Architectural Beauty !
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ELABORATE RITUAL DISPLAYS,, being performed in early springtime at Stodmarsh N.R in Kent. This Grebe is so elegant and graceful, love its long slender neck and dagger-like bill, It was pure joy seeing these, and made my trip worthwhile.
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THANK YOU for your visit, friendship, and comments. will look forward to seeing and commenting on your latest posting. Hope your weekend is Special, Enjoy, God, bless...
........................Tomx
Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps Cristatus
The great crested grebe has an elaborate mating display. Like all grebes, it nests on the water's edge, since its legs are set relatively far back and it is thus unable to walk very well. Usually two eggs are laid, and the fluffy, striped young grebes are often carried on the adult's back. In a clutch of two or more hatchlings, male and female grebes will each identify their 'favourites', which they alone will care for and teach
Unusually, young grebes are capable of swimming and diving almost at hatching. The adults teach these skills to their young by carrying them on their back and diving, leaving the chicks to float on the surface; they then re-emerge a few feet away so that the chicks may swim back onto them.
The great crested grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also small crustaceans, insects small frogs and newts.
This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate hats and ladies' undergarments. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was set up to help protect this species, which is again a common sight.
The great crested grebe and its behaviour was the subject of one of the landmark publications in avian ethology: Julian Huxley's 1914 paper on The Courtship‐habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).
Population:
UK breeding:
4,600 pairs
UK wintering:
19,000 individuals
The elaborate facade is all that remains (above ground) of St. Paul's Cathedral in the historic center of Macau. The cathedral was built in 1620-ies, mostly by Japanese Christians expelled from Japan. It was destroyed by fire during a typhoon in 1835 (at the first glance the typhoon should have brought enough water to quench the fire, but obviously it did not happen).
Elaborate architectural details of a typical Parisian building on Place Vendome, yes. But the interesting part of this shot is the mystery figure, half-hidden in the shadows, suspiciously watching the photographer. Clearly, security is top notch here.
of common columbines / Gewöhnliche Akelei (Aquilegia vulgaris)
in our garden - Frankfurt-Nordend
for a HBW!
"I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree." -- excerpt from Trees by Joyce Kilmer
An elaborately branched tree in Kyoto, Japan
Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps Cristatus
The great crested grebe has an elaborate mating display. Like all grebes, it nests on the water's edge, since its legs are set relatively far back and it is thus unable to walk very well. Usually two eggs are laid, and the fluffy, striped young grebes are often carried on the adult's back. In a clutch of two or more hatchlings, male and female grebes will each identify their 'favourites', which they alone will care for and teach
Unusually, young grebes are capable of swimming and diving almost at hatching. The adults teach these skills to their young by carrying them on their back and diving, leaving the chicks to float on the surface; they then re-emerge a few feet away so that the chicks may swim back onto them.
The great crested grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also small crustaceans, insects small frogs and newts.
This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate hats and ladies' undergarments. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was set up to help protect this species, which is again a common sight.
The great crested grebe and its behaviour was the subject of one of the landmark publications in avian ethology: Julian Huxley's 1914 paper on The Courtship‐habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).
Population:
UK breeding:
4,600 pairs
UK wintering:
19,000 individuals
With their elaborate headdresses, the crowned pigeons are probably the most beautiful pigeons. They look majestic and impressive - but can also be different as we see in this photo. Deep down inside, they're looking just as sweet as sugar!
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Absolutely No use, no reposting at social media ore somewhere else of any of my photos without my expressly permission!
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Elaborate stone masonry is a characteristic of the landscape in Hinohara and Okutama municipalities. It is needed to build houses, Shinto(u) shrines, play ground for children, car parking space etc. as the flat land is scarce.
This photo was taken at a settlement on the riverside of the Akigawa, a tributary of the Tamagawa.
One circular structure, which frames the Borrowdale Valley, is believed to have been made from local slate and created by a “very talented [and] patient individual”.
The artist has been compared to Banksy by the local village because it is unclear who is behind several structures. A number of hikers have shared images online after spotting them while out walking.
