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Female Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) on a small urban pond in southwest Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
These ponds act as storm water collection sites and allow water to drain slowly in the city's water drainage system and prevent flooding during intense rainstorms.
They are scattered throughout the city's new suburban neighbourhoods and provide nesting ponds for a variety of water birds.
27 June, 2015.
Slide # GWB_20150627_9424.CR2
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In order to prevent larger animals from stepping on their nests, Killdeer preform a display in order to grab the threat's attention and force them in a different direction. This display is slightly different from the well know "broken wing" display . The display for unaware, non-predatory animals such as horses and cows consists of the bird fluffing up, raising and opening its tail, and then charging at the potential threat.
- Info from Cornell
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Listening on youtube: Cog - The Movie's Over ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZOTFUmK3Uw )
This video talks about the wars and battles that left everlasting marks on humanity and that we are on the way to the greatest war, which is the spiritual and final war.
Have a great day my friends and bless you all !
(Intro)
"There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies on the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"
Can we find our way home
Before
Losing everything, I
Can't say for sure
Because
It's still happening
And it's true we've been known
To fall
For pots of gold and leprechauns
There's no chauffer on this ride life's offering
And all
Thing change
Become our own cliche
There's just minutes to midnight
Is there any blood left in our hearts?
Change is constant
Finish lines in sight
Is there any air left in our lungs?
In these final days
(If I lost it all where would it leave me?)
And it cuts to the bone
This war
Fought beyond the Rubicon
I seek the cure for this pain we're suffering
And all
Things change
We sleep in beds we've made
If I lost it all where would it leave me?
In these final
There's just minutes to midnight
Is there any blood left in our hearts?
In these final days
In these final days
Can we find our way
Find our way
Find our way back home
Far beyond
The Rubicon
In these final days
Falling again
Falling again
Can we find our way before it?
I don't know
It's almost midnight
Can we find our way
Yes we're on our own
We've seen better days
Sleep in beds we've made
FRANCIA, Parigi "Montmartre"
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With the weather being awful at times and other things preventing me from going out today it was finally nice to nail something in the sun despite having photoed it only a few weeks earlier.. 455868 leads 455901 through Barnes working the 2S34, Hounslow - London Waterloo via Kew bridge
Me in my Raggedy Andy costume giving thanks after celebrating Thanksgiving. I remember the book "Raggedy Ann and Andy" from my childhood...
This year I will have a Vegan Thanksgiving buffet dinner at Govinda's in Tucson, Arizona.
______________________________
Hallaleuya, Hallaleuya, Hallaleuya,... Ha--lay--ay--lew--ew--ya!
if you like George Friedrich Handel, you know the melody and can sing it along with me...
Apple's iPhone is handy for indoor photos. This little cheerful autumn tableau was in my Dentist's office a bunch of years ago. I remember that it and the iPhone prevented obsessing...;-)
7th September, but about 2 hours after the lunar eclipse happened. Cloud cover prevented me getting any shots of the actual event
preventing you from sharing your nightmare....
AIA
HALLOWEEN HAUNTS - 2025 October
www.flickr.com/groups/recreatingmasters/
nightcafe and gimp
Here's a useful & straightforward introduction to the subject for anyone not in the UK:
www.ucu.org.uk/counterterrorismact
and here are the links included in the image:
www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/28/teachers-nut-bac...
www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/prevent-will-have-a-...
www.vice.com/en_uk/read/is-prevent-being-used-to-hassle-s...
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/muslim-students-t...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/03/prevent-strategy-...
www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/21/government-preve...
Cross-dressing as a woman is for me a lonely experience. My circumstances prevent me from venturing out and socialising en femme. Instead the Internet is now the only place where my female alter-ego can exist in a sociable way. I have found though it is a place that does not always provide the support and comfort I have been seeking. I am sure I am not alone with this experience. Flickr provides me with an outlet but many who I had thought of as friends no longer communicate with me and my correspondence goes unanswered.
It was a harsh lesson to learn that my views and contact eventually became unwelcome so I resolve to try and stand on my own these days. There are some people that have maintained contact and encourage me and I am grateful for this but increasingly I feel I am an embarrassment to others who do not approve of my views I express in my narratives.
For many transvestites it is a lonely existence when it comes to our cross-dressing and I am fully aware I am by no means unique in experiencing this. There are those who do socialise and meet up but for the majority of us this is an unlikely scenario.
This is not meant to come across as a ‘woe is me’ narrative, I am trying to express the reality that I’ve encountered as I think others too have experienced it and I just wish to acknowledge it is all part of the reality of being a a transvestite. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone just outlining my own experiences.
I do get a lot of joy from cross-dressing but I am more aware it is always going to be a private and solitary experience but I am pleased I do get to engage in the activity. I am not able to dress just now and my usual coping technique is to look through my photo archives and I gain comfort from the memories as they are snapshots of pure joy. The inability to get a cross-dressing opportunity is what prompts my rambling stream of consciousness outpourings alongside my photos. It always feels good to just sit and type away and let it flow out.
I hope to record some very honest videos this year as Helene as I have reached the point in my life I have a strong need to speak openly about all that I feel regarding my transvestism. I will really enjoy the freedom of that self expression. I bottled it up for two long and I am guilty of over enthusing and driving people away. I cannot change what has happened and I do miss some people but like everything in life one has to move on, tomorrow is another day.
I am more aware of my situation than ever before. I am aware of my limitations and lack of abilities but I want the elation and fulfilment I get from cross-dressing despite my failings with my efforts and with how I communicate and alienate others. I am a flawed person but I know that and just have to accept that is how I am.
Transvestism is not well received by wider society and even amongst transvestites it can be uncomfortable, it’s a rewarding thing to be a transvestite yet not without it’s downsides. On the whole though I gain more from it than i find negative.
I am aware Helene’s future is always going to be a solitary one but at least I can be her now and again and these days I feel easier talking about it, albeit in these narratives or on camera in my videos. Becoming her on occasion is true reward and liberating and yes, quite exciting, adore cross-dressing.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Urquhart Castle
Near Drumnadrochit, Highland, Scotland
Coordinates 57.324°N 4.442°WCoordinates: 57.324°N 4.442°W
Type Curtain wall castle and tower house
Site information
Owner Historic Environment Scotland
Open to
the public Yes
Condition Ruined
Site history
Built 13th to 16th centuries
In use Until c. 1692
Urquhart Castle (About this sound listen (help·info); Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal na Sròine) sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, 21 kilometres (13 mi) south-west of Inverness and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the village of Drumnadrochit.
The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross. The castle was granted to the Clan Grant in 1509, though conflict with the MacDonalds continued. Despite a series of further raids the castle was strengthened, only to be largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed. In the 20th century it was placed in state care and opened to the public: it is now one of the most-visited castles in Scotland.[1]
The castle, situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness, is one of the largest in Scotland in area.[2] It was approached from the west and defended by a ditch and drawbridge. The buildings of the castle were laid out around two main enclosures on the shore. The northern enclosure or Nether Bailey includes most of the more intact structures, including the gatehouse, and the five-storey Grant Tower at the north end of the castle. The southern enclosure or Upper Bailey, sited on higher ground, comprises the scant remains of earlier buildings
Impressionen der zweiten Woche in unserem Sommer-FerienCamp 2016
Ferienlager-Angebot auf dem Erlebnisbauernhof: In den Sommerferien 2016 veranstaltete die DAO KungFu Kindergruppe das traditionelle Sommer-FerienCamp für abenteuerlustige Jungen und Mädchen bereits zum siebten Mal in Folge. In der zweiten und dritten Sommerferien-Woche ging es wieder auf den Ferlhof, einen idyllischen Kunst- und Erlebnis-Bauernhof nördlich von München. Dort verbrachten wir mit den Kindern eine spannende Zeit, umgeben von viel Natur und den Tieren des Bauernhofs. Auf der Web-Site www.camp.daokungfu.de findet Ihr alles Wissenswerte rund um unsere Ferienfahrt.
