporary exhibition space outside Paris in France with 5,000 metres square divided between 3 galleries and includes also a theatre, an auditorium, and a restaurant terrace.

The first piece of the monument was laid on November 7, 2006, and the building was inaugurated by the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, on May 12, 2010. The building is remarkable for its roof structure, one of the largest and most complex built to date, which was inspired by a Chinese hat found in Paris by Shigeru Ban.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a large hexagon structured round a central spire reaching 77 metres high, alluding to the 1977 opening date of the original Centre Pompidou of Paris. It possesses three rectangular galleries weaving through the building at different levels, jutting out through the roof with huge picture windows angled towards landmarks such as the Saint-Stephen Gothic cathedral, the Imperial Metz railway station, the Arsenal Concert Hall built by architect Ricardo Bofill, the Arènes indoor sport arena, and the Seille park. The great nave covers 1,200 m² and provides flexibility for the exhibition of large artworks, with the ceiling rising progressively from a height of 5.70 to 18 metres.

View on the carpentry structure.

Central spire supporting the carpentry.

Joan Miró, Blue I, Blue II, and Blue III, 1961, triptych in October 2010, during the exhibition Masterpieces?.

The roof is the major achievement of the building: a 90 meters wide hexagon echoing the building’s floor map. With a surface area of 8,000 metres square, the roof structure is composed of sixteen kilometres of glued laminated timber, that intersect to form hexagonal wooden units resembling the cane-work pattern of a Chinese hat. The roof’s geometry is irregular, featuring curves and counter-curves over the entire building, and in particular the three exhibition galleries. Imitating this kind of hat and its protective fabric, the entire wooden structure is covered with a white fibreglass membrane and a coating of teflon, which has the distinction of being self-cleaning, protect from direct sunlight while providing a transparent at night.

The Pompidou-Metz itself and its parvise, named Human Rights square, are built on the site of the Roman amphitheatre of Divodurum Medriomaticum (ancestor of present-day Metz). So, the building is the cornerstone of the newly created Amphitheater district. The district of 50 hectares, thought by architects Nicolas Michelin, Jean-Paul Viguier, and Christian de Portzamparc, is currently under construction and includes the edification of a convention centre and a shopping mall. The quarter encompasses already the Seille park designed by landscape architect Jacques Coulon and the Arènes indoor sport arena by Paul Chemetov built in 2002. The urban project completion is expected to take place by 2015.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

_DSC9672 by Hans Jan Dürr

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Saint-Stephen Cathedral Metz, France, is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built with the local yellow Jaumont limestone. Like in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most of the other cathedrals. Because of topography of Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, Saint-Stephen of Metz has a single porch at its western facade. One enters laterally in the edifice by another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, declining the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir. The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at 41.41 metres high, making one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles with 14.3 metres high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history, Saint-Stephen Cathedral was subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.

The edification of Saint-Stephen of Metz took place on an Ancient site from the 5th century. The construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1220 within the walls of an Ottonian basilica dating from the 10th century. The integration into the cathedral's ground plan of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century at the western end resulted in the absence of a main western portal; the south-western porch of the cathedral being the entrance of the former chapel. The work was completed around 1520 and the new cathedral was consecrated on 11 April 1552. In 1755, French architect Jacques-François Blondel was awarded by the Royal Academy of Architecture to built a Neoclassical portal at the West end of the cathedral. He disengaged the cathedral's facade by razing an adjacent cloister and three attached churches and achieved the westwork in 1764. In 1877, the Saint-Stephen of Metz was heavily damaged after a conflagration due to fireworks. After this incident, it was decided the refurbishment of the cathedral and its adornments within a Neogothic style. The western facade was completely rebuilt between 1898 and 1903; the Blondel's portal was demolished and a new Neogothic portal was added.

_DSC9690 by Hans Jan Dürr

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Saint-Stephen Cathedral Metz, France, is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built with the local yellow Jaumont limestone. Like in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most of the other cathedrals. Because of topography of Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, Saint-Stephen of Metz has a single porch at its western facade. One enters laterally in the edifice by another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, declining the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir. The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at 41.41 metres high, making one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles with 14.3 metres high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history, Saint-Stephen Cathedral was subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.

The edification of Saint-Stephen of Metz took place on an Ancient site from the 5th century. The construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1220 within the walls of an Ottonian basilica dating from the 10th century. The integration into the cathedral's ground plan of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century at the western end resulted in the absence of a main western portal; the south-western porch of the cathedral being the entrance of the former chapel. The work was completed around 1520 and the new cathedral was consecrated on 11 April 1552. In 1755, French architect Jacques-François Blondel was awarded by the Royal Academy of Architecture to built a Neoclassical portal at the West end of the cathedral. He disengaged the cathedral's facade by razing an adjacent cloister and three attached churches and achieved the westwork in 1764. In 1877, the Saint-Stephen of Metz was heavily damaged after a conflagration due to fireworks. After this incident, it was decided the refurbishment of the cathedral and its adornments within a Neogothic style. The western facade was completely rebuilt between 1898 and 1903; the Blondel's portal was demolished and a new Neogothic portal was added.

Fort above the port, Colliure, Occitaine, France by Dilys Anne Kevan

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The Fort Saint-Elme is a military fort built between 1538 and 1552 by Charles V. It is located in the district of Collioure, 30 km south-east of Perpignan, in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales. It is designated as a monument historique of the Côte Vermeille. Since 2008, the fort has been a museum with medieval and Renaissance arms collections, exhibitions and a panorama over the area from the terrace.

The fort Saint-Elme is located at the top of a hill overhanging Collioure on the west and Port-Vendres on the east. One can reach the fort following a local road linking the D114 road at the north, through the Coll d'en Raixat at the south.

Toponymy

Several assumptions exist for the origins of Saint Elme: Firstly the name of Saint-Elme may come from Erasmus of Formia, an Italian martyr of the 4th century. Secondly it could have been given in honour of the Spanish saint Peter González (1190-1246). This explains why we find this name around the western Mediterranean coasts: Saint Elme in Naples, Sant Elme in St Feliu de Guixols, Sant Helme and Santem in Provence, etc… Saint Erasmus may have become the patron saint of sailors because he is said to have continued preaching even after a thunderbolt struck the ground beside him. This prompted sailors, who were in danger from sudden storms and lightning, to claim his prayers. The electrical discharges at the mastheads of ships were read as a sign of his protection and came to be called "Saint Elmo's Fire".

By decree on 3 June 1794, during the French Revolution, the city took briefly the name of Fort-du-Rocher (Rock's fort).

History

From the origins to the Middle-Ages

The history of Fort Saint-Elme began with the edification of the watchtower in the 8th century, i.e. either during the period when Arab-Berber troops occupied Septimania between 719 and 759. Integrated to the Marca Hispanica, the tower belonged to the independent Counts of Roussillon until the death without heirs of Girard II of Roussillon in 1172. He bequeathed his county to Alfonso II, King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona. This is during the Aragonese period that the tower took its nickname "Torre de la guardia" (Watchtower).

Between 1276 and 1344, Majorca’s kings, whose summer residence was the castle of Collioure, rebuilt this signal tower on this ideal point of view. This tower was integrated in an efficient communication system including the Massane and Madeloc towers located on the heights of Collioure and funded by James II of Aragon in the 13th century. These towers communicated through smoke signals that permitted to alert the surroundings population with smoke signals (black or white, discontinuous or continuous) according to the danger. At night, some dry wood permitted to light fires to alert garrisons until Perpignan. By day, some green wood was used to emit smoke and thus communicate with the others towers and strongholds of the region. But it was the enemy of the kingdom of Majorca, the king Peter IV of Aragon, who, once he conquered the coast in 1344, made significant military works to improve the defense of the fort.

