Protective Mimicry
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This beautiful Neotropical hummingbird has been reclassified since I saw it nectaring at a feeder in Panama. The Blue-chested Hummingbird (Polyerata amabilis) was formerly placed in the genus Amazilia. It is also found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Nicaragua, but its numbers are sadly decreasing. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.
Males – like this one – form leks to try to gain the attention of females during the breeding season.
The Cappadocia region of Turkiye (Turkey) has some of the most unusual landscapes in the world. Caused by volcanic action and millions of years of erosion, the area around Göreme is famous for it's fairy chimneys and hundreds of rock-cut churches where early Christianity gained a strong foothold. There are many troglodyte and semi-troglodyte homes, hotels, restaurants and churches. This set of formations with the mushroom tops are too unstable for occupation.
This double crested cormorant did a few circles of the lake to gain altitude before it finally left the area. Gave me a few passes at it. Didn't nail the focus, but I liked the dynamic pose enough to post it.
There is no Beauty Without Some Strangeness
- Edgar Allan Poe
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The Raven:
Ravens are among the smartest of all birds, gaining a reputation for solving ever more complicated problems invented by ever more creative scientists.
The Raven is an acrobatic flier, often doing rolls and somersaults in the air. Young birds are fond of playing games with sticks, repeatedly dropping them, then diving to catch them in midair.
People around the world sense a certain kind of personality in ravens. Edgar Allan Poe clearly found them a little creepy. The captive ravens at the Tower of London are beloved and perhaps a little feared: legend has it that if they ever leave the tower, the British Empire will crumble.
Common Ravens can mimic the calls of other bird species. When raised in captivity, they can even imitate human words; one Common Raven raised from birth was taught to mimic the word “nevermore.”
The oldest known wild Common Raven was at least 22 years, 7 months old. It was banded and found again in Nova Scotia.
(Nikon D750, Nikor 80-200/5.6, 1/320 @ f/8.0, ISO 400, edited to taste)
A northern pintail takes off from the Big Salt Marsh at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County, KS.
Like many on Memorial Day weekend I decided to go camping with a buddy. We chose the Sequoia National Forest for three reasons. 1. We wanted to see the HUGE sequoias for the first time. (Childhood Bucket list, check). 2. We wanted to get as far away from people as possible. 3. The darkest sky possible with a southeast facing perch. We drove into the park around 1:00 did some activities along the way as we dwelled further into the forest. We parked our car as deep as we could go and set forth for our final resting spot. We climbed a couple hundred feet in elevation until we were on top of a mountain peak 8000ft up. Great views of the south east sky, we waited for the Milky Way to rise. What we saw tho was more spectacular than either of us signed up for. Here is a Pano that I took to gain a full perspective of what we enjoyed. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A faschinating little shop by this name, found along George Street, along my driving route to work.
I haven't actually been inside yet, just stopped to shoot its title mural along the side of the building.
This little guy has been using the birdbath to gain access to the little swing feeder.
First, he comes to the window and looks in to see if anyone is watching. He sneaks around a bit then he hops on over to the birdbath and jumps to the feeder.
He doesn't stay long, he just grabs a few quick bites and off he goes to get into some sort of mischief.
Have a fabulous Friday, happy snapping.
NATURE REALLY LOVE US .... ANYWHERE THERE IS LOVE
* From my Imagination not a URL in sl *
Music : youtu.be/yCVmxqRIYZA
________________________________ Engl/span./Fr
Listen this music SAME TIME read my Text ....
Something happen ... ! FEEL YOUR FEELING ... 💕
Escucha esta musica AL MISMO TIEMPO que lee mi texto....
Algo pasa ... ! SIENTE TU SENTIMIENTO ... ! 💕________________________________
✨"I love Loving Nature.."✨
✨ I love Loving Nature pouring love everywhere, No one or even "Still Life" is spared, everything is growth, greenery, even the paved roads let life appear... by its small solitary flowers piercing the tar ... .
