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This was the highlight and reason for my Southern Arizona Adventure 2024. This is stage 8 of 9.
I was lucky to secure permits for the once monthly photography tour of Kartchner Caverns. Kartchner Caverns State Park strictly forbids any cameras or cellphones in the Caverns. Except for one trip per month for 12 to 15 photographers currently $125. I planned a 4 day 3 night road trip around Southern Arizona anchored by my Kartchner Cavern permit.
I was expecting dark conditions. The State Park turned on all the lights in the Big Room. They don't like turning on all the lights since can cause an increase in algae. This is the reason they only have one photography tour a month.
I found myself adjusting my histograms to not clip the highlights. Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome. Next time I am going to bracket my shots. I almost wish I had brought a ND filter or tried a handheld GND filter.
I don't know speleothems so I won't even try to identify. If anyone can help me with the identification, I will appreciate it.
www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/speleothems.htm#:~:text=The%20...)%20when%20needed.
The features that arouse the greatest curiosity for most cave visitors are speleothems. These stone formations exhibit bizarre patterns and other-worldly forms, which give some caves a wonderland appearance. Caves vary widely in their displays of speleothems because of differences in temperature; overall wetness; and jointing, impurities, and structures in the rocks. In general, however, one thing caves do have in common is where speleothems form. Although the formation of caves typically takes place below the water table in the zone of saturation, the deposition of speleothems is not possible until caves are above the water table in the zone of aeration. As soon as the chamber is filled with air, the stage is set for the decoration phase of cave building to begin.
The term speleothem refers to the mode of occurrence of a mineralāi.e., its morphology or how it looksāin a cave, not its composition (Hill, 1997). For example, calcite, the most common cave mineral, is not a speleothem, but a calcite stalactite is a speleothem. A stalactite may be made of other minerals, such as halite or gypsum.
Classifying speleothems is tricky because no two speleothems are exactly alike. Nevertheless, speleologists have taken three basic approaches: classification by morphology, classification by origin, and classification by crystallography. All three of these approaches have their problems (Hill, 1997), so cavers often take a more practical approach that primarily uses morphology (e.g., cave pearls) but includes whatever is known about origin (e.g., geysermites) and crystallography (e.g., spar) when needed.
nocache.azcentral.com/travel/arizona/southern/articles/20...
The Kartchner Caverns, rated one of the world's 10 most beautiful caves, is an eerie wonderland of stalactites and stalagmites still growing beneath the Whetstone Mountains 40 miles southeast of Tucson.
The limestone cave has 13,000 feet of passages and hundreds of formations built over the past 200,000 years, including some that are unique and world-renowned. It's a "living cave," with intricate formations that continue to grow as water seeps, drips and flows from the walls and slowly deposits the mineral calcium carbonate.
The caverns were discovered by amateur spelunkers Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen in 1974 on land owned by the Kartchner family. They kept the cave a secret until 1988, when the Kartchners sold it to the state to become a state park.
The highlights of the Big Room tour are a stretch of strawberry flowstone, which has been colored red by iron oxide (rust) in the water, and a maternity ward for 1,800 female cave myotis bats, with black grime on the ceiling where the bats hang and piles of guano on the floor. Visitors who look closely will see a bat's body embedded in one of the cave's formations.
Though not all are available on the tours, the caverns' unique features include a 21-foot, 2-inch soda straw that's one the world's largest (Throne Room), the world's most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk (Big Room), the first reported occurrence of "turnip" shields (Big Room), the first cave occurrence of "birdsnest" needle quartz formations (Big Room) and the remains of a Shasta ground sloth from the Pleistocene Age (Big Room).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartchner_Caverns_State_Park
Kartchner Caverns State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, featuring a show cave with 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of passages.[1] The park is located 9 miles (14 km) south of the town of Benson and west of the north-flowing San Pedro River. Long hidden from view, the caverns were discovered in 1974 by local cavers, assisted by state biologist Erick Campbell who helped in its preservation.
The park encompasses most of a down-dropped block of Palaeozoic rocks on the east flank of the Whetstone Mountains.
The caverns are carved out of limestone and filled with spectacular speleothems which have been growing for 50,000 years or longer, and are still growing. Careful and technical cave state park development and maintenance, initially established by founder Dr. Bruce Randall "Randy" Tufts, geologist, were designed to protect and preserve the cave system throughout the park's development, and for perpetuity.[3]
The two major features of the caverns accessible to the public are the Throne Room and the Big Room. The Throne Room contains one of the world's longest (21 ft 2 in (6.45 m))[5] soda straw stalactites and a 58-foot (18 m) high column called Kubla Khan, after the poem. The Big Room contains the world's most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk. Big Room cave tours are closed during the summer for several months (April 15 to October 15) each year because it is a nursery roost for cave bats, however the Throne Room tours remain open year-round.[8]
Other features publicly accessible within the caverns include Mud Flats, Rotunda Room, Strawberry Room, and Cul-de-sac Passage. Approximately 60% of the cave system is not open to the public.[9]
Many different cave formations can be found within the caves and the surrounding park. These include cave bacon, helictites, soda straws, stalactites, stalagmites and others.[12] Cave formations like the stalactites and stalagmites grow approximately a 16th of an inch every 100 years.[13]
Haiku thoughts:
Beneath earth's cool veil,
Stalactites in silence grow,
Whispers of stone deep.
Kartchner
Southern Arizona Adventure 2024
It's likely you've heard of the "Westin" brand before. When you stay at one of their hotels, you expect good service, a comfy bed (so comfy, it's got a divine name: the "Westin Heavenly Bed") and a squeaky clean room (OK, we're exaggerating here...your room won't squeak, but it still should be in very good condition). That's the nice thing about certain brands -- you can be confident they'll maintain certain standards.
So picture a typical Westin hotel. But now imagine that it's located a mere two blocks from the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. Ta da...jazz hands...and any other form of exclamation you can think of: You've got The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa.
Situated on Flamingo Road, near Las Vegas Boulevard (which, by the way, is one of the busiest intersections in the city), you're practically a hop, skip and a jump from several major megaresorts -- like Bellagio, Bally's, Caesars Palace and The Cromwell. You're also almost next door to The LINQ Promenade (you might even catch a glimpse of its signature attraction, the High Roller observation wheel, from your window).
