View allAll Photos Tagged practicality
On a pretty late summer morning, the Greenfield Village's Detroit & Lima Northern Locomotive #7 takes the shuttle train through the Firestone Farm District, en route to a stop at the village entrance, just a few hundred yards ahead.
Rail enthusiasts who visit Greenfield Village sometimes ask why open, tourist cars are used to haul passengers, instead of period-correct coaches. While the railroaders would clearly like to have a more authentic train, the answer to the question is really a matter of practicality. There are not a lot of historic, wooden coaches available that would be a good match for the locomotives here and the cost to restore (or build new) and maintain such coaches would be considerable. The harsh winters of Southern Michigan would pretty much dictate that such equipment be stored indoors and facilities to do that don't currently exist. In addition, Greenfield Village operates primarily during the summer months, when the temperatures at mid-day are often 90 degrees or more, which would be uncomfortable for visitors in standard coaches. These cars are built much like the old, J. G. Brill "Breezer" trolleys, providing a nice, cool ride on hot days. Lastly, standard coaches have a center aisle and don't accommodate nearly as many guests as tourist cars with bench seats. These open-air cars can board and de-train passengers from every row simultaneously, making for shorter stops and allowing large groups to sit together.
It should also noted that these tourist cars are not rebuilt freight cars, but rather, were purpose-built for Greenfield Village by a well-known, in-region railroad contractor. They are steel cars with air-brakes and are fully capable of spending the winters outdoors without significant problem.
Located at Independence, Texas near Brenham, Texas is the Antique Rose Emporium, with its eight acres of romantic rose gardens, embodies rustic country elegance. We make one-of-a-kind, dream weddings possible. Our lovely country chapel was built in a style that incorporates many elements of various local community churches. Approximately 1500 square feet in size, it will comfortably seat about 150 people. Its large open interior space with vaulted ceiling and clear Gothic windows is without permanent seating so that the space can be utilized in a variety of ways. A tall front door with stained glass transom is from England and is over 100 years old. There's also a picturesque allee with a gazebo, a covered pavilion, and the historic Champneys' Green Victorian residence. Champneys' Green is a restored 1904 Victorian home, surrounded by period gardens and a nearby gazebo and pavilion. The Gazebo with its rose covered arches, garden borders and rose draped edges has been the site of many beautiful outdoor weddings. It's just west of Champney’s Green with a brick allee leading to it from the landing at Champney’s—a romantic entrance for the bride and her bridesmaids. Our brides enjoy the luxury of a beautiful outdoor setting, along side the practicality of a charming—and weather proof--chapel. This is just part of this amazing place as their main thing is selling antique rose plants and other garden items. It is a lovely country venue that beckons to be visited and explored!! See: www.antiqueroseemporium.com/our-story
Pray all had a blessed Sunday... feeling under the weather with a upper respiratory infection. Trying to rest and drink fluids as I don't want it to go into my usual bronchitis or pneumonia!!!
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
More sculpted capitals in the nave. As you can see, essentially floral motifs. What strikes me is that there is obvious talent and skill in the execution, but they look somehow unfinished, a bit rough or crude, as if a master had set a fine example to begin with, but students had failed to follow in his footsteps...
This of course must be connected to the fact that this is a Normandy church, and we know that around 1100, the emphasis in Normandy was not on sculpture and decoration... Even if this church has little to do with façades harmoniques and the major abbey churches in Caen, even if its walls are very decorated and rather reminiscent of Saintonge and Poitou churches, still the disdain of Normans for sculpted decoration at that point in time may explain what we see here.
Farnborough Hall is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Farnborough, Warwickshire, close to the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The house was built in the late 17th Century for William Holbech, and remodelled c.1745-1750 for William Holbech the younger, probably by Sanderson Miller.
The parkland is a rare surviving example of the ferme ornée (ornamental farm) style of landscaping. It combined agricultural practicality with fashionable design: farm buildings were ornamental, yet suited for their purpose, and could be features within the landscape. Sanderson Miller, a contemporary of Capability Brown, remodelled the parkland at the request of William Holbech II.
One of the most significant introductions to the garden design was the 1200m long Terrace Walk, which was constructed on an existing slope and has 26 viewing points along it. Closest to the Hall is the Game Larder overlooking St Botolph's Church, Farnborough; this is followed by the Ionic Temple and Oval Pavilion. At the end of the Terrace Walk, is the 18m high Obelisk, which overlooks the Warmington Valley. The Obelisk was first recorded by a visitor in 1746. It was rebuilt in 1828 after it collapsed in 1823.
PLEASE, NO invitations or self promotions, THEY WILL BE DELETED. My photos are FREE to use, just give me credit and it would be nice if you let me know, thanks.
Montreal began experimenting with one-man streetcars in 1925. After these tests, the MTC concluded that this type of vehicle could be put into service on certain routes outside peak hours. Consequently and after completing a sketch for a lightweight one-man vehicle, fifty units were ordered from Canadian Car and Foundry in 1925. Painted in light-beige colour with a red band, a scheme that ultimately depicted all MTC vehicles of this type, two additional orders were made from the same company in 1928 and 1929 which brought the series to 105 vehicles. These streetcars were a success because of their practicality due to their low weight (about 17,200 kilograms) and were among the last urban cars to be in service on the streets of Montreal until August 10, 1959.
The MTC 1959 streetcar is part of the second series of one-man cars commissioned from Canadian Car and Foundry in 1928. It was completely restored between 2002 and 2004 by museum volunteers and is used every summer to transport visitors to the museum's outdoor site.
All the information used with the pictures was taken from information at the Canadian Railway Museum Site.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
The western façade, heavily decorated by Norman Romanesque standards, yet overall quite sober-looking compared to its obvious Poitou and Saintonge inspirations.
There is some of the façade harmonique here, luckily (in my own taste!) softened by what we call in French the modénature (I have no English equivalent), i.e., the various sculpted, non-figurative ornamental elements that create relief and light-and-shadow effects on the stones.
A fabulous woman to fill a heart with joy and a smart, intelligent friend with good humor, wise ways, full of compassion, love, joy, tears, laughter, sensuality and practicality. Three cheers.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), or the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 2013, tied to the sponsorship of Bridgestone Corporation is the world's most well-known solar-powered car race event. A biennial road race covering 3,022 km (1,878 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Adelaide, South Australia, created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations, although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 32-year history spanning fourteen races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of the century.
Since 2001 the World Solar Challenge was won seven times out of nine efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands, with only the Tokai Challenger, built by the Tokai University of Japan able to take the crown in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2007, the WSC has been raced in multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, racing and stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won the Cruiser Class in all three races so far.
Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the GM led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the race rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda's Dream car first won the race with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005 the Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the 2017 Stella Vie vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real world compliance and practicality that has been achieved.
The World Solar Challenge held its 30th anniversary event on October 8–15, 2017.
The 2019 World Solar Challenge will take place from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries have entered the competition. The same 3 classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure will be featured.
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch," and portions of some other adjacent streets. The central attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 ft (27 m) high at the peak and four blocks, or approximately 1,500 ft (460 m), in length. While Las Vegas is known for never turning the outside casino lights off, each show begins by turning off the lights on all of the buildings, including the casinos, under the canopy. Before each show, one bidirectional street that crosses the Experience is blocked off for safety reasons. Concerts, usually free, are also held on three stages. The venue has become a major tourist attraction for downtown Las Vegas, and is also the location of the SlotZilla zip line attraction and the city's annual New Year's Eve party, complete with fireworks on the display screen. Fremont Street had Las Vegas' first hotel (the Hotel Nevada in 1906, present day Golden Gate), first telephone (1907), first paved street (1925), first Nevada gaming license — issued to the Northern Club at 15 E. Fremont St, first traffic light, first elevator (the Apache Hotel in 1932), and the first high-rise (the Fremont Hotel in 1956). The Horseshoe was the first casino to install carpeting, while the Golden Nugget was the first structure designed from the ground up to be a casino. For many years, the western end of Fremont Street was the area most commonly portrayed whenever producers wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The large number of neon signs earned the area the nickname "Glitter Gulch." By 1992, 80 percent of the Las Vegas casino market was on the Strip. Downtown Las Vegas hotels and casinos sought to build an attraction that would lure more visitors to their businesses. After Paramount Pictures head Stanley Jaffe refused to approve a proposal to build a life-sized Starship Enterprise, the Fremont Street Experience was chosen as the project. FSE, LLC is a cooperative venture, owned and operated by a group of downtown hotel/casino companies (comprising eight hotel/casinos) as a separate corporation, responsible for financing, developing, and managing the Fremont Street Experience. It was the second Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, whose firm was paid approximately $900,000 by the City of Las Vegas to create a show concept for the downtown area. Jerde's design included a floating sky parade which was to be suspended from the canopy. The concept was accepted by the Fremont Street Experience as well as the City of Las Vegas. Ultimately Jon Jerde's sky parade concept was scrapped, but the architectural design for the canopy was carried through. The local architect of record, Mary Kozlowski Architect Inc., cited the following as problems with Jon Jerde's sky parade concept:
1.) Perspective: The view of the parade from below made the concept unworkable — to properly view the project would require that visitors stand at a raised elevation such as a third or fourth floor vantage point.
2.) Wind: The addition of the canopy over Fremont Street would create a wind tunnel causing a dangerous condition for people on the floats who would be trapped. Also the potential for harmonic motion as the floats swung back and forth in the wind potentially resulting in massive structural failure of the canopy and fatalities.
3.) Sand: The combination of desert sand and the mechanical systems of the sky parade would make the attraction difficult to maintain.
A new concept for the show was necessary quickly as funds were already available and the overall schedule was set. The concept for the show as it now exists was conceived by architect Mary Kozlowski who had grown up in Las Vegas and knew and loved Fremont Street. It was a light show on the underside of the canopy — the world's largest and most spectacular. Peter Smith, executive vice-president of Atlandia Design, recognized the beauty and practicality of the concept. Jon Jerde, FSE and the City of Las Vegas embraced the show concept. Kozlowski's concept was to use a combination of four colored light bulbs per "light" which allowed a full spectrum of colors. The Young Electric Sign Company assisted in creating the test panels and in the final installation. After the Fremont Street Experience opened, the light bulbs were checked nightly to ensure that all were functioning properly. To accomplish this massive undertaking, the length of the canopy was divided into panels. Each panel was checked by separately turning on each of the four colored light bulbs. A maintenance worker on a lift would then replace any bulbs that were out. The most expensive bulb cost nearly $15 to replace. On September 7, 1994, a five-block section of Fremont Street was closed to automobile traffic for good, and groundbreaking was held on September 16. After that, the digging up of the street and the installation of the support poles continued into December. On February 15, 1995, the space frames were brought in and the roof began to take shape. The last piece was installed in July 1995. The official public preview was held in conjunction with the Nevada Symphony. The light show was opened on December 14, 1995. The first New Year's party was held on December 31, 1995. The Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience opened in November 1996 with the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign being lit at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. The museum features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors. For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company stored many of these signs in their bone yard. The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements. The museum is slowly restoring the signs and placing them around the FSE. Permanent stages were added in the early 2000s, eliminating the need to bring in temporary stages for every event. The sound system was upgraded in June 2001. On June 14, 2004, a $17 million upgrade was unveiled that would feature a 12.5-million LED display and more color combinations than the original display, which was composed of incandescent lighting. The initial $70 million investment and the continued improvements have resulted in successful and ongoing downtown redevelopment. The City of Las Vegas and the downtown casinos have benefited as more than 60% of visitors to Downtown are lured by the Fremont Street Experience overhead light show and stage shows and stay to enjoy the attractions of some of the most famous casinos in the world.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), or the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 2013, tied to the sponsorship of Bridgestone Corporation is the world's most well-known solar-powered car race event. A biennial road race covering 3,022 km (1,878 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Adelaide, South Australia, created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations, although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 32-year history spanning fourteen races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of the century.
Since 2001 the World Solar Challenge was won seven times out of nine efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands, with only the Tokai Challenger, built by the Tokai University of Japan able to take the crown in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2007, the WSC has been raced in multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, racing and stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won the Cruiser Class in all three races so far.
Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the GM led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the race rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda's Dream car first won the race with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005 the Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the 2017 Stella Vie vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real world compliance and practicality that has been achieved.