During the second part of the 15th century, the French controlled the Roussillon. In 1462, the king Louis XI took advantage of the Catalan civil war (1462-1472) to sign the treaty of Bayonne and thus took over the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne. The French decided to strengthen the fort which took the name of Saint Elme. A part of ramparts dates from this period. The successor of Louis XI, Charles VIII, who wanted to assure the neutrality of Spain for his ambitions over the kingdom of Naples, signed with Ferdinand II of Aragon the treaty of Barcelona in 1493. The catholic king recovered thus the lost territories.

The fortification of Charles V

In the 16th century, the Roussillon is an essential piece of the Spanish kingdom. The region had a triangular shape delimitated by the cordilleras in the north, the Albera Massif in the south and the Mediterranean Sea in the east. Perpignan was an important industrial, cultural and commercial center which got important privileged links with the wealth of Italy. Perpignan was defended in the north by the Fortress of Salses and in the south by the Fort Saint-Elme. This castle protected also the Collioure and Port-Vendres ports which assured supplies and troops helpers to the regional capital of Roussillon.

The progress of the modern artillery changed profoundly the war art and the siege technics. Architects and artillerymen were converted to new war masters and advisers of sovereigns. In 1537, the Italian architect Benedetto of Ravenna caught the emperor’s attention on the weaknesses of the Collioure position. After an inspection, Benedetto obtained the agreement of Charles V. He began the works in 1538 until 1552 and transformed the fort’s appearance which took its star-shaped aspect.

A French fort

Despite this modernisation and its adaptation to the artillery, on 13 April 1642, French troops of king Louis XIII achieved to take the fort. After the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, the Spanish threat remained. When Vauban, military architect of King Louis XIV, made a reconnaissance of the defensive structures in 1659 in the region of Collioure, he decided to build a counterscarp, which forms with the ramparts base a ten-meter pit where infantry and cannons could easily operate.

Around 1780, the fort’s facade was whitened to serve as landmark from the sea, with the Massane Tower, to better situate the port of Port-Vendres.[1]

During the French Revolution, more precisely during the War of the Pyrenees, between 1793 and 1795, the region was the center of violent fights. The Fort Saint Elme was conquered successively by Royalists and Republicans. In 1794, the Spanish army took the fort. Six months later, the general Dugommier crushed with 11 000 cannonballs the garrison which surrendered on 25 May 1794 after a 22-day siege. After the revolutionary period, the fort, unified with the municipality of Collioure, was transformed in military warehouse.

A private museum

The Fort Saint-Elme was demilitarised in 1903 and abandoned. The tower was shattered, the (shooting place) was partly impracticable and many walls threatened to collapse. On 21 August 1913, the State decided to auction the fort. Several owners succeeded but none restoration was made. The fort was registered as Monument Historique by decree of 2 April 1927. A new owner decided thus to restore it. The works ended in 1936. During the WWII, the fort was occupied by the Kriegsmarine between 1942 and 1944. At their escape, some buildings were dynamited to block the progress of allied troops. Rebuilt partially in 1950, most restoration works began in 2004. Since 2008, the fort has been a museum.

Architecture

The interior of the fort Saint-Elme is composed of rooms edified around the exterior circumference of the tower. On the first floor, there were the troop’s dormitories, the weapons room, the throne’s room, the jail and the oven. Today, the floor is fit out historical objects which date from 15th century to 19th century: helmets, knights’ armours, chest, polished-stone and iron cannonballs, medieval and "Renaissance" weapons (culverin, falconet, crossbows, halberds, flails, hammers, lances, bows, swords, arquebus, 16th-century pistols), howitzer fragments.

Others rooms reveal the history of the monument: the genealogy and life of Charles V, the fortifications of Vauban, the inventory of 1770 and the attack of general Dugommier in 1794.

On the second floor, the flour and artillery warehouses were next to the guardroom and the bakery. Saint-Elme, a stronghold with an ingenious defensive system, has been conceived to support sieges and resist to assaults. Some walls reach up to eight-meters thick. The tower contained the powder. The shooting place could receive more than 20 cannons and howitzers. The undergrounds are not open to the public. Formerly, they were used as a warehouse for food and housing. They could also house all trades (corps de metier) necessary to the fight.

Wikipedia

The Collioure mill is a medieval mill recently brought up to date by the town. It is on the heights, on the other side of the creek coming from Perpignan. If you don't see it, look up, it's as simple as that.

The Collioure mill is a local curiosity. It is a windmill, which is quite rare in the region, most of the mills being water-powered. This one has been perfectly restored, it is very close to the city, and it is a good destination for a very short walk.

Rather than being incomplete, it is better to quote the text at its feet, which briefly explains its history. Here is :

On February 11, 1337, the Chevalier Raymond de Toulouse, prosecutor of the King of Majorca, ceded to Jacques Ermengald de Collioure direct control of a piece of land located in Collioure, at a place called "Cortines" and ceded to him the right to operate the windmill which will be built there to grind grain or crops of any kind on its own authority.

The mill ceased its activity in the 19th century to find itself gradually in a state of ruin. Became property of the city, the town undertook its restoration which was completed in June 2001, with the wooden machinery made in the traditional way by the carpenters of Bernard Gariblad. It is now in working order for crushing olives and producing Collioure oil.

Collioure is a town on the Mediterranean coast of southern France. On the sea, the medieval Château Royal de Collioure offers dramatic coastal views. The bell tower of 17th-century Notre-Dame-des-Anges Church was once a lighthouse. The Modern Art Museum includes paintings by Henri Matisse. Nearby is the Moulin de Collioure, a 14th-century windmill. South, the hilltop Fort St. Elme has a museum with medieval weapons. ― Google

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collioure

Lame Breakfast Of Champions by Alan

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Today FGR invades 'Breakfast of Champions'.

I never got around to taking a picture of my breakfast this morning, so I creatively reimagined it via the medium of a pencil sketch, which I have reproduced photographically here, for your delight and edification.

I had fun doing this entry for the (now defunct) FGR 'Lameness' technical mini-challenge.

Reminiscent of one of my earliest FGR entries, from 18 months ago.

EXPLORED - Peaked at #62. There's a delicious irony about that ...

IMG_2877__b Sunk Without Trace II by Paul Busby

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Seen from a distance then photographed! Leilah & I walked back to the Tennyson Monument from Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight for me to take some more photos. I packed away my tripod & we were about to walk down to the Highdown Inn where we were staying when I spotted an object 50m or so away.

I didn't bother checking if the wearer was OK (preferring non-interventionist photography on this occasion) but laid on the grass, sacrificing my clothing to the rabbit droppings for your edification, set the aperture of my humble P&S to maximum & took this shot. This is 30m away from the chalk cliffs that overlook the English Channel. This newer version was tone mapped from a single jpg in Photomatix with the overall saturation right down but highlight colour turned up

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church by Jim Purcell

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830 North First Avenue, Pima County, Tucson, AZ Jul 15, 2010 — I shot multiple exposures then converted six images to tiffs using Lightroom. I used Photomatrix to tone-map the HDR image. I spruced-up the image using the plug-in Topaz, and touched-up the image using Photoshop.

