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The Düsseldorf Media Harbor, or Medienhafen, is a striking example of urban regeneration that has transformed a derelict industrial port into one of the city's most fashionable and dynamic districts. Once a bustling commercial harbor filled with warehouses and disused buildings, the area began its dramatic makeover in the 1990s. City planners embarked on a strategic project to rejuvenate the waterfront, focusing on a plot-by-plot approach that blended new, avant-garde architecture with the preservation of historic industrial elements. The result is a vibrant hub that seamlessly combines the old and the new, attracting both locals and tourists with its unique atmosphere and creative energy.
The architectural landscape of the Medienhafen is its most prominent feature, showcasing the works of some of the world's most renowned architects. The most iconic structures are undoubtedly the "Gehry Buildings," officially known as the Neuer Zollhof. Designed by the visionary Frank O. Gehry, these three asymmetrical, sculptural high-rises—clad in stainless steel, red brick, and white plaster—have become a symbol of modern Düsseldorf. Other notable buildings include the Colorium, with its eye-catching kaleidoscopic glass facade by William Alsop, and the sleek Stadttor by Helmut Jahn. These architectural masterpieces stand alongside renovated historic warehouses, creating a visually captivating and diverse urban environment that has made the area a must-see for architecture enthusiasts.
Beyond its architectural appeal, the Media Harbor is a thriving economic center. As its name suggests, it is home to over 800 companies, primarily from the media, advertising, and creative sectors. The area's revitalization was driven by a vision to create a hub for these industries, and the project has been a resounding success. The modern office buildings and refurbished industrial spaces provide a unique and inspiring setting for creative work. This concentration of innovative firms has not only revitalized the district but has also solidified Düsseldorf's reputation as a major player in Germany's creative economy.
The cultural and leisure offerings in the Medienhafen are as diverse as its architecture. The waterfront is lined with a variety of trendy cafes, upscale restaurants, and vibrant bars, catering to the district's sophisticated crowd. Visitors can enjoy a wide range of culinary experiences, from Mediterranean cuisine and gourmet burgers to fine dining with stunning views of the Rhine River. The area is also a popular spot for leisure activities, whether it's a stroll along the promenade, a sightseeing cruise on the river, or simply enjoying the lively atmosphere. The fusion of business and pleasure makes the Medienhafen a destination where people can work, dine, and relax in style.
In essence, the Düsseldorf Media Harbor is a testament to the power of thoughtful urban redevelopment. It has successfully transformed an aging industrial zone into a modern, stylish, and economically significant district. By preserving its historical character while embracing cutting-edge architecture and new industries, the Medienhafen has created a unique identity. It stands as a symbol of Düsseldorf's reinvention and a vibrant, forward-looking neighborhood that attracts a mix of creatives, business professionals, and tourists alike, all drawn to its dynamic blend of art, commerce, and culture.
St Lawrence, Brundall, Norfolk
The Broads begin at Brundall. This is furthest outer Norwich; Brundall, and particularly adjoining Brundall Gardens, is Norwich's Metroland. How Betjeman must have loved it. And I liked it a lot too. The first time I came here was on a day in the summer of 2011. I had been cycling in nearby parishes which had, for Norfolk, a somewhat unenlightened attitude to church-opening, so it was a pleasure to come here and be able to step inside this lovely space.
But first, I had to find it. St Lawrence is a long, towerless church set back from the road and hidden in a garden-like churchyard with its rectory and parish hall. You step through a pretty thatched lychgate which serves as the parish memorial to the local boys lost in the mud and blood of Flanders and France. The path takes you to the east of the church and onto the south side, where the neat graveyard slopes down towards the river. Many churchyards have benches, but here was the first time that day I was unable to resist sitting down and soaking up the sunshine and the birdsong. It was idyllic.
It was good to be back here. They were doing building work to the north of the church, but the south was as idyllic as ever. St Lawrence is a curious building. There probably never was a tower. A tall bellcote sits about a third of the way down the nave, level with the porch. As Pevsner notes, it appears to be medieval. The north aisle you see as you walk from the lych gate dates from as recently as 1900, but everything you see from the south side is apparently 13th Century, except that, in reality, the bellcote sits above the medieval western gable; early in the 20th Century, the nave was extended westwards. if you stand to the south you can see that the building must get darker inside the further east you go.
You step into what is essentially an Edwardian era interior, that period of High Church triumphalism and gravitas between the end of the 19th Century and the First World War. It is the Church of England at its dramatic peak. But there are plenty of medieval survivals here, including East Anglia's only lead font. it is contemporary with the church building, its design depicting a repeated motif of the crucifixion and fleur-de-lys. It seems curiously primitive compared with lead fonts found elsewhere in the country, for example Low Halstow and Brookland in Kent.
There is good glass by Clayton and Bell, less good by Kempe & Co, but they both let coloured light fall across the dark wood furnishings, which is very atmospheric. In the north aisle, and probably installed here as part of the restoration in 1900, there is a fine roundel of continental glass depicting the church's patron Saint with his grid iron. It is probably 18th Century, I should think, unless it is one of those clever copies by the King workshop. Certainly of the 20th Century is the set of royal arms above the south door, because it is for Elizabeth II, one of several sets in East Anglia but probably the only one which appears to be painted on a fibre glass panel.
The view eastwards is to the early 20th Century roodscreen and the darkness of the chancel beyond. You can see that St Lawrence was restored for shadowy, incense-led worship. The memorials either side of the sanctuary are worth a look. The one on the south side is to Charles Leath, Midshipman of the British Navy... who died at sea in 1804. The memorial features his sword and sextant in relief at the top.
Even more striking is the relief on the memorial on the opposite wall. It dates from half a century later, and remembers Robert Cubitt and his wife Henrietta. The relief depicts a schooner with its sails furled, basking on a choppy sea. Under the relief are the words Such is Life.
UPPER SIDE BALACONY:
Originally opened in 1921, the Lucas Theatre underwent a 12-year, $10 million dollar restoration project, and reopened on December 1, 2000.
In 2002, the theater was purchased by the Savannah College of Art and Design, which plans to incorporate the theater into its dramatic arts program.
The beautiful and now tranquil setting of Augustinian Lanercost Priory belies an often troubled history. Standing close to Hadrian's Wall, it suffered frequent attacks during the long Anglo-Scottish wars, once by Robert Bruce in person. The mortally sick King Edward I rested here for five months in 1306-7, shortly before his death on his final campaign.
The east end of the 13th-century church survives to its full height, housing within its dramatic triple tier of arches some fine monuments.
More photos of Lanercost Priory here: www.flickr.com/photos/davidambridge/albums/72157624989399623
Bathsheba is the main fishing village in the parish of Saint Joseph with some 5,000 inhabitants on the east coastline of Barbados. The town has a number of quaint churches; Saint Joseph Anglican Church was built on Horse Hill in the town as early as 1640 but was rebuilt in 1839 following a hurricane in 1831. Little Saint Joseph chapel was built nearby in 1837 but was restored and dedicated to Saint Aiden in 1904 following a landslide. It has a number of attractions including the Flower Forest and Cotton Tower which is renowned for its dramatic scenery and views of Scotland District. The ecologically rich Joe's River Tropical Rainforest is located on the outskirts of the town with some 85 acres (340,000 m2) of woodland and rainforest with giant ficus, citrifolia, fid woods, white woods, cabbage palm trees and mahogany trees. Bathsheba beach is known as the Soup Bowl where local and international surfing competitions take place annually. Another notable feature of Bathsheba beach is the large boulder that sits slightly offshore, known by some as Bathsheba Rock.
Llyn Llech Owain Country Park is is a stunning 158-acre expanse of woods and lakeland near Cross Hands with nature trails, an adventure area and visitor centre. At the heart of this spectacular park is its dramatic lake which is surrounded by peat bog and there’s a lovely myth associated with Llyn Lech Owain. Legend has it that Owain Lawgoch ("Owain of the Red Hand" - who led an army of French mercenaries against the English in the Hundred Years' War), was entrusted to look after a well on the mountain named Mynydd Mawr. Each day, after extracting enough water for himself and his horse, Owain was always careful to replace the stone but on one occasion he forgot and a torrent of water poured down the side of the mountain. The resultant lake was hence named Llyn Lech Owain - the lake of Owain’s slab. Today, specially constructed paths allow for safe access over the bog and around the lake. The paths are well-surfaced and accessible to wheelchair-users. A forest track provides a longer walk or cycle ride around the country park and there’s a rough mountain bike trail for the more adventurous cyclist. Much of the park consists of coniferous woodland, planted by the Forestry Commission during the 1960s and there are also areas of dry heath and broad-leaved woodland.
Itsukushima (厳島) a/k/a Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means "Shrine Island”, is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. Frequent ferry services operates to carry traffic between the island and the mainland. The trip takes about ten minutes. There is also an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima Harbor. The island is one of Hayashi Gahō 's “Three Views of Japan” specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was part of the former town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi. Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine. Itsukushima has a number of shrines and temples [in Japan, the term "shrine" implies a Shinto religious structure and "temple" implies a Buddhist one], including Toyokuni Shrine with a five-storied pagoda and Daiganji Temple - one of the three most famous Benzaiten temples of Japan. The island is also famous for its upper hill side cherry blossoms and maple leaf autumn foliage. The island, including the waters around it (part of the Seto Inland Sea), are within Setonaikai National Park. This sea is affected by strong tides. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island's torii – [a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred]. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed seabed mud and fills areas underneath the shrine boardwalk. Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. Momiji manjū, pastries filled with azuki jam or custard, are popular souvenirs and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are available. Because the island is seen as sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber and Deer roam freely. Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods. They walk the streets of the city, not afraid of the tourists / Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine best known for its "floating" torii gate. The Itsukushima shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. It is most famous for its dramatic gate, or torii on the outskirts of the shrine , the sacred peaks of Mount Misen, extensive forests, and its aesthetic ocean view. The shrine complex itself consists of two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja, as well as 17 other different buildings and structures that help to distinguish it. The complex is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and six of its buildings and possessions have been designated by the Japanese government as National Treasures. Five-Tiered Pagoda (Gojunoto) at Itsukushima Shrine was constructed in 1407 (thus predating Senjokaku) enshrined Yakushi Nyorai Zazo, the Buddha of Medicine said to have been made by Kobo Daishi himself, accompanied by Fugen Bosatsu (Mercy Buddha) and Monju Bosatsu (Wisdom Buddha). The three images were moved to the Daiganji Temple during the Meiji reformation. Daiganji Temple, next to the Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to Goddess Benzaiten as well as three Buddhas important to Shingon Buddhism. Benzaiten Goddess in Japan has been traced to Goddess Saraswati of Hinduism in India. She is the Goddess of eloquence, music, arts, wealth and knowledge. The three Buddha in the temple are Gautama Buddha, Wisdom Buddha and Mercy Buddha. Daiganji Temple is one the three most famous Benzaiten Temples in Japan, along with Enoshima Benzaiten (Kanagawa) and Chikubujima Benzaiten (Shiga). The Benzaiten is opened to the public only once every year on June 17. On this day, Miyajima holds a big festival, and people of the region visit the temple to offer their prayers. The construction date of Itsukushima-jinja and Daiganji temple is estimated to be 6th century or later, and the existence of Itsukushima-jinja is confirmed by ancient Japanese texts from the early 9th century. The Nihon Koki confirms the sacredness of these Miyajama structures during the Heian Period (794-1184).
A storm was fixing to come in behind this ridge, giving its dramatic grassy slopes even more atmosphere. Taken from the Kepler Track.
Llyn Llech Owain Country Park is is a stunning 158-acre expanse of woods and lakeland near Cross Hands with nature trails, an adventure area and visitor centre. At the heart of this spectacular park is its dramatic lake which is surrounded by peat bog and there’s a lovely myth associated with Llyn Lech Owain. Legend has it that Owain Lawgoch ("Owain of the Red Hand" - who led an army of French mercenaries against the English in the Hundred Years' War), was entrusted to look after a well on the mountain named Mynydd Mawr. Each day, after extracting enough water for himself and his horse, Owain was always careful to replace the stone but on one occasion he forgot and a torrent of water poured down the side of the mountain. The resultant lake was hence named Llyn Lech Owain - the lake of Owain’s slab. Today, specially constructed paths allow for safe access over the bog and around the lake. The paths are well-surfaced and accessible to wheelchair-users. A forest track provides a longer walk or cycle ride around the country park and there’s a rough mountain bike trail for the more adventurous cyclist. Much of the park consists of coniferous woodland, planted by the Forestry Commission during the 1960s and there are also areas of dry heath and broad-leaved woodland.
