The Turfmarkt is a moat in the cuty centre of Gouda, the Netherlands. It streches from the Lage Gouwe (in the photo in the distance) to the Kleiweg/Blauwstraat (not in the photo, but actually 'behind' the photo).

Part of the Turfmarkt had different names in the past, it was called Pigs Markt, Eggs Markt or Alder Markt at some point in time, dependent on the goods traded on the quay.

As Gouda grew, the function of the Turfmarkt became useless, as bigger moats and girths started to flow in the growing centre. For instance the Fluwelensingel (Velvet Boulevard) and Kattensingel (Cat's Boulevard).

The Turfmarkt has a lot of monumental buildings standing along side: the former Bank, which is now the Museum of Dutch Resistance (in WW II). Also the Jewish synagogue on number 23 was until the 1950's in this street. The bridge in the distance, spanning the water is a Dutch monument. It is called the Trappenbrug (Stairs Bridge).

Something noteworthy on the Turfmarkt today: the water level is sometimes only inches lower than the street level. I park here a lot, as I work in the city centre of Gouda, and when I exit my car, I really have to watch that I don't get wet feet.

Here is a fine art view of the 18th Century Gothic Temple looking past a veteran maiden Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) with a girth of 4.4m (left) and a veteran maiden Sweet Chestnut Tree (Castanea sativa) with trunk girth of 5.6m (right).

The Gothic Temple is a large and very unusual building, built of dark brown iron stone. The building was designed by James Gibbs and built about 1741. Originally the building had stained glass windows and was surrounded by the seven saxon deities and, at this stage, was dedicated to "Our Ancestral Liberties". For this reason it was sometimes known as the Temple of Liberty or the Saxon Temple. It is now leased to the Landmark Trust while the gardens are owned by the National Trust.

Processed in Photoshop using ACR.

Standing next to the 45 foot Desert Willow (see Wednesday post) is this Ceiba or Silk tree. Both were planted because they're drought resistant and that's always a priority here. This Silk Tree blooms for a very short time, perhaps a month, and after the willow has lost its flowers.

This tree can reach a height of 82 feet! Just as impressive are it's hundreds of six inch flowers. This is another one where you have to crane your neck to pick out your subject 20 feet above and hope for the best. Well, this one with four buds showing was the best I could do.

Ceiba speciosa, the floss silk tree (formerly Chorisia speciosa), is a species of deciduous tree native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America.The natural habitat of the silk floss tree is in the north-east of Argentina, east of Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is resistant to drought and moderate cold. It grows fast in spurts when water is abundant, and sometimes reaches more than 25 metres (82 ft) in height. Its trunk is bottle-shaped, generally bulging in its lower third, measuring up to 2 metres (7 ft) in girth. It's no wonder that it's related to the equally if not more impressive Baobab tree of Madagascar.

The second temple of Noravank Monastery is the Surb Karapet Church, a cross within square design with restored drum and dome built in 1216–1227, just north of the ruins of the original Surb Karapet, destroyed in an earthquake. The church was built by the decree of Prince Liparit Orbelian.

In 1340 an earthquake destroyed the dome of the church which in 1361 was reconstructed by the architect Siranes. In 1931 the dome was damaged during another earthquake. In 1949, the roof and the walls of the church were repaired. In 1998 the roof and drum was rebuilt.

Forming the western antechamber is an impressive gavit of 1261, decorated with splendid khachkars and with a series of inscribed gravestones in the floor. Note the famous carvings over the outside lintel. The church houses Prince Smbat Orbelian's mausoleum. The gavit was probably a four-pillar one. In 1321 the building, probably destroyed by an earthquake, was covered with a new roof in the shape of an enormous stone tent with horizontal divisions, imitating the wooden roof of the hazarashen—type peasant home. This made the structure quite different from other Armenian monuments of the same kind. The ceiling has four rows of brackets forming stalactite vaulting with a square lighting aperture at the top. A broad protruding girth over the half-columns, the deep niches with khachkars and the low tent-like ceiling almost devoid of decoration give the dimly lit interior a gloomy look.

The exterior decoration focus' mainly on the western facade where the entrance to the building is. Framed in two rows of trefoils and an inscription, the semi-circular tympanum of the door is filled with an ornament and with a representation of the Holy Virgin seated on a rug with the Child and flanked by two saints. The ornament also has large letters interlaced by shoots with leaves and flowers. The Holy Virgin is sitting in the Oriental way with Child. The pattern of the rug is visible with drooping tassels. In Syunik temples of the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries the cult of the Holy Virgin was widely spread. She was depicted in relief, and many churches were dedicated to her.

The pointed tympanum of the twin window over the door is decorated with a unique relief representation of the large-headed and bearded God the Father with large almond shaped eyes blessing the Crucifix with his right hand and holding in his left hand the head of John the Baptist, with a dove — the Holy Spirit — above it. In the right corner of the tympanum there is a seraph dove; the space between it and the figure of the Father is filled with an inscription.

A diptych showing two close-up images from a 450-540 year old sycamore tree.

Locals called it many names: The Big Sycamore, The Peace Tree, or The Treaty Tree. It once stood over 80 feet tall with a 24 foot girth, but it still draws people's attention. The remains of the tree, part of the trunk and stump is a landmark near the Red Rock Lake marina.