PENTAX 645D

SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm ƒ2.8

ISO 100, ƒ11, 1/30-1/1000

www.howtogettoheaven.info

An example of a severe dereliction of duty in the recording of place and time. by George

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I'm sure you know how it is. You find a long-forgotten packet of negatives*. No date no notes no records at all. You have to try and work out when they were taken and where, from the ages of your children as depicted therein, the car that you were clearly driving at the time, and sometimes even less substantial clues.

This falls into the last category. It follows on from some pictures of Northern Ireland in about 1990 and immediately preceeds some of a French holiday of the same date. The weather, as recorded in the Irish pictures, was a leaden grey overcast; France was sunny.

Of one thing I can be sure: this Northern Counties bodied Bristol LH, a one-time denizen of the Lancashire United fleet, was not photographed in France. There is the possibility that it had found its way to Northern Ireland: records show that UTD298H, for one, made that trip. However a little voice in the back of my head says 'Wigan'.**

Whatever the location, the image is presented here for your edification.

*on one occasion I found a long forgotten camera, with film still inside!

** Having a voice in your head saying 'Wigan' may attract the attention of persons experienced in the clinical application of the Mental Health Act 2007.

Vassar College ChapelVassar College Chapel - The Vassar Chapel, built in 1904, is the main religious building at Vassar College, and is the largest religious edifice in Poughkeepsie, New York. Vasar College was originally founded in 1861 as a women's sch by Susan Candelario

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Image © Susan Candelario / SDC Photography, All Rights Reserved. The image is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws, and is not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without written permission.

If you would like to license this image for any purpose, please visit my site and contact me with any questions you may have. Please visit Susan Candelario artists website to purchase Prints Thank You.

A wicked crossing by W. Michel Kiteley

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I still feel like that great Indian scout, what with all my switching direction and backtracking. After my morning eye opener on our southern Wyoming trek we finally made it over the Snowy Range and made a stop at Centennial for another questionable capture. I always apologize for these ahead of time. Caution: The following image may prove nauseus for some stomachs! Anywhey, here is my shot; I had to clone eDDie from the background! Whew, no actor's fee!

Frankly, they don't want you to speed on your way into town while dropping from the heights of Snowy Range! In fact, a cop car is always posted on the west end of route #139 into town. Apparent, they are trying to cement their slow-down zone with a special crosswalk for the elderly, crippled and well, all the other street-walkers about town. It's good to note that Centenarians are wearing their Trumpamdemic masks even under their hair do-s. Good luck in making it across the main drag in Centennial; she'll need more luck than jist looking both ways. I expect Wyoming road kill as some local truck speeds into town on rwo wheels.

At the time, I was accompanying eDDie on a trek into the great north on an agricultural and scenic camera series over the Snowy Range and to Centennial. Early on, I grabbed my gear and immediately bailed to Loveland to pack in with the chief and scout explorer. We turned north onto Highway #287 through northern Colorado and southern Wyoming to scout for all things of interest.

We were blessed by a hazy sky due to some degree of moisture and a load of "fake global warming" smoke from California and Colorado wildfires. I heard that is no smoke from wildfires in California because der Leader has decried "global warming" as fake news. It must be something else entirely but boy was it thick in Colorado. Damn, it's really hot even this early in the morning. It was early in the day but it was starting to slug me down. It was smart to bring a load of my Propel hydration.

Although a silly shot, It looks like the California smog is moving on east from Centennial for the edification of Kansan global warming hoaxers. The eastern area folks await the Sturgis flu... another week certainly!

Honey time by Amal's World [ OFF ]

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حان وقت العسل

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San Marco in Lamis Il borgo antico- The Ancient Village by michele masiero

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FotoSketcher Oil painting effect and lively

Nikon coolpix p 7100

San Marco in Lamis è un comune italiano di 13.928 abitanti della provincia di Foggia, in Puglia.

San Marco in Lamis è nota soprattutto per la tradizionale Processione delle "fracchie", una manifestazione religiosa popolare molto suggestiva e assai singolare, che si ripete puntualmente da circa tre secoli ogni venerdì Santo per la rievocazione della Passione di Cristo, e che, ogni anno, richiama un grande afflusso di forestieri. Le fracchie sono delle enormi fiaccole, realizzate con grossi tronchi di albero di quercia o castagno aperti longitudinalmente a forma di cono e riempiti di legna, per essere incendiate all'imbrunire e divenire quindi dei falò ambulanti che illuminano il cammino della Madonna Addolorata lungo le strade del paese alla ricerca del figlio Gesù morto.Sembra che le origini di questo rito risalgano ai primi anni del XVIII secolo, epoca di edificazione della chiesa dell'Addolorata e le sue ragioni, oltre che di ordine religioso e devozionale, vadano collegate anche ad una motivazione di ordine pratico riconducibile alle precise condizioni fisiche dell'abitato. Infatti, quando venne costruita (1717), la chiesa dell'Addolorata si trovava fuori del centro abitato e lì sarebbe rimasta fino all'ultimo ventennio del XIX secolo. Una collocazione questa che sollecitò la fantasia degli abitanti, i quali pensarono di illuminare con le "fracchie" la strada che la Madonna percorreva dalla sua chiesa fino alla Collegiata, dove era custodito il corpo del Cristo. Le “fracchie più grandi possono essere lunghe anche 13-14 metri e pesare anche 60-70 quintali di legno di quercia , castagno o abete .

da wikipedia

San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13,928 citizens in the Italian province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy.

San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13.928 citizens and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism conted to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St. Matthew, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.San Marco in Lamis is known for the traditional procession of "fracchie", a very popular religious manifestation suggestive and very singular, that is repeated regularly from about three centuries each friday Saint for the reenactment of the passion of Christ, and that each year draws a large influx of foreigners. The fracchie are huge torches, made with large trees oak opened longitudinally cone-shaped and filled with wood, to be burned at dusk and become so a itinerant bonfires that illuminate the journey of our Lady of Sorrows along the roads of the country in search of the son Jesus died.It seems that the origins of this rite dates back to the early 18th century, a time of edification of the Church of our Lady of sorrows and his reasons as well as religious and devotional order, should be connected to a practical motivation due to precise physical conditions of the town. In fact, when it was built (1717), the Church of our Lady of Sorrows was out of town and would remain there until the last two decades of the 19th century. A bin that solicited the imagination of the inhabitants, whom they thought to illuminate with the "fracchie" the way that she ran from her church until the collegiate, where he guarded the body of Christ. The"Fracchia" can also get the length of 13-14 meters and weigh 60-70 quintals of wood of oak. From wikipedia

Pirámide del Sol by Javier Canale

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Sun Pyramid

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St Stephen's Cathedral, Metz, France by Glass Angel

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Metz, France - St Stephen's Cathedral

Saint-Étienne de Metz (French for "Saint-Stephen of Metz"), also known as Metz Cathedral, is a historic Roman Catholic cathedral in Metz, capital of Lorraine, France. Saint-Étienne de Metz is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz and the seat of the Bishop of Metz, currently Pierre Raffin.The cathedral treasury exhibits the millennium rich collection of the Bishopric of Metz, including paraments and items used for the Eucharist.

Saint-Stephen of Metz has one of the highest naves in the world. The cathedral is nicknamed the Good Lord's Lantern (French: la Lanterne du Bon Dieu), displaying the largest expanse of stained glass in the world with 6,496 m2 (69,920 sq ft). Those stained glass windows include works by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers Hermann von Münster, Theobald of Lixheim, and Valentin Bousch and romantic Charles-Laurent Maréchal, tachist Roger Bissière, cubist Jacques Villon, and modernist Marc Chagall.