In addition, if you stay at The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa, you can look forward to a combination of relaxation and laid-back fun. The relaxation comes from the Hibiscus Spa, which has a sauna and steam room (you are allowed to use these as part of the resort fee). This spa is a great place for head-to-toe pampering. Enjoy a variety of massages, body treatments, facials and salon services -- like the Tranquil Escape Detoxifying Mud Mask, which you may need to help you recover after a wild night on the town.
You'll find the hotel's outdoor heated pool just a few steps from the spa. Four private cabanas and plenty of deck chairs surround it. What better place to while away an afternoon?
Alternatively, if you want to keep up your exercise schedule, you can do so in the fitness studio. Burn off calories on an array of treadmills, stationery bikes and elliptical machines.
After your workout, or really any time you feel a hunger pang, head to Savona. Open 24 hours, this restaurant features American-style cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus, there are daily specials, a kids' menu, late-night eats and a variety of desserts.
Coffee, pastries and sandwiches are also available around the clock at Starbucks, which is located next to the hotel's gift shop.
Unlike a typical Las Vegas hotel, the Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa is non-gaming.
The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa is also known for catering to business travelers. There's an excellent business center here as well as plenty of space for meetings, conventions or special events.
A quiet retreat with proximity to one of the most exhilarating streets in the world (and all of its wonderful attractions), The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa not only has the rep, but much more.
By Vegas.com
What do you expect?
My BLOG is not updated. (At all)
Models: Laura
Photographer: Olga MuƱoz Soto
Place: Maremagnum (BCN)
26/07/2011
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I wasn't expecting to see a double-articulated bus in Kaunas, but here is one working its way down Vytautas Avenue. It is a Van Hool AGG300, new to GVU Utrecht in the Netherlands in 2002 (so it looks good and modern for its age). It was originally registered ZZ-63-89 with fleetnumber 905 (later 4905), before being sold to Kaunas, Lithuania in 2015. It is one of only 4 in Kaunas. I am not sure which route it was operating.
Poem by Tom Lee
The Wrong Hat
Itās not quite what I expected
When I ordered it online
They said that Iād be satisfied
They said I would look fine
The way that they described it
They said that Iād look chic
They said Iād look magnificent
They said Iād look complete
The picture that they advertised
Wasnāt quite like this
I think it was misleading
I think they took theā¦..mickey
It was ordered for a wedding
(It did get here on time)
It really wouldnāt suit the church
More a pantomime
But itās too late to replace it
The wedding is today
So Iāll have to go along with it
No matter what theyāll say
But once the ceremonyās done
Iāll put it in a sack
And take it to the Post Office
And send the bugger back!
(And itās attracting flies!)
Full colour version here www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1819985981675598&set=a.1...
The Rosenkavalier (Knight of the Rose) Palais
It stands, as can hardly be expected otherwise, in Vienna, and it is called - just since October 8th, 1777: Palais Auersperg. On that memorable day it was purchased by Prince Johann Adam Auersperg, which had been built around 50 years earlier by the architect Giovanni Christiano Neupauer according to the plans of the famous Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The builder was a certain Hieronymus Capece de Rofrano and so we are right in Rosenkavalier! Octavian de Rofrano, the gentleman at the court of the great Empress Maria Theresa, the gallant lover with the silver Rose, he really had existed! Because Hugo von Hofmannsthal actually for his opera libretto a Rofrano as a model for Oktavian had bestirred only this one was called Peter and he was the son of that Jerome, who for the property - an old brick factory was standing on it - non-less than 28,000 florins on the table of the house had pinged. He could afford it because he held the office of Postmaster-General of the Habsburg territories in Italy - and in those days there was no deficit with the post office.
The money played no role in this house - even more but the music: but it is the palace itself, in the words of one of its famous visitors "One of the most beautiful chords in the symphony Vienna". If one still adds that concerning this visitor it was no other than the great Robert Stolz, then it must be admitted that this judgment comes from a qualified source. Music also always has been the invisible center of the palace, long before even Richard Strauss wrote the opera, whose title character is a Rofrano. For example, after 1760 when the Field Marshal Friedrich Wilhelm von Sachsen Hildburghausen moved here as a tenant. This subtle and tasteful music connoisseur and music lover committed as head of his famous house concerts none other than Christoph Willibald Gluck. That was certainly a highlight of the musical history of the palace but not the only one. We know the date of another apogee of this kind, namely the March of the year 1786. At this time here takes place a private performance of the opera "Idomeneo". The ensemble is composed solely of members of the great Viennese society, there appear names like Baron Polini and Count Hatzfeld. Mozart, who revised the vocal parts to "suit the vocal chords" of his noble performers, composed a special "scena con rondo" with violin solo for this occasion. Yet another personality of the Austrian nobility participated in this house at an amateur performance as a performer, the Crown Prince Rudolf, four years before his tragic end. At that time the palace had long been in the possession of Prince Auersperg, whose name it still bears today. And not only the building but also the street is called Auerspergstrasse. This in honor of a Prince Adolf from this dynasty, not less than eight years being Prime Minister of Austria. Under the Auersperg the palais became a center of social life, to a venue of glittering parties and gala evenings. So, for example, there took place the wedding of a granddaughter of King Gustav Adolf of Sweden with King Albert of Saxony. Or three years later a dance evening in October 1856, where the then 26-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth and all members of the imperial family attended.
A dazzling chapter of Austrian history is reflected in the history of the Palais Auersperg. But when the brilliance of that time came to an end forever, the end of the novel of that palace had not yet been written. The equally intimate and proud house initially, however, only accommodated the Bundesdenkmalamt (National Heritage Agency) and seemed such to forget its great social and political past modestly and without attracting attention. That this subsequently was not the case shows a simple plaque on the main front. It says: "In 1945 gathered in this house Austrian patriots, prevented the destruction of Vienna, laid the foundation for a free Austria in memory of the victims, the Austrian resistance movement". This succinct report is nothing to add. Perhaps only that under these patriots known names are to be found such as the later Chancellor Leopold Figl and the ones of the later to become Federal Presidents Theodor Kƶrner and Dr. Adolf SchƤrf. Thus, the wide arc spans from the Postmaster General Rofrano up to the most important politicians of the present time and the number of the prominent guests continues, no matter how the times and forms of government may have changed.