The World Solar Challenge held its 30th anniversary event on October 8–15, 2017.
The 2019 World Solar Challenge will take place from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries have entered the competition. The same 3 classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure will be featured.
Blackstone - Bruna Outfit
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"If I had "power" over people, I would all turn into SMILING FLOWERS"
Source: My Heart & My Soul
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●Magenta - the color of philanthropy and idealism
As the color spectral exists not purple. It is a color between red and blue. It only arises in our brains - as short circuit of an imaginary color wheel. We call this color (after an Italian city) Magenta or Pinkred. Used are also the colors fuchsia and mauve (mallow).
Purple / Magenta expresses creativity, emancipation, dignity and mysticism.
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● Black - the color of mourning and negative emotions, can make narrow and gloomy loneliness (but only in certain Cultures such as the European).
But black also means:
Elegance without risk, modernity, practicality, Uniqueness and functionality.
Black polarized: For many people, it is very popular, while others met with complete rejection.
Black can enhance all emotional reactions, acts distant and difficult, conveys seriousness ,
also stands for dignity and elegance.
Black often symbolizes the man, but also the dark, unconscious side of the personality, from which one often has fear.
Black is the "color" of darkness as well as the color of c r e a t i v i t y, since everything is born out of the darkness.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
This photograph of what is now the northern side wall shows the lovely decorated barrel arches that once separated the main nave from the aisles. When the spaces were walled in during the early 1700s, further to the demolishing of the aisles, the sculpted capitals were preserved, a care that was not expected from the people back then and is very welcome today.
Tub
The Citroën TUB (from the French Traction Utilitaire Basse or Traction Utilitaire type B) was a light van derived from the Traction Avant passenger car. The van was produced by Citroën between 1939 and 1941. In May 1941 an upgraded version, theCitroën TUC replaced the TUB, but by the end of that year the last of these vans had probably been produced.
The TUB is the first commercial vehicle ever equipped with a lateral sliding door.
Pierre Michelin and Pierre-Jules Boulanger, were parachuted in to take charge of Citroën by Michelin following their acquisition of the bankrupt auto-maker in December 1934. During the Summer of 1936 Boulanger received the results of an extensive investigation of customer requirements that he had commissioned. The exercise had been undertaken in preparation for the development of a van of approximately 800 kg (1,764 lb) capacity - slightly more than the load that could be accommodated by a simple car based van. Boulanger accumulated a fat dossier of photographs, statistics, sketches and comments. From this he laid down a specification which, characteristically, was both simple and demanding. In order to maximise available load space, the new van must position the driver as far forwards as possible on the chassis. It should be possible to stand up in the vehicle, and the load area should be directly accessible from the driving seat, without any need to get out of the vehicle. In addition to conventionally positioned doors at the back, the load area of the new van should have a door on the pavement side in order to facilitate loading and unloading. The decision had already been taken to base the new van on the running gear of the company's recently introduced front-engined front-wheel drive Citroën Traction, which would make it easier to meet Boulanger's brief because, in the absence of any under-floor drive shaft, the floor of the load space could be kept low.
The Citroën product development department had the first prototype running by the Autumn of 1937, and on 12 May 1939 the van was homologated for sale in the French market. Although low floored vans with the driver set well forwards and sliding side-door on the pavement side would have become relatively mainstream twenty years later, in the 1930s the radical new van was quite unlike anything else available.
The van took its 4-cylinder 35 hp (26 kW) engine, initially of 1628 cc, from the company's Traction 7C. In the car the engine sat comfortably just behind the front wheels, but in the van most of the engine's weight, along with the driver's feet, was ahead of the front wheels. The driver's cab was raised sufficiently to allow most of the mechanical elements to be installed beneath it, although the engine itself intruded from the front into the central portion of the cab. The floor of the load area was just 42 cm (16 inches) above ground level, and it was possible for anyone less than 175 cm tall to stand in it without needing to stoop. Access from the driver's seat to the load area behind was excellent, especially since on the right side of the driver's cab there was normally no second seat fitted. The side door on the pavement side was a sliding door, and in this respect another radical innovation in contemporary terms. The sliding door on the right of the load area was fashioned from light-weight low cost materials. On each side of the load area, the upper side portions of the van's sides consisted tarpaulin-material curtains, incorporating little windows of flexible plastic. Again, the emphasis was on avoiding complexity, saving weight and minimising cost. On the left-side, there being here no side door, the curtain ran the full length of the load area and could be rolled up and fixed to the roof edge, revealing a load space in excess of 6 cubic meters. The overall result was a structure which combined extreme practicality with extreme simplicity. The spare wheel and battery were stored in a locker on the left side of the van, accessible from the outside but completely sealed off from the load area. Production of the van's bodywork was entrusted to a coach building firm called Fernand Genève.
The engine was the 1,628 cc four-cylinder water-cooled unit which by now powered the 7C version of the manufacturer's Tractionpassenger car, which also provided the van's three-speed manual transmission and front torsion-bar suspension and (still innovative) front-wheel drive drive-train. The van's rear suspension came from a very simple leaf-spring arrangement. The 1,020 kg (2,249 lb) carrying capacity was a little greater than had initially been envisaged by Boulanger, which presumably led to a firming of the rear suspension settings. The light weight of the van's body, the lack of weight balance resulting from positioning the engine and driver at the extreme front of the vehicle and the very rudimentary nature of the rear suspension meant that drivers quickly learned that without the weight of a load in the van, it was excessively prone to tail slide. The hydraulic braking system also came from the Traction, though the drum brakes were the slightly larger ones from the 1911 cc Traction 11 version.
The 1628 cc TUB went on sale on 5 June 1939, less than four weeks after its homologation. It was priced at 36,000 francs at a time when the base versions of the passenger cars from which it was derived were priced slightly above 26,000 francs.
In September 1939 France declared war on Germany, and on 13 February 1940 a replacement version of the van appeared, described as the 11-T série U. The "11" in the van's name referred to its promotion to the 11CV taxation class which resulted from an increased engine size, now of 1,911 cc. However, since the new vehicle was clearly an improved version of the Citroën TUB, respect for alphabetical logic ensured that it quickly became known as the Citroën TUC. The maximum load capacity was unchanged at 1,020 kg (2,249 lb) but there were numerous detailed improvements including, now, the fitting of a second windscreen wiper to match the one on the driver's side of the screen. This may have been the point at which a small protruding ridge appeared beneath the front panel, apparently as a half-hearted acknowledgement that most motor vehicles of this size featured a front bumper. In any event, despite the German invasion in May/June 1940, the TUB continued in production until the Spring of 1941, and the TUC replaced it on the production lines only in May 1941. By now raw materials for civilian product and fuel for civilian transport were rapidly disappearing. Very few TUC vans were actually produced, and production of them formally ceased in December 1941.
About 100 models were transformed by Fenwick in 1941–1942 to be powered by an electric engine.
The version in my photo is a Citroën H Van, Type H, H-Type or HY ,but in France they still call them TUB
Please do note fave my photos without commenting ( what do people do with thousands of faves, look at them every morning ?)
More London here
www.flickr.com/photos/23502939@N02/sets/72157629381724431/
More candids here
media-sl.com/2019/10/30/vagrant-shop/
Vagrant
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The Wesson House is more than just a charming Southern home — it carries with it a thread of local history. Built in the early 20th century, it was once the residence of the Wesson family, who played an important role in the development of this small Mississippi town. Its simple white siding, broad porch, and bay window reflect the architectural style of the era, built for practicality and grace rather than grandeur.
Generations of the family gathered here, and the home became a landmark of stability in a changing community. Today, the Wesson House still stands as a reminder of small-town heritage, Southern hospitality, and the families who helped shape the area. Captured in the evening light, it holds both the beauty of its craftsmanship and the stories of the people who once called it home. Photographed with my Nikon D500 and 18–55mm lens.
A second shot of the same arch seen from a higher vantage is in a link below. See also the interior space aside the asymmetrical stairs.
An inside view of the two story site of Santa María de Valverde Arroyuelos, set back from the 900km E/W Ebro river bed, and situated just before a stunning gorge in the southern side of Spain's Cantabria region.
These interior views feature refined surfaces and simple ground level splays to walls – splays without the qualitative line or surface changes so typical of architectural 'styles'.
An abrupt 'skirting' bench.
An 'organic' ocular window - producing a vivid ray of light that can cut diagonal through the keyhole doorway.
An overlay of mortice joints at all heights, indicating changes of past interior wooden addition, aside several small and oblong niches.
A single oblong topped entrance door of no obvious historical period (see below for an outside view of the door).
Simple roof arching of no obvious architectural style.
A tall ornate keyhole-style passage between open spaces: in effect a circle above, and intersecting with, an upright rectangle. These openings can be known as 'arco de herradura', horseshoe arch, arc outrepassé... and are often reported to originate from the forth century.
The companion montage (see below) is taken from a worn monolithic stone staircase (see the image 3:4) that leads to an obscure upper floor level – a tight 'tunnel' section after the stairs suggesting drama over practicality, with acoustics, meditation, theatres of rite and effects of light all potentially tied into this second floor height.
The second floor after the short tunnel is a thin interior balcony. The Iron age (and ages prior) had vast huts, some of two story and most broken down from current view as wood decays over time. A representation inspired by the details of these large structures might copy a low roof level tunnel that was a necessary element in a two story wicker and daube 'round house', whilst being in truth unpractical when carved from stone. Regarding the stairs: I only see asymmetrical stairs from Bronze and Iron age sites. If the design decisions that went into the architecture of this site include late prehistoric representations of large hut forms then they are in fantastic condition and the Arroyuelos site would be a very rare witness.
Some sites depose data as families live over ages, whilst other sites remove data as people visit and clean away the detritus of everyday life.
The three interior images in this series seem to show that the surfaces may have a majority surface patina, so that dating one element – here the arch, may help place the site into a chronology (understanding that the interior may have had a chapter as a thicker walled small space that was 'expanded' with a 'new' surface carving both up and out into the original walls).
An attempt to understand the chronology of the site is made in the adjacent series of four posts, with one text that progresses back through time and with the title:
"Arroyuelos: issues of chronology. 1 to 4"
AJ 08.12.20
This is the kind of stuff I really want to build and got me into building - cars of my own design, with no purpose or meaning other than to look cool and be crammed full of details. Some over-complication and an absurd amount of pieces later and we have this - some marriage of a 288 GTO, GT40 and Lancia 037. We've got the spicy opening tings, we've got the visible diff, we've got the central seat, we've got the raised exhausts WE'VE GOT THE RALLY FOG LIGHTS, you could ask for no more really. Except maybe some boot space but honestly those are out of a fashion
This was loads of fun to make - another build like various tuned models (Midget II, Polonez, 288 GTO) and own design models where there aren't any limits, but trying to make it look realistic is that challenge - and I don't think that side of things went too badly. I feel this is a plausible car design for the era, especially with the blatant disregard for safety or emissions or practicality.
In short, door wedges have never been so much fun - and I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I did making it!
Living as a Virgo means embracing a life of meticulous attention to detail and a deep sense of responsibility. Virgos are known for their analytical minds and methodical approach to life, often thriving in environments where precision and organization are paramount. They have a natural inclination towards helping others, driven by their innate sense of duty and practicality. This earth sign values order and efficiency, often finding satisfaction in perfecting their surroundings and routines. While their critical nature can sometimes be perceived as overly exacting, it stems from a genuine desire to achieve the best outcomes. Virgos often lead by example, showing dedication and diligence in everything they do, which can inspire those around them to strive for excellence. Balancing their need for perfection with the acceptance of life’s imperfections is a continuous journey for a Virgo, but their grounded and reliable nature makes them steadfast friends and partners.
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Eyes: Osin Eclipse #4
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Maybe if sedans didn't lose their practicality by adopting coupe-like shapes, they'd still be popular with families. Just a thought.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
The whole length of the nave, seen from the decidedly off-center square apse.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
The massive piles and supporting arches that hold the weight of the bell tower.Those are left of the original Romanesque church from around Year 1000.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), or the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 2013, tied to the sponsorship of Bridgestone Corporation is the world's most well-known solar-powered car race event. A biennial road race covering 3,022 km (1,878 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Adelaide, South Australia, created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations, although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 32-year history spanning fourteen races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of the century.
