Uitgerekend op de dag waarop de lucht afgelopen week onbeschrijflijk mooi was, had ik mijn camera niet bij mij. De dag erna ben ik daarom trouw met camera en statief in m’n tas naar mijn werk gefietst. En hoewel het kleurenspel rond zonsondergang geenszins teleurstelde, was de lucht bij lange na niet zo mooi als de dag ervoor. Zul je net zien…

Precisely on the day that the sky was indescribably beautiful last week, I didn't bring my camera. Therefore, I staunchly packed my camera and tripod before biking to work the day after. And while the colours during sunset were by no means disappointing, the sky wasn't nearly as beautiful as the day before. Naturally...

I really thought they'd not bother to repair this again but I was wrong. Work started this week.

White stands for the proposed borders of an excavation. When crews need to mark the limits of the excavation needed for a basement, or even just a trench, they mark the outlines in white paint. This is usually the first step before any underground infrastructure is precisely located. It shows where the digging will occur.

Orange chalk indicates communications. This could include cable TV, phone systems, alarm wiring, fiber optics, or conduits intended to carry signals rather than power. With our modern reliance on telecommunications, it’s wise to be careful when digging around orange markings.

Blue chalk s the color of water, thus it makes sense that blue markings indicate the presence of water lines. Though not as potentially disastrous as a gas or power line, hitting a water pipe or main would have some pretty severe consequences on a project and surrounding residents. Take care around water, despite the peaceful, blue color.

Yellow means natural gas, petroleum, or steam. It’s the color for urgency and caution. Anyone who’s tapped into a gas line and lived to tell the tale knows the value of accurate markings for gas lines. Oil and steam can be almost as problematic. Take care when you see yellow markings.

I watched in sordid fascination as the man levered his car back and forward, trying to park it in precisely the spot he’d chosen, each clumsy movement reminiscent of the death throes of some large beast. We were at Chippenham Services, on the way home from the rugby international at Twickenham. Once he’d finally manoeuvred his steed exactly as planned, neither he nor his wife could get out of the car without having to hold in the doors carefully for fear of smashing them into those of the two they’d squeezed in between. The row behind was completely empty. Thirty spaces or more, with not a single vehicle, and no discernable disadvantage in pulling up in one of them, other than having to walk an additional four yards to get to the queue for McDonalds. And this was a young couple, neither of them blighted by any apparent mobility issues. They’d lost far more time with all of that elaborate back and forth, and then having to escape from the car like contestants on The Krypton Factor. Why on earth didn’t he park in one of the spaces in that huge empty row? Why had nobody else parked in that gloriously unsullied swathe?

It’s one of my prime sources of first world irritation. I’m the one who parks as far away as I can from the supermarket door, just to give myself the best chance of returning to my car to find it standing alone with at least one space on either side. And if I really must park next to another car, it will be a brand new Mercedes or BMW - something like that, where the owner is going to be particularly precious about their paintwork. Never a Citroen Picasso, or anything that has a sticker saying “Baby on Board.” And If I do emerge with my purchases to find my car has formed some kind of union with a new neighbour in an otherwise empty row of spaces, Captain Grumpy takes over. I mean, why park next to the one other car when there are twenty unused spaces on either side? Even when I write about this imaginary (but sometimes real) scenario, I can feel my heckles rising. Is it that humans want to bond, or do they just mostly follow each other in a trance-like form of psychological programming? Is my compulsion to go out of my way to keep my distance from everyone else just another sign that I’m a loner at heart? Probably.

I was making this point most forcibly as we parked at Morrison’s in Tavistock, having of course selected as isolated a parking space as I could find. Dave and Lee, having heard this all before, had stuffed their ears with cheese so as not to have to endure it again. “Don’t start him off again,” Dave sighed, as Lee banged his head on the tarmac to see if it would stop him hearing my tirade. “And then there’s George Ezra!” I continued with a non-sequitur so obscure that it even surprised me. “What about George Ezra?” came the response. “Well his songs are all the same. He does a high bit, and then he does a low bit, and then he does it all again!” Quite why I’d chosen a random celebrity songsmith to rant about next, not even I could tell you, but even the mere notion of someone unnecessarily parking alongside sets me off into a world of fury. Imagine if George parked next me in a huge empty row, wound down his window and started singing at me? And there’s another one. Other people’s music choices being played at me. I can’t stand that either. Not even when it’s bands that I like. Maybe I need to relocate to a Pacific atoll and live on coconuts and bananas. One with good sunsets of course. Some of us just aren’t cut out for the wider world. Dave did concede that I had a point about George Ezra.

