Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Spanish: Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía; is an opera house and cultural centre in Valencia, Spain. It opened on 8 October 2005; its first opera staging was of Beethoven's Fidelio on 25 October 2006. Tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo has maintained a special relationship with the Palau since its founding and has established a young singers training program there.

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia is part of City of Arts and Sciences which is designed by Santiago Calatrava

wasp on a daisy

Wasps have a great need for carbohydrates (sugars). To this end, they take in nectar from flowers, honeydew (the sugary, liquid secretion of aphids), the pulp and juice of ripe fruits (including pears and plums). The menu also includes sweet foods and drinks.

Wasps need proteins to maintain their own body, but especially to feed the larvae. They get it by catching and eating other insects. These can be all kinds of flies and mosquitoes, but also adult harvestmen, cicadas and their larvae, hairless or slightly hairy caterpillars, the larvae of sawflies, sawflies, honey bees and spiders.

A population of 400 wasps can bring as many as 3,000 captured prey to the nest per day!et

Wood Warbler - Phylloscopus sibilatrix

The wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asia in the southern Ural Mountains.

This warbler is strongly migratory and the entire population winters in tropical Africa.

It is a summer visitor to the United Kingdom, seen from April until August. It has declined there in recent years. It is now very rare in Ireland, where only one or two pairs are recorded breeding in most years, usually in County Wicklow.

Various factors associated with forest structure, including slope, forest cover, proportion of broad-leaf forest, canopy height and forest edge length, all influenced the occupancy rates of this declining forest species. Conservation measures are therefore required that provide and maintain the wood warblers preferred forest structure. There is also a preference for forest in the non-breeding season, however this habitat is declining in wintering areas such as Ghana. Despite the decline in forest habitats, there has been no change in number of wood warblers as it appears that this species can use degraded habitats, such as well-wooded farms. However, further loss of trees will likely have a negative impact on this species in the future

The Bare-nosed wombat is a marsupial. They grow to an average of 98 cm (39 in) long and a weight of 26 kg (57 lb).

Bare-nosed wombats have been described as ecological engineers as their burrow building results in soil turnover and aeration, which assists plant growth, and provides habitat for a range of invertebrate and vertebrate species. They are a solitary, territorial species, with each wombat having an established range in which it lives and feeds. In this area, they dig a tunnel system, with tunnels ranging from 2 to 20 m in length, along with many side tunnels.

Bare-nosed wombats are herbivorous, subsisting on grass, snow tussocks, and other plant materials. Foraging is usually done during the night. They are the only marsupial in the world whose teeth constantly grow. Due to the underlying enamel structure of the teeth, the continuously growing teeth maintain a self-sharpening ridge which allows easier grazing of the diet consisting of mainly native grasses. (Wikipedia)

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Why did the wombat cross the road? It is likely because his burrow was flooded due to the heavy rain in the area. On the other side of the road was a nice, dry culvert into which he wedged himself. I was surprised by how big they are.

Glen Alice, Capertee Valley, New South Wales, Australia. October 2022.

Eagle-Eye Tours - Eastern Australia.

Bóvedas del transepto levantadas en el siglo XIII, la nave alta en el XIV y en el XV la reedificación de las crucerías de la nave central.

Es, en conjunto, un bello ejemplar del cisterciense o primer gótico.

Su estilo fundamental es el de la época de transición del románico-gótico de influencia aquitano-borgoñona.

Puede asegurarse que es una de las más notables catedrales cistercienses.

Las bóvedas muestran, desnudas, su gentileza; los ventanales mantienen íntegros su forma románica en las naves laterales, y gótica, en la central.

Vaults of the transept raised in the 13th century, the upper nave in the 14th century and in the 15th century the rebuilding of the ribs of the central nave.

It is, altogether, a beautiful example of the Cistercian or early Gothic.

Its fundamental style is that of the transition period from Romanesque-Gothic with Aquitanian-Burgundian influence.

You can be sure that it is one of the most remarkable Cistercian cathedrals.