And where the Wiener settles delightfully quietly, he also for his ear wants his pleasure and so the intimate Auersperg concerts - as ever - today, once again, count among the musical tidbits. Where, however, the ear indulges itself, the eye must not be neglected. In order that no lack should occure in this regard, since generations artists have made provisions. Whether it's the magnificent building itself, at the same time solid and graceful, or the lovely park with its huge old trees in whose shade the Empress Maria Theresa sat or the elegant library, the preciously paneled loggia or the conservatory, Walter Slezak referred to it as "Schƶnbrunn in small film format" - everywhere reigns those well-kept, quiet serene harmony that you can not produce, that needs to grow in long years by itself, just like the house has grown, built on an old brick factory on the outskirts of the city and today belonging to the lively centerpiece of this city where still society, art and politics are giving each other their fertile rendezvous.
Normal services have resumed - expect a massive drop in uploads if youāre not familiar with the photostream. A surprise find last Tuesday drew me to the Bridgehead Business Park, where by lucky coincidence after seeing the Mercedes at the front, the 55 showed up, too - and fittingly, it is the one I've yet to get actually on the 55. So with that, this wraps up the EastRider 55s once and for all! Retakes from here on out... maybe even the possibility of a ride on one?
Coming in unexpectedly a few mins after I stopped off here, East Yorkshire's 'EastRider' 55-branded 794, a 2015 Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini new to Go North East for their 'Red Kite' services as their 6118, drops off it's passengers - and picks up one East Yorkshire driver - on the 55 to Gilberdyke at the Bridgehead Business Park.
'Phet' Expect to hit the city after this sunset, but luckily it calm down before hitting. leaving a beautiful sunset behind it.
3 Images Taken with Nikon D60 18-55 MM n stitched together on PS3.
The expected hexagonal symmetry of monocot flowers (photographed at at 7.30 am). The flowers open at night and here are half closed. They will be fully closed in unison for the day by 9.00 am. Formatted for mobile phone wallpaper.
They were expecting 10 foot surf at Poipu that day and some of the big sets of waves did not disappoint. Notice the 2 boogie boarders going under this monster.
This is my wife a few weeks ago. I'm happy to say that on 3 December we had a little girl, but this is her still in there
So what can you expect to see from this years 365 Days project? It's hard to tell yet, you might get a well thought out strobist shot, you might get a little "day in the life", or you might get an iPhone photo... This year will be challenging because I've got quite a bit going on and let's face it... having a baby in the house... who has also taken up your old "studio" tends to complicate things a little bit. So let's all go on this adventure together shall we.
Zoe update: she does not have H1N1, just a continuation of her ear infection.
Strobist info: Vivitar 283 bounced against the front wall for key and a Canon 430ex and a Vivitar 285hv at the rear for lensflare and rimlight. All triggered with Pocket Wizards.
Apenas um expectador, que presencia apenas, nĆ£o vivencia. Um expectador dos que observam mais um sĆ”bado que se finda, que conversam, que namoram, que brincam, que descansam, enfim, que vivem... e eu... um mero expectador.
Unexpectedly, I found Chicago's El far more interesting than I'd expected, so I spend a good deal more time photographing it than expected...The overpass at Adams and Wabash provided some good elevated views, and seen here is a Kimball train heading north, with another not far behind. 11 April 2016.
Lockheed Martinās sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) protected communications satellite is encapsulated in its protective fairings ahead of its expected March 26 launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. AEHF-6 is part of the AEHF system -- a resilient satellite constellation with global coverage and a sophisticated ground control system -- that provides global, survivable, protected communications capabilities for national leaders and tactical warfighters operating across ground, sea and air platforms. The anti-jam system also serves international allies to include Canada, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Australia. For more information, visit: www.lockheedmartin.com/aehf
(Photo credit: United Launch Alliance)
After studying all night, i have discovered what it takes to be viewed on flickr. i expect 1000 views in no time.
please feel free to add any tags or notes or comments that you think will help get this viewed. i am an attention whore for the day.
Okay you people asked for this in your groups, so don't blame me.
Wasn't expecting to post a checkup on the former Southaven Hancock Fabrics location today, but whaddya know, here I go! l_dawg2000 first alerted me to some paper covering the windows of the shuttered store a couple of months ago, and on a subsequent drive-by I noticed nothing other than a construction company sign and some Sharpied letters behind the bars of the double door: BAM. Books-a-Million briefly came to mind, but I dismissed the thought quickly, since they already have a location in the next-door Southaven Towne Center. (cont.)
Hancock Fabrics (now closed) // 75 Goodman Road W, Southaven, MS 38671
(c) 2017 Retail Retell
These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)
As expected, saw plenty of these, but not many had original plates like this one, which is my all time favourite number plate style. Nice and unmolested! 1986 plates.
We went to Khao Yai National Park to release the python found underneath our house. I wasnāt expecting much to shoot in the short time we were there, as most animals are hidden in the forest and one needs time for a photographic opportunity. Great was my joy as we came upon a small Asian elephant family, grazing in open view. This was indeed a special privilege, as there are only 1200 wild elephants left in Thailand. The elephant is the national symbol and holds great symbolic significance to the Thais. Sadly the 4000 domesticated elephants ā a leftover of the recently outlawed logging trade - are not protected by law. Some elephants live in atrocious conditions and suffer cruelty in many different forms, often due to the owners being ignorant of too poor to give proper care. However, awareness is growing and hopefully the number of domesticated elephants will dwindle over time
Was taking solo pictures of Michelle when I saw Roy walking towards her from behind.
Just in time :D
It's the kind of day you'd expect to hear a lonesome harmonica playing with an establishing shot of the blazing hot sun on display. Making things even more egregious was the fact Amtrak 40, the Floridian, was running 7 hours late thanks to heat-related speed restrictions, freight train delays, and a pedestrian incident with a freight train up ahead. I'd had a really friendly and fun conversation with sleeping car attendant Mikayla and conductor Kevin who remarked the passengers were still in good, patient spirits. A handful of said passengers can be seen wandering the platform stretching their legs, inquiring about the delay to the crew, or looking at the mixed bag of equipment towing them along. One passenger I spoke to, hailing from Virginia, said it was her first time taking Amtrak, but the delay wouldn't discourage her from taking the train in the future. Thankfully not long after I took this, the Floridian got the clear light to finish its journey to Chicago.