It was a good job that we were going somewhere quiet and remote this morning; a forest where we could spread out and roam alone. A place which wasn’t feted as a togs’ hotspot. But we’d passed it as evening drew in on the way back from our outing the previous afternoon and immediately added it to the itinerary. We made it our first port of call the following morning, and after picking up our lunch without any parking related commotion at Morrison’s we pulled up here, piled out of the car and disappeared into the dark mist filled spruce columns.

And talking of oddballs and loners, there were one or two interesting characters lurking under the canopy. I’ll bet nobody’s brave enough to park right alongside this one when he takes the Land Rover into Widecombe on the Moor to stock up on fresh supplies of moss and woodlice. With his unicorn horn, he’s not going to be taking any nonsense from anyone is he?

He wasn’t the only oddball we found in the woods, so I may bring you back here for another story. Next time I promise not to rant about anything at all. But just in case you happen to parking in a supermarket in West Cornwall, and you notice a metallic blue Skoda Yeti sitting over there in the far corner on its own, please don’t feel the need to pull up alongside it if you don’t mind. You never know what kind of spleen venting monster you might set off when the owner returns. Especially if your surname is Ezra and you like a bit of a sing song now and again.

No complaint, no grumbling.

Only pride lives here and is rooted with precisely this one place.

Morning exercises !!.

A beautiful ,very approachable Duck.

One of only two " Torrent Ducks" in the world and if not more carefully looked after there shall only be one.

As a boy in the bush with my Dad they were very abundant and he could gauge the amount of rain over summer qualitatively not precisely by how far out of the river bed these birds chose to nest.

If I remember rightly it was pretty accurate.

Why has God given animals far better judgement in some areas to us?..

Greece, more precisely Sithonia, the middle arm of Halkidiki

The abbey of Piona, or more precisely of the Priory of Piona ( Italy ) . In this place you can breathe a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. It is still inhabited by Cistercian monks and makes forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life and the chaos of the city.

Thank you so much for your comments, favorites and views

"The beautiful can exist at the edge precisely because it has nothing to lose and everything to give away." -Frederick Turner

Often we are most afraid of ourselves. If we can dare face our own complexity, rather than succumbing to an internalized dualism in which we flee from facing bits of our own selves that we dislike, we can discover a deep tranquillity. We peep into the complexity of our conflicting desires and impulses, acknowledge all that we are and so can be at peace with ourselves. Simon Tugwell OP urges that the way to peace is the acceptance of truth. Any bit of us that we refuse to accept will be our enemy, forcing us into defensive postures. And the discarded pieces of ourselves will rapidly find incarnation in those around us. Not all hostility is due to this, but it is one major factor in our inability to cope with other people, that they represent to us precisely those elements in ourselves which we have refused to acknowledge.

-Timothy Radcliffe, Alive in God: A Christian Imagination

Safranbolu (from Greek: Σαφράμπολις) is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Ankara and about a 100 km south of the Black Sea coast, or more precisely about 9 km north of the city of Karabük. Former Turkish names of the town were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu and in Greek Theodoroupolis, Θεοδωρούπολις (i.e. city of Theodorus or female Theodora) and latter Saframpolis, Σαφράμπολις. It was part of Kastamonu Province until 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995.

The Old Town preserves many old buildings, with 1008 registered historical artifacts. These are: 1 private museum, 25 mosques, 5 tombs, 8 historical fountains, 5 Turkish baths, 3 caravanserais, 1 historical clock tower, 1 sundial and hundreds of houses and mansions. Also there are mounds of ancient settlements, rock tombs and historical bridges. The Old Town is situated in a deep ravine in a fairly dry area in the rain shadow of the mountains. The New Town can be found on the plateau about two kilometers west of the Old Town.