Built between 1220 and 1552, it is the product of the unification of two distinct churches. With its 42 metre high vaults, it is one of the highest Gothic edifices in Europe. With its 6,500 m² of stained glass windows, the nickname “God’s lantern” is well merited. There are windows from the 13th to the 20th centuries by Hermann de Münster, Thiebault de Lixheim, Valentin Bousch, Jacques Villon and Marc Chagall. These masterpieces of the art of ﬁre and light form a veritable encyclopaedia of the art of stained glass.

Architecture

Saint-Stephen Cathedral is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built with the local yellow Jaumont limestone. Like in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most of the other cathedrals. Because of topography of Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, Saint-Stephen of Metz has a single porch at its western facade. One enters laterally in the edifice by another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, declining the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir.

The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at 41.41 metres (135.9 ft) high, making one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles with 14.3 metres (47 ft) high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history, Saint-Stephen Cathedral was subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.

Construction history

The edification of Saint-Stephen of Metz took place on an Ancient site from the 5th century consecrated to Saint Stephen protomartyr. According to Gregory of Tours, the shrine of Saint Stephen was the sole structure spared during the sack of 451 by Attila's Huns. The construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1220 within the walls of an Ottonian basilica dating from the 10th century. The integration into the cathedral's ground plan of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century at the western end resulted in the absence of a main western portal; the south-western porch of the cathedral being the entrance of the former chapel. The work was completed around 1520 and the new cathedral was consecrated on 11 April 1552.

In 1755, French architect Jacques-François Blondel was awarded by the Royal Academy of Architecture to built a Neoclassical portal at the West end of the cathedral. He disengaged the cathedral's facade by razing an adjacent cloister and three attached churches and achieved the westwork in 1764.

In 1877, the Saint-Stephen of Metz was heavily damaged after a conflagration due to fireworks. After this incident, it was decided the refurbishment of the cathedral and its adornments within a Neogothic style. The western facade was completely rebuilt between 1898 and 1903; the Blondel's portal was demolished and a new Neogothic portal was added.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz_Cathedral

www.cathedrale-metz.fr/Welcome.html

Like nowhere else by Stephen Dowle

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Railways and main roads follow the rivers, crossing and re-crossing along the valley bottoms. Side turnings connect the main roads to residential streets, lined with pavement-edge terraced houses, following the contours along the hillsides. Often the houses are higher on one side and lower on the other than the surface of the street. Flights of steps intersect scruffy alleys behind the long lines of houses. "The Valleys" are a unique enclave in Britain and unlike anywhere else in the world that I know of. Everything is a little neglected and behind the times here. One notices this in many small things. Leo dried peas are still on the shelves ...not just at Co-op and Premier, but also in the big mainstream supermarkets. Touchingly, people still put ornaments or vases of flowers on their front room window-sills, between swagged net curtains, to signify their respectability and for the edification of passers-by. This step-back-in-time effect is congenial to me and I only regret that I am unable to take yet more steps in that direction. It is a comfort ...sort of... for a man of my age to know that there are not many more steps forward. Good luck to the young 'uns ...that's all I can say. They'll need it.

Gosh, after East Anglia it's nice to see hills again, and there are as many as anyone could wish for around here. This almost looks like low-power telephoto but is, in fact, low-power wide-angle: the fixed 90mm lens of the Fuji GW690 II being equivalent, it is said, to 38mm in a 35mm camera.

Eureka Opera House, Eureka, NV by Robby Virus

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Eureka Opera House, 31 South Main Street, Eureka, Nevada. The Eureka Opera House was built on the ashes of the old Odd Fellows Hall, which was destroyed by the great Main Street fire of August 1879. The Opera House was used for the first time for the New Year’s Eve Costume Ball in 1880. The November 11, 1880 Eureka Daily Sentinel newspaper stated, "The building is, according to the plan of work now being carried on, to be thoroughly fire-proof, built with masonry (volcanic tuff) walls, brick and iron front, and slate roof. From the basement to dome the new theatre will be furnished as none of the class have ever been in Eureka. Its arrangement is pronounced to be first-class, for ventilation, for heat, for means of egress in case of fire, and in fact for a "thousand and one" reasons it is bound to be a beneficial and permanent monument to the memory of those who have erected, and who will so soon elegantly furnish the same for the edification of our people."

Eureka was on the main tour circuit for opera and theater performances and many famous personalities performed here during the town’s heyday. The opera house served as a community auditorium showing anything of interest including boxing, speeches, plays, graduations, and dances including annual Nob Hill Fire Company Masquerade Ball held every year from 1880 until well into the 1900s. The first silent movie was shown there in 1915. In the 1920s the opera house became the Eureka Theatre and “talkie” movies were shown.

In December 1923, a fire caused by a misplaced lantern destroyed the oleo stage curtain that was originally hand-painted in Italy. The curtain was replaced in 1924 with a new one painted in Minneapolis, featuring advertisements for local businesses from 1924. The 1924 oleo curtain still hangs at the front of the stage.

The last movie was shown in 1958 and the building fell into disrepair.

In 1990, Eureka County acquired the structure and began a three-year restoration. The Opera House reopened on October 5, 1993. The Building received the 1994 National Preservation Honor Award.

Other historic elements such as the original projectors from the early days of the silent movies, the first "talkies" projector, and a carbon-arc spotlight are on display. Historic graffiti has been preserved back stage from the early days and the tradition has been continued with signatures of the people who have performed at the Eureka Opera House since it was reopened.

The Opera House maintains a monthly schedule of cultural an local events.

fantastically overexposed by Vol-au-Vent

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EXPLORE 170 ! I am amazed! Thank you... :)

looks nearly wonderful large on black! 'fantastically overexposed' On Black

Sorry for this 'chef d'oeuvre' of which I am not immensely proud... So why would I upload it then?

Because I still can (just!!) see the beauty of what I wanted to capture, and let's face it, I needed a quick and quirky photo for the TWO WORDS WEDNESDAYS Pool!

I think there are even a few groups where I could place this for edification and education on How NOT to take photos! Have a very good Wednesday, all of you and THANKS for putting up with me on a frequent basis.

Kindly visit my Flickr DNA for more information on me and my work. Thanks!

If you have time, please visit my EXPLORE portfolio. |I| And/Or maybe you want to look up what 'DOPIAZA' considers as the MOST INTERESTING photos. |I| THESE are MY personal 50 FAVES… (and they change often as I delete one for every new one!) |I|

For opening all other folders, please open link(s) in a new tab each! :)

Roussillon roman: l’abbaye de Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines by Arsène Lupin

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In a locale called “The Fountains”, a Benedictine monk named Sentimirus founded a monastery with some companions around 780. Destroyed by the Vikings in the 10th century (they had come round Spain via Gibraltar on their way to conquer Sardinia, then Sicily), the monastery was substantially rebuilt, as attested by an act of completion drawn up on July 9, 981 by Lotharius, then-Carolingian King of France (which of course did not exist as such at the time, I could have just as well said “Gaul”).

Placed under the direct protection of the sovereigns, the abbey flourished and a prosperous village named Saint-Génis after a local saint (the abbey church was dedicated to Saint Michael) grew around it. An enlarged church was consecrated in 1153, and a late Romanesque marble cloister was added during the 1200s.