Developed with Darktable 3.6.0. Framed in Photoshop.

Rollei 35 Made in Germany

During my film days, this was one of my favorite cameras for taking normal type all-around photos. Lens was sharp, light meter very accurate, and could carry it in my pocket.

The lens retracted into the body, making it about the size of a small smart phone but double the girth.

For FlickrFriday

Theme: 35

"Two of Scotland’s most impressive Douglas Firs grow near Dunkeld. Visit the Hermitage, the National Trust for Scotland’s woodland beside Craigvinean, to find one of the tallest trees in the UK. It stands 194 feet (59 metres) tall, yet it’s only about 130 years old. By contrast, one of the much older Douglas firs growing beside nearby Dunkeld Cathedral has the biggest girth of its species in the UK at 23 feet (7 metres).

Douglas firs are named after one of Scotland’s greatest plant hunters, David Douglas. Many Perthshire lairds employed plant hunters in the early 19th century to collect the seeds of exotic species from America and Asia, including the Menzies family of Weem who planted grand trees around their castle. Their gardener was Archibald Menzies who later became a noted botanist and plant collector."

forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/tay-forest-pa...

Another tree in the area is "the Birnam Oak, believed to be the only remaining tree from the Birnam Wood named by Shakespeare in his play Macbeth:[3]

MACBETH: I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.

— Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, scene 3.[25]

The Birnam Oak stands a few hundred metres from the centre of Birnam on the Murthly Estate. Traditionally, it was known as "The Hangman's Tree".[26] Other significant trees in the area include Niel Gow's Oak, the tree under which Niel Gow, a fiddler under contract to three of the Dukes of Atholl,[27] composed many of Scotland's famous strathspeys and reels. It stands near Gow's home at Inver. The Parent Larch near Dunkeld cathedral is the sole survivor from a group of larches collected from the mountains of the Tyrol mountains in 1738, and which were the seed source for large-scale larch plantings in the local area.[3]

Much of the countryside surrounding Dunkeld is designated as a national scenic area (NSA),[28] one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development.[29] The River Tay (Dunkeld) NSA covers 5,708 ha (14,100 acres).[30] Parts of the area also form part of the Tay Forest Park, a network of forests managed by Forestry and Land Scotland that are spread across the Highland parts of Perthshire.[24] About 2 miles (3 km) to the northeast of the town is the Loch of the Lowes nature reserve, managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkeld_and_Birnam

Fine spreading maiden beech tree found just north of Great Lodge Drive. This majestic autumnal beech has a trunk girth of 5m. Presented in a fine art style.

'I am Glad for Those Eyes'

I am glad for those eyes.

When I smile, those lines mercilessly reflect long years of mirth

In my collection of accumulated years,

No holding them off with costly creams.

To what end surgery?

So, no one tries to catch my eye,

Whose once narrow waist is now more girth.

Odd you have to get older to understand

That none of it mattered, even then.

Comfort is now everything and self decoration is paltry.

The quest for success?

Takes its picayune place.

Let the few strive who must,

Whilst a torpid mediocrity satisfies most.

I have disappeared from the scrutiny of the young

And it is as if I have no eyes.

The river will flow around me and I shall be forgotten

As if I never was

Like the myriads and myriads before me.

What I do have is this,

That a kind word yet instils hope in another

To take another step in this perilous existence;

And urge with all my might that

Where there is breath, there is hope.

C. Hill

************************************************

A 'cousin' is in the first comment box.

- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -

Cet hêtre pourpre est situé sur une butte abritant l'ancienne glacière d'une brasserie. Il mesure 18 mètres de hauteur et 2,5 mètres de circonférence.

//

This copper beech is located on a mound sheltering an old brasserie icehouse. It is 18 meters tall and 2,5 meters in girth.

"Magnifique et un titre parfaitement trouvé..!!" (Georges LISSILOUR / www.flickr.com/photos/geolis06/)

"Il a beaucoup de clefs ce gardien." (PIERRE à VANCOUVER / www.flickr.com/photos/sofarsocute/)

Here is the most massive Sweet Chestnut tree (Castanea sativa) within Savernake Forest. The pollarded trunk divides into three huge boughs at about 2m. The trunk girth of this magnificent tree is about 8.6m, while the smallest of the three boughs has a girth of 4.5m. This tree has been named by Forestry England as the 'Great Savernake Sweet Chestnut'.

Helens Tower, here I stand

Dominant over sea and land

Son's love built me, and I hold

Mothers love in letter'd gold

Love is in and out of time

I am mortal, stone and lime.

Would my granite girth were strong

As either love, to last as long

I should wear my crown entire

To and thro' the Doomsday Fire

And be found of angel eyes

In earths recurring Paradise

Alfred Lord Tennyson 1861

I'm still nursing a couple of wounds from a little fall I had as I was leaving this spot.

A log I stepped on just crumbled under the strain of my considerable girth. I scraped flesh on a very sharp rock but considered myself very lucky that the rock didn't fall with me and crush me.

As stark reminder than anything can happen even when it feels totally safe.