Komainu (狛犬), often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the honden, or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. The first type, born during the Edo period, is called sandō komainu (参道狛犬 visiting road Komainu), the second and much older type jinnai komainu (陣内狛犬 shrine inside komainu). They can sometimes be found also at Buddhist temples, nobility residences or even private homes / Itsukushima (厳島) a/k/a Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means "Shrine Island”, is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. Frequent ferry services operates to carry traffic between the island and the mainland. The trip takes about ten minutes. There is also an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima Harbor. The island is one of Hayashi Gahō 's “Three Views of Japan” specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was part of the former town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi. Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine. Itsukushima has a number of shrines and temples [in Japan, the term "shrine" implies a Shinto religious structure and "temple" implies a Buddhist one], including Toyokuni Shrine with a five-storied pagoda and Daiganji Temple - one of the three most famous Benzaiten temples of Japan. The island is also famous for its upper hill side cherry blossoms and maple leaf autumn foliage. The island, including the waters around it (part of the Seto Inland Sea), are within Setonaikai National Park. This sea is affected by strong tides. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island's torii – [a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred]. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed seabed mud and fills areas underneath the shrine boardwalk. Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. Momiji manjū, pastries filled with azuki jam or custard, are popular souvenirs and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are available. Because the island is seen as sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber and Deer roam freely. Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods. They walk the streets of the city, not afraid of the tourists / Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine best known for its "floating" torii gate. The Itsukushima shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. It is most famous for its dramatic gate, or torii on the outskirts of the shrine , the sacred peaks of Mount Misen, extensive forests, and its aesthetic ocean view. The shrine complex itself consists of two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja, as well as 17 other different buildings and structures that help to distinguish it. The complex is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and six of its buildings and possessions have been designated by the Japanese government as National Treasures. Five-Tiered Pagoda (Gojunoto) at Itsukushima Shrine was constructed in 1407 (thus predating Senjokaku) enshrined Yakushi Nyorai Zazo, the Buddha of Medicine said to have been made by Kobo Daishi himself, accompanied by Fugen Bosatsu (Mercy Buddha) and Monju Bosatsu (Wisdom Buddha). The three images were moved to the Daiganji Temple during the Meiji reformation. Daiganji Temple, next to the Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to Goddess Benzaiten as well as three Buddhas important to Shingon Buddhism. Benzaiten Goddess in Japan has been traced to Goddess Saraswati of Hinduism in India. She is the Goddess of eloquence, music, arts, wealth and knowledge. The three Buddha in the temple are Gautama Buddha, Wisdom Buddha and Mercy Buddha. Daiganji Temple is one the three most famous Benzaiten Temples in Japan, along with Enoshima Benzaiten (Kanagawa) and Chikubujima Benzaiten (Shiga). The Benzaiten is opened to the public only once every year on June 17. On this day, Miyajima holds a big festival, and people of the region visit the temple to offer their prayers. The construction date of Itsukushima-jinja and Daiganji temple is estimated to be 6th century or later, and the existence of Itsukushima-jinja is confirmed by ancient Japanese texts from the early 9th century. The Nihon Koki confirms the sacredness of these Miyajama structures during the Heian Period (794-1184).
Detail of the lower half of the west window depicting the Last Judgement. The Last Judgement is Fairford's most celebrated window for its dramatic composition and graphic depiction of the horrors of hell in the lower half. The window sadly suffered badly during the great storm of 1703 with the upper half depicting Christ in Judgement and the surrounding company of saints and angels the most seriously affected part.
The lower half depicts Archangel Michael at the centre with the elect entering Heaven to the left and the damned being condemned to Hell on the right. This depiction of Hell is renowned for its exotic demons dragging their victims to the red glow of hellfire, culminating in the monstrous soul-devouring figure of Satan seated in the bottom right hand corner.
St Mary's at Fairford is justly famous, not only as a most beautiful building architecturally but for the survival of its complete set of late medieval stained glass, a unique survival in an English parish church. No other church has resisted the waves of iconoclasm unleashed by the Reformation and the English Civil War like Fairford has, and as a result we can experience a pre-Reformation iconographic scheme in glass in its entirety. At most churches one is lucky to find mere fragments of the original glazing and even one complete window is an exceptional survival, thus a full set of 28 of them here in a more or less intact state makes Fairford church uniquely precious.
The exterior already promises great things, this is a handsome late 15th century building entirely rebuilt in Perpendicular style and dedicated in 1497. The benefactor was lord of the manor John Tame, a wealthy wool merchant whose son Edmund later continued the family's legacy in donating the glass. The central tower is adorned with much carving including strange figures guarding the corners and a rather archaic looking relief of Christ on the western side. The nave is crowned by a fine clerestorey whilst the aisles below form a gallery of large windows that seem to embrace the entire building without structural interruption aside from the south porch and the chancel projecting at the east end. All around are pinnacles, battlements and gargoyles, the effect is very rich and imposing for a village church.
One enters through the fan-vaulted porch and is initially met by subdued lighting within that takes a moment to adjust to but can immediately appreciate the elegant arcades and the rich glowing colours of the windows. The interior is spacious but the view east is interrupted by the tower whose panelled walls and arches frame only a glimpse of the chancel beyond. The glass was inserted between 1500-1517 and shows marked Renaissance influence, being the work of Flemish glaziers (based in Southwark) under the direction of the King's glazier Barnard Flower. The quality is thus of the highest available and suggests the Tame family had connections at court to secure such glaziers.
Entering the nave one is immediately confronted with the largest and most famous window in the church, the west window with its glorious Last Judgement, best known for its lurid depiction of the horrors of Hell with exotic demons dragging the damned to their doom. Sadly the three windows in the west wall suffered serious storm damage in 1703 and the Last Judgement suffered further during an 1860 restoration that copied rather than restored the glass in its upper half. The nave clerestories contain an intriguing scheme further emphasising the battle of Good versus Evil with a gallery of saintly figures on the south side balanced by a 'rogue's gallery' of persecutors of the faith on the darker north side, above which are fabulous demonic figures leering from the traceries.
The aisle windows form further arrays of figures in canopies with the Evangelists and prophets on the north side and the Apostles and Doctors of the Church on the south. The more narrative windows are mainly located in the eastern half of the church, starting in the north chapel with an Old Testament themed window followed by more on the life of Mary and infancy of Christ. The subject matter is usually confined to one light or a pair of them, so multiple scenes can be portrayed within a single window. The scheme continues in the east window of the chancel with its scenes of the Passion of Christ in the lower register culminating in his crucifixion above, while a smaller window to the south shows his entombment and the harrowing of Hell. The cycle continues in the south chapel where the east window shows scenes of Christ's resurrection and transfiguration whilst two further windows relate further incidents culminating in Pentecost. The final window in the sequence however is of course the Last Judgement at the west end.
The glass has been greatly valued and protected over the centuries from the ravages of history, being removed for protection during the Civil War and World War II. The windows underwent a complete conservation between 1988-2010 by the Barley Studio of York which bravely restored legibility to the windows by sensitive releading and recreating missing pieces with new work (previously these had been filled with plain glass which drew the eye and disturbed the balance of light). The most dramatic intervention was the re-ordering of the westernmost windows of the nave aisles which had been partially filled with jumbled fragments following the storm damage of 1703 but have now been returned to something closer to their original state.
It is important here not to neglect the church's other features since the glass dominates its reputation so much. The chancel also retains its original late medieval woodwork with a fine set of delicate screens dividing it from the chapels either side along with a lovely set of stalls with carved misericords. The tomb of the founder John Tame and his wife can be seen on the north side of the sanctuary with their brasses atop a tomb chest. Throughout the church a fine series of carved angel corbels supports the old oak roofs.
Fairford church is a national treasure and shouldn't be missed by anyone with a love of stained glass and medieval art. It is normally kept open for visitors and deserves more of them.
Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah is known for its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. Island in the Sky is a huge, flat-topped mesa with panoramic overlooks. Other notable areas include the towering rock pinnacles known as the Needles, the remote canyons of the Maze and the Native American rock paintings in Horseshoe Canyon. Whitewater rapids flow through Cataract Canyon.
Day Two.
Stayed the night at a motel in Monterey, which is a nice town. Had a quick look at the place last night/evening.
"Monterey is a city on California’s rugged central coast. Its Cannery Row, one-time centre of the sardine-packing industry, was immortalized by novelist John Steinbeck. Today, it's a popular strip of gift shops, seafood restaurants and bars in converted factories" Wiki.
Heading south now on Route One again to our next motel in San Luis Obispo about 150 miles away.
First stop (not far from Monterey) is Carmel - "Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small beach city on California's Monterey Peninsula. It's known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages and galleries of its village-like center, a famous place known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history" Wiki.
Back on the road and Route One we headed down and into the bit of coast called Big Sur.
"Big Sur is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur has been called the "longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States"
It certainly lived up to the description! Amazing place to ride through/along!
Stopped at so many various vista points for pictures and posing etc!
We stopped for lunch at a place called Ragged Point -
"The tiny hamlet of Ragged Point where travellers are welcomed with a hotel, gourmet restaurant, a gas station, wedding facilities, hiking trails and outdoor cafe with an espresso bar. Towering high above the Pacific on a promontory with 400 foot sheer cliffs"
Unfortunately there was quite a bit of sea fret (low cloud) in the area, so our views were limited here..
Lunch was good too.. Met and chatted with another Harley biker on his way to San Diego.
Back on the road and continued down to San Luis Obispo to find our motel..
Once we had landed and sorted ourselves out, we went for a walk down into the town. One of the places we wanted to see was the (in)famous Bubblegum Alley. - "Bubblegum Alley is a tourist attraction in downtown San Luis Obispo, California, known for its accumulation of used bubble gum on the walls of an alley. It is a 15-foot (4.6 m) high and 70-foot (21 m) long alley lined with chewed gum left by passers-by. It covers a stretch of 20 meters in the 700 block of Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo" Wiki.
We bought some food from a takeaway near our motel and ate that back in our room watching telly! Great day seeing so much beautiful coastline on the famous Route One!
The view of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral from the Kiek in de Kök Fortification Museum in Tallinn.
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Toompea is one of Tallinn’s most prominent reminders of the city’s late‑imperial Russian chapter, built between 1894 and 1900 when Estonia was under tsarist rule. Its construction was a deliberate political gesture: placed on the symbolic high ground long associated with Baltic German authority, the cathedral asserted Russian imperial presence through its dramatic Russian Revival architecture—onion domes, mosaics, and richly ornamented façades meant to dominate the skyline. The project faced resistance from local Estonians and Baltic Germans, who viewed it as an imposed monument rather than a community church, and debates over demolishing it resurfaced during Estonia’s first independence period. Yet the cathedral endured, and today it stands not only as an active Orthodox church but also as a striking architectural landmark, embodying the layered and sometimes contested history that has shaped Tallinn’s upper town.
Itsukushima (厳島) a/k/a Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means "Shrine Island”, is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. Frequent ferry services operates to carry traffic between the island and the mainland. The trip takes about ten minutes. There is also an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima Harbor. The island is one of Hayashi Gahō 's “Three Views of Japan” specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was part of the former town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi. Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine. Itsukushima has a number of shrines and temples [in Japan, the term "shrine" implies a Shinto religious structure and "temple" implies a Buddhist one], including Toyokuni Shrine with a five-storied pagoda and Daiganji Temple - one of the three most famous Benzaiten temples of Japan. The island is also famous for its upper hill side cherry blossoms and maple leaf autumn foliage. The island, including the waters around it (part of the Seto Inland Sea), are within Setonaikai National Park. This sea is affected by strong tides. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island's torii – [a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred]. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed seabed mud and fills areas underneath the shrine boardwalk. Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. Momiji manjū, pastries filled with azuki jam or custard, are popular souvenirs and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are available. Because the island is seen as sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber and Deer roam freely. Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods. They walk the streets of the city, not afraid of the tourists / Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine best known for its "floating" torii gate. The Itsukushima shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. It is most famous for its dramatic gate, or torii on the outskirts of the shrine , the sacred peaks of Mount Misen, extensive forests, and its aesthetic ocean view. The shrine complex itself consists of two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja, as well as 17 other different buildings and structures that help to distinguish it. The complex is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and six of its buildings and possessions have been designated by the Japanese government as National Treasures. Five-Tiered Pagoda (Gojunoto) at Itsukushima Shrine was constructed in 1407 (thus predating Senjokaku) enshrined Yakushi Nyorai Zazo, the Buddha of Medicine said to have been made by Kobo Daishi himself, accompanied by Fugen Bosatsu (Mercy Buddha) and Monju Bosatsu (Wisdom Buddha). The three images were moved to the Daiganji Temple during the Meiji reformation. Daiganji Temple, next to the Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to Goddess Benzaiten as well as three Buddhas important to Shingon Buddhism. Benzaiten Goddess in Japan has been traced to Goddess Saraswati of Hinduism in India. She is the Goddess of eloquence, music, arts, wealth and knowledge. The three Buddha in the temple are Gautama Buddha, Wisdom Buddha and Mercy Buddha. Daiganji Temple is one the three most famous Benzaiten Temples in Japan, along with Enoshima Benzaiten (Kanagawa) and Chikubujima Benzaiten (Shiga). The Benzaiten is opened to the public only once every year on June 17. On this day, Miyajima holds a big festival, and people of the region visit the temple to offer their prayers. The construction date of Itsukushima-jinja and Daiganji temple is estimated to be 6th century or later, and the existence of Itsukushima-jinja is confirmed by ancient Japanese texts from the early 9th century. The Nihon Koki confirms the sacredness of these Miyajama structures during the Heian Period (794-1184).