Mit diesem Fotostream möchten wir den Teilnehmern, deren Eltern und Freunden sowie allen Interessierten einen Einblick in unsere Aktivitäten geben.
Einige der Fotos wurden von den Kindern selbst gemacht.
Wir bitten nachdrücklich darum, das geltende Urheberrecht zu beachten und die Fotos nur für private Zwecke zu verwenden.
Viel Spaß beim Stöbern!
© 2016 krys.becker
Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
English
This photostream is intended to revive our participants' memories and share them with their parents and friends. Also, we thus can show our activities in the camp and with the kids to everyone interested.
Some of the photos were taken by the children themselves.
The images here are publicly viewable. Therefore, we strongly request that you comply with the copyright restrictions, use the photos only for private purposes and prevent any abuse.
Just look around - and have fun!
© 2016 krys.becker
All rights reserved.
The Martello Tower is visible in the top right hand corner. That was build in 1815 to keep out Napoleon.
When I came to live here in 1987, the beach was a long way down form the promenade, and accessed by steps. At high tide in stormy weather the waves came up over the seafront road.
The pebble beach was installed to prevent flooding and erosion, with tons and tons of shingle dredged up from the sea.
This photo was taken about 10 past 8 in the evening. Today's high temperature here in Seaford was 22º.
Excerpt from lighthousefriends.com:
In 1857, it was noted that Channel Head, the eastern tip of an island just off Port aux Basques, “would be a good place for a Light-house, it would prevent many shipwrecks and Port au Basque, now the Telegraph is so near, is likely to be more visited by vessels.”
In 1873, a Mr. Winter presented a petition to the Newfoundland House of Assembly from M.H. Genge of Channel and Rev. T.A. Goode of Port aux Basques, with the backing of others from each place, praying for a lighthouse on Channel Head. The following year, work on a lighthouse was carried out and Austin Oke arrived on November 5 to fit up the lantern. The season, however, was too far advanced, and the light was not put into operation until the spring of 1875. The nine-metre-tall lighthouse was unique, consisting of a square wooden tower that rose from a slightly larger wooden base. A fixed red light was shown from the tower’s lantern room at a focal plane of 27.5 metres.
Inspector Nevill noted in 1890 that the framework of the lighthouse was in bad condition and that it “never was a satisfactory building, having been as it were extemporized locally.” Nevill recommended that a small iron tower be erected on one side of the present tower, and then the old lighthouse could be demolished. This proposal also took a few years to happen, but in 1895, a circular iron tower, with a height of seventeen metres, was erected adjacent to the wooden tower and equipped with a fourth-order lens.
The Newfoundland Railway, which linked St. John’s and Port aux Basques, was completed in 1898, and at that time ferry service was initiated between Port aux Baques and North Sydney, Nova Scotia. To aid this service, a fog signal building was erected twenty metres south of the lighthouse. During thick or foggy weather, a four-ounce cartridge of gun cotton was exploded every eight minutes. A red brick magazine was erected nine metres northeast of the tower to house the explosives, and the dwelling, tower, and fog signal were all linked by covered passageways for the convenience of the keeper.
In addition to the new fog signal at Channel Head, range lights were established at Port aux Basques in 1898 to help guide the ferry into port. The front light was shown from a square pyramidal wooden tower on the southwest point of Road Island, and the rear light was shone from a similar structure, located 448 metres away on the mainland.
In 1906, a diaphone fog alarm, operated by compressed air, was established at Channel Head to replace the explosives, and a concrete breastwork was built seaward of the newly constructed engine house to protect it from being damaged by the sea. The diaphone trumpet, which projected from the south end of the engine house, would sound one 3 ½ – second blast followed by 114 seconds of silence when needed.
Commercial electricity reached the station in 1963, and the light was converted from kerosene to electric in 1966. A two-storey duplex was built at Channel Head in 1965 along with various utility buildings, and later that decade a radio beacon was installed in the fog alarm building.
The tower was classified a Recognized Federal Heritage Building in 1988.
Ethiopia.
Mago National Park.
The Mursi or Mursu people are the most popular in Ethiopia's Omo Valley. They are well known for their unique lip plates. They are settled around the Omo River and in the Mago National Park. Due to the climate, they move twice a year between the winter and summer months. They herd cattle and grow crops along the banks of the Omo River.
The Mursi women paint their bodies and face in white. They also are the ones who wear the lip plates. Women of the Mursi tribe may have their lips cut at the age of 15 or 16. A small clay plate is then inserted into the lip. Through the years, larger plates are inserted into the lip causing it to stretch. The larger the clay plate, the more the woman is worth before she gets married. It is said that the clay plates were originally used to prevent capture by slave traders. Although very unique and part of their tradition, the Mursi women only wear the plates for a short time because they are so heavy and uncomfortable.
Men of the Mursi also use white paint for their bodies and faces. Just like any other ethnic tribe in the lower valley, the men must pass a test before they can get married. A Mursi man is given a stick called a Donga and must face one opponent. The men then battle it out, beating Man of the Mursi Tribe with body scarseach other with the sticks.
The first fighter to submit loses and the winner is taken by a group of women to determine who he will marry. Men of the tribe also pratice scarification. Like other tribes, this is the marking of an enemy killed by him.
Although they are known to be aggresive and combative, the Mursi are more then happy to allow you to take pictures of them. However, they keep count of every picture taken and will charge you for each one.
omovalley.com/The-Mursi-people-is-the-most-popular-tribe-...
The burnt-out ruin of The West Pier, Brighton, England, taken at sunset time, with the reflection of the structure in a calm sea.
It was built in 1866.
On 28 March 2003 the pavilion at the end of the pier caught fire. Firefighters were unable to save the building from destruction because the collapsed walkway prevented them from reaching it. The cause of the fire remains unknown. On 11 May 2003, another fire broke out, consuming most of what was left of the concert hall. The Fire re-ignited on 12 May. Arson was suspected: the West Pier Trust refers to the fires as the work of "professional arsonists".
Arguably not the best picture, but here's my new car - a 1993 Kia Pride LX. Without MOT since 2015, I had the repairs carried out, have done some preventative maintenance of my own with a full service, and put 900 miles on the clock over 2 and a bit weeks.
The snowblower storage checklist was finally completed this past weekend!
Ready to go when the going gets tough again later this year.
Hadrian's Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of Great Britain. It was the second of three such fortifications built across Great Britain, the first being Gask Ridge and the last the Antonine Wall. All three were built to prevent military raids by the Pictish tribes (ancient inhabitants of Scotland) to the north, to improve economic stability and provide peaceful conditions in the Roman province of Britannia to the south, and to physically mark the frontier of the Empire. Hadrian's Wall is the best known of the three because it remains the most physically preserved and evident today.