The Crowhurst Yew stands in the churchyard of the C12th church of St George. Estimates of its age range from 2000 to 4000 years, making it one of the oldest trees in Europe. Whatever its exact age, it predates the church, and indeed, Christianity itself, illustrating how pre-Christian sites were absorbed by the Church in order to supplant pagan beliefs and encourage religious conversion.

In 1820 the tree was hollowed out, and a tea room set up inside. A small hinged door was also attached, which has since been sealed shut by re-growth of the wood. The most recent measurement of the tree puts its girth at 31.5 feet, making it one of the largest yews in the country.

The story so far: At the close of the hunting season, King Arthur’s retinue descend from the fells and prepare to herd the barren does into the hollows in order to slaughter them with bows and arrows. Sir Gawaine leads King Arthur’s wife Gaynore down the track, when suddenly the woods are cast into darkness, and they are separated from their companions. Whilst Gawaine endeavours to explain away the phenomenon as a solar eclipse, a decayed, animated corpse appears before them. Gawaine observes that it is crawling with snakes and toads, and draws his sword to defend his queen. The ghost tells Gawaine that it is all that remains of Gaynore’s mother, and that it once was more beautiful even than its daughter, but is now a rotting corpse. It commands him to bring Gaynore into its presence, and when he obeys, it tells her that it is in Purgatory, and can only be redeemed by her prayers. Gaynore asks whether there is any hope for her mother’s soul, and after giving a prescription for its own salvation, the ghost turns on Gaynore, accusing her of pride, and insisting that she too will suffer its fate, if she does not change her ways. Moreover, it suggests that King Arthur himself is doomed to destruction because of his pride, employing that favourite mediaeval metaphor, the Wheel of Fortune. Gawaine realises that if Gaynore’s sin is enough to send her to Hell, the sins of Arthur’s knights are far worse. The ghost predicts that although Arthur and his knights have been victorious in France, defeating Gian in battle, Arthur himself will fall at the battle of Camlann on the River Tamar. She says that Gawaine will be in Tuscany at the time, but will rush to Arthur’s aid when he hears the news, and will also be killed. The heraldic symbols on the usurping knight’s shield reveal him to be Mordred, currently still a boy in King Arthur’s court. The ghost disappears, leaving Gawaine and Guinevere alone together, but King Arthur’s knights take courage, because the darkness has gone, and lead Guinevere to Rondallsete, where dinner is prepared. King Arthur and his knights sit down to dinner, but it is interrupted by a woman, richly arrayed, leading a mounted knight. The knight identifies himself as Sir Galeron, defrauded of land by King Arthur – land which has, ironically, been given to Gawaine – and lays down his challenge. Arthur accepts it, but Gawaine marches into the hall, ready to champion his king, but not without doing Galeron the courtesy of a night’s hospitality first. Now, whilst Galeron rests in preparation for the next day’s jousting, King Arthur calls his lords together, and against his king’s better judgement, Gawaine volunteers to fight Galeron. The two knights are led to the lists the next day, while Gaynore looks on, weeping. They spur their horses, and clash...

The Anturs of Arther: Part 6

Through a pompish pavilion with purple-draped walls,

Embroidered with beads, and dazzling with light,

Gawaine led Galeron past chapels and halls

To a tall-chimneyed chamber where embers burned bright.

They haltered his steed and led him to stall

Where hay hung from hatches: a horse’s delight.

A brocaded bedspread and squires at his call,

They opened the cellar for feasting the knight:

With torches ablaze, and standards between,

Plates to dazzle the sight

Of so worthy a knight,

Of such girth and such height,

With their silvery sheen.

In silver so bright they serve him the best

White wine in the world, in cups of clear glass,

With luscious meats of fowl, fish and beast,

Rich dainties and delicacies smothered with glaze.

And once bold Galeron has gone to his rest,

The King calls for counsel: with anger he glows:

“Take heed my lords, lest your honour is lost:

Which knight will fight Galeron?” grimly he growls.

Sir Gawain says, “King, there is no cause to grieve.

I will fight with this knight

To uphold my right

By my pledge and my plight,

My Lord, with your leave!”

“I know well, said the King, “you are champing to fight,

But I’d not, for a lordship, see your life lost.”

“Let go,” said Sir Gawaine, “God stands with the right:

He shan’t escape scot-free, unscathed by our host!”

And at dawning of day, doughty and bright,

They heard Matins and Mass with no trembling or haste,

Pitched pavilions at Plumpton, their pomp in full sight,

Where no knights before had fought hand to hand.

They set lists on the level, marked out on the land.

Three sops soaked in wine

They brought to Gawaine

To settle his brain

Till the King gave command.

The King gave command to the Earl of Kent

To be kindly and courteous to Galeron the knight,

And bade him on dainties to dine in his tent

While all of his men were armed left and right,

And after Queen Gaynore, glumly they went

While Galeron was feasted under her sight,

And horsemen grasped reins and bade their mounts wait

As lords at the lists reined in to alight –

All but the two strongest: in stirrups they stood.

And King Arthur’s throne

Was set high on the loam.

Gaynore let out a moan

For Gawaine the good.

Gawaine and Galeron spur on their steeds,

All glittering gold their armour and gear,

Led to the lists by two lords in bright weeds,

With men armed with maces to bring up the rear.

