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Back in 1994, Donkey Kong Country was IT. Seemingly everyone was wildly masturbating over how great it was going to be, mostly because of how beautiful it looked. I remember thinking, "holy shit, that's an SNES game?". This was the first game I remember having a waiting list for at Target and even rental places. Safeway had a month-long waiting list for their copies. Hah, they even called me a few weeks after Christmas with the sly "guess what we finally got in!" being the whole message on the answering machine. But, seemingly magically, I got it for Christmas. I don't know how the hell my parents did that since it would sell out the instant a store got copies. In fact, I NEVER saw it in a store until about 5 months after it came out. Opening that gift and seeing the box art for DKC is one of the only times I can ever remember being really happy.
DKC led me to a monkey phase. I'd collect anything monkey or gorilla related, and filled my top bunk with them. I also remember craving trail mix whenever I'd make it to the third area.
But god, it was the music that really got me. So many memorable tracks that I'd constantly search for the soundtrack until I won a bootleg copy off eBay in 2003 or 2004 (SUUPA DONKI KONGU!). One of the first bass riffs I ever learned on my own was the one on Gangplank Galleon, and when Bulletproof Shampoo Moose was still around, we'd usually open shows by playing it.
I was a weird kid, and in addition to the monkey thing, this game made me want to do a lot of things. Playing the water levels always made me want to swim. Seeing DK hurl a barrel overhead and take out a line of oncoming beavers made me look for barrels whenever I'd go to work with my dad. I started to wonder if someone could tame a swordfish and ride it around, stabbing other fishes. And I even got a plain red hat just like Diddy's.
And I won't even start on the perverted jokes me and then-friend Shane Holtz would constantly come up with in 5th grade and get in trouble. Klump was "the big lady", and we invented the anti-DK: Shlongkey Kong. That's all I'm sayin'.
I'm taking this in on saturday along with what I still have game-wise. Thanks for all the great years DKC. No matter how old I get, I will NEVER forget the level named "Necky's Nuts".
Krishna's Butterball is a giant natural rock perched on a hillside, seemingly in defiance of all laws of physics - it's a common sight to see visitors placing hands under the stone posing for pics, which looks as though they are holding it! The rock provides welcome shade if you dare to sit underneath it, and local kids have discovered that the slippery nearby hillside also makes a great natural slide.
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Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is around 60 km south from the city of Chennai. It is an ancient historic town and was a bustling seaport during the time of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE). Ancient Indian traders who went to countries of South East Asia sailed from the seaport of Mahabalipuram.
By the 7th century it was a port city of South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries : rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air rock reliefs such as the famous Descent of the Ganges, and the Shore Temple, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva. The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It has an average elevation of 12 metres. The modern city of Mahabalipuram was established by the British Raj in 1827.
CLIMATE
This city has a tropical climate. In winter, there is much less rainfall than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average annual temperature in Mahabalipuram is 28.4 °C. In a year, the average rainfall is 1219 mm.The temperatures are highest on average in May, at around 32.6 °C. In January, the average temperature is 24.3 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year. The variation in the precipitation between the driest and wettest months is 309 mm. The average temperatures vary during the year by 8.3 °C.
HISTORY
Megalithic burial urn, cairn circles and jars with burials dating to the very dawn of the Christian era have been discovered near Mahabalipuram. The Sangam age poem Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai relates the rule of King Thondaiman Ilam Thiraiyar at Kanchipuram of the Tondai Nadu port Nirppeyyaru which scholars identify with the present-day Mahabalipuram. Chinese coins and Roman coins of Theodosius I in the 4th century CE have been found at Mahabalipuram revealing the port as an active hub of global trade in the late classical period. Two Pallava coins bearing legends read as Srihari and Srinidhi have been found at Mahabalipuram. The Pallava kings ruled Mahabalipuram from Kanchipuram; the capital of the Pallava dynasty from the 3rd century to 9th century CE, and used the port to launch trade and diplomatic missions to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
An 8th-century Tamil text written by Thirumangai Alvar described this place as Sea Mountain ‘where the ships rode at anchor bent to the point of breaking laden as they were with wealth, big trunked elephants and gems of nine varieties in heaps’. It is also known by several other names such as Mamallapattana and Mamallapuram. Another name by which Mahabalipuram has been known to mariners, at least since Marco Polo’s time is "Seven Pagodas" alluding to the Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram that stood on the shore, of which one, the Shore Temple, survives.