💕 Everything is harmony between all living species on Earth; Let's look at the Earth with all these Colors, these Shades.... it's Harmony! , it's a Work of Art!.... and everything that is ugly, black, in this painting that we are looking at, take a good look, it's the Human Being who creates it. 💕
Fragile..., Nature does what she can, but some have lost their values, by the lure of gain, material wealth... . Wealth makes us lose the goodness of the heart, we don't value what Mother Nature offers us..., we kill her little by little, and this is only the beginning, with this climate in disarray.
We Kill it and we Suffer it... by Our Fault.
Material wealth helps Happiness, but it's not Happiness.. I don't care if I earn a little or a lot, the important thing is what I grow inside my garden and what I share on the outside.... but it"s true that if I am the only one to share my Interior... well I will have nothing to share with those who are different from me, who are closed and never say what they think.
Pride, an oversized ego, greed, vanity, lying and falsehood are not part of my life. And I'm not even here to support it! lol!.
Happy with my simplicity, and happy to share it with people who have the same values as me, and that my parents and God taught me. A sensible, healthy life with values of Respect, Sharing, Authenticity, Compassion, Love. ✨L.A. 10/10/2022
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✨ " Me encanta la Naturaleza amandonos "✨
✨ Me encanta la Naturaleza que nos ama derramando amor por todas partes, Nadie, ni siquiera la "Naturaleza muerta" se salvan, todo es crecimiento, verdor, hasta los caminos pavimentados dejan aparecer la vida... por sus pequenas flores solitarias perforando el alquitran... .
💕 Todo es armonia entre todas las especies vivas de la Tierra; Miremos la Tierra con todos estos Colores, estos Tonos... ¡es Armonia! , es una Obra de Arte!.... y todo lo que es feo, negro, en que estamos mirando, fijense bien, es el Ser Humano Quien lo Crea. 💕
Fragil..., la Naturaleza hace lo que puede, pero algunos han perdido sus valores, por el senuelo de la ganancia, la riqueza material... . La riqueza nos hace perder la bondad del corazon, no valoramos lo que nos ofrece la Madre Naturaleza..., la vamos matando poco a poco, y esto es solo el principio, con este clima en desorden.
Lo Matamos y lo Sufrimos... por Nuestra Culpa.
La riqueza material ayuda a la Felicidad, pero no es Felicidad.. No me importa si gano poco o mucho, lo importante es lo que cultivo dentro de mi jardin y lo que comparto afuera.... pero es cierto que si soy la unica que comparte mi Interior... pues no tendré nada que compartir con los que son diferentes a mi, que son cerrados y nunca dicen lo que piensan de verdade !.
El orgullo, un ego sobredimensionado, la codicia, la vanidad, la mentira y la falsedad no forman parte de mi vida. ¡Y ni siquiera estoy aqui para apoyarlo ni soportalo ! lol !
Feliz con mi sencillez, y feliz de poder compartirla con personas que tienen los mismos valores que yo, y que mis padres y Dios me ensenaron. Una vida sensata, saludable con valores de Respeto, de Compartir, de Autenticidad, de Compasión, de Amor. L.A. 10/08/2022
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✨"J'aime la Nature Aimante .."✨
✨ J' aime la Nature Aimante nous déversant de l'amour en toute part , Personne ni même "Aucune Nature Morte" n'est épargnée, tout est croissance, verdure, même les route goudronnées laissent apparaitre la Vie ... par ses petites fleurs solitaires perçant le goudron ... .
💕 Tout est harmonie entre toute les espèces vivantes sur Terre; Regardons la Terre avec toutes ces Couleurs, ces Nuances.... c'est Harmonie ! , c'est une Oeuvre d'Art !.... et tout ce qui est moche, noir, pauvre, dans ce tableau que nous regardons, regardez bien c'est l'Etre humain qui le crée. 💕
Fragile..., la Nature fait ce qu'elle peut, mais certains ont perdu leurs valeurs, par l'appât du gain, les richesses matérielles ... . Les richesses nous fait perdre la bonté du coeur, on ne valorise pas ce que Mère Nature nous Offre.., on la tue petit à petit, et ce n'est que le début, avec ce climat en déroute.
