...it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

What a welcome surprise! This Red-Tailed Hawk has perched himself at the entrance to the water treatment plant in San Rafael. We now call him/her “The Greeter” because in the several months that we have visited, we have noticed him in the same spot. He is not hard to find because he always has a group of eager photographers standing around waiting for the perfect shot.

The second part, or, left panel of the diptych relating the ancient Greek myth of Persephone and her descent into Hades for half of the year, which results, according to the story, in the occurrence of Fall and Winter on the surface of the world.

Here Persephone, unseen in the image but directly connected when the two images are seen side by side, is greeted as she descends into Hades.

I had been wanting, at the time these images were taken to take the "pano-sabotage" technique into the realm of faces. These mannequins gave me the raw material to do that.

Click on Image to Enlarge !

© Richard S Warner ( Visionheart ) - 2015. All Rights Reserved. This image is not for use in any form without explicit, express, written permission.

Calm seas and soft streaky clouds greeted sunrise from Pearl Beach on the Central Coast, NSW, Australia.

"Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air

Tomorrow keeps turning around

We live and we die, we know not why

But I'll be with you when the deal goes down" Bob Dylan

I have just spent the last four days in a tiny little town called Sea Lake, in the Mallee district of north-west Victoria, about 4 hours from where I live. The town is famous for the myriad and ever changing reflections found at the salty Lake Tyrrell.

I will include more information as I post images (of which there are very many!). I didn't know what to start with and as much as I hate posting photos of myself, this was the scene that greeted us when we first arrived and I think having someone in the image illustrates its claim to fame ( This was after several selfie attempts that just show gumboots!). The night sillouhettes are what the Asian tourist market fly across the world for.

On one of the hottest days we had this spring, I saw this Great Blue Heron going through some actions attributed to "thermo-regulation".

This series shows how they do this, termed "sunning" by some research.

It was said that they will fan their wings wide open and drop their "shoulders' cupping the wings to accomplish this ... to maintain their body temp and even allow for cooling or other possible benefits. They and many larger birds also will pant, where they open their beak and flutter the throat and neck muscles as shown in the 3rd pic to maximize air flow to help drop their internal temperature.

** Edited for clarity.**

Tiny gerbera (about 2 in)) in a little pitcher.

While we were visiting the St. Ignatius Mission, we were befriended by this dog. He tried to get in our car as we were leaving. Don’t blame him because it was snowing as you can tell if you look closely at the photo.

Remains of Greets Shooting House on the moors above Askrigg in the Yorkshire Dales.

This was just a snapshot which originally was quite dark due to the bright background, but after pushing the shadows I like it even though it has no special bokeh. I hope you like it too!

A satisfying walk at the trail. =)

He greets you with a smile, but don't over feed him...

Visit

Bella's Lullaby

He is out working frequently these days

You can see he is quite exhausted, obviously not easy to find the ones that has behaved nicely this year

Myself and Joe made the trip and early start and were greeted with Crimson Skies. Worth getting out of bed for as they say.

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dulcis/100/135/85

Another member of the meet and greet staff at the Farm Shop at Byley.

THANKS TO EXPLORE

No cable car to reach this one. This hike was a real lung buster, my left lung is still up there I think. 🤔

At this time of year I see images of this very common Alberta summer migratory resident on the photo streams of my Flickr contacts who live much farther south of Alberta. It was nice to find this migration denier here today. They are not rare at this time of year here, but they are an uncommon sighting. Five were picked up on our Christmas bird count.

I wonder why a tiny fraction of the summer population decides not to migrate and braves our winter. This one is living along a riverside trail where it has a lot to eat courtesy of the many people who put food out for our local resident winter birds. It also has a snug place to hide and sleep in a snow covered brush pile at the trail edge.

It survived our recent brutal cold snap and I am sure it will be here to greet its returning fellows.

North Whitemud Trail. Edmonton, Alberta.

Uetliberg, Zurich, Switzerland

Taken in Manchester, TN!! Another beautiful location, another wonderful Godly creation. Thanks for stopping by and God Bless you!!

These two beautiful dogs were very eager to make my acquaintance as I walked by their garden in Penzance, Cornwall, UK. They made me feel like a real VIP with their exuberant greeting! Yes, I did stop & give them a pat. It would be so nice if all inhabitants of this world were so friendly :)

I had an early start on Sunday and meet with fellow togs Andy & Pete to capture the sunrise at the Old Mill at Langstone Harbour, Hampshire. The conditions were far from perfect with no clouds, the water was a bit low and a cold easterly breeze blowing but we were greeted with some pre-sunrise glow in the sky which soon disappeared!

For those that are interested the Old Mill was built around 1730. The mill was derelict in 1934 but by 1939 it had been converted to residential accommodation and hence my title for the image!

30 second exposure using a Lee 0.9 ND grad filter

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Thanks for any comments you may wish to leave.

