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I believe that everything can tell a story.
Sometimes you can look at an object or place and get clues to fill in the information. For instance, this house. It’s quite obvious that something happened here. Part of the siding is missing, there is a broken window and the doors are either boarded up or barricaded. One of the columns supporting the porch is gone. The yard is mowed though, surely someone still cares about this place?
Other times you are given the information. Let’s be honest, I didn’t end up here without already knowing something about what happened. And it was definitely apparent that something happened. I passed big piles of debris with heavy equipment moving around. The sound of construction workers banging hammers echoed through the landscape. Both information and context of the surrounding environment can result in some powerful storytelling.
However nothing would prepare me for what comes next. As I was taking a photo of this house, I was approached by a lady walking down the street. “Are you lost?” she says. She didn’t see my camera but she noticed that I was traveling down a street that had been deserted. Long driveways that lead to nowhere, piles of debris on both sides and no vehicles around. I was in front of one of the few houses still standing on that block.
“No”, I said. I briefly told her who I was and explained that I was a photographer. I told her that I liked to tell stories. Her eyes started to tear up, and then she proceeded to tell me her account of December 10, 2021. The night that a wicked EF4 tornado ripped through the center of Mayfield, Kentucky.
She told me that she didn’t lose anyone but she knew others who have lost someone or lost their belongings. Even though the twister occurred almost a year and a half ago by this point, she was still helping people affected by the storm. Some who lost everything. Then she switched tones and started talking about growing up in Mayfield and living in this neighborhood. She said she needed someone to talk to and it was God’s work that we both ended up meeting each other this day.
“One final thing”, she said. “…Mayfield is here to stay”. She wanted me to emphasize with my photos that despite the destruction, the community is deeply rooted here and rebuilding. It may look rough now, but the people who live here still have hope. Ms. Donna then thanked me for listening and said it made her day getting to talk to me. It made my day getting to talk to her too.
Today’s post will mark the beginning of a small series that highlights Mayfield since the twister that passed through in 2021. While some photos will show the devastation from this tragic day, I hope that you are also able to see the hope that still shines through in this community.
----
Mayfield, Kentucky
The melodious sound of a Robin Redbreast is a magical thing, most notably of course in the Spring and in the Autumn. After the late summer lull, they're in full force again.
This Robin appeared to be a little more animated than I'd usually expect and only after a 500mm view was it clear that the head-bobbing had something to do with the flies in his range. So was this one singing or eating? It was both in this instance!
(Or in this instance, flattening my lensball in Photoshop.)
It's a sign of the times that phrases and idioms such as the above are in more common usage these days as are words such as 'unprecedented' - and how we say to our friends and loved ones each time we chat, instead of saying "Bye for now!" we say 'Keep Safe; keep well " and naturally , " I love you" , when we should be using the two latter each time. Then of course it's worrying that if you Say things often enough , they can lose their meaning . I sure hope not, so Keep safe and keep well everyone.....
One minute, Life can change and you don't know what to do.. Your partner in chime, your best friend, your soul mate, has a minor stroke. You feel helpless, lost, and shocked. You are so far away you don't know what to do.. All you can do is be there in spirit and pray that they are ok. Thank God, he is doing great, on the road to recovery.
Everyone, please take care of your health, and you notice something odd or you feel off.. Go get it check out, don't wait.. Waiting can change everything on how your are treated..
Get well my love.. You are my heart and Soul!
Taken at Isle of Rowlyria
Landmark to Isle of Rowlyria: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rowlyria/150/47/29
Windlight by BattleScars
Pose by: Hazeel: A Day to Relax
Rosa (perhaps justifiably) thinks I'm quite mad when I delight in photographing the tomato cages and the chicken wire in her gardens throughout the year. To my eye, they take on a wonderful quality (particularly in winter) and feed my peculiar way of seeing and photographing the world. There are many more instances of my madness viewable in the first comment box below. :)
- Rosa's Garden of Earthly Delights, Keefer Lake, Ontario, Canada -
We stumbled across this peaceful scene as we neared the end of the Jordan Valley. There's nothing especially special about it; it's one that's repeated countless times throughout New Zealand... However, in this instance, the rolling *bush-covered hills, the lush grass, and the mostly Jersey herd caught our attention....
*Bush is the New Zealand term for "Forest"...!
(Left click the Mouse to view Large; click again to return to normal).
(Explore!)
Lobotype on HPR.
Dig neg from summer of 2019.
