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La sardana és una dansa popular catalana i és el ball nacional de Catalunya. Es balla en cercle i corresponent amb ritme i dinàmiques a la música d'una cobla. El nom pot fer referència tant al ball com a la música.
Un nombre indeterminat de balladors formen un cercle agafant-se de les mans i mirant al centre, ballant en rotllana cap a dreta i esquerra amb tempo canviant, encara que principalment lent i concentrat. Els components han de ser preferiblement parelles formades per home-dona però només cal un mínim de dues persones agafades per les mans per considerar que ja han creat una rotllana. La sardana és una dansa no excloent, de manera que qualsevol persona pot afegir-se individualment o en parella en qualsevol moment del ball (a no ser que es tracti d'un concurs o una exhibició).
El ball és més complicat del que sembla. Els balladors han de comptar el número de passos, així com identificar els canvis de ritme, de volum i d'altres motius musicals per a interpretar-ho correctament amb els passos, amb recursos com el salt, passos de moviment més ample, etc.
La música de la sardana és tocada per una cobla, consistent en 12 instruments tocats per 11 músics. Quatre d'aquest instruments (tenora, tible, flabiol i tamborí) són instruments típicament catalans; els altres són més convencionals (contrabaix, trompeta , trombó i fiscorn). La música de la sardana (que forma part del que genèricament es coneix per música de cobla) té generalment un compàs de 6/8 i pot ser escoltada en forma de concert. Algunes composicions afegeixen un acompanyament coral. Hi ha més de 25.000 partitures per sardana però només les versions instrumentals són usades per ballar.
La sardana fou prohibida durant la dictadura de Franco com a símbol nacional.
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castellano
La Sardana es una danza en grupo y en círculo, que se baila generalmente en Cataluña, Andorra y la llamada Cataluña francesa (Rosellón). Los participantes se cogen de las manos por parejas, entendiendo como pareja un hombre que coge con la mano derecha a una mujer, que resulta por lo tanto en un patrón alterno de hombre-mujer-hombre-mujer. Por lo que se refiere a la longitud de una sardana, hay sardanas de 7 y de 10 "tirades", que tienen unas estructuras definidas de pasos "curts" (cortos) y "llargs" (largos). Una variedad menos usual es la sardana revessa, una sardana donde es muy difícil encontrar el tiraje (número de compases que tiene la música) por lo que un miembro del grupo lo calcula a partir de peños motivos musicales y sus diferencias. Parte del éxito de la sardana como danza social radica en su carácter de danza abierta que admite un número altamente variable de parejas y que, al menos a nivel público, no requiere especiales condiciones físicas para su práctica, aunque no es así cuando se trata del "Bàsic d'Honor", la competición de sardanas nacional de Cataluña.
La sardana tiene su origen en la isla de Cerdeña donde se baila un baile típico hace siglos que se llama "Su passu torrao" entre otras modalidades. De allí se la trajeron los catalanes en sus viajes junto a Alfonso el Magnánimo en pleno renacimiento. Comenzó a resurgir tras varios siglos en las comarcas del norte de Cataluña, específicamente en la zona que va del Rosellón a La Selva, pasando por el Ampurdán, que era donde tenía más arraigo y fuerza. Su popularidad y extensión crecieron considerablemente en las últimas décadas del siglo XIX. Aunque el momento de su aparición permanece desconocido, existen testimonios de su popularidad desde el siglo XVI. La composición de la cobla y la coreografía actual de la danza fueron fijadas y unificadas en el siglo XIX, aunque persisten variantes y usos locales. Algunos expertos teorizan que la sardana tiene dos mil años de antigüedad, pero estas teorías tienen hoy en día pocos adeptos.
Aunque en su origen la música fue tocada por solistas o mínimas agrupaciones instrumentales de composición variable, la sardana es tocada actualmente por una cobla (una banda de viento con contrabajo), que consta de 12 instrumentos tocados por 11 músicos. Cuatro de estos instrumentos (tenora, tible, flabiol y tamboril) son instrumentos típicamente catalanes o versiones diferenciadas sólo usadas en Cataluña. Los otros (trompeta, trombón, fiscorno y contrabajo) son más convencionales.
Aunque su repertorio incluía diversas danzas sociales europeas de la época (vals, mazurka), corresponde principalmente a Pep Ventura la formación actual de la cobla y la estabilización del patrón rítmico fundamental en torno al compaseo en 6/8. Muchas sardanas tienen letra, pero sólo las versiones instrumentales suelen ser usadas para bailar.
En Cataluña y Rosellón, existen aproximadamente ciento treinta coblas activas, la mayor parte de las cuales no son profesionales. La única cobla existente fuera del territorio catalán es la Cobla La Principal, en Ámsterdam (Países Bajos).
Existen dos modos básicos de marcar los pasos la llamada empordanesa y la selvatana. Hasta la década de 1920, la variante empordanesa se caracterizaba también por mantener constantemente los brazos en posición alzada.
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English
The sardana (Catalan plural sardanes) is a type of circle dance typical of Catalonia.
There are two main types, the original sardana curta (short sardana) style and the more modern sardana llarga (long sardana), which is more popular. Other more unusual sardanas are the sardana de lluïment and the sardana revessa.
Nobody knows when the sardana originated, but it has been popular since the 16th century. Some believe the sardana is two thousand years old, but such theories have few adherents. Modern choreography was established as late as the end of the 19th century and features slight differences from the original North-Catalonian dance. Pep Ventura's band is credited for stabilizing different variants around a clear 6/8 rhythm and fixing the instrumental ensemble. Though some Iberian and Mediterranean circle dances follow similar patterns, instrumental music for the sardana has achieved a complexity of its own. As a non-performance dance, sardana does not require special fitness. Moreover, the circle can be opened to a highly variable number of dancers.
Music for the sardana is played by a cobla, a band consisting of 10 wind instruments, double bass and a so called "tamborí" (very small drum) played by 11 musicians. The cobla has five woodwind instruments: The flabiol is a kind of Block flute. The tenora and the tible (two of each) belong to the oboe family. These instruments plus the tamborí are typical of Catalonia. The brass instruments include: two trumpets, two fiscorn (a tipe of saxhorn created by Adolph Sax during the 19th century), and one keys-trombone. The double bass is normally a three-goat-stringed one.
In Spanish and French Catalonia about one hundred and thirty coblas are active, most of which are amateur orchestras. Outside Catalonia there is one more cobla: Cobla La Principal d'Amsterdam.
Many sardanas have lyric versions and were widely sung in the 20th century, but mostly instrumental versions are used for dancing.
"Inspiration" is what our little rescue Annie brought to our senior dog, Boo. Her effervescence brought out the puppy in our old girl and she learned how to really play with a doggie friend for the first time in her life. Boo is 14 and can still run like the wind, and although she might pull a few tricks out of her natural herding bag like cutting corners, she can keep up with her little youngster friend (who's a fast little bullet herself for being so low to the ground!). Thanks, Annie!! You've changed all our lives for the better.
Inspiration texture by temari09
phoebe texture by kim klassen
all that glitters by thebline.amy bethune
glitter II brushes by obsidiandawn
Best: View On Black
A little blue heron photographed Sat. March 31st in the backwoods of south Louisiana.