The wall was the northern border of the Empire in Britain for much of the Roman Empire's rule, and also the most heavily fortified border in the Empire. In addition to its use as a military fortification, it is thought that the gates through the wall would also have served as customs posts to allow trade taxation.
A significant portion of the wall still exists, particularly the mid-section, and for much of its length the wall can be followed on foot. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England, where it is often known simply as the Roman Wall. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. English Heritage, a government organization in charge of managing the historic environment of England, describes it as "the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain".[1]
Sections of Hadrian's Wall remain near Greenhead and along the route, though other large sections have been dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby construction projects.
Sections of Hadrian's Wall remain near Greenhead and along the route, though other large sections have been dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby construction projects.
The Roman name of the Wall
No stone inscription survives to confirm what the Wall was called in antiquity, and no historical source gives it a name. However, the discovery of a small enamelled bronze Roman cup in Staffordshire in 2003 has provided a clue. The cup is inscribed with a series of names of Roman forts (see also the botrom of this page) along the western sector of the Wall, together with a personal name and a phrase:
MAIS COGGABATA VXELODVNVM CAMBOGLANNA RIGORE VALI AELI DRACONIS
Here we have Bowness (MAIS, followed by what must be the correct name for Drumburgh-by-Sands (COGGABATA) until now known only as CONGAVATA from the late Roman document, the Notitia Dignitatum. Next comes Stanwix (VXELODVNVM), then Castlesteads (CAMBOGLANNA), before we get to the most tantalizing part.
RIGORE seems to be the ablative form of the Latin word rigor. This can mean several things, but one of its less well-known meanings is ‘straight line’, ‘course’ or ‘direction’. This was used by Roman surveyors and appears on a number of inscriptions to indicate a line between places. So the meaning could be ‘from the course’, or better in English 'according to the course'.
The Staffordshire Moorlands cup, which provides the ancient name of Hadrian's Wall.
The Staffordshire Moorlands cup, which provides the ancient name of Hadrian's Wall.
There is no such word as vali, but in antiquity Hadrian’s Wall was known as the Vallum, the Latin word for a frontier which is today incorrectly applied to the ditch and mounds dug by the Roman army just south of the Wall. The genitive form of Vallum is Valli, so one of the most likely meanings is VAL[L]I, ‘of the frontier’. Omitting one of a pair of double consonants is common on Roman inscriptions, and transcribing an inscription from a written note is the easiest way to miss out letters. Another similar bronze vessel, known as the Rudge Cup (found in Wiltshire in the 18th century) has VN missing from the name VXELODVNVM, for example, although the letters appear on the Staffordshire cup. The Rudge Cup only bears fort names.
The name AELI is also in the genitive. This was Hadrian's nomen, his main family name and we know that the Roman bridge at Newcastle-upon-Tyne was called Pons Aelius.
Finally we have the name DRACONIS, which can be translated as ‘[by the hand – or property] of Aelius Draco’. It was normal for Roman manufacturers to give their names in the genitive (‘of’), and ‘by the hand’ would be understood. The form is common, for example, on samian pottery.
The translation, therefore, could be:
‘Mais, Coggabata, Uxelodunum, Camboglanna, according to the line of the Aelian frontier. [By the hand or The property] of Draco’.
This would mean the Romans knew Hadrian's Wall as Vallum Aeli, 'the Aelian frontier'.
Dimensions
Hadrian's Wall was 80 Roman miles (73.5 English miles or 117 kilometres) long, its width and height dependent on the construction materials which were available nearby: east of River Irthing the wall was made from squared stone and measured 3 m (9.7 ft) wide and 5 to 6 metres (16–20 ft) tall; west of the river the wall was made from turf and measured 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) high. This does not include the wall's ditches, berms, and forts. The central section measured 8 Roman feet wide (7.8 ft or 2.4 m) on a 10 foot base.
Route
Map showing the location of Hadrian's Wall.
Map showing the location of Hadrian's Wall.
Hadrian's Wall extended west Segedunum at Wallsend on the River Tyne to the shore of the Solway Firth. The A69 and B6318 roads follow the course of the wall as it starts in Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, then on round the northern coast of Cumbria. The Wall is entirely in England and south of the border with Scotland by 15 kilometres (9 mi) in the west and 110 kilometres (68 mi) in the east.
Hadrian
Hadrian's Wall was built following a visit by Roman emperor Hadrian (AD 76–138) in AD 122. Hadrian was experiencing military difficulties in Britain, and from the peoples of various conquered lands across the Empire, including Egypt, Judea, Libya, Mauretania, and many of the peoples conquered by his predecessor Trajan, so he was keen to impose order. However the construction of such an impressive wall was probably also a symbol of Roman power, both in occupied Britain and in Rome. Frontiers in the early empire were based more on natural features or fortified zones with a heavy military presence. Military roads or limes often marked the border, with forts and signal towers spread along them and it was not until the reign of Domitian that the first solid frontier was constructed, in Germania Superior, using a simple fence. Hadrian expanded on this idea, redesigning the German border by ordering a continuous timber palisade supported by forts behind it. Although such defences would not have held back any concerted invasion effort, they did physically mark the edge of Roman territory and went some way to providing a degree of control over who crossed the border and where.
Hadrian reduced Roman military presence in the territory of the Brigantes and concentrated on building a more solid linear fortification to the north of them. This was intended to replace the Stanegate road which is generally thought to have served as the limes (the boundary of the Roman Empire) until then.
Construction
Construction probably started in 122 AD and was largely completed within eight years, with soldiers from all three of the occupying Roman legions participating in the work. The route chosen largely paralleled the nearby Stanegate road from Luguvalium (Carlisle) to Coria (Corbridge), which was already defended by a system of forts, including Vindolanda. The Wall in part follows the outcrop of a harder, more resistant igneous dolerite rock escarpment, known as the Great Whin Sill.
The initial plan called for a ditch and wall with 80 small, gated milecastle fortlets every Roman mile holding a few dozen troops each, and pairs of evenly spaced intermediate turrets used for observation and signalling. The wall was initially designed to a width of 3 metres (10 ft) (the so-called "Broad Wall"). The height is estimated to have been around 5 or 6 metres (16–20 ft). Local limestone was used in the construction, except for the section to the west of Irthing where turf was used instead as there were no useful outcrops nearby. The turf wall was 6 metres wide (20 ft) and around 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) high. Milecastles in this area were also built from timber and earth rather than stone but turrets were always stone. The Broad Wall was initially built with a clay-bonded rubble core and mortared dressed rubble facing stones, but this seems to have made it vulnerable to collapse and repair with a mortared core was sometimes necessary.
Roman fort at Corstopitum.
Roman fort at Corstopitum.
The milecastles were of three different designs, depending on which Roman legion built them — the Second, Sixth, and Twentieth Legions, whose inscriptions tell us were all involved in the construction. Similarly there are three different turret designs along the route. All were about 493 metres (539 yd) apart and measured 4.27 metres square (46.0 sq ft) internally.
Construction was divided into lengths of about 5 miles (8 km). One group of each legion would create the foundations and build the milecastles and turrets and then other cohorts would follow, building the wall itself.