The vaults show, naked, their kindness; the windows maintain their Romanesque form intact in the lateral naves, and Gothic, in the central one.

June 1, 2021 - building the nest in the bush while the Linnet male maintains security by watching from the fence (see photo on the side)

1 de junho de 2021 - construindo o ninho no arbusto enquanto o pintarroxo macho mantém a segurança vigiando a partir da

cerca (ver foto ao lado)

Fairy Wrens

To be really honest, 90% of my photos are like this.

Mostly thrown away.

And don't know how they can maintain such serious faces.

One is even levitating.

The Dr. Eugene Clark Library is in Lockhart, Texas. When I wasn't taking pictures of commodes..:) I was taking architecture pictures. Lockhart isn't a large city but it has some great looking old buildings. Here's some info on it:

This unique and historically significant building was built with a $10,000 bequest from Dr. Eugene Clark. Dr. Clark was a native of New Orleans, and his father died on the battlefield during the Civil War when Dr. Clark was only three.

In 1896, Dr. Clark left Lockhart to study in London and Vienna. In 1897 he returned to Texas to set up practice in San Antonio in his new specialty -- ear, nose and throat. While practicing in San Antonio, Dr. Clark became very ill. He went to New York for surgery. On his way to New York he came through Lockhart to see his old friends. In New York his condition was pronounced incurable and he left to return to the only home he had known in New Orleans.

On his death bed, with Mr. Purcell and Miss Young by his side he dictated a will specifying that the citizens of Lockhart should have a library and lyceum. His will left $10,000 to the people of Lockhart, of which $6,000 was to be used for construction, $1,000 to buy books and the remainder was to be put in a trust to maintain the building and purchase new books.

Beavertail State Park, Jamestown, Rhode Island

Lone herring gull with three black scoters, identifiable by the orange-yellow "knob" at the base of the bill, which look like faint orange-yellow bokeh balls at this aperture. The scoters were my real interest, but they maintained their distance while mocking me the whole time.

Fountain Elms was maintained as a house museum, exhibiting the Proctors' paintings, prints and decorative furnishings as the nucleus of a permanent collection. In June of 1941, the Institute was granted the power to "provide instruction in higher education at the college level in the field of fine arts with authority to confer the degree of bachelor of fine arts." It was on this great occasion that the School of Art was established.

Visited with a number of villages in East Kalimantan while in Borneo to better understand the challenges people face maintaining their lifestyles in the face of rapid change from development. Love the traditional hat covered with not so traditional materials - summarized for me the challenges - how do they keep their identify while benefiting from the positive aspects of development. Read more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Indonesia: www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/asiaandthepacific/i...

The photo was taken during Sergey's performance at the D'Addario Guitar Festival - NAMM Musikmesse Russia, in Moscow.

Sergey Tabachnikov (born April 17, 1987, Samara, USSR) - guitarist, musician, leader of the Nobody.one group. Without any musical education, he became one of the most popular guitarists in the country.

Tabachnikov plays compositions that are completely different in style. But critics and viewers alike agree that his work is nevertheless closer to instrumental and blues rock. He began playing the guitar at the age of 11. Sergei is self-taught, he does not advise others to use the services of teachers, believing that if you wish, you can learn to play on your own.

Sergey Tabachnikov, in addition to his musical career, maintains his blog on YouTube, in which he uploads reviews of guitars and accessories to them. The videos are very popular among both novice musicians and professionals due to their interesting presentation style and specific humor.

Sergey takes the performances of his group more than seriously. The funny guy from the video about guitars disappears somewhere and a professional musician appears on the stage who completely surrenders to playing the guitar.

The Nobody.one group is actively touring Russia and the CIS countries, participating in many festivals, including the invasion. However, speaking of popularity, unfortunately, the group is known only to a narrow circle of viewers, but we hope this situation will change soon, and the general public will learn about the talented guys and their leader!