Nissanka Latha Mandapaya (Sinhala: නිශ්ශංක ලතා මණ්ඩපය) is a unique structure in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. Built by King Nissanka Malla (1187 1196) and named after him, it is located near the western entrance of the Dalada Maluva, the area that contains the oldest and most sacred monuments in the city. A nearby stone inscription identifies this as the building used by Nissanka Malla to listen to pirith (chanting of Buddhist scriptures).
The structure is an elevated stone platform with a number of stone columns and surrounded by a low stone wall. These stone columns are the unique feature about the Nissanka Latha Manadapaya, since they are carved in a manner that is found nowhere else in the country. The eight granite columns are arranged in two rows, with four in each row.Presumably used to support a roof, each of them is approximately 8 feet 4 inches (2.54 m) in height. In each of these columns, the crown is carved in the shape of a blossoming lotus bud. The rest of the column is elaborately carved to resemble the stem of the flower.Unlike stone columns commonly seen in the architecture of this period, these are not straight, but are curved in three places.
At the center of the platform, flanked by the stone columns, is a small stupa. This is also made from stone, but the top part of it has been destroyed. Its base is decorated with a carved design. The platform is surrounded by a stone railing, and the structure is entered through a single stone doorway. In contrast to the elaborately carved stone pillars, these have an undecorated and plain finish.(From Wikipedia)
Many thanks to all those who view, comment and or fave my photos....It is greatly appreciated ......Chandana
The elaborate ornate gateway entrance to the small wooden platform. Providing the space to sunbathe and swim from the lakeside of Lake Garda The owner clearly out to make an impression and keep the casual visitor away.
There's a place in the back room of a little rundown tattoo parlor at the end of the world where you can bet on pretty much anything.
🃏
...
CREDITS
Black Cats poses - Poker 3 + mirror
:::SOLE::: AAE Mk2
:::SOLE::: SA - Headset VOSTARS
:::SOLE::: SA - Armtech Mk.4
:::SOLE::: SA - Pauldron T09
:::SOLE::: SA - Star EC System CR-Plate
Elaborate frost shines in the first light of the morning, with delicate branches and elaborate platelets, especially in the lower right. I find photographing frost difficult, as it often has an overwhelming amount of intricate detail. In the right light with some magnification it begins to be manageable, as long as you don't bump into or breathe on your subject.
Created in DDG Text 2 AI filters:
deepdreamgenerator.com/u/isteeves/account
Prompt: Flower arrangement, by Jacek Yerka, Naoto Hattori, Catherine Abel, high definition, crisp quality.
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New York City
The Vessel is a structure and landmark which was built as part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Construction began in April 2017; it opened on March 15, 2019.
Designed by the British architect Thomas Heatherwick, the elaborate honeycomb-like structure rises 16 stories and consists of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings for visitors to climb. Vessel is the main feature of the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square.
Elaborately carved Zanzibar doors manifest the cultural roots of the Swahili coast in Eastern Africa. The clash of Swahili, Arab, and Indian traditions is most notable in the design of Zanzibar doors. These giant teak masterpieces tell stories of the residents’ social status, religion, and profession.
These elaborate eroded pockets in the Navajo Sandstone wall of the San Rafael River canyon are called tafoni. Their origin is debated among geomorphologists. Possible explanations include the leaching of minerals that cement some parts of the rock making it more resistant to erosion, variation in the velocity of wind currents blowing across the rock, or differential patterns of rock breakdown (weathering) due to temperature variations. This is yet another clear failing of science, despite squandering tens of dollars of taxpayer money on research to study geomorphological processes.
Using intuition and creative thinking as guides, I have an alternate explanation which works just as well as “science” to explain these formations. I believe that tafoni are constructed by a species of small humanoid creatures, who etched these pockets into the stone as places to escape the elements. They were contemporaries of the ancient Greeks, and were impressed with the architecture and stonework at Petra, thus producing aesthetically appealing arches such as the ones shown here. Although no remnants of these microhumans remain (they were probably consumed by packrats around 2000 years ago), their excavations (tafoni) can be found throughout the world, a testament to their diligence and perseverance.
Aegaleo, Attica, Greece.
Acanthus adorned the most elaborate order of the Ancient Greek architecture, the Corinthian order. Later this order was used by the Roman and even later was revived during the Renaissance, in the Composite order, which was the offshoot of the Corinthian.