Cathedral Gorge State Park is renowned for its dramatic, carved cliffs and canyons, remnants of a Pliocene-era lake bed. Visitors from around the world come here to hike on the park’s picturesque trails and explore its formations and cathedral-like spires. Miller Point, a scenic overlook, offers magnificent views of the canyon. Hiking, picnicking, camping, nature study, photography and ranger programs are the most common activities at the park. Facilities open all year include a 24-unit campground, RV dump station, restrooms with showers, a group use area and a day use picnic area. Cathedral Gorge is 165 miles northeast of Las Vegas, via Interstate 15 North. Easy access to the parks is available off U.S. Highway 93, two miles north of Panaca.
Crarae Garden is a tranquil site, with its dramatic gorge, rippling burn, waterfalls and cliffs. The informal hillside layout of mature woody plants radiating out from the burn creates a wonderful natural effect.
Near the banks of Loch Fyne, on the west coast, immerse yourself in Britain's finest example of an exotic Himalayan-style woodland garden.
Llyn Llech Owain Country Park is is a stunning 158-acre expanse of woods and lakeland near Cross Hands with nature trails, an adventure area and visitor centre. At the heart of this spectacular park is its dramatic lake which is surrounded by peat bog and there’s a lovely myth associated with Llyn Lech Owain. Legend has it that Owain Lawgoch ("Owain of the Red Hand" - who led an army of French mercenaries against the English in the Hundred Years' War), was entrusted to look after a well on the mountain named Mynydd Mawr. Each day, after extracting enough water for himself and his horse, Owain was always careful to replace the stone but on one occasion he forgot and a torrent of water poured down the side of the mountain. The resultant lake was hence named Llyn Lech Owain - the lake of Owain’s slab. Today, specially constructed paths allow for safe access over the bog and around the lake. The paths are well-surfaced and accessible to wheelchair-users. A forest track provides a longer walk or cycle ride around the country park and there’s a rough mountain bike trail for the more adventurous cyclist. Much of the park consists of coniferous woodland, planted by the Forestry Commission during the 1960s and there are also areas of dry heath and broad-leaved woodland.
Detail of the upper half of the west window depicting the Last Judgement. The Last Judgement is Fairford's most celebrated window for its dramatic composition and graphic depiction of the horrors of hell in the lower half. The window sadly suffered badly during the great storm of 1703 with the upper half depicting Christ in Judgement and the surrounding company of saints and angels the most seriously affected part.
A substantial amount however still remained until it was unfortunately 'restored' in 1860 by Chance Bros of Smethwick, whose approach was to substitute all the surviving glass in the upper half of the window with a carefully created replica. It is clear that the design is a faithful copy of what was there originally, but none of the surviving material was reused, parts of it being secretly kept by the studio and probably sold (some elements have resurfaced much more recently).
St Mary's at Fairford is justly famous, not only as a most beautiful building architecturally but for the survival of its complete set of late medieval stained glass, a unique survival in an English parish church. No other church has resisted the waves of iconoclasm unleashed by the Reformation and the English Civil War like Fairford has, and as a result we can experience a pre-Reformation iconographic scheme in glass in its entirety. At most churches one is lucky to find mere fragments of the original glazing and even one complete window is an exceptional survival, thus a full set of 28 of them here in a more or less intact state makes Fairford church uniquely precious.
The exterior already promises great things, this is a handsome late 15th century building entirely rebuilt in Perpendicular style and dedicated in 1497. The benefactor was lord of the manor John Tame, a wealthy wool merchant whose son Edmund later continued the family's legacy in donating the glass. The central tower is adorned with much carving including strange figures guarding the corners and a rather archaic looking relief of Christ on the western side. The nave is crowned by a fine clerestorey whilst the aisles below form a gallery of large windows that seem to embrace the entire building without structural interruption aside from the south porch and the chancel projecting at the east end. All around are pinnacles, battlements and gargoyles, the effect is very rich and imposing for a village church.
One enters through the fan-vaulted porch and is initially met by subdued lighting within that takes a moment to adjust to but can immediately appreciate the elegant arcades and the rich glowing colours of the windows. The interior is spacious but the view east is interrupted by the tower whose panelled walls and arches frame only a glimpse of the chancel beyond. The glass was inserted between 1500-1517 and shows marked Renaissance influence, being the work of Flemish glaziers (based in Southwark) under the direction of the King's glazier Barnard Flower. The quality is thus of the highest available and suggests the Tame family had connections at court to secure such glaziers.
Entering the nave one is immediately confronted with the largest and most famous window in the church, the west window with its glorious Last Judgement, best known for its lurid depiction of the horrors of Hell with exotic demons dragging the damned to their doom. Sadly the three windows in the west wall suffered serious storm damage in 1703 and the Last Judgement suffered further during an 1860 restoration that copied rather than restored the glass in its upper half. The nave clerestories contain an intriguing scheme further emphasising the battle of Good versus Evil with a gallery of saintly figures on the south side balanced by a 'rogue's gallery' of persecutors of the faith on the darker north side, above which are fabulous demonic figures leering from the traceries.
The aisle windows form further arrays of figures in canopies with the Evangelists and prophets on the north side and the Apostles and Doctors of the Church on the south. The more narrative windows are mainly located in the eastern half of the church, starting in the north chapel with an Old Testament themed window followed by more on the life of Mary and infancy of Christ. The subject matter is usually confined to one light or a pair of them, so multiple scenes can be portrayed within a single window. The scheme continues in the east window of the chancel with its scenes of the Passion of Christ in the lower register culminating in his crucifixion above, while a smaller window to the south shows his entombment and the harrowing of Hell. The cycle continues in the south chapel where the east window shows scenes of Christ's resurrection and transfiguration whilst two further windows relate further incidents culminating in Pentecost. The final window in the sequence however is of course the Last Judgement at the west end.
The glass has been greatly valued and protected over the centuries from the ravages of history, being removed for protection during the Civil War and World War II. The windows underwent a complete conservation between 1988-2010 by the Barley Studio of York which bravely restored legibility to the windows by sensitive releading and recreating missing pieces with new work (previously these had been filled with plain glass which drew the eye and disturbed the balance of light). The most dramatic intervention was the re-ordering of the westernmost windows of the nave aisles which had been partially filled with jumbled fragments following the storm damage of 1703 but have now been returned to something closer to their original state.
It is important here not to neglect the church's other features since the glass dominates its reputation so much. The chancel also retains its original late medieval woodwork with a fine set of delicate screens dividing it from the chapels either side along with a lovely set of stalls with carved misericords. The tomb of the founder John Tame and his wife can be seen on the north side of the sanctuary with their brasses atop a tomb chest. Throughout the church a fine series of carved angel corbels supports the old oak roofs.
Fairford church is a national treasure and shouldn't be missed by anyone with a love of stained glass and medieval art. It is normally kept open for visitors and deserves more of them.
SIDE BALACONIES:
Originally opened in 1921, the Lucas Theatre underwent a 12-year, $10 million dollar restoration project, and reopened on December 1, 2000.
In 2002, the theater was purchased by the Savannah College of Art and Design, which plans to incorporate the theater into its dramatic arts program.
Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Prominently sited at the top of Beekman Hill, the Panhellenic Tower (now the Beekman Tower Hotel) is one of the great Art Deco skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan. Erected in 1927-29 as a residence and clubhouse for women belonging to national Greek-letter college sororities, the Panhellenic Tower provided affordable housing for young college-educated women who were entering the work force in record numbers in the 1920s. Designed by the noted architect John Mead Howells, this striking modernistic building features a square-plan twenty-six story tower with chamfered corners and setbacks. The tower is renowned for its dramatic volumetric massing and bold vertical striping created by deeply recessed window-and-spandrel bays set between narrow piers which rise unbroken from a two-stoiy base to a parapet crown. Though sparsely decorated, the building incorporates handsome Gothic-inspired Art Deco ornament by the leading architectural sculptor Rene Chambellan.
Description
The Panhellenic Tower is located on a rectangular lot which extends 126 feet along Mitchell Place and eighty-one feet along First Avenue. The building occupies almost the entire lot except for a narrow service passage at the north end of the lot which extends eastward about twenty-five feet from First Avenue. The building is comprised of three distinct sections — the twenty-six-story hotel tower; the three-story wing, which originally contained a dining room and auditorium, now converted to apartments; and a ten-story apartment wing which was completed a year after the main building. Both the hotel and apartment annex have steel frames and are clad in brick. Generally orange-tan in color, the bricks vary in hue from buff to gray-brown and are laid in a Flemish-bond pattern. The Art Deco design of the building depends largely on the dramatic massing of the setback skyscraper tower and on the interplay of volumes and lights and darks created by the projected piers and recessed window bays. The ornament is concentrated at the base and top of the building and consists primarily of decorative brick pilaster strips and corbeling and the cast-stone Art Deco ornament. Most of the building's windows were replaced in the early 1990s except for the arched steel sash windows with leaded-glass lights at the second stoy of the tower and auditorium wing and twenty-sixth story of the tower.
The Tower
The twenty-six-story, seventy-five-foot-wide tower is basically square in plan at street level, but has an angled corner on First Avenue and Mitchell Place and an extension on the north side of the building adjoining the dining room-auditorium wing. The facades are articulated into seven bays. The five center bays set back at the third story to form light courts which are flanked by powerful angled corner bays. At the twentieth and twenty-second stories the corner bays set back to create balconies which are surrounded by brick parapets. At the twenty-fourth story the three center bays are set back and have balconies with brick parapets. The entire twenty-sixth story is set back and is surrounded by balconies which have been enclosed with glass and metal partitions on the east and west sides of the building.
Base: The base is two stories high, except on Mitchell Place where the center three bays rise to three stories emphasizing the main hotel entrance. The angled southern corner at the intersection of the two street facades is recessed and contains the entrance to a ground story restaurant. The northern corner which was also originally angled and recessed has been filled with a one-story extension which is unarticulated. On Mitchell Place the triple bay is articulated by wide pilaster strips which terminate above the third story in a cresting of stylized cast-stone fleurs-de-lis and foliate moldings. Wide pilaster strips also are used at the ground story to frame the corner bay and the end bays on Mitchell Place and First Avenue. Narrower strips capped by cast-stone finials articulate the second story. In 1990-91 marble, travertine, and Diyvit facing materials, which had been installed at the ground story, were removed and the masonry on the base was repaired and repointed.
Mitchell Place facade: On the ground story the brick pilasters articulating the three center bays are decorated with bricks with incised Greek lettering. A cornerstone at the base of the eastern pilaster is inscribed with the date "1928." The main hotel entrance at the center of the facade and the adjacent window bays have arched surrounds which retain their original shaped transom bars. The transoms contain backlit etched glass lunettes which are decorated with a stylized palmette pattern. The central entrance has deep brick-faced jambs. This doorway opens into a small vestibule with a travertine floor and travertine-faced walls; the ceiling is vaulted. There are light boxes at the base of the vault. At the rear of the vestibule are a pair of unframed glass doors with polished bronze trim. The bays flanking the entrance bay contain decorative multi-pane steel windows fabricated in the 1990s.
Extending in front of the center three bays is a large fixed awning with polished bronze supports which was installed in the 1990s. The upper portion of the awning appears to be constructed of metal which is covered with vinyl-coated canvas. There are several lighting fixtures on the underside of the awning. Flanking the awning are neo-Deco sconces, installed in the 1990s, which were inspired by, but do not match, the sconces that originally framed the central entrance bay.