Each digs in his spurs, - his horse’s hide bleeds –

And out in the field, each has planted his spear.

Shafts of hard wood are splintered to bits,

For each joys in jousting, and neither knows fear.

Lance-shafts a-shiver, and shields in full sheen,

And with swords sharp and bright

With a mail-splitting smite,

They clash, knight-on-knight,

Gawaine clad in green.

Anonymous northern Middle English romance (15th century), paraphrased by Giles Watson. The last verse of this section does not appear in one of the manuscripts, and it is possible that it has been added by a later scribe. This part of the poem is, of course, much more typical of late mediaeval chivalric romances, and it is possible that there was also a change of author between the disappearance of the ghost of Gaynore’s mother and the arrival of Galeron at King Arthur’s court.

The picture shows a sculpture at Bishopstone Church, and a funerary brass at Ashbury Church, Oxfordshire.

Tomorrow looks like being busy for us unless I really speed house work (and it's a public holiday - what)! So if I don't get to flickr, this is my Happy Bench Monday for then...in advance. I would like to cheat and say it must be Monday somewhere in the world but of course that is impossible, the Pacific island nations and New Zealand east of us are still well and truly still in Sunday,as I type and upload this.

This image reminded me, at a stretch of the wonderful Giant Sequoia forests of California when I saw it but in reality, as big as these Norfolk Island Pine trees are they are no match at all with the height, girth and age of the spectacular Californian giants. I have been fortunate enough to visit the Redwoods north of San Francisco a couple of times and there is no comparison in statistics. But the Norfolks are still iconic of not only the island off the Australian coast after which they are named but also much of the Pacific Coast beaches and this lot at South West Rocks in New South Wales are particularly attractive. The bench actually looks out on the Pacific which is just out of shot to the right in a rather beautiful sweeping curve in that same direction. So HBM for tomorrow today!

The Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is an anaconda. It is the largest member of the boa family of snakes and the most heavy bodied member of the super-order Squamata. Green Anacondas are found mainly in northern South America (Amazon and Orinoco basins), in Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, northern Bolivia, northeast Peru, Guyana, and the island of Trinidad.

It is among the largest snakes in the world, with recorded measurements up 9.6 m (31.5 feet), and average sizes closer to 18 feet. It rivals the Reticulated Python for length, but is typically considerably heavier, weighing 250 kg (551 lb) with a girth of more than 30 cm (11.8 inches) in diameter.

Their primary overall color is an olive green, with black blotches that run the length of the body. Their head is narrow compared to the rest of the body, with most exhibiting distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. Their eyes are set high on their head so as to allow the snake to be able to see out of the water without exposing the rest of its body.

Like all anacondas, they are primarily aquatic and eat a wide variety of preyincluding: fish, birds, a variety of mammals, and other reptiles. Particularly large anacondas may even consume large prey such as tapir, deer, capybara, caiman, and sometimes crocodiles and jaguars. They employ constriction to subdue their prey. Cannibalism among green anacondas is also known, most recorded cases involving a larger female consuming a smaller male.

**

The Bronx Zoo, located within the Bronx Park, is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising 265 acres of parklands and naturalistic habitats and home to over 4,000 animals. Focused on conservation, it opened on November 8, 1899, with 22 exhibits, 843 animals. The zoo's origins date back to 1895, with the establishment of the New York Zoological Society (NYZS), renamed Wild Conservation Society (WCS) in 1993. Only the outer structure of the World of Reptiles remains much as it was in 1899. With the 1941 opening of African Plains, the Bronx Zoo was one of the first U.S. zoos to move away from cages and exhibit animals in naturalistic habitats.

The notion that people could be turned into stone in punishment for some misdemeanour or other is a recurring theme in Gaelic folklore, and here at Athgreany in the stillness of the Wicklow hills is a strange troupe of dancers and a piper, all ossified on the spot for violating the Sabbath with their merrymaking. The circle stands on the crest of a low hill and consists of fourteen granite boulders and an outlier (representing the luckless piper) 40 yards to the north-east. The tallest circle-stones are on the east; one of these measures 6 feet 4 inches in height and has a girth of over 12 feet. An old thorn tree grew on the circumference of the ring until it was recently blown down, and it now lies decaying among the timeless stones. Townland names frequently hold clues about past associations between places and traditions. Athgreany translates as 'Field of the Sun', leading one to the conclusion that this was formerly a ceremonial site. Not many miles to the west in the adjoining county of Kildare, there is another Piper's Stones, a much-ruined monument enclosed by an earthen bank.

It was noted at 2:23 PM on July 20, 2019 that this Monarch Caterpillar was no longer feeding. Attempts were made to place fresh milkweed in its habitat and gently place it on the leaves to induce feeding. Four attempts were made, but each time it would crawl away, rear up and look around. At that point, I placed the caterpillar in a dark, quiet place.

His measurements at this point remained the same as the previous one taken at 6:36 PM on July 19, 2019, 45mm in length and 25.12mm in girth at 2:23 PM July 20, 2019.