Lobotype sensitizer: Ammonium Iron Oxalate 40% + Silver Nitrate 10% (1+1), about 20 drops of each to cover a 8x10" print.
Developed in slightly acidified tap water (citric acid) and cleared in Citric Acid 1%.
Prefix toned in fresh Thiourea-Gold (Clerc), fixed in Adofix P 1+1 and treated in HCA 1%.
Slightly lighter exposed lobotype compared to previously uploaded print, post fix toned 1 min in one month old Moersch MT7 Iron Blue toner (still alive and kickin').
PS outer white border.
Somewhat more streaky coating, that's what's happening when your 2nd brush isn't completely dry from last coating...
Lobotypes demand more "intense and repeated coating" than for instance kallitypes.
Maybe a Lead Acetate MT7 toned lobotype is coming up...
SG50 National Day Parade, Singapore 国庆——新加坡
What is SG50? Well, it represents the little red dot that we’ve come to know as home. The logo celebrates the Singaporean spirit – signifying that our dreams are not limited by the physical size of our island nation.
The glittering reflections
Of the mirrored waves
Silver the shore,
Pearl the beach.
The rushing rivers,
The gurgling springs,
Enrich, fertilize,
Pearl the beach.
And make in a thousand
Pleasing instances
The Goodness of the glorious
Creater known.
[ Barthold Heinrich Brockes ]
oliver@br-creative | @facebook | @500px | @Getty & Flickr Market
long time ago, old Japanese respected nature as their gods.
for instance, big rocks, mountains and big rivers, which were difficult to move and control by human's power.
it might seem ridiculous, but I think respects of nature has a meaning to keep the nature as it is and consequently keep the nature cycle around there.
taken at the same place with different angle of "rock and water waves".
Appreciate all of your visits, great comments and supports my dear friends and visitors.
When you are traveling through 14 countries it is impossible to show everything that I have seen.
Not only the landscapes were fantastic, but also amazing architecture and culture (a lot to post still) like the mosques of Ashkabat and Edirne, the grand cities of Oezbekistan, the former Sovjet capitals, now transforming to modern cities, churches like in Szeged, Sofia (the nevski-church) and The trinity church (in Georgia) and in Tiblisi, the Sameba cathedral.
And then there are the numerous monasteries like the David Garetja Monastery in Georgia, the Sümela Manastırı in Turkey, and the one shown here.
This is the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated south from Sofia (a 90 minute drive).
This amazing monastery is not only beautiful because it is situated in a fantastic environment, but for instance the murals (which you can see on the right) are absolutely stunning.
It never happened to me before, but I really wanted to cry when I saw this miraculous place.
A month ago I came back from my journey over a part of the Silk Road to and through Central Asia. 4 months of traveling through 14 countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran) before I flew home from Teheran. An impressive journey in countries that are extremely beautiful, with lovely and welcoming people and diverse cultures and history.
Intense traveling with more than 20000 kilometers in our mobile home on sometimes roads that hardly could be called that way. We saw many villages and cities (some wonderful, others very ugly), countries that are transforming from the old Soviet era into something more related to older cultures and the way people live, often funded by oil readily available around the Caspian sea. We saw the amazing mountains south of the Black Sea, the wonderful Caucasus, and the high mountains in the far east close to China with peaks over 7000 meter, and not to forget the (Bulgarian) Alps!
We crossed the great steppe of Kazakhstan. a drive of at least 5000 km, the remnants of lake Aral, once one of the biggest lakes of the world, saw a rocket launch from Baikonur (this little part is Russian owned), we crossed many high mountains passes, and drove the breathtaking canyon that comes from the Pamir, beginning at ca 4500 meter, and going down for ca. 400km to an altitude of 1300 meter, driving for 100's of kilometers along the Afghan border.
And then the numerous lakes with all sorts of different colors from deep cobalt blue to turquoise, and one rare spectacle in Turkmenistan where a gas crater is burning already for more than 40 years. And finally and certainly not the least to mention an enormous amount of wonderful, hospitable and welcoming people. The woman often dressed in wonderful dresses, and bringing a lot of color in the streets of almost of all countries we visited.
A rather relaxing scene to an otherwise wonderful and eventful weekend!! Along Forest Road 52, in lonesome Lewis County's Cascades region, this unnamed creek simply flowed freely for all to bask in its immediate glory.