Since 2001 the World Solar Challenge was won seven times out of nine efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands, with only the Tokai Challenger, built by the Tokai University of Japan able to take the crown in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2007, the WSC has been raced in multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, racing and stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won the Cruiser Class in all three races so far.
Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the GM led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the race rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda's Dream car first won the race with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005 the Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the 2017 Stella Vie vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real world compliance and practicality that has been achieved.
The World Solar Challenge held its 30th anniversary event on October 8–15, 2017.
The 2019 World Solar Challenge will take place from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries have entered the competition. The same 3 classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure will be featured.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), or the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 2013, tied to the sponsorship of Bridgestone Corporation is the world's most well-known solar-powered car race event. A biennial road race covering 3,022 km (1,878 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Adelaide, South Australia, created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations, although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 32-year history spanning fourteen races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of the century.
Since 2001 the World Solar Challenge was won seven times out of nine efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands, with only the Tokai Challenger, built by the Tokai University of Japan able to take the crown in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2007, the WSC has been raced in multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, racing and stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won the Cruiser Class in all three races so far.
Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the GM led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the race rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda's Dream car first won the race with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005 the Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the 2017 Stella Vie vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real world compliance and practicality that has been achieved.
The World Solar Challenge held its 30th anniversary event on October 8–15, 2017.
The 2019 World Solar Challenge will take place from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries have entered the competition. The same 3 classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure will be featured.
Chevrolet’s arch-rival, Ford, was keenly aware of the importance of Chevrolet’s new Corvette. Henry Ford II lured former GM executive Lewis Crusoe to help develop the new car for Ford. Crusoe was joined by several others including Ford chief designer, Frank Hershey.
Franklin Quick "Frank" Hershey (1907–1997) was an American automobile designer and student of General Motors Vice President of Design Harley Earl. Hershey is known for his 1932 Peerless V-16 prototype, 1949 Cadillac tailfins, and the 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Hershey was born in Michigan, and raised in Beverly Hills and La Puente, California. He attended Occidental College where he majored in forestry. Hershey served in the Navy during World War II.
In 1952, Frank Hershey was hired to head the Ford Division studios. After several years with Packard, he went to Ford where he designed the 1953-1957 full sized Fords. According to an interview given by Hershey to James W. Howell in 1995, George Walker had been hired as the public face of Ford design. Hershey designed the landmark Ford Thunderbird, and admitted so in a 1954 interview, which created friction between Walker and Hershey.
Hershey began working on a two-passenger open vehicle with a Ford Interceptor V8 engine, based on the upcoming Ford overhead-valve V8 engine, slated for introduction in the 1954 models. Hershey based his two-seater on one of his favorite English sports cars, the Jaguar XK120. The car would have the same wheelbase, interior seating position, steering wheel angle, and pedal angles.
On 18 May, 1953, Crusoe was shown a painted clay model that closely resembled the final car after comparing it favorably with the current European trends. Henry Ford II approved the final design concept and Crusoe gave the go-ahead for production in September.
Even as the 1957 Ford Thunderbird went on sale, its future was in doubt. Frank Hershey assigned Rhys Miller and Bill Boyer to prepare facelifts for 1956 and 1957, but its long-term prospects were murkier. If the Thunderbird was indeed a promotion, as Tom Case said, there was little reason to continue it once its tooling costs were paid off.
Lewis Crusoe understood that the main impediment to Thunderbird sales, aside from price, was the car’s limited practicality. With no rear seat and almost no trunk space, it was for customers who could afford two or more cars. In the fall of 1954, he asked Boyer and crew to explore the possibility of a stretched, four-seater Thunderbird, known internally as project 195H (the H standing for the number 8, meaning the 1958 model year).
If Frank Hershey was truly the father of the Thunderbird, he was not well rewarded for his efforts. In May 1955, George Walker became vice president of Ford Styling, the first time the Ford Motor Company had such a position. Hershey had never cared for Walker’s team and being passed over in favor of Walker was a bitter pill to swallow. Shortly after Walker’s ascendancy, Hershey was gone; Dick Samsen says that McNamara fired him, but Hershey later claimed that he resigned to avoid being fired by Walker. Hershey went on to work at Kaiser Aluminum.
Shortly before Walker’s promotion, Ford established a separate Thunderbird design studio. Headed by Bill Boyer, the Thunderbird studio had its own stylists and body engineers, allowing it a surprising degree of independence from the rest of the Styling department. The studio’s first challenge was to turn the 195H four-seater concept into a production car.
Not so much of a mystery, but where in March was this found?
The city spends LOTS AND LOTS on sustainability programs, so, next to the old City Hall, there is a garden, with chard. It's next to a very busy street, so I don't think its edible. But the sustainability team can point to 'the living garden', right on City Hall property. High points for symbolism; zero for practicality.
This aircraft, XP 831, is the first prototype of the Hawker P.1127. The experimental flying done with it proved the practicality of a new method of flight and led directly to the successful Harrier series.
Following WWII, the new power of the jet engine suggested that aircraft could be designed to take off and land vertically using engine thrust alone. Various ideas were tried, including the use of separate downward-pointing lift engines in addition to the main engine used for forward flight. Most of these designs were too complex or too difficult to fly.
The system used on the P.1127 is simpler, relying on a single powerful jet engine with four swivelling (vectoring) nozzles. For take-off and hovering the aircraft is, in effect, supported on four stable 'legs' of thrust.
With this aircraft the test pilot, Bill Bedford, performed the crucial trials in the programme. From October 1960 hovering trials were conducted to refine the control system. In September 1961 the transition from hovering (jet-borne) to conventional wing-borne flight was achieved. Later Bedford showed that the transition from wing-borne forward flight back to a stationary hover could also be performed stably and safely.
The aircraft's engine is a single Bristol-Siddeley Pegasus vectored-thrust turban with an initial 11,000-lb thrust. An example can be seen above on the floor beneath the aircraft.
The aircraft is on loan from the RAF Museum at Hendon and seen in the Flight display of the Science Museum in South Kensington, London.
Farnborough Hall is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Farnborough, Warwickshire, close to the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The house was built in the late 17th Century for William Holbech, and remodelled c.1745-1750 for William Holbech the younger, probably by Sanderson Miller.
The parkland is a rare surviving example of the ferme ornée (ornamental farm) style of landscaping. It combined agricultural practicality with fashionable design: farm buildings were ornamental, yet suited for their purpose, and could be features within the landscape. Sanderson Miller, a contemporary of Capability Brown, remodelled the parkland at the request of William Holbech II.
One of the most significant introductions to the garden design was the 1200m long Terrace Walk, which was constructed on an existing slope and has 26 viewing points along it. Closest to the Hall is the Game Larder overlooking St Botolph's Church, Farnborough; this is followed by the Ionic Temple and Oval Pavilion. At the end of the Terrace Walk, is the 18m high Obelisk, which overlooks the Warmington Valley. The Obelisk was first recorded by a visitor in 1746. It was rebuilt in 1828 after it collapsed in 1823.
Chevrolet Corvette (C1) 1956
Hackberry is an unincorporated community in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Hackberry is located on Arizona State Route 66 (former U.S. Route 66) 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Kingman. Hackberry has a post office which serves 68 residential mailboxes with ZIP code 86411.
A former mining town, Hackberry takes its name from the Hackberry Mine which was named for a hackberry tree in a nearby spring.
Prospector Jim Music helped develop the Hackberry Silver Mine in 1875. Mining of various metals developed the town, sending it from boom to bust based on fluctuating commodity prices.
The Indianapolis Monroes Iron Clad Age of June 12, 1886 includes a brief article titled "They Changed the Minds of Several" referring to an educated miner from the area.
J.J. Watts writes from Hackberry, Arizona: "The books you sent me last year have changed the minds of several to whom I loaned them. It is a pity that liberal books and papers cannot be more generally circulated and read. If they could be we should soon have more outspoken, honest men that would dare to speak their true sentiments."
Based on an article taken from the July 24, 1909 edition of the Mohave County Miner out of Kingman, Arizona, JJ Watts was an old prospector. Here is that article.
"Some time ago the report was current in Kingman that Indians had killed an old prospector, in the Wallapai mountains, first burying the body and later burning up everything of an incriminating nature. The man was supposed to be J. J. Watts, who mined and prospected in the Music mountain range many years. William Grant, the Hackberry merchant, this week received a letter from B.F. Watts, of Marshall, Oklahoma, conveying the information that J.J. Watts died at Lander, Wyoming, last winter. The man who was killed by the Indians is believed to be a stranger that came to Kingman and was lured to the mountains by the Indians by a story of a lost mine that they had found in that section. The man was killed by Willietopsy and his sons, so it is reported by the other Indians.
By 1919, infighting between the mine's owners had become litigation and the ore was beginning to be depleted. The mine closed; Hackberry briefly almost became a ghost town.
Various service stations in town served U.S. Route 66 travellers after the highway came to town in 1926; all were shut down after Interstate 40 in Arizona bypassed the town. Interstate 40's 69-mile path between Kingman and Seligman diverges widely from the old 82-mile Highway 66 segment between these points, leaving Hackberry stranded sixteen miles from the new highway. Hackberry Road would not even be given an off-ramp. John Grigg operated a Union 76 service station on Route 66 in Hackberry from the 1920s until his death in 1967. The Northside Grocery (established 1934) and its Conoco station were among the last to close, in 1978.
Hackberry almost became a ghost town again, but members of the Grigg family have lived there since the 1890s and continue to live there. Six generations of the Grigg family are buried in the Hackberry cemetery.
In 1992, itinerant artist Bob Waldmire re-opened the Hackberry General Store as a Route 66 tourism information post and souvenir shop on the former Northside Grocery site.
Waldmire sold the store to John and Kerry Pritchard in 1998 due to local disputes regarding the environmental and aesthetic impact of quarries, which by that time were establishing themselves in the area to remove local stone for use in landscaping.
The store remains in operation with a collection of vintage cars from the heyday of U.S. Route 66 in Arizona; in 2008, its owners donated land for a new fire hall to be built for the community.
(Wikipedia)
The Chevrolet Corvette (C1) is the first generation of the Corvette sports car produced by Chevrolet. It was introduced late in the 1953 model year and produced through 1962. This generation is commonly referred to as the "solid-axle" generation, as the independent rear suspension did not appear until the 1963 Sting Ray.
The Corvette was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalize on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle, but expectations for the new model were largely unfulfilled. Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years. The program was nearly canceled, but Chevrolet decided to make necessary improvements.
The most expensive Corvette (C1) to sell in history was sold by Barrett-Jackson in the United States in March 2021 for $825,000 (~$915,195 in 2023) (£591,470).
History
Origins
Harley Earl, as head of GM's Styling Section, was an avid fan of sports cars. He recognized that GIs returning after serving overseas in the years following World War II were bringing home MGs, Jaguars, and Alfa Romeos. In 1951, Nash Motors began selling an expensive two-seat sports car, the Nash-Healey, that was made in partnership with the Italian designer Pininfarina and British auto engineer Donald Healey, but there were few moderate-priced models. Earl convinced GM that they needed to build an all-American two-seat sports car, and with his Special Projects crew began working on the new car in late 1951. The last time Chevrolet offered a 2-door, 2-passenger convertible/roadster body style was in 1938 with the Chevrolet Master.
Prototype EX-122
The secretive effort was code-named "Project Opel" (after GM's German division Opel). The result was the hand-built, EX-122 pre-production Corvette prototype, which was first shown to the public at the 1953 General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on January 17, 1953. When production began six months later, at an MSRP of US$3,513 ($40,006 in 2023 dollars ), it had evolved into a considerably costlier car than the basic $2,000 roadster Harley Earl originally had in mind. The EX-122 car is now located at the Kerbeck Corvette museum in Atlantic City and is believed to be the oldest Corvette in existence.
Design and engineering
To keep costs down, GM executive Robert F. McLean mandated off-the-shelf mechanical components. The new car used the chassis and suspension design from the 1949 through 1954 Chevrolet passenger vehicles. The drivetrain and passenger compartment were moved rearward to achieve a 53/47 front-to-rear weight distribution. It had a 102 in (2,591 mm) wheelbase. The engine was a 235 cu in (3.85 L) inline six engine that was similar to the 235 engine that powered all other Chevrolet car models, but with a higher-compression ratio, three Carter side-draft carburetors, mechanical lifters, and a higher-lift camshaft. Output was 150 hp (112 kW). Because there was currently no manual transmission available to Chevrolet rated to handle 150 HP, a two-speed Powerglide automatic was used. The 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time was 11.5 seconds.