By 9:12 PM, July 20, 2019, it had attached itself to one side of the net screen protector around the little habitat I provided and is now in the "J" position for pupation. It will hang like this for about 24 hours and then begin to form a green pupa or chrysalis. It will take 9-14 days to develop into a Monarch Butterfly! *See this link: www.butterflybushes.com/monarch_metamorphosis.htm and the "J" photo below.

The grass snake (Natrix natrix), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.

The grass snake is typically dark green or brown in colour with a characteristic yellow collar behind the head, which explains the alternative name ringed snake. The colour may also range from grey to black, with darker colours being more prevalent in colder regions, presumably owing to the thermal benefits of being dark in colour. The underside is whitish with irregular blocks of black, which are useful in recognizing individuals. In Great Britain, the grass snake is the largest reptile, reaching up to 190 centimetres (6 ft 3 in) total length, though such large specimens are rare. Females are considerably larger than males, typically reaching a size of 90–110 centimetres (2 ft 11 in–3 ft 7 in) when fully grown. Males are approximately 50 centimetres (20 in) shorter and significantly smaller in girth. Weight is about 240 grams (8 oz).

Source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_snake?wprov=sfla1

This particular Big tree is located at Mawbanna in Tasmania's northwest, not far from Dip Falls. It is a browntop stringybark eucalypt which can grow to a height of 90 metres (around 300 feet). This particular one is not quite that tall but has an amazing girth of 16 metres, or about 50 feet. The waist height handrail will give a good idea of scale.

Original colour slide was taken around 2007 with a 3D World medium format stereo film camera using Fuji Provia 100 colour slide film. Scanned with a Canon R10 with RF24-240mm lens and Nisi close up attachment.

Whilst removing the well rotted stump of my large weeping willow tree , ( 10 feet in girth it was), I came upon this 3 1/2 inch larva , which having checked, could really only be that of a stag beetle ( Lucanus cervus) . The stag beetle is the UK's largest beetle and is found in South East England, particularly in South and West London. It prefers oak woodlands, but can be found in gardens, hedgerows and parks. The larvae depend on old trees and rotting wood to live in and feed on, and can take up to six years to develop before they pupate and turn into adults. The adults have a much shorter lifespan: they emerge in May with the sole purpose of mating, and die in August once the eggs have been laid in a suitable piece of decaying wood. Look for the adults on balmy summer evenings, when the males fly in search of mates. Once the male has found a mate, he displays his famously massive, antler-like jaws to her, and uses them to fight off rival males, in a similar fashion to deer.

Guess who has their very own advent calendar. Due to his considerable girth we thought one that offered him a toy every day might be better than one with treats. What we didn't count on was the level of excitement opening that little window, finding the toy and scooping it out would cause. In the end we had to put him in the garage to calm down. All I can say is Christmas morning should be interesting!

HTmT! "Carving initials in beech bark is an old custom: Crescent iliae, cresitis amores, or 'As these letters grow, so may our love.' (Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast, by Michael Wojtech.)

Despite the lovely, romantic sentiment, minimal online research reveals that the quoted phrase is not true Latin and appears to be nonsense. But the carvings, known as arborglyphs, do remain for the life of the tree, slowly expanding with the tree's growth in girth.

There was a famous beech tree in Tennessee which "had an inscription carved into the trunk that read 'D. Boone Cilled A Bar On Tree In Year 1760.' The tree fell in 1916 and had a girth of 28-1/2 feet. The Forest Service estimated the tree's age to be 365 years, fully two centuries old before Daniel Boone inscribed it." (Arbor Day Foundation website)

Unfortunately, the bark damage can allow invasion of disease, such as beech bark disease. On this old tree, some of the bark indentations appear too arbitrary in shape to have been deliberately carved and may represent superficial fungal or other parasitic damage. Climbing bears are also known to leave claw marks on beech trunks.

Great Cypress Tree in Goethe Forest, Levy County, Florida USA

At the end of the boardwalk is the Big Cypress, and it’s certainly impressive: by its consistent girth as it rise above you, you can assume its crown was topped off in a hurricane decades or centuries ago, as most of our state’s ancient cypresses have been. Like those, this one was lucky.

Back in the days when Cummer & Sons cleared the cypress forests from Gulf Hammock (just west of here) north up the Suwannee River, cypresses like this only survived the cut if they had a flaw. You can see several flaws that made it not “sawmill worthy,” including some odd protrusions and a deep hole in the trunk where bees buzz some 50 feet overhead. Look to the left for another cypress of similar age and girth, much farther off the boardwalk.

Wie man sieht, werden die Blätter der Buchen hier auf Stelzen durch den Wohldorfer Wald getragen: Die Bäume stehen ziemlich dicht, sie haben also wenig Platz, um in die Breite zu wachsen, sodass nur die Flucht nach oben bleibt.

Here the beech trees looks like stilts in the Wohldorfer Wald (Wohldorf forest) in Hamburg: The trees are tightly packed here and have so little spaces, that they must grow up fast and have no way for growth in the girth.

I've always appreciated a good lighthouse, and the Oregon coastline is chock full of them. I must admit though, I was quite surprised by their overall modest designs. I guess I'm used to their mammoth California cousins who rise high above the ocean and can be seen for many miles in any direction. Oh well, I didn't like them any less for their lack of girth.