Firescald Creek enters Savage Gulf across Greeter Falls and a few hundred yards downstream empties into Big Creek, one of three gorges that link to form a wide, steep valley that came to be known as Savage Gulf. The “Savage” part of the name is not necessarily meant to be descriptive but rather gets that moniker in honor of Samuel Savage, an early settler in the area. The “Gulf” part of the name is not necessarily meant to be confusing but rather is just a local term for “gorge”. Dedicated in 1974, the Savage Gulf State Natural Area is a 15,600 acre scenic wilderness with 55 miles of trails but no roads into the gulch. It also contains 500 acres of some of the finest virgin hardwood forest in the eastern United States, and is listed on the U.S. Registry of National Natural Landmarks.

Greeter Falls has two stages. This 15 foot drop is the upper section of the falls. A short distance downstream is the larger Lower Greeter Falls, a 50 foot drop, which can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/tim_lumley/43625147245/

Upper Greeter Falls, Savage Gulf State Natural Area, Grundy County, Tennessee, USA. Elevation: 1,703ft., October 27, 2014

I decided to walk around my garden this morning and see what I could find. Some real beauties greeted me!

Sheyenne River Valley - Barnes County, North Dakota.

2/22

The river winds throughout the valley, hugging a few abandoned farmsteads. The North Dakota Fisheries and Wildlife has a few fish hatcheries down here, one being at Baldhill Dam where the river turns into Lake Ashtabula. Many waterfowl protected wetlands as well.

Personally, I love there are many historic or culturally significant sites in this area. Fascinating to research and explore.

Thankfully that's how this makes me feel :-)

Seen just outside the Martin Nature Park Nature Center.

“...so I will greet you

in a way

all loved things

are meant to be greeted

with a tear in my heart

and a poem in my eye.”

- Sanober Khan

"It's your birthday to-day, so why are we waiting?

Without further delay, Let's start celebrating."

- Norman Wesley Brooks

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to all for 10,000.000+ views and kind comments ... !

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) and Park greeter, named "Sampson". This handsome fellow is >20 years old and a member of the largest species in the parrot family. The hyacinth macaw is the rarest of the macaws and is found only in Brazil. San Diego Zoo Safari Park - entrance. Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Wandering on a road

I found air.

I greeted it and said

with respect:

“I’m glad

for once you’ve left

your transparency,

so we can talk.”

Come with me,

we still have much

to dance and sing.

Let’s go

across the sea,

to the top of the hills.

Let’s go

where a new spring

is flowering

and in a bump from the wind

and the song,

let us give flowers away,

aroma,

fruit,

the air of tomorrow.

Excerpts from “An Ode to Air” by Pablo Neruda

youtu.be/lB6a-iD6ZOY?si=FKK4gQv-JjSKtpVx

Lower Greeter Falls in Savage Gulf State Natural Area near Beersheba Springs, Tennessee

7820 Dinmore Manor Exits Greet Tunnel on the GWSR in the Cotswolds

When I arrived at BC Wetlands last Sunday, this guy was waiting on the sign to greet everyone. I think he was really waiting on an opportunity of people dropping some food getting out of their cars, but it was still nice to see him hanging at the entrance. He was also a sign (no pun intended :)) to come, because it was definitely a "seagull day" at the wetlands....as upcoming photos in the days ahead will show.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Explored on January 11, 2012.

Sheyenne River Valley - Barnes County, North Dakota.

2/22

The river winds throughout the valley, hugging a few abandoned farmsteads. The North Dakota Fisheries and Wildlife has a few fish hatcheries down here, one being at Baldhill Dam where the river turns into Lake Ashtabula. Many waterfowl protected wetlands as well.

Personally, I love there are many historic or culturally significant sites in this area. Fascinating to research and explore.

Greeter Falls, Savage Gulf State Park, near Altamont, Tennessee

Rufous Fieldwren

Western Treatment Plant, VIC

Light on the path.

Lovely to see the sun rising through the hedge.

Closer up just below.

Which should I lead with?

I decided to head to the Lakes whilst the snow was still lying on the ground. As I came off the M6 Motorway I was greeted with low banks of cloud, so I quickly changed plans and took a gamble on getting up on to Scout Scar in the hope I could get above the clouds.

When I got up there I was delighted that it was clear on the tops, although bands of mist kept blowing over the summit for short periods. I took quite a few shots and a panorama of the Lakeland fells which were all clear above the inversion.

Here is a telephoto shot taken hand held with the Z100-400 of the wintery Langdale Pikes with the clouds blanketing the Lyth Valley below me.

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Peaceful%20Moments/19/250/5

While there is really nothing unusual or special about this street candid portrait, I couldn't help but to enjoy her serene expression as she stood at the door of the shop, seemingly oblivious to the noisy, boisterous crowds passing by in the French Quarter of New Orleans. FYI...it is an extremely cropped image, yet, surprisingly, still retains some sharpness even though taken from across the street,