Reading west to east, the second and sixth bay have blind rectangular window openings which contain Art Deco sculptural panels featuring stylized palm trees and scrolls. The western pierced sandstone panel is original. In the 1990s an opening which had been cut directly above the window was sealed and the area was refaced with matching brickwork. The eastern panel is cast stone and was fabricated in the 1990s to match the original panel, which had been lost when a louvered vent was installed in the bay. As part of the restoration of the bay, the wall and sill beneath the opening were also rebuilt.
The entrance at the eastern corner of the tower facade (seventh bay) has deep brick-faced jambs. The paving stone in the jamb area is travertine with a pink granite curb. The doorway contains a pair of historic glass doors with polished bronze trim (the doors were reglazed during the 1990s renovations but retain their original fittings). The fixed vinyl-coated canvas awning with polished bronze supports was installed in the 1990s.
The window at the western corner of the tower facade (first bay) originally contained a fixed twelve-light window. When the restaurant opened on First Avenue an illuminated window box with polished bronze trim was installed in the opening. In the 1990s, when the steel lintel over the window was repaired, the brick facing over the window was replaced in matching brick. (The window box was reinstalled.)
The narrow paired arched windows at the second story contain steel-sash windows which appear to retain their original leaded-glass lights or have replacement glass that replicates the original tracery pattern. In the 1990s the spandrel panels beneath the third, fourth, and fifth bays were rebuilt, removing the remaining traces of original stone sculptural ornament from the panels. The spandrels were refaced in matching brick and louvers were reinstalled beneath the third and fifth windows. There are also louvers beneath the windows in the first and second bays.
The large round-arched window openings in the center three bays of third story originally contained tripartite windows topped by tripartite lunettes. The openings currently have paired aluminum casement windows topped by single-paned semicircular transoms. The stone finials which originally terminated the narrow pilasters extending from the second-story windows to the third-story window bays have been removed. There are louvered air-conditioner grilles beneath the windows in the second and fourth bays (reading west to east). The metal flagpoles which project from the third story are historic but not original.
Comer entrance: The recessed corner entrance is set a step above sidewalk level. It retains its historic glass door and transom with polished bronze trim and hardware. Above the door is a sloping reveal and a hexagonal panel with banded trim. Projecting in front of the reveal is a small triangular canopy installed in the early 1990s. A sculptural relief representing stylized palm leaves extends from the top of the recessed panel to the bottom of the third story window. An opening for an air conditioner louver has been cut in the relief just below the third-story window.
First Avenue facade: The ground story of the First Avenue facade is framed by projecting bays. The southern corner bay contains an illuminated window box with polished bronze trim. (There is a large bronze-finished grille beneath the window.) The northern corner bay contains a historic glass door with polished bronze trim and hardware. The intervening bays which originally contained several storefronts now are occupied by the single storefront. This has a low wall topped by a picture window which extends the length of the storefront. The wall is faced with a green-black marble and is pierced by several vents. The picture window is divided into five sections by metal stops. The stops and window surround have a polished bronze finish; the window glass is decorated with white stenciling. The storefront is surmounted by a box cornice with a polished-bronze finished. A decorative brick course above the cornice is largely concealed by a fixed vinyl-coated canvas awning with signage for the restaurant.
The articulation of the second story on First Avenue is identical with that on Mitchell Place. The windows also have replacement leaded-glass lights. Louvered grilles are placed beneath the windows in the third and fifth bays (reading south to north).
North facade and service alley: There is a six-feet-high wall on the north end of the alley which abuts the rear wall of the adjoining building on First Avenue. The wall is faced with tan brick laid in a Flemish-bond pattern and coped with stone slabs. An iron picket and chain-link fence and a metal gate extend between this wall and the north wall of the hotel. The north wall of the tower base extends east for four bays before breaking back into a two-story extension. Only the second story of the western portion of the north wall and side wall of the extension are visible from the street. At the second story the north wall has paired arched windows. These match the second-story windows on the other facades in size and shape but only the corner window is set off by decorative ribbing. There are air-conditoner louvers beneath the windows. On the two-story addition, the side wall has a rectangular window opening at the second story which contains a six-over-six double-hung vinyl-coated aluminum sash window.
Upper Stories Above the base, the tower's facades are identical in design and are articulated by single tiers of recessed windows and spandrels. The window bays in the recessed side courts are separated by projecting piers which rise unbroken to the twenty-fourth story parapet. Projecting piers also frame the center bays from the twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth stories terminating in stylized finials which alternate with open arches to form a decorative cresting at the skyline. Paired recesses on the upper portion of the piers and vertical recesses and projections on the side walls of the corner bays enhance the verticality of the design. At the twenty-fourth and twenty-sixth stories, the balcony parapets are treated as decorative brick balustrades. The tops of the piers which form part of the balustrade were originally capped by massive scrolled stone finials which have been removed.
At the twenty-sixth story the double-sized windows have segmental arch enframements and contain historic sash with a central arched pane and radiating outer panes. The six-over-six double-hung vinyl-coated aluminum sash windows used in the rest of the window openings in the tower are recent replacements which match the original windows in configuration and operation but not in material or detail. At least half of the windows have through-the-wall air conditioner grilles beneath them. There are a number of areas on the masonry which have been patched or repointed with light-hued mortar that does not match the brickwork, notably above the twentieth-story setback on the west and south facades and on the projecting southeast and northwest corner bays. Recently, the brick facings on the southwest corner of the tower extending from the top of the twenty-first-story window to the top of the twentieth-second-story parapet and on the west and south walls below the twenty-fourth story parapets have been replaced.
Auditorium Wing
The three-story auditorium wing is rectangular in plan and covers the entirety of its thirty-three-foot-wide, eighty-foot-deep site. The brick facade is divided into four bays by wide pilaster strips. The first story has large segmental-arched window openings. These contain replacement steel sash, with an unusual modern design, installed in the early 1990s. The windows have small fixed awnings installed in the 1990s. At the second story the paired arched windows and ribbed articulation is continued from the second story of the tower. The windows have double-hung steel sash which appear to retain their original leaded-glass lights or have replacement glass that replicates the original tracery pattern.. The round-arched window openings at the third story originally contained paired casement windows with a wide center mullion and narrow rails separating the top arched panes from the lower lights.
The present aluminum-framed paired casements with semi-circular transoms match the windows at the third story in the three center bays of the tower. There are louvered grilles beneath the first, third, and fourth window bays (reading west to east). The high parapet that runs along the roof of the auditorium wing is coped with a stone border featuring a stylized palmette molding over the pilasters and an openwork arches over the window bays. The stone finials which originally capped the center pilasters between the second and third-story windows have been removed. The brickwork between the third-story arches and the roof has been repointed with a light mortar that does not match the original mortar or bricks.
Apartment Annex
Rectangular in plan, the addition occupies almost the entirety of its eighteen-foot-wide, eighty-foot-deep lot. It is ten stories high and has a setback penthouse story. Its west wall is freestanding above the third story and is treated as a secondary facade.
Mitchell Place facade
On Mitchell Place the brick facade is divided into a narrow eastern bay and wider western bay. Brick courses separate the two-story base from the upper stories.
Base
At the ground story the eastern entrance bay and two windows in the western bay have arched surrounds. These arches retain their original shaped wood transom bars which are surmounted by lunettes with stuccoed infill.
The lunette over the doorway retains its original rough stucco infill and streamlined striated metal decoration. Matching railings (their round metal anchors are still visible in the brickwork) originally rested on the low brick parapets flanking the granite steps to the recessed entrance porch. This small vestibule retains its original granite pavers and brick-faced walls. A light fixture is suspended from the plastered vaulted ceiling. The paneled wood door with nine-light window is original. The entrance to the porch is flanked by small light fixtures that are not original and is fronted by a fixed canopy installed in the 1990s. The two window bays contain double-hung six-over-six vinyl-coated aluminum windows. (The original windows in these bays were paired steel multi-light casements topped by a transom.)
At the second story the eastern bay contains a pair of double-hung six-over-six windows while the wider western bay contains three windows. (The original windows were steel multi-light casements.) There is a large louvered grille beneath the paired windows in the west bay. Extending above the windows a corbeled brick drip molding consisting of a soldier course topped by horizontal and vertical header courses.
Upper Stories
A corbeled sill course beneath the third-stoiy windows emphasizes the separation between the base and upper stories. On the upper stories the bays are articulated by wide projecting piers; the windows and spandrels are recessed. On the third story, the window openings are of equal height; on the floors above the eastern window openings are slightly shorter than double-window openings in the western bays. All of the windows contain replacement double-hung six-over-six sash. There are large louvered grilles beneath the windows in the western bays.
Western Elevation
The western wall is articulated into a symmetrical seven-bay design. A narrow center bay articulates a stair tower which rises to eleven stories to reach the penthouse. This bay, which is the focus of the design, is slightly projected. Its narrow window openings contain steel casements which appear to be original. On the north and south sides of the facade, triple-window bays are flanked by single bays with small rectangular window openings. Both the large and small openings contain replacement double-hung six-over-six sash. There are louvered air conditioner grilles beneath the center window in both triple bays. The tenth story is surmounted by a brick parapet which steps up over the center bay. The parapet is coped with a cast-stone frieze featuring a palmette motif and arched openings.
In 1997, brickwork was taken down and replaced between the tenth-story windows and the top of the parapet at the southwest corner of the building and on the northern end of the west wall. Except for the stair tower, the penthouse is well set back from the roofline and does not appear to have designed facades.
- From the 1998 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
© Servalpe 2010. Photos are copyrighted. All rights reserved. Pictures can not be used without explicit permission by the creator.
The Bank of Scotland (now HBOS plc). Older building by Robert Reid & Richard Crichton (1802) encased and extended by David Bryce (1803-76). 1864-71. Architectural sculpture, including the gilded Fame at the top of the dome, by John Rhind (father of William Birnie Rhind).
Variously described as "Roman-Baroque" (Gifford et al. 219) and "Franco-Italian" (Glendinning and MacKenechie 162), this building stands on the northern edge of Edinburgh's old town, overlooking Princes Street and greatly contributing to the cityscape there. Headquarters of "the oldest surviving banking institution in the United Kingdom" (McNab 196), it acquired its dramatic profile when David Bryce partially encased the older building by Read & Crichton. He retained the central part of their front elevation on the south, but transformed it in other ways, adding the dome on its "tall octagonal drum with lozenge-shaped windows and topped by a lantern," and also its parapet. The latter is "adorned with vigorous sculpture with which the dome forms a composition equally effective from any viewpoint" (Gifford et al. 219). Bryce also extended the older building by adding columns, pilasters and towers so that it "almost constitutes an artificial hill with its piling-up of rustication, columns and domes" (Glendinning and MacKenechie 162). It has recently been restored and modernised inside.
Brabham Cosworth BT42 (1973) Engine 3000cc V8 Cosworth
Entrant: Paul Knapfield
Driver: Paul Knapfield
BRABHAM SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/5169729402/in/set-7215...
The Brabham team had been hit with the retirement of Jack Brabham in 1970, leaving former partner and team engineer Ron Tauranec to run the team in 1971, with a budget of just £100,000. He sold the team in late 1971 to Bernie Ecclestone and it was intended that the two work together, but things became difficult resulting in Tauanec leaving and Ecclestone promoting Gordon Murray as chief designer, and moved Herbie Blash from the Formula Two programme to become the Formula One team manager. Both would remain with the team for the next 15 years.