Saigon is located just to the north of Mekong Delta. But the Saigon river, by which Saigon is located, is not a branch nor a tributary of the Mekong river.

This photo was taken on the riverside not far from the People's Committee Building. Modern high-rise buildings were mushrooming on the both sides of the river.

The bridge over the Saigon river is Cầu Ba Son or the Ba Son bridge. It was just completed in 2022.

Vietnam embarked on Đổi Mới, an economic reform programme, in 1986 with the goal of "socialist-oriented market economy." It consisted of privatisation, promotion of foreign direct investment, normalisation of diplomatic relations etc., which resulted in a rapid economic growth that still continues today.

Vietnam is expected to be a next factory of the world replacing the current role of China. It is noted, however, that Vietnam is still a one-party dictatorship, and the government still maintains a grip on the state-owned corporations like China does. It is not certain if the current government regime would survive in the future as the economic development is conducive to democratic reforms.

Kinderdijk maybe a show for tourists and history lesson for Dutch kids but it also a home village for the 15 families that live in the mills leaving all but 4 of Kinderdijks 19 mills inhabited.

The park keeps two of the uninhabited windmills on display as museum exhibits and they are staffed by wooden clog wearing staff millers that give a fascinating overview of the innerworkings of the mills.

As fun and unique as living in an UNESCO site would be there is a practical purpose to the occupation of the mills in Kinderdijk and that is maintenance, the mill are much easier to maintain if they are kept functional and that requires someone to release the sails and run the machinery when the conditions require it.

The children of the mills are taught from a very young age to avoid the wind sails that may come as close as 30cm from the ground when in operation, these type of mills are called bonnet mills and the top portion rotates with wind direction.

I took this on Sept 17th, 2017 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens at 28mm 1/5 sec f/22 ISO100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , Luminar and DXO

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

12-february-2021: snow is white, so it is a body that reflects light 90% (albedo 0,9 out of 1), therefore maintaining the originary wavelength.

Contrary to what is believed, it is clear bodies, those that reflect the light the most, apparently "color themselves" more, reflecting and therefore making the wavelengths of the colors of the light they reflect reach from those bodies; on the other hand, it is the bodies that most absorb light, especially dark ones, those that light up well and change their apparent color less, precisely because they absorb light, which does not mean "turning on", but making it one's own by not showing it.

The snow, therefore, pure white, is really white only when illuminated by an equally clear and pure light, like the sun on a clear day; already in the shade, on a bright and flawless day, we notice that it generally becomes bluish, reflecting the light of the clear sky, as well as in the evening.

But it can have many shades, even very strong ones, such as pink-orange at sunset, or the less fascinating yellow and gray in pale sunny or cloudy days.

The Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, was the last home for Arizona's Territorial government, until Arizona became a state in 1912. Initially, all three branches of the new state government occupied the four floors of the statehouse. As the state expanded the branches relocated to adjacent buildings and additions. The 1901 portion of the Capitol is now maintained as the Arizona Capitol Museum with a focus on the history and culture of Arizona. The Arizona State Library which occupied most of the 1938 addition until July 2017 re-opened in late 2018 as a part of the Arizona Capitol Museum.

Happy Solstice, Everyone!

Happy Sliders Sunday!

Needed to crank a lot of dials way over to get shadow detail against the sun, smooth out noise and maintain crispness. Time for a new camera in the post-Christmas sales?

Wirral Bus and Tram Museum sept 2017

From it's most earliest days in the early 1900's to it's sad end in the mid 1950's Packard maintained a signature design element on their grill surrounds. Starting lower on the sides the grill surrounds would bump up and raise in the center, and you will find versions of this on every model of every Packard for every year of Packard's existence. When I first came upon the Reo in the photo the first thing I noticed was the Packard like grill surround, and thinking, in fact, that it was indeed a Packard. Well, that was only true until I noticed the emblem in the center with the letters R E O emblazoned on it. Like Packard in their day, Reo was considered somewhat of a luxury automobile, and as such, they were priced accordingly. I suspect, however, that they didn't have the same panache that Packard enjoyed. So, was the Packard like grill surround on this 1930 Reo a design coincidence, or could you say that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?" REO, the company, was founded by the former founder and owner of the Oldsmobile company, Ransom E. Olds (Notice the first letters in his name REO.) The company started in Lansing, Michigan, and had a long and somewhat successful history producing cars and trucks from 1905 to 1975. In 1936, Reo stopped producing cars in favor of devoting it's time to the end in 1975 to producing trucks.