Early in its construction, just after reaching the North Tyne (construction worked from east to west), the width of the wall was narrowed to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) or even less (sometimes 1.8m) (the "Narrow Wall"). However, Broad Wall foundations had already been laid as far as the river Irthing, where the Turf Wall began, and many turrets and milecastles were optimistically provided with stub 'wing walls' in preparation for joining to the Broad Wall; a handy reference for archaeologists trying to piece together the construction chronology.
Within a few years it was decided to add a total of 14 to 17 (sources disagree) full-sized forts along the length of the wall, including Vercovicium (Housesteads) and Banna (Birdoswald), each holding between 500 and 1,000 auxiliary troops (no legions were posted to the wall). The eastern end of the wall was extended further east from Pons Aelius (Newcastle) to Segedunum (Wallsend) on the Tyne estuary. Some of the larger forts along the wall, such as Cilurnum (Chesters) and Vercovicium (Housesteads), were built on top of the footings of milecastles or turrets, showing the change of plan. An inscription mentioning early governor Aulus Platorius Nepos indicates that the change of plans took place early on. Also some time still during Hadrian's reign (i.e., before AD 138) the wall west of the Irthing was rebuilt in sandstone to basically the same dimensions as the limestone section to the east.
Vallum at Hadrian's Wall near milecastle 42
Vallum at Hadrian's Wall near milecastle 42
After the forts had been added (or possibly at the same time), the so-called Vallum was built on the southern side. It consisted of a large, flat-bottomed ditch 6 metres (20 ft) wide at the top and 3 metres (10 ft) deep bounded by a berm on each side 10 metres (33 ft) wide. Beyond the berms were earth banks 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.5 ft) high. Causeways crossed the ditch at regular intervals. Initially the berm appears to have been the main route for transportation along the wall. The Vallum probably delineated a military zone rather than intending to be a major fortification, though the British tribes to the south were also sometimes a military problem.
The Wall was thus part of a defensive system which, from north to south included:
* a glacis and a deep ditch
* a berm with rows of pits holding entanglements
* the curtain wall itself
* a later military road (the "Military Way")
* a north mound, a ditch and a south mound to prevent or slow down any raids from a rebelling southern tribe.
Roman-period names
The remains of milecastle 39, near Steel Rigg
The remains of milecastle 39, near Steel Rigg
The Roman-period names of some of the Hadrian's Wall forts are known, from the Notitia Dignitatum and other evidence:
* Segedunum (Wallsend)
* Pons Aelius (Newcastle on Tyne)
* Condercum (Benwell Hill)
* Vindobala (Halton Chesters)[2]
* Hunnum (Rudchester)[2]
* Cilurnum (Chesters aka Walwick Chesters)[2]
* Procolita (Carrowburgh)
* Vercovicium (Housesteads)
* Aesica (Great Chesters)[2]
* Magnis (Carvoran)
* Banna (Birdoswald)
* Camboglanna (Castlesteads)
* Uxelodunum (Stanwix. Also known as Petriana)
* Aballava (Burgh-by-Sands)
* Coggabata (Drumburgh)
* Mais (Bowness)
Outpost forts beyond the Wall include:
* Habitancum (Risingham)
* Bremenium (Rochester)[2]
* Ad Fines (Chew Green) [1]
Supply forts behind the wall include:
* Alauna (Maryport)
* Arbeia (South Shields)
* Coria (Corbridge)
* Vindolanda (Little Chesters)[2]
* Vindomora (Ebchester)[2]
Garrison
The wall was garrisoned by auxiliary (i.e., non-legionary) units of the army (non-citizens). Their numbers fluctuated throughout the occupation, but may have been around 9,000 strong in general, including infantry and cavalry. The new forts could hold garrisons of 500 men while cavalry units of 1,000 troops were stationed at either end. The total number of soldiers manning the early wall was probably greater than 10,000.
They suffered serious attacks in 180, and especially between 196 and 197 when the garrison had been seriously weakened, following which major reconstruction had to be carried out under Septimius Severus. The region near the wall remained peaceful for most of the rest of the 3rd century. It is thought that many in the garrison may have married and integrated into the local community.
Part of Hadrian's wall near Housesteads.
Part of Hadrian's wall near Housesteads.
After Hadrian
In the years after Hadrian's death in 138, the new emperor, Antoninus Pius essentially abandoned the wall, though leaving it occupied in a support role, and began building a new wall in Scotland proper, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north, the Antonine Wall. This turf wall ran 40 Roman miles (about 37.8 mi or 61 km) and had significantly more forts than Hadrian's Wall. Antonine was unable to conquer the northern tribes and so when Marcus Aurelius became emperor, he abandoned the Antonine Wall and occupied Hadrian's Wall once again in 164. It remained occupied by Roman troops until their withdrawal from Britain.
In the late 4th century, barbarian invasions, economic decline, and military coups loosened the Empire's hold on Britain. By 410, the Roman administration and its legions were gone, and Britain was left to look to its own defences and government. The garrisons, by now probably made up mostly of local Britons who had nowhere else to go, probably lingered on in some form for generations. Archaeology is beginning to reveal that some parts of the Wall remained occupied well into the 5th century. Enough also survived in the 8th century for spolia from it to find its way into the construction of Jarrow Priory, and for Bede to see and describe the Wall thus in Historia Ecclesiastica 1.5, although he misidentified it as being built by Septimius Severus:
“ after many great and dangerous battles, he thought fit to divide that part of the island, which he had recovered from the other unconquered nations, not with a wall, as some imagine, but with a rampart. For a wall is made of stones, but a rampart, with which camps are fortified to repel the assaults of enemies, is made of sods, cut out of the earth, and raised above the ground all round like a wall, having in front of it the ditch whence the sods were taken, and strong stakes of wood fixed upon its top. ”
But in time the wall was abandoned and fell into ruin. Over the centuries and even into the 20th century a large proportion of the stone was reused in other local buildings.
In fiction
Sycamore Gap (the "Robin Hood Tree")
Sycamore Gap (the "Robin Hood Tree")
* Hadrian's Wall was featured extensively in the movie King Arthur (which depicted the story of the people the Arthurian legends were supposedly based on). The one kilometre (0.6 mi) long replica, located in County Kildare, Ireland, was the largest movie set ever built in that country, and took a crew of 300 construction workers four and a half months to build. The fort in the movie where Arthur and his Sarmatian "knights" were garrisoned was based on the Roman fort named Vindolanda, which was built around AD 80 just south of Hadrian's Wall in what is now called Chesterholm, in Northern England. In the movie, the fort is attached to the wall.
* Sycamore Gap, a section of the wall between two crests just west of milecastle 38, is locally known as the "Robin Hood Tree". This location was used in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as the setting for an interlude during Robin's journey from the White Cliffs (actually shot at the Seven Sisters Hills) to Nottingham via Aysgarth Falls.
The Thanet Thunderer Railtour organised by Hanson & Hall Rail Services Solutions and the Branch Line Society was to have featured 50008 Thunderer working alongside one of the GBRf liveried locos. Unfortunately a technical problem prevented 50008 being available, and so the tour was worked by 50007 (displays 50034 on one side only) and 50049.
50007 and 50049 are seen passing the Network Rail Training Centre at Paddock Wood with the 1Z32 0605 East Midlands Parkway to Margate, 31/07/21
"How can one prevent a drop of water from ever drying up?
Written on Stone: By throwing it into the sea..."