Flickr member Scott Schexnaydre and I went out in his boat and we spent the morning shooting pics.
We had great weather and I enjoyed the trip!
Scott has a great Flickr site and his images can be found here:
Best Viewed Large Size On Black
I always feel weird when I go shooting in the middle of the night alone. The little kid in me seems to have some fear and respect for the dark of night. Last night, the little kid's voice in my head was going overtime trying to talk me out of going to the coast to shoot this image. I finally at length decided this voice is useless (mostly). I feel much better now.
I mean, after all, next month I'll be trotting all over the place all by myself in dangerous conditions across the central plains, both day and night, and so I better grow a pair now if I'm going to ever respect myself. Seriously, I'm now glad I listened the my inner sense of reason.
Once I was at the lighthouse, it was about Midnight and the wind was howling and cold. I got my jacket on, and went to my camera bag and discovered I left my remote at home once again. The moonlight was plenty strong, so I knew I'd get a shot, but I wanted to try some real long exposures, and now it wasn't going to happen. The atmosphere was quiet, other than the crashing waves against the cliffs and the high winds, and I would actually call it peaceful and calming, at least that's how I felt at the time.
I wound up taking all the usual shots, and was feeling sort of frustrated until I came up to the fence line here. Immediately, I knew what I wanted to get. This feels like an Edward Hopper Painting to me. I like the shadows, and the fence-line a lot. Clouds were flying by, and I got some cool shots with blurred clouds, but this shot seemed to sum up the feeling of the night best.
I'm sure glad I didn't chicken out this late evening.
The Monastery of Sant Benet de Bages is a former Benedictine monastery, in the Catalan comarca of Bages. The Romanesque monastery was thoroughly restored at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The monastery was founded about 950 by the noble Salla and his consort Ricarda, of the house of the viscounts of Osona . According to the founding legend, Salla traveled to Rome to have his institution authorized, and to have it depend directly on the Holy See, the usual method for preserving the community from interference from the bishop— in this case of Vic— in whose diocese it lay. The abbey church was consecrated 3 December 972, witnessed by a gathering of notables: Borrell II, Count of Barcelona, the bishops Frugifer of Vic, Guisad of Urgell and Pere of Barcelona, the viscount Guadald of Osona, and three of the four offspring of the recently deceased founder, his son Isarn and the sisters Quíxol and Ego, at the head of witnesses both laymen and priests, in a grand ceremonial recorded in the surviving act of consecration. The community was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and to Benedict of Nursia (Sant Benét in Catalan) founder of the order, and Peter and Andrew, all guarantors of its future orthodoxy. The founder secured dispensations that the future abbots would be chosen from among their descendents, making the abbey a form of proprietary church, an agreement that would soon lead to disputes among the various branches of their lineage as to choice of abbots.
From 965, the abbey church held the supposed relics of Saint Valentine, enclosed in a wooden reliquary with plates of silver depicting miracles of Saint Valentine, which was rediscovered in 1863 in the church of Navarcles. At the beginning of the eleventh century the monastery passed under the direction of the Abbey of Saint Peter of Tomeras at Narbonne, from which the community freed itself in 1108. In 1125 Sant Benet de Bages suffered from an attack by Moors that required a rebuilding, financed by local nobles who required in return the right to be buried in its consecrated ground. The most splendid age of Sant Benet de Bages was in the fourteenth century, until the Black Death left the community with only two survivors, in a period that witnessed the beginning of its decline. On 9 November 1593, by order of Pope Clement VIII the community passed under the direction of the Abbey of Montserrat, and remained so until it was suppressed in 1820, serving as a place of retirement for Montserrat's community of monks. By the "law of desamortización" of 1835, all religious orders in Spain were required to render upo their possessions. The crumbling ancient structure attracted the interest of intellectuals who organised visits to it in the late nineteenth century. The architect Puig i Cadafalch and the painter Ramon Casas encouraged the mother of Casas to buy the property in 1907; in 1910 it passed into the hands of Casas, who commissioned Puig i Cadafalch to restore it. Since 2000, when it was purchased from Casas' heirs it has belonged to the Caixa de Manresa, a financial institution that has undertaken its maintenance.
"I've never been so pleased to see a ceiling," he said.
Virtually the first words out of his mouth when my step-mum and I went in to see him after his operation late on Thursday evening.
After the relative high of leaving hospital and getting home for his birthday last week, this week was all about the build up to his carotid endarterectomy. And as the week drifted by, dad drifted a little further within himself; the risks and understandable fears of what was quickly galloping towards him looming large.
The morning of the operation began early, the hospital taxi duly arrived. My step-mum apparently offered to carry his bag. He politely declined, picked it up himself, strode off down the path, into the waiting car and away. My step-mum, slightly shocked, waved at the back of his head. He didn't say goodbye. He didn't look back. It's astonishing to think that could've been their last moment together.
Later he shrugged the moment off, "I don't like goodbyes. Besides, I was being positive. I had every intention of coming back." He's an unusual character all right, my dad.
The scar and associated bruising, as you can see, make him look the victim of a particularly brutal werewolf attack. However, given the relative invasiveness and delicacy of the operation, his recovery, again, is quietly remarkable; also a wonderful testament to the skills of the surgeon, Mr Neary. [Who, the day before, was so calm before the operation, he sat on the edge of the desk talking to my parents swinging his legs back and forth like a small boy.] You've got a special place in the hearts of this family, Mr Neary. Now, pull your socks up, tuck your shirt in and go tidy your room!
Twitter: Anatomy Of A Stroke
For Tato C (Gustavo)
You can visit his stream here: www.flickr.com/photos/tatoc/
From my archives. Awesome to watch the raw sensuality of tango music and dance and to see the passion in the eyes and movement of the tango dancers in La Ventana Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentine tango is a social dance and a musical genre that originated in Argentina and Uruguay, the area of the Rio de la Plata.[1]
Argentine tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras, and in response to the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. Even though the present forms developed in Argentina and Uruguay, they were also exposed to influences re-imported from Europe and North America. [... ].
Argentine tango is danced in an embrace that can vary from very open, in which leader and follower connect at arms length, to very closed, in which the connection is chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_tango
Cheers and thanks for visiting.
[explored!]
i was sitting on my bed in my favorite red sweats and an old hoodie
i was on the edge of the right side, the left side screaming for warmth.
the left side confused.
the left side lacking.
my phone buzzed
the only faint reminder that i was still living on this miserable planet.
"look out your window"
there was no name on the screen. this person was foreign.
i rolled over and looked at the clock
1:34 AM
i'd been laying there since 7 pm, trying to think of something new to think about, but it seemed that everthing had been covered already, at some point,
in the course of my sixteen years.
i was fading, minute by minute, away from everything i'd ever created, ever worked for, ever hoped for.
but now, i was awake.
i pulled back my anthropologie faded quilt,
and tip toed to the windows, which were outlined with smooth silver lines from the soft moonlight.
his car was outside.
him.
the boy.
the boy who was the only boy i ever felt for.
the only boy who ever new me.
and the only boy who ever left.
the boy who i'd almost forgotten.
when i reached his car i saw his face. it was silk.
his hair flowed gently across his perfectly round head.
he offered a huge grin, which lit up his eyes immediately.
the spark of the movement flew into me.
and i remembered who we were.
i climbed in, shivering, in the dark.
he grabbed a wool blanket from the back, and carefully tucked it around me, managing to make breathtaking eye contact at the exact same time.
let's escape, he said.
it's time.
all you have to do is breathe now.
all you have to do is breathe.
and we drove.