Vince M

Although truck orders during World War II enabled it to revive somewhat, the company remained unstable in the postwar era, resulting in a bankruptcy reorganization. In 1954, the company was still underperforming, and sold its vehicle manufacturing operations (the primary asset of the company) to the Bohn Aluminum and Brass Corporation of Detroit. Three years later, in 1957, Reo's vehicle manufacturing operation became a subsidiary of the White Motor Company. White then merged REO with Diamond T Trucks in 1967 to form Diamond Reo Trucks. In 1975, this company filed for bankruptcy and most of its assets were liquidated. Volvo later took over White and thus currently owns the rights to the REO brand name.

Wiki

My daughter, Jessica, who lives in Estes Park, Colorado and turned 25 today, sent me a few photos of an unexpected group of celebrants who had gathered in her backyard to extend their best wishes. On closer inspection, you will note the bull of the elk herd in the upper right maintaining a rightful and appropriate distance from the females, no doubt making sure they behave properly and don't get rowdy.

[Editing by Dad...]

Serenity is maintaining a sense of inner peace even in difficult situations. We gain serenity by accepting the things we cannot change and focusing our energy where we can make a difference.

Fear, anger or desire can create a sense of urgency that triggers us to react impulsively. When this happens, we risk undermining our goals, damaging relationships--even violating our deepest values. By contrast, when we cultivate serenity, we don’t fear our emotions, but we do keep them in balance. We govern ourselves rather than being ruled by external circumstances and our feelings about them.

Meditative practices, contemplation, physical exercise and self-regulation skills all can help us to maintain a serene, peaceful state of mind. This mental state in turn frees us to live thoughtfully and intentionally. When we hold onto our own sense of serenity, we help others to keep theirs.

Sometimes maintaining a cool composure is overrated.

In 2007 the L&DMR entered into a partnership with the City of Kawartha Lakes to assist with the preservation of the City-owned large railway artifacts now on display at Memorial Park in Lindsay.

At that time, the L&DMR proposed the building of a Railway Heritage Centre in the park which would function as a railway history interpretation centre, to be developed and promoted as a City wide tourist attraction.

The L&DMR has at its disposal a series of “heritage modules” that are faithful 1:87 (HO scale) working replicas of the former Victoria County’s railway history which were offered to be placed on display, and maintained, at the proposed Railway Heritage Centre for the benefit of the public and as a tourist

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The railway station at Newcastle Co. Wicklow which has now been very tastefully converted to a house. Lucky people. Only a few trains pass this way every day[ 4 ] coming from and going to the port of Rosslare, Co. Wexford. It costs a lot of money to maintain the track as it runs beside the sea and it often gets washed away. The only good thing is perhaps, if Brexit does take place in the UK, Rosslare will be a direct link to the continent so hopefully that would save this wonderful railway.

I think its a special place and it only takes me 15 mins to cycle there. I took the photo from the Blackditch Nature Reserve in Newcastle.

A simple photo but I like it and maybe you will too. I hope you find the links below interesting.

My Photos are also viewable in easy slide format on Flickriver. Hope you will take a look.

flickriver.com/photos/137473925@N08/

Best wishes to all my friends.

P@t.

www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&amp...

eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20N/Newca...

www.geograph.ie/photo/639936

One of life's precarious mysteries...mastered by a duck! ;-))

Miss Penelope, one of our female resident Anna's Hummingbirds, sipping nectar from our Cardinal Flowers! She is balancing on a leaf with one foot, and using her wings and other foot to maintain her balance. She is enjoying her nectar snack, and conserving energy as she dines. Photo taken in Camas, Washington.