From:
Pan Nalin's
Samsara
* Photograph created for the Our Daily Challenge topic NEGATIVE SPACE
Since the whole COVID-19 lockdown has really prevented us from going anywhere, our family has been taking a good number of long walks around town. One of our more favorite walks was around the Seacrest Arboretum a couple weeks ago. The arboretum has a large variety of crabapple trees that bloom an amazing array of colors. Normally, I guess I don't stop to look around enough because we've lived here for 7 years and only this year did I notice the amazing variety of these trees.
This image was made with a ZeroImage2000 pinhole camera on Kodak Portra 160. This was about a 10 second exposure I think. Developed and scanned by TheFINDLab.
GB Railfreight Class 92, 92038, effortlessly leads the Caledonian Sleeper Up Highlander (1M16) south through Acton Bridge.
This was a last minute change of location after I discovered the local friendly farmer at Chapel Lane had put large boulders in the off-road parking spots.
A revised timetable was in operation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with only the Inverness and Glasgow portions running and splitting/joining at Edinburgh to form one train in each direction on the WCML.
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- February 5th: during the feast of Saint Agatha, on Via Etnea, you encounter people and situations of a unique sweetness and charm; the nice lady thus protects her little friend, preventing him from getting hurt, in the midst of the large crowd of people attending the feast;
- giorno 05 febbraio: durante la festa di Sant’Agata, in via Etnea, si incontrano persone e situazioni, di una dolcezza e simpatia uniche; la simpatica signora in tal modo protegge il suo piccolo amico, impedendo di farsi male, in mezzo alla grande folla di persone, che partecipa alla festa;
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Religious devotion, at times, in Sicily seems to take on the face of women, like that of the two Sicilian saints Agata and Lucia along the Ionian coast of Sicily, or the face of Rosalia, on the opposite side, in Palermo. The lives of Saint Agatha and Saint Lucia are closely linked, even though they never met. Agatha was martyred in 251, Lucia was not yet born, she was born 32 years later. On February 5, 301, she went to Catania to pray at Agatha's tomb to invoke her intercession, hoping to obtain the healing of her mother, who was seriously ill. Agatha appeared to her in a dream, confirmed her mother's healing (her mother was healed), but also confided in her that she would be martyred because of her faith in Christ: Lucia was martyred on December 13, 304, during the persecutions of Diocletian. What has been said as an incipit of the photographic story that I present here, created on the occasion of the celebration that Catania dedicates to its Patron Saint Agatha, described as the most important religious celebration in Catania, also considered the third Catholic religious celebration in the world (first are the “Semana Santa” in Seville, and the “Corpus Domini” in Cuzco in Peru), a ranking that takes into account the huge number of people who participate every year. The celebration of Saint Agatha takes place on several dates, from 3 to 6 February, on 12 February and on 17 August: the February celebration is linked to her martyrdom, the August celebration commemorates the return to Catania of her mortal remains, initially taken to Constantinople as spoils of war by the Byzantine general Maniaces, and remained there for 86 years. The young Agatha lived in the 3rd century, she belonged to a rich patrician family of Catania, since she was young she had embraced the cult of the Christian religion, the governor Quinziano (or Quintiliano) fell in love with her, Agatha to escape him hid in his house in Palermo, Quinziano managed to find out where she was hiding, so he had her taken to Catania, here his attempts to bend Agatha's will and make her give in to his flattery were in vain, after her umpteenth refusal he changed his intentions, accused her of being of the Christian religion, condemned her to death, not without first having led her to martyrdom, he amputated her by tearing off both her breasts, in this way in addition to the torment of physical pain, the psychological one was added, humiliating the girl in her femininity, then he gave her death by dragging her on burning coals, Agata was 20 years old. After her death, the cult of her began to spread, even the pagans began to venerate her figure, there is news about her origins starting from 252, the year after her death: the inhabitants of Catania were proud of this young woman who rebelled against the will of the dictator. The feast of Saint Agatha begins on February 3, there is the procession "for the offering of wax", the two eighteenth-century carriages of the senate pulled by horses come out along the streets of the city, "the candlestick" make their appearance; on February 4th the celebration begins with the “Mass of Dawn” which is celebrated in the cathedral, after the reliquary bust of the Saint and the silver casket, they are placed on the “float” (or “fercolo”), to be carried in procession in its “external tour”, the procession begins by crossing the “Porta Uzeda” and thus reaching the arches of the marina, the procession then circumscribes the historic center of the city, going to the places where Agatha’s martyrdom took place; : On February 5th the “Pontifical Mass” is celebrated, on this occasion by lining up in the cathedral, you can go and see the reliquary bust of the Saint, as evening comes, the bust and the casket are placed back on the heavy float for the last procession, which goes along the “internal tour” (or “noble tour”), which crosses the historic center of Catania, a procession preceded by the passage of lit candles carried on the shoulders of devotees (of various weights and sizes, some reach exceptional dimensions and weight, historically these candles illuminated, when electricity did not exist, the passage of the Saint), then the “candlestick” pass, they are gigantic and heavy wooden “candlestick”, in baroque style, painted in gold, each one represents an ancient corporation (butchers, fishmongers, bakers, pork butchers, greengrocers, etc.), finally the float with Saint Agatha passes, the long-awaited moment, with the reliquary bust that it contains inside some parts of her body, the other parts of her body are inside the casket, so, with both on the float, Agatha's entire body can travel the streets of the city of Catania. The float is pulled by hand, by the many devotees who wish to participate spontaneously in this very particular rite, using two large cords more than 200 meters long, to the end of which are connected four handles. The photographs were taken on February 4 and 5, of this year 2026, they are not organized in series taking into account either the year or the days; I made portraits of the devotees, the "citizens" (synonym of "devotees") of Catania towards this young martyr, who has become a symbol of those who oppose violence against women, and protector of women suffering from breast cancer. I captured in some images, the custom of some devotees, to carry with them images of loved ones who passed away too soon (photos placed on candles or printed on the characteristic white habit, called "sacco (bag) ", which is part of the characteristic way of dressing of the devotees). Finally, I conclude with some brief observations on this traditional religious and popular feast, year 2026:
a- This year, during the "outer tour" or "plebeian tour," it rained. I don't recall photographing the Saint Agatha procession in the rain in past years, but the presence of umbrellas was a pleasant surprise for me.
b- Devotees carry candles on their shoulders, sometimes very heavy, weighing 50 kilos or even more than 100-120 kilos. These enormous candles are padded with foam rubber, placed by the devotees themselves, to prevent excessive pain when touching the shoulder carrying them.
c- Devotees carrying very heavy candles, flameless or with a burning candle, rely on the presence of another devotee, who, anticipating the procession, warns those present of the arrival of "a heavy load." This is to avoid accidents along the way, both for those on the road and for the bearer himself. Sometimes, the assistant devotee supports part of the weight of the candle itself.
d- Aware of the risk of people slipping in the streets after the devotees pass by with burning candles, releasing a considerable amount of melted wax onto the ground, on the afternoon of February 5th, before the ritual of lighting the large candles begins, the municipality of Catania sprinkles Catania's main street, Via Etnea, first with water from tankers and then immediately after with sawdust, which, mixing with the water, prevents it from being lifted into the air by the wind (risking irritation to the airways and eyes);
e- As the float of Saint Agatha passes by, countless smartphones are now raised in the air, to take with them, almost every present, a memento of "this beautiful magic." I couldn't resist the temptation to "seize upon" this modern-day custom, also because I'm fascinated by the well-groomed female hands;
f- although I have not respected the temporal presentation of the photographs, I will insert a small comment in the caption, with the day during which it was taken, whether the 4th (during the “plebeian tour” or “external tour”), or if during the 5th (“day of the “internal tour” or “noble tour”).