The name of the town derives from 'saffron' and the Greek word 'polis' (city),[citation needed] since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron. Today saffron is still grown at the village of Davutobası which is 22 km east of Safranbolu and probably one of the best quality saffrons in the world.

Safranbolu was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture.

The moment the safehouse lights flickered, Frank knew the intel had been compromised—again. He pressed himself against the cold concrete, breath shallow, as footsteps echoed too precisely down the corridor to be coincidence. Hours earlier, He had handed over encrypted files to Marcus, the only person He trusted in a city stitched together by lies, and now every exit was sealed. Through the cracked door, He caught a glimpse of him; calm, composed, speaking into a comms device with the kind of ease that only comes from choosing a side long ago. Betrayal didn’t sting; it clarified. With sirens rising and shadows closing in, Frank made his choice: burn every secret, vanish into the chaos, and leave Marcus with nothing but the realisation that even when your back’s to the wall, survival belongs to the one who sees the truth first..

storytelling in black and white.

This morning we have gone from bright sunshine to a hail storm - - - British spring time.

This is precisely why Phill shouldn't consume as much of that cured dried meat as he does. The effects are starting to affect my ability of Astral Conjecture, as you can see by the scattering of my particles. It must be something to do with the levels of noxious gas, built up over the last 2 hours. Jeezuz!

_PDS8757

The weathercock atop the church tonight was positioned precisely to reflect the red sunset sky to the west and above was the waxing moon. This picture was created from the three photos. Der Wetterhahn auf der Kirche stand heute Abend genau so, dass er den roten Sonnenuntergangshimmel im Westen reflektiert hat und oben stand der zunehmende Mond. Aus den drei Fotos ist dieses Bild entstanden.

Even if we did the shorter "touristic" one, the Tongariro Crossing is one the best trek I ever did ! A new world after every hill, a stunning view from any angle with this moonish/apocalyptic atmosphere coming from volcanic ground.

In a sense, you really feel walking through the Mordor. Precisely, the Mount Ruapehu (and its neighbor Mt. Ngauruhoe) were the setting of the Mountain of Doom in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. A really wonderful place to be !

This picture was taken with the panoramic mode which simulate a wide angle.

This picture was on explore the 7th of march 2015

Apparently, blue is "in" this Autumn...

“Precisely the least, the softest, lightest, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a flash, a moment - a little makes the way of the best happiness.”

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

A bronze by Leopoldo Emperador (1954). It's situated along the promenade on the outskirts of Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain (more precisely near la Playa del Reducto).

Summit of Mt Cordeaux, Main Range NP

Contemplative Photography

Fotografia Contemplativa

São Paulo 2012

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It was with these first contemplative photos (I started in 2011) that I understood that perception, insight, explores an intelligence that is neither intellectual nor emotional, but visual. Perception, understood in this way, is equivalent to full attention, mindfulness. This visual intelligence is part of everyone; it is not a special talent or something rare. Contemplative practice is precisely the exercise of removing the veil that covers this capacity of ours, a veil formed by anxieties, expectations, judgments and haste.

I post more of these types of photographs on Instagram: www.instagram.com/yuribittar/

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Foi com essas primeiras fotos contemplativas (iniciei em 2011) que entendi que a percepção, o insight, explora uma inteligência que não é nem intelectual nem emocional, mas visual. A percepção, assim entendida, é equivalente á atenção plena, o mindfulness. Essa inteligência visual é parte de todas as pessoas, não é um talento especial ou algo raro. A prática contemplativa é justamente o exercício de tirar o véu que cobre essa nossa capacidade, véu formado por ansiedades, expectativas, julgamentos e pressa.