With the passing of time and what some regard as a corruption of Christian faith, decline came to this abbey as it did to many others. Later, with the advent of the French Revolution in 1789, the monks were ousted and the abbey buildings were “nationalized” and sold to private owners like most others to finance the wars France had to fight against the European nations coalesced against her. The former abbey church was returned to religion as the parochial church in 1849, but the admirable cloister was sold piecemeal to antique dealers in the early 1900s. It took 50 years for the pieces to be sent back and reinstalled where they belonged.

Listed in 1966 as a Historic Landmark, what is left of the abbey today is most famous for its cloister (itself [or what was left of it at the time, see cloister description for more details] listed in 1924 and 1975), but also for its historied lintel which, rarest of things for a masterpiece of that period, is dated —of 1029–30, in this case. It is the oldest Romanesque sculpture in the world dated with certainty.

SPECIAL NOTE: the apse is the most ancient part of the church, still featuring the original Carolingian masonry. Unfortunately, on the day I was in Saint-Génis, access to the back of the church was not possible because of ongoing works. As that part truly is very interesting to behold, I decided to make an exception to my rule #1 (“Upload nothing but mine own photographs”) and use a Wikipedia photo. I corrected the perspective as it was very amateurishly taken, but otherwise it is more or less OK. I dressed it up a little bit. The inside of the church itself was not accessible either, and so I do not have photos of it.

This cloister capital features an equally explicit (and surprising, in such a place) illustration of the sin of Lust. Sirens were known to have only one tail, like a fish, but were often represented with two to accentuate the likeness with a woman, and the tails/legs would often be shown wide open with the Siren grabbing her “feet” in an obviously sexual posture inviting to copulation.

This sort of depiction is regularly seen in Romanesque churches where Capital Sins are often quite crudely shown for the edification of the congregation, but such explicitness is much rarer in monasteries, where monks were not supposed to need this sort of “education”.

_DSC9664 by Hans Jan Dürr

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Saint-Stephen Cathedral Metz, France, is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built with the local yellow Jaumont limestone. Like in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most of the other cathedrals. Because of topography of Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, Saint-Stephen of Metz has a single porch at its western facade. One enters laterally in the edifice by another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, declining the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir. The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at 41.41 metres high, making one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles with 14.3 metres high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history, Saint-Stephen Cathedral was subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.

The edification of Saint-Stephen of Metz took place on an Ancient site from the 5th century. The construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1220 within the walls of an Ottonian basilica dating from the 10th century. The integration into the cathedral's ground plan of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century at the western end resulted in the absence of a main western portal; the south-western porch of the cathedral being the entrance of the former chapel. The work was completed around 1520 and the new cathedral was consecrated on 11 April 1552. In 1755, French architect Jacques-François Blondel was awarded by the Royal Academy of Architecture to built a Neoclassical portal at the West end of the cathedral. He disengaged the cathedral's facade by razing an adjacent cloister and three attached churches and achieved the westwork in 1764. In 1877, the Saint-Stephen of Metz was heavily damaged after a conflagration due to fireworks. After this incident, it was decided the refurbishment of the cathedral and its adornments within a Neogothic style. The western facade was completely rebuilt between 1898 and 1903; the Blondel's portal was demolished and a new Neogothic portal was added.

San Marco in Lamis, Processione del Venerdi Santo, Accensione delle Fracchie by michele masiero

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FotoSketcher lively

Nikon coolpix p 7100

San Marco in Lamis è un comune italiano di 13.928 abitanti della provincia di Foggia, in Puglia.

San Marco in Lamis è nota soprattutto per la tradizionale Processione delle "fracchie", una manifestazione religiosa popolare molto suggestiva e assai singolare, che si ripete puntualmente da circa tre secoli ogni venerdì Santo per la rievocazione della Passione di Cristo, e che, ogni anno, richiama un grande afflusso di forestieri. Le fracchie sono delle enormi fiaccole, realizzate con grossi tronchi di albero di quercia o castagno aperti longitudinalmente a forma di cono e riempiti di legna, per essere incendiate all'imbrunire e divenire quindi dei falò ambulanti che illuminano il cammino della Madonna Addolorata lungo le strade del paese alla ricerca del figlio Gesù morto.Sembra che le origini di questo rito risalgano ai primi anni del XVIII secolo, epoca di edificazione della chiesa dell'Addolorata e le sue ragioni, oltre che di ordine religioso e devozionale, vadano collegate anche ad una motivazione di ordine pratico riconducibile alle precise condizioni fisiche dell'abitato. Infatti, quando venne costruita (1717), la chiesa dell'Addolorata si trovava fuori del centro abitato e lì sarebbe rimasta fino all'ultimo ventennio del XIX secolo. Una collocazione questa che sollecitò la fantasia degli abitanti, i quali pensarono di illuminare con le "fracchie" la strada che la Madonna percorreva dalla sua chiesa fino alla Collegiata, dove era custodito il corpo del Cristo. Le “fracchie più grandi possono essere lunghe anche 13-14 metri e pesare anche 60-70 quintali di legno di quercia , castagno o abete .

da wikipedia

San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13,928 citizens in the Italian province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy.

San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13.928 citizens and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism conted to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St. Matthew, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.San Marco in Lamis is known for the traditional procession of "fracchie", a very popular religious manifestation suggestive and very singular, that is repeated regularly from about three centuries each friday Saint for the reenactment of the passion of Christ, and that each year draws a large influx of foreigners. The fracchie are huge torches, made with large trees oak opened longitudinally cone-shaped and filled with wood, to be burned at dusk and become so a itinerant bonfires that illuminate the journey of our Lady of Sorrows along the roads of the country in search of the son Jesus died.It seems that the origins of this rite dates back to the early 18th century, a time of edification of the Church of our Lady of sorrows and his reasons as well as religious and devotional order, should be connected to a practical motivation due to precise physical conditions of the town. In fact, when it was built (1717), the Church of our Lady of Sorrows was out of town and would remain there until the last two decades of the 19th century. A bin that solicited the imagination of the inhabitants, whom they thought to illuminate with the "fracchie" the way that she ran from her church until the collegiate, where he guarded the body of Christ. The"Fracchia" can also get the length of 13-14 meters and weigh 60-70 quintals of wood of oak. From wikipedia

Blooming Granite by Floris van Breugel

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Fiddleheads blooming in the California foothills in spring.

Ryan McGinty - this one?

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Palace of stalls by Peter Kittsteiner

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The Marché Couvert (in English: "Covered Market") right next to the cathedral Saint-Étienne de Metz in the old town of the Lorraine city of Metz (on a Sunday morning, when it was closed), Grand Est, France

Some background information:

The Marché Couvert is a historic market with permanent stalls and shops in a large covered structure in the historical centre of Metz. Originally built as the bishop's palace, the French Revolution broke out before the Bishop of Metz could move in. Subsequently, the citizens decided to turn it into a food market.

In 1762, the Bishop of Metz commanded the edification of his palace to Royal architect Jacques-François Blondel. The works began in 1785, but the French Revolution in 1789 brought the construction work to a halt. The partial building remained vacant until 1821, when it was bought by the municipality of Metz. The local architect Pierre-Sylvestre Jaunez reconfigured the edifice in order to install a municipal covered market into its walls, a function that it has kept until today.

With its more than 120,000 residents, Metz is a city in northeastern France. It was built at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. The city is the administrative capital of the French department of Moselle and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est region. Metz is located just about 50 km (31 miles) away from the French-German border and only 40 km (25 miles) away from the French border to Luxembourg. Hence, the city is situated at the tripoint of the three countries France, Germany and Luxembourg.