Here, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, looking more like a rural schoolhouse, keeps watch over the coastline near Newport.

Newport OR

A plump mummy pigeon sitting on her eggs in a tiny nest that seems rather inadequate for her girth. I hope it doesn't come apart.

Massive tree roots of a Moreton Bay fig tree in Palm Canyon at Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

EXPLORE #394 & last at #500 on February 23, 2008

Selected as Photo of the Week 2/27 www.flickr.com/groups/1on1bw/ &

www.flickr.com/groups/1on1bw/discuss/72157603828409396/

Moreton Bay Fig ~ This remarkable large tree was planted in preparation for the 1915 exposition from a five-gallon container. Since it was a few years old at the time, its age is computed from about 1910.

This tree is listed in the California Registry of Big Trees as one of the champion trees of the state. The tree measured in 1996 about 78 feet (24 meters) high, with a crown width of 123 feet (37 m) and a trunk girth of 486 inches (12.3 m). It shares the title for this species with the famous Moreton Bay Fig tree of Santa Barbara, California, which has a broader canopy but is not as high.

Many people who grew up in San Diego remember climbing around the roots of this tree as children, while their families enjoyed picnics in the cool shade. Unfortunately, heavy foot traffic caused soil compaction and damage to the delicate surface-feeding roots of the tree, preventing it from obtaining nutrients and water, and the tree began to decline. It was trimmed and fenced off in 1989, mulch was allowed to accumulate, and the tree has recovered and once again shows thick, glossy foliage. As it has recovered it has begun to show the aerial roots that are characteristic of fig trees. In the wild, these roots would have been growing since the early youth of the tree, and would have reached the ground and developed into stout, woody props to help support the heavy branches.

The small dry fruits of the Moreton Bay Fig, are actually composed of hundreds of tiny flowers completely enclosed within the inverted fleshy tissue of the receptacle upon which they rest. A tiny hole (called an ostiole) in the tip of the fruit allows minute symbiotic wasps, which pollinate and lay their eggs within the flowers, to enter and leave the structure.

Ficus macrophylla is a native of east Australia. When it is grown in an open area where it can spread, the Moreton Bay Fig may become as much as 150 feet wide; but crowded in its natural forest habitat, or near buildings in an urban setting, it tends to grow tall and narrow. Several other specimens of this species, as well as 32 other kinds of fig trees, are planted in Balboa Park.

18X60

acrylic watercolor ink on recovered carboard

The hill being Newlands Corner and looking South .

Newlands Corner is a 103-hectare (250-acre) nature reserve east of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is owned by the Albury Estate. It used to be managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust under an access agreement between the estate and Surrey County Council,but is no longer managed by them.

The site reaches 567 feet (173 m) with hill-grazed grass slopes below interspersed with trees. There are areas of chalk grassland and woodlands. Visible are some of the greatest prominences of the Western Greensand Ridge and the site lies on the North Downs Way. There are 129 ancient yews with a girth over 3.5m (over approx 500 years old) with some over 6m girth (probably at least 1000 years old) on the northern wooded slope. Some trees are so old the centre is hollow and the whole tree can be walked through.

Newlands Corner was a key location in the crime writer Agatha Christie's disappearance in December 1926. Her car was found in a bush overhanging a chalk pit at Newlands Corner, at the bottom of the south side of the hill. She was found some days later having checked in under an alias at a hotel in Harrogate. As a result, Newlands Corner is the setting of the climax of the final scene of the Doctor Who episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp".

Drove Road at Newlands Corner is a good site in the region for amateur astronomy as it is a dark sky site, close to London and its southern satellite towns. With a downhill slope facing south, the viewer faces many constellations such as Orion and Gemini in winter. Once or twice a year the Guildford Astronomical Society and other local societies hold public events at Newlands Corner with about 25 telescopes and 150 members of the public in attendance.

Not mentioned in the info on the web are the bacon rolls that can be had at the servery in the car park - recommended !!

Chor Chinor means “four big trees”.

In southern Uzbekistan there are several ancient and venerable plane trees, possibly remaining from pagan sacred groves, and the Urgut’s Chor-Chinar are the largest and most famous of them.

The largest tree is 35-meter in height and 15-meter in girth and is 1170+ years old, and inside its roots some master by the name Ergash cut out a room with a door that originally served as a chillahana (cell for solitary prayers), and later as a rural school. Hence the name Mekteb-Chinar, that is, the School tree. And it really can accommodate a couple of dozen students on mats and a sobersides teacher. The base of the tree forms the ceiling, and the whole space of the cave is situated under the ground. In some parts the walls are reinforced with brickwork, and the entrance is blocked with a carved door with a lock.

A loose girth

There are magic, even mystical, places around the world surrounded by ancient legends and stories. Moreover, they are surrounded by facts, and the modern science is still trying to find explanation to it.

One of these places is a sycamore garden Chor-Chinor, translated from Tajik as ‘four sycamore trees’, located in a small ancient city of Urgut, only 50 km to the south-east of Samarkand.