No instagram publico mais dessetipo de fotografias: www.instagram.com/yuribittar/

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#fotografiacontemplativa #fotocontemplativaBR #fotocontemplativa #contemplativephotography #photocontemplative #contemplar #miksang #mindfulphoto #mindfulness #meditacao #meditation #meditacion #brdailylife #brstreet #sampalovers #saopaulocity #yb_contemplativa #fotografiacallejera #fotografiaderua #streetphotography #saopaulo #sãopaulocity #sampacity

The history of the renowned pencil manufacturer Koh-i-Noor goes back to the 18th century. Koh-i-Noor became known worldwide through the innovative invention of Joseph Hardtmuth, who in 1792 developed a new method for pressing and burning pencil leads. It is made entirely of metal and therefore heavy, but precisely because of this it lies perfectly balanced in the hand.

Pentax DA* 55mm/f1.4, developed with ACDSee Photo Studio Professional 2020

“I have often wondered whether especially those days when we are forced to remain idle are not precisely the days spend in the most profound activity."

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photo: © 2020 photos4dreams - all rights reserved.

a capture of Cattleya park in the city of Jakarta that precisely located in Palmerah sub-district, West Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia.

"Thank you very much for all your faves and stay healthy" 😃

photo rights reserved by Ben

The photo shows a moment during our hike toward the summit of Anteni in the Šar Mountains. The trail follows the contours of the mountain and briefly disappears around a bend. Kanitha is still walking ahead of me, standing right at the point where the landscape is about to open up again — on the corner, ready to discover a new view. I remain a little behind, taking the time to observe and capture what unfolds layer by layer. Juniper is characteristic of this high-altitude mountain environment. Tough and resilient, it is adapted to wind, cold, and poor soil. By staying low to the ground, it provides shelter for small animals and helps limit erosion on the steep slopes. For hikers, it forms a clear boundary: no trail, no passage — only adjustment. The slopes are softly colored with autumn grass, rugged vegetation, and scattered trees that emphasize the open character of the mountain. This section of the route lies within the Šar Mountains National Park, where paths sometimes fade and nature sets the pace. Although the hike remains technically easy, the altitude is clearly felt. Popova Šapka already lies at 1,780 meters, and the terrain continues to climb steadily toward Anteni (2,434 m). As Kanitha disappears around the bend, space and depth open up once more. This is not a heroic trek and not a battle with the mountain. It is precisely these moments that make hiking here special: looking ahead, pausing briefly, and encountering a new perspective each time. Up here, there is time, light, and a landscape that refuses to be rushed.

Kanitha walks ahead as the trail curves along the mountainside toward Anteni, high above Popova Šapka in the Šar Mountains National Park, North Macedonia — a quiet moment where the path disappears around the bend and a new view begins to open.

De foto toont een moment tijdens onze tocht richting de top van Anteni in de Šar-bergen. Het pad volgt de contouren van de berg en verdwijnt hier even om een bocht. Kanitha loopt nog steeds voor mij uit en staat net op dat punt waar het landschap zich opnieuw gaat openen — op de hoek, klaar om een nieuw uitzicht te ontdekken. Ik blijf iets achter, neem de tijd om te kijken en vast te leggen wat zich laag voor laag ontvouwt. De jeneverbes is kenmerkend voor dit hooggelegen berggebied. Taai en winterhard, aangepast aan wind, kou en schrale grond. Doordat hij laag bij de grond blijft, biedt hij beschutting aan kleine dieren en helpt hij erosie op de steile hellingen te beperken. Voor wandelaars is het een duidelijke grens: geen pad, geen doorgang — alleen aanpassen. De hellingen zijn zacht van kleur, met herfstgras, ruige vegetatie en verspreid staande bomen die het open karakter van de berg benadrukken. Dit deel van de tocht ligt in het Šar Mountains National Park, waar paden soms vervagen en de natuur het tempo bepaalt. Hoewel de wandeling technisch eenvoudig blijft, is de hoogte voelbaar. Popova Šapka ligt al op 1.780 meter, en het terrein klimt gestaag verder richting Anteni (2.434 m). Terwijl Kanitha om de bocht verdwijnt, ontvouwt zich opnieuw ruimte en diepte. Het is geen heroïsche tocht en geen gevecht met de berg. Juist deze momenten maken het wandelen hier bijzonder: vooruit kijken, even wachten, en telkens weer een nieuw perspectief. Hierboven is er alle tijd, licht en een landschap dat zich niet laat haasten.