Photo captured via Minolta Maxxum AF Zoom 28-85mm F/3.5-4.5 Lens. Western Cascades Lowlands and Valleys section within the Cascades Range. Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Lewis County, Washington. Late October 2022.
Exposure Time: 2 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/22 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 5350 K * Film Emulation: Dark Woods 10
Semipalmated Sandpiper has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Near Threatened www.iucnredlist.org/species/22693373/93400702
Even among the smallest birds, there can be territorial interactions between members of a species. In this instance, it was Semipalmated Sandpiper — average weight 25 grams (less than an ounce). These two individuals were feeding on a small mudflat at Tyrell Lake in southern Alberta, Canada, en route to breeding much further north. Such a long migration requires sufficient fuel, over which there can be competition.
Version 2
In this instance, the background artwork (a pen & ink & watercolor rendering) is licensed to yours truly. No attribution is necessary or required.
Btw- folks, I am heading in a new direction with my artwork but at this juncture, I am not divulging "the direction" until I get fully established. I will say only that a recent development in my hobby (slash) digital artist aspirations has opened a new and exciting horizon which I intend to pursue (God willing). No, I will not be abandoning flickr..........unless flickr abandons me.
Hope you enjoy...............
Autumn colours at the Sir Thomas Phillips Weir in the Roe Valley Country Park, Limavady, Northern Ireland.
The two best known instances of water power being exploited in the Roe are seen in the installation of Ireland’s first hydro-electric turbine in 1896 and the use of water for the flourishing flax industry in both the 17th and 18th centuries.
However, the earliest known use of power from the red river can be traced to a much earlier date. While it has long been known that the Norman invaders of the 12th Century made use of water power from the Roe, it has been suggested by recent archaeological evidence that the monks who lived in the area made use of sophisticated water mills before any Norman French had set foot in Ireland.
The next known use of the river for power comes from the modernising English soldier, Sir Thomas Phillips. Phillips was a professional soldier, who has left a significant mark on the town of Limavady, with some commentators suggesting that without his vigour and zeal, the town as we know it might today be nothing more than another small village.
Phillips was one of the leading figures in the plantation of Ulster, serving the Crown through warfare as a ‘servitor’ and also as chief advisor to the Crown on the plantation of County Londonderry.
Phillips was granted some 3,500 acres in the Roe Valley, in addition to 500 in Castledawson, which he described as “the horsepond of Limavady” and the “cabbage patch of Castledawson.”
He did, however, immediately set about making improvements to his new territory. He extended and repaired the O’Cahan Castle and dug out a surrounding ditch.
Other works included a ‘pleasure garden’, a fish-pond, an orchard, a ‘malt house’ for brewing beer as well as a host of embattlements.
It was Phillips who built what remains today of a ‘weir’ in the Roe, having constructed a water mill and a mile long race. It has been suggested, however, that the race was more likely a renovated version of the old race built by the Normans for their own mill centuries earlier.
An interesting fact about Sir Thomas Phillips reveals him as the man who applied for the licence for the brewery at Bushmills, which still produces world-famous whiskey to this day.
It wasn’t until the development of the linen industry, however, that the Roe was to be fully exploited. The Roe Valley was an ideal location for the process of linen production, commonplace throughout Ireland on a large scale from the late 17th Century onwards.
Another one of my currently being organised archives: an instance of an exceptionally beautiful Scottish west coast sunset as seen from Connel Bridge. The turbulence in in the water are what is called the Falls of Lora, which are generated when the water level in the Firth of Lorn (i.e. the open sea) drops below the level of the water in Loch Etive as the tide goes out. As the seawater in Loch Etive pours out through the narrow mouth of the loch, it passes over a rocky shelf which causes the rapids to form. As the tide rises again there is a period of slack water when the levels are the same on either side. However, due to the narrow entrance to the Loch, the tide rises more quickly than the water can flow into the Loch. Thus there is still considerable turbulence at high tide caused by flow into the Loch. Thus, unlike most situations where slack water is at high and low tides, in the case of the Falls of Lora slack water occurs when the levels on either side are the same, not when the tidal change is at its least. As a result, the tidal range is much greater on the coast than it is inside the loch. A 3 metres (9.8 ft) range at Oban may produce only a 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) at Bonawe on the loch shore.
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Although this photograph appears to be a street scene caught on the fly -an instance of what Henri Cartier-Bresson called the “decisive moment” -it was actually staged for the camera by Ruth Orkin and her model.