Three body variants were created. The roadster was built as the Corvette, the Corvair fastback variant never went into production, and the two-door Nomad station wagon was eventually built as the Chevrolet Nomad.
During the last half of 1953, 300 Corvettes were to a large degree hand-built on a makeshift assembly line that was installed in an old truck plant in Flint, Michigan, while a factory was being prepped for a full-scale 1954 production run. The outer body was made of then-revolutionary glass fiber reinforced plastic material. Although steel shortages or quotas are sometimes mentioned as a factor in the decision to use fiberglass, no evidence exists to support this. In calendar years 1952 and 1953, Chevrolet produced nearly 2 million steel-bodied full-size passenger cars, and the intended production volume of 10,000 Corvettes for 1954 was only a small fraction of that.
The body engineer for the Corvette was Ellis James Premo. He presented a paper to the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1954 regarding the development of the body.
Several excerpts highlight some of the key points in the body material choice:
The body on the show model was made of reinforced plastic purely as an expedient to get the job done quickly.
Although we were going ahead with the building of an experimental plastic body in order to get a car rolling for chassis development work – at the time of the Waldorf Show, we were actually concentrating body-design-wise on a steel body utilizing Kirksite tooling for the projected production of 10,000 units during the 1954 model year. It was some time later that we decided to produce this quantity in reinforced plastic.
About this time, some doubt was expressed that we should build the 1954 model of steel. People seemed to be captivated by the idea of the fiberglass plastic body. Furthermore, information being given to us by the reinforced plastic industry seemed to indicate the practicality of fabricating plastic body parts for automobiles on a large scale.
A 55-degree raked windshield was made of safety glass, while the license plate holder was set back in the trunk, covered with a plastic window. Underneath the new body material were standard components from Chevrolet's regular car line, including the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, and drum brakes. The engine's output was increased to 150 hp (112 kW) via a Carter triple-carburetor system exclusive to the Corvette, but performance of the car was decidedly "lackluster". Compared to the British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette lacked a manual transmission and required more effort to bring to a stop, but like their British competition, such as Morgan, was not fitted with roll-up windows;[19] this would have to wait until some time in the 1956 model year. A Paxton centrifugal supercharger became available in 1954 as a dealer-installed option, greatly improving the Corvette's straight-line performance, but sales continued to decline.
The Chevrolet division was GM's entry-level marque. Managers at GM were seriously considering shelving the project, leaving the Corvette to be little more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for three important events. The first was the 1955 introduction of Chevrolet's first V8 engine since 1919. Late in the model year, the new 195 hp (145 kW) 265 small-block became available with a Powerglide automatic transmission, until the middle of the production year when a manual 3-speed became available, coupled to a 3.55:1 axle ratio, the only one offered. The engine was fitted with a single 2218S or 2351S WCFB four-barrel (four-choke) Carter carburetor. The combination turned the "rather anemic Corvette into a credible if not outstanding performer". The second was the influence of a Russian émigré in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The third factor in the Corvette's survival was Ford's introduction of the 1955 two-seat Thunderbird, which was billed as a "personal luxury car", not a sports car. Even so, the Ford-Chevrolet rivalry in those days demanded GM not appear to back down from the challenge. The original concept for the Corvette emblem incorporated an American flag into the design, but was changed well before production, since associating the flag with a product was frowned upon.
1953–1955
1953
The 1953 model year was not only the Corvette's first production year, but at 300 produced it was also the lowest-volume Corvette. The cars were essentially hand-built and techniques evolved during the production cycle so that each 1953 Corvette is slightly different. All 1953 models had red interiors, Polo white exteriors, and painted blue engines (a reference to the three colors represented on the Flag of the United States, where the Corvette was assembled) as well as black canvas soft tops. Order guides showed heaters and AM radios as optional, but all 1953 models were equipped with both. Over two hundred 1953 Corvettes are known to exist today. They had independent front suspension, but featured a rigid axle supported by longitudinal leaf springs at the rear. The cost of the first production model Corvettes in 1953 was US$3,490 ($38,795 in 2023 dollars).
The quality of the fiberglass body as well as its fit and finish were lacking. Other problems, such as water leaks and doors that could open while the car was driven, were reported with the most severe errors corrected in subsequent units produced, but some shortcomings continued beyond the Corvette's inaugural year. By December 1953, Chevrolet had a newly equipped factory in St. Louis ready to build 10,000 Corvettes annually. However, negative customer reactions to 1953 and early 1954 models caused sales to fall short of expectations.
1954
In 1954, a total of 3,640 of this model were built and nearly a third were unsold at year's end. New colors were available, but the six-cylinder engine and Powerglide automatic, the only engine and transmission available, were not what sports car enthusiasts expected. It is known that 1954 models were painted Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red, and Black, in addition to Polo White. All had red interiors, except for those finished in Pennant Blue which had a beige interior and beige canvas soft top. Order guides listed several options, but all options were "mandatory" and all 1954 Corvettes were equipped the same.
In the October 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics, there was an extensive survey of Corvette owners in America. The surprising finding was their opinions in comparison to foreign sports cars. It was found that 36% of those taking the survey had owned a foreign sports car, and of that, half of them rated the Corvette as better than their previous foreign sports car. Nineteen percent rated the Corvette as equal to their foreign sports car and 22% rated the Corvette as inferior. While many were well pleased with the Corvette, they did not consider it a true sports car. The principal complaint of the surveyed owners was the tendency of the body to leak extensively during rainstorms.
1955
Chevrolet debuted its 265 cu in (4.3 L) small-block, 195 hp (145 kW) V8 in 1955 and the engine was available for the Corvette. Early production 1955 V8 Corvettes continued with the mandatory-option Powerglide automatic transmission (as did the few 6-cylinder models built). A new three-speed manual transmission became available later in the year for V8 models, but was not popular with about 75 equipped with it. Exterior color choices were expanded to at least five, combined with at least four interior colors. Soft-tops came in white, dark green, or beige and different materials. A total of 700 1955 Corvettes were built, making it second only to 1953 in scarcity. The "V" in the Corvette emblem was enlarged and gold colored, signifying the V8 engine and 12-volt electrical systems, while 6-cylinder models retained the 6-volt systems used in 1953–54.
Although not a part of the original Corvette project, Zora Arkus-Duntov was responsible for the addition of the V8 engine and three-speed manual transmission. Duntov improved the car's marketing and image and helped the car compete with the new V8—engined Ford Thunderbird, Studebaker Speedster and the larger Chrysler C-300, and turned the Corvette from its lackluster performance into a credible performer. In 1956 he became the director of high-performance vehicle design and development for Chevrolet helping him earn the nickname "Father of the Corvette."
Although the C1 Corvette chassis and suspension design were derived from Chevrolet's full-size cars, the same basic design was continued through the 1962 model even after the full-size cars were completely redesigned for the 1955 model year. This was due to the combined factors of the relatively high reengineering and retooling costs for this low-volume production vehicle, the continued potential for cancellation of the car, and the increased size and weight of the all-new suspension design for the full-size cars, which made it unsuitable for use in the lighter weight Corvette.
1956–1957
1956
The 1956 Corvette featured a new body, with real glass roll-up windows and a more substantial convertible top. The straight-6 engine was discontinued, leaving only the 265 cu in (4.3 L) V8. Power ranged from 210 to 240 hp (157 to 179 kW). The standard transmission remained the 3-speed manual with an optional 2-speed Powerglide automatic. Other options included power assisted convertible top, a removable hardtop, power windows, and a "then-leading edge" signal-seeking partially transistorized Delco car radio. A high-performance camshaft was also available (as RPO 449) with the 240 hp (179 kW) engine. Sales volume was 3,467, a low number by any contemporary standard and less than 1954's 3,640, making it the third lowest in Corvette history.
1957
Visually the 1957 model was unchanged. The V8 was increased to 283 cu in (4.6 L), fuel-injection became a very expensive option, and a 4-speed manual transmission became available after April 9, 1957. GM's Rochester subsidiary used a constant flow system, producing a listed 290 hp (216 kW) at 6200 rpm and 290 lb⋅ft (393 N⋅m) of torque at 4400 rpm. Debate continues to swirl whether this was underrated by Chevrolet (to allow for lower insurance premiums, or give the car an advantage in certain forms of racing) rather than overrated, as was common practice at the time (to juice sales). Either way, it was advertised as producing "One HP per cubic inch", allowing it to claim it was one of the first mass-produced engines to do so.
Pushed toward high-performance and racing, principally by its designer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, who had raced in Europe, 1957 Corvettes could be ordered ready-to-race with special performance options, such as an engine fresh air/tach package, heavy-duty racing suspension, and 15 by 5.5 in (380 by 140 mm) wheels.
Also in 1957, Chevrolet developed a new racing variation of the Corvette with the aim to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Originally known as Project XP-64, it would eventually become known as the Corvette SS. It featured a tuned version of the new 283 CID V8 and a specialized tubular space frame chassis. However, after a rear bushing failure retired the car during a 1957 Sebring race, the AMA announced a ban on motor racing in April 1957 for member companies like GM, leading to the cancellation of further developments of the Corvette SS platform.
Sales volume was 6,339, a jump of almost 83%. Fuel-injected models were in short supply and 1,040 were sold.
1958–1960
1958
In an era of chrome and four headlamps, the Corvette adapted to the look of the day. The 1958 model year and the four that followed all had the exposed four-headlamp treatment and prominent grilles, but a faux-louvered hood and chrome trunk spears were unique to this model year. The interior and instruments were updated, including placing a tachometer directly in front of the driver. For the 1958 model, an 8000 rpm tachometer was used with the 240 and 290 hp (179 and 216 kW) engines, rather than the 6000 rpm units used in the lower horsepower engines. Optional engine choices included two with twin carburetors (including a 270 hp (201 kW) version with Carter 2613S and 2614S WCFB four-barrels) and two with fuel injection. The power output for the highest-rated fuel-injected engine was 290 hp (216 kW). Displacement remained 283 cu in (4.6 L). For the first time, seat belts were factory-installed rather than dealer-installed as on previous models. Options that were not popular included RPO 684 heavy-duty brakes and suspension (144), RPO 579 250 hp (186 kW) engine (554), and RPO 276 15×5.5-inch steel road wheels (404).
1959
For the 1959 model, engines and horsepower ratings did not change. The interiors were revised slightly with different instrument graphics and the addition of a storage bin to the passenger side. A positive reverse lockout shifter with "T" handle was standard with 4-speed manual transmission. This was the only year a turquoise convertible top color could be ordered, and all 24-gallon fuel tank models through 1962 could not be ordered with convertible tops due to inadequate space for the folding top mechanism.[26] Rare options: RPO 684 heavy-duty brakes and suspension (142), RPO 686 metallic brakes (333), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (214), RPO 426 power windows (547), RPO 473 power convertible top (661).
1960
The last features to appear in 1960 models included taillamps molded into the rear fenders and heavy grill teeth. New features include aluminum radiators, but only with 270 and 290 hp (201 and 216 kW) engines. Also for the first time, all fuel-injection engines required manual transmissions. The 1960s Cascade Green was metallic, unique to the year, and the most infrequent color at 140 made. Options that were not often ordered included RPO 579 250 hp (186 kW) engine (100), RPO 687 heavy-duty brakes and suspension (119), RPO 276 15×5.5-inch steel road wheels (246), RPO 473 power convertible top (512), and RPO 426 power windows (544).
1961–1962
1961
Twin taillights appeared on the 1961, a treatment that continues to this day. Engine displacement remained at 283 cubic inches, but power output increased for the two fuel-injected engines to 275 and 315 hp (205 and 235 kW). Output ratings for the dual-four barrel engines did not change (245 and 270 hp (183 and 201 kW)), but this was the last year of their availability. This was the last year for contrasting paint colors in cove areas, and the last two-tone Corvette of any type until 1978. Also debuting in 1961 was a new boat-tail that was carried through to the C2. Infrequently ordered options included RPO 353 275 hp (205 kW) engine (118), RPO 687 heavy-duty brakes and steering (233), RPO 276 15×5.5-inch steel road wheels (357), and RPO 473 power convertible top (442).