The place outstands with unusual sycamores, the age of the oldest one is more than 1160 years, and the youngest one is 600 years old. It is to mention a giant tree, a real titan, 16 meters in girth. The most interesting is inside the tree hollow; the carved door reveals a hidden room with minimalistic collection of furniture. Nevertheless, the sycamore is alive and continues to grow. Once there was a Sufi school inside the tree, and served as a haunting place for few generations of the dervish.

Entering the garden, you will find yourself in a magic world with unique aura, as if in another dimension. The first you will feel is tranquility that gifts the atmosphere of this holy place. Remembering thousands of prayers said here during its history of existence, we can only imagine how this special energy appeared. Many people from across Central Asia pay a visit to this place seeking penance and healing. People come here with their problems searching for peace and wisdom. Moreover, visitors belong to different religions and social status.

There are different legends related to the Chor-Chinor garden; one of them says that the founder of the garden is a mighty batir (hero) who had stolen magic stone from evil spirits and built it on this very spot. As soon as he placed the cobble stone, the spring waters came out. The hero decided to plant four cuttings of sycamore that were brought to him by four beautiful birds. These sycamore trees outlived the centuries, and turned into a wonderful grove.

In the beginning of the 20th century a mosque was erected on the territory of the park. Initially, the building was conceived and served as madrassah, educational institution. Today visitors enjoy exquisite walls of the building adorned with a grand dome. The mosque attracts attention with the fact that it stands not on the ground, but on a little slope, still having ideal proportions and without any inaccuracies.

Looks to be a sort of duplex with only one side occupied. Unless said occupant was of generous girth and left no room for anyone else.

My Beloved's hobby/passion/obsession is riding.

These are the buckles on the girth strap that holds the saddle firm

Hobby for Macro Mondays

The grass snake (Natrix natrix), sometimes called the ringed snake or 'water snake', is a Eurasian non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.

The grass snake is typically dark green or brown in colour with a characteristic yellow collar behind the head, which explains the alternative name ringed snake. The colour may also range from grey to black, with darker colours being more prevalent in colder regions, presumably owing to the thermal benefits of being dark in colour. The underside is whitish with irregular blocks of black, which are useful in recognizing individuals. In Great Britain, the grass snake is the largest reptile, reaching up to 190 centimetres (6 ft 3 in) total length, though such large specimens are rare. Females are considerably larger than males, typically reaching a size of 90–110 centimetres (2 ft 11 in–3 ft 7 in) when fully grown. Males are approximately 50 centimetres (20 in) shorter and significantly smaller in girth. Weight is about 240 grams (8 oz). Since the colour of its collar is often pale yellow to white in the Balkans region, the name for this snake in Serbo-Croatian language is belouška/bjelouška, which means white-eared snake.

The grass snake is widely distributed in mainland Europe, ranging from mid Scandinavia to southern Italy. It is also found in Middle East and northwestern Africa. British grass snakes belong to the subspecies N. n. helvetica.

This species is one of only three snakes to occur in Great Britain, and is distributed throughout lowland areas of England and Wales; it is almost absent from Scotland and is not found in Ireland, which has no native snakes.

Germany, Hamburg, Jenisch Park, Common or European Oak.

📌...The Oak tree was planted about 400 years ago, around 1600 at a time before the park was designed; the girth grows about 3cm per year.

The trunk currently has a circumference of a little over 8.20 m, the tree height is a slight over 20 m. The monumental oak tree has a fairly large crown with a diameter of good 20 m.

The trunk of the oak tree has a large hole on one side, which extends just above the ground to a height of more than 4 m. The opening had been sanitized in 1972 & at that time braced with iron bars, even so the vitality of the oak is still quite good.

The Jenisch park is the oldest landscaped park in Hamburg, located in the Othmarschen quarter at the shore of River Elbe, of the area of 43 ha 8 ha are a protected.

Two museums, Jenisch House & Ernst Barlach House, are located within the park. The small river “Flottbek” flows through the park & into the Elbe at the ferry dock “Teufelsbrück” meaning devils bridge…

The area of today's park was acquired by Caspar Voght in the period from 1785 to 1805, together with extensive land near the town of Flottbek. At the time, it was largely uninhabited former cultivated land. All of Voght's property consisted of four parts, which were grouped around a country house & which can still be seen in the townscape today: today's Jenisch park, the botanical garden, among other things a golf course & initially a tree nursery, but today also park again.

Voght was inspired when landscaping his property by English poet William Shenstone's estate, The Leasowes. He planned an extensive ideal landscape with which he wanted to combine aesthetic & economic aspects, social responsibility & agricultural use. Together with the Scottish farmer Alexander Rogers he designed a model estate in the form of a so-called rural farm as a sequence of picturesque landscapes that were accessed via a circular route. The result was a park landscape with farmland, wooded areas & groups of trees that seemed casually embedded & buildings.

👉 One World one Dream,

🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over

17 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments

The Grandpa being goofy,as usual. We can always count on him to make us laugh.

Earlier ,He had wrapped pink string around his belly to measure the girth like we did for one of the games to the Mommy.He christened his unborn baby Pepsi.I wish you could see his cap,it says "Grandpas gone wild"LOL

Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) are the largest trees in the world – and they grow naturally only in groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. They reach height of over 80m (270ft), with the girth at the ground level over 30m (100ft). Some specimen are around 3,000 years old or even older. They are so old they were mature even before Rome was founded in 753 BC! No wonder these venerable living giants command awe and respect – even reverence. This couple in Sequoia National Park seems to experience just that.