“The idea for this picture had been in my mind for years, ever since I had been old enough to go through the experience myself,” Orkin later wrote. While traveling alone in Italy, she met the young woman in the photograph at a hotel in Florence and together they set out to reenact scenes from their experiences as lone travellers.
“We were having a hilarious time when this corner of the Piazza della Repubblica suddenly loomed on our horizon,” the photographer recalled. “Here was the perfect setting I had been waiting for all these years… And here I was, camera in hand, with the ideal model!
All those fellows were positioned perfectly, there was no distracting sun, the background was harmonious, and the intersection was not jammed with traffic, which allowed me to stand in the middle of it for a moment.” The picture, with its eloquent blend of realism and theatricality, was later published in Cosmopolitan magazine as part of the story “Don’t Be Afraid to Travel Alone.”
Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
The valley of the ten peaks is a lovely stroll through Alpine forest, that ends at lake Eiffel. The immense grandeur of the canadian rockies can in most instances only be caught by panoramas, and this one was made with my wide angle. The little lake on the left is btw not Lake Eifel, but lake Moraine, another miracle of emerald color in Banff NP.(NB this picture can be viewed best enlarged).
From 11 june till the 25th of July, I traveled in Canada. Starting in Brighton Ontario, where my sister lives at the border of an amazing part of lake Ontario, I flew to Vancouver, and Vancouver island where I took the boat at Port Hardy to take part 1 of the Inside passage, to Prince Rupert in BC. Two days later I took part 2 to Skagway in Alaska. When coming from Skagway Alaska, you can take the train to Carcross. it is a very scenic train ride that halts at Bennet lake.
And then to Whitehorse and further on by car to Kluane National park in the Yukon district. Whitehorse is situated at the border of the Yukon. Frow there I flew back to Vancouver, rented a car, and traveled three weeks in the BC- and Alberta Rockies, visiting the famous, and less famous Nature parks like Banff and Jasper. Last few days back to Brighton Ontario to enjoy lake Ontario once more, before going home. A picture of my itinerary can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152940536581759&set...).
4000 pictures later, it is quite a task to show the right stuff, although the stunning scenery guarantees at least a few great shots to share. Objective will be to make a book (for myself mainly), and that might take a while.
I hope you will enjoy the impression of my travel, one that equals earlier journeys to Alaska and south America, this journey was the first in the digital era, and equally intensive because of all the hiking activities every day on and on. I loved every minute of it.
Sometimes you pick the horse but in rare and exceptional instances, the horse picks you. 8 years ago, I drove out to west Texas to buy my first horse and when I walked up to the 1 year old stallion pasture, I was greeted by over 20 stallions ranging in a variety of colors and temperaments. I didn't know much about horses at this point but I knew I wanted a horse that would be a good companion and train easily. Well, this cinnamon boy walks straight up to me, lowers his head, and gently presses his face against my torso. I of course melt into a puddle while I stroke his face, and when I was done I walked away. The sea of stallions were moving around us and the owners while we walked but the same horse continued to follow close behind. When I stopped, he stopped. When I walked, he walked. That's when I decided he's the one. He picked me. I kindly said to him "I guess I'm your huckleberry..." and it stuck-- I named him Huck. He was a quick learner in ground work, and didn't buck once under saddle while he was being trained with rider weight. He has been the perfect first horse for this city girl and I love him so.
Huck - Red Roan - 9 years old
The breeder's site: www.mahorses.com
This was one of the rare instances in my birding and photography experience where a species was completely unexpected (by me, not by others) and it showed upright before sunrise on the cliffs by Prince Edward Point. I was prepared for the spring migration of brightly-coloured Warblers to begin; not for some tardy bird from the North to be heading home for summer. Instead of songbirds filling the morning air with their noisy and tuneful interactions, we found the species that doesn’t have a song.
But like the other migrants, she just flew in from down south and boy were her arms tired! The morning was awash in small insects of varying types, and this bird was cleaning up everything she could find. She was gone in twenty minutes, moving on northward.
Because I have had most of my experience with the species in Algonquin Park or in a small corner of a forest southeast of Ottawa, always in the winter and always on its coldest days, it was also quite striking to see one in the spring sunshine.
My friend Lu motivated me to go to Butterfly World, which is convenient to where I live but still, I had only gone there once, years before. It was a blast. It gave me a chance to play with flash settings to try to separate my subject from the background, which is generally very cluttered in a closed environment like Butterfly World. It worked to darken the background in this instance although I still had to remove some leaves and other background objects that weren't completely rendered to black. If anyone knows what type of butterfly this is, please let me know. Thanks Lu!