1962
With a new larger engine the 1962 model year Corvette was the quickest to date. Displacement of the small-block V8 increased from 283 cu in (4.6 L) to 327 cu in (5,360 cc), which was rated at 250 hp (186 kW) in its base single 4-barrel carburetor version. Hydraulic valve lifters were used in the standard and optional 300 hp (224 kW) engines, solid lifters in the optional carbureted 340 hp (254 kW) and fuel-injected 360 hp (268 kW) versions. Dual 4-barrel carburetor engines were no longer available.
1962 saw the last solid-rear-axle suspension, that had been used from the beginning. Rocker panel trim was seen for the first time, and exposed headlights for the last, until 2005. This was the last Corvette model to offer an optional power convertible top mechanism. Rare options: RPO 488 24-gallon fuel tank (65), RPO 687 heavy-duty brakes and steering (246), RPO 473 power convertible top (350), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (561).
Scaglietti Corvette
In 1959, a Texan oil well drilling contractor named Gary Laughlin wondered if it would be possible to create a vehicle with Italian design characteristics using the chassis and engine components from an American car like the Corvette. To oversee this creation, he enlisted the help of car constructer Jim Hall and race car driver Carroll Shelby, whom he was good friends with, to assist with the engineering of the project and, after their efforts, each man was to receive their own Corvette custom made to their liking. Thus, the trio managed to get three rolling Corvette chassis off of the production line and arranged to have them shipped to Modena, Italy. There, with the help of Road & Track correspondent Pete Coltrin, they managed to get in touch with Italian coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti, famous for his design work on Ferrari road cars at the time. Scaglietti agreed to create and fit a new lightweight aluminium body to each car in secret, as Enzo Ferrari reportedly threatened to cancel Scaglietti's partnership with him after learning of the project. The resulting Scaglietti Corvette ended up weighing roughly 400 lbs less than any other Corvette at the time.
Each of the three cars assembled were unique for each owner:
Car #1, originally for Laughlin, was finished in red. It used a slightly different body than cars #2 and #3 to accommodate an existing Corvette front grille. It originally came with a 283 cu in V8 with 315 hp and a four-barrel carburetor, mated to a 2-speed automatic transmission.
Car #2, originally for Hall, was finished in blue. This version had a body more closely resembling the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta LWB. It came with the same carbureted V8 and automatic transmission as Car #1.
Car #3, originally for Shelby, was finished in red. This model was somewhat unique as though it used a similarly designed body to Car #2, it was the only model fitted with fuel-injection and a Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmission. Unlike the other two members of the project, Shelby never took delivery of his car, citing that it was too expensive for his purposes for it.
However, the Scaglietti Corvette was not without its issues. Though conceived in 1959, the final projects wouldn't be completed and shipped back to the US until 1961, by which time it became clear that the aluminum bodies, though much lighter, had caused dramatic effects to the Corvette's chassis, resulting in dangerous front end lift at high speeds. Coupled with legal pressure from General Motors and Enzo Ferrari to put an end to production, and the Scaglietti Corvette project would be forever cemented as only a concept. However, many ideas from the car would prove inspirational, leading Jim Hall to found his Chevrolet-powered Chaparral racing team and Carroll Shelby to revisit the idea of a European-American sports car with the AC Cobra.
(Wikipedia)
Die Chevrolet Corvette C1 ist die erste Generation der Corvette. Der Wagen wurde von 1953 bis 1962 gebaut und in dieser Zeit mehrfach optisch wie auch technisch überarbeitet. Seit ihrem Erscheinen wurden viele Merkmale bis zur 7. Generation, der Corvette C7 weitgehend beibehalten. Dazu gehören unter anderem der 1955 eingeführte „Small-Block“-V8-Motor, die Glasfaserkunststoff-Karosserie und die vier typischen runden Heckleuchten, die 1961 eingeführt wurden.
Geschichte
Die erste Corvette wurde auf der „Motorama“ im New Yorker Hotel Waldorf Astoria im Januar 1953 der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt. Das Publikum reagierte positiv und ein halbes Jahr danach begann die Serienproduktion.
Als zweites Serienauto nach dem in kleiner Stückzahl gebauten Woodill Wildfire hatte die Corvette C1 eine Karosserie aus glasfaserverstärktem Kunststoff. Außer der Gewichtsersparnis sprachen die größere Gestaltungsfreiheit der Designer und die schneller zu fertigenden Produktionswerkzeuge für dieses Material – anders wäre der zügige Serienstart nicht zu realisieren gewesen. An der ersten Corvette wurde sichtbar, was man aus den Originalteilen anderer Chevrolet-Modelle alles machen konnte. So wollte man den Preis niedrig halten, da man das Auto nicht von Grund auf neu konstruieren musste. Ursprünglich wurden drei Karosserievarianten als Prototypen gebaut: Der Roadster wurde die Corvette, der Fastback ging nicht in Serie und aus dem Sportsback (Kombi) wurde der Chevrolet Nomad.
Bereits sechs Monate nach der ersten Präsentation lief am 30. Juni 1953 die Serienfertigung in Flint im US-Bundesstaat Michigan an. 1954 wurde die Produktion nach St. Louis (Missouri) verlegt. Die erste Corvette wurde ab 1953 in begrenzter Stückzahl gebaut, anfangs waren es nur etwa 300 Exemplare pro Jahr. Einige davon wurden von Projekt-Ingenieuren, General-Motors-Managern und einigen ausgewählten Schauspielern und anderen Prominenten übernommen.
Der Grund für die geringe Stückzahl von nur rund 300 Stück war unter anderem die problematische Fertigung der Kunststoffkarosserie. Der 110 kW (150 bhp) starke Sportwagen war nicht schneller und dennoch teurer als die prestigeträchtigeren Modelle von Jaguar und Cadillac. Auch der etwas später erschienene Kaiser Darrin war auf den Markt nicht erfolgreich. So konnte Chevrolet im ersten Jahr nicht einmal die Hälfte der Produktion verkaufen. Es fehlte ein hubraumstarker V8-Motor mit genügend Leistung.
Noch dramatischer wurde die Lage im folgenden Jahr 1954. Statt der geplanten 10.000 Einheiten rollten nur 3.640 Corvette vom Band, von denen 1.100 Einheiten keinen Käufer fanden. Das Aus für die Corvette drohte 1955: Knapp 700 Corvette verließen die neuen Produktionsanlagen in St. Louis und dies vielleicht auch nur noch, um Flagge zu zeigen, als Ford seinen zweisitzigen Sportwagen, den Thunderbird, erfolgreich auf den Markt brachte. Innerhalb von zehn Tagen konnte Ford 3.500 Einheiten absetzen, überwiegend mit dem 156 kW (212 bhp) starken V8-Motor.
Die Rettung für die Corvette brachte Chevrolets ab 1955 verfügbarer neuer „Small-Block“-Motor mit acht Zylindern. Der neue verantwortliche Ingenieur Zora Arkus-Duntov, auch Rennfahrer, passte die Corvette an diesen Motor an, nachdem er die GM-Verantwortlichen von seinem Konzept überzeugt hatte, und legte damit die Basis für einen erfolgreichen Neustart. Er sorgte für den Einbau von Scheibenbremsen, Einspritzung und konstruierte eine schärfere Nockenwelle, um die Motorleistung zu steigern. Die Premierenfeier der überarbeiteten Corvette wurde 1956 wieder im New Yorker Hotel Waldorf Astoria ausgerichtet. Im Jahr 1958 stiegen die Corvette-Verkaufszahlen auf über 9.000 Einheiten – genug, um erstmals schwarze Zahlen zu erwirtschaften.
Um zu beweisen, dass die Corvette auch auf der Rennstrecke ein konkurrenzfähiges Auto war, nahm Briggs Cunningham 1960 mit mehreren Modellen beim 24-Stunden-Rennen von Le Mans teil. Das beste Ergebnis war ein achter Platz.
Die Corvette C1 ist immer noch sehr beliebt.
Produktionszeit war von Juni 1953 bis August 1962. Dabei wurden insgesamt 69.015 Exemplare produziert. Da die C1 noch nicht als Coupé lieferbar war, wurden ausschließlich Roadster (offene Zweisitzer mit einfachem Verdeck) gefertigt. Danach wurde die Produktion eingestellt und 1963 wurde die Corvette C2 vorgestellt.
Karosserie
Die Corvette C1 hatte eine Karosserie aus glasfaserverstärktem Kunstharz, die bis heute bei der Corvette beibehalten wird. Dadurch sparte man Gewicht und die Herstellung ist heute relativ einfach. Allerdings war die Produktion der Kunststoffkarosserie zunächst aufwändig und langwierig. Motor, Getriebe und Fahrwerk stammten von anderen Chevrolet-Modellen.
Heckflossen-Erfinder Harley Earl hatte dem offenen Zweisitzer mit der Kunststoff-Karosserie seine Form gegeben – wie ein Raubtier zeigte diese Corvette die Chromzähne ihres Kühlergrills. Die geschwungenen Kotflügel spannten sich über die Radhäuser. Die Scheinwerfer lagen unter einem Steinschlagschutzgitter, am Heck gab es angedeutete Flossen. Die Panorama-Frontscheibe war an den Seiten herumgezogen. Der symmetrisch aufgebaute lackierte Armaturenträger hatte zwei halbkreisförmige Aussparungen, deren fahrerseitige einen Einsatz mit sechs Anzeigeinstrumenten enthielt. Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte die Corvette keine äußeren Türgriffe oder Seitenscheiben. Im Jahr 1954 waren ca. 80 % der verkauften Fahrzeuge „Polo Weiß“ lackiert, rund 16 % „Pennant Blau“ und die restlichen 4 % des Modelljahres „Sportsman Rot“ und „Schwarz“.
Die erste grundlegende äußere Überarbeitung der Corvette fand 1956 statt. Die Heckflossen verschwanden völlig, dafür hielten seitliche Einbuchtungen hinter den Vorderrädern und die erste Zweifarb-Lackierung in der Modellgeschichte Einzug. Äußere Türgriffe und Seitenscheiben mit Fensterkurbel waren eine weitere Neuerung dieses Jahrgangs. Das Hardtop wurde ab Werk mitgeliefert. Die bisher in die Karosserie integrierten Frontscheinwerfer lagen nun frei und standen etwas hervor, während die bei der ersten Corvette noch herausragenden Rücklichter nun in die hinteren Kotflügel integriert wurden. Es standen zusätzliche Lackierungen und Innenfarben zur Auswahl. Mit dem überarbeiteten Fahrwerk konnte die Corvette noch mehr Leistung auf die Straße bringen. Die Verkaufszahlen stiegen 1956 auf 3467 Fahrzeuge.
1958 wurde die Corvette ein weiteres Mal überarbeitet und mit Doppelscheinwerfern ausgerüstet, außerdem um 9,2 in (234 mm) verlängert und verbreitert. Aufhängung und Chassis waren im Grunde die gleichen geblieben, ebenso die einfache Starrachse. Die 1959er-Version sah im Wesentlichen genauso aus wie ihr Vorgänger, allerdings verzichtete man in diesem Jahr auf die Chromzierleisten am Heck und die großen Lüftungsschlitze auf der Motorhaube. Das Auto bot gute Fahrleistungen und war im Vergleich mit manchen Konkurrenten gut ausgestattet und konnte so 9168 mal verkauft werden. Für das Modelljahr 1959 änderte sich nicht viel. Es entfiel etwas Chromzierat und die Sitze sowie die Türpappen wurden überarbeitet. Eine neue Hinterachsfederung mit Stabilisator erhielt die Corvette 1960.
Die Verkaufszahlen stiegen weiter an. So wurden 9.670 Fahrzeuge im Jahr 1959 verkauft, 1960 fanden sich 10.261 Käufer und 1961 dann etwas mehr, nämlich 10.939. Im letzten Jahr 1962 der ersten Generation verkaufte sich die Corvette mit 14.531 am besten in den neun Produktionsjahren.
1961 wurde die C1 ein letztes Mal außen überarbeitet. Dabei wurde die Front von den Vorgängermodellen übernommen. Das Heck wurde hingegen geändert und war nun ein Bootsheck, das sowohl bei der Baureihe der C2 beibehalten wurde, als auch noch in den folgenden Modellen C3, C4 und C5 erkennbar ist. Die seit 1955 bestellbaren seitlichen akzentuierten Flächen entfielen im Jahr 1962, die Corvette gab es nur noch einfarbig.