Some Hadada ibis maintain a pair bonding throughout the year. Commonly, a female, with her wings half-open, approaches a male and touches her beak to his beak. After this brief mutual beak-to-beak touching, she resumes feeding elsewhere among the party. Billing behavior of pairs includes rattling of beaks up and down and side-to-side while nodding heads. Courtship includes the offering of sticks by each bird to the other 😄, followed by neck intertwining, mutual preening, head shaking

www.jacksonvillezoo.org/listingDetails.aspx?listingID=721...

What the farmer is seeing in the midwest when he's looking up at the sky in 2017 as well as anyone else trying to grow or maintain vegetation and plant life

Blog: hoffmannsfashion.tumblr.com/post/182057475435/86-maintain...

When Atlanta built this octagon-shaped public library in 1908, it did so through community support rather than receiving a grant from the Carnegie Foundation as many other communities did at the time.

The library design combines the Neoclassical with an octagonal plan, an uncommon mixture of styles. The building's eight sides are all symmetrical except for the front, which is broken by a classical portico with Doric columns and a round arched entrance. The library is topped by a red tile roof.

The library was designed by Paul O. Moratz (1866-1939), a German-born architect who grew up and lived as an adult in nearby Bloomington, Illinois. Moratz is best remembered for his designs of concert halls, schools, libraries, hospitals, and private residences.

The Atlanta Public Library represents a well-maintained example of turn-of-the-century public construction, combining two significant architectural styles: the Octagon Mode and Neo-Classical Revival. The influence of Chicago's 1893-94 Columbia Exposition and the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo resulted in the widespread use of the Neo-Classical style in public and quasi-public buildings throughout the nation. The Octagon plan relates historically to the Octagon homes espoused by Orson Squire Fowler in the mid-1800s.

The Atlanta Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Atlanta is a city in Logan County, Illinois. The estimated population of Atlanta in 2019 was 1,600. Atlanta is located on Historic US Route 66.

Maintaining social distancing on a beautiful morning at the wetlands.

Black-crowned Night Heron, Alligator Breeding Marsh and Wading Bird Rookery, Gatorland, Orlando, Florida

Sedona is known for having countless views of interesting and scenic red rock formations, many of which can be seen after a short walk or even from the road. However, there are also several more rugged and grander views in the Sedona area, which are not witnessed often, due to accessibility. Unfortunately, most of those require highly challenging off-road navigation, just to reach a trailhead. Fortunately, the trailhead which leads into this part of Sedona’s surrounding wilderness, is located next to a well maintained road. After hiking about 2.5 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain, the reward is this view. However, I must admit that lack of patience, prevented me from setting up at one of the many better foreground options, and with some regret, I ultimately settled for this composition.

"In a world where everyone is overexposed,

the coolest thing you can do

is maintain your mystery."

Blog Post

sllorinovo.blogspot.com/2016/10/designer-circle-prism.html

Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre), Laguna Seca Ranch, Texas.This species is a resident of southern Texas and eastern Mexico, where it maintains territories in dense brushy habitats. In Texas, the Long-billed Thrasher is most common in dense brush in the lower Rio Grande River valley, but at least 95% of this habitat has been cleared.

maintains the world of prosperity:-(

James Lendall Basford (1845–1915), Seven Seventy Seven Sensations, 1897

The world of prosperity maintains the world of adversity:-(

James Lendall Basford (1845–1915), Sparks from the Philosopher's Stone, 1882

Southgate Radiance rhododendron, 'Tyler Morris', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina

I composed this photograph of Le Chateau Montebello while visiting there during a lengthy road trip through Eastern Canada.

It claims to be the largest log building in the world. Construction for the hotel building was overseen by Finnish immigrant Victor Nymark, a master log builder who immigrated to Canada in 1924. As work on the building began before the hotel's final design plans were completed, Nymark's construction crew occasionally proceeded without blueprints to guide them.