I don't usually do people shots, or portraits for that matter. I take and post pictures here in my stream primarily to my own liking. If I think the shot makes me happy, then that's all that matters (not that your wonderful comments and faves don't send me to flickr heaven. Oh, they do. And I always, always appreciate every single one of them. (",) you guys rock!).
Portraits are different. The idea of somebody else's --- the subject's --- opinion weighing in on the shot is too much pressure for me. What may look good in my eyes may not necessarily be so for the subject. I can be a people pleaser at times, so taking shots of others and them actually appreciating it, means so much to me.
And when they display my shots of them as profile pics on facebook, multiply or friendster, my heart dances a lil bit inside.
***
by the way, this is Em, a new travel buddy I met on my last trip. She takes pretty pictures too with a camera that has way too many buttons. :D
Thank you for all of the views, awards, comments and faves. They are greatly appreciated.
This is a Douglas DC-3 (C-47 military version) used by the Israeli Airforce (IAF) for training paratroopers. The DC 3 was manufactured in Santa Monica, California, Long Beach, Califonia and Oklahoma City. This aircraft is currently being reconstructed by the current owner.Although it is on the apron adjacent to the Camarillo Museum the aircraft is not one that is owned by the C.A.F.
This is the only image in this set on which I did not use textured overlays. There is, however, also a textured version. If you like you can compare this original (a single RAW processed with PS CS-5 and Dynamic Photo HDR software and saved as a jpeg) with the earlier overlaid image. This is my favorite image in the series.
For those wanting the technical data as follows: The shot was hand held and taken with a Nikon d90, Tamron 18-270 lens at 32mm. Manual mode, manual focus. Exposure 1/640 of a second at f13, ISO 200 -4/3 E.V. No filters on the lens.
© Lawrence Goldman 2011, All Rights Reserved
This work may not be copied, reproduced, republished, edited, downloaded, displayed, modified, transmitted, licensed, transferred, sold, distributed or uploaded in any way without my prior written permission.
Best viewed large on black or white.
A quarry @ Halibut Point, Rockport, MA. 65°F in January. The ocean is actually visible between the trees to the right. Always a nice place to see a sunset but this was just spectacular.
I've been told there are a pair of freshwater eels that live here.
This is an HDR spanning -3 to +3EV, processed and tone mapped in Photomatix. I try to make my HDR shots look as close as possible to the scene I viewed and the view really was this amazing. I only applied moderate ("normal") contrast and pretty light unsharp mask..
-Added to the Cream of the Crop pool as my personal favorite.
- large -
Where: Sweden, Östergötland, Bjärka säby. google maps
When: 20100619
How and why: The green fern unfolding like a flower, the blue river, the calm...
Editing: HDR tone mapped
It is in the municipal area of El Port de la Selva in the province of Girona, Catalonia. It has been constructed in the side of the Verdera mountain below the ruins of the castle of Sant de Verdera that had provided protection for the monastery. It offers an exceptional views over the bay of Llançà, to the north of Cap de Creus. Near the monastery Santa Creu de Rodes is the ruins of a medieval town, of which its preRomanesque style church is the only remains dedicated to Saint Helena.
The true origin of the monastery is not known, which has given rise to speculation and legend; such as its foundation by monks who disembarked in the area with the remains of Saint Peter and other saints, to save them from the Barbarian hordes that had fallen on Rome. Once the danger had passed the Pope Boniface IV commanded them to construct a monastery.The first documentation of the existence of the monastery dates 878, it being mentioned as a simple monastery cell consecrated to Saint Peter, but it is not until 945 when an independent Benedictine monastery was founded, prevailed over by an abbot. Bound to the County of Empúries it reached its maximum splendor between the XI and XII centuries until its final decay in 17th century. Its increasing importance is reflected in its status as a point of pilgrimage.
In the 17th Century XVII it was sacked in several occasions and in 1793 was deserted by the benedictine community which was transferred to Vila-sacred and finally settled in Figueres in 1809 until it was dissolved.The monastery was declared a national monument in 1930. In 1935 the Generalitat of Catalonia initiated the first restoration work. The buildings are constructed in terraces, given its location. Cloisters of XII century form the central part of the complex. Around them the rest of constructions are distributed. The Church, consecrated in the year 1022, is the best exponent of the Romanesque style and without comparison with others of its time. Detailing features plants with three bays and a vault. These are bordered by a double column with capitals influenced by the Carolingian Style. The double column support arches separating the bays. The columns and pillars have been taken from a former Roman building. The bay is splendid with large dimensions with an arch in the apse, this is continued in the two lateral bays. Under the apse is a crypt. The church synthesizes a number of original styles including Carolingian, Romanesque and Roman. The monastery is considered one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Catalonia. In the western facade of the monastery is a XII Century bell tower, a square shape it is influenced by the lombards from the previous century. To the side is a defensive tower, that was probably began in the X Century but finished later after several modifications.
Better in large
Míconos (em grego, Μύκονος, Mykonos) é uma ilha da Grécia. Faz parte do arquipélago das Cíclades, um grupo de ilhas do Mar Egeu. Tem uma área de 86 km² e uma elevação máxima de 364 m. É composta principalmente de rocha de granito e tem pouca água. Tinha uns 6200 habitantes em 2002. A maior cidade da ilha é Míconos, também conhecida por Hora, situada na costa oeste da ilha.
Mykonos (Greek: Μύκονος) is a Greek island and a tourist destination, renowned for its cosmopolitan character and its intense nightlife. The island is part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Siros, Paros and Naxos. It spans an area of 105.183 km2 (41 sq mi) and rises at an elevation of 341 m (1,119 ft) at its highest point. The island is composed primarily of granite. It has little natural fresh water and relies on the desalination of sea water in order to meet its needs. There are 9,320 inhabitants (2001) most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, a common denomination in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town), which lies on the west coast.
It is believed that the island was named after a local hero, who is considered an offspring of the god Apollo and was worshipped locally in antiquity.
Light show in Beaubourg by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist, called "A la belle étoile". The 10mn show will be projected every night from 7pm to 8am until Feb. 26. Tip: pretend you're going to the restaurant on the 6th floor and stop at the 5th floor, which is opened and from where you can see the show from above without any glasses interfering :-) The previous link is also offering a webcam of the show.
Part of A la belle étoile
S Club 7 Live ~ At the O2 In London ~ England ~ Saturday May 16th 2015.
Click here to see My most interesting images
Purchase some of my images here ~ www.saatchionline.com/art/view/artist/24360/art/1259239 ~ Should you so desire...go on, make me rich..lol...Oh...and if you see any of the images in my stream that you would like and are not there, then let me know and I'll add them to the site for you..:))
You can also buy my WWT cards here (The Otter and the Sunset images) or in the shop at the Wetland Centre in Barnes ~ London ~ www.wwt.org.uk/shop/shop/wwt-greeting-cards/sunset-at-the...