While searching for two huge ancient oaks in the Ashlade Firs part of Savernake Forest, I passed this huge beech tree (Faguc sylvatica). Apart from the overall size and shape of the tree, the trunk really stood out due to the myriad of nodules.

I visited again and measured the girth at 4.93m at 1.1m height. This is probably the thinnest part of the trunk but I could not measure at the usual 1.5m due to the protrusion (seen here towards the left of the trunk) that is the remains of a fallen limb. Fallen limbs surround the tree and currently have many types of fungi growing on them.

The 5/22/17 theme for Macro Mondays is Chip, and even though I know there are a gazillion different kinds of chips I could play around with, all I could think of was , yeah! At last I have an excuse to buy a bag of potato chips!... Due to my expanding girth, we try to avoid buying such things, but for Macro Mondays, I'll make any sacrifice to get the picture....

There are magic, even mystical, places around the world surrounded by ancient legends and stories. Moreover, they are surrounded by facts, and the modern science is still trying to find explanation to it.

One of these places is a sycamore garden Chor-Chinor, translated from Tajik as ‘four sycamore trees’, located in a small ancient city of Urgut, only 50 km to the south-east of Samarkand.

The place outstands with unusual sycamores, the age of the oldest one is more than 1160 years, and the youngest one is 600 years old. It is to mention a giant tree, a real titan, 16 meters in girth. The most interesting is inside the tree hollow; the carved door reveals a hidden room with minimalistic collection of furniture. Nevertheless, the sycamore is alive and continues to grow. Once there was a Sufi school inside the tree, and served as a haunting place for few generations of the dervish.

Entering the garden, you will find yourself in a magic world with unique aura, as if in another dimension. The first you will feel is tranquility that gifts the atmosphere of this holy place. Remembering thousands of prayers said here during its history of existence, we can only imagine how this special energy appeared. Many people from across Central Asia pay a visit to this place seeking penance and healing. People come here with their problems searching for peace and wisdom. Moreover, visitors belong to different religions and social status.

There are different legends related to the Chor-Chinor garden; one of them says that the founder of the garden is a mighty batir (hero) who had stolen magic stone from evil spirits and built it on this very spot. As soon as he placed the cobble stone, the spring waters came out. The hero decided to plant four cuttings of sycamore that were brought to him by four beautiful birds. These sycamore trees outlived the centuries, and turned into a wonderful grove.

In the beginning of the 20th century a mosque was erected on the territory of the park. Initially, the building was conceived and served as madrassah, educational institution. Today visitors enjoy exquisite walls of the building adorned with a grand dome. The mosque attracts attention with the fact that it stands not on the ground, but on a little slope, still having ideal proportions and without any inaccuracies.

Getting ready to step outside and saw this little Chipmunk sitting on the brick wall that lines one side of my patio. Ran for my camera and was thrilled to see it was still there.

Took this through the glass door at a crazy angle, so not as clear as I'd like. This looks like a female chippie who, from the size of her girth, am guessing she might be pregnant.

I've had the camera handy every day since, hoping for another glimpse of her. Have seen other chippies in the yard but no little chunky monkey.

The Big Oak is a large live oak (Quercus virginiana) located in Thomasville, Georgia, in the United States at the corner of Crawford Street and Monroe Street. The Big Oak is one of many historic landmarks located in Thomasville. The Big Oak was one of the earliest trees registered with the Live Oak Society. Registered by P.C. Andrews in 1936, the Big Oak was the forty-ninth Live Oak registered. At the time of registration, the Big Oak's girth was 21 feet 6 inches.[1]

Excerpt from Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Ontario:

Canada biggest sugar maple tree. With its girth of 8 metres and crown width of 28 metres, the 30-metre-high giant became a local attraction, and owner Earl Hampton Comfort set aside a piece of land solely for the preservation of his tree. In 1961, his sister Edna donated the tree and 4 hectares of land around it to the Niagara Region Conservation Authority.

The fireman on the Roaring Camp & Big Trees' Narrow Gauge Heisler #2 gives a hearty wave to those below as his locomotive takes the B-section of the 10:30 trip across the high wooden trestle on the return trip to the depot in Roaring Camp. This 3.25-mile line in tiny Felton, CA is pretty unique among tourist railroads today. The line provides patrons with an impressive demonstration of the power of geared steam locomotives tackling 8-10% grades, while they enjoy one of mother nature's most beautiful spectacles, that being one of California's majestic redwood forests. The trees here stand hundreds of feet tall and are of enormous girth. Many of them have stood for hundreds of years.

no worry about the growing girth.."it's all fluff, wike my big brudder"

screenshot from SNZ video

youtu.be/KPuiMdFytl4

While walking along Post Wives Walk, looking for some of the amazing 'named' trees in this magnificent forest, I came across this veteran maiden oak (tag: 1987) with a trunk girth of 4.5m.

This visit was in early autumn and the tree was still in leaf with the colours not yet turning. Oak trees are one of the last trees in the UK to turn for the autumn.

I processed this image to give a fine art 'painterly' sort of look.