Remodel, Week 18
As expected, Sam's continued to replace all of the coffin coolers back here in the meat department, although thankfully these leftmost cases were indeed replaced with new coffin units and not more of those strange upright, open-faced ones like we saw over at the other end of the row. Both of the gray cases you can see in this view look like they were only brought onto the salesfloor pretty recently as of October 20th (in fact, only the one on the right was present just two days prior according to this shot from l_dawg!), and as a result, neither of them were operational just yet. But within a matter of days, they were up and running, and stocked full of merchandise.
Just what would happen to the remaining two old white and red coffin coolers in the middle of the department? That's a story for a future update... ;)
(c) 2017 Retail Retell
These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)
It had just started to rain slightly - a typical Irish Summer shower - when I took this. Judging by the way this lady had her sunglasses I guess she thought that it might not last and I had to conclude that she was half expecting sunshine!
A disastrous morning this morning at Lancaster - a 6am start for 3 acceptable shots.
First shot - 5z09, I attempted crossing the river Lune, expecting it to be the coast set tnt which went up last night ECS, turns out it was a single 68 and a single dbso, nothing more the a speck in the distance for that one.
Second shot was 4m27 which I had discovered a new location for and the sun had barely risen high enough for that, also didnt need another old green one up front, plus I was still messing about with where I wanted to get it so I hadnt worked out a spot.
I was moping around the small estate south of the station where I'd seen videos taken and assumed the fence would be low enough to see over - about 6ft 4" solid wooden fence spanned the whole clear section so I had to hold the camera above my head, whilst looking at my non-tilt LCD screen and blindly fire and hope for the best.
After that I was investigating a better spot for 4m25, when I checked and saw the late nukes and tesco were just a few minutes away, with the fence too high and unable to dash back to the station in time I had to pass on them.
Finally, in the end I salvaged something out of the day with 4m25 - I was so frustrated at not being able to see over the fence and getting sh*tty shots all morning, I hopped it and stood on some wasteland instead and even then I pressed the shutter to early, showing a nice big shadow down the side of 90040.
After that I got fed up and went to see the 37 and as these are finishing next month, it wouldve been rude not to have a dig, despite the harsh backlighting.
To top it off, as I was crossing the bridge for my train, the Ex-Scot Rail 158 passed me on the down main. A crap day with lots of effort and very little reward but thats how this hobby goes.
Heres 37424 pulling into Lancaster with 2c47 Preston-Barrow, running 2 late.
Camera: Canon EOS 1100D
Lens: Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 HSM DC art
F/Length: 32mm
ISO: 100
F/stop: 5.6
S/speed: 1/640
Wasn't expecting the first hoverfly of 2016 quite yet, and certainly not this species. I've never seen one before May before, so finding this in the kitchen today was really unexpected. Presumably it had been developing in the amaryllis bulb on the kitchen window-sill (it was outside in the summer), and a combination of central-heating and an unusual sunny windowsill had coaxed it out early. I feel guilty now....
The world famous Fiat Nuova 500 was designed by Dante Giacosa. Production lasted for eighteen years.
The 500L was introduced in Aug. 1968 to accompany the more sober 500F. The 'L' stands for Lusso or Luxe, but don't expect to much of this predicate, the 500 stayed very basic.
The 500L is easily recognizable by its chrome bumper bars.
499,5cc aircooled 2 cylinder rear engine.
Production 500L: Aug. 1968-Oct. 1972.
General production 500: July 1957-1975.
Number seen: about 35, most of them in Roma.
Roma (It.), Via dei Santi Quattro, April 25, 2016.
Ā© 2016 Sander Toonen Amsterdam | All Rights Reserved
Title by: Lucy A Whitten
Panasonic DMC-G1
LUMIX G VARIO 45-200mm/F4.0-5.6/MEGA O.I.S.
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- no graphics in comments please ! -
The clock by the door signifies that the resident was a watchmaker.
There is no subject of greater interest than the study of how the early settlers managed to build their houses and fit them with chimneys, windows, glass, locks and other furniture so difficult of acquisition in those days. The pioneers, however, appear to have laughed at difficulties; for none of them thought it a matter worth recording. Their trials, struggles and disappointments have been buried in oblivion. There is no record of their heroism.
It was to be expected that immigrants coming from a country where stone was the chief building material, should have built clumsily and defectively with wood. The first houses were draughty, cold and uncomfortable. No sheathing paper or matched board was used in the early days, and as a result, the high winter winds forced themselves through the chinks and made the houses ice boxes. The early settlers did not seem to realise the great amount of cold that can enter a house from beneath the floor. None of them seem to have adopted the modern system of excluding draughts from underneath the floors. Beneath the floors the goats rested from the mid-day sun in summer and the homeless dogs found there some shelter in winter nights. The continuous rush of cold air beneath the floor drew away the heat from the rooms above. The open fireplaces and wide chimneys also allowed the heat to escape. Floors were single. The single uncanvassed floor was another factor in allowing heat to escape. Storm sashes were unknown. One guard against cold they adopted; they screened their beds with canopies. In building, there was no attempt to place the posts on bedrock. The result was that the houses were continually heaving with the winter frosts. Often, at night, the occupants were aroused suddenly from their sleep by the noise of nails bending or breaking in boards forced from their usual places by the heaving of the house. This alternate heaving and falling of the house had the effect of rendering it more draughty from year to year.
It was fortunate that plenty of wood could be procured; for with open fire places enormous quantities of wood were consumed in heating and cooking. Cod-oil and candles were the illuminants till the introduction of the kerosene lamp in the year 1870. Stoves, floor-canvas and lucifer matches came into use about the same time. The comfort and conveniences introduced by these three domestic improvements were marvellous The old wide chimneys were closed up, the back of the chimney whitewashed, and the large irregular flags of the hearth replaced by bricks which were reddened every Saturday afternoon with powdered brick and water. The sand was swept off the floor and the gayly-flowered canvas put down. The evil-smelling cod-oil lamp was thrown on the garbage heap and the glass kerosene lamp with its bit of red flame in the bottom to add colour, was hung by the wall. The tinder box followed the cod-oil lamp.