The Corinthian Order is distinguished from the other Orders by its principal characteristic, the capital, which is formed of two rows of acanthus leaves placed against a round vase or bracket, and which, with the abacus supported on the angles by volutes, is radically different from anything we have before seen.
The oldest known example of a Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae in Arcadia, ca 450–420 BC. It is not part of the order of the temple itself, which has a Doric colonnade surrounding the temple and an Ionic order within the cella enclosure.
Much later, the Roman writer Vitruvius (c. 75 BCE — c. 15 BCE) related that the Corinthian order had been invented by Callimachus, a Greek architect and sculptor who was inspired by the sight of a votive basket that had been left on the grave of a young girl. A few of her toys were in it, and a square tile had been placed over the basket, to protect them from the weather. An acanthus plant had grown through the woven basket, mixing its spiny, deeply cut leaves with the weave of the basket.
Finally this plant played an important role in human aesthetics and creativity!
The Nunnery Quadrangle (a nickname given to it by the Spanish; it was a government palace) is the finest of Uxmal's several fine quadrangles of long buildings with elaborately carved façades on both the inside and outside faces.
The elaborate auditorium of the theatre is designed according to the atmospheric style which was popular in movie houses built in the 1920s. This style simulates an outdoor theater-going experience. The Coronado's auditorium walls are decorated with the facades of gilded Spanish and Italian-style buildings, and the ceiling looks like a deep blue sky filled with twinkling stars and floating clouds. The auditorium is full of gilded detail.
P1360630 - Purple Swamphen - Size - 45 - 50 cm
# 059
The male has an elaborate courtship display, holding water weeds in his bill and bowing to the female with loud chuckles!
Grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) - is a species of swamphen occurring from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, but was elevated to full species status in 2015
Also Know as - Grey-headed Swamphen (poliocephalus), Grey-headed Purple Swamphen (poliocephalus), European Purple Gallinule, Purple Gallinule, Purple Swamp-hen, Purple Coot, Purple Moorhen, West Mediterranean Purple Swamphen, Western Swamphen, Philippine Swamphen (pulverulentus), Australasian Swamphen (samoensis), Sunda Swamphen (indicus)
Happy birding 💧
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The elaborately developed roof line. It should be noted that the keep's façade is asymmetrical, with the exception of the Northwest façade, latterly revised, when the two wings were added to the château.
Morongo Valley, Californie, U.S.A.
Ce soir je vous présente un petit oiseau qui bouge 2 à 3 fois plus que nos Grimpereaux brun. Sans plus d'éclats et anonyme dans son environnement, mesurant 11cm / 4.5 pouce pas vraiment plus gros qu'un oiseau mouche. Je l'avais observé l'année passée mais pas vraiment bien capté pour le présenter comme un Lifer... J'ai je crois eu la chance de capter les deux espèce le même soir et dans le Golden Hours... Les voici.
Très peut d'information sur ''wikipedia.org''
La mésange buissonnière (Psaltriparus minimus) ou Orite buissonnière, est une espèce de passereaux de la famille des ægithalidés, l'unique représentante en Amérique du Nord et du genre Psaltriparus.
La sous-espèce melanotis est également appelée mésange masquée.
Morongo Valley, California, U.S.A.
Tonight I present you a little bird that moves 2 to 3 times more than our Brown Creepers. Without being so obvious in is environment and blending in perfectly, measuring 11cm / 4.5 inch not really bigger than a hummingbird. I had seen it last year but not really made a good captured to present it as a Lifer ... I think I had the chance to capture both species the same evening and in the Golden Hours ... Here they are.
'' wikipedia.org ''
The American bushtit inhabits mixed open woodlands, often containing oaks and a scrubby chaparral understory ; it also inhabits parks and gardens. It is a year-round resident of the western United States and highland parts of Mexico, ranging from Vancouver through the Great Basin and the lowlands and foothills of California to southern Mexico and Guatemala.
The American bushtit is one of the smallest passerines in North America, at 11 cm (4.3 in) in length and 5–6 g (0.18–0.21 oz) in weight. It is gray-brown overall, with a large head, a short neck, a long tail, and a short stubby bill. The male has dark eyes and the adult female, yellow. Coastal forms have a brown "cap" while those in the interior have brown "mask."