Nous la Tuons et nous la Subissons... par Notre Faute.
Les richesses matérielles aide au Bonheur, mais ce n'est pas le Bonheur.. Moi je m'en Fou de gagner peu ou beaucoup , l'important c' est ce que je cultive à l'intérieur de mon jardin et que je partage à l'extérieur.... mais il est vrai que si je suis la seule à partager mon Intérieur... et bien je n'aurai rien à partager avec ceux qui sont différent de moi, qui sont fermés et ne disent jamais ce qu'ils pensent.
l'Orgueil, un ego surdimensionné, l'avidité, la vanité, le mensonge et la fausseté ne font pas partie de ma vie. Et je ne suis même pas là pour la supporter ! lol !.
Heureuse par ma simplicité, et heureuse de la partager avec des personnes ayant les mêmes valeurs que moi, et que mes parents et Dieu m'ont enseignées. Une vie sensée, et saine avec des valeurs de Respect , de Partage, d'Authenticité, de Compassion, d' Amour. ✨ L.A. 10/08/2022
For Macro Monday ....... Theme Time
I was lost for an idea,so I thought I would try something completely different and add a bit of colour and go abstract ...... Still, nothing ventured ,nothing gained ,as they say ....
Im Herzen eines neuen Kulturquartiers zwischen Bocholter Innenstadt und Aasee liegt das Textilwerk mit Weberei und Spinnerei. Die beiden Standorte des Industriemuseums verbindet eine Brücke über den Fluss Aa. In den imposanten Sälen der historischen Spinnerei Herding erhalten Sie spannende Einblicke in historische und moderne Technik, erleben Modegeschichte und aktuelles Design.
The textile factory with weaving mill and spinning mill is located in the heart of a new cultural quarter between Bocholt city center and Lake Aasee. The two locations of the Industrial Museum are connected by a bridge over the River Aa. In the imposing halls of the historic Herding spinning mill, you can gain exciting insights into historic and modern technology, experience the history of fashion and current design.
The Mighty Pico Paraná
I'm from São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. Pico Paraná, Brazil's 41st tallest mountain, is a 6-hour and 41-minute drive or about 471 kilometers south of where I live.
Having scaled the 3rd to 7th highest mountains in Brazil, I can say that Pico Paraná, the 41st tallest, was by far the most challenging climb I've done so far.
I've scaled numerous mountains, from the snow-capped peaks of Africa to the technical climbs of the Andes, but nothing could have prepared me for the raw, primal challenge of Pico Paraná. Standing at a towering 1,877 meters (6,158 feet), it's the highest point in southern Brazil.
A Night to Remember I began my ascent at 11 PM on a Saturday night, aiming to catch the sunrise at 6:34 AM. Armed with nothing but determination and a headlamp, I plunged into the dense, primordial forest. The initial three hours were a relentless battle against the unforgiving terrain, as I leaped over massive, exposed tree roots and slogged through muddy trails.
A Vertical Dance As I gained altitude, the challenge intensified. The trail transformed into a series of vertical dance floors, where I navigated sheer rock faces using metal rungs and ropes. I climbed one peak after another, each offering breathtaking panoramas but demanding every ounce of my strength.
The Final Push The final ascent was the most grueling. Without a natural water source, I carried a heavy pack, and the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll. Yet, the allure of witnessing the sunrise from the summit kept me going.
Image: A close-up of the climber's hands gripping a rock face, with a backdrop of lush vegetation.
A Celestial Reward Finally, I reached the summit just in time to witness the sunrise. As the first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of pink and orange, I stood on top of the world, overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment. The panoramic view was nothing short of spectacular, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The descent was equally demanding, but the euphoria of reaching the summit carried me through. After 18 grueling hours, I finally made it back to the trailhead. Exhausted but elated, I knew I had conquered one of the most challenging climbs of my life.