Have a great Week Ya'll..:)
wow, I can still see after all that work! (see last photo if you do not know what I mean...) but now I am off to another 12 hour shift... shudder... at least I love my job taking care of these 6 elders!!! They are like my moms and dads!
update... it is now 9am on Monday, and I am running away once more to the mountains, and no work today or "fingers crossed" Tomorrow! woo woo, more time to play... and next coming up in Bird Creek Meadows we are starting to see RED foliage on the low growth alpine huckleberry plants! oh dear... so pretty, but it means SNOW is right around the corner up there, and no more trips to my fave spot after another month!
so I am gonna run and enjoy it all... thank you all SOO MUCH for the wonderful comments, awards, faves, invites... sorry I am not taking time today to put it in all the groups, but the mountains are calling my name! You understand....
so see ya in a couple days! **beaming love to my Flickr Friends"
and thanks to all of you for this being in Explore Aug 26 #162!
A tale of escape, from Lands of Classic Castle. PART 1: Return of the Ice Wizard.
“Sir Caelan, Baron of Munro,” he thought to himself, “big deal now.” He held up the chains around his wrists to look at them. The chains were old and rusty, but not so worn that he could bust them apart, try as he had. Even if he could, they were also fastened onto a longer chain spiked into the stone pillar behind him. “Baron Stupid,” he cursed himself.
What a fine mess indeed. His intuition had practically screamed for him not to attend the new Queen’s coronation, but he ignored his friend Tavish’s gut feelings as well and went anyway. Worse, he had brought Lady Kenzie along as his “date”. Why? He realized now it was vanity. The title had gone to his head. ‘Couldn’t skip the coronation as a new Baron’, and all that uppity rubbish. Even though the Queen had obviously been all-too perfect to be real.
He had at least been suspicious enough to arrange for some help should he not report back to the mainland in 24 hours. He had instructed Tavish to come over at night in a small boat with a few of his Lenfald Scout Snipers if he didn’t show. That time had come and gone now by at least six hours, and what good was it anyway? Impossible for such a small force to break in and find him. And what of Lady Kenzie? He thought she might be in a cell near him as he had heard her voice, but still...
Feeling quite foolish as he stood there in the cold, he also had come to realize something even worse. He had an “old friend” here somewhere in this castle. No, not the two other prisoners also held in this chamber, one reasonable older Garhim named Jorvik, and a Loreesi whom he would dislike even if Loreos hadn’t recently pillaged his country, named Sir Erliss. No, it was none other than the Ice Wizard himself, old Jens Valtyr.
For after bringing down Valtyr during the attack on the Magic Isles the previous year, instead of killing him, Tavish and Caelan had made a present of him to King Wenseclaus, right here in this very castle. The King had decided to put off capital punishment and instead had the Ice Wizard imprisoned - somewhere in this dungeon complex he was in now! And being an agent of the Outlaws, clearly he would have been freed by the newly revealed evil Queen. She would need all the help she could get to take Roawia over, and Valtyr was effective. Caelan had felt the brutally icy blow that Valtyr could deliver, and the memory of it gave him a shiver now.
But it also got him thinking. And suddenly…
“Jorvik,” Sir Caelan looked over to the next pillar at the gruff Northerner, “confirm something for me will you? When metal is cooled down to severe freezing, doesn’t it get brittle? You Garhim should know about that, right?”
“Hmmm,” Jorvik nodded in that typical aloof mannerism of his people, “but what of it lad? It’s not gonna get dat cold ‘ere! Ever. Even if it did, we’d long be dead a’ freezin’ before. Forget it.”
No, Caelan wouldn’t forget it and he thought for a long while until the guard came in with plates of food for them. The moment the guard entered, Caelan started in conversation mid-stream, as if he had been jawing for hours. He stated to Jorvik in particular, “So if the Ice Wizard knew I was here, I would be in the worst way you see, as I’m the one who put him here in the first place! What’s this garbage?” Caelan asked the guard, staring at the plate of food being offered as imperiously as he could. “This isn’t food, you swine! It may be fit for you but not us!” And he kicked the plate across the room. “Now get me food suitable for a royal, you cesspit-swill!”
The guard was furious, made a nasty comment about Caelan’s lineage, and stormed out mumbling he knew “how to fix you, by thunder!”
Sir Erliss snarled, “You insolent fool of a Lenfel! Now we get no food!”
Caelan just stared at him. “You’re not very bright are you? You’re head’s like a burnt-out torch.” He then glanced over at Jorvik, but instead of anger, the Garhim was studying him.
“You’re takin’ one nasty gamble there, Lenfel,” he replied in measured tones. “I know of whom you speak, he is from Garheim, and you are most likely a dead man. A frozen dead man.”
“Better to chance the ice than to starve here while the Scum Queen uses me against my own people.”
Sure enough, not a half hour later the locked door was opened and Jens Valtyr, the formidable Ice Wizard, stumped in with the same guard in tow. “Well now, if it isn’t that little fool of a knight come down low, ha ha. I’m lucky to be alive, and my leg never healed properly.” He came closer to Sir Caelan. “I will limp the rest of my life because of you!”
“Must be hard to clean out the Queen’s cesspit then,” Caelan snapped at him as arrogantly as he could sound. “Can’t imagine she’s got you doing anything else as you are such a worthless wizard.”
Valtyr took the bait and Caelan could see him losing control even in the low light of the dungeon. “You Lenfel dog! I am the greatest Ice Wizard in all of Roawia!”
“Exactly. I got your worst and defeated it with a little bit of wood. No, the Queen obviously prefers Fire Wizards. Why do you think she dresses in fire-red and not your pansy-blue?”
That was enough to trip the Ice Wizard into action. As Valtyr sputtered, “You have no wood to cower behind now!” he brought up his hands and cast his Ice Blast before the guard could stop him. But not before Caelan, who was fully prepared for this very thing, jumped backwards, pulling the chain taught. The blast was horrible and slammed against the pillar, covering the chain and shooting cruel streams of freezing ice everywhere. Where it touched him Caelan had frostbite, but he had avoided the worst of it. The chain however was covered, as was his intention.
The guard stepped in to stop the Ice Wizard from a second blast, as the guards were expressly forbidden from killing their important captives, on pain of death from the Queen. With this distraction going Caelan snapped as hard as he could on the chains and they shattered from the spike, leaving a long chain at his disposal for a weapon, and he immediately used it on Jens Valtyr’s head. As the wizard dropped like a rock to the hard ground, Caelan swung again and hit the guard so hard he spun in place and fell against a stool behind him, shattering it. Both men lay motionless.
“Brilliant!” Sir Erliss proclaimed, finally getting the plan.
“You are one lucky Lenfel,” Jorvik just shook his head with chuckle.