Metz has a rich 3,000-year history, having variously been a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of Austrasia, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics in Europe. The city has been steeped in French culture, but has also been strongly influenced by German culture due to its location and history.

The first traces of settlement in the area of Metz can be found from 3000 BC onwards. At that time, the Celtic tribe Mediomatricum settled there, but in 52 BC, the Celtic settlement was conquered by the Romans. Being located at the important crossroads of the roads to Reims, Lyon, Trier, Strasbourg and Mainz, the site developed into one of the largest cities in Gaul. In the 2nd century, the city already had 40,000 inhabitants and was thus larger than Lutetia (today’s Paris).

In the 4th century, Metz became Christian and its first bishop was Clemens of Metz. But in 451, the city was destroyed by the hordes of Attila the Hun. In Merovingian-Franconian times, the city was the capital of the Frankish Eastern Empire Austrasia. During this period, the city of Metz flourished in religio-cultural terms.

But Metz is also the original ancestral seat of the Carolingians. Various members of Charlemagne's family, such as his wife Hildegard, his sisters, Emperor Louis the Pious and Charlemagne's own son Drogo, were buried in the monastery church of Saint Arnulf Abbey. During the Carolingian division of the empire after the death of Louis the Pious, Metz became part of the Lotharii Regnum in 843, and part of the East Frankish Empire in 870.

In 1180, Metz became a free imperial city. It created a dominion, the Pays Messin, and thus rose to become the largest imperial city in terms of area in the 14th century. Just like in the neighbouring free imperial city of Strasbourg, a city republic developed, led by the richest patrician families. Metz maintained active contact with the Italian trading cities and housed numerous Lombard trading stations, which brought the money and credit business from northern Italy to the Lorraine town.

Until the 16th century, the cityscape of Metz remained essentially dominated by monasteries. But the arrival of the French under King Henry II from the 16th century onwards put an end to this period. The city with a religious character was now transformed into a French fortress against the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, to which it nevertheless still belonged. King Henry II entered the city of Metz under the pretext of protecting it from the Duke of Lorraine, who was loyal to the Roman-German Emperor. In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia, which set an end to the Thirty Years’ War, officially confirmed the French possession of Metz.

The fortress of Metz was substantially enlarged by the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban in the 17th century and served as a hub for all of Louis XIV's campaigns in his reunion policy to the east. In order to be able to occupy the fortress of Metz with troops, the Caserne Coislin was built on the Champ à Seille between 1726 and 1730. At the same time, medieval Metz fell into oblivion.

In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871, General François-Achille Bazaine retreated with the French Rhine Army to Metz. After several weeks of siege by the Prussian army of Prince Frederick Charles, the French troops surrendered on 27 October 1870 and went into captivity two days later. Metz became the administrative seat of the newly created district of Lorraine within the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine and was developed into the strongest fortified city in the German Empire in the following decades.

As a result of the emigration of some of its inhabitants to France and, above all, the immigration and stationing of German civil servants and military personnel, the previously majority French-speaking Metz temporarily became majority German-speaking. In the 1900 census, 78% of the residents in the Metz urban district declared German and 22% French as their mother tongue. However, in the district of Metz, a majority of the population declared French as their mother tongue, although this majority was not very large.

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, all civilian authorities in the city were subordinated to the military, basic rights were restricted and around 200 residents classified as pro-French were immediately interned in the Ehrenbreitstein fortress in the city of Koblenz. Immediately after the outbreak of the war, some 15,000 residents left the city in panic, suspecting a siege as in the war of 1870/1871. But in November 1918, the French occupied Metz. And after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the city officially rejoined France.

On 14th June 1940, in the course of World War II, Metz was declared an open city. And on the afternoon of 17th June, a motorised patrol of the 379th Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht entered the deserted city. Troops of the German 16th Infantry Division occupied Metz without a fight. Adolf Hitler demonstratively celebrated the first Christmas after the victory over France in 1940 in Metz. But in November 1944, the capture of Metz by troops of the 3rd US Army was the main event of the Battle of Lorraine. After four and a half years of German occupation, Metz finally became French again.

Today, Metz has a great historical, cultural and architectural background. Because of that, the city has been submitted on France's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Metz features noteworthy buildings such as the Gothic Saint-Stephen Cathedral with its largest expanse of stained-glass windows in the world, the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains being the oldest church in France, its Imperial Station Palace displaying the apartment of the German Kaiser, or its Opera House, the oldest one working in France. Furthermore, the city is also home to some world-class venues including the Arsenal Concert Hall and the Centre Pompidou-Metz museum.

24mm Full-Frame vs 18mm Crop-Sensor by Chuck S.

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So here is an interesting comparison that I really needed to do for my own edification. I'm building a kit around an EOS5D I want to use professionally for weddings and portraits, and in an amateur way for landscapes, nature, and walkabout type stuff.

Lenses 1 and 2 of the kit are the EF 24-70mm 2.8L and the EF 70-200mm 2.8L IS. I had planned for lens 3 to be an EF 16-35mm 2.8L but now I am rethinking that decision.

My whole reason for wanting the 16-35 was to cover the wide end for landscapes, since I've got all the way down to 18mm on my XTi, I wanted something comparable for my pro kit. But when I shoot at 18mm on the XTi, the crop sensor gives me a frame comparable to 29mm on a full frame camera.

Which technically means my EF 24-70 at its widest on the 5D should handily pick up more than the EF-S 18-55 at its widest on the XTi.

That's what this image confirms. If you go to full frame, you lose nothing by swapping an 18mm lens for a 24mm lens. In order to match the width of the EF 24mm on a 5D, you need a 15mm on the XTi.

For these pictures each camera was mounted on the same tripod with the head in the same position. However, at 18mm the XTi's front element is 4.5 inches from the tripod mount, but on the 5D at 24mm the front element is 7.5 inches from a tripod mount. This results in the two pictures having slightly different geometry (which is why the black frame isn't quite rectangular) and causes the 5D's picture to be a little smaller than it should... if I moved the 5D 3 inches back to put the front element in the same position, a little more of the scene would have fallen inside the frame.

Regardless, this illustrates the point that to get pictures as wide as I am used to on the XTi, I really don't need a 16-35 on my 5D... the 24-70 will do fine.

This is good to know because I was considering swapping out the 16-35 for a high quality portrait lens like the EF 85mm 1.2L.

UPDATE: Years later I did end up buying the 16-35 anyway. It is very useful for stage productions.

Notre-Dame-de-Croaz-Batz, Roscoff by Philippe Guillot

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Fondée au début du XVIe siècle sur le site de Croas-Batz (croix de l'île de Batz) par de riches marchands et armateurs, l'église fut consacrée en 1550. Entreprise vers 1520 par la nef, sa construction se poursuivit au cours du XVIe siècle par le poche ouest et le clocher puis, au XVIIe siècle, par le chœur (vers 1609), la sacristie et l'enclos (1639). Elle s'acheva en 1701 par l'édification de la chapelle nord dite "des Agonisants". Elle fit l'objet d'une campagne de restauration en 1777.

Founded at the beginning of the 16th century on the site of Croas-Batz (cross of the island of Batz) by wealthy merchants and shipowners, the church was consecrated in 1550. Undertaken around 1520 by the nave, its construction continued during 16th century by the western pocket and the bell tower then, in the 17th century, by the choir (around 1609), the sacristy and the enclosure (1639). It ended in 1701 with the construction of the northern chapel known as "des Agonisants". It was the subject of a restoration campaign in 1777.