Friendly intercourse from house to house was more common than it is to-day. Winter brought with it certain brief periods of leisure during which the men assembled in knots and discussed the events of the day. Visiting neighbours was a relief from the monotony of outport life. No one thought of knocking before entering; you simply lifted the latch and went in. If you were not welcome you soon found this out; the silent greeting warned you that your presence was not desirable. The election year was always an inexhaustible source of discussion and the prospective weddings a delightful theme for the women and girls at the quilting and matting parties.
Besides the frequent dances there were raffles for some poor widow or other charitable object. There was a great variety of indoor games to fill in the long nights such as, Forfeits, Hide the-button, Hunt-the-slipper, Ride-the-gray-Mare, Start-the-cask-out-of-the-Cargo, and My-man-John.
Christmastide was anticipated keenly by young and old. It was mummering time. Long before Christmas, considerable time was spent on designing costumes and fantastic rigs. Christmas Eve ushered in the mummering period, and for a whole fortnight, the night air was tortured by the inarticulate cries peculiar to "jannies". The mummers went around in groups of various numbers touring the village from one end to the other. There was a heroic folk-play brought by the Irish immigrants from the "Old Country" that used to be performed by the young men during the Christmas holidays. The actors personated of the great heroes of history, Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander, Doctors Faustus, Sir Isaac Newton, St. George, St. Patrick. But times have changed. To-day, the tidy housewife will not admit nine or ten roughly shod boys on her red-and-white chequered canvas. In the olden days, the sanded floor could stand consid goat-skin head. The cymbals were two pot covers. The triangle was a pair of tongs, and the tambourine was a tinpan or a metal tray. One Christmas Eve night, Stephen Ryan of Broad Cove played the tambourine. The night being chilly, and his hands exposed, they lost their sensitiveness, and when the parade was over, his knuckles were a mass of mangled flesh and blood. The incident is trivial; but it shows the hilarious fervor of the amusements of the olden days.
This violin band made itself prominent on other occasions. When Bishop Carfagnini of Harbour Grace made his first episcopal visit to King Cove in May 1873 the violin band greeted him on his approach from Trinity. The band accompanied by the whole populace, went out three miles on the Trinity road expecting to meet His Lordship at that point; but there was a delay and they proceeded two miles further. At the signal of the Bishop's arrival, there was a deafening salvo from dozens of sealing guns, and when the report died away, the Violin band sent forth the lively strains of "The White Cockade" and the "Rakes of Mallow." The latter air was hardly appropriate to greet two dignitaries of the church; but it must be remembered that in these early days the band's repertoire of music suitable for triumphal processions was undoubtedly limited. Tradition has remembered only four of the musicians who took part in that demonstration, namely: P. Murphy, R Lawton, M. Lawton and Jim Costello. It formed the orchestra at the theatrical performances and some of its members accompanied the Choir at Benediction at Sunday evening Service.
The chief dances of the old days were the cotillion, eight-handed red, single step and kissing dance. After the cotillion was finished, it was an unwritten law that each couple should dance a single step. The reel was an intricate and laborious dance and necessitated some preliminary practice in order to master its involutions. It was long and sweat producing and the male performers uniformly sought the outside air after each performance, while the female performers fanned themselves in a cool corner. The generation now passing were youngsters then; but they can recall the glamour which the dances at the "Big House" (as Big Allie's house was called) used to throw around them on a fine summer night when the gay dancers came out on the long front gallery to cool off, and we saw them through the trees saunter back and forth across the lighted windows. Looking back one is reminded of Byron's lines on the festivities at Belgium's capital. For Mrs. Murphy was indeed a chieftain, and the end of all the gay dancing in the "Big House" was as tragic as the end of Bunswicks's fated chieftain.
If the habitues of the modern dance halls were compelled to go through a cotillion or a reel of the olden days, they would be prostrated for weeks thereafter. The dancers disdained ballroom etiquette when choosing a partner for a dance. They simply walked over to the damsel and without speaking, took her hand She, silently acquiesced and took her place on the floor. When the dance was finished, her partner dropped her like a hot potato, without a word of thanks or any other ceremony, and left her to find a seat as best she could.
The cotillion was less laborous than the reel; and also less interesting. It was an inartistic dance. Its chief characteristics were an alternate time-beating by the men and their partner in the centre of the ring, followed by a violent swinging and a grand chain. This was repeated ad infinitum or as long as the participants could hold out. In the single-step dancing every dancer danced to his own favorite air; and the fiddler was expected to respond to the individual demands made upon his musical repertoire. The most frequent calls were for "The Wind That Shaked the Barley", and "The Rakes of Kildare."
Dancing was followed by singing. Those who could sing had to sing; no excuses were admissible. The songs were mostly of the sentimental type, and depicted the woes of the rejected lover.
There was usually some incident to add spice and variety to a ball of the olden days. As the ceilings were low,-not much over six feet-and the second floor beams were exposed, a tall man had to do most of his dancing between the beams, and had to maintain a stooping position during the "grand chain." As one of the rules of the cotillion was that the final beat of the last bar of the music should be accompanied by the dancers bringing down both feet together with as loud a "whelt" as possible, it was not unusual for one or more dancers to break through the single floor. An incident of this kind compelled the suspension of the dance till a new piece of board was procured; but instead of being considered an annoyance, it enhanced the terpsichorean notoriety of the dancer. Occasionally, those who were not invited to the dance, vented their displeasure by throwing one or more dead cats down the open chimney.