Thought I would try a more iconic pose from Granada. I hope I have added enough spark to give it a fresh taste. Otherwise, as always, I have added in a narrative so you can wander through history from a different Point Of View.
On the shoulders of southern Spain is a Fortress that once ruled with supreme confidence. The kings believed that nothing would change as long as they were alive. And then one of them died and everything changed.
Now the fortress and palace are a walking garden for people with enough footprints to get there.
The proverbial flies on the walls have also passed on and so there really are only rumors of stories left to tell of this great kingdom and the daily lives of people who lived and prospered there.
I only know these stories from a direct descendant of a gnat who sat on the wings of a fly perched on the wall where a king and queen shared court with legends of old.
Some other direct descendants are still living so I cannot reveal everything the gnat told me but I can tell you this ... It was all amazing!
For instance, one Friday the eldest son walked past the jaguar fountain in the courtyard and asked his mother "Will I be a good King?"
The mother thought for awhile and spoke wisely "It really is up to the gnat on the fly's wings on the wall to know for sure...but I believe if it is written in the stars it will be so! " She smiled sweetly but he did not feel so self assured.
Years later, he did become King and breathed a sigh of relief.
But as many kings, he finally had to let go when the winds started blowing from the Northwest and new owners bought the property and asked him to leave.
It is rumored that he sat at this perch for many days looking back at his home and meditating on the amazing journey of his life and his temporal loss. Eventually he packed up his caravan and relocated to Morocco where he lived a prosperous and fruitful life but he was always the most proud of the beauty his family created with this grand monument.
When I came here, a few years later, I did not feel like a King nor a gnat on the wings of a fly on the wall. But I did taste history in the meal I ate on this same terrace and I can still smell the sweet scent of wisteria rising up in the heat and hear the breezes rustle and crackling leaves in the trees like a gnat dancing on the wings of a fly playing flamenco on the walls of the golden palace listening to conversations and passing it along to the next generation.
No matter what anyone says, History tastes better when it's warm and the view is hot!
Photo of Nason Creek captured via Minolta Maxxum AF 16mm Fish-Eye F/2.8 Lens. Washington's Central Cascades Range. Wenatchee/Chelan Highlands section within the North Cascades Region. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Chelan County, Washington. Late October 2021.
Exposure Time: 1/5 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/22 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 4650 K * Plug-In: Vibrant Fall - Lou & Marks * Elevation: 2,067 feet above sea-level
Well in this instance , recycling !! Shot taken for Saturday Self Challenge 04/01/25 -- Seasonal !!
So here we are with a random shot of a recycling bin left out for the dustman after the Christmas festivities and obviously a seasonal bi-product is the amount of rubbish and recycling that is generated by many - next week it will be proper rubbish to be collected and I wonder how full to overflowing the black bins will be . I am glad to say as a rule my green bin is usually full but not overflowing and the black bin is usually no more than two thirds full or less . I did note this year that most folk left their bins out on the usual day only for it not to be collected !! There is always an alteration to collection times this time of the year so that the bin men get time off for the bank holidays !!
So for our music this week , it has to be a track from an album called " Recycler " !
First the electric version , then the wooden version from the film and then ZZ Top talking about playing on the film !!
youtu.be/y9zw_79tlgM?feature=shared
From the 50501 protest in Denver, Colorado. The U.S. flag code (which is not legally enforceable, BTW), specifically says that the flag is not to be inverted “except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.” I think what's currently going on in America certainly qualifies.
© Web-Betty: digital heart, analog soul
Finally a sunny morning here in BE (shb 23/3/21). Here’s a little stream by the F14 bike path. This is a quick exploratory sketch in view of a possible oil painting. I wasn't wearing my glasses, just trying to see what I was missing for next time... a clip to keep pages from flying in the wind, for instance!
Here's the theme for everyone to join:
www.flickr.com/groups/urbansketches/discuss/7215771870873...
An often challenging bird to photograph, I only succeeded in this instance because I was in the car(!) and was using a medium-length zoom lens.
However, after just a few seconds, the bird became aware that I was paying closer attention to it than it wanted, and moments after capturing this photo (above), it looked as if it was about to take to the air... It was time to leave, and it was last seen once again searching for grubs and worms in the company of it's mate...!