“Rather be lucky than good any day,” Caelan swooped down and grabbed the keys off the unconscious guard’s belt. Within minutes both Jorvik and Sir Erliss were free, Caelan had snatched the guard’s crossbow and gave the dagger to the Garheim, and had switched into the guard’s red and black uniform. He let Sir Erliss take the black helmet (as he thought it ugly anyway) and headed for the door. “We must separate. I have to rescue Lady Kenzie, and I can’t ask you to come,” he stated to Jorvik. “And take Dead Torch with you for company,” he gave a nod at Sir Erliss and was out the door, headed down the hallway for where he had heard her voice.
MONTREALERS: DON'T FORGET TO DROP BY... AND SAY HI! ;D
Happy Friday Everyone!
No, I am not celebrating a week's end by having cupcakes for my breaky.
This is to call attention to Cupcake Camp Montreal being held this Sunday at the Bitoque Restaurant in Montreal.
For a $10 donation at the door, you get to indulge in 3 mouthwatering cupcakes and coffee. And, 100% of the proceeds go to "Kids Help Phone", a very worthy cause.
Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only toll-free, national, bilingual, phone and web counselling, referral and information service for children and youth. Whatever the problem, from abuse to the death of a parent, Kids Help Phone is there with professional phone and web-based counselling services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Cupcake Camps have been held around the world to resounding success. With many talented pro bakers in Montreal, like my friend Clever Cupcakes donating their cupcakes for the event, I am sure Montreal's will be a not-to-be-missed event, too.
I volunteered to take photos at this charitable event... so expect more sweet pics! =D
If you're in Montreal this Sunday, why not drop by and join us, for the cause, the fun and the yummies. Bring the whole family to this kid-friendly event... make a date to meet your friends there, or make some new ones.
To find out more about Cupcake Camp Montreal, go to www.cupcakecampmtl.org
+++
In other news, I am racing to get things done, in order to hopefully attend a lighting seminar given by Gary Fong in Old Montreal today... will catch up with your streams, later! Have a great one and as always, thanks so much for stopping by my stream! xx
Mattina ore 6 circa,altra levataccia per cogliere quello che la luce al tramonto, due giorni prima, non mi ha regalato.Forse il fatto di essere li da solo...in verità ci sono altri due pazzi come me, ma il silenzio e l'atmosfera sono tali che riesco ad isolarmi.A tu per tu con la natura, uno di quei momenti che solo certi posti riescono a trasmettere.Il gruppo del Latemar si specchia nel lago di vetro, una carezza per lo sguardo...
About 6 a.m., I wake up early to catch what the light at sunset two days before has not given me. Perhaps the fact to be alone them...in truth there are other two crazy persons as me, but the silence and the atmosphere are such that I succeed in isolating me. A face to face with the nature, one of that moments that only certain places succeed in transmitting. The group of the Latemar is mirrored in the lake of glass, a caress to the eyes .. .( sorry for my bad translate )
I was looking through Barry Hutton's website and made a realisation that I can't post anymore colour shots of Buttermere! This guy has done an incredible job in capturing some stunning light and colours of Lake district, specificly Buttermere! So I am sticking to monochrome! :)
This was a calm but rather dull morning!
Canon 5D, 17-40L @23mm, f/22, 4 seconds, ISO-50,used a 2 stop SE GND
If you like my work you can view my images for sale at Getty images
Copyright © Suddhajit Sen Photography.
This photo may not be used in any form without prior permission. All rights reserved
You can buy a print of this image from here
HDR image processed from 7 exposures with Photomatix Pro.
We visited Neuhausen on the weekend to attend the celebration of its 1100 years birthday. A wonderful place ... the Rheinfall, the castle ... and in the evening even the moon showed up :-)
Used the tripod for this one ... also to capture some fireworks later on in the night.
View in Large and on Black!
Please don't use this image on any media without asking for permission.
© All rights reserved.
Thank you for comments, adding to fav's - and your time :-)
© All Rights Reserved - no usage allowed in any form without my written permission.
This is the last one of a series- "We all fall down" and is taken from the nursery rhyme "Ring around the Rosies." Some believe the nursery rhyme is connected to the Bubonic Plague of England 1665. The "ring around the rosies" refers to the sores and the "pocket full of posies" refers to the flowers carried in the pockets of the dying to conceal the smell. The children skip in a circle holding hands and drop into a heap at "we all fall down."
Ring around the Rosie
Pocket full of Posies
Ashes, Ashes
We all fall down
regional versions vary......
IL MIO VIDEO SU SIENA: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFSjbSviaaw&feature=mfu_in_or...
IL MIO VIDEO SULLA "VAL D' ORCIA": www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEAQfiR50AI
IL MIO SITO: www.mauronizzi.it
Així es va quedar l'Alba quan va contemplar la seva primera posta de sol al Cantàbric.
That's how Alba remained when she admired her first Cantabric sunset.
Playa de Valdearenas, al Parque Natural de las Dunas de Liencres (Bóo de Piélagos).
See where this picture was taken. [?]
Textura: FREE texture from NinianLif
Cunit, Tarragona (Spain).
ENGLISH
The Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Creeper Family, is a family of flowering plants comprising of about 650-750 species in 116-120 genera. Members of the family are mostly trees and shrubs, and more rarely lianas (Podranea and Macfadyena) and herbaceous plants in 116-120 genera. As shrubs, they are twine climbers or tendril climbers, and rarely root climbers.
Other common names for this family include jacaranda family, bignonia family or catalpa family. This family is commonly found as ornamental plants due to their large and often colorful flowers. Important members include the calabash tree (Crescentia cujete) and many genera cultivated in horticulture: Campsis, Catalpa, Jacaranda, Kigelia, Pandorea, Spathodea, and Tabebuia.
More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignoniaceae
----------------------------------------
CASTELLANO
La familia Bignoniaceae, o familia de las vides trompeta es un taxón de plantas de flor compuesta primordialmente de árboles, arbustos, lianas, y de unas pocas hierbas. Los miembros de la familia se distribuyen ampliamente, tanto en el viejo mundo como en el nuevo mundo, distribuidos mayormente en los trópicos y subtrópicos, pero además con un número de especies de zonas templadas.