Die vier runden Rückleuchten führte der damals neue GM-Chefdesigner Bill Mitchell ebenfalls 1961 ein. Diesem typischen Stilelement blieb GM bis heute treu, obwohl die Leuchten ab Generation C7 zwar noch paarweise angeordnet, jedoch nicht mehr rund sind.
Motor/Fahrleistungen
Der Motor war anfangs ein nur leicht veränderter „Blue Flame“-Sechszylinder-Reihenmotor aus einem Lastwagen mit einem Hubraum von 3,8 Litern (235 in3) mit einer Kompression von 8 : 1. Höhere Verdichtung und drei Carter-Einfach-Vergaser vom Type YH steigerten die Leistung auf erst 110 imp. kW (150 bhp) und ab 1954, durch eine geänderte Nockenwelle, auf 114 imp. kW (155 bhp) bei 4200 min–1 und stellten ein maximales Drehmoment von 302 Nm bei 4500 min–1 zur Verfügung.[2] Die Corvette C1 beschleunigte damit je nach Quelle in 8 bis 11 Sekunden von 0–100 km/h. Die Höchstgeschwindigkeit wurde mit 172 bis 180 km/h angegeben. Diese Fahrleistungen entsprachen jedoch sogar für damalige Verhältnisse nicht denen eines Sportwagens.
Darum verordneten Ed Cole und Zora Arkus-Duntov der Corvette C1 eine Kraftkur: Statt des bisherigen Sechszylinders entschieden sie sich für einen „Small-Block“-V8 mit zunächst 4,3 Litern (265 in3) Hubraum und 143 kW (195 bhp) bei 5000 min–1. Der erste Chevrolet-„Small-Block“-V8-Motor und somit erste Corvette-V8-Motor kam 1955 auf den Markt. Dass ein Fahrzeug damit motorisiert war, wurde mit einem großen „V“ im Namen „CheVrolet“ an den Seiten der vorderen Kotflügel gezeigt. Mit dieser Veränderung entwickelte sich die Corvette zu einem echten Sportwagen mit sehr guten Fahrleistungen. Die Beschleunigung von 0 auf ca. 100 km/h absolvierte die Corvette mit dem V8-Motor in 8,7 Sekunden. Duntov beschleunigte die Corvette in Daytona auf eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 150 mph (241 km/h), was zur damaligen Zeit einen respektablen Wert darstellte. 1956 wurde ebenfalls der Motor überarbeitet. Er leistete nun in der Serienstufe 210 bhp bei 5200 min–1 mit einer Verdichtung von 9,25 : 1 und war mit einem Carter Doppel-Register-Vergaser bestückt. Als Extra konnte eine Version mit 225 bhp oder 240 bhp bestellt werden. Diese beiden Motoren waren mit einer anderen Nockenwelle und zwei Doppel-Register-Vergasern ausgerüstet. Die 225 bhp-Variante beschleunigte von 0 auf rund 100 km/h in 7,3 Sekunden.
Im Jahre 1957 kam erneut ein neuer Motor in die C1. Das auf 4,6 Liter (283 in3) vergrößerte V8-Triebwerk leistete mit der neuen Einspritzung bereits 208 kW (283 bhp) und wurde 1040 mal (etwa 11 %) verkauft. Mit exakt einem PS pro cubic inch (Kubikzoll) Hubraum (umgerechnet 16,4 cm3) war damit ein sehr hoher Wert erreicht. Von 0 auf 100 km/h beschleunigte der Zweisitzer mit der leistungsstärksten Maschine in 5,7 Sekunden; er erreichte eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 132 mph (212 km/h). Noch schneller war die Corvette des letzten Jahrgangs dieser ersten Modellgeneration.
Die Motorenpalette reichte dann schließlich 1958 von einem V8 mit 169 kW (230 bhp) bis zum stärksten Motor mit 213 kW (290 bhp) und Einspritzung. Ersterer beschleunigte in 9,2 Sekunden auf rund 100 km/h, letzterer benötigte für den Sprint nur 6,9 Sekunden. Am beliebtesten war aber die Grundversion mit 4,6-Liter-Motor, deren Fahrleistungen als ausreichend empfunden wurden. Ab 1960 wurden beim V8-Motor Zylinderköpfe aus Aluminium verwendet.
Die letzte 1962er-Version der Corvette C1 war mit dem 5,3-Liter-V8 (327 in3) ausgestattet. Dieser war der stärkste je lieferbare Motor für die C1. Er leistete, ebenfalls mit Einspritzung ausgestattet, 360 brutto SAE-PS und beschleunigte die Corvette auf bis zu 241 km/h. Leistungsvarianten waren ebenfalls eine 300 bhp- sowie 340 bhp-Variante.
Getriebe
Anfangs hatte das Auto die Zweigang-Powerglide-Automatik, es stand auch ein Handschaltgetriebe zur Wahl. Die Verkaufszahlen stiegen jedoch erst, als der damals neue Corvette-Chefingenieur Zora Arkus-Duntov die V8-Version mit einem Dreigang-Schaltgetriebe kombinierte.
1957 konnten Autokäufer erstmals bei der Corvette auf Wunsch ein Handschaltgetriebe mit einer Kraftstoffeinspritzung kombinieren. Das neue Automatikgetriebe besaß nun vier statt drei Stufen. Im Modelljahr 1960 wurden mehr als die Hälfte der Fahrzeuge mit dem manuellen 4-Gang-Getriebe ausgeliefert, im Jahr 1961 waren es sogar 64 %. Ab 1962 hatte das Automatikgetriebe der Corvette ein Aluminiumgehäuse.
Hybrid als Hommage
Eine Zusammenarbeit der American Made Corporation und Beijing Locomotive Co., Ltd. bietet seit 2020 unter der chinesischen Marke Songsan Motors ein, von der C1 des Baujahres 1958, inspiriertes Fahrzeug unter dem Namen SS Dolphin an. Der als PlugIn-Hybrid konstruierte Wagen beschleunigt in 4,9 Sekunden auf 100 km/h und kostet ¥ 590.000 (ca. 74.000 Euro, Stand September 2020). Der Antrieb besteht aus einem turboaufgeladenen 1,5-Liter-Ottomotor sowie einem Elektromotor, welcher von einem 16 kWh-leistenden Akku versorgt wird. Damit hat der SS Dolphin eine 90 bis 100 km rein elektrische Reichweite. Die Systemleistung beträgt 230 kW bei 535 Nm und wirkt auf ein manuelles Sechsgang-Schaltgetriebe mit Vorderradantrieb. Das Fahrzeug hat eine Länge von 4800 mm, eine Breite von 1850 mm und eine Höhe von 1390 mm.
(Wikipedia)
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
•• Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
Perspective of the nave leading through the “false transept” and into the choir and apse.
Sheba - Featuring Sweet Disposition by LaVian
Sweet Disposition is a sexy flirty short playsuit from LaVian, released in various gorgeous hud options (I am wearing Bagged 2 hud here, which is released for the current 60L Weekend round).
The playsuit shorts are full and flouncy, giving the initial appearance of a mini skirt, but they have so much more practicality, truly a summer casual chic must for your wardrobe!.
Sweet Disposition can be worn either with the Classic SL Avatar body, or (like here) with the Lara Mesh Body from Maitreya.
LaVian taxi -
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LaVian/90/135/34
LaVian blog/website: www.lavianandco.org/
LaVian flickr : www.flickr.com/groups/lavianandco/
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Styled with
Singh Facechains - gold - [The Forge] (at the current The Fantasy Collective round)
Tribus necklace - gold - [CERES]
Handariel Bracelet - gold - .aisling (gacha available at their mainstore)
Hair (mixed for photo) Laleen by Emo-tions and Candice by Vanity hair.
Makeup - League, [mock], Soiree, Shakeup!, models own inner eyeliner
Photograph by Eleseren Brianna
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
•• Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
Another one of the beautiful sculpted capitals that crowned the columns supporting the open arches that used to separate the main nave from the aisles.
The aisles have ben razed and the arches walled in, but leaving just enough open space around the capitals allows some light to flow in and “wrap around” the capitals in a very photogenic manner. It was indeed very thoughtful of the builders of the early 18th century, when this was done.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
•• Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
Sculpted capitals.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
The lovely bucolic setting of the Old Church of Thaon is unique and leaves visitors a long-lasting impression of peace and serenity.
Half full or half empty?
Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r o f C a n D o 4 K i d s T o w n s e n d H o u s e
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in
moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at
times of challenge and controversy."
Dr Martin Luther King Jnr
At CanDo4Kids we are continually amazed by the way children
with sensory impairments overcome adversity and achieve
great things through their perseverance and determination.
Young Jessye Campbell, who features in this issue of
CanDoNews, is a shining example with her inspirational story
of how she has adapted to her blindness.
Jessye the unstoppable
At 11 months of age, Jessye was diagnosed with bilateral
retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye). She had already lost one
eye to the cancer when a specialist recommended her remaining
eye be removed to save her life.
Hours before having an operation to remove her remaining
eye, five-year-old Jessye Campbell accepted her impending
blindness with an astounding practicality and strength.
Jessye told her stepfather Bruce Oswald: “I’m going to be
blind tomorrow”.
Bruce asked her how she felt about it and she replied that
“it (the operation) was going to save her life,”
Jessye’s mother Trish Campbell said “She understands that
this operation was for the best and she has been incredibly
accepting. I can honestly say she has never complained. She
is so busy and energetic about everything, focusing on what
she can do rather than what she can’t.”
Since the eye was removed in August, CanDo4Kids has assisted
Jessye and her family, particularly during the school holidays,
Trish said.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), or the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 2013, tied to the sponsorship of Bridgestone Corporation is the world's most well-known solar-powered car race event. A biennial road race covering 3,022 km (1,878 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Adelaide, South Australia, created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations, although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 32-year history spanning fourteen races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of the century.
Since 2001 the World Solar Challenge was won seven times out of nine efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands, with only the Tokai Challenger, built by the Tokai University of Japan able to take the crown in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2007, the WSC has been raced in multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, racing and stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won the Cruiser Class in all three races so far.
Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the GM led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the race rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda's Dream car first won the race with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005 the Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the 2017 Stella Vie vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real world compliance and practicality that has been achieved.
The World Solar Challenge held its 30th anniversary event on October 8–15, 2017.
The 2019 World Solar Challenge will take place from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries have entered the competition. The same 3 classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure will be featured.
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch," and portions of some other adjacent streets. The central attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 ft (27 m) high at the peak and four blocks, or approximately 1,500 ft (460 m), in length. While Las Vegas is known for never turning the outside casino lights off, each show begins by turning off the lights on all of the buildings, including the casinos, under the canopy. Before each show, one bidirectional street that crosses the Experience is blocked off for safety reasons. Concerts, usually free, are also held on three stages. The venue has become a major tourist attraction for downtown Las Vegas, and is also the location of the SlotZilla zip line attraction and the city's annual New Year's Eve party, complete with fireworks on the display screen. Fremont Street had Las Vegas' first hotel (the Hotel Nevada in 1906, present day Golden Gate), first telephone (1907), first paved street (1925), first Nevada gaming license — issued to the Northern Club at 15 E. Fremont St, first traffic light, first elevator (the Apache Hotel in 1932), and the first high-rise (the Fremont Hotel in 1956). The Horseshoe was the first casino to install carpeting, while the Golden Nugget was the first structure designed from the ground up to be a casino. For many years, the western end of Fremont Street was the area most commonly portrayed whenever producers wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The large number of neon signs earned the area the nickname "Glitter Gulch." By 1992, 80 percent of the Las Vegas casino market was on the Strip. Downtown Las Vegas hotels and casinos sought to build an attraction that would lure more visitors to their businesses. After Paramount Pictures head Stanley Jaffe refused to approve a proposal to build a life-sized Starship Enterprise, the Fremont Street Experience was chosen as the project. FSE, LLC is a cooperative venture, owned and operated by a group of downtown hotel/casino companies (comprising eight hotel/casinos) as a separate corporation, responsible for financing, developing, and managing the Fremont Street Experience. It was the second Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, whose firm was paid approximately $900,000 by the City of Las Vegas to create a show concept for the downtown area. Jerde's design included a floating sky parade which was to be suspended from the canopy. The concept was accepted by the Fremont Street Experience as well as the City of Las Vegas. Ultimately Jon Jerde's sky parade concept was scrapped, but the architectural design for the canopy was carried through. The local architect of record, Mary Kozlowski Architect Inc., cited the following as problems with Jon Jerde's sky parade concept:
1.) Perspective: The view of the parade from below made the concept unworkable — to properly view the project would require that visitors stand at a raised elevation such as a third or fourth floor vantage point.