PLEASE NOTE
If you're posting more than one photo (which of course is your right!), please don't be disappointed if I don't leave a Comment beneath each photo...!
THANKS
And thanks so much for all the very kind and encouraging comments beneath this photo...! Your support is always greatly appreciated...
I'm asked sometimes by people what I like to photograph. I've struggled with that answer, but now realize that what really trips my trigger is the small beauties that occur in the everyday, the sublime in the quotidian. This, for instance, was found in a vacant lot behind a CVS.
052518_0025
This heron just seems to take a little breather from a hectic day...
Click the image to view it large.
Have a pleasant day, everyone...
Hello amazing Flickr people!
Today is an orange day at Color My World Daily Group and Teddy Bears are here for the Happy Teddy Bear Tuesday. Paper is the theme at Crazy Tuesday.
Teddy Bear decided to go fishing in his new and tiny paper paddle boat. It was a beautiful day and Teddy bear was very lucky since he was living near a beautiful paper river. It is a known fact, that paper rivers have the best fishes in the world ! So, Teddy Bear decided to spend his afternoon fishing.
He took a sandwich, bottle of gin, few cans of tonic water, a lemon and a straw (since he could not find a sip cup). Everyone knows that a straw is mandatory when you drink on a boat !! You have to use a straw or a sip cup, since you don’t want to spill your drink because of all the waves rocking the boat (it is obvious that I don’t know a thing about boats or fishing but I saw a few movies with people on boats…. Like Titanic for instance…).
He paddled for hours and since he was really out of shape (well, we were in lockdown for several weeks without any activity and surviving almost only on Nutella and finger food…), he was very tired from all the paddling. Between you and me, he paddled only for a few minutes and he was going in circles but it felt like a paddling marathon to Teddy Bear ! He ate his sandwich and make himself a huge gin and tonic to keep hydrated (which is very, very important during cardio’s activities such as paddling).
Then he decided that this was enough circles and that he found a perfect fishing spot, right here. The sun was going down and everything looked orange and red… The sunset was soooo beautiful.
And then he realized that he totally forgot his fishing accessories at home ! Everything including his fishing rod and all that tiny and shiny things you put on your fishing line to catch some fishes, were at home, in his garage…
So without his fishing rod, Teddy Bear decided to accept that sometimes, despite out hardest efforts things don’t turn like they are supposed to… But it is not that bad… the sunset is still beautiful, and Teddy Bear has some gin and a few cans of tonic left to enjoy…
Have a beautiful day my friends !! I have another video meeting in my salon office (yes, I moved from my dining room !!) and I have to grab a cup of coffee before, so see you later !
Different photo than the last one. Used Silver Efex Pro 2 and the subtle changes as I played with the color filter sliders was too much fun! This is also an instance in which I added some grain to give some structure to the photo.
The 9th of November is a very fateful day for Germany. In a good way (for instance, on Nov. 9th in 1989 the Berlin Wall came down), but mostly in a terrible and very sad way: November 9th 2018, is the 80th anniversary of the Pogrom Night of 1938, also referred to as "Crystal Night", "Night of Broken Glass", or Kristallnacht. The Pogrom Night on November 9th was the terrible "highlight" of days of destruction and arrests which followed the assassination of Nazi diplomat Ernst vom Rath by 17 year old Herschel Grynszpan in Paris. During the night of November 9th to November 10th SA paramilitary forces (and civilians) ransacked and damaged or destroyed Jewish shops, businesses, homes, schools, hospitals and cemetaries, and set synagogues on fire in Germany and Austria. Hundreds of people died, about 30,000 were arrested. While the Jewish population in Germany had, more than ever before, been discriminated against, surpressed and persecuted since the Nazi regime had come into power, that terrible night in 1938 marked the beginning of the so called "Final Solution" and the Holocaust. The name "Crystal Night" (Kristallnacht) comes from thousands upon thousands of glass shards that covered the streets after that night.
This was taken at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, at the heart of Berlin. The Holocaust Memorial was designed by architect Peter Eisenman. It consists of 2,711 stelae (concrete slabs) arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field, covering an area of 19,000 square metres. According to Eisenman, the stelae on sloping ground are supposed to create an atmosphere of uneasiness and confusion.
For me, due to the long and narrow alleys, there also is a feeling of losing "track" of people, of people disappearing. People you see there are "gone" the next moment. There can also be a sensation of "encircling". When I was there, I "met" a man, a tourist, and we happened to always take the same turn around the stelae, so we would meet each other again and again for a few times...The people who went underground in order to survive the Holocaust must have felt that where ever they turned to, however well chosen and protected their hideouts were, their persecutors could (and all too often would) find them at any time, anywhere...