Más info: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignoniaceae
La Costa Brava, el agreste litoral de la provincia de Girona, cuenta con una villa medieval a pocos kilómetros de su perfil marítimo. Su centro histórico se levanta sobre una colina rodeada de llanuras, que en su origen fue zona pantanosa. Hay que remontarse al siglo IX para encontrar los primeros documentos escritos que hablan de esta población, época a la que pertenece su castillo. Continuos enfrentamientos bélicos hicieron que durante siglos sólo se conservase la Torre del Homenaje de esta construcción defensiva. Se trata de una torre románica de planta circular levantada entre los siglos XI y XIII. Sus 15 metros de altura se asientan sobre una plataforma de roca natural, en la que también se encuentran numerosas tumbas visigóticas. Durante el siglo XV fue empleada como campanario, por lo que se la conoce como la Torre de las Horas. En la actualidad, el solar del castillo lo ocupa la casa de la familia Pi i Figueras, promotor de la restauración del Recinto Gótico de Pals. De factura moderna, esta casa mantiene los mismos rasgos arquitectónicos que el resto de la urbe. Calles empedradas interrumpidas por arcos de medio punto, fachadas con ventanas ojivales y balcones de piedra son los signos distintivos de Pals. La muralla es otro de los lugares que transportan al viajero a la Edad Media. Cuatro torres de planta cuadrada se mantienen aún en pie, a pesar de que datan del siglo XII. Torres con nombre propio como Ramonet, Rom, Xinel·lo y Hospital. Otros puntos de interés son el mirador Josep Pla, la Plaza Mayor, las sepulturas de la calle Mayor y la iglesia de Sant Pere. El escritor palafrugellense da nombre a una de las atalayas naturales, desde donde se divisan los campos del Ampurdán y las islas Medes. Arcos góticos y sepulturas medievales son los otros hitos que encontramos en el camino. Parte de los sillares de piedra del castillo fueron empleados en el siglo X para edificar la iglesia de Sant Pere. En su estructura final se distinguen la base románica, el ábside y nave gótica, y el pórtico y campanario barrocos. La mejor manera de recorrer Pals es perderse por su calles medievales, pero antes de esto merece la pena acercarse a una casa fortificada del siglo XV, sede del Museo de Arqueología Submarina. Entre otras curiosidades, podemos conocer la historia de los vinos y cavas de Cataluña, gracias la exposición permanente que exhibe. A las afueras de la villa se extiende otra parte del municipio de Pals, los Masos de Pals, antiguo conjunto de masías (casas de campo catalanas) que actualmente acogen a un nutrido núcleo urbano. Y en la costa, la playa de Pals. Más de cuatro kilómetros de aguas transparentes donde el viajero podrá disfrutar del benigno clima mediterráneo y de todas las oportunidades de ocio que la Costa Brava ofrece. Campos de golf, deportes náuticos y visitas al Parque Natural Illes Medes son sólo algunas de ellas. Pals también se convierte en una excelente oportunidad para acercarnos a la gastronomía del Baix Ampordà, que aúna productos del mar y la tierra. Las habas y los guisantes de la huerta aparecen junto a esqueixadas (ensalada de bacalao), escalivadas (asado de berenjena, cebolla y pimientos) o guisos de pollo o conejo con marisco. Por su parte, gambas, lubinas y doradas se preparan de multitud de maneras. Entre los postres, las frutas tienen una gran importancia (fresas, melocotones, melones, sandías, naranjas...), y se convierten en verano en helados y sorbetes.
Questions, questions, questions - as long as you feel you are the luckiest girl on Earth... For you, My Love
I don’t put a smile upon your face no more
I can’t make your heart shine like it did before
You don’t listen to my stories anymore
You can’t comfort me the way you did before
Was I too loud, was I too bad
Was I too open
Was I too high, was I too fast
Was I too close
I don’t feel your lips like the first kiss
I’d rather run away than sit to face the truth
Was I too proud, was I too hopeful
Was I too needing
Was I too crazy, was I too long
Was I too giving
No matter how far, no matter how long
I will be there
Cádiz (Spain).
ENGLISH
The expression “to have elf” (tener duende) is used mainly in the Community of Andalusia to designate to the person whom has a special enchantment (synonymous, also of the lexicon Andalusian, to have angel) or whom is enabled for the art in some of its manifestations. The inspiration has often been compared with “elf” hidden that lives in some place of the soul of the artist, to whom it puts in grace state, and that is the one that activates the creative process.
The expression “to have elf” became very popular after its use by the poet Federico Garcia Lorca in a famous speech that had like subject “'duende' in the flamenco art” and in that it praised the artistic virtues and almost magicians of the famous flamenco singer Niña de los Peines.
-------------------------
CASTELLANO
La expresión "tener duende" se utiliza sobre todo en la Comunidad de Andalucía para designar a la persona que tiene un encanto especial (sinónimo, también del léxico andaluz, de tener ángel) o que está capacitado para el arte en alguna de sus manifestaciones. La inspiración se ha comparado muchas veces con un “duende” escondido que habita en algún lugar del alma del artista, al que pone en estado de gracia, y que es el que activa el proceso creativo.
La expresión “tener duende” se hizo muy popular tras su utilización por parte del poeta Federico García Lorca en un célebre discurso que tenía como tema “El duende en el arte flamenco” y en el que alababa las virtudes artísticas y casi mágicas de la famosa cantaora Niña de los Peines.
Fuente: www.elpelao.com/letras/1240.html
Best Viewed On Black or view in Fluidr
One of my favorite things is to drive up and down the Northern California
Pacific coastal highway looking for new areas to photograph. I have
collected a number of shots of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse and swear I will
avoid it this next time but inevitably I stop and take more images and it
seems to always pay off.
As you head south from San Francisco you first get a glimpse of the
lighthouse as you pass around a bend in the road. It grabs your attention
as the area is generally flat. A flashing Coast Guard light replaces the
magnificent 24 beam first order Fresnel lens. Fortunately each November
they revert back to the days of old and light the main 24 beams of light
which extend to the horizon. The lighthouse is one of the tallest on the
California coast and was constructed after the Carrier Pigeon and several
other sailing ships ran aground on the rocks just off shore. Modern
technology has since made the structures obsolete and there is not much of
any effort by the government to maintain the lighthouses. Pigeon Point now
belongs to the State of California and is in a sad state of disrepair which
is why you see the unattractive chain length fence surrounding the base.
When I first visited the lighthouse it was open to the public and I took my
then young kids to the top for a view they still remember to this day. It
was quite a climb to the top up the spiral staircase but once there the view
was stunning. Point Arena Lighthouse looked exactly like this one at
Pigeon Point unit it was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake. It has
since been replaced by a large cement structure that while functional lacks
the beauty of design seen in the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
This image makes a great Windows (and probably Macintosh) desktop
background.
Click here to view the lighthouse on the California Coastal Records Project
Enjoy!
Darv
© Darvin Atkeson
View On Black +F11
Foto realizada desde la terraza de la Casa Asia con Mayte. Tengo una muy similar, subido hace poco, pero con mal tiempo. Así se puede apreciar el cambio cuando hay un buen cielo en Barcelona.
Foto wurde von der Dachterrasse der Casa Asia aus mit Mayte gemacht. Habe ein ähnliches vor kurzem ausgestellt, aber mit schlechtem Wetter. So kann man den Unterschied sehen wenn mal ein schöner Himmel in Barcelona ist.
Photo was taken from the Roof Terrace of the Casa Asia with Mayte. Have a similar recently issued, but with bad weather. You can see the difference when times a beautiful sky in Barcelona.
(will be two weeks out for holydays, see you..)
(Please View LARGE On Black for full effect if you have a moment. Thanks. :) )
Last night, Gregg Cooper and I put off all the other stuff that we were supposed to be doing and headed down to the Disney California Adventure at 10 PM in hopes of catching both Carsland and Buena Vista Street without many people in the shot. As it turned out, we didn't leave until almost 1 AM (the park closed at 11 PM) and we were literally the last two individuals to leave the park for the night. They closed and locked the gates just as we left.
I tried a couple of different ideas for this shot, but I went with mono as it seemed that once you ignore the entrance gates in the background, this could very well be a shot of Oswald's Gas in the 1930's. I went with 1937 specifically as it's the year Snow White premiered and the street is themed to the Carthay Theater/Reastaurant down on the end of the street. That, and the fact that the year is printed on the license plate behind the car. I'm also a huge fan of the great jazz photographer Herman Leonard . Even though he didn't start shooting until 1947, this scene evoked the type of B&W contrast and mood that I've seen in much of his work.