Key Points About Pico Paraná:
*Highest point in southern Brazil: 1,877 meters (6,158 feet)
*Part of the Ibitiraquire mountain range: Known for its rugged beauty
*Demanding climb: Requires a high level of physical fitness and technical climbing skills
*Multiple summits: Including Pico Paraná, União, and Ibitirati
*Unique ecosystem: Home to a diverse range of flora and fauna
If you're seeking a truly unforgettable adventure, I highly recommend tackling Pico Paraná. Just be prepared for a challenging and rewarding experience.
PS. The photo I shared captures the moment of descending or returning from the peak, bathed in the warm glow of daylight. In contrast, the ascent of Pico Paraná was an adventure undertaken in complete darkness, guided only by the beams of our headlamps. I'll be sharing breathtaking sunrise photos from the summit very soon.
After gaining the upper plateau of Cairn Gorm, we can look down through the rocks of the coire as we refuel with some light snacks. A small lochan lies below us called Coire an Lochan with our starting point to the right and the town of Aviemore just visible beyond Loch Morlich in the distance.
Cairn Gorm, the mountain from which the Cairngorm mountain range gets its name, stands at 1245 meters (4085 feet) and is my 4th Munro of the season, my 27th in total. The hike (no bike this time) sees me covering a circuit of just over 7 miles and making an elevation gain of around 762 meters (2500 feet).
I've always been deeply impacted by the loss of rock stars...not those that have tragically taken their own lives through drugs...but those that have now more frequently begun to show the natural evolution of human mortality. Yesterday a case in point. I reckon it's because they have been friends for what is now a very long time...and in some ways better friends than most in that they have always been there in time of need at the spin of a turntable or the push of a button. And as Led Zeppelin said, "Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share." And we, who Steve Miller called "Children of the Future," growing up in the '60s and '70s took our music seriously. And we have been loyal to it throughout the decades. In our minds, nothing has nor will ever compare.
In recent years, the passing of rock icons through natural causes has brought the somewhat astonishing recognition that the future has arrived...and with it all the annoying symptoms of human frailty and seniority. They are losses of consequence, and, for me, cause for much reflection and thought as to a life lived.
And yet, just a few weeks ago, my Grandson entered the world...and today word that a valued contact named Marilyn was overjoyed at the arrival of a Grandaughter. These of course are the gains some of us are fortunate enough to experience. These remind of the hopes and dreams and expectations that we had for ourselves so many years ago -- some fulfilled, some denied. We now pass these on to others, still perhaps best expressed by another rock icon -- always best in his Jeff Beck and Faces days...;-))) Life, for now, goes on...
It gains the more it gives, and then it rises with the fall. So let go, just let go, cause there's beauty in the breakdown.
Respect is earned,
Honesty is appreciated,
Trust is gained,
Loyalty is returned.
Auliq Ice
Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.
Thomas Jefferson
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
John F. Kennedy
We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.
Jimmy Carter
We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more,
Bill Clinton
Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.
Brian Tracey
To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.
Nelson Mandela
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! xo❤️ ❤️ ❤️
(Towers of the Virgin, Zion)
We cruised northward from Joshua Tree that winter, staying just behind the storms battering the southwest, gaining all the photographer’s benefit of seeing our favorite haunts draped in fresh snow. Dawn shivered with hoarfrost on oaks that were the namesake of the creek out there in the meadow, and I blew on gloved fingers and paced around, waiting for the sun. Thirty five hundred feet above the valley floor, the Towers lit up along with the skies at sunrise, and gave me hopes for the day. The people who opened up this country were often surprisingly well read in the classics, and most knew their scriptures. Inspired by sacred places, they bestowed names that make them sacred still: Court of the Patriarchs, Angel’s Landing, The Great White Throne. The high point anchoring the right side of the Towers, stained red under the flat top of a sandstone pinnacle, reminded a clergyman over a century ago of a sacrificial altar, and so it became the Altar of Sacrifice. The name conjures biblical connotations of Abraham’s trust and even the rituals of the Aztecs, but the idea, central to every early culture, has modernized. The most dramatic burnt offerings today are probably votive candles, and gods are no longer feared. My parents’ generation taught us the virtue of sacrifice by their example, and looking up there I think of how natural that act is to us. I have a sister who has suffers all for one of those parents, her self-denial is an ultimate devotion. But it’s selfish to consider how much I have given up myself; others can judge that. Instead I’ll bow towards the Altar and say a silent thank you, to all those who have sacrificed something for me.