The American bushtit is active and gregarious, foraging for small insects and spiders in mixed-species feeding flocks containing species such as chickadees and warblers, of 10 to over 40 individuals. Members of the group constantly make contact calls to each other that can be described as a short spit.
This species produces an elaborate pendant nest of moss and lichen assembled with spider silk and lined with feathers.
Hasedera (長谷寺) is another Buddhist temple near Koutoku'in (Big Buddha). The Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) has grown to cover the gate of the temple. It is called "Mon-kaburi no Matsu (門被りの松)" in the Japanese gardening jargon meaning "gate-covering pine."
Both Hasedera and Koutoku'in advocate the Pure Land School of Buddhism (浄土教) and worship Amida Nyorai or Amitabha Tathagata. To put it simply, it is a faith to enter into Pure Land after death by chanting Buddhist invocation to worship Amitabha Tathagata. Pure Land is equivalent to heaven.
It is a major school of Mahayana Buddhism in China and Japan, but I don't think it is an authentic Buddhism.
Buddhism had developed based on the Indian religious traditions, one of which is the concept of reincarnation. In my opinion, the concept of Pure Land is a drastic departure from the original Buddhism possibly influenced by other religions.
The concept of Pure Land originated in Gandhara in northern Pakistan in the first century A.D. ruled by the Kushans from Central Asia under Iranian and Greek cultural influences.
It was elaborated and popularised in China most notably by Huiyuan (慧遠, 334-416) who lived on the mountainside of Lushan (廬山 flic.kr/p/2hCUmav). Without knowing the above-mentioned background, I happened to have visited Lushan and Donglin temple (東林寺 flic.kr/p/2hCwzYf) that was his base.
western spinebill (Acanthorhynchus superciliosus), male
The spinebill feeds on the nectar of tube-like flowers. Yellow pollens can be seen on the base of its bill. It intermittently sticks out its tongue as if it has to practise its art of gathering nectar.
Her work consists of metal boats and an elaborate web of red yarn. Shiota uses boats as a metaphor for the journey between the certainty and uncertainty of existence.
The tangled threads reflect her mental state and human relationships.
Haar werk bestaat uit metalen boten en een uitgebreid web van rode wol. Shiota gebruikt boten als een metafoor voor de reis tussen zekerheid en onzekerheid van het bestaan.
De verstrengelde draden weerspiegelen haar mentale toestand en menselijke relaties.
Ihr Werk besteht aus Metallbooten und einem kunstvollen Netz aus rotem Garn. Shiota verwendet Boote als Metapher für die Reise zwischen Gewissheit und Ungewissheit des Daseins. Die verschlungenen Fäden spiegeln ihren Seelenzustand und ihre zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen wider.
La sua opera è composta da barche di metallo e da un'elaborata rete di filo rosso. Shiota usa le barche come metafora del viaggio tra la certezza e l'incertezza dell'esistenza.
I fili aggrovigliati riflettono il suo stato mentale e le relazioni umane.
IMAG0734
Some species of damselfly have elaborate courtship behaviours. Many species are sexually dimorphic, the males often being more brightly coloured than the females. Like dragonflies, they reproduce using indirect insemination and delayed fertilisation. A mating pair form a shape known as a "heart" or "wheel", the male clasping the female at the back of the head, the female curling her abdomen down to pick up sperm from secondary genitalia at the base of the male's abdomen. The pair often remain together with the male still clasping the female while she lays eggs within the tissue of plants in or near water using a robust ovipositor.
Apparently an evening primrose (thank you, Jim) It struck me how planar the petals are as if its some sort of platter serving up a bunch of stamen and an elaborate pistil. Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden
Generated By Midjourney V7
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**Prompt :**
Portrait cinématographique hyperréaliste d’une femme de profil, au visage sculptural et à la peau lumineuse, dans une forêt luxuriante baignée d’une lumière naturelle douce. Sa chevelure est remplacée par une composition organique spectaculaire de fruits et légumes frais : tomates brillantes, raisins juteux, épis de maïs dorés, brocoli dense, carottes encore terreuses, herbes aromatiques sauvages et feuillages abondants, le tout agencé avec une précision artistique évoquant une couronne vivante.