Taken during a photowalk with Sabine.R, marionrosengarten, --Conrad-N-- and H. Roebke.
Den 9. November könnte man durchaus als "Schicksalstag" der Deutschen bezeichnen, nur dass die diversen Ereignisse, die sich in den vergangenen einhundert Jahren an einem 9. November zugetragen haben, eher weniger mit Schicksal zu tun haben als mit aktivem Tun. Im sehr guten (09.11.'89) wie im unfassbar schlechtem Sinne (09.11.1938):
09.11.1918: Beginn der Novemberrevolution in Berlin
09.11.1923: Hitler-Ludendorff-Putsch
09.11.1938: Pogromnacht
09.11.1989: Fall der Berliner Mauer
Der fürchterlichste 9. November war sicherlich jener vor 80 Jahren, die Pogromnacht, in deren Verlauf mehrere hundert Menschen getötet, mindestens 30.000 inhaftiert wurden und tausende jüdischer Geschäfte, Wohnhäuser, Schulen, Krankenhäuser, Friedhöfe verwüstet und Synagogen in ganz Deutschland und Österreich in Brand gesteckt wurden. Der 9. November 1938 gilt als Auftakt des Holocaust.
Photograph taken at Craigie Bushland Reserve. The bushland reserve is fenced off and feral-free. This is a photograph of an old Banksia flower after the flowering elements have fallen off leaving the seed pod s. In this instance the seed pods (like open clam shells) are open and the seeds gone.
As noted by JJ Audubon: "The Black-poll Warbler is a gentle bird, by no means afraid of man, although it pursues some of its smaller enemies with considerable courage. The sight of a Canadian Jay excites it greatly, as that marauder often sucks its eggs, or swallows its young. In a few instances I have seen the Jay confounded by the temerity of its puny assailant.
The occurrence of this species so far north in the breeding season, and the curious diversity of its habits in different parts of the vast extent of country which it traverses, are to me quite surprising..". Birds of America.
The view south-west from the summit of Glyder Fach in Snowdonia and our wild-camp for the night, looking across to the Milky Way shortly before dawn - with Saturn and Mars being the two brightest objects in the sky. The small blurry green object top-centre is Comet 252P/Linear currently visible in our night-sky.
Copyright: VisitBritain/Kris Williams. All rights reserved. Please contact me in the first instance regarding any use or publication.
Digging into the collection to find something for a "Weird Wednesday" posting that falls into the "C" group, we have this image of a Baldwin 6 axle roadswitcher taken by Mr. John Benson. Well, it may not have been weird at one time, but for 2025 it sure doesn't look like anything normal anymore. The C&G operated a fleet of 6, six axle Baldwin units, which were pretty similar but the 606 was the only AS-416. These things were rated at 1,600 HP but considered to be very powerful. And I guess they were, especially when you think this unit was built in 1951 and tractive effort was 88,500 pounds at starting! That compares to 142,000 pounds or so of a GE widenose for instance, a unit that came many years later. The C&G lasted until 1972 when it became part of the ICG, but then re-emerged in 1974 when the ICG sold it off. And amazingly the ICG gave it back it's original power!
According to the U.S. Embassy to China, the country will be building 108 new airports between 2004 and 2009 -- including what will be the world's largest: the Beijing International Airport, designed by Foster & Partners. Set to open at the end of 2007, in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the airport terminal will cover more than 1 million square meters, giving it a bigger footprint than the Pentagon.
It's designed to handle 43 million passengers a year initially and 55 million by 2015, figures that will probably push the new facility into the ranks of the top 10 busiest airports, going by the 2004 numbers from the Airports Council International. Given the scale and traffic, Foster & Partners focused on the traveler's experience, making sure that walking distances are short, for instance.
Building on Foster's experience designing Hong Kong 's new mega-airport, the massive Chek Lap Kok, the sprawling Beijing terminal is housed under a single roof. To help passengers distinguish between different sections of the vast space, skylights cast different shades of yellow and red light across walls -- a subtle but innovative navigational aid. The architects also kept sustainability in mind: An environmental-control system reduces carbon emissions, and skylights situated on a south-east axis lessen solar heat, keeping the building cool.