The three resort buildings erected in 1930 were built using 10,000 western red cedar logs shipped from British Columbia. The log walls are painted black on the outside, although its interiors maintain natural wood colouring. The building also features 500,000 hand-slit cedar roof shakes and 166 kilometres of wooden moulding.

(Adapted from Wikipedia)

The historic and beautifully maintained revival-style mansion was built in 1851 and occupies 29+ acres. There are 24 rooms including 7 guest bedrooms, 8 full bathrooms and private living quarters on the 3rd floor. Comes with a fully furnished gourmet kitchen. Banquet facility can accomodate up to 200. An octagon banquet hall provides additional opportunities for the owner and adds to the splendor of the structure. There is a cottage with 3 private bedrooms as well as 3 additional structures. The inn is situated in the charming Gaslight Village of Wyoming, NY which features quaint shops and the Appleumpkin Fall Harvest Festival. Letchworth State Park (the “Grand Canyon of the East”) is just a stone’s throw away, where there are many activities such as hiking, hot air ballooning, museums, historical sites and much more! Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls all within about an hour’s drive from this location, giving the new owner access to approximately 2 million people in a 60 mile radius. An hour’s drive (or less) from these cities brings you back to the restful elegance of the Hillside Inn. 116

Sometimes you just happen to wander through a scene looking for another scene, a quick sideways glance told me this was a much better shot than the back of the Schloss.

This was taken from a little bridge, really a culvert crossing between the back of the Schloss and the golf course a little oasis of serenity happened quite by chance or maybe the fates have put it in my path for a reason like capturing a perfect moment in time at least to me :).

In my mind I will forever be sitting at the little table on this patio enjoying a glass of very good wine watching the ducks, geese and swans with a cacophony of peacocks somehow serenading you in this shady peaceful setting.

This handsome chocolate box cottage on the moat tributary, is most likely the golf course owners or family getaway versus the greenskeepers but I like to imagine it is a perk that befits the person that maintains these lovely spotless grounds and course.

I took this with my D750 and Tamron SP 24-70mm 2.8 G2 Lens at 46mm 1/20s, f/11 ISO 100 processed in LR, Topaz Denoise, PS (Lumenzia and DXO Nik Color Efex)

Disclaimer: Not trying to be realistic in my editing there is enough realism in the world, my style is a mix of painterly and romanticism as well as a work in progress.

Detail of one of the windows at the Galway University 'Quadrangle' building, which was constructed during the Great Famine to provide work for the community. The quad is a near duplicate of the Oxford University quadrangle, and is lovingly maintained.

Charles, the Prince of Wales and future King of England, wrote an influential book called "Harmony". In it he outlined his vision for a balanced way of life, being completely sensitive to the requirements of a sustainable environment, and also maintaining a productive life. This is a vision worth striving for. Balance and harmony are two words that we desperately need to rediscover in our fractured world.

After retiring from the Australian senate in 2012, Dr Bob Brown decided to gift "Oura Oura" to the Australian people. He did this through entrusting it to the care of Bush Heritage Australia.

Bush Heritage Australia is an independent not-for-profit that buys and manages land, and also partners with Aboriginal people, to conserve our magnificent landscapes and irreplaceable native species forever.

www.bushheritage.org.au/

Nature, harmony and a balanced lifestyle. That's what we need today.

The original lighthouse at Point Wilson was built in 1879. The current structure was completed in 1904 and equipped with a fourth order Fresnel lens. It is located within the boundries of Fort Worden State Park near Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Washington and is maintained by the US Coast Guard. It was added to the National Resgister of Historic Places in 1971.

Weigela florida 'Pink Princess' is a popular cultivar of Weigela florida, a shrub native to northern China, Korea, and Japan, that flowers profusely. It is a hardy plant, easy to grow and maintain.

It is attractive to hummingbirds and bees.

The genus is named after the German scientist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel.