The photo taken in Warsaw's Old Town, May 2019, it was very cold that day. Always tip the performer they do this for a living in most cases and if they are good, then most deserving of your gratitude for their efforts.

As it winds its way north into Montana , the Yellowstone River serves as a living, breathing artery of the American West. Free from the constraints of dams for its entire 671-mile journey, it remains one of the last truly wild rivers in the lower 48 states.

Within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, the river's character shifts with dramatic elegance. The river's most iconic spectacle occurs at the Grand Canyon of the the Yellowstone where it crashes over a 109 ft. upper falls and then plunges 308 ft at the lower falls.

The mist rising from these depths creates a near-mythical atmosphere against canyon walls painted in vivid shades of yellow, orange, and red by ancient volcanic minerals.

Between its more turbulent stretches, the river meanders peacefully through Hidden Valley (seen above) offering a quiet mirror to the vast Montana sky. In the early morning, a veil of fog often rests upon the water, enhancing the sense of a timeless, untouched landscape.

As it prepares to leave the park near Gardiner, Montana, the river narrows into the rugged Black Canyon, a secluded area where the power of the water is felt in every roar against the dark stone. Exiting the park's North Entrance, the Yellowstone flows into Paradise Valley. Here, it glides between the towering mountain ranges, its banks lined with cottonwoods and frequented by elk, bald eagles, and grizzly bears.

The iconic Yellowstone River most deservingly earns it’s reputation as THE GATEWAY TO PARADISE.

William (our youngest son) was just as surprised as we were last night and came home with a very large (19") trophy from the St. John Ambulance Brigade Division 59C/D. The George B. Lamont Award for Most Outstanding Regular Member.

He really is dedicated and most deserving.

~the 2008 plate with his name is on the right side of the base~

On this particular day this was quite the encounter. This is a stretch of Armand Bayou that flows by Bay Area Park and sometime there are some interesting characters perched on the old branches and trees that the visitors enjoy perching in. The winds were tolerable without a lot of chop on the water, so the canoe wasn’t bobbing up and down like a cork with a fish on the line. I was able to get a decent capture of this Brown Pelican as I drifted up to his position. I should have backed off but he/she launched not long after I captured this shot.

Have decided to attempt a test run tomorrow and hope things go smoothly. The winds are supposed to be light, which is always a plus when it comes to canoeing. Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.

DSC06028uls

La palme de la mère la plus méritante

Female goosander and her 18 chicks. Half of the eggs were probably laid by another female in the mother's nest.

Femelle harle bièvre et ses 18 canetons. La moitié des oeufs furent probablement pondus par une autre femelle dans le nid de la mère.

Oh yes, tulips are most deserving at the Tulip Festival, but I am sure this lovely old bus has stories of it's own to tell. I think we should name it "Further" in honor of Ken Kesey's old bus from the '60's era. Thank you for your warm visits my friends!

Night Photography on the Alps

This is the Cadin della Neve, Cadini di Misurina (Dolomites), the place where I've mounted my tent in the only "flat" available spot between stones.

The patches of snow and ice have provided me all the water needed for drinking and cooking :-)

Finding the right strategic place - and spending the night right there - is the most effective way that allows me to seek for particular pictures during the most deserving hours of the day.

Usually it's necessary to wait hours to get the right light conditions, or, at least, have the opportunity to frame a very special moment that allows to respectfully document the place and, at the same time, does not fall within the classic cliché of the "vacation photo".

In fact, starting from the evening, also this couloir proved to be quite a lovely photogenic subject, especially because its top is pointing exactly to the south, so at night you can see the Milky Way straight wedged inside the canyon! A real show and a severe environment that doesn't happen to see every day.

Here you can find many other night shots

Instagram @roberto.bertero

Personal Website

_____________________

©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

Badwater – the lowest point in North America, the hottest point in the world. An expansive ocean of salt and mud forms cracked patterns extending hundreds of square miles across the valleys, embraced by staggering mountain ranges standing many thousands of feet above on all sides, each filled with beautiful secluded canyons just waiting to be explored.

These salt flats are covered with myriad patterns and textures of all scales from the microscopic to the expansive, white crystals inches long filling dried pools where rainwater once sat, and massive mud formations extending towards the horizon in places as far as the eye can see. Each year the formations morph to form ever more unique masterpieces of form and texture, resembling the surfaces of alien planets.

As I stood there, my jaw dropped in awe at the majesty of the spectacle that was unfolding before me. I couldn't believe I was really there, really experiencing that sunset in that incredibly vast and special place. It was about 80F, and the refreshing wind was blowing strong, as the sun dropped below the Panamint Range below Telescope Peak, the highest point in Death Valley National Park, towering 11,300 feet above me, just a few miles to the west. Of all the places I've visited, perhaps Death Valley is the place most deserving of the term, "magical."

This particular area on the salt flats is many miles in, near the back side of the playa, far, far away from the trampled tourist attractions on the edges of the playa that most people visit there. I was entirely alone for hours out there, never a soul in sight. The silence was palpable, the vastness overwhelming.

The tiles you see here are flat, white, and hard, covered in translucent white salt crystals, which reflect the blue sky above them, creating the cold bluish hues you see here. You are viewing them from about 3 feet above, looking slightly downwards. Each tile is about 3-6 feet in width, and only a hundred feet away, the patterns are entirely different.

I've titled many of my photographs with "Magic" But I must say, I think this one is the most deserving. My little sister and I found these plants that, when you shake them, shed tons of tiny..pieces of magic? Well I had a lot of fun shooting this. There were lots of outakes that she didn't look too flattering in though. Thank goodness I got one with a decent looking facial expression!

Hope you are all have, and are still having, a lovely Tuesday.

Look at this woman - Let us never forget!

The world hasn't just become wicked...it's always been wicked.

The prize doesn't always go to the most deserving.

Her name is Irena Sendler

She Died 12 May 2008 (aged 98) in Warsaw, Poland

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a plumbing/sewer specialist.

She had an 'ulterior motive'.

She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger children).

She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.

The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the infants' noises.

During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 children/infants.

She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family.

Most had been gassed. Those children she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize.

She was not selected.

President Obama won one year before becoming President for his work as a community organizer for ACORN

Al Gore won also --- for a slide show on Global Warming.

In MEMORIAM - 63 YEARS LATER

We're doing our small part by posting this message.

I hope you'll consider doing the same...

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.

This posting stands as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, more than ever, with Iran, and others, claiming the HOLOCAUST to be 'a myth'.

It's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

Share this posting and be a link in the memorial chain and help us distribute it around the world.

It will only take you a minute to pass this along...

The Almo Collegio Borromeo is a private university hall of residence (collegio) in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. It is classified as a "highly qualified Cultural Institute" by the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and is the oldest such institution remaining in operation in Italy. Together with Collegio Ghislieri – with which a sharp goliardic rivalry has developed during the centuries – it is one of two colleges in Pavia with historical heritage. The building that houses the college was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, and overlooks the Ticino, surrounded by landscaped gardens and the Borromeo Gardens. Vasari described it as a "palace of knowledge" ("palazzo per la Sapienza").

The college selects students of the University of Pavia through a rigorous public competition based on tests taken annually. The services offered by the college are not limited to food and housing, but rather are focused on providing training in parallel and integrated with the university: for example, CEGA (Center for General and Applied Ethics) is hosted by the college; along with conferences, presentations of books on current affairs, hosting the chair in theology, and offering countless moments of reflection, in addition to the ever-rich artistic and musical seasons in the life of the college. The college also offers various exchange programmes, with institutions such as Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.

Collegio Borromeo was founded in 1561 by the estate of cardinal St. Charles Borromeo which aimed to create an institution to accommodate young promising students experiencing economic hardship. This is still the aim of the Fondazione Collegio Borromeo. On May 10, 2009, the Women's Section was opened in the presence of Minister Mariastella Gelmini and Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi; it is intended to accommodate approximately fifty of the most deserving female students from the University of Pavia.

The student rooms are divided according to the sides of the building: "Piazza" ("Square") on the western side, facing Piazza Borromeo, "Giardino" ("Garden") on the south side, "Vicolo" ("Lane") on the north side, looking onto Via Cardinal Tosi. The east side is called "Richini", as it is situated on a seventeenth-century garden designed by Francesco Maria Richini, and houses two auditorium-style rooms ("White Room" and "Mural Room") with private upstairs rooms for guests. The rooms are also divided into several levels: "Mezzanino" (mezzanine), "Nobile" (piano nobile), "Paradiso" (second mezzanine) and "Iperuranio" (attic). Also on the south side are "Sangiovannino alto" and "basso" ("Upper" and "Lower"), saved from the Church of San Giovanni in Borgo before demolition in the nineteenth century.

College admission follows an open, meritocratic competition divided into a variety of assessments; only those who have obtained a minimum score of 80 in their graduation exam may apply for the admissions competition. This competition is now run in conjunction with the Scuola Superiore Studi Pavia IUSS, the School for Advanced Studies, of which the Almo Collegio Borromeo is a founding member and, indeed, the admission test is valid for access to IUSS courses to the extent of space reserved for the college. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the gaining a place at Borromeo does not automatically secure a place in IUSS: although it is not the norm, there are students of Borromeo who are not students of IUSS, as the rankings of the IUSS competition and the Borromeo competition are separate and follow different criteria (distinguishing different classes and thresholds).

The first part of the competition includes a written test administered by the IUSS, divided into the following disciplines: Italian, Latin, History, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry problems were recently introduced. One can choose the track and the exercises regardless of the degree course chosen and can obtain a maximum score of 20 points from this written test. Those obtaining a minimum score of 12 points in the written test are invited to two oral examinations. In these, candidates are tested on the content of their last three years of high school in two subjects of their choice, however relevant to their degree course. The test begins from a topic chosen by the student and listed in the schedule ("tesario"; containing the list of topics to prepare for each discipline). The oral exam can provide up to 60 points, 30 for each interview. Additionally, as part of these tests, the candidate is interviewed by the appropriate college Rector and, in order to gauge the strength of compatible cultural background, he or she has a test of general knowledge and an aptitude interview with a psychologist seeking to determine eligibility for collegiate life. The latter tests have no value for the IUSS competition but contribute 20 points overall towards Borromeo entry. To be eligible, a candidate must achieve the minimum score of 65 points.

To retain their place at the college, students are required to have a university average of at least 27/30, with no marks below 24, and to pass all required exams by the formal closing of the academic year. The ability to speak at least two foreign languages is required, demonstrated through specific, internationally recognized certificates. Students must also attend additional courses required by IUSS or, alternatively, take at least two internal courses per academic year.

This is my first Ramadan without her.

The person who's umbilical chord was once attached to my navel, one who carried me almost 9.5 months (I was a C-section btw) deep within her womb is gone, forever..never to return...never to poke me up from deep slumber at the dead of night so that I can have my "Sehri"...never to sit beside me on the same, simple elliptical table and say grace to the Allmighty before Iftar. She fell, bravely, to the clutches of cancer...during her last few days silent cellular invaders polluted her lever, destroying and mutating every hepatic cell they came across. She wasn't exactly the most deserving person to leave this world...but who am I to judge god's farcical twists,right ? After all the master may twist and turn his marionettes whatever way he pleases :)

I still remain loyal to my faith though, just as I had promised to my naive, simple minded mother.

R.I.P Sufia Sultana

died 7th March 2008

The Cloud Forest Conservatory of the Gardens by the Bay of Singapore has a wonderful section of Orchids. There are huge ones and also very tiny ones for which the gardeners have devised a very helpful system of magnifying glasses. Here, though, is an Orange In-Between, I think a Masdevallia.

There are lots of Masdevallias and a huge following of hybrids. Masdevallia was first used as a scientific name in 1794 by Hipólito Ruiz López (1754-1816) and José Antonio Pavón Jiménez (1754-1840). They were indefatigable botanists, members of a voyage of exploration (1777-1788) to Peru and Chile funded by king Charles III of Spain. Upon their return they published their findings in 1794 and gratefully named this Orchid for José Masdevall Terrades Llobet y Berenguer (?-1801), 'the king's most deserving doctor and a patron of botany'.

Which Masdevallia this is more specifically I don't know: perhaps it's the Hybrid Annette Hall... It's like an Orange Flame in the Jungle!

The creative power of photography... it's stillness brings silence in a most deserving moment.

CALLED: 00/07

"I really like the way this shot turned out, it looks so pretty, I tried switching up my make-up more but I kept my hair colour because I wanted to look like myself in this shot. I know a lot of the girls think I"m the weakest but hopefully I can survive a few more weeks.

This contest has been so fun and I've had such a great experience so far, I really hope I get to go abroad. Most of the girls in the house are nice, I'm probably more quiet than some of the other girls but I guess I don't want to get into arguments with the others. Carmen is so nice and probably one of my best friends in the competition, she takes amazing photos and has been improving a lot and she's on Team Emma, which makes her even better. Fatima is really nice as well, we don't talk a lot even though we're on the same team. I don't think Fatima is quite as good as a lot of the other girls and she's been eliminated before though and she doesn't stand out much to be honest. Sage is really cool and so creative, most of the other girls don't talk to her but after I worked with her on the Polar Opposites challenge, I started getting to know her more, she takes some of the best photos in the competition for sure. Noah is also really nice, I haven't talked to her much only when we're both with Carmen though, she was one of the girls I thought could win at the start. As for Lea and Anahi, I haven't spoken to them much, Lea takes great shots, maybe the best of the girls. Anahi isn't at the top of the pack but her photos are okay I guess.

Most Deserving to Least Deserving to go abroad: Sage, Carmen, Noah, Lea, Fatima, Anahi

Sage is one of the most creative girls and takes killer shots and Anahi doesn't really change her look and doesn't have much versatility and some of her shots look the same."

"Yeah, you know something...Vermont should be beautiful this time of year, with all that snow."

- Danny Kaye as Phil Davis in White Christmas

My wife, my son, and I leave tomorrow to go visit her family in Potsdam, NY over the holidays, so I figured I'd do my "Merry Christmas" post now.