Sure hope we all soon can comfortably see aerial views like this again! :)
Have a terrific day, everyone...
Object: SH2-284 in Monoceros in SHO (February 2024)
This is a widefield capture in Monoceros (the Unicorn) showing the primary target: SH2-284 which is a HII star forming region about 15,000 light years distant. The image was shot with narrowband filters and combined in the SHO palette which is also know as the Hubble Space Telescope palette (HST)
Some of the objects in the field:
- SH2-284 – center-left- Sometimes referred to as the Little Rosette
- NGC2282- HII Ionized region in Monoceros – upper center right
- Lynd’s Bright Nebulae- LBN983-LBN984-LBN987
- Acquisition Date: 02/06/2024 to 02/09/2024
- Location: Western Massachusetts, USA
- Imaging Camera: QHY600PH-M -10°C - Mode 1(High Gain) Offset:15 Gain:56
- Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106EDXIII @ f/5 (530mm focal length - 106mm aperture)
- Mount: Astro-Physics AP1100 w/GTO4
- Guide scope: Celestron Off Axis Guider
- Guide Camera: ASI174m mini
- Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight 1.8 Ripley, Aries Astro Pixel Processor
Filters:
- Chroma Ha 3nm 50mm
- Chroma OIII 3nm 50mm
- Astrodon SII 3nm 50mm
Exposure Times:
- Hydrogen Alpha (Ha): 27 x 10min. (270min) bin 1x1
- Oxygen III (OIII):34 x 10min. (340min) bin 1x1
- Sulfur II (SII) 29 x 10min. (290min) bin 1x1
Total Exposure:900 min. (15.0hrs)
Sky Quality:
-Magnitude: 19.71
-Bortle Class 5
-1.41 mcd/m^2 Brightness
-1234.6 ucd/m^2 Artificial Brightness
I decided to take a quick selfie before leaving my lunchspot and pusing on for the summits of Carn an Tuirc & Cairn of Claise .. as you do...
This bike trip takes me to the summits of two Munro's, Carn an Tuirc & Cairn of Claise. Carn a Tuirc is at a height of 1018 meters (3339 feet), while Cairn of Claise is sightly higher at 1062 meters (3484 feet). It took me four hours to drag myself (and my bike) up there, but because of the bike, it took less than an hour to get back to the car. Total distance covered was 26.5 kilometers (16.5 miles) and starting at 370 meters, I had an altitude gain of over 700 meters (2296+ feet) - that was a big one!!
“The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.”
― Henry Beston
That time of the year when shooting after work becomes impossible without adding your own light. I hate that!
Rolling thru Gaines, Michigan having just left the home terminal in Durand a couple miles back is GTW train #450 a turn to east yard in Detroit with former boiler GP9 4930 leading 2 sisters on February 26, 1983.
Pacific white-fronted geese after taking off from the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge on their spring migration to the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada. Currently two populations of white-fronted geese are recognized: the Pacific Population and the Mid-Continent Population. Numbers of Pacific Population white-fronted geese have increased steadily over the last decade.
Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- I appreciate them all.
© Melissa Post 2018
Rolling into the nice super elevated curve just south of Gaines, Michigan is Grand Trunk Western train #410 running from Durand to Lang Yd. in Toledo, Ohio. Normally a pair of SD40's this day you found no complaints from me with GP9 4544 leading SD40 5929 - December 18, 1976.
Object: LBN 576 The Popped Balloon Nebula in Cassiopeia (November 2023)
LBN576 (aka The Popped Ballon Nebula) is a faint supernova remnant that lies in the constellation of Cassiopeia and is estimated to be 9780 light years from earth with a diameter of 98 lightyears and is roughly 10,000 years old.