La lumière, de type golden hour filtrée à travers les feuillages, crée un jeu subtil d’ombres et de reflets sur sa peau satinée, accentuant les textures : la douceur de l’épiderme contraste avec le relief brut et humide des végétaux. Micro-détails extrêmes visibles : gouttelettes d’eau sur les légumes, fibres des tiges, pores de la peau, reflets spéculaires sur les surfaces lisses.
Profondeur de champ très faible , arrière-plan flou avec un bokeh organique vert profond, donnant une sensation immersive et onirique. Colorimétrie riche et naturelle, dominée par des verts profonds, rouges vibrants et jaunes chauds.
Ambiance silencieuse, presque sacrée, évoquant une fusion entre l’humain et la nature, une allégorie de fertilité, d’abondance et de symbiose écologique.
Style visuel proche de la photographie de mode éditoriale haut de gamme mêlée à une direction artistique inspirée de la peinture classique et du réalisme magique. Qualité 8K, ultra-détaillée, rendu HDR, textures photoréalistes, éclairage volumétrique subtil, contraste maîtrisé, grain cinématographique léger.
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**Prompt:**
Hyperrealistic cinematic portrait of a woman in profile, with a sculptural face and luminous, flawless skin, standing in a lush, dense forest bathed in soft natural light. Her hair is transformed into an elaborate organic composition of fresh fruits and vegetables: glossy tomatoes, juicy grapes, golden ears of corn, dense broccoli, earthy carrots, wild herbs, and abundant foliage, intricately arranged like a living crown.
Golden hour lighting filters through the leaves, casting delicate shadows and highlights across her satin-like skin, enhancing texture contrast between smooth human features and the raw, dewy surfaces of the vegetation. Extreme micro-detail visible: water droplets clinging to produce, fibrous stems, skin pores, subtle specular highlights on polished surfaces.
Shallow depth of field , with a soft, creamy green bokeh background that creates an immersive, dreamlike atmosphere. Rich, natural color grading dominated by deep greens, vibrant reds, and warm yellows.
A quiet, almost sacred mood, symbolizing the fusion between humanity and nature, an allegory of fertility, abundance, and ecological harmony.
Visual style blending high-end editorial fashion photography with classical painting influence and magical realism. Ultra-detailed 8K resolution, HDR rendering, photorealistic textures, subtle volumetric lighting, balanced contrast, fine cinematic grain.
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--v 7 --ar 3:2 --style raw --q 2 --s 250 --chaos 8 --seed 1234
Dry heat struck Adrienne the moment she reached the top of the spiral staircase. She emerged inside an elaborate stone temple—columns rising like petrified giants, every surface carved with the same glyphs she’d followed through the underground passage.
She moved down the hallway toward the entrance—and froze.
A vast complex stretched before her. A city, perhaps. All built in the same ancient style.
No people. But everywhere she looked, enormous insectoid bodies—Horocyclians—lay dead.
A shiver crawled up her spine. Someone had reached this place before her. Was it the Vey’thira? Or the hybrid soldiers?
The wisps spiraled around her, whispering their single, urgent command:
“Haste.”
“What happened here?” Adrienne whispered. “Who killed the Horocyclians?”
The answer drifted like a dying breath:
“They are no more… Haste.”
So she followed the shimmering guides.
Outside, the sky itself felt wrong. The planets and stars—once spinning in frantic, impossible orbits—now moved slower. Much slower.
Then she saw them.
A small group of men.
Hybrid soldiers— or so she thought.
Adrienne ducked behind a stone pillar, peering around its edge.
No. Not hybrids. Their uniforms were different—the men harsh, ugly, almost troll like.. One wore a silver blue Arcturian uniform. But the others… she didn’t recognize at all.
As she watched them, a sudden sensation hit her— a presence.
Kayla.
That’s impossible, Adrienne thought. I’ve tried so many times to contact her. I’m exhausted. My mind is playing tricks.
But the feeling lingered, faint and undeniable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can view Quantum Fold episodes in order from the beginning in the album titled, "Quantum Fold":
www.flickr.com/photos/199076397@N02/albums/72177720326169...
You can view Quantum Fold II episodes in order from the beginning in the album titled, "Quantum Fold II":
www.flickr.com/photos/199076397@N02/albums/72177720331313...
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This is an A.I. image generated using my SL avi.
I hope my pictures make you smile ♥
If you like what you see, please toss me a fav and follow me. I love seeing your comments. They make my day and keep me motivated!