I went for a walk today, or more precisely, climbed. Since I brought only a film camera, this "report" is a mobile phone photo. Forests, lakes, and mountains surround my small hometown. I climbed 2 km to get up here.

The former Berlin-Rummelsburg power plant.

It is precisely what is different, what is unusual, that captures our attention. What is different broadens our horizons.

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Das ehemalige Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Rummelsburg.

Das Andere, das Ungewöhnliche ist es doch, dass unsere Aufmerksamkeit erregt. Anders erweitert unseren Horizont.

"Listening and watching of a Great Grey Owl".

I watched this Great Grey Owl as she flew silently over the meadow watching but more precisely listening for voles.

You can see how she suddenly changes her focus as she obviously heard something from a completely different direction.

On our hike up from Adeje to the Boca del Paso, Olymp suddenly spotted this particularly beautiful fly on a rock face. Just look at its forehead!

I was not entirely sure what it is more precisely but Thijs de Graaf (see below) helped me on the way. Dave - also below - helped me as well. It does look like Gonia ornata but there's a discussion among fly experts that it might be Gonia bimaculata given the season.

One of those od shots that I don't really know precisely what or how it happened.

Vistula bank, Wielkie Stwolno, August 15

Precious few context clues precisely define the date of this scene. Were it not for small VIA Rail signage wedged in the back of plush dome seats or piles of Georgian Bay lake effect snow cloaking all the trailing locomotive save the prominent rear carbody extension, this stainless steel spectacle framed in the quarter-round window of the "Park" dome car would pass for 1955.

Or 1975.

Or 1995.

Both literally and figuratively, the 13 Budd-built cars of VIA Train 2, the eastbound Canadian, charge valiantly past Bala Subdivision milepost 69, which stands just this side of the Trans-Canada Highway 12 road crossing, somewhere in a snowy cloud on the leeward side of the train. Train 2's youngest cars, built in April 1955 for Canadian Pacific Railway, have achieved milepost 69 as a measurement of age and all 13 cars within the train will have hit the 70-year mark by the time these southern Ontario snows begin to melt. While Train 2 must throttle down slightly to observe the 65 mph permanent slow order ahead at mile 68.1, that's the only indication this rolling stock is slowing down anytime soon. With VIA Rail's "Request for Qualification" for prospective long-distance, regional, and remote-service cars issued only in December 2024, this train's collective in service time — currently 988 years across the 13 cars and two locomotives — will almost certainly exceed the millennium mark before replacements arrive.

Evening light is shaping this lovely Swiss landscape. Panoramic view from Mount Gurten (864 m), Bern’s local mountain. The Swiss Alps (more precisely the Bernese Alps) are visible in the background.

Many thanks for your visits / comments / faves!

Two photos overlayed that show the Canada Geese and Snow Geese. The Canada Geese overlayed more precisely and showing the wings in two positions.

Bombay Hook NWR, Delaware.

The city of Travemünde (or more precisely Lübeck-Travemünde) is a busy and important port for ferries connecting Northern Germany to Scandinavia (mainly Finland and Sweden). These moose came to live on this pier in November and are going to stay until the end of February.

400 m vollkommen senkrecht geht es hinunter zum Fjord. Auf der einen Seite blühen Blümchen, ein Schritt weiter lauert der Tod. So fühlt sich dieser Abgrund irgendwie nicht bedrohlich an und viele Leute gehen sehr nah ran (rechts oben im Bild). Ich sehe es so: es gibt etliche Vorsichtige, die bleiben einfach weg von der Abbruchkante. Und es gibt ein paar Spezialisten am Berg, wie mich, der ich seit bald 40 Jahren immer irgendwie am Abgrund existiere und damit sehr gut umgehen kann. Ja, und dann gibt die große Masse, die zu wissen glaubt, was sie tut, aber mangels Erfahrung unmöglich die Risiken richtig einschätzen kann, die vom Berg und von ihrer eigenen Person ausgehen. Tja, und von genau denen fällt auch hier ab und zu mal einer runter. In den Medien heißt es dann "tödlicher Abgrund" oder "tödlicher Berg", ich denke da wird dem Berg unrecht getan, denn was kann der Berg dafür, dass sich die Leute oftmals überschätzen...