The field also contains two small open star clusters NGB7788 & MGC7790 to the left of center.
- Acquisition Date: 11/14/2023 to 11/19/2023
- Location: Western Massachusetts, USA
- Imaging Camera: QHY600PH-M -10°C - Mode 1(High Gain) Offset:15 Gain:56
- Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106EDXIII @ f/5 (530mm focal length - 106mm aperture)
- Mount: Astro-Physics AP1100 w/GTO4
- Guide scope: Celestron Off Axis Guider
- Guide Camera: ASI174m mini
- Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight 1.8 Ripley, Aries Astro Pixel Processor
Filters:
- Chroma Ha 3nm 50mm
- Chroma OIII 3nm 50mm
- Astrodon Gen II E 50mm Red, Green & Blue Filters (for RGB stars)
Exposure Times:
- Hydrogen Alpha (Ha): 60 x 10min. (600min) bin 1x1
- Oxygen III (OIII):49 x 10min. (490min) bin 1x1
-Red: 36 x 120 sec (72 min)
-Green: 33 x 120 sec (66 min)
-Blue: 36 x 120 sec (72 min)
Total Exposure:1300min. (21.67hrs)
Sky Quality:
-Magnitude: 19.71
-Bortle Class 5
-1.41 mcd/m^2 Brightness
-1234.6 ucd/m^2 Artificial Brightness
Ok, maybe not a thousand, but the Goose Lake Railroad runs in some of the most isolated regions of California and Oregon. The former SP Lakeview Branch runs from Alturas, CA to Lakeview OR, branching off the famous Modoc Line. Due to few industries on the line resulting in low income, this branch has seen several railroads running this track over the years, but Goose Lake seems to be doing fine as Lakeview gains more traffic and customers. Seen here, a northbound brings somewhere around twenty or thirty cars toward Lakeview at Surprise Station.
Snuck in an early afternoon workout at The ReNew Fitness Center at The Vistas and about to have my shake, (it's seriously delicious and my fav thing to have after a high intensity workout.)
You guys are going to LOVE this place.
Serenity Studios...
Here we will cater to all of your needs. Mind. Body. Soul
Xo
Here I was, looking north at the viewpoint a mile past the peak of Mount Pisgah with an amazing view of Lake Willoughby and into southern Quebec.
We were so close to the border that our phones thought we were in Canada! 😁
This 4.1-mile with an elevation gain of 1,653 ft trail is one of the best hikes in Vermont.
The views on top were beautiful and worth the strenuous hike. The elevation gain in the short distance made this rocky trail a hard one.
If you zoom in you will see two hikers on top of the outcrop (on the right) .
The boat looks like a silverfish to me, and I have a deep fear on silverfish! 😉
Hiking downhill never bothered me, so I thought after all the huffing and puffing going up on this steep trail, coming down would be a breeze. Not so in this one. Besides the steepness, the trail was covered by leaves, compounded by the heat, exposed roots, rocks, and occasional mud really made it slow going.
Yes, it always feels good AFTER a demanding hike, but NOT during! 😊🌞
Thank you for your visit!!! 💕
Small Gains Creek, Canvey Island. At the eastern end of the Island lies the “Point”, the Island fades from buildup land to salt marsh and a of little creeks. This is where the boating community come together. A haven for waders of migrating birds.
It was upsetting today to find only one of the pair of swans who I have watched over the years. I stayed for about an hour hoping the mate would show up but nothing, the other was no where in sight. I have fingers crossed that it is just a case of the mate being well hidden however I have never seen them apart so I'm not exactly hopeful. Although I can't do much either way, I think I will check gain tomorrow.
On a cold fall day, a bighorn sheep chose to rest on a natural rock bench that had been heated by the sun. It was so content it was chewing its cud while soaking up the sunshine.
You may want to enlarge to see more detail of the sheep but I purposely shot for distance to get a better idea of the setting.
Photographed in the Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction, Colorado.