First, admittedly, this shot is a reposting. However, as George Pitarys always correctly points out, shots you posted shortly after first joining Flickr typically haven't been seen by all the followers and friends you've made over the years. So, it may be the first time many of you have seen it!

One of the traditions my wife and I have every Christmas season is watching Irving Berlin's White Christmas. In that movie, Danny Kaye always reminds me a bit of my late grandfather (though no doubt a more youthful version)--the way he used to dress, the way he used to talk ("It's just a scratch" is something I distinctly remember my grandfather saying), etc. Also, like the character Kaye played (Phil Davis), my grandfather was a World War II veteran. The beginning of the movie (set in the European theatre of World War II) especially serves as a reminder that this Christmas season isn't the first where Americans have been through a lot. There was an entire generation--most deservingly now called "The Greatest Generation"--that went before us and seemed to be able to handle hardship a heck of a lot better than we do today. We'd be well served to learn from their example--to not point fingers, but to instead realize we're all on the same page and to look out for each other.

Back to the movie, the plot centers around the characters making a trip to Vermont during the Christmas season. It's one of the things that makes me think of Vermont this time of year. Another thing that makes me think of Vermont during the Christmas season is all the colorful red and green engines Vermont Rail System used to have--especially when you were able to catch them in the snow.

On January 3, 2010, Vermont was hit with a pretty significant snowstorm. The following day, I headed up there with plans to chase the "B&R Job" from Rutland down to North Bennington. However, I was tipped off by friend and VRS conductor Ryan Strong that the B&R Job had the then-dreaded VTR 311 leading, while his train--GMRC 263--had not one but two Green Mountain-painted engines leading. The decision about which train to go after was easy, and I had a most enjoyable day chasing Ryan and 263 down to Chester and back.

Having had to navigate some snowy road conditions between Wallingford and East Wallingford, I was a little late to start the chase. This was my first shot of the day at Ludlow--one of the few times the sun popped out just in time to illuminate the consist.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

GMRC Train 263

Ludlow, Vermont

January 4, 2010

"The worst bankruptcy in the world is the man who has lost his enthusiasm." -- H. W. Arnold

From my archives . . . realized it had never received a six-word-story and is most deserving of it tonight.

The Almo Collegio Borromeo is a private university hall of residence (collegio) in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. It is classified as a "highly qualified Cultural Institute" by the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and is the oldest such institution remaining in operation in Italy. Together with Collegio Ghislieri – with which a sharp goliardic rivalry has developed during the centuries – it is one of two colleges in Pavia with historical heritage. The building that houses the college was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, and overlooks the Ticino, surrounded by landscaped gardens and the Borromeo Gardens. Vasari described it as a "palace of knowledge" ("palazzo per la Sapienza").

The college selects students of the University of Pavia through a rigorous public competition based on tests taken annually. The services offered by the college are not limited to food and housing, but rather are focused on providing training in parallel and integrated with the university: for example, CEGA (Center for General and Applied Ethics) is hosted by the college; along with conferences, presentations of books on current affairs, hosting the chair in theology, and offering countless moments of reflection, in addition to the ever-rich artistic and musical seasons in the life of the college. The college also offers various exchange programmes, with institutions such as Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.

Collegio Borromeo was founded in 1561 by the estate of cardinal St. Charles Borromeo which aimed to create an institution to accommodate young promising students experiencing economic hardship. This is still the aim of the Fondazione Collegio Borromeo. On May 10, 2009, the Women's Section was opened in the presence of Minister Mariastella Gelmini and Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi; it is intended to accommodate approximately fifty of the most deserving female students from the University of Pavia.

The student rooms are divided according to the sides of the building: "Piazza" ("Square") on the western side, facing Piazza Borromeo, "Giardino" ("Garden") on the south side, "Vicolo" ("Lane") on the north side, looking onto Via Cardinal Tosi. The east side is called "Richini", as it is situated on a seventeenth-century garden designed by Francesco Maria Richini, and houses two auditorium-style rooms ("White Room" and "Mural Room") with private upstairs rooms for guests. The rooms are also divided into several levels: "Mezzanino" (mezzanine), "Nobile" (piano nobile), "Paradiso" (second mezzanine) and "Iperuranio" (attic). Also on the south side are "Sangiovannino alto" and "basso" ("Upper" and "Lower"), saved from the Church of San Giovanni in Borgo before demolition in the nineteenth century.

Here the most deserving and best known Pisans received burial.

'So it's now down to the final seven which is pretty cool I guess! Shame I didn't do so great last week, can't say I wasn't expecting it though. I really hope I get through to next week as we're going overseas!

Really hope I can make it overseas!' Carmen xoxo

I might do another option, I feel like this is kinda off idk