The temples of Mahabalipuram, portraying events described in the Mahabharata, were built largely during the reigns of Narasimhavarman and his successor Rajasimhavarman and show the movement from rock-cut architecture to structural building. The city of Mahabalipuram was largely developed by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I in the 7th century AD. The mandapa or pavilions and the rathas or shrines shaped as temple chariots are hewn from the granite rock face, while the famed Shore Temple, erected half a century later, is built from dressed stone. What makes Mahabalipuram so culturally resonant are the influences it absorbs and disseminates. The Shore Temple includes many reliefs, including one 100 ft. long and 45 ft. high, carved out of granite.
All but one of the rathas from the first phase of Pallava architecture are modeled on the Buddhist viharas or monasteries and chaitya halls with several cells arranged around a courtyard. Art historian Percy Brown, in fact, traces the possible roots of the Pallava Mandapa to the similar rock-cut caves of Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves. Referring to Narasimhavarman's victory in AD 642 over the Chalukyan king Pulakesin II, Brown says the Pallava king may have brought the sculptors and artisans back to Kanchi and Mahabalipuram as 'spoils of war'.
The fact that different shrines were dedicated to different deities is evidence of an increased sectarianism at the time of their construction. A rock relief on a sculpted cliff has an image of Shiva and a shrine dedicated to Vishnu, indicating the growing importance of these Sangam period deities and a weakening of the roles of Vedic gods such as Indra and Soma.
According to local guides, the site's name changed during the centuries. The first name was Kațalmalai meaning "The land between the mountain and the sea" in Tamil. The second name was Mämalläpuram meaning "The land of the great wrestler" as the region was ruled by the Pallavan King Narsimhavarman during the 8th century who was known for his strength. The third name was and is still there is Mähäbalipuram meaning "The land of Mahabali". According to legends, he was the grandson of the devoted Prahlada.
TRANSPORT
MTC and TNSTC (Villupuram) Kanchipuram division buses are operating bus from Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Thiruttani etc. Apart from TNSTC MTC operating buses to Mahabalipuram from various parts of the city with Deluxe and Air conditioned Deluxe buses
LANDMARKS
The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture where in Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art. They are located in the side of the cliffs near India's Bay of Bengal.
It is believed by some that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture, probably demonstrated by instructors and practiced on by young students. This can be seen in the Pancha Rathas where each Ratha is sculpted in a different style. These five Rathas were all carved out of a single piece of granite in situ. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture made out of sandstone, which is softer than granite, under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve. The carving at Mahabalipuram must have required hundreds of highly skilled sculptors.
In 2004 the Indian Ocean Tsunami washed away tons of coastal sand exposing structures including a granite lion and an elephant relief.
SOME IMPORTANT STRUCTURES
- Thirukadalmallai, the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was also built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. It is told that after building this temple, the remaining architecture was preserved and was not corroded by sea.
- Descent of the Ganges or Bagiratha's Penance – a giant open-air rock relief
- Varaha Cave Temple – a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7th century.
- The Shore Temple – a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here.
- Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled – each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.
- Light House, built in 1894.
DEMOGRAPHY
As of 2001 India census, Mahabalipuram had a population of 12,345. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mahabalipuram has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 66%. In Mahabalipuram, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
WIKIPEDIA
Seemingly subcontracted by Santa to deliver TfW's early Christmas Pressie... Rail Operations Groups' 47813 leads Barrier Vehicle 977087 + BiModal DEMU 769006 + Barrier Vehicles 975875 + 68504 + 68501 + 6338 + 6330 + 47815 (DOR) as 5X78 08:05 Castle Donnington EMDC - Cardiff Canton through Undy on 04/12/2019.
This is an interesting place if seemingly affected by low sunlight - it's the same in the only Streeetview shot as it is in this photo. So this is an Arndale garage which used to be a Burmah from the pumps on the forecourt. The Streetview shot shows it seemingly went on to be branded MB which I recall is listed on Dan Lockton's amazing petrol brands website. However the logo his website shows is styled like an RP logo and isn't quite like the one that was standing here. As a result perhaps he might share any thoughts he has about it! Actually looking from another view it reads MB Motorsales, that low sun really is awkward! But maybe the logo was re-purposed? One of the old Burmah pumps is also still visible in the Streetview which is admittedly from 2009 so may well not be there now - the diesel pump close to the building. Here is that Streetview from the reverse angle as it shows more of interest :o)
www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.3262978,-1.0189086,3a,75y,217.4...