Canyon Character by Floris van Breugel

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On a backpacking trip last year, I found this incredible formation deep inside Buckskin Gulch, Arizona. The variation in colors is caused by reflected light - the more bounces the light takes to get somewhere the more blue/purple it gets. The greens are from moss growing on the canyon walls.

This is a 3-image blend... the dynamic range was beyond difficult to contain here! Add to that the flare that came in from the top. For the 3 exposures one used a 3-stop reverse grad, one straight, and one with a hat to block the flare.

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Spotted Towhee by Floris van Breugel

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Been a while since I've uploaded any birds... it's also been a while since I've gotten a bird shot that I was truly happy with. I just love this kind of impressionistic light.

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First United Methodist Church of Tucson by Jim Purcell

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915 East 4th Street, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Jul 26, 2011 — This congregation is known as the oldest protestant church in Tucson with over 130 years! It's located across the street from the campus.

I hand-held multiple exposures then converted five images to tiffs using Lightroom. I used Photomatrix to tone-map the HDR image. I spruced-up the image using the Topaz plug-ins DeNoise, Detail, and Simplify, and touched-up the image using Photoshop.

PENTAX K-5

SMC PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm ƒ2.8 ED [IF] SDM

ISO 100, ƒ6.3, 1/125-1/2000

www.howtogettoheaven.info

Symbol by Juan Gracia

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May 22nd 2008 - Honesty by Stephen Poff

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Today wasn't too bad. It was the third day of my vacation and Tam and I went into the city to have lunch at a place called the Montgomery Brew Pub.

After getting home Clarissa and I went out back and wasted some quality time shooting cans and bottles with the BB Gun. LOL... it's amazing how you can bond over the most simple things.

After 5:00 I headed out to do some engagement photos for a couple that's getting married next month. They brought their dog Mr. Bojangles the 10th... or as they called him.. Bobo. It was a fun shoot.

Afterwards we headed to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was a lot of fun. My only complaint wasn't with the movie, but with our theater. What is is with theater's that they have to have it so damn cold? I was shivering and losing feeling in my toes. Not good.

Since all I had was popcorn since lunch here I am at 11:30 eating a sandwich and lining up 27 photos in photoshop. Why did I do this? It's taken me 2 hours to get this all lined up. Blah.

As for the title, unfortunately, the 365 days group had to endure a post today that just wouldn't go away. Basically someone had an opinion (which they are entitled to) about some things I said on my photo a couple of nights ago and thought it was important to involve the group. I'm not saying that he was wrong to state his opinon, I'm just not happy that you guys had to be subjected to it. In general I think the group is very positive and nurturing and I hate to think that I brought any negative energy in. And for that I apologize.

That said, I should warn people that while I try not to air my dirty laundry here on the internet, I have always used my photostream as a diary, and in my diary I might say some things that are personal or negative. But I feel that it's important for my project to be honest with myself, even if that means that I'm selfish, immature, whiney or just plain wrong. It's part of the growing process that's a by-product of the project. I might say something one day only to discover that I had been a complete douche and that I need to learn a lesson from it. Either way, I'm entitled to write whatever it is that I want for my own edification.

If you feel that I need advice or some perspective on an issue, please address me personally through a flickrmail instead of involving the group. You might find that I am receptive to constructive criticism and willing to see another point of view.

Anyway, I did this for like_shipwrecks. I thought she might enjoy it ;-).

Paradise Lost by Floris van Breugel

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Lone Palm in the badlands of Anza Borrego, CA, at the first striking of sunrise.

oh, view LARGE!

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Pentax "Ten Lens Shootout" 50mm Test - Wide Open by digital<>analog

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View the image at 100% after reading below, or you will go blind and learn nothing by looking at this small image above. lol

Premise: I wanted to know, unscientifically and for my personal edification, which of my 10, yes.. T-E-N Pentax mountable 50mm's is the best wide open. Secondarily I wanted to know about the bokeh of each, with emphasis on specular highlights such as points of light.

Method: I composed a simple yet attractive scene to challenge these lenses. A table in light with a dark background. I set a Kodak E100 box at frame center with my Konica Auto Reflex atop a photo album and another roll of film below them. In the rear by 3 feet an old white lamp and behind that by 10 feet a string of led Christmas tree lamps. Each shot was shot three times and the best shot picked for comparison snipping.

VIEWER"S GUIDE: What you see above are four rows of results.

The top row is CENTER sharpness at Wide Open. (blue film box)

The second row down is 3/4 to edge of frame sharpness at Wide Open. (camera body)

The third row is mid-frame bokeh Wide Open, with a small inset of the prism hump of the Camera for Chromatic Aberration (purple fringing) performance.

The bottom row is the same bokeh patch as the row above except that it is one f-stop down, again there is inset the prism hump sample.

Error: The f2.0 patch for the Pentax Super Takumar SMC f1.4 (third in from right) is incorrect, it is a needless duplicate of the f1.4 sample. :(

Note: the last two lenses were only shot wide open at f1.4 because they are automatic only and would require me gluing down the aperture pin for "stop down metering.

Gear: Pentax K100D 6MP CCD a ISO 200 mounted on tripod with I.S. turned off. K-mount-Screwmount adapter used for the 4 screw mount lenses.

Pentax-A 50mm f1.4

Pentax-M 50mm f1.4

Pentax-M 50fmm f1.7

Vivitar 50mm f1.8

Yashinon-DX 50mm f1.7

Sears 50mm f2

Pentax-M 50mm f2

Pentax Super Takumar SMC 50mm f1.4

Yashinon-DS 50mm f1.4

Yashinon-DS-M 50mm f1.4

RESULTS:

As expected:

1. The Pentax-A f 1.4 has some of the most pleasant bokeh, even stopped down thanks to it's 8 blades.

2. As rumored online, the Pentax-M f1.7 is a very sharp lens, even wide open!

3. The off brand lenses are not as sharp across the frame.

The unexpected:

1. The Vivitar f1.8 (fourth column) is extreemly sharp and contrasty at frame center. BUT is the worst performer away from the center. It also has very low CA (purple fringing) on the prism hump inset samples, even less than the Pentax-A & Pentax-M lenses.

2. The Pentax-M f2 is no joke. It's a solid but quiet performer and seems to have great CA control.

The weird:

1. I assure you the bottom bokeh shot for the Pentax-M f1.4 is at f2. It appears from the bokeh though that it is not and is for some reason producing smaller circles of light than the "A" version of the same lens. Hmm.

2. The bokeh of the Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 is a little unattractive in my opinion when stopped down to f2. It has a type of curved aperture blades which create a bit of a "toothed" appearance to the bokeh.

Conclusion:

If you want versatility, automatic aperture capability, maximum depth-of -field control (outside of splurging on a f1.2 lens) and bragging want general rights.....then the Pentax-A 50mm f1.4 is for you.

If you want center only sharpness and like a "swirlios" effect to your edge bokeh, then the Vivitar 50mm f1.8 is your wonky little buddy. Sharp and contrasty and cheap!

If you want a nice thin lens, with good sharpness across the frame and good CA (purple fringing) control and want an un-notable user experience, then the Pentax-M f2 is ready to please you, even at f2.

If you want a lens that gives you the smoothest barrel turn and most solid retro feel and "look" at the price of gaining more "glow" than more modern lenses...then the Pentax Super Takumar SMC 50mm f1.4 will give you the nice glow to your f1.4 people portraits.

If you want a "relatively unknown" lens that almost matches the legendary sharpness of the Pentax f1.7, and all this in a screwmount playful package...the Yashinon DX 50mm f1.7 will take you off to la-la land in a side-car of sharpness.