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La devozione religiosa, a volte, in Sicilia sembra assumere il volto delle donne, come quello delle due sante siciliane Agata e Lucia lungo la fascia Ionica della costa sicula, od il volto di Rosalia, sul versante opposto, in quel di Palermo. Le vite di Agata e Lucia sono tra loro legate in maniera strettamente indissolubile, pur non essendosi mai conosciute, Agata morì martirizzata nel 251, Lucia non era ancora nata, nascerà 32 anni dopo, il 5 febbraio del 301 si recherà a Catania a pregare sul sepolcro di Agata per invocare la sua intercessione sperando così di ottenere la guarigione di sua madre, gravemente malata, Agata le appare in sogno, le conferma la guarigione di sua madre (sua madre ebbe la guarigione), ma anche, le confida, che per lei ci sarà il martirio a causa della sua fede in Cristo: Lucia fu martirizzata il 13 dicembre del 304, durante le persecuzioni di Diocleziano. Quanto detto come incipit del racconto fotografico che qui presento, realizzato in occasione della festa che Catania dedica alla sua Santa Patrona Agata, descritta come la più importante festa religiosa di Catania, considerata anche la terza festa religiosa cattolica al mondo (prime la “Semana Santa” di Siviglia, ed il “Corpus Domini” di Cuzco in Perù), graduatoria che tiene conto del grandissimo numero di persone ogni anno vi partecipano. La festa di Santa’Agata si svolge in più date, dal 3 al 6 febbraio, il 12 febbraio ed il 17 agosto: la ricorrenza di febbraio è legata al suo martirio, quella di Agosto rievoca il ritorno a Catania delle sue spoglie mortali, portate inizialmente a Costantinopoli come bottino di guerra dal generale bizantino Maniace, e li rimaste per 86 anni. La giovane Agata visse nel 3° secolo, apparteneva ad una ricca famiglia patrizia di Catania, sin dalla giovane età aveva abbracciato il culto per la religione cristiana, di lei si invaghì il governatore Quinziano (o Quintiliano), Agata per sfuggirgli si nascose in una sua casa a Palermo, Quinziano riuscì a sapere dove si nascondeva, quindi la fece condurre a Catania, qui i suoi tentativi di piegare la volontà di Agata e farla cedere alle sue lusinghe furono vani, all’ennesimo suo rifiuto egli mutò i suoi propositi, la accusò di essere di religione cristiana, la condannò a morte, non senza averla prima condotta al martirio, le amputò strappandole entrambi i seni, in tal modo oltre allo strazio del dolore fisico, si aggiungeva quello psicologico, umiliando la ragazza nella sua femminilità, poi le diede la morte trascinandola sui carboni ardenti, Agata aveva 20 anni. Dopo la sua morte si iniziò a diffondere il culto verso di lei, anche i pagani iniziarono a venerare la sua figura, si hanno notizie sulle sue origini già a partire dal 252, anno successivo alla sua morte: gli abitanti di Catania erano orgogliosi di questa giovane donna che si ribellò al volere del dittatore. La festa per Sant’Agata inizia il 3 febbraio, si ha la processione “per l’offerta della cera”, escono lungo le vie della città le due settecentesche carrozze del senato trainate da cavalli, fanno la loro comparsa “le candelore”; il 4 febbraio la festa inizia con la “Messa dell’Aurora” che si celebra nella cattedrale, dopo il busto reliquiario della Santa e lo scrigno d’argento, vengono messi sulla “vara” (o “fercolo”), per essere portati in processione nel suo “giro esterno” (o “giro plebeo”), la processione inizia attraversando la "Porta Uzeda" e giungendo così agli archi della marina, la processione quindi circoscrive il centro storico della città, recandosi nei luoghi ove avvenne il martirio di Agata; il 5 febbraio si celebra la “Messa Pontificale”, in questa occasione mettendosi in fila nella cattedrale, si può andare a vedere il busto reliquiario della Santa, col sopraggiungere della sera, busto e scrigno, vengono nuovamente messi sulla pesante vara per l’ultima processione, che percorre il “giro interno” (o “giro nobile”), che attraversa il centro storico di Catania, processione preceduta dal passaggio dei ceri accesi portati in spalla dai devoti (di vario peso e dimensioni, alcuni raggiungono dimensioni e peso eccezionali, storicamente questi ceri illuminavano, quando non esisteva l’energia elettrica, il passaggio della Santa), poi passano le “candelore”, sono dei giganteschi e pesanti "candelabri" in legno, in stile barocco, dipinti in oro, portati in spalla, ognuna rappresenta una antica corporazione (macellai, pescivendoli, panettieri, pizzicagnoli, fruttivendoli, ecc.), infine passa la vara con Sant’Agata, il momento tanto atteso, col busto reliquiario che racchiude al suo interno alcune parti del suo corpo, le altre parti del corpo si trovano all’interno dello scrigno, in tal modo, con entrambi sulla vara, tutto il corpo di Agata può percorrere le strade della città di Catania. La vara è trainata a mano con due grosse funi, dai tantissimi devoti che desiderano partecipare spontaneamente a questo rito così particolare, le due grosse funi sono lunghe più di 200 metri (una posta alla destra della vara, l’altra posta alla sua sinistra), al cui capo sono collegate quattro maniglie. Le fotografie sono state realizzate il 4 ed il 5 febbraio di quest’anno 2026, esse non sono organizzate in serie tenendo conto né dell’anno, nè delle giornate; ho realizzato ritratti dei devoti, dei “cittadini” (sinonimo di “devoti”) catanesi (e non) tutti legati “ed innamorati” di questa giovane martire, diventata simbolo di chi si oppone alla violenza sulle donne, e protettrice delle donne ammalate di cancro al seno. Ho colto in alcune immagini, l’usanza di alcuni devoti, di recare con se immagini di persone care scomparse troppo presto (foto messe sui ceri o stampate sul caratteristico saio bianco, chiamato “sacco”, che fa parte del modo caratteristico di vestire dei devoti). Infine, termino, con alcune osservazioni “in pillole” di questa festa tradizionale religiosa e popolare, anno 2026:
a- quest’ anno durante il “giro esterno” o “giro plebeo” è arrivata la pioggia, non ricordo di aver fotografato negli anni passati la processione di Sant’Agata sotto la pioggia, per me la presenza degli ombrelli è stata una piacevole novità;
b- i devoti portano in spalla ceri a volte molto pesanti, di 50 chili ma anche più di 100 – 120 chili, questi enormi ceri presentano delle imbottiture con gomma spugna, posizionate dagli stessi devoti, per evitare che il contatto con la spalla che li regge, diventi eccessivamente doloroso;
c- i devoti (o le devote) che portano in spalla ceri molto pesanti, senza fiamma, o con il cero che arde, si avvalgono della presenza di un altro devoto o devota, che anticipandone il passaggio, avvisa i presenti dell’arrivo “di un carico importante”, questo per evitare incidenti durante il percorso, sia per gli astanti, sia per il portatore stesso; a volte l’aiuto devoto regge parte del peso del cero stesso;
d- consapevole del rischio di scivoloni nelle strade, da parte delle persone, dopo che sono passati i devoti coi ceri che ardono, liberando un notevole quantitativo di cera sciolta per terra, il pomeriggio del 5 febbraio, prima che inizi il rito dell’accensione dei grossi ceri, il comune di Catania cosparge la via principale di Catania, via Etnea, prima con l’acqua delle autobotti, subito dopo con della segatura, che amalgamandosi con l’acqua impedisce alla stessa di venire sollevata in aria col vento (rischiando di irritare le vie aeree e gli occhi);
e- al passaggio della vara di Sant’Agata, oramai innumerevoli sono gli smartphone sollevati in aria, per portare con se, quasi ogni presente, un ricordo di “questa bellissima magia”, non ho saputo sottrarmi alla tentazione di “cogliere al volo” questa consuetudine dei nostri tempi, anche perché affascinato dalle mani femminili, così ben curate;
f- pur non avendo rispettato temporalmente la presentazione delle fotografie, inserirò in didascalia un piccolo commento, col giorno durante il quale è stata colta, se il 4 (durante il “giro plebeo” o “giro esterno”), o se durante il 5 (giorno del “giro interno” o “giro nobile”).