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K’hall paused, his gaze steady, waiting for Kayla to elaborate. Adrienne, already anticipating the answer, tensed.
“The only way there could be another VDD signal,” Kayla said, locking eyes with K’hall, “is if the person activating the signal is me.”
K’hall tilted his head slightly. “My understanding of your kind is limited. Explain how this is possible.”
Kayla nodded. “It involves time travel. The reptilians surprised us. I jumped away but Adrienne wasn’t able to jump. I had to go back—back in time to rescue Adrienne from the reptilians. That act triggered a timeline convergence. There was no alternative.”
She continued, her voice measured. “When I jumped back, I was already here… there were two of me. I grabbed Adrienne and we leapt into an alternate timeline… then later returned to this one.” She paused, watching K’hall for a reaction. He gave none.
“It’s impossible to know where my duplicate went. There was no time to coordinate. The reptilians were closing in. But because of that split, I now exist in two places. That’s the only explanation for the signal you received.”
K’hall ran a hand through his hair, absorbing her words in silence.
“This travel through time,” he said at last, “is only theoretical to us. We can compress time, but not move through it as you describe.”
Kayla offered a faint smile. “It’s more than theory. It’s how I got here—despite originating many ages ago.”
K’hall nodded slowly. “Then tell me—how did you detect your companion’s device when she activated it, yet not detect your duplicate’s device?”
Kayla replied, “I wouldn’t be able to detect her unless she was in the same timeline—and the same dimension. And I don’t know where she went. There are infinite possibilities.”
“Then how do you know your double escaped capture? Did you see her jump?”
“No, I didn’t see her jump. There was time and I believe she did. I did so she did too.”
“Can I assume she would continue the mission to find the lizard’s nest?” K’hall asked.
“Yes. That’s what I would do,” Kayla said. “We’ve been focused on the search. Now that I think about it, I’m very concerned I haven’t picked up her signal. If she’s still pursuing the mission, she should be in this timeline.”
K’hall’s expression darkened. “This is deeply concerning if true. We have no proof she has not been captured. It is imperative that we locate her.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can view Quantum Fold episodes in order from the beginning in her album titled, Quantum Fold:
www.flickr.com/photos/199076397@N02/albums/72177720326169...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is an A.I. image generated using my SL avi.
I hope my pictures make you smile ♥
If you like what you see, please toss me a fav and follow me. I love seeing your comments. They make my day and keep me motivated!
I love my followers. You guys totally ROCK! ♥♥
And if you're taking time to read this you are SO awesome!!! Thank you!!!! ♥♥♥
Here's a link to my other Flickr photos/ images:
Vitebsky railway station.
The elaborate Art Nouveau interior.
better on black (press "L")
better on zoom (press "Z")
Koke'e State Park, Kauai, Hawaii
You are aware of chickens on Kauai from 3:30 a.m. until darkness falls, every day. Especially the roosters.
An elaborate window of a derelict mill building in Slaithwaite, (pronounced 'Slau-it'), West Yorkshire.
Photo taken February 2024.
It was turning into one of those indecisive mornings. “Shall we go and lounge by the pool and read until lunchtime, and then head down to the beach? Or will we get in the car and head off for the day?” Neither of us could make our minds up. It’s often like this, and until we close the front door, we could be heading anywhere between fifty yards away and the other end of the island. It’s part of what makes us so fascinating, and no doubt would drive anyone else unfortunate enough to end up in a long term relationship with either of us to the edge of their senses. All things considered, it’s a good job Ali and I found each other. Neither of us seems to mind when one asks the other what we’re going to do today, only to draw a distant gaze and a blank response.
If anything, I’m a little more driven than she is, and so I made the call. “Right, we’ll go back to that place in Femes for lunch, then we’ll go and visit one of the bodegas at La Geria, and after that I want to go and walk up the red mountain for sunset” – that’s Montana Colorada by the way. “Ok,” came the predictable response. And so we had a plan; a nice simple one that didn’t require too much thought or too much driving. We’d drive up the mountain pass from Playa Blanca to the village of Femes that sits on the saddle, and the rest of the day would follow as planned.