Occasionally, too, a good-looking girl was the source of an amorous jealousy which in the early hours of the morning disrupted the whole proceedings, and sent the jealous wooers out in the road to argue or fight the matter out. The most spectacular of these love comedies happened in the winter of 1872 at a dance held by the dramatic troupe in Pat Dwyer's old house. A certain young lady who was openly catering to the dalliances of an amorous swain, declined the offer of a dance from another ardent admirer. This aroused a violent jealousy in the latter. Sparks began to fly and as the adversaries glared at each other, the worst was feared. There was an ominous rush towards the door; for notwithstanding the comparative primitiveness of these days, there was an instinctive respect for the sanctity of their patron's house. Moreover it was considered that the open air was the proper place for the settlement of disputes of this kind. So there in front of Tom Brown's old house. in shirt sleeves and bare heads in the raw humid dawning of a March Sunday morning, the two adversaries argued till the onlookers, standing around on the snowBankss became bored and wearied by the incessant repetition of childish recrimination, quitted the scene to go home to breakfast. The drizzly atmosphere had a cooling effect on the protagonists who soon sought their homes also.
In McBraire's time horse-racing in winter on the harbor-ice was a favourite sport. The course was from Western Point to Sampson's Rock. Mr. Hartery, McBraire's, book-keeper was usually the winner. He was the champion so often that he was nicknamed "Chiffeney"-from the famous English jockey of that period.
There were times when provisions ran short, and the spectre of starvation was staring people in the face. The winter following the failure of Munn & Carroll was a gloomy one. Munn's vessels had taken away the summer's catch and no provisions had come back in return. No flour was obtainable in King's Cove that winter and one was lucky to get Indian meal. In our own day of plenty one looks back with sadness to these old days when five or six men had to tramp eighteen miles to Trinity for a barrel of yellow corn meal, and haul it through snow-Bankss with ropes over their shoulders. It was a pioneer's life,-stern, hard and reletent less. It is presumed that there was some good flour in these days, but we in the outports saw none of it. The most of the flour was yellow and bitter; accidentally one may happen to get a barrd that was palatable. The necessity of testing the flour before buying was acknowledged by the manufacturers; for they provided a small wooden stopper or "tester" about an inch and a half in diameter in the head of every barrel. It was an interesting sight to see crowds of fishermen getting their winter's supply of flour, each smoothing out a spoonful of flour on the palm of his hand with his pocket knife and testing it frequently. If the flour did not satisfy the intending purchaser, he replaced the "trier" and began to test another barrel.
On one occasion the ice remained in late in the Spring and provisions ran short especially in Broad Cove. The Broad Cove men heard there were some provisions in Catalina. They marched to Catalina in a body,-a distance of twenty-five miles-and asked the owner to give them some provisions till they would catch fish to repay him. He refused. The men then took a large boom and broke in the door. Every man took a half bag of hard bread on his back and walked back to Broad Cove, covering a distance of fifty miles in the one day. The Government later compensated the storekeeper for the goods taken.
Broad Cove-three miles from King's Cove-was in the early days inhabited solely by Irishmen. It was a picturesque sight to see them riding on horseback to Mass at King's Cove on Sunday mornings. Arriving at King's Cove, they threw their bridles over the chapel fence palings and greeted the King's Cove Irishmen with many a "Cead Mille Failtha"-a hundred thousand welcomes. The Wexford men spoke in English; but the Cork and Kerry men used Irish
Whilst the fisheries were good, times were prosperous. But towards the "sixties" symptoms of widespread depression began to show themselves. The old-time seal fishery had gone out and the cod fishery was gradually failing. Population was increasing, and the economic resources of the country were not developing proportionally. Bad times were looming ahead; something had to be done. In the Legislative Session of 1860 Governor Bannerman urged the Government "that no pains be spared to give encouragement to the development of Agriculture in order to prevent as far as possible the labouring classes resorting to pauper relief."
From this time on, the people were exhorted to go in for land cultivation and take in arable land wherever available. The slogan in King's Cove and other near-by settlements was "You can't starve on potatoes and herring."
Meanwhile, the Government, fearful of the continuation of these lean years of meal and molasses, sent a delegation to Ottawa to discuss with the Canadian Government the question of confederating with the Dominion. The Newfoundland people however, rejected the idea in the 1869 election as noted elsewhere.
The effect of the depressed times was that the young men were getting restless. One by one they were leaving for Boston and British Columbia where better opportunities awaited them. The young women began to follow their example and the once thriving village of King's Cove became only a shadow of its former self. The old King's Cove is gone; the best we can do is to give a picture of it in its balmy days.
Like most other settlements in Newfoundland. King's Cove has had its tragedies. The earliest recorded was the loss of the sealing schooner "John" with all hands,-a crew of forty-two. She was never heard from; how and where she went down remains a mystery.
An event which cast a gloom for many years over King's Cove was the loss of the schooner "Edward" in 1876. She was owned by Michael Murphy and Sons and had the following crew: Michael McGrath (father of the late Bernard McGrath); his son Jim; Jimmy Flynn (father of the late M. T. Flynn of Marystown); his son Dan; William Doyle (father of the late Capt. Tom Doyle) and a boy named Skeffington. The schooner left St. John's on the afternoon of December 16th, 1876 with a load of provisions for King's Cove and has never been heard from since.
In April 1869 John and Richard Kennifick and John Sullivan of Broad Cove were drowned at St. Croix near Keels, and the following day Larry Walsh was drowned at Knight's Cove Point. All of them were on the ice seal-hunting and went down through the broken ice.
An event which cast a gloom over the village was the drowning of Richard Handcock of Knight's Cove on the 15th of August (Lady Day) 1877. It is customary for parishioners to donate their catch of fish on the 15th of August (the Feast of the Assumption) to the Church. Handcock and Billy Ricketts were in the same boat and were returning with a good catch when a sudden squall overturned the boat and Handcock was drowned; Ricketts kept himself afloat till he was rescued by his brother who was not far off at the time of the accident. Father Veitch felt the tragedy keenly and on the following Sunday referred to it in regretful terms.