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It is a completely vertical 400 m drop down to the fjord. Flowers are blooming on one side, and death is lurking just a step further. This makes this abyss somehow not feel threatening and many people go very close to it (top right in the picture). I see it like this: there are a number of cautious people who simply stay away from the edge. And there are a few specialists on the mountain, like me, who have been somehow existing on the edge for almost 40 years and can handle it very well. Yes, and then there is the large mass who think they know what they are doing, but due to a lack of experience cannot possibly correctly assess the risks posed by the mountain and by themselves. Well, and it is precisely these people who fall off here every now and then. In the media they call it a "deadly abyss" or "killer mountain", I think that does the mountain an injustice, because what can the mountain do if people often overestimate themselves...

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Please darken your room and

turn the brightness of your display all the way up,

lay back, press L button and

enjoy this picture in full screen size ;-)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . looks muuuch better. PROMISE !

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Thanks for your visit, 1000 thanks for commenting

Thanks for watching the picture before FAVing 😉

Ein Spiegel für das, was man nicht sagt

Die Tundra zeigt nichts Überflüssiges. Und gerade deshalb zeigt sie alles. Wer dort steht, sieht plötzlich die eigenen Gedanken klarer, weil nichts da ist, das sie übertönt.

A mirror for what remains unsaid

The tundra reveals nothing superfluous. And that is precisely why it reveals everything. Standing there, you suddenly see your own thoughts more clearly, because there is nothing to drown them out.

KOO JEONG A directs our gaze to the incidental, to the marginal zones of experience that are first noticed after patient observation. Invisible phenomena can be experienced through sounds, smells, and minimal gestures. The invented and found, concrete and intangible slide into one another devoid of fixed boundaries. At the same time, KOO JEONG A’s work is characterized by extraordinary restraint. Just a few, precisely arranged elements are enough to generate a presence.

More precisely: she drinks the mushroom sauce, the meat is allowed to eat snoop :-)

In loving memory of Sheila 1.6.2004 - 2.5.2019

repost for

Happy Caturday 4.5.2019 "Getting a drink"

The Laponian area is a large mountainous wildlife area in the Lapland province in northern Sweden, more precisely in Gällivare Municipality, Arjeplog Municipality and Jokkmokk Municipality. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996; the bulk of it had enjoyed protected status since the early 20th century.

The total area is about 9,400 square kilometres (3,600 sq mi), making it the world's largest unmodified nature area to be still cultured by natives—the natives in this case being the reindeer herding Sami people also known as Lapps (though this term is considered derogatory). Only parts of the area is actually used for pasture by them. With such a large space, the geography of the area varies greatly; it is dominated by mountains, rivers and lakes. Each nature reserve and national park has its distinctive features. The amount of snow in winter and rain in summer is considerable.

95% of the area is protected as national parks or nature reserves. It consists of the national parks Muddus, Sarek, Padjelanta and Stora Sjöfallet, and the nature reserves Sjaunja and Stubba. The remaining 5% are located in the areas of Sulitelma, Tjuoltadalen, and Rapadalen (part of which is in the Sarek park). The village of Porjus is a natural point of entry to the Laponian area and has recently opened an information center.

The Laponia area also contains three major hydropower stations with belonging basins and a big expansion of 100 wind power stations inside the world heritage area is planned.

The highest mountain of the area is Sarektjåhkkå, at 2,089 metres (6,854 ft).

more precisely the dome of a private villa, even if it looks like a large dome of a church or a public building ...

isn't it fascinating how casually the figures gambol around on the lower ledge of the rotunda ...

Kuppel eines Privathauses ...

genauer gesagt die Kuppel einer privaten Villa, auch wenn sie wie eine große Kuppel einer Kirche oder eines öffentlichen Gebäudes aussieht ...

ist es nicht faszinierend, wie lässig die Figuren auf dem unteren Sims der Rotunde herumtollen ...

Palladio's Villa Rotonda ...

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Juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a young male, foraging on a Cardinal Flower I planted in my backyard precisely for hummingbirds to use.