In other news, this is the first shot I've posted using the Nikon D800, which showed up last Monday from Amazon. It was taken using the Nikkor 14-24, 2.8 which showed up on Thursday. I am now officially broke and will be spending my next few weekends standing next to the onramp to the 57 freeway with a sign that says "Spent all of my money on camera gear. Will shoot for food." Keep an eye out for me. With any luck, I should have this stuff paid off by the Summer of 2014. Let's hear it for Amazon's 24 month, 0 percent financing!
The Porta Nigra is a magnificent 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It was given its name (which means "black gate") in the Middle Ages because of its weathered color.
History
The oldest defensive structure in Germany, the Porta Nigra was erected in about 180 AD when the Roman city was surrounded by walls. Trier was a Roman colony from the 1st century AD and then a great trading centre beginning in the second century. It became one of the imperial capitals under the Tetrarchy at the end of the 3rd century, and became known as the "second Rome."
The Porta Nigra is the only one of four Roman gates that still stands in Trier; the others were gradually pillaged for their stone and iron. The Porta Nigra survived because it was used as the humble residence of a hermit monk named Simeon for seven years (1028-35). After his death he was buried in the gate and the structure was transformed into the two-story Church of St. Simeon (lay church on the bottom, monastery church on top).
Napoleon destroyed the church in 1803, but the 12th-century Romanesque apse survived and the entire structure has been restored to its medieval appearance.
What to See
1,700 years after its construction, the Porta Nigra is still impressive at 118 feet long, 70.5 feet wide and 90 feet high. The entire structure is made without mortar - the sandstone blocks are connected only by iron rods. The stone blocks weigh as much as six metric tons each.
Two gateways lead into a small inner courtyard, where unfortunate intruders would be trapped and covered in tar. Above are two tiers of defense galleries with large open windows. It is flanked by two towers, a four-story western tower and the three-story unfinished eastern tower.
Inside, an empty apse at the east end and carvings of church fathers like Irenaeus, Ambrose and Jerome recall the Porta Nigra's use as a church.
Nagoya Castle (Nagoya-jō?) is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, central Japan. During the Edo period, Nagoya Castle was the center of one of the most important castle towns in Japan—Nagoya-juku— and it included the most important stops along the Minoji, which linked the Tōkaidō with the Nakasendō.
Here you can find a lot of information about Nagoya Castle:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagoya_Castle
To get a good shot on the castle you need to climb a tree :-))) The guards didn't like that idea...
Going too close with wide angle gives the wrong perspective of the beautiful roof.
Have a nice week all Flickr friends!
[[explore -- #320]]
If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all OK
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won't be made useless
I won't be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear
My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
Poverty stole your golden shoes
It didn't steal your laughter
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn't ever after
We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
I am never broken
In the end only kindness matters
In the end only kindness matters
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
We are never broken
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's mind
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's heart
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's eyes
We are God's hands
We are God's hands
B/W version 1st commet | Large on black | Link to prints available on my profile page
Yesterday I returned to the scene of the crime to see if that big puddle was still there and if there would be anything nice reflected in it again. It was quite a different scene then the two days before, and I was absolutely delighted to find that this time I didn't need to stand in the puddle in order to get a nice reflection shot, and also that I could shoot in the opposite direction and get a more interesting background (with the closer oak trees and such)
It was kinda crazy, but I literally got out of my car, walked over to this spot, set up the tripod, fired off the camera ... and this is the first shot I took. OMG! It was the first shot I took and when I looked in the viewfinder I couldn't believe how sweet it was. I don't think I got another great shot all afternoon but I really didn't care.
This was also my first time using a tripod for landscape work. Wow. Can't believe the difference. Doesn't it look sharper than my other landscapes? I used to do everything hand-held, then very recently moved on to using a monopod, then after my last sunset shoot I was really wishing I had a tripod so I ordered a good one yesterday (decided to spring for a manfrotto after reading all the reviews). The tripod I used yesterday was my friend's that I borrowed. It was cheap and I was grateful to have it but it made me so happy that I had sprung for a higher-quality one!!
Using a tripod also made me think a LOT more about each shot, and whether or not it was really worth it, which I think will be good for me. I tend to take a lot of mediocre shots just because I can and then when I get home I have to wade through so much junk and do a lot of culling. If I am forced to be more selective about what I shoot I think that will be an improvement!
First attempt for this weeks Twitter Photo Challenge #TwPhCh063
Theme : Splash / Full sprut
What's the first thing photo enthusiast (or maybe it's called a maniac:)) does when he comes to New York? I went directly to B&H Superstore and thought that I had come to heaven, but I managed to buy just the things that I had decided before I came there :)
I had to try the new equipment and this is from the first walk with my new Pentax K-7.
New York has been extremely hot for a while and it's still somewhere between 30-35 °C.
It's very warm and people have to find a way to cool down.
This photo is from a playground in Central Park where the kids had lots of fun and
the grown ups wanted to be kids again :)
Nueva foto con la camera nueva...
Neues Foto mit der neuen Camera...
The Torre Agbar, or Agbar Tower, is a 21st century skyscraper at Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and built by Dragados. It opened in June 2005 and it was inaugurated officially by the King of Spain on 16 September 2005. The Torre Agbar is located in the Poblenou neighborhood of Barcelona and is named after its owners, the Agbar Group, a holding company whose interests include the Barcelona water company Aguas de Barcelona.
According to Nouvel, the shape of the Torre Agbar was inspired by the mountains of Montserrat that surround Barcelona, and by the shape of a geyser of water rising into the air. Jean Nouvel, in an interview, described it as having a phallic character. As a result of its unusual shape, the building is known by several nicknames, such as "el supositori" (the suppository), "l'obús" (the shell) and some more scatological ones.[5] It has 30,000 m² (323,000 ft²) of above-ground office space, 3,210 m² (34,500 ft²) of technical service floors with installations and 8,351 m² (90,000 ft²) of services, including an auditorium. The Agbar Tower measures 144.4 m (473.75 ft) in height[7] and consists of 38 storeys, including four underground levels.
Its design combines a number of different architectural concepts, resulting in a striking structure built with reinforced concrete, covered with a facade of glass, and over 4,500 window openings cut out of the structural concrete. The building stands out in Barcelona; it is the third tallest building in Barcelona, only after the Arts Hotel and the Mapfre Tower, both 154 m (505.25 ft).
A unique feature of the building is its nocturnal illumination. It has 4,500 LED luminous devices that allow generation of luminous images in the facade. In addition, it has temperature sensors in the outside of the tower that regulate the opening and closing of the glass blinds of the facade of the building, reducing the consumption of energy for air conditioning. It will house the head office of the Aigües de Barcelona Group (Spanish: "Aguas de Barcelona", English: "Waters of Barcelona").
"Dances With Birds" www.flickr.com/photos/printmaker_1/
The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States. The Red-winged Blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the Red-winged Blackbird's diet.