THE BOTTOM LINE - WHAT I WANT

I want what I don't have. A nice Pentax-A 50mm f1.7. Why? The Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 performance is impressive!. And think about it.... if I want shallow depth of field while staying away from CA (purple fringing) and the typical "wide-open glow", then a good f1.7lens shot wide-open beats an f1.4 lens that must be stopped down to f2 anyways.

P.S.- I hope the aperture blades of the "A"version of the Pentax f1.7 are a bit better designed because the bokeh, specifically specular highlights are a bit disappointing.

Oh, yes...one more thing.. I want a Pentax digital FULL FRAME camera so I can shoot these as normal lenses!!!!

Self-portrait, plus 50 random facts about me by Garry Wilmore

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"The unexamined life is not worth living." -- Socrates

I don't take many self-portraits, and the ones I do take will be few and far between. This one was inspired when I noted the light coming through our bedroom window and wondered if it might make for a good portrait. I would have very much preferred using some pretty woman as my model, but I had the day off work and was home alone because my wife and children were in Utah for a few days. Thus, I was the only subject available.

But as pictures of me go, I sort of like this one. I am getting older now, and while my hair is on the sparse side, I'm noticing more and more gray in what hair I do have, and it shows up in this image. And I have earned every one of those gray hairs, let me tell you!

Update for the "Portrait 50" group:

1. I once recited a lengthy passage from Dante's Divine Comedy, in the original Italian, during a job interview. (I was a member of the panel interviewing the candidate for the position.)

2. I'm terrified of heights, but love to fly.

3. I hated practicing law, but take comfort in the knowledge that while I did it, I helped a lot of battered women.

4. When I was 8 years old, my father made me memorize the names of all U. S. Presidents in chronological order, and I have never forgotten them, although I've had to add eight more names since then. (Kennedy was in office at the time.)

5. I took up ballroom dancing because I wanted to give my wife a romantic surprise, then became hooked on it myself.

6. I hate being photographed, even by myself, which is why there are few self-portraits in my Flickr photostream.

7. A friend of mine, who has lived in Rome for about the past 25 years, once told me I had done well to learn Italian because it was a language that lended itself very well to verbosity.

8. My favorite song is "O mio babbino caro," from Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi."

9. I am convinced that country music is one of the plagues foretold in the Book of Revelation.

10. I love to cuddle.

11. My favorite TV programs of all time are "Bonanza," "M*A*S*H*," and "Touched by an Angel."

12. I was very skinny when I was young, and weighed 90 pounds between ages 9 and 13, even though I grew several inches in height during that time.

13. Ever since I was about five years of age, I have always loved old silent comedies, especially those starring Harold Lloyd.

14. I once spent most of a day wandering alone around East Berlin back during the Cold War era.

15. I have read the entire Bible, as well as the other scriptures of my church, in English, Spanish, and Italian.

16. I know several Mad Magazine parody songs by heart, and enjoy singing them occasionally, usually for the benefit and edification of my wife and children.

17. I dislike facial hair, and shave nearly every single day, including Saturdays. I also figure it makes my face more kissable.

18. I hate tattoos and body piercings.

19. I rarely get sick, and once went for three years without even catching a cold.

20. I love to travel, and wish I could do more of it.

21. I regret never having been a Boy Scout.

22. My best decision in life was to become a Mormon, and my worst was to become a lawyer.

23. I am quiet and reserved around people I don't know, but warm and effusive around those I do.

24. My wife once remarked that she didn't quite know what to make of a husband who loved Dante, AND "Calvin & Hobbes."

25. I once did a live, on-air ad (in Spanish) for a lumber yard on a radio station in El Salvador.

26. I had a very hard time with dating when I was younger, for reasons I now recognize were mostly my own fault; yet the overwhelming majority of my really close friends today are women. (They are all trustworthy, by the way, and my wife doesn't mind.)

27. A number of people want me to be a "Jeopardy" contestant, but the idea of appearing on national television absolutely horrifies me.

28. I once made up a song about Mao Tse-tung while I was taking a shower.

29. As a preschooler, my favorite obsession was cars, and I could look at a car a block away and correctly identify its make.

30. The human qualities I most admire are courage, sensitivity, and humor, in that order.

31. I once worked in a chicken slaughterhouse, as a result of which I was unable to eat chicken for more than a year.

32. My favorite fantasy is to be President of the United States and serve something really messy at an official state dinner -- tacos, spaghetti, or prime rib, perhaps.

33. My favorite kinds of music are classical (including opera), movie soundtracks, and "oldies" from the 1950s and early 1960s.

34. If I am late coming home, my wife never has to look very hard to find me, as I am most likely going to be at the public library, Border's, or Barnes & Noble. (She has recently added the nearby Fred Astaire studio to that list, and has in fact tracked me down there a couple of times.)

35. I have read from the scriptures of my church every single day for 11 years.

36. My favorite novels are War and Peace and Don Quixote.

37. I was past fifty when I took up photography and ballroom dancing.

38. I blush VERY easily.

39. The most enduring private joke between my wife and me involves me threatening not to shave.

40. I took a day off work to watch Ronald Reagan's funeral on television. Not only that, but the night before I had my wife lay out my best Sunday clothes, and stayed up late ironing them, as well as spit-shining two pairs of my dress shoes. (I decided, after polishing the first pair, that it wasn't good enough after all.) This was all done for a very specific purpose. I wore the entire ensemble the next morning as I watched the funeral. It was my way of honoring Reagan, who so revered the Oval Office that he never so much as removed his suitcoat whenever he was in it.

41. I only visit about a dozen Internet sites regularly, with Flickr being the most important one by far; the others mostly include news-related sites, plus a few blogs.

42. My idea of hell is an everlasting job search. Heaven, on the other hand, would be to spend eternity in Florence, Italy.

43. In my high school senior play, my principal role was as a German soldier.

44. My feet are EXTREMELY ticklish.

45. People who have seen me really, REALLY laugh have all told me it is quite the spectacle, although I have never seen it myself.

46. I like to serenade my wife with "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'," preferably by the Four Tops or Johnny Rivers, although I will thunder it at her myself if the original artists are not available at the moment.

47. My most successful and memorable prank of all time was to leave a note for a girl in my BYU ward, asking her to "call Jerry" at such-and-such a number. The number in question was the White House, and "Jerry" was Gerald Ford, who was President at the time. She fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. One of her roommates told me later that when my victim realized who "Jerry" was, she gulped, and her eyes became as large as saucers. She then slammed down the phone, muttered "Garry Wilmore did that," and was irked anew when the phone bill arrived a few weeks later and she had to pay something like 35 cents for the call. Man, it was beautiful!

48. My favorite cuisines are Italian, Chinese, and Greek, in that order.

49. I like to tell people that my mechanical IQ is far below retardation level.

50. I met my wife on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, which several people have told me seemed entirely fitting.

Uzbek construction worker and children by Damon Lynch

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A construction worker takes time out from his work to pose for a photo. Three small children also pose. They are standing outside a school named "Hatam Hindu Madrasasi". Photo taken on July 09, 2012 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

't Berkenbos (horz) by Floris van Breugel

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Another from my visit to the motherland, the Netherlands. This one is from the forest near Oisterwijk in the southern part of the Netherlands. I found this stand of Birches while biking around in the afternoon, and returned later that evening to catch the grove in the last minutes of sunlight.

Which do you prefer, this or the vertical?

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