When the sun rises precisely aligned with the street grid, it is called the henge. In San Francisco, California Street is the straight street runs east to west with Bay Bridge tower as a background and cable car runs on it. Twice a year, the sun aligns precisely within this street, called California Street Henge.

A car with lights on, as well three local photographers shooting the alignment from a closer spot acting as the scale for the scene. Unfortunately It is too early for Cable Car to run in the early morning.

Planit app was used to plan the shoot and Yiupai forecast service is provided for clear days.

🌸 The Opal Dress – By Just BECAUSE 🌸

There are moments in fashion when a garment transcends clothing and becomes an atmosphere—an aura that lingers like perfume, unforgettable and intimate. The Opal Outfit by Just BECAUSE is precisely that moment.

Crafted in layers of delicate lace over a sculpted inner slip, Opal is both daring and demure. Its silhouette recalls the elegance of mid-century cocktail dresses while embracing the freedom of modern sensuality. With each step, the floral lace tracery whispers of Parisian salons, moonlit terraces, and secrets shared behind silk fans.

✨ Styling & Cut

The ensemble pairs a form-hugging lace mini with optional matching lace boots—designed for those who love cohesion without restraint. The dress moves like a second skin, yet its translucent overlays invite the eye to linger, balancing intrigue with refinement. The plunging neckline and high hemline ensure your entrance is nothing less than breathtaking.

✨ HUD & PBR Innovation

Opal is brought to life exclusively in PBR materials, giving the lace a luminous realism—soft light dances across its threads, making every weave and shimmer feel tangible. The included HUD lets you toggle the inner slip and outer lace dress independently, offering endless versatility. Play with tints to create ethereal pastels or bold jewel tones—Opal adapts to your mood as effortlessly as you do.

✨ Compatible Mesh Bodies

* ✿ Maitreya LaraX

* ✿ Legacy & Perky

* ✿ Reborn

* ✿ Waifu

✨ Where to Find

The Opal Outfit debuts exclusively at the Uber Event, opening August 25th. This is your invitation to claim a look that will become the centerpiece of your late-summer wardrobe.

[Visit Uber Event →]

www.uber-sl.com/

[Just BECAUSE Mainstore →]

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/JustBecause/107/132/23

💫 Slip into Opal, and you slip into a world where every glance lingers a little longer, and every evening feels like destiny.

The last stop on Skye was not a planned stop, but an horrendous noise from under the car as we approached the Skye Bridge caused me to pull in to the road for Kyleakin where we managed to remove a branch that had lodged in behind the engine. A circuit of the village brought into view Castle Moil or more precisely what is left of it and it was worth the short wait for a shaft of sunshine to brighten up the foreground.

www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/highland/castle_moil.html

Sometimes I photograph something (from nature!) and am pleased with the result, but then have a challenging time discerning what it is, precisely. So, that's when I put it in the 'Happy Weekend' category...........:)

Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are!

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Il m'arrive de photographier quelque chose (d'après nature !) et d'être satisfait du résultat, mais ensuite, j'ai du mal à discerner précisément ce que c'est. C'est alors que je le mets dans la catégorie « Bon week-end »… :)

Profitez de votre week-end, où que vous soyez !

The Monostor Fortress - the largest modern fortress in Central Europe - was built between 1850 and 1871. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the neoclassical military monument is a fascinating sight with its huge walls of precisely hewn stone, the 3-4 metre thick earthen ramparts covering the defences and its network of underground passages (kazamata) several kilometres long.

Its monumental dimensions are evidenced by the following figures: The fortress covers 25 hectares, the total area including the firing ranges is 70 hectares, the floor area of the buildings is 25 680 m2 and the number of rooms is 640.

After the fortress was built, it served generations of soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces. Its tasks included the defence of the central fortress (North - Komárom) and the control of shipping on the Danube. It was never used in combat and served mainly as a training centre and weapons depot. During the First World War it was used as a conscription and training centre. During the Second World War, the 22nd Infantry Regiment had its headquarters at Fort Monostor, and the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments were stationed there. After the Second World War.