The Red-winged Blackbird nests in loose colonies. The nest is built in cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge, or in alder or willow bushes. The nest is constructed entirely by the female over the course of three to six days. It is a basket of grasses, sedge, and mosses, lined with mud, and bound to surrounding grasses, or branches.[7] It is located 7.6 cm (3 in) to 4.3 m (14 ft) above water.[13]
A clutch consists of three or four, rarely five, eggs. Eggs are oval, smooth and slightly glossy, and measure 24.8 x 17.55 mm (1 x .7 in)[13]. They are pale bluish green, marked with brown, purple, and/or black, with most markings around the larger end of the egg. These are incubated by the female alone, and hatch in 11 to 12 days. Red-winged Blackbirds are hatched blind and naked, but are ready to leave the nest 11-14 days after hatching.[6]
Red-winged Blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. However, females frequently copulate with males other than their social mate and often lay clutches of mixed paternity. Pairs raise two or three clutches per season, in a new nest for each clutch.[6]
Predation of eggs and nestlings is quite common. Nest predators include snakes, mink, raccoons, and other birds, even as small as marsh wrens. The Red-winged Blackbird is occasionally a victim of brood parasites, particularly Brown-headed Cowbirds.[9] Since nest predation is common, several adaptations have evolved in this species. Group nesting is one such trait which reduces the risk of individual predation by increasing the number of alert parents. Nesting over water reduces the likelihood of predation, as do alarm calls. Nests, in particular, offer a strategic advantage over predators in that they are often well concealed in thick, waterside reeds and positioned at a height of one to two meters. Males often act as sentinels, employing a variety of calls to denote the kind and severity of danger. Mobbing, especially by males, is also used to scare off unwanted predators, although mobbing often targets large animals and man-made devices by mistake. The brownish coloration of the female may also serve as an anti-predator trait in that it may provide camouflage for her and her nest (while she is incubating).[14] Owls and diurnal raptors are both regular predators of adults.
Absolument View On Black
... atteindre le sommet du " Géant de Provence ", le mythique mont Ventoux!
Du haut de ses 1912 mètres, il règne en maître. De son sommet, il fait découvrir l’un des plus vaste panorama d’Europe, dominant la Vallée du Rhône, les Baronnies et le plateau du Vaucluse. Son sommet, aux pentes dénudées et caillouteuses est couronné d'un observatoire, ce qui le rend reconnaissable à plus de 100 km à la ronde.
Paysage aux milles facettes, le Ventoux est surtout un lieu de légende pour les cyclistes que l'on rencontre, le souffle court dans la montée, et le visage marqué, mais épanoui par le défi relevé dans la descente.
En faire l'ascension à pied, lorsque le soleil baisse à l'horizon, à la fin d'une journée lumineuse mais froide d'un début de mois d'avril, c'est à celui qui sera le plus fort....
See where this picture was taken. [?]
No tripod needed for this one. There's a nice chest high wall that's plenty deep enough to rest a camera on. A beanbag certainly helps and is one of the most useful things in my camera bag... The reason the log at the top of the hill is "frozen" even though this is a 30sec exposure, is ride's flash for the on ride photo. If you look really closely at the "stream" towards the bottom of the picture you can see the blur from other logs coming through.
Pictured:
Splash Mountain
Frontierland
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World Resort
Bay Lake, Florida
November, 2008
Thanks for stopping by!
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Disney Photo Challenge winner in "Show Me" - thanks for your votes!
i'm feeling a bit ill today and don't have the energy to process a whole lot of my more recent images -- the best i can offer today is this image of a tavern that's hidden away at the windmills area in chios (tolis has a beautiful gallery). i couldn't see it from the road -- i spotted it only when i was walking around the windmills themselves.
i don't know how, but my train of thought led me to imagine a huge party for flickr friends and contacts, with everyone holding a camera, shooting each other and looking for something interesting.
i'll try to get around to your streams today -- (it cheers me up!) -- but i hope you forgive me if i don't succeed.
on the blog: toomanytribbles.blogspot.com/2009/09/friends-of-gold.html
EDIT: hey, look where my moon candy landed! www.focus.it/natura/gallery/10092009-1252-113-astronomi-p...
Maybe Tomorrow
-stereophonics-
I've been down and
I'm wondering why
These little black clouds
Keep walking around
With me
With me
It wastes time
And I'd rather be high
Think I'll walk me outside
And buy a rainbow smile
But be free
They're all free
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
I look around at a beautiful life
Been the upperside of down
Been the inside of out
But we breathe
We breathe
I wanna breeze and an open mind
I wanna swim in the ocean
Wanna take my time for me
All me
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
The Monastery of Sant Benet de Bages is a former Benedictine monastery, in the Catalan comarca of Bages. The Romanesque monastery was thoroughly restored at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The monastery was founded about 950 by the noble Salla and his consort Ricarda, of the house of the viscounts of Osona . According to the founding legend, Salla traveled to Rome to have his institution authorized, and to have it depend directly on the Holy See, the usual method for preserving the community from interference from the bishop— in this case of Vic— in whose diocese it lay. The abbey church was consecrated 3 December 972, witnessed by a gathering of notables: Borrell II, Count of Barcelona, the bishops Frugifer of Vic, Guisad of Urgell and Pere of Barcelona, the viscount Guadald of Osona, and three of the four offspring of the recently deceased founder, his son Isarn and the sisters Quíxol and Ego, at the head of witnesses both laymen and priests, in a grand ceremonial recorded in the surviving act of consecration. The community was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and to Benedict of Nursia (Sant Benét in Catalan) founder of the order, and Peter and Andrew, all guarantors of its future orthodoxy. The founder secured dispensations that the future abbots would be chosen from among their descendents, making the abbey a form of proprietary church, an agreement that would soon lead to disputes among the various branches of their lineage as to choice of abbots.
From 965, the abbey church held the supposed relics of Saint Valentine, enclosed in a wooden reliquary with plates of silver depicting miracles of Saint Valentine, which was rediscovered in 1863 in the church of Navarcles. At the beginning of the eleventh century the monastery passed under the direction of the Abbey of Saint Peter of Tomeras at Narbonne, from which the community freed itself in 1108. In 1125 Sant Benet de Bages suffered from an attack by Moors that required a rebuilding, financed by local nobles who required in return the right to be buried in its consecrated ground. The most splendid age of Sant Benet de Bages was in the fourteenth century, until the Black Death left the community with only two survivors, in a period that witnessed the beginning of its decline. On 9 November 1593, by order of Pope Clement VIII the community passed under the direction of the Abbey of Montserrat, and remained so until it was suppressed in 1820, serving as a place of retirement for Montserrat's community of monks. By the "law of desamortización" of 1835, all religious orders in Spain were required to render upo their possessions. The crumbling ancient structure attracted the interest of intellectuals who organised visits to it in the late nineteenth century. The architect Puig i Cadafalch and the painter Ramon Casas encouraged the mother of Casas to buy the property in 1907; in 1910 it passed into the hands of Casas, who commissioned Puig i Cadafalch to restore it. Since 2000, when it was purchased from Casas' heirs it has belonged to the Caixa de Manresa, a financial institution that has undertaken its maintenance.