As such the BT42 was the first Gordon Murray designed car, with its dramatic triangular section. The highlights of a quiet 1973 came with two 3rd place finishes for Argentinian, Carlos Ruetermann in France and the USA, 4th in Sweden and Austria and 6th in Britain and Italy. Team mate Wilson Fittipaldi scoring 5th place in Germany and 6th place in Brazil
Goodwood Ref: 17-95
Shot at The Goodwood Festival of Speed 01:07:2011 Ref 76-110
Please do not forget to visit the Flag Counter on the link below to record a visit from your country. So far 52 countries (last new country Austria and 32 US states last new State Michigan) Last new overseas visitor Brazil last new US state visitor New York State
Komainu (狛犬), often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the honden, or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. The first type, born during the Edo period, is called sandō komainu (参道狛犬 visiting road Komainu), the second and much older type jinnai komainu (陣内狛犬 shrine inside komainu). They can sometimes be found also at Buddhist temples, nobility residences or even private homes / Itsukushima (厳島) a/k/a Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means "Shrine Island”, is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. Frequent ferry services operates to carry traffic between the island and the mainland. The trip takes about ten minutes. There is also an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima Harbor. The island is one of Hayashi Gahō 's “Three Views of Japan” specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was part of the former town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi. Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine. Itsukushima has a number of shrines and temples [in Japan, the term "shrine" implies a Shinto religious structure and "temple" implies a Buddhist one], including Toyokuni Shrine with a five-storied pagoda and Daiganji Temple - one of the three most famous Benzaiten temples of Japan. The island is also famous for its upper hill side cherry blossoms and maple leaf autumn foliage. The island, including the waters around it (part of the Seto Inland Sea), are within Setonaikai National Park. This sea is affected by strong tides. At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island's torii – [a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred]. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed seabed mud and fills areas underneath the shrine boardwalk. Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. Momiji manjū, pastries filled with azuki jam or custard, are popular souvenirs and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are available. Because the island is seen as sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber and Deer roam freely. Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods. They walk the streets of the city, not afraid of the tourists / Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine best known for its "floating" torii gate. The Itsukushima shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. It is most famous for its dramatic gate, or torii on the outskirts of the shrine , the sacred peaks of Mount Misen, extensive forests, and its aesthetic ocean view. The shrine complex itself consists of two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja, as well as 17 other different buildings and structures that help to distinguish it. The complex is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and six of its buildings and possessions have been designated by the Japanese government as National Treasures. Five-Tiered Pagoda (Gojunoto) at Itsukushima Shrine was constructed in 1407 (thus predating Senjokaku) enshrined Yakushi Nyorai Zazo, the Buddha of Medicine said to have been made by Kobo Daishi himself, accompanied by Fugen Bosatsu (Mercy Buddha) and Monju Bosatsu (Wisdom Buddha). The three images were moved to the Daiganji Temple during the Meiji reformation. Daiganji Temple, next to the Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to Goddess Benzaiten as well as three Buddhas important to Shingon Buddhism. Benzaiten Goddess in Japan has been traced to Goddess Saraswati of Hinduism in India. She is the Goddess of eloquence, music, arts, wealth and knowledge. The three Buddha in the temple are Gautama Buddha, Wisdom Buddha and Mercy Buddha. Daiganji Temple is one the three most famous Benzaiten Temples in Japan, along with Enoshima Benzaiten (Kanagawa) and Chikubujima Benzaiten (Shiga). The Benzaiten is opened to the public only once every year on June 17. On this day, Miyajima holds a big festival, and people of the region visit the temple to offer their prayers. The construction date of Itsukushima-jinja and Daiganji temple is estimated to be 6th century or later, and the existence of Itsukushima-jinja is confirmed by ancient Japanese texts from the early 9th century. The Nihon Koki confirms the sacredness of these Miyajama structures during the Heian Period (794-1184).
Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah is known for its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. Island in the Sky is a huge, flat-topped mesa with panoramic overlooks. Other notable areas include the towering rock pinnacles known as the Needles, the remote canyons of the Maze and the Native American rock paintings in Horseshoe Canyon. Whitewater rapids flow through Cataract Canyon.
A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perches lightly on a twig surrounded by summer wildflowers and tall grass. Its long forked tail and subtle pastel tones stand out against the green backdrop.
I photographed this scene at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. The area was alive with bird activity and blooming wildflowers that added color and texture to the frame.
This species is known for its dramatic tail and graceful aerial movements. Common across the southern Great Plains, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is the state bird of Oklahoma and a favorite among birders during the breeding season.
Established by Pres William Clinton in 2001, 1600 km^2 Carrizo Plain National Monument protects the largest native grassland remaining in California. In its lands are 13 endangered species, including the San Joaquin kit fox, the San Joaquin antelope squirrel, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, the giant kangaroo rat, greater and lesser sandhill cranes, and the California condor. Local boosters have called it "California's Serengeti". The park is known for its dramatic geological evidence of the San Andreas Fault, as well as its dramatic spring blooms. Nevertheless it is one of the less well visited national parks and is run by the Bureau of Land Management.
Carrizo Plain National Monument, Taft, California
There is a danger of running out of superlatives when trying to describe Beverley Minster. It is not only the second finest non-cathedral church in the country but is architecturally a far finer building than most of our cathedrals themselves! It will come as a surprise to many visitors to find this grand edifice simply functions today as a parish church and has never been more than collegiate, a status it lost at the Reformaton. What had added to its mystique and wealth was its status as a place of pilgrimage housing the tomb of St John of Beverley, which drew visitors and revenue until the Reformation brought an end to such fortunes and the shrine was destroyed (though the saint's bones were later rediscovered and reinterred in the nave). That this great church itself survived this period almost intact is little short of a miracle in itself.
There has been a church here since the 8th century but little remains of the earlier buildings aside from the Saxon chair near the altar and the Norman font in the nave. The present Minster's construction spans the entirety of the development of Gothic architecture but forms a surprisingly harmonious whole nevertheless, starting with Early English in the 13h century choir and transepts (both pairs) with their lancet windows in a building phase that stopped at the first bays of the nave. Construction was then continued with the nave in the 14th century but only the traceried windows betray the emergent Decorated style, the design otherwise closely followed the work of the previous century which gives the Minster's interior such a pleasingly unified appearance (the only discernable break in construction within can be seen where the black purbeck-marble ceased to be used for certain elements beyond the eastern bay of the nave). Finally the building was completed more or less by 1420 with the soaring west front with its dramatic twin-towers in Perpendicular style (the east window must have been enlarged at this point too to match the new work at the west end).
The fabric happily survived the Reformation intact aside from the octagonal chapter-house formerly adjoining the north choir aisle which was dismantled to raise money by the sale of its materials while the church's fate was in the balance (a similar fate was contemplated for the rest of the church by its new owners until the town bought it for retention as a parish church for £100). The great swathes of medieval glass alas were mostly lost, though seemingly as much to neglect and storm-damage in the following century than the usual iconoclasm. All that survived of the Minster's original glazing was collected to form the patchwork display now filling the great east window, a colourful kaleidoscope of fragments of figures and scenes. Of the other furnishings the choir stalls are the major ensemble and some of the finest medieval canopied stalls extant with a full set of charming misericords (though most of these alas are not normally on show).
There are suprisingly few monuments of note for such an enormous cathedral-like church, but the one major exception makes up for this, the delightful canopied Percy tomb erected in 1340 to the north of the high altar. The tomb itself is surprisingly plain without any likeness remaining of the deceased, but the richly carved Decorated canopy above is alive with gorgeous detail and figurative embellishments. There are further carvings to enjoy adorning the arcading that runs around the outer perimeter of the interior, especially the north nave aisle which has the most rewarding carved figures of musicians, monsters and people suffering various ailments, many were largely restored in the 19th century but still preserve the medieval spirit of irreverent fun.
To summarise Beverley Minster would be difficult other than simply adding that if one enjoys marvelling at Gothic architecture at its best then it really shouldn't be missed and one should prioritise it over the majority of our cathedrals. It is a real gem and a delight to behold, and is happily normally open and welcoming to visitors (who must all be astonished to find this magnificent edifice is no more than a simple parish church in status!). I thoroughly enjoyed this, my second visit here (despite the best efforts of the poor weather!).
Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Prominently sited at the top of Beekman Hill, the Panhellenic Tower (now the Beekman Tower Hotel) is one of the great Art Deco skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan. Erected in 1927-29 as a residence and clubhouse for women belonging to national Greek-letter college sororities, the Panhellenic Tower provided affordable housing for young college-educated women who were entering the work force in record numbers in the 1920s. Designed by the noted architect John Mead Howells, this striking modernistic building features a square-plan twenty-six story tower with chamfered corners and setbacks. The tower is renowned for its dramatic volumetric massing and bold vertical striping created by deeply recessed window-and-spandrel bays set between narrow piers which rise unbroken from a two-stoiy base to a parapet crown. Though sparsely decorated, the building incorporates handsome Gothic-inspired Art Deco ornament by the leading architectural sculptor Rene Chambellan.
Description
The Panhellenic Tower is located on a rectangular lot which extends 126 feet along Mitchell Place and eighty-one feet along First Avenue. The building occupies almost the entire lot except for a narrow service passage at the north end of the lot which extends eastward about twenty-five feet from First Avenue. The building is comprised of three distinct sections — the twenty-six-story hotel tower; the three-story wing, which originally contained a dining room and auditorium, now converted to apartments; and a ten-story apartment wing which was completed a year after the main building. Both the hotel and apartment annex have steel frames and are clad in brick. Generally orange-tan in color, the bricks vary in hue from buff to gray-brown and are laid in a Flemish-bond pattern. The Art Deco design of the building depends largely on the dramatic massing of the setback skyscraper tower and on the interplay of volumes and lights and darks created by the projected piers and recessed window bays. The ornament is concentrated at the base and top of the building and consists primarily of decorative brick pilaster strips and corbeling and the cast-stone Art Deco ornament. Most of the building's windows were replaced in the early 1990s except for the arched steel sash windows with leaded-glass lights at the second stoy of the tower and auditorium wing and twenty-sixth story of the tower.
The Tower
The twenty-six-story, seventy-five-foot-wide tower is basically square in plan at street level, but has an angled corner on First Avenue and Mitchell Place and an extension on the north side of the building adjoining the dining room-auditorium wing. The facades are articulated into seven bays. The five center bays set back at the third story to form light courts which are flanked by powerful angled corner bays. At the twentieth and twenty-second stories the corner bays set back to create balconies which are surrounded by brick parapets. At the twenty-fourth story the three center bays are set back and have balconies with brick parapets. The entire twenty-sixth story is set back and is surrounded by balconies which have been enclosed with glass and metal partitions on the east and west sides of the building.
Base: The base is two stories high, except on Mitchell Place where the center three bays rise to three stories emphasizing the main hotel entrance. The angled southern corner at the intersection of the two street facades is recessed and contains the entrance to a ground story restaurant. The northern corner which was also originally angled and recessed has been filled with a one-story extension which is unarticulated. On Mitchell Place the triple bay is articulated by wide pilaster strips which terminate above the third story in a cresting of stylized cast-stone fleurs-de-lis and foliate moldings. Wide pilaster strips also are used at the ground story to frame the corner bay and the end bays on Mitchell Place and First Avenue. Narrower strips capped by cast-stone finials articulate the second story. In 1990-91 marble, travertine, and Diyvit facing materials, which had been installed at the ground story, were removed and the masonry on the base was repaired and repointed.
Mitchell Place facade: On the ground story the brick pilasters articulating the three center bays are decorated with bricks with incised Greek lettering. A cornerstone at the base of the eastern pilaster is inscribed with the date "1928." The main hotel entrance at the center of the facade and the adjacent window bays have arched surrounds which retain their original shaped transom bars. The transoms contain backlit etched glass lunettes which are decorated with a stylized palmette pattern. The central entrance has deep brick-faced jambs. This doorway opens into a small vestibule with a travertine floor and travertine-faced walls; the ceiling is vaulted. There are light boxes at the base of the vault. At the rear of the vestibule are a pair of unframed glass doors with polished bronze trim. The bays flanking the entrance bay contain decorative multi-pane steel windows fabricated in the 1990s.
Extending in front of the center three bays is a large fixed awning with polished bronze supports which was installed in the 1990s. The upper portion of the awning appears to be constructed of metal which is covered with vinyl-coated canvas. There are several lighting fixtures on the underside of the awning. Flanking the awning are neo-Deco sconces, installed in the 1990s, which were inspired by, but do not match, the sconces that originally framed the central entrance bay.
Reading west to east, the second and sixth bay have blind rectangular window openings which contain Art Deco sculptural panels featuring stylized palm trees and scrolls. The western pierced sandstone panel is original. In the 1990s an opening which had been cut directly above the window was sealed and the area was refaced with matching brickwork. The eastern panel is cast stone and was fabricated in the 1990s to match the original panel, which had been lost when a louvered vent was installed in the bay. As part of the restoration of the bay, the wall and sill beneath the opening were also rebuilt.
The entrance at the eastern corner of the tower facade (seventh bay) has deep brick-faced jambs. The paving stone in the jamb area is travertine with a pink granite curb. The doorway contains a pair of historic glass doors with polished bronze trim (the doors were reglazed during the 1990s renovations but retain their original fittings). The fixed vinyl-coated canvas awning with polished bronze supports was installed in the 1990s.
The window at the western corner of the tower facade (first bay) originally contained a fixed twelve-light window. When the restaurant opened on First Avenue an illuminated window box with polished bronze trim was installed in the opening. In the 1990s, when the steel lintel over the window was repaired, the brick facing over the window was replaced in matching brick. (The window box was reinstalled.)