2.) Wind: The addition of the canopy over Fremont Street would create a wind tunnel causing a dangerous condition for people on the floats who would be trapped. Also the potential for harmonic motion as the floats swung back and forth in the wind potentially resulting in massive structural failure of the canopy and fatalities.
3.) Sand: The combination of desert sand and the mechanical systems of the sky parade would make the attraction difficult to maintain.
A new concept for the show was necessary quickly as funds were already available and the overall schedule was set. The concept for the show as it now exists was conceived by architect Mary Kozlowski who had grown up in Las Vegas and knew and loved Fremont Street. It was a light show on the underside of the canopy — the world's largest and most spectacular. Peter Smith, executive vice-president of Atlandia Design, recognized the beauty and practicality of the concept. Jon Jerde, FSE and the City of Las Vegas embraced the show concept. Kozlowski's concept was to use a combination of four colored light bulbs per "light" which allowed a full spectrum of colors. The Young Electric Sign Company assisted in creating the test panels and in the final installation. After the Fremont Street Experience opened, the light bulbs were checked nightly to ensure that all were functioning properly. To accomplish this massive undertaking, the length of the canopy was divided into panels. Each panel was checked by separately turning on each of the four colored light bulbs. A maintenance worker on a lift would then replace any bulbs that were out. The most expensive bulb cost nearly $15 to replace. On September 7, 1994, a five-block section of Fremont Street was closed to automobile traffic for good, and groundbreaking was held on September 16. After that, the digging up of the street and the installation of the support poles continued into December. On February 15, 1995, the space frames were brought in and the roof began to take shape. The last piece was installed in July 1995. The official public preview was held in conjunction with the Nevada Symphony. The light show was opened on December 14, 1995. The first New Year's party was held on December 31, 1995. The Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience opened in November 1996 with the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign being lit at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. The museum features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors. For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company stored many of these signs in their bone yard. The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements. The museum is slowly restoring the signs and placing them around the FSE. Permanent stages were added in the early 2000s, eliminating the need to bring in temporary stages for every event. The sound system was upgraded in June 2001. On June 14, 2004, a $17 million upgrade was unveiled that would feature a 12.5-million LED display and more color combinations than the original display, which was composed of incandescent lighting. The initial $70 million investment and the continued improvements have resulted in successful and ongoing downtown redevelopment. The City of Las Vegas and the downtown casinos have benefited as more than 60% of visitors to Downtown are lured by the Fremont Street Experience overhead light show and stage shows and stay to enjoy the attractions of some of the most famous casinos in the world.
Three more photos from the Lake District, back in the autumn. The trip was notable for it's combination of sunshine and showers, which creates some great situations for photography, along with some very difficult practicalities.
Once upon a time in a small, quiet town in Missouri, there was a metal sculpture of an owl that had been sitting outside a local art gallery for years. It was crafted by a renowned, though underappreciated, artist who poured his heart into creating the majestic piece, envisioning it as a symbol of wisdom and mystery. The owl, perched on a steel branch, had glowing eyes made of polished amber. It was truly a work of art — if you were into abstract, metal owls, that is.
The artist, who had once won a small-town art contest for his elaborate sculptures, tried to sell the owl for a reasonable price, but for some reason, no one in the town seemed to appreciate its value. The townsfolk didn’t know much about art, but they did know a thing or two about practicality. And this owl, perched awkwardly at the front of the gallery, looked like it had just flown into a gust of wind, tangled up in its own wings, and got stuck in some metal scrap.
Whenever tourists came through, the local gallery owner would proudly show off the owl. "It's a bold statement on the fragility of nature, and the intersection of metal and life!" he would say. Tourists would nod politely and offer vague compliments like, "Wow, that's... interesting!" before walking away to the more “traditional” landscape paintings inside the gallery.
The town itself wasn’t any better. Every time a local walked past the sculpture, they'd glance at it for a split second, scratch their heads, and mutter, "It’s a bit... weird, huh?" and then continue on their way. Even during the annual town festival, when art was on full display, the owl was often relegated to a corner of the fairgrounds where no one really noticed it. It became known as "that weird owl" — a running joke among the townsfolk. Someone even stuck a traffic cone on top of its head one year.
One day, a young artist from the city happened to pass through and saw the owl. She was immediately struck by its beauty and originality. The gallery owner was over the moon to find someone who actually got it. He explained that no one in the town seemed to appreciate it, but he was sure it would find a home in the city.
The artist was sold. She arranged to buy the owl, and with great excitement, it was loaded onto a truck, destined for the city’s art scene.
As the truck pulled away, the townspeople gathered at the corner, staring at the now-empty spot. One old man, who had spent his entire life in the town and had seen it all, sighed deeply and said, "Well, that’s a shame. Guess the owl finally found someone who appreciates its, uh... unique charm."
A few months later, the local paper ran a story with a headline: "City Artist Turns ‘Ugly Owl’ Into Art Sensation." The article described how the owl had become a viral sensation, with visitors flocking from across the country to see it. In the photos, the owl gleamed under spotlights, and people posed next to it, admiring its "avant-garde" vibe.
Back in Missouri, the townsfolk couldn't help but chuckle. “Well, I’ll be,” the old man muttered. “Looks like that weird owl was worth something after all.”
And so, the owl, which had been passed over for so many years, became a symbol of misunderstood art — a reminder that sometimes, it takes a bit of distance and a different perspective to truly appreciate the beauty in something that seems a little... offbeat.
Found the one with the corkscrew that I bought in Switzerland, on our walk from #Helga2004….. It has no hole for a pin!
(do a Ctrl+R to refresh if you can't see the NOTES on screen)
It has WAC scratched beside the corkscrew on the side panel to the reamer…
VICTORINOX Swiss Army Knife Tinker red Medium Pocket Knife 1.4603 Red 35060 IS 90mm long…
$38.80 on eBay….
The Victorinox Tinker is one of the most popular best Swiss army knives out there. People often use it as their EDC knife and they generally like the balance between its toolset and carry ability.
It’s 3.6” long and weighs 2.2 oz. Its toolset features 12 stainless steel pieces, including a large/small stainless steel blade, Phillips screwdriver, can opener with a small flat screwdriver, bottle opener with a large flat screwdriver & wire stripper, reamer, tweezers, toothpick, and a key ring.
The tools are packed into 2 layers, which gives it a slimmer appearance.
And see Classic SD Alox for the SAK now I have bought one on eBay, $49.95 smaller than I thought. 57mm long.. KRW 65,000
On its way, o4-03-23 arrived by Au Post 07-03-23 in slim envelope with a slip of a plastic case for the knife.
Now just received the #Alox 7.. 0.8150.26 27-06-23
Also shown here is my 1.3703 Climber red from Mister Minit Gungahlin 25/08/21 $69.75
This model would be nice...
www.ebay.com.au/itm/275699647039?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM...
The Swiss Army knife is a multi-tool pocketknife manufactured by Victorinox.[1] The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by American soldiers after World War II after they had trouble pronouncing the German word "Offiziersmesser", meaning "officer’s knife".[2]
The Swiss Army knife generally has a drop-point main blade plus other blades and tools such as screwdrivers, a can opener, a saw blade, a pair of scissors, and many others. These are stowed inside the handle of the knife through a pivot point mechanism. The handle is traditionally a red color, with either a Victorinox or Wenger "cross" logo or, for Swiss military issue knives, the coat of arms of Switzerland. Other colors, textures, and shapes have appeared over the years.
Originating in Ibach, Switzerland, the Swiss Army knife was first produced in 1891 when the Karl Elsener company, which later became Victorinox, won the contract to produce the Swiss Army's Modell 1890 knife from the previous German manufacturer. In 1893, the Swiss cutlery company Paul Boéchat & Cie, which later became Wenger SA, received its first contract from the Swiss military to produce model 1890 knives; the two companies split the contract for provision of the knives from 1908 until Victorinox acquired Wenger in 2005. A cultural icon of Switzerland, both the design of the knife and its versatility have worldwide recognition.[3] The term "Swiss Army knife" has acquired usage as a figure of speech indicating extreme utility applicable to more or less any scenario at hand.
from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Army_knife
Tools and components
The Victorinox Swisschamp consists of 8 layers with 33 functions and weighs 185 g.
Wenger Giant
Victorinox Swisschamp XAVT
There are various models of the Swiss Army knife with different tool combinations.
Though Victorinox does not provide custom knives, they have produced many different variations to suit individual users,[11] with the Wenger company producing even more model variations. [12]
Common Main Layer Tools:
Large blade - With 'VICTORINOX SWISS MADE' tang stamp on Victorinox blades (since 2005) to verify the knife's authenticity
Small blade
Nail file / nail cleaner
Scissors
Wood saw
Metal file / metal saw with Nail file / nail cleaner /
Magnifying lens
Phillips screwdriver
Fish scaler / hook disgorger / ruler in cm and inches
Pliers / wire cutter / wire crimper
Can opener / 3 mm slotted screwdriver
Bottle opener / 6 mm slotted screwdriver / wire stripper
Other Main Layer Tools:
LED light
USB flash drive
Hoof cleaner
Shackle opener / marlinspike
Electrician's blade / wire scraper
Pruning blade
Pharmaceutical spatula (cuticle pusher)
Cyber Tool (bit driver)
Combination tool containing cap opener / can opener / 5 mm slotted screwdriver / wire stripper
Back Layer Tools:
Corkscrew or Phillips driver
Reamer or Awl
Is this the most useless tool..?
youtu.be/MzHAgtb0JhQ?si=CtMPDfge2xChQdmS
Multipurpose hook
2mm slotted screwdriver
Chisel
Mini screwdriver (designed to fit within the corkscrew)
Keyring
Scale Tools:
Tweezers
Toothpick
Pressurized ballpoint pen (with a retractable version on smaller models, and can be used to set DIP switches)
Stainless pin
Digital clock / alarm / timer / altimeter / thermometer / barometer
Rivets and flanged bushings made from brass hold all machined steel parts and other tools, separators and the scales together. The rivets are made by cutting and pointing appropriately sized bars of solid brass.
The separators between the tools have been made from aluminium alloy since 1951. This makes the knives lighter. Previously these separating layers were made of nickel-silver.[18]
The martensitic stainless steel alloy used for the cutting blades is optimized for high toughness and corrosion resistance and has a composition of 15% chromium, 0.60% silicon, 0.52% carbon, 0.50% molybdenum, and 0.45% manganese and is designated X55CrMo14 or DIN 1.4110 according to Victorinox.[19] After a hardening process at 1040 °C and annealing at 160 °C the blades achieve an average hardness of 56 HRC. This steel hardness is suitable for practical use and easy resharpening, but less than achieved in stainless steel alloys used for blades optimized for high wear resistance. According to Victorinox the martensitic stainless steel alloy used for the other parts is X39Cr13 (aka DIN 1.4031, AISI/ASTM 420) and for the springs X20Cr13 (aka DIN 1.4021, but still within AISI/ASTM 420).[20][21]
The steel used for the wood saws, scissors and nail files has a steel hardness of HRC 53, the screwdrivers, tin openers and awls have a hardness of HRC 52, and the corkscrew and springs have a hardness of HRC 49.[20][citation needed]
The metal saws and files, in addition to the special case hardening, are also subjected to a hard chromium plating process so that iron and steel can also be filed and cut.[18][22]
Also have the Tinker Red 1.4603 Resin Scales..
Secret tools and uses.. youtu.be/AMWcziJezLQ?si=es3aBLaQjrZSOD8T
youtube.com/shorts/VUC6Atz4Du0?si=XGAQPdm9w-CvzzIv
The venerable Swiss Army Knife (SAK for short) is a jack-of-all-trades everyday carry tool that enjoys an irreplaceable status in people's loadouts, even if they do not consider themselves part of the everyday carry community, thanks to the SAK's hallmark mix of valuable features and tools in a compact size. With over a century of experience making quality tools and knives, Victorinox and Wenger (the sole two authorized makers of the Swiss Army Knife since the 1890s, and the latter acquired by Victorinox in 2005) have hundreds of SAKs for you to choose from.