In the Fall of 1829 the "Agnes" was chartered at St. John's to load fish at King's Cove for a foreign market. Thomas McGrath who was at St. John's at the time, was engaged as pilot to take her to King's Cove. Between Western Point and Southern Head something gave out aloft and the mainsail had to be lowered. It was near nightfall and before repairs could be effected, night came on bringing with it a blinding snow storm and a north-west hurricane which lasted several days. The vessel never reached King's Cove. During the winter a vessel reached Trinity and reported having encountered the "Agnes" in mid-ocean with her spars cut away and no crew on board. There was no further news of her till the following May when Thomas McGrath arrived in King's Cove. He then told the story of his adventure. As they were nearing King's Cove, the north-west gale drove them outside the Grand Bankss. The ballast shifted and the "Agnes" was thrown on her beam ends. The spars were cut away and she righted. The ballast was replaced but she began to leak badly, and for 17 days they laboured night and day to keep her free. At the end of that time they sighted a vessel from Miramichi lumber-laden and bound for Liverpool, England. The shipwrecked crew were taken on board this vessel and landed at Liverpool. McGrath went to Waterford, Ireland in which port he was fortunate in finding a vessel ready to sail for King's Cove.
The following year-1830-Thomas McGrath commanded the sealer "John" at the icefields and a crew of nineteen. The "John" never returned. It is presumed that she went down in the heavy storm which occurred on April 15th of that Spring. Her loss was a terrible tragedy for a small hamlet like King's Cove. Long into the sunny days of May and even June the anxious eyes of distraught wives scanned the horizon from Western Point for a glimpse of the overdue sealer; but in vain. No doubt some of them hoped that a passing ship may have picked up the missing crew; but even that hope died out when with the superstitious credulity of these early days they listened to old Mrs. Barrett of 'Longshore' tell how she saw the crew of the "John" one night walk down the harbor in single file and disappear in the sea below her house. And Thomas McGrath who had left the green hills of Clonmel to fight the battle of Life, found his resting place in the turbulent waters of the North Atlantic.
Another marine tragedy connected with the history of King's Cove was the loss of the "King's Cove" in the early part of the 19th century. She left King's Cove with a cargo of fish in drums for Brazil. She never reached her destination. It was reported at one time that she had been captured by pirates and the crew murdered; but there was never any confirmation of this report.
An event which brought sorrow to the Murphy family was the tragic death of Bernard Murphy on a beautiful January Sunday morning in 1872. There was no priest in King's Cove at this time, and the chapel bell was ringing for the reciting of the Rosary by the school teacher, when the news spread that Bernard Murphy's house was on fire. A large crowd soon collected and buckets of water rushed along; but the building soon became a mass of flame. An attempt was made to pull down the house by putting a rope around it; but this proved ineffectual. Meanwhile anxiety as to the safety of the owner became general; for he was nowhere to be seen. It was known that he had gone on the attic with a bucket of water but whether he came down seemed to be uncertain. This uncertainty was however allayed for a time by a rumour that he had been seen running up the harbor in his shirt sleeves shortly after the alarm of fire was given. All doubt was set at rest a few hours later when his charred body was found in the burning debris. He was a brother of Pat Murphy for many years postmaster at King's Cove.
Tragedy seemed to dog the steps of Bernard Murphy's widow. She was Miss Elizabeth Gould, daughter of Michael Gould of Carbonear. She had been married previously to Arthur Thomey of Harbour Grace. Her first sorrow came to her when after a few brief months of married life, she had to hear the news of her husband's death by drowning at the ice-fields. The following summer, she happened to become acquainted with Mrs. Murphy-"Big Allie"-who invited her to spend the summer at King's Cove. There she met and married Bernard. After the latter's death she removed to Harbor Grace. Her daughter, Alice, died of consumption and her two grandchildren, Ron and Tom McGrath met untimely deaths-the former being killed in the Great War and the latter, who was a marine engineer, fell in the hold of his ship and was killed. Her third husband, John Thomey of the Harbor Grace Customs died suddenly on the Custom House steps not withstanding all her troubles she lived to the good round age of eighty-three years.
Her name deserves to be recorded in the annals of King's Cove. She was the leader of the first Catholic choir established by Father Veitch. In these early days, hymn books had not yet reached King's Cove, and the choir leader found it difficult to obtain music for the few hymns that were found necessary for the church services. The difficulty was surmounted by adopting well-known airs such as the "Meeting of the Waters", "Tara's Hall" and others to the hymns.
There are certain spots in and around King's Cove that will always fill a part of the King Covian exiles' dreams. Though nothing big or momentous happened at these spots, the thoughts and feelings that centered around them in boyhood will hallow them for ever in their memories. What King's Covian will ever forget Sampson's Rock? It was the village "Swimmin' Hole". To the young King's Covian in his untravelled days it seemed of immense breadth and depth. Today there seems to be scarcely enough of water in it to wash one's feet. But we can recall with what a thrill of pleasure and even heroism we ventured for the first time to dive off the "Rock" and swim across to the opposite Banks, a distance of seven or eight feet.
And who will forget "Gully Pond"? During the summer holidays we went there at least once a day. It was a mile or so outside the village. Those who had mastered the difficulties of Sampson's Rock had to be initiated into the hazards of Gully Pond. There was a small boulder about thirty feet from the shore. You passed your second degree in swimming when you could swim to that rock without faltering. You were given your third degree when you showed courage enough to dive off the lower rail of a stage head. You received your unwritten diploma when with a swaggering nonchalance you stepped on the top rail and buried yourself in the sparkling water below.
The "Oak Gulch" held a mystery for the boys of King's Cove into a cleft in the cliff at the water's edge had been driven a piece of oak scantling twenty-five or thirty feet long. It fitted the cleft so snugly that it was inconceivable how it had been driven there It had evidently been there for generations and a few superstitious tales grew up around it. Recently Austin Lawton braved the superstitious fears connected with the stick, crawled into the cleft and with chisel and saw removed the piece of scantling bit by bit.
The Pond-a small lake separating the north side of King's Cove from the south side-at times, especially at night-adds to the picturesqueness of the village by its various changes of mood. These changes are described by the local poetess-Miss Bertille Tobin in another chapter.
Sarah Brien's Hill will always be the landmark for which the homecomer will eagerly scan the horizon. It is an irregular plateau overlooking the village and sheltering it from the south-west gales. Before the fire of 1892 it was a beautiful hill thickly clothed to the summit with spruce, birch and fir. To-day, its granitic sides are bare of vegetation.