Except that it didn’t. 12:30 we agreed was a bit early for lunch, and so we drove in the other direction and headed for a menu del dia at the place we’d stumbled across in Teguise a few days earlier. And just to make things interesting, we decided to go along the main road rather than the wine route, just to have a bit of a test run for that inevitable drive to the airport just over a week later. “It’ll be faster” I reasoned. It wasn’t, especially after a couple of wrong turns, one of which almost had us heading into the jams of Arrecife, the island capital. Eventually, we arrived at a dinner table to be served by a very harassed looking waiter, whom it seemed was working solo through the busy lunch hour. As he unceremoniously thumped our drinks onto the table and feigned no interest whatsoever in our opposing views on the inclusion of tuna in our ensaladas mixtas, we wondered who’d thrown a sickie and left him in the lurch. After the meal I was too frightened to ask for coffee as well, and spent the next twenty-five minutes looking for another establishment to replenish the caffeine deficit. The first such attempt found us hastily evacuating our seats, scarpering around a corner and tracing an elaborate circuit of the town after Ali had seen the price list. Six euros for a scoop of ice cream? Not on your Nellie!
Some time later, happily refuelled with coffee and ice cream we sat at a bench in the church square. By now it was some time after 4pm, and with less than two hours until sunset we considered the options. At the far end of the island, just another twelve miles or so away lay the Mirador del Rio, offering a classic view of the three small islands that fan away from the northeast corner of Lanzarote, while retracing our tyre treads down to the coast would bring us to the wreck of the Telamon, a long exposure magnet that lies a few yards out to see between Costa Teguise and Arrecife. Tentatively, we set course for the former, where the road rides up to its highest point on the island between Los Valles and Haria. And still several miles short of our target, as we sat at a layby gazing down at the white coastal villages of Punta Mujeres and Arrieta far below, we changed our minds again – and then furthered the endless mystery of our final destination by missing the turn without signpost that was supposed to take us to the Mirador del Risco de Famara.
As you can see, the error turned into what Bob Ross would call a happy accident. Finally, somewhere around five, we ended up here, at the lonely and altitudinous Ermita de las Nieves. Quite how often there’s ever been snow here, even at this distance above sea level I’m not sure, although I did need to put my long sleeved top on over my tee shirt to brave the last hour of daylight on this late November afternoon, as a fellow visitor from France told me his wife was very jealous of my telephoto lens. The view across the volcanoes that dominate the landscape over to the west from where we’d come was, well you can see for yourself can’t you? Even before the golden hour, it seemed evident that we were going to be in for a show, as layers of cloud allowed sunbeams to filter through and light up the spaces in between the distant cones. For an hour I watched from behind the long lens transfixed, as the colours deepened and the sunbeams bounced and weaved their way into ever more epic frames. As the sunbeams moved, I continually followed the drama, recomposing and focussing as quickly as I could keep up. It’s not often that I get to spend time in a landscape like this, and certainly I’d never seen a sunset sky such as the one we were witnessing now in the mountains. Eventually, the sun having disappeared for the day and the magic leaving centre stage almost instantaneously, I headed back to the car with an enormous grin on my face. The day of sliding door decisions had given us the best possible outcome with a sunset we’d never forget. It’s a good job we’re not that great at making our minds up, or we’d have probably missed it.
Sadly, I do not know the name of the cartoonist and hope that they will not be upset with me for playing around a little with their cartoon, sincerely, no harm is meant! The work surrounded by yellow and orange is the original. Please let me know if you have any objection to this nonsense, and I will eliminate it.
With heartfelt and genuine thanks for your kind visit. Have a beautiful day, be well, keep your eyes open, appreciate the beauty surrounding you, enjoy creating, stay safe, and laugh often! ❤️❤️❤️
This is a Juvenile male Riflebird practicing its elaborate courtship display. During the breeding season (June to February) the males put on a magnificent show to attract females.
"The males engage in elaborate solo displays: erecting throat and side feathers in shafts of light, curving wings over the body, tilting the head back, and moving side to side in mechanical rhythm to attract females"
The young ones, which look the same as the females, practice their dance moves in the hope that they will get in right come maturity.
It was such a thrill to watch. Would have been nice to get the adult male in his black finery but I was very happy to witness this.
Crater Lakes Rainforest Cottages
No need to comment on them all. I just thought it est to present as a sequence so you can enjoy the experience and the elegant dance moves.