Victorinox created the original SAK to meet an Army officer's knife requirement in the Swiss military. Their practicality means they've become a preferred multi-tool for decades now. They've also become instantly recognizable even to someone unfamiliar with everyday carry. They carry a SAK because MacGyver had one on TV, and then there's the fabled green SAK pulled out of a safe deposit bank vault by Jason Bourne.
With all the options available, we'll focus on what makes for a good, compact SAK for everyday carry: a competent knife, one or more screwdrivers, a can or bottle opener, and other essentials like a pair of scissors, tweezers, or even a toothpick. Armed with that knowledge, you can research further on your own and decide what your first (or next) Swiss Army Knife should be.
This post was last updated on 12/26/2023.
In all my 2-3 Million miles or kilometers of #FlickrSpelio #bushwalking, #SUSScaving, #WASGcaving, #RMLAIDForest life or #GSWANullarbor work, travel #roundAUstraliawithSpelio or in the UK or Europe in #Helga2004 , where I bought a #SAKTinker in Switzerland or in #mtus where I bought the #juiceS2, I never needed a #SAKedc or #Leatherman as I always had a couple of fully equipped toolboxes of #remotegearlist and a trusty #sheathknife....
The Original Mother Church (with no dome), designed by Franklin I. Welch, was built in 1894 and later extended in 1905 to minimize the Ottoman and Byzantine elements, bringing the domes structure into line with the classical design for Christian science churches.
The heart of Christian Science is Love. It's about feeling and understanding God's goodness. It shows the practicality of better understanding God, Christ Jesus, good and evil, life and death, sacrament, salvation, and more.
The image is a bit distorted because of the angle of view and the lens I have but that was fine as I had the urge to capture it :).
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency in the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
My photographic tour of Lower Normandy had to begin, of course, by the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Now that we have covered those, I would like to show you a few other Romanesque churches, much less well-known, yet fully worthy of our interest.
The first documentary source I consulted when I was preparing this trip was, as usual, the Normandie romane book published by Zodiaque —both volumes, as Romanesque Normandy is so rich that two books were needed to properly cover it. Unfortunately, and owing to some of those unforeseen circumstances that so often intrude upon our lives, I do not have those books with me at the moment. Therefore, I am not able to use the valuable material they hold to compose my captions; still, I will do my best in their absence... with my apologies. I hope the books will be sent back to me by whoever I made the mistake to leave them with, so that I won’t have to buy new copies.
Contrary to abbey and priory churches, which were often built in quiet and peaceful (not to say lonely) locales, away from the hustle and bustle of villages and towns (even if such cores of human activity often ended up growing from scratch around them!), parochial churches were usually erected in a village or very close by.
Dedicated to Saint Peter and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list drawn up in 1840 by Minister Prosper Mérimée (which says a lot about its architectural and artistic value, even by 19th century standards), the church of Thaon was built in a lonely vale because the parish, at the time, did not include a village per se, but was rather a collection of scattered hamlets: the church was built more or less in the middle. Tradition has been upheld up to present day: the church is still alone, with only one mill built nearby to benefit from the driving force of the current of River Mue —although, if truth be told, I have to admit that, with the concept of practicality emerging in the 19th century, a new church was consecrated in 1840 smack in the center of what had in the meantime become the most important of those hamlets of old: Thaon. Saint Peter was henceforth known as “the Old Church”.
Archæological digs carried out between 1998 and 2011 have shown that the locale was used during the Antiquity as a fanum, probably in connection with a nearby ford that allowed for crossing the river. A small necropolis developed during the 300s and 400s, then a first paleo-Christian edifice was built during the 600s, replaced by a new one in the next century. A first Romanesque church was erected around 1050–80, of which only the bell tower remains today. It is the oldest part of the second Romanesque church, the one we can still admire today, which was built in 1130–50 as an extension of the older church in all directions: the nave was extended by two rows to the West, a wider and much deeper choir was built with a flat apse and aisles were added. It is surrounded by more than 400 tombs from the 7th to the 18th century, which have been excavated and studied by archæologists.
During the Romanesque Age, the land was owned by the powerful barons of Creully, who possessed large tracts of land in Lower Normandy; this probably accounts for the architectural quality of the old church, which was placed under the direct patronage of the chapter of canons of the Bayeux Cathedral. This monument has come to us practically intact, except for the aforementioned aisles that were razed around 1720, probably because the terrain had become marshier and threatened the stability of the entire building. Around the same time, the floor level was raised to help fight dampness, of which the inside still exhibits many traces.
The ambiance in the nave. This is the kind of photograph I tend to take towards the end of the session, when everything on the shot list is already “in the box”. Then, I sit down, take some time to relax, meditate, “feel” the place with eyes closed. It may take as long as a half hour, I suppose, if I am really feeling well in a particular church. Then, when I pick up the camera again, I “see” differently and can take this kind of shot.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), or the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 2013, tied to the sponsorship of Bridgestone Corporation is the world's most well-known solar-powered car race event. A biennial road race covering 3,022 km (1,878 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Adelaide, South Australia, created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations, although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 32-year history spanning fourteen races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of the century.
Since 2001 the World Solar Challenge was won seven times out of nine efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands, with only the Tokai Challenger, built by the Tokai University of Japan able to take the crown in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2007, the WSC has been raced in multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, racing and stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won the Cruiser Class in all three races so far.
Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the GM led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the race rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda's Dream car first won the race with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005 the Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the 2017 Stella Vie vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real world compliance and practicality that has been achieved.
The World Solar Challenge held its 30th anniversary event on October 8–15, 2017.
The 2019 World Solar Challenge will take place from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries have entered the competition. The same 3 classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure will be featured.
Farnborough Hall is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Farnborough, Warwickshire, close to the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The house was built in the late 17th Century for William Holbech, and remodelled c.1745-1750 for William Holbech the younger, probably by Sanderson Miller.
The parkland is a rare surviving example of the ferme ornée (ornamental farm) style of landscaping. It combined agricultural practicality with fashionable design: farm buildings were ornamental, yet suited for their purpose, and could be features within the landscape. Sanderson Miller, a contemporary of Capability Brown, remodelled the parkland at the request of William Holbech II.
One of the most significant introductions to the garden design was the 1200m long Terrace Walk, which was constructed on an existing slope and has 26 viewing points along it. Closest to the Hall is the Game Larder overlooking St Botolph's Church, Farnborough; this is followed by the Ionic Temple and Oval Pavilion. At the end of the Terrace Walk, is the 18m high Obelisk, which overlooks the Warmington Valley. The Obelisk was first recorded by a visitor in 1746. It was rebuilt in 1828 after it collapsed in 1823.
First of July 2017 I made my way to Stonehaven, a small fishing town a few miles from Aberdeen, while there the sun shone high in the blue sky making it a perfect day to capture the scenery and landscape surrounding me, hence I packed my Nikon D750 and made full use of it, I left Stonehaven around 16pm and drove the few miles to this wonderful location Dunnottar Castle, absolutely breathtaking , I post a few of the photos I have taken along with a brief history of castles heritage .
Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.
The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.
The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.
History
Early Middle Ages
A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "Dún Foither" in 681 and 694.
The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rí Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.
The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "Dún Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.
Later Middle Ages
During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.
In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.
In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.
Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.
In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.
William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.
16th century rebuilding
Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.
James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.
During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.
In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.
A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.
An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.
Civil wars
Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.
Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.
The Honours of Scotland
Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.
They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.
In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.
Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.
Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.
Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.
At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.
Whigs and Jacobites
Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.
The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.
The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.
The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".
Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.
Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.
Later history
The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for £41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.
In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about £80,000.
It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.
Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.
Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.
Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.
The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.
Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.
Description
Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.
The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).
The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".
Defences
The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.
The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.
Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.
Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.
The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.
A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.
Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.
Tower house and surrounding buildings
The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west
The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.
Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.
Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.
This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.
The palace
The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.
It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.
Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.
At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.
The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.
The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.
Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.
At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south...
Photo taken in Kungsholmstorg at Gärdesloppet, or Prins Bertil Memorial, Stockholm, Sweden.
Driver: Lars Bergqvist.
The Volkswagen Beetle enjoyed sixty-six years of production, over 21,000,000 examples built, and manufactured on five continents. It was sold in Europe and the United States for over forty years and remained in production in Mexico until the beginning of the 21st century.
The Volkswagen Beetle had an unusually loyal and enthusiastic following based on its reliability, adaptability, practicality, and affordability. Constant refinements and various improvements were made each year (yet staying true to the original concept). In 1957, the Beetle underwent the most significant revisions yet, with a redesigned body appearing in August that year.
The 1959 Volkswagen Beetle received minor changes which included the addition of an anti-sway bar, stronger clutch springs, and a stronger reinforced frame.
This photo was not cropped. Focal Plane was approximately 50cm from the white background surface.
Bell&Ross BR01-92 Yellow Limited Edition (#500) Watch
So, this is a "real" Aviator Chronograph, not that silly over-priced fancy luxury brand watch with a tachometer and numbers so small that you need a magnifying glass to read and even the overhead Map Light won't help, in a darkened cockpit.
This is the reason I bought this . . . Big numbers, easy to read, at a glance, even in the dark, whether flying a jet that is smooth as glass at 41,000 feet or a jiggling, clattering, vibrating helicopter at 1,500 feet.
So, next time you see a smartly dressed Pilot in his uniform, strutting his stuff in the Airport Terminal and you spy him wearing a BIG wristwatch, with puny numbers and a conspicuous luxury brand, be sure it is more a fashion statement, "I've made it and can afford my first big purchase", than actual practicality using the wristwatch for its intended purpose, i.e. timing fuel consumption, crossing Waypoints. If you do not know, Title 14 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Section 91.205( d)(6) states "For IFR flight, the following instruments and equipment are required ... a clock displaying hours, minutes, and seconds with a sweep-second pointer or digital presentation." But, it does not specify a wristwatch. Still, I would consider it a necessity, if the aircraft installed clock on the Instrument Panel becomes inoperative, while in flight, just like carrying a spare set of batteries for a Pilot's Flashlight, required by Federal Regulations Section 91.503( a)(1) which states, "A flashlight having at least two size “D” cells, or the equivalent, that is in good working order." I even carried a spare bulb. Spare batteries are useless if the bulb is blown. Aviation Safety is about common sense.
This is a macro photo taken with my Nikon D3x and old-school Manual Focus Micro-Nikkor 105mm 1:2.8D lens atached to a Nikon PN-11 Extension Tube.
To take the photo on the right of the radium dial illuminated, I guessed f/4.0, 10 seconds, with an ISO of 100. And, I guessed correctly.
Challenge yourselves to guess correct exposure and color temperature . . . You can train your brain. Of course, I have and use an Exposure Meter and Color Temperature Meter, but I often guess, then check to see how close I am. Or, you can simply chimp or chump, taking multiple exposures until you get it right or check the histogram. I must say, since 2008, when I bought my first real digital camera, the Nikon D3, I have never paid much attention to histogram.
A gentle reminder about copyright and intellectual property-
Ⓒ Cassidy Photography (All images in this Flickr portfolio)
(Digital Art)
Dercohe, BC Canada
The Austin A40 10 CWT Pick-Up holds an interesting place in automotive history. Introduced in 1947, this pick-up truck was part of Austin's broader A40 series, which featured a range of body styles like sedans, vans, and pickups. Its practical design and reliability made it a favorite among small business owners and farmers who needed a versatile vehicle for light commercial use.
The A40 10 CWT Pick-Up was powered by a modest yet efficient 1.2-liter engine, delivering around 40 horsepower. Its payload capacity of 10 hundredweight (about 500 kilograms) gave it the name "10 CWT." This vehicle was known for being durable and economical, making it ideal for post-war recovery in the United Kingdom and beyond.
During its production run from 1947 to 1953, the model gained a reputation for being a workhorse, capable of handling tough tasks in both rural and urban settings. The pick-up embodied the spirit of practicality and simplicity that defined many vehicles of its era.
Thank you for your visit and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!
~Sonja
Hi Gorgeous!
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