The narrow paired arched windows at the second story contain steel-sash windows which appear to retain their original leaded-glass lights or have replacement glass that replicates the original tracery pattern. In the 1990s the spandrel panels beneath the third, fourth, and fifth bays were rebuilt, removing the remaining traces of original stone sculptural ornament from the panels. The spandrels were refaced in matching brick and louvers were reinstalled beneath the third and fifth windows. There are also louvers beneath the windows in the first and second bays.
The large round-arched window openings in the center three bays of third story originally contained tripartite windows topped by tripartite lunettes. The openings currently have paired aluminum casement windows topped by single-paned semicircular transoms. The stone finials which originally terminated the narrow pilasters extending from the second-story windows to the third-story window bays have been removed. There are louvered air-conditioner grilles beneath the windows in the second and fourth bays (reading west to east). The metal flagpoles which project from the third story are historic but not original.
Comer entrance: The recessed corner entrance is set a step above sidewalk level. It retains its historic glass door and transom with polished bronze trim and hardware. Above the door is a sloping reveal and a hexagonal panel with banded trim. Projecting in front of the reveal is a small triangular canopy installed in the early 1990s. A sculptural relief representing stylized palm leaves extends from the top of the recessed panel to the bottom of the third story window. An opening for an air conditioner louver has been cut in the relief just below the third-story window.
First Avenue facade: The ground story of the First Avenue facade is framed by projecting bays. The southern corner bay contains an illuminated window box with polished bronze trim. (There is a large bronze-finished grille beneath the window.) The northern corner bay contains a historic glass door with polished bronze trim and hardware. The intervening bays which originally contained several storefronts now are occupied by the single storefront. This has a low wall topped by a picture window which extends the length of the storefront. The wall is faced with a green-black marble and is pierced by several vents. The picture window is divided into five sections by metal stops. The stops and window surround have a polished bronze finish; the window glass is decorated with white stenciling. The storefront is surmounted by a box cornice with a polished-bronze finished. A decorative brick course above the cornice is largely concealed by a fixed vinyl-coated canvas awning with signage for the restaurant.
The articulation of the second story on First Avenue is identical with that on Mitchell Place. The windows also have replacement leaded-glass lights. Louvered grilles are placed beneath the windows in the third and fifth bays (reading south to north).
North facade and service alley: There is a six-feet-high wall on the north end of the alley which abuts the rear wall of the adjoining building on First Avenue. The wall is faced with tan brick laid in a Flemish-bond pattern and coped with stone slabs. An iron picket and chain-link fence and a metal gate extend between this wall and the north wall of the hotel. The north wall of the tower base extends east for four bays before breaking back into a two-story extension. Only the second story of the western portion of the north wall and side wall of the extension are visible from the street. At the second story the north wall has paired arched windows. These match the second-story windows on the other facades in size and shape but only the corner window is set off by decorative ribbing. There are air-conditoner louvers beneath the windows. On the two-story addition, the side wall has a rectangular window opening at the second story which contains a six-over-six double-hung vinyl-coated aluminum sash window.
Upper Stories Above the base, the tower's facades are identical in design and are articulated by single tiers of recessed windows and spandrels. The window bays in the recessed side courts are separated by projecting piers which rise unbroken to the twenty-fourth story parapet. Projecting piers also frame the center bays from the twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth stories terminating in stylized finials which alternate with open arches to form a decorative cresting at the skyline. Paired recesses on the upper portion of the piers and vertical recesses and projections on the side walls of the corner bays enhance the verticality of the design. At the twenty-fourth and twenty-sixth stories, the balcony parapets are treated as decorative brick balustrades. The tops of the piers which form part of the balustrade were originally capped by massive scrolled stone finials which have been removed.
At the twenty-sixth story the double-sized windows have segmental arch enframements and contain historic sash with a central arched pane and radiating outer panes. The six-over-six double-hung vinyl-coated aluminum sash windows used in the rest of the window openings in the tower are recent replacements which match the original windows in configuration and operation but not in material or detail. At least half of the windows have through-the-wall air conditioner grilles beneath them. There are a number of areas on the masonry which have been patched or repointed with light-hued mortar that does not match the brickwork, notably above the twentieth-story setback on the west and south facades and on the projecting southeast and northwest corner bays. Recently, the brick facings on the southwest corner of the tower extending from the top of the twenty-first-story window to the top of the twentieth-second-story parapet and on the west and south walls below the twenty-fourth story parapets have been replaced.
Auditorium Wing
The three-story auditorium wing is rectangular in plan and covers the entirety of its thirty-three-foot-wide, eighty-foot-deep site. The brick facade is divided into four bays by wide pilaster strips. The first story has large segmental-arched window openings. These contain replacement steel sash, with an unusual modern design, installed in the early 1990s. The windows have small fixed awnings installed in the 1990s. At the second story the paired arched windows and ribbed articulation is continued from the second story of the tower. The windows have double-hung steel sash which appear to retain their original leaded-glass lights or have replacement glass that replicates the original tracery pattern.. The round-arched window openings at the third story originally contained paired casement windows with a wide center mullion and narrow rails separating the top arched panes from the lower lights.
The present aluminum-framed paired casements with semi-circular transoms match the windows at the third story in the three center bays of the tower. There are louvered grilles beneath the first, third, and fourth window bays (reading west to east). The high parapet that runs along the roof of the auditorium wing is coped with a stone border featuring a stylized palmette molding over the pilasters and an openwork arches over the window bays. The stone finials which originally capped the center pilasters between the second and third-story windows have been removed. The brickwork between the third-story arches and the roof has been repointed with a light mortar that does not match the original mortar or bricks.
Apartment Annex
Rectangular in plan, the addition occupies almost the entirety of its eighteen-foot-wide, eighty-foot-deep lot. It is ten stories high and has a setback penthouse story. Its west wall is freestanding above the third story and is treated as a secondary facade.
Mitchell Place facade
On Mitchell Place the brick facade is divided into a narrow eastern bay and wider western bay. Brick courses separate the two-story base from the upper stories.
Base
At the ground story the eastern entrance bay and two windows in the western bay have arched surrounds. These arches retain their original shaped wood transom bars which are surmounted by lunettes with stuccoed infill.
The lunette over the doorway retains its original rough stucco infill and streamlined striated metal decoration. Matching railings (their round metal anchors are still visible in the brickwork) originally rested on the low brick parapets flanking the granite steps to the recessed entrance porch. This small vestibule retains its original granite pavers and brick-faced walls. A light fixture is suspended from the plastered vaulted ceiling. The paneled wood door with nine-light window is original. The entrance to the porch is flanked by small light fixtures that are not original and is fronted by a fixed canopy installed in the 1990s. The two window bays contain double-hung six-over-six vinyl-coated aluminum windows. (The original windows in these bays were paired steel multi-light casements topped by a transom.)
At the second story the eastern bay contains a pair of double-hung six-over-six windows while the wider western bay contains three windows. (The original windows were steel multi-light casements.) There is a large louvered grille beneath the paired windows in the west bay. Extending above the windows a corbeled brick drip molding consisting of a soldier course topped by horizontal and vertical header courses.
Upper Stories
A corbeled sill course beneath the third-stoiy windows emphasizes the separation between the base and upper stories. On the upper stories the bays are articulated by wide projecting piers; the windows and spandrels are recessed. On the third story, the window openings are of equal height; on the floors above the eastern window openings are slightly shorter than double-window openings in the western bays. All of the windows contain replacement double-hung six-over-six sash. There are large louvered grilles beneath the windows in the western bays.
Western Elevation
The western wall is articulated into a symmetrical seven-bay design. A narrow center bay articulates a stair tower which rises to eleven stories to reach the penthouse. This bay, which is the focus of the design, is slightly projected. Its narrow window openings contain steel casements which appear to be original. On the north and south sides of the facade, triple-window bays are flanked by single bays with small rectangular window openings. Both the large and small openings contain replacement double-hung six-over-six sash. There are louvered air conditioner grilles beneath the center window in both triple bays. The tenth story is surmounted by a brick parapet which steps up over the center bay. The parapet is coped with a cast-stone frieze featuring a palmette motif and arched openings.
In 1997, brickwork was taken down and replaced between the tenth-story windows and the top of the parapet at the southwest corner of the building and on the northern end of the west wall. Except for the stair tower, the penthouse is well set back from the roofline and does not appear to have designed facades.
- From the 1998 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Smailholm Tower is a peel tower at Smailholm, around five miles (8 km) west of Kelso in the Scottish Borders. Its dramatic situation, atop a crag of Lady Hill, commands wide views over the surrounding countryside. The tower is located at grid reference NT637346, just west of Sandyknowe farm, and is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the care of Historic Scotland. In June 2007 it was awarded the maximum "five-star" status as a tourist attraction from VisitScotland, a rating bestowed on only eight other sites in Scotland.
Located in downtown Lexington Kentucky and adjacent to Rupp Arena and Victorian Square, the fountain was designed by landscape architect Robert Zion.
The park features paved walkways and park benches and is lit at night. Triangle Park and its dramatic fountains are among downtown Lexington’s most beautiful sights. Originally installed in 1982 and just updated in the fall of 2011.
The sedimentary record in the Badlands tells a two-part story. On one hand, the erosional features that give the landscape its dramatic appearance—those jagged buttes, deep canyons, and spires—have been formed by erosional forces over roughly the past 500,000 years. On the other hand, the sediments themselves carry a much longer history. In fact, the rock layers exposed in the Badlands include deposits that date back as much as about 75 million years. This vast sediment pile was built up over many millions of years through deposition in ancient environments, ranging from shallow seas to floodplains.
Erosion continues to shape the landscape, revealing these layers in buttes, spires, and canyons. It is estimated that the Badlands erode at a rate of one inch per year, meaning they could disappear in 500,000 years.
Kirkjufell, or 'Church Mountain', is a distinctly shaped peak found on the north shore of Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula, only a short distance away from the town of Grundarfjörður. It is often called ‘the most photographed mountain in Iceland’ due to its dramatic formation and perfect coastal location.
Kirkjufell takes its name from its resemblance to a church steeple, sharpened at the top with long curved sides. From other angles, the mountain has been compared to a witch’s hat or even a freshly scooped ice cream.
By 1957, Americans were beginning to buy smaller cares in larger quantities. They snapped up 64,000 Volkswagen's and 84,000 Ramblers that year.
Detroit's Big Three noticed, responding with their own compacts by 1960. The Corvair attracted attention, with its dramatically new styling and a rear-mounted engine directly inspired by the VW. The success of compacts proved that Americans liked having
In June of 1962, two friends and myself took a trip in a new Corvair, from Detroit to the west coast of the USA, totaling 8000 miles. The car ran well, but burned a quart of oil with every fill up of gas. I think I have picture of that trip some where.
Maker: General Motors, Detroit MI
Engine: horizontally opposed 6, overhead valves, 140 CI
Horsepower: 80 @ 4400 rpm
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Price: $2,038
View from Mt Difficulty winery and restaurant where we had lunch. March 6, 2014 South Island, New Zealand.
Mt Difficulty Wines is located in Bannockburn and the Cellar Door at Mt Difficulty Wines is known as much for its dramatic views of rugged rock and thyme landscapes as it is for its stylish wine and food.
All wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they have to be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area – Bannockburn, south of the Kawarau River – and they are to be under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty management team. The reasons for these self-imposed constraints are that we believe this to be an area with very special qualities for growing grapes, and that the management of the vineyard is reflected in the quality of the ultimate product.
For More Info: www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/vineyards/bannockburn-map.html
Brian Key, deputy manager of the Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, spoke to hundreds of visitors celebrating space exploration history at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville at “Plutopalooza” – a nationwide celebration of the New Horizons mission and its dramatic July 14 flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto.
Detail of the carved inner west doors, installed as part of Hawksmoor's restoration in the early 18th century.
There is a danger of running out of superlatives when trying to describe Beverley Minster. It is not only the second finest non-cathedral church in the country but is architecturally a far finer building than most of our cathedrals themselves! It will come as a surprise to many visitors to find this grand edifice simply functions today as a parish church and has never been more than collegiate, a status it lost at the Reformaton. What had added to its mystique and wealth was its status as a place of pilgrimage housing the tomb of St John of Beverley, which drew visitors and revenue until the Reformation brought an end to such fortunes and the shrine was destroyed (though the saint's bones were later rediscovered and reinterred in the nave). That this great church itself survived this period almost intact is little short of a miracle in itself.