Between 1945 and 1990, the Red Army's Army Group South set up the largest ammunition depot in Central Europe in the fort. With their withdrawal, the military function of the fortress ended forever.

Today the fort is a popular destination with a military history exhibition, Cold War vehicles, a bread museum, a boat exhibition and numerous events.

www.iranykomarom.hu/en/fort-monostor-en

In 2019, I acquired an Olympus OM-1, and of course, it was time to put it to the test. I loaded the film, and here is one of the results from over six years ago, taken on an aging basketball court. It’s precisely the worn, weathered character of the place that gives the photo its unique charm.

Think "Holland" and you've probably already conjured the iconic images of tulips and windmills. More precisely, the very specific windmills you're envisioning right now are that of Kinderdijk.

Though it may sound odd for how technical and pragmatic the region proved to be, the name Kinderdijk translates in Dutch to mean "children's dike." According to local legend, after a particularly terrible flood in the 15th century, a lone basket was left floating in an inundated canal. Upon closer inspection, a cat was found bounding from one side of the basket to the other in an effort to keep it balanced, for inside rested an orphaned baby. The cat had kept the babe afloat, safe and sound during its journey… Thus giving the world the folktale "The Cat and the Cradle" in addition to the village of Kinderdijk its name.

Back in the modern day, visitors will find 19 historically authentic windmills scattered across Kinderdijk's canal-riddled landscape. With their sails raised to the skies (coming to rest in formations that communicate across the bogs in a language of semafors), one could be forgiven for believing these are creatures beholden to the air. What history reveals, in fact, is that the Netherlands' famous windmills are well-disguised creatures of the sea, without which the nation's famously innovative water management system would not have been possible.

Sometime in the 13th century, Zuid-Holland's peat rivers ceased to drain as they had been, creating a pattern of flooding that devastated the beautiful landscape at Alblasserwaard, which already existed below sea level. Berms were built to prevent flooding, but pumping stations needed to be constructed to continue water flow from low to high areas; hence, the 19th windmills still seen today.

Nowhere else in the world offers a complete portrait of early water management like that of Kinderdijk, which accounts for UNESCO's inclusion of the site among its World Heritage as of 1997 for its "unique character." Thanks to its truly groundbreaking unification of sea and sky, plus the added bonus of a world-renowned folktale, a visit to Kinderdijk is the sort of treasure that offers something for dreamers and pragmatists alike. www.atlasobscura.com/places/windmills-of-kinderdijk

KOO JEONG A directs our gaze to the incidental, to the marginal zones of experience that are first noticed after patient observation. Invisible phenomena can be experienced through sounds, smells, and minimal gestures. The invented and found, concrete and intangible slide into one another devoid of fixed boundaries. At the same time, KOO JEONG A’s work is characterized by extraordinary restraint. Just a few, precisely arranged elements are enough to generate a presence.

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I always used to laugh when, watching some corny movie, a snake would fall out of a tree onto a person, who would then start screaming. My thought was always, "When would a snake just fall out of a tree on top of a person?" But one day when Mrs. Orca and I were walking around the archaeological park in Ayutthaya, this snake flopped down right next to us with a loud slap. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but it must have come from high above in a nearby tree. If it had landed on me or Mrs. Orca I'm sure we would have screamed. We might have screamed a bit, anyway:) Anyhow, it does actually get from tree to tree by flying--or more precisely gliding--and in this case it seems to have miscalculated a bit, since it must have missed its target and landed next to us instead. When it slithered on and up a nearby tree I composed myself enough to photograph it. Golden flying snake (Chrysopelea ornata), Ayutthaya Thailand.

Nature perdue en Haute-Savoie, France 🇫🇷

The Roman Temple of Évora is one of the grandest and best preserved Roman temples in the entire Iberian Peninsula, having been considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Corinthian style, the Roman temple was built at the beginning of the 1st century AD and is located in the historic center of the city, more precisely, in Largo Conde de Vila Flor, close to the Cathedral of Évora , the Public Library of Évora , the Eugénio de Almeida Art and Culture Center , the Museum of Évora and the beautiful Pousada dos Lóios.