The word dungeon comes from French donjon (also spelled dongeon), which means "keep", the main tower of a castle. The first recorded instance of the word in English was near the beginning of the 14th century when it held the same meaning as donjon. The proper original meaning of "keep" is still in use for academics, although in popular culture it has been largely misused and come to mean a cell or "oubliette". Though it is uncertain, both dungeon and donjon are thought to derive from the Middle Latin word dominio, meaning "lord" or "master".
In French, the term donjon still refers to a "keep", and the English term "dungeon" refers mostly to oubliette in French. Donjon is therefore a false friend to dungeon (although the game Dungeons & Dragons is titled Donjons et Dragons in its French editions).
An oubliette (same origin as the French oublier, meaning "to forget") was a form of prison cell which was accessible only from a hatch or a hole (sometimes called an angstloch) in a high ceiling. The use of "donjons" evolved over time, sometimes to include prison cells, which could explain why the meaning of "dungeon" in English evolved over time from being a prison within the tallest, most secure tower of the castle into meaning a cell, and by extension, in popular use, an oubliette or even a torture chamber.
The earliest use of oubliette in French dates back to 1374, but its earliest adoption in English is Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in 1819: "The place was utterly dark—the oubliette, as I suppose, of their accursed convent.
A dragon is a large, serpent-like legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures around world. Beliefs about dragons vary drastically by region, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence.
The earliest attested dragons resemble giant snakes. Dragon-like creatures are first described in the mythologies of the ancient Near East and appear in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature. Stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly all Indo-European and Near Eastern mythologies. Famous prototypical dragons include the mušḫuššu of ancient Mesopotamia, Apep in Egyptian mythology, Vṛtra in the Rigveda, the Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible, Python, Ladon, and the Lernaean Hydra in Greek mythology, Jörmungandr, Níðhöggr, and Fafnir in Norse mythology, and the dragon from Beowulf.
The popular western image of a dragon as winged, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire is an invention of the High Middle Ages based on a conflation of earlier dragons from different traditions. In western cultures, dragons are portrayed as monsters to be tamed or overcome, usually by saints or culture heroes, as in the popular legend of Saint George and the Dragon. They are often said to have ravenous appetites and to live in caves, where they hoard treasure. These dragons appear frequently in western fantasy literature, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, and A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
The word "dragon" has also come to be applied to the Chinese lung, which are associated with good fortune and are thought to have power over rain. Dragons and their associations with rain are the source of the Chinese customs of dragon dancing and dragon boat racing. Many East Asian deities and demigods have dragons as their personal mounts or companions. Dragons were also identified with the Emperor of China, who, during later Chinese imperial history, was the only one permitted to have dragons on his house, clothing, or personal articles. Source Wikipedia.
TD : 1/250 f/8 ISO 100 @18 mm
I’m pretty certain that I’ve become way less smart during the pandemic. Maybe it’s the constant diet of Netflix or the endless hours trying to change my Zoom background to a tropical beach whilst attempting to delete the “private” chat which I now realize is logged by the meeting host and not private at all.
But whatever the reasons, the net result is that my camera, which has been unused for months, now appears to have some buttons that I’ve never seen before. There’s one with a little plus and minus sign on, for instance. I have no idea what that does. And the one marked “AF”- I presume that’s the one you press when all your images on the memory card are terrible and you just want to delete the lot.
So here’s an image from last year when I’m guessing I knew what some of this stuff did.
Have a great week, Flickrites.
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
New Jersey
As this Osprey heads for impact with the water below, I think of the impact we have had on them. This species will forever be tied to the conservation movement that started in the 1950's. Think or even better read about Rachel Carson and her role in wildlife conservation, if your unfamiliar with it.
For instance did you know she was only 57 when she passed and is considered by many to be the mother of our modern day conservation efforts? "Silent Spring" Rachels 1962 book was an awakening to the world of wildlife conservation and an amazing gift to all of us who love it....
Once an Osprey learns how to fish, pretty much all they need is a healthy habitat and fish. In the northern parts of the US this species is migratory, arriving as early as late March with most birds usually heading south again by October, although we often still see a few staying into November in warmer years.
By the 1950's and 60's the Osprey's numbers and breeding success (along with many other species) was being severely impacted by synthetic pesticides and it was discovered that one called DDT was the main culprit. It built up in their systems and inhibited the absorption of calcium, which caused the thinning of the it's eggs.
For younger viewers and birders who may be unfamiliar with this, there is some wonderful information available at this link for further reading.