There has been a church here since the 8th century but little remains of the earlier buildings aside from the Saxon chair near the altar and the Norman font in the nave. The present Minster's construction spans the entirety of the development of Gothic architecture but forms a surprisingly harmonious whole nevertheless, starting with Early English in the 13h century choir and transepts (both pairs) with their lancet windows in a building phase that stopped at the first bays of the nave. Construction was then continued with the nave in the 14th century but only the traceried windows betray the emergent Decorated style, the design otherwise closely followed the work of the previous century which gives the Minster's interior such a pleasingly unified appearance (the only discernable break in construction within can be seen where the black purbeck-marble ceased to be used for certain elements beyond the eastern bay of the nave). Finally the building was completed more or less by 1420 with the soaring west front with its dramatic twin-towers in Perpendicular style (the east window must have been enlarged at this point too to match the new work at the west end).
The fabric happily survived the Reformation intact aside from the octagonal chapter-house formerly adjoining the north choir aisle which was dismantled to raise money by the sale of its materials while the church's fate was in the balance (a similar fate was contemplated for the rest of the church by its new owners until the town bought it for retention as a parish church for £100). The great swathes of medieval glass alas were mostly lost, though seemingly as much to neglect and storm-damage in the following century than the usual iconoclasm. All that survived of the Minster's original glazing was collected to form the patchwork display now filling the great east window, a colourful kaleidoscope of fragments of figures and scenes. Of the other furnishings the choir stalls are the major ensemble and some of the finest medieval canopied stalls extant with a full set of charming misericords (though most of these alas are not normally on show).
There are suprisingly few monuments of note for such an enormous cathedral-like church, but the one major exception makes up for this, the delightful canopied Percy tomb erected in 1340 to the north of the high altar. The tomb itself is surprisingly plain without any likeness remaining of the deceased, but the richly carved Decorated canopy above is alive with gorgeous detail and figurative embellishments. There are further carvings to enjoy adorning the arcading that runs around the outer perimeter of the interior, especially the north nave aisle which has the most rewarding carved figures of musicians, monsters and people suffering various ailments, many were largely restored in the 19th century but still preserve the medieval spirit of irreverent fun.
To summarise Beverley Minster would be difficult other than simply adding that if one enjoys marvelling at Gothic architecture at its best then it really shouldn't be missed and one should prioritise it over the majority of our cathedrals. It is a real gem and a delight to behold, and is happily normally open and welcoming to visitors (who must all be astonished to find this magnificent edifice is no more than a simple parish church in status!). I thoroughly enjoyed this, my second visit here (despite the best efforts of the poor weather!).
Bronx Community College, University Heights, Bronx
Dramatically sited on the heights overlooking the Harlem River, Harlem Flats, and the New Jersey Palisades beyond, the Gould Memorial Library and the related buildings of the former New York University campus stand as one of the triumphs of late nineteenth-century American architecture. Designed at a time when many institutions of higher learning were expanding their facilities, the library is a monument to two great men—architect Stanford White and chancellor Henry MacCracken.' The Gould Memorial Library is an imposing, classically-inspired structure constructed of yellow Roman brick with limestone and terra-cotta trim.
The use of these materials serves to modulate the building's monumental quality and link it to the surrounding landscape. The restrained exterior stands in vivid contrast to the rich interior with its dramatic flow of spaces and its sumptuous stone and marble detailing. The Gould Memorial Library has long been recognized as among the supreme examples of Stanford White's work. The most fitting comment on the building's architectural importance has come, not from architectural critics or the general public, but from White's peers who in 1919 chose the library as the site for the Stanford White Memorial. Although no longer used as a library, the building retains its original configuration and is a major monument of the former New York University campus.
Description
The stairhall, administrative offices, and central reading room of the Gould Memorial Library form one of the great surviving interiors dating from the period of American architectural history that has come to be known as the American Renaissance. The interior spaces are among the finest designs of Stanford White and reflect his adherence to scientific eclecticism— "the assemblage of pieces from the past...to create harmonious wholes.At this building White combined forms and ideas from the Roman Pantheon and from Renaissance palaces to create an original and highly sophisticated work of art.
The library is entered through an exterior portico of six Corinthian columns and a pair of bronze doors. 7 Beyond the doors the visitor stands in a small vestibule that is flanked by bronze lamp standards. The main stairway rises directly in front and subsidiary staircases leading to the basement chapel are set on either side. The barrel-vaulted side stairways, with their handsome railings, lead to a foyer and hallway set in front of the chapel. From the vestibule one gains a glimpse of the reading room located at the end of the grand staircase. A sense of the polychromatic richness of the interior is established immediately upon entering the building by the use of stained-glass windows and bands of red, yellow, black, and white mosaic tile for the floor. The vestibule ceiling is in the form of a shallow dome and forms the first of a progression of domes that culminates in the dome of the reading room. A handsome revolving door has been placed within the vestibule.
The short vestibule leads directly to the lower landing of the staircase. This area also has a mosaic floor. Heavy wooden doors on either side lead to offices. From .this landing rise the twenty-four Tennessee-marble steps of the barrel-vaulted stair hall. The stairway is modeled after Renaissance prototypes referred to by White in answer to a critical letter of MacCracken's:
I am sure that the staircase as it is designed is all right... I do not see how it will be possible to treat it any other way____Certainly neither the Gold Staircase (of the Ducal Palace) nor the Vatican Staircase look like tunnels, and the New York University one will look far less so, as it is very much more lofty and very much shorter.
The staircase is an extremely successful part of the design, symbolically serving as the stairway to knowledge. It is only upon reaching the top of the stairs, or after ascending the stairway to knowledge, that the dome of the reading room (the crown of the storehouse of knowledge) begins to come into sight.
The stairway is articulated by two pairs of stone pilast.ers--one pair at the bottom and one pair towards the top of the steps. The middle pilasters support bronze torcheres capped by glass globes. The lower two-thirds of the stairway walls are faced with Portland stone. A band embellished with a Vitruvian scroll pattern separates the stone walls from panels of highly-polished, pale-yellow, Cippolini marble. Above these panels is an entablature that supports a coffered barrel vault.
The upper stairway landing is similar in form to the lower landing and vestibule, with a mosaic floor, bronze lamps, and a shallow dome. In the center of the dome is a roundel of green Tiffany stained glass from which hangs a glass globe lamp. The shallow arms of this landing continue the decorative pattern of the stairway-Portland stone walls topped by Cippolini marble panels. Lunettes with round niches that were intended to house portrait busts are located at either end of the landing and above the entrance to the reading room. The original administrative offices of the university are located on either side of the stairway. These elegantly appointed offices, with their wood paneling and fireplaces, remain substantially intact, although they are no longer regularly used.
The entrance to the reading room is through a pair of doors set into a simple eared enframement crowned by a bracketed pediment. The simplicity of the entrance enframement is a foil to the ornate reading room. The reading room, designed to be the major space on the campus, and set at the center of the complex, is the symbol of the intellectual pursuits embodied by the university. Although the scale of the room is extremely grand and it is constructed with the finest materials, the space is not overwhelming. The room has a warm tone created by the muted colors of the stone and marble used and by the human scale of the bookcases and doors that surround the central colonnade.
The most prominent elements of the reading room are the sixteen green Connemara marble column shafts that were imported from the west coast of Ireland and the magnificent coffered dome that covers the entire space. The use of Connemara larble for the columns created a number of problems in the construction of the library.
- From the 1981 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Detail of the lower half of the west window depicting the Last Judgement. The Last Judgement is Fairford's most celebrated window for its dramatic composition and graphic depiction of the horrors of hell in the lower half. The window sadly suffered badly during the great storm of 1703 with the upper half depicting Christ in Judgement and the surrounding company of saints and angels the most seriously affected part.
The lower half depicts Archangel Michael at the centre with the elect entering Heaven to the left and the damned being condemned to Hell on the right. This depiction of Hell is renowned for its exotic demons dragging their victims to the red glow of hellfire, culminating in the monstrous soul-devouring figure of Satan seated in the bottom right hand corner.
St Mary's at Fairford is justly famous, not only as a most beautiful building architecturally but for the survival of its complete set of late medieval stained glass, a unique survival in an English parish church. No other church has resisted the waves of iconoclasm unleashed by the Reformation and the English Civil War like Fairford has, and as a result we can experience a pre-Reformation iconographic scheme in glass in its entirety. At most churches one is lucky to find mere fragments of the original glazing and even one complete window is an exceptional survival, thus a full set of 28 of them here in a more or less intact state makes Fairford church uniquely precious.
The exterior already promises great things, this is a handsome late 15th century building entirely rebuilt in Perpendicular style and dedicated in 1497. The benefactor was lord of the manor John Tame, a wealthy wool merchant whose son Edmund later continued the family's legacy in donating the glass. The central tower is adorned with much carving including strange figures guarding the corners and a rather archaic looking relief of Christ on the western side. The nave is crowned by a fine clerestorey whilst the aisles below form a gallery of large windows that seem to embrace the entire building without structural interruption aside from the south porch and the chancel projecting at the east end. All around are pinnacles, battlements and gargoyles, the effect is very rich and imposing for a village church.
One enters through the fan-vaulted porch and is initially met by subdued lighting within that takes a moment to adjust to but can immediately appreciate the elegant arcades and the rich glowing colours of the windows. The interior is spacious but the view east is interrupted by the tower whose panelled walls and arches frame only a glimpse of the chancel beyond. The glass was inserted between 1500-1517 and shows marked Renaissance influence, being the work of Flemish glaziers (based in Southwark) under the direction of the King's glazier Barnard Flower. The quality is thus of the highest available and suggests the Tame family had connections at court to secure such glaziers.
Entering the nave one is immediately confronted with the largest and most famous window in the church, the west window with its glorious Last Judgement, best known for its lurid depiction of the horrors of Hell with exotic demons dragging the damned to their doom. Sadly the three windows in the west wall suffered serious storm damage in 1703 and the Last Judgement suffered further during an 1860 restoration that copied rather than restored the glass in its upper half. The nave clerestories contain an intriguing scheme further emphasising the battle of Good versus Evil with a gallery of saintly figures on the south side balanced by a 'rogue's gallery' of persecutors of the faith on the darker north side, above which are fabulous demonic figures leering from the traceries.
The aisle windows form further arrays of figures in canopies with the Evangelists and prophets on the north side and the Apostles and Doctors of the Church on the south. The more narrative windows are mainly located in the eastern half of the church, starting in the north chapel with an Old Testament themed window followed by more on the life of Mary and infancy of Christ. The subject matter is usually confined to one light or a pair of them, so multiple scenes can be portrayed within a single window. The scheme continues in the east window of the chancel with its scenes of the Passion of Christ in the lower register culminating in his crucifixion above, while a smaller window to the south shows his entombment and the harrowing of Hell. The cycle continues in the south chapel where the east window shows scenes of Christ's resurrection and transfiguration whilst two further windows relate further incidents culminating in Pentecost. The final window in the sequence however is of course the Last Judgement at the west end.
The glass has been greatly valued and protected over the centuries from the ravages of history, being removed for protection during the Civil War and World War II. The windows underwent a complete conservation between 1988-2010 by the Barley Studio of York which bravely restored legibility to the windows by sensitive releading and recreating missing pieces with new work (previously these had been filled with plain glass which drew the eye and disturbed the balance of light). The most dramatic intervention was the re-ordering of the westernmost windows of the nave aisles which had been partially filled with jumbled fragments following the storm damage of 1703 but have now been returned to something closer to their original state.
It is important here not to neglect the church's other features since the glass dominates its reputation so much. The chancel also retains its original late medieval woodwork with a fine set of delicate screens dividing it from the chapels either side along with a lovely set of stalls with carved misericords. The tomb of the founder John Tame and his wife can be seen on the north side of the sanctuary with their brasses atop a tomb chest. Throughout the church a fine series of carved angel corbels supports the old oak roofs.
Fairford church is a national treasure and shouldn't be missed by anyone with a love of stained glass and medieval art. It is normally kept open for visitors and deserves more of them.
Detail of the lower half of the west window depicting the Last Judgement. The Last Judgement is Fairford's most celebrated window for its dramatic composition and graphic depiction of the horrors of hell in the lower half. The window sadly suffered badly during the great storm of 1703 with the upper half depicting Christ in Judgement and the surrounding company of saints and angels the most seriously affected part.
The lower half depicts Archangel Michael at the centre with the elect entering Heaven to the left and the damned being condemned to Hell on the right. This depiction of Hell is renowned for its exotic demons dragging their victims to the red glow of hellfire, culminating in the monstrous soul-devouring figure of Satan seated in the bottom right hand corner.