But still the exiled Kingscovian's pulses beat fast when he catches the first glimpse of Sarah Brien's Hill which looms up as the harbor is approached. For it has sheltered King's Cove from the south-west storms during the ages. And no wonder some sympathetic local poet has adapted the following lines to its memory:
"Oh Sarah Brien, loved Sarah Brien, how oft I dream of thee;
And of the days when by your side I wondered young and free;
Full many a land I've seen since then
Through Pleasure's flowery maze;
But never could find the bliss again
I felt in those sweet days."
An interesting event was the annual haul of wood for the priest and parson. On the appointed days, gangs of men started off to the woods-some with axes and others with dog-slides. All day long the woods resounded with the jingle of axes, the barking of dogs and the shouting of youngsters who had seized the opportunity to make a gala day of it. Several loads were brought out during the day. This hard days work of tramping and hauling through the woods was done in no niggardly or bargaining manner; for the day was to end up in an outburst of music and jubilation, as befitted the occasion. Was not the clergy man the light of the village-not only spiritually, but to many, a helper in their mundane affairs.
As the last loads came out, the slides were decorated with flags, and all the available violinists were ordered to take their places on the tops of the loads. As the long stream of dogs and horses passed in to the clergyman's backyard, he stood at the gate and greeted with radiant smiles the bustling haulers with oft repeated "Well done my brave fellows, well done."
There are only two religious denominations in King's Cove- the Church of England and the Roman Catholic. From the earliest history of the place, the greatest harmony and co-operation have existed between these two denominations. Both parties have contributed mutually to the erection of their school and church buildings. An example of this liberality of spirit was evidenced when the late Bishop Carfagnini made his first episcopal visit to King's Cove in 1873. Mr. J. C. Sheares-a prominent Church of England business man of the town, erected an arch at his own expense opposite his place of business.
An earlier instance of this friendly feeling is evident from the bantering way in which old William Brown (whose business career we have already noted) and Father Scanlan-the parish priest accosted each other. Here is a sample of their frequent encounter:
William Brown: Ha, you got your pockets full of dues now, I suppose, from the poor people."
Father Scanlan: "Ha, you old rascal, you never sent me the punt you promised me to paint the church."
"Well then" agreed William. "by the livin'man, you'll have it fo-morrow."
"By the livin'man" was his familiar expletive.
Within recent history, King's Cove was threatened by fire three times. On June 16th, 1828, a forest fire broke out on Plate Cove Road-west of the settlement-and fanned by a smart breeze. soon swept down towards "Steady Water" valley about half a mile west of the harbor. As night set in, immense volumes of smoke and fire shrouded the sky, and as the night advanced, a wall of fire illuminated the village. Nobody went to bed that night. All household goods and fishing gear were removed to the water's edge. But about half past one o'clock that night, the wind veered to the South-west, carrying the fire away from Steady Water on to Broad Cove-three miles to the north of King's Cove The houses on the north side of King's Cove barely escaped. The change of wind was so sudden that King's Cove escape seemed miraculous.
The fire struck the houses at Broad Cove and destroyed all of them except one-that of Thomas Carew. By 8 p.m. that evening, everything was in ashes stores, stages and flakes. John Skeffington lost a store full of Bummer fishery supplies. A heavy rain followed the fire next day and the residents were enabled to begin again the rebuilding of their homes.
How the Broad Cove people managed to survive this tragedy, with all their belongings reduced to ashes at the commencement of the fishing season, no one seems to have left a record. But such misfortunes were the constant lot of the early settlers, and we must come to the conclusion that our forefathers were men of grit and indomitable courage.
Since that time, King's Cove has had two narrow escapes from destruction by forest fires. In 1869, a huge fire swept down towards the village from the south-west; but fortunately only reached the outskirts. In 1892-the year of the St John's fire- the village was threatened again. Sarah Brien's hill which had from time immemorial been covered from its summit to its base with spruce and fir, became a prey to the devouring monster, which blackened its granitic sides and it has never since fully recovered its pristine beauty.
Previous to 1871 no photographer had visited King's Cove and there are no extant photographs of the residents who died before that date. In that year a photographer named Campbell spent several months in the village. He had his "dark room" in a corner of the "oilstore" of Michael Murphy & Sons. All his photos were of the "tintype" process. Mr. Campbell afterwards became a clerk in the General Post Office, St. John's. A few years later a Mr. Chisholm from Nova Scotia came to King's Cove and spent some time photographing. His work was of the modern "dryplate" type.
The Argiope spider I found at school a few days ago made a golf ball sized egg sac last night or early this morning. The eggs will hatch later this fall, but the little spiders won't emerge from the sac until spring.
Wasn't expecting to see these in Rainham today!, and these vehicles were on SouthEastern Trains Rail Replacement Service to and from Rochester, and this was the best I could do of these vehicles due to Rainham's crampt Station and traffic problems, infact I think that Ranham is possibly one of the most depressing places I've ever been for photography second only to Tunbridge and Gravesend.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw Very Recently!!
Wasn't expecting to see this in Dover today, and this vehicle had brought School Groups to Dover Castle which is now open again daily except Mondays, and the FourJems Vehicles appear to have come from Sittingbourne, however I have never seen this operator or its vehicles before, despite the fact that "Rob of Kent" told me in 2018, "You come to Sittingbourne a Lot Now...".
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw This Week!!
Surprise !!! Clowesia warscewiczii. Il y a des plantes que l'on ne s'attend pas Ɣ rencontrer car on pense qu'elle vivent dans une autre rƩgion et tout d'un coup elles apparaissent in situ durant un tour de 11 jours que j'ai guidƩ. dans les dƩpartements du Valle del Cauca et du Cauca, Colombie. en plus c'est un genre que je n'avais jamais vu fleuri en milieu naturel !
Surprise !!! Clowesia warscewiczii. There are plants you don't expect to find because you think they live in another region and suddenly they appear in situ during an 11 days tour I guided in Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments, Colombia. Moreover a genus I had never seen blooming in its native habitat !
Sorpresa !!! Clowesia warscewiczii. Hay plantas que uno no espera encontrar porque piensa que vienen de otra region y de repente aparecen in situ durante un tour de 11 dĆas que guiĆ© en los departamentos del Valle del Cauca y del Cauca, Colombia. AdemĆ”s es un gĆ©nero que nunca habĆa visto florecido en su hĆ”bitat natural !