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Here's the first portfolio that granted me the overall winning prize of "Travel Photographer Of The Year(#tpoty)" 2016. It portrays the unique life of Lake Bosumtwi's fisherman, Ghana, a sacred lake inside a crater created one million years ago by a meteorite impact. According to the local beliefs, they can only fish using "paduas" (wooden planks) and tradicional fishing nets, otherwise a bad omen might fall upon them and prevent fishing.
Sony A7RII Fine Art Zion National Park Autumn Winter Subway Hike! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography!
An important thing to remember is that even though pixel sizes keep getting smaller and smaller, the technology is advancing, so the smaller pixels are more efficient at collecting light. For instance, the Sony A7rII is back-illuminated which allows more photons to hit the sensor. Semiconductor technology is always advancing, so the brilliant engineers are always improving the signal/noise ratio. Far higher pixel counts, as well as better dynamic ranger, are thus not only possible, but the future!
Yes I have a Ph.D. in physics! I worked on phototranistors and photodiodes as well as an artificial retina for the blind. :)
You can read more about my own physics theory (dx4/dt=ic) here: herosodysseyphysics.wordpress.com/
And follow me on instagram! @45surf
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Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!
I love shooting fine art landscapes and fine art nature photography! :) I live for it!
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Feel free to ask me any questions! Always love sharing tech talk and insights! :)
And all the best on Your Epic Hero's Odyssey!
The new Lightroom rocks!
Beautiful magnificent clouds!
View your artistic mission into photography as an epic odyssey of heroic poetry! Take it from Homer in Homer's Odyssey: "Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them. " --Samuel Butler Translation of Homer's Odyssey
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Sony A7RII Fine Art Zion National Park Autumn Winter Subway Hike! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Sony A7R2 & Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens!
fine art landscape photography,fine art photography, fine art photographer, elliot mcgucken photography, landscapes, fine art landscape, landscape, landscape photography
The Zion Narrows!
Dressed in a cleanroom suit to prevent contamination, Optics Technician Jeff Gum aligns a replacement Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) with a powerful three-dimensional microscope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. This FPA will be installed on the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument, which has unique components that are individually tailored to see in a particular infrared wavelength range. By using the microscope, Gum ensures the FPA detectors are characterized and ready for installation onto NIRCam, the James Webb Space Telescope's primary imager that will see the light from the earliest stars and galaxies that formed in the universe.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/Chris Gunn
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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This Blue Dasher was living up to his name sake, dashing about, until posing briefly in front of these contrasting colors at the Lotus Pond. Of course he kept his distance doing all he could to prevent me from getting a close up.
Seen at Dauset Trails.
Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been crazy busy with work which is preventing me from putting in much processing time. Hopefully this push will relax in the not too distant future and I'll be back to a more normal schedule.
Brad McGinley and I spent a long day/night of travel to get to/from the Crystal Mill which has been on my bucket list since I first saw a photograph of it many years ago. We picked the night of the full moon because I thought the light might provide some interesting light and shadow. In many ways I was right, but capturing the shot I envisioned proved a formidable competitor.
This shot is made up of about 30 - 13 second shots. In each one I light painted a different portion of the scene. The moon is to my right lighting up the rocks on the left and a portion of the tree right of the cabin. The gaps you see in the star trails are due to delays in my shooting caused by our dogs. I'm not sure why I didn't automate this with my intervelometer, but at the time it didn't seem an issue.
I'm not completely happy with this shot, but I do like it enough to post it. I guess to me, the pieces and parts that make up the scene aren't playing well together. If you have any thoughts or recommendations to share I would love to hear them. As always, if you like it that would be a great comment too.
Sometimes in life one has only one go at photographing a location, either because of it's remoteness, or the possibility one is ever likely to visit again. This was taken on probably the only visit I am likely to make to this waterfall in the Grampians in Australia. Conditions were poor for waterfall photography, full sun, midday, and not a cloud in sight to prevent glare. The sun was behind the waterfall and shining directly into the lens causing flare. I shot a few obligatory shots of the general scene then climbed down to the river level to attempt some closer wide-angle action. This is the best I can come up with from this location and have had to considerably tweak it to get the result we see here. I used the large rock on the left to stop some of the flare from the sun, and have cropped to about 50% of the original image.
The Legend.
There are many legends about the construction of the tower and its location. According to the most popular Turkish legend, an emperor had a much beloved daughter and one day, an oracle prophesied that she would be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday. The emperor, in an effort to thwart his daughter's early demise by placing her away from land so as to keep her away from any snakes, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday. The princess was placed in the tower, where she was frequently visited only by her father.
On the 18th birthday of the princess, the emperor brought her a basket of exotic sumptuous fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an asp that had been hiding among the fruit bit the young princess and she died in her father's arms, just as the oracle had predicted. Hence the name Maiden's Tower.
A Lenda da Torre:
Há muitas lendas acerca da construção da torre e da sua localização.
Uma das lendas turcas mais populares conta que um sultão tinha uma filha que adorava. Um dia , um oráculo profetizou que ela seria morta por uma cobra venenosa no seu 18º aniversário. Num esforço para evitar a perda prematura da filha, o sultão colocou-a longe da terra, para que ficasse longe de cobras, e mandou construir a torre, no meio do Estreito de Bósforo, onde somente o pai a visitava frequentemente. No 18º aniversário da princesa, o sultão levou um cesto de frutos exóticos como presente, contente por ter conseguido quebrar a profecia,. Porém, assim que a princesa estendeu a mão para pegar uma fruta, foi mordida por uma áspide que havia se escondido dentro do cesto. A princesa acabou por morrer nos braços do seu desgostoso pai, que assim viu concretizada a profecia. Supostamente o nome de Torre da Donzela tem origem nesta lenda.
( Fonte : Wikipedia )
The drawing:
MIcron 01 and watercolor on paper ( 20x30cm)
Based on this view
Especial para The Virtual Paintout
Idealizado pelo artista Bill Guffey é uma proposta de expor o trabalho de várias pessoas
que submeterem seus desenhos ou pinturas, com base nas imagens do Google Street View.