St Mary's at Fairford is justly famous, not only as a most beautiful building architecturally but for the survival of its complete set of late medieval stained glass, a unique survival in an English parish church. No other church has resisted the waves of iconoclasm unleashed by the Reformation and the English Civil War like Fairford has, and as a result we can experience a pre-Reformation iconographic scheme in glass in its entirety. At most churches one is lucky to find mere fragments of the original glazing and even one complete window is an exceptional survival, thus a full set of 28 of them here in a more or less intact state makes Fairford church uniquely precious.
The exterior already promises great things, this is a handsome late 15th century building entirely rebuilt in Perpendicular style and dedicated in 1497. The benefactor was lord of the manor John Tame, a wealthy wool merchant whose son Edmund later continued the family's legacy in donating the glass. The central tower is adorned with much carving including strange figures guarding the corners and a rather archaic looking relief of Christ on the western side. The nave is crowned by a fine clerestorey whilst the aisles below form a gallery of large windows that seem to embrace the entire building without structural interruption aside from the south porch and the chancel projecting at the east end. All around are pinnacles, battlements and gargoyles, the effect is very rich and imposing for a village church.
One enters through the fan-vaulted porch and is initially met by subdued lighting within that takes a moment to adjust to but can immediately appreciate the elegant arcades and the rich glowing colours of the windows. The interior is spacious but the view east is interrupted by the tower whose panelled walls and arches frame only a glimpse of the chancel beyond. The glass was inserted between 1500-1517 and shows marked Renaissance influence, being the work of Flemish glaziers (based in Southwark) under the direction of the King's glazier Barnard Flower. The quality is thus of the highest available and suggests the Tame family had connections at court to secure such glaziers.
Entering the nave one is immediately confronted with the largest and most famous window in the church, the west window with its glorious Last Judgement, best known for its lurid depiction of the horrors of Hell with exotic demons dragging the damned to their doom. Sadly the three windows in the west wall suffered serious storm damage in 1703 and the Last Judgement suffered further during an 1860 restoration that copied rather than restored the glass in its upper half. The nave clerestories contain an intriguing scheme further emphasising the battle of Good versus Evil with a gallery of saintly figures on the south side balanced by a 'rogue's gallery' of persecutors of the faith on the darker north side, above which are fabulous demonic figures leering from the traceries.
The aisle windows form further arrays of figures in canopies with the Evangelists and prophets on the north side and the Apostles and Doctors of the Church on the south. The more narrative windows are mainly located in the eastern half of the church, starting in the north chapel with an Old Testament themed window followed by more on the life of Mary and infancy of Christ. The subject matter is usually confined to one light or a pair of them, so multiple scenes can be portrayed within a single window. The scheme continues in the east window of the chancel with its scenes of the Passion of Christ in the lower register culminating in his crucifixion above, while a smaller window to the south shows his entombment and the harrowing of Hell. The cycle continues in the south chapel where the east window shows scenes of Christ's resurrection and transfiguration whilst two further windows relate further incidents culminating in Pentecost. The final window in the sequence however is of course the Last Judgement at the west end.
The glass has been greatly valued and protected over the centuries from the ravages of history, being removed for protection during the Civil War and World War II. The windows underwent a complete conservation between 1988-2010 by the Barley Studio of York which bravely restored legibility to the windows by sensitive releading and recreating missing pieces with new work (previously these had been filled with plain glass which drew the eye and disturbed the balance of light). The most dramatic intervention was the re-ordering of the westernmost windows of the nave aisles which had been partially filled with jumbled fragments following the storm damage of 1703 but have now been returned to something closer to their original state.
It is important here not to neglect the church's other features since the glass dominates its reputation so much. The chancel also retains its original late medieval woodwork with a fine set of delicate screens dividing it from the chapels either side along with a lovely set of stalls with carved misericords. The tomb of the founder John Tame and his wife can be seen on the north side of the sanctuary with their brasses atop a tomb chest. Throughout the church a fine series of carved angel corbels supports the old oak roofs.
Fairford church is a national treasure and shouldn't be missed by anyone with a love of stained glass and medieval art. It is normally kept open for visitors and deserves more of them.
The 44th Desktop created for “The E82 Project”
ABOUT THE SERIES:
Taking its cue from the Aurora Borealis and Light Beamed style backgrounds made popular by the Windows and Mac operating systems. Epcot Vistas is an abstraction of the logos, color palettes, and architecture of Epcot’s many pavilions.
THIS EDITION:
From its dramatic curvilinear structure to its massive planetary forms, Mission: Space Vista pays tribute to one of the most intense and realistic depictions of space flight ever created. For this edition, Planetary Plaza’s abstract orbital paths serve as the inspiration for the trajectory of the series’ signature light rays that lead from the outermost edges of space to the International Space Training Center.
For More Information
Please Visit “E82 - The Epcot Legacy”
Cathedral Gorge State Park is renowned for its dramatic, carved cliffs and canyons, remnants of a Pliocene-era lake bed. Visitors from around the world come here to hike on the park’s picturesque trails and explore its formations and cathedral-like spires. Miller Point, a scenic overlook, offers magnificent views of the canyon. Hiking, picnicking, camping, nature study, photography and ranger programs are the most common activities at the park. Facilities open all year include a 24-unit campground, RV dump station, restrooms with showers, a group use area and a day use picnic area. Cathedral Gorge is 165 miles northeast of Las Vegas, via Interstate 15 North. Easy access to the parks is available off U.S. Highway 93, two miles north of Panaca.
This unprocessed "raw" image of Saturn's icy, geologically active moon Enceladus was acquired by NASA's Cassini spacecraft during its dramatic Oct. 28, 2015 flyby in which the probe passed about 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region. via NASA ift.tt/1MxNoLy
It might just be down to recolour overload and familiarity but the Hot Wheels McLaren P1 seems to have lost a bit of its shine especially with the recent introduction of the newer 720S! We collectors can be a very fickle bunch and what was last months must have casting is quickly brushed aside in the never-ending quest for something new!
Well the P1 gets YET ANOTHER recolour for 2018 and happily it now gets the all white treatment which as ever can really make a model that extra bit neater and crisper. Its dramatic appearance remains along with delicate striping and front tampo treatment.
Bought recently from Sainsbury's. Mint and boxed.
The Sleeping Giant is a formation of mesas and sills on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back when viewed from the west to north-northwest section of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. As one moves southward along the shoreline toward Squaw Bay the Sleeping Giant starts to separate into its various sections. Most distinctly in the view from the cliffs at Squaw Bay the Giant appears to have an Adam's Apple. The formation is part of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Its dramatic steep cliffs are among the highest in Ontario (250 m). The southernmost point is known as Thunder Cape, depicted by many early Canadian artists such as William Armstrong.
One Ojibway legend identifies the giant as Nanabijou, who was turned to stone when the secret location of a rich silver mine now known as Silver Islet was disclosed to white men.[3]
Llyn Llech Owain Country Park is is a stunning 158-acre expanse of woods and lakeland near Cross Hands with nature trails, an adventure area and visitor centre. At the heart of this spectacular park is its dramatic lake which is surrounded by peat bog and there’s a lovely myth associated with Llyn Lech Owain. Legend has it that Owain Lawgoch ("Owain of the Red Hand" - who led an army of French mercenaries against the English in the Hundred Years' War), was entrusted to look after a well on the mountain named Mynydd Mawr. Each day, after extracting enough water for himself and his horse, Owain was always careful to replace the stone but on one occasion he forgot and a torrent of water poured down the side of the mountain. The resultant lake was hence named Llyn Lech Owain - the lake of Owain’s slab. Today, specially constructed paths allow for safe access over the bog and around the lake. The paths are well-surfaced and accessible to wheelchair-users. A forest track provides a longer walk or cycle ride around the country park and there’s a rough mountain bike trail for the more adventurous cyclist. Much of the park consists of coniferous woodland, planted by the Forestry Commission during the 1960s and there are also areas of dry heath and broad-leaved woodland.
St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. This is without doubt one of the most striking buildings in the region with its history rooted in the people of Cork and of course its dramatic architecture.
The location of the current Cathedral has been a place of Christian worship since the 7th century. This is said to be the actual location where St Finn Barre (Corks Patron Saint) founded his original monastery and thereby creating the first settlement in what is now Cork.
The current church being consecrated in 1870 in Victorian/ Gothic style. In the intervening centuries various buildings have come & gone but the original structure by St Fin Barre was said to have been one of the main centres of scholastic learning until the 10th century.
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
Dwarf Morning Glory. | Tricolour Convolvulus
Convolvulus Royal Ensign | Liseron Royal Marine
Beautiful flowers at Reford Gardens.
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
Visit : www.refordgardens.com
LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
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11912 R Trieste La Riviera di Trieste 20.VII.1960.
ENGLISH
La Riviera di Trieste is a scenic stretch of coastline extending northwest of Trieste, where the limestone cliffs of the Carso plateau meet the Adriatic Sea. Known for its dramatic views, crystal-clear water, and elegant historic landmarks—such as the Miramare Castle—the area offers a unique blend of Mediterranean atmosphere and Central European charm. The Riviera includes bay towns like Barcola, Grignano, and Sistiana, popular for seaside walks, swimming, sailing, and enjoying sunsets over the Gulf of Trieste. With a mix of nature, culture, and seaside relaxation, it is one of the most distinctive coastal areas in Italy.
ITALIANO
La Riviera di Trieste è un suggestivo tratto di costa che si estende a nord-ovest di Trieste, dove le falesie carsiche scendono ripidamente verso il Mare Adriatico. Famosa per i panorami spettacolari, l’acqua limpida e i suoi luoghi storici — primo fra tutti il Castello di Miramare — la Riviera offre un affascinante mix di atmosfera mediterranea ed eleganza mitteleuropea. Comprende località come Barcola, Grignano e Sistiana, ideali per passeggiate sul mare, nuoto, vela e tramonti sul Golfo di Trieste. È una delle zone costiere più particolari e affascinanti d’Italia.
HRVATSKI
Rivijera Trsta (La Riviera di Trieste) slikoviti je dio obale koji se proteže sjeverozapadno od Trsta, gdje strme krške litice padaju prema Jadranskom moru. Poznata je po impresivnim pogledima, bistrom moru i povijesnim znamenitostima poput dvorca Miramare. Rivijera obuhvaća mjesta poput Barcole, Grignana i Sistiane, popularna za šetnje uz more, kupanje, jedrenje i uživanje u zalascima sunca nad Tršćanskim zaljevom. Spoj prirode, kulture i opuštenog morskog ugođaja čini je jednom od najposebnijih talijanskih obalnih regija.
Day Two.
Stayed the night at a motel in Monterey, which is a nice town. Had a quick look at the place last night/evening.
"Monterey is a city on California’s rugged central coast. Its Cannery Row, one-time centre of the sardine-packing industry, was immortalized by novelist John Steinbeck. Today, it's a popular strip of gift shops, seafood restaurants and bars in converted factories" Wiki.
Heading south now on Route One again to our next motel in San Luis Obispo about 150 miles away.
First stop (not far from Monterey) is Carmel - "Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small beach city on California's Monterey Peninsula. It's known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages and galleries of its village-like center, a famous place known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history" Wiki.
Back on the road and Route One we headed down and into the bit of coast called Big Sur.
"Big Sur is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur has been called the "longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States"
It certainly lived up to the description! Amazing place to ride through/along!
Stopped at so many various vista points for pictures and posing etc!
We stopped for lunch at a place called Ragged Point -
"The tiny hamlet of Ragged Point where travellers are welcomed with a hotel, gourmet restaurant, a gas station, wedding facilities, hiking trails and outdoor cafe with an espresso bar. Towering high above the Pacific on a promontory with 400 foot sheer cliffs"
Unfortunately there was quite a bit of sea fret (low cloud) in the area, so our views were limited here..
Lunch was good too.. Met and chatted with another Harley biker on his way to San Diego.
Back on the road and continued down to San Luis Obispo to find our motel..
Once we had landed and sorted ourselves out, we went for a walk down into the town. One of the places we wanted to see was the (in)famous Bubblegum Alley. - "Bubblegum Alley is a tourist attraction in downtown San Luis Obispo, California, known for its accumulation of used bubble gum on the walls of an alley. It is a 15-foot (4.6 m) high and 70-foot (21 m) long alley lined with chewed gum left by passers-by. It covers a stretch of 20 meters in the 700 block of Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo" Wiki.
We bought some food from a takeaway near our motel and ate that back in our room watching telly! Great day seeing so much beautiful coastline on the famous Route One!