A cada mês é selecionada uma cidade ou região.
Novembro/ 2015 - Istambul - Turquia
Veja o local aqui
One of my favourite photos of Jason.
He was seven here. Taken by my grandma.
She and he and my youngest brother were
on a road trip to Springfield (Illinois)
with a stop at New Salem Historic Site.
(My family are Abraham Lincoln groupies.)
Today is the anniversary of my son’s death.
You are remembered and I love you to the
moon and back, Jason.
In order to prevent risk to field journalists in hazardous situations such as disaster areas, war zones, and areas of civil unrest, BSN News purchased a bulk order of outdated general-purpose wheel-drones and outfitted them with on-board recording equipment for field use. They painted them in their network colors and dubbed them MMDs, or Mobile Media Drones, and used them to supplement their field teams, even completely replacing them in some cases.
These drones' ability to cover stories 24/7 without rest fit well with the 24-hour news cycle, and they could also be folded into small cargo containers and shipped nearly anywhere they were required. As their onboard processors learned from their accompanying operators and journalists, they were eventually able to venture into dangerous situations completely autonomously with little risk to their field crews.
They are now a common site in almost any newsworthy locale, mingling with their human counterparts in their quest for the big scoop. This one has been fitted with several audio and video capture abilities, including a boom mic and a holographic capture module built into the right shoulder.
Beginning of the war prevented restart of mass production of the Er-2 with M-40F diesel engines as it was planned in 1941. Rapid German advance to Moscow made it necessary to evacuate the experimental factory and the V.Ermolayev Design Bureau to Kazan, where it was impossible to resume works on improvements of the bomber. Having returned to Moscow in Summer 1942 the Bureau found itself without working accommodation, since all its working spaces had been given to the S.llyushin Design Bureau. It took another year to develop a new variant of the Er-2, this time with M-30B diesels.
At the beginning of 40-s 1250 H 1500 hp aircraft diesels were considered one of the main achievements of the Soviet engine industry. These economical engines, fueled by easily available tractor kerosene made possible combat range, tremendous for that time. For the Er-2 it was 5500 — 6000 km with 1000 kg of bombs to be dropped at the middle of the route. Moreover, aircraft with diesel engines definitely were not so flammable. But diesels had a weak side — big weight and insufficient reliability.
At the end of 1943 having passed state trials the Er-2 with M-30B diesel engines (soon the designation of the engine changed to ACh-30B, after its designer A.Charomsky) was put into production at an aircraft factory in Irkutsk, and at the Spring of 1944 began forming of units, equipped with the newest bomber. By mid-Summer of 1944 the Long Range Aviation (Soviet equivalent of Strategic Bomber Command) had seven regiments, flying on Er-2s. But these regiments were mostly on paper, since by the end of the year no more then forty planes had been produced and delivered to the operating units. The main reason for such a delay being exceptionally low reliability of the engine (its fuel system, for instance).
Only in April 1945 two regiments of the 18th Guards Division became operational and took part in fighting. At the closing stage of the war Er-2s bombed Konigsberg and Berlin suburbs. However, the diesel Er-2 saw limited combat — the general situation was so unfavorable for Germany that there were no need in mass night bombing raids against its rear targets.
During Summer of 1945 in the 18th Guards Division were held operational trials of the Er-2 with ACh-30B diesels, ended with negative results. After the war quality standards for military equipment became much higher, and many defects that were turned blind eye on before by military representatives and air crews were no more tolerated. The Design Bureau that after the death of V.Ermolayev was headed by a renowned designer RSukhoy was tasked with elimination of all defects, including power-plant problems, in extremely short period — till 1 January, 1946. Unfortunately, it was not done, moreover, new aircraft industry leaders had different views on diesel-powered planes. It was the start of the era of jet propulsion, and diesels that once looked so promising were loosing their appeal quickly.
In Spring of 1946 it was decided to withdraw the Er-2 from service with the Red Army Air Force units. Actually, its production had been terminated even earlier, in August, 1945. In all, 360 planes were produced.
As we enter the new set of restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 we are now able to get our bikes out. Today we did a 74 miles circuit of North Derbyshire making sure we stopped in some quiet places. A wonderful taste of freedom.
The Three Stags' Heads is a small pub at Wardlow Mires on the A623 not far from Tideswell. If passing you could be forgiven for thinking the pub was derelict but we spent a great night there with friends just prior to the lockdown and it will be a pub we revisit when the conditions are right and pubs are open again. A bit out of the way but well worth the effort.
...the sun from setting and keep this golden hour a little bit more
Paros, Cyclades. Greece
Canon EOS 6D, Sigma lens
DESCRIPTION
The main role of the Starwolf Tactical Fighter is 'First Attack Wave Suppression (FAWS)'. An attacking force will typically launch multiple fighters to engage the capital ships offensive and defensive weapon systems. Starwolves are launched to prevent this 'first wave' of attacking fighters to reach the capital ships by greatly reducing their numbers before coming into in range. The remaining enemy fighters are more easily handled by the capital ships defense network.
As a secondary, attack role, the Starwolf can use it's Hedgehog system to overwhelm the shields of enemy capital class ships with a single burst of 16 missiles with a synchronized impact on a specific point. Only when friendly capital ships have trouble engaging enemy capital ships will Starwolves be deployed for this role. The problem with this tactic is that Starwolves will need to be heavily supported by fighters when attacking enemy ships head on.
Starwolves have atmospheric flight capabilities, however this uses considerably more fuel than spaceflight. A Starwolf is incapable of landing on a planet surface.
STANDARD OFFENSIVE WEAPON SYSTEMS LOADOUT
Two 'Muger MK7' 20 mm caliber chain guns
The guns fire a mix of armor piercing incendiary tracers and high explosive rounds at a rate of 2400 rounds per minute with a spool-up time of 0.5 seconds.
Two 'Kurstroski-S30' 30 mm caliber cannons
The cannons fire High Explosive Dual Purpose rounds at a rate of 350 rounds per minute.
Four 'Spagin HE5' High Explosive Missiles
Standard multi purpose fire-and-forget missiles with proximity detection systems.
HAAM16 'Hedgehog' Multimissile System
Multiple 'SPIKE' missiles fired simultaneously at up to 16 targets. The missiles are guided by the Hedgehog radar system. The high maneuverability of the missiles makes them capable of evading most countermeasures while guided by the Hedgehog. The system can also be used to overwhelm the shields of capital-class vessels.
DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS
Electronic warfare pod
The pod integrated in the lower wing is outfitted with many types of electronic warfare capabilities that include field jamming (producing a stealth bubble around the ship), ghosting (projecting false data) and tactical hacking (taking control of enemy ship systems, as well as some reconnaissance abilities.
Starburst
The starburst system ejects multiple decoys in different directions to confuse enemy guided weapon systems.
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NOTES
This was originally planned as a more standard shaped fighter. But once I started work on the engines the ship grew more in width than it did in length. Also, the placeholder dual wings looked kind of cool, so I build on that. The problem was getting it to be stable enough to be handled, and sturdy enough to hold up the cockpit section. I had a blast building it because it turned out so different than I had initially planned. Please check out the other views in the Starwolf set as they explain more than I can tell you (especially the front view).
“Don't you understand that we need to be childish in order to understand? Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things that we don't expect to see.”
― Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
2015 10 10 140906 Wales Beaumaris Castle 1PM