Some City churches seem to be open, if not all the time, then frequently. But others rarely seem to open their doors to visitors. Then there are those who seemingly don't want anyone to see inside their wonderful buildings. Which is more than a shame, really. These houses of God should be for everyone, not just the custodians.
Saying that, I must take another opportunity to thank The Friends of the City churches, and the time given by their volunteers who give up their time to ensure that these are open at least one day a week.
So, in the past two years, I think I have visited all of the churches that they are keyholders for, and so without this fine organisation, I would not have seen inside many of them.
St Benet's is open between 11:00 and 15:00 on Thursdays, and despite wondering whether it would be open as advertised, the greeters assured me it is open each and every Thursday.
St Benet's is unique in that I think I am right in saying that it is the only City Wren church that survived the Blitz undamaged. In which case, Wren would reconise this church, over all others he helped rebuild after the great fire in 1666.
It is now situated tucked in the corner of an off ramp of Queen Victoria Street, and the pedestrian has to walk through an unwelcoming subway to get to the door, which on this occasion was open.
I was greeted warmly, and given a tour of the history of the church, plus tips on visiting other churches. A wonderful visit and a fine church.
----------------------------------------------------
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is a Welsh Anglican church in the City of London. Since 1556, it has also been the official church of the College of Arms in which many officers of arms have been buried. In 1666 it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, after which it was rebuilt and merged with nearby St Peter's. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.[1] It is one of only four churches in the City of London to escape damage during World War II.
St. Benet's traces its history back to the year 1111, when a church was built on the site and dedicated to St Benedict. Over time the name was abbreviated to St. Benet. To the west of the site was the watergate of Baynard's Castle, which is referenced in the biographies of Queen Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. Both the church and the castle were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It was rebuilt by the architect Christopher Wren, and reopened in 1683.
St Benet Paul's Wharf, London, taken from the top of nearby St Paul's Cathedral. Visible behind the church is the City of London School.
On 2 March 1706, Henrietta Hobart married Charles Howard, 9th Earl of Suffolk, a captain in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons there. (Henrietta Howard subsequently became mistress to the future King George II.)[2]
The church was narrowly saved from destruction in the late 19th century, when its parish was merged with that of St Nicholas Cole Abbey. After an energetic campaign by its supporters, it was preserved and reconsecrated in 1879 as the London Church of the Church in Wales.[3] It is now the City's Welsh church, with services conducted in Welsh.[4]
In 2008 the church was closed for a few months due to a "dwindling congregation"[5] but reopened in time for the carol service in December that year. Welsh services are held weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m and 3.30 p.m and the church can be toured on Thursdays between 11 a.m and 3 p.m.
The church is of dark red brick, with alternate courses of Portland stone at the corners. The tower is situated to the north-west of the nave and is capped by a small lead dome, lantern and simple short spire.
The interior is almost a square. Unusually for a Wren church, the ceiling is flat rather than domed or curved. The north gallery was formerly used by the Doctors' Commons, and is now used by the College of Arms. Most of the original 17th century furnishings are still intact, including the magnificent altar table, reredos and pulpit, designed by Grinling Gibbons. The lectern and baptismal font are also original.[7]
The galleries are supported by Corinthian columns. There is a memorial to Inigo Jones, who was buried in the previous church, and a medallion bust of Sir Robert Wyseman, a benefactor of St Benet's who died in 1684.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Benet%27s,_Paul%27s_Wharf
A church has been on this site since 1111. Destroyed in the Great Fire, the present church was built by Wren and Hooke (possibly owing more to the latter) between 1677 and 1683. It was one of only four Wren churches to escape damage in the Second Word War but was vandalised in 1971: repaired and reopened in 1973. It has a long-standing connection with the College of Arms across the road. Also since 1879 the church has accommodated the Welsh Episcopalian congregation in London. It is therefore sometimes known as “the Welsh church”, though that is a misnomer. Paul’s Wharf was the wharf on the Thames from which stone and other building materials were conveyed for the Wren reconstruction of St Paul’s cathedral.
www.london-city-churches.org.uk/Churches/StBenetPaulsWhar...
There has been a church on this site, dedicated to St Benet (or Benedict), since the Twelfth Century.
Shakespeare refers to it in Twelfth Night: Feste, the Clown asking Duke Orsino to add a third to the two coins he is offering reminds him: “...the bells of St Bennet, sir, may put you in mind -– one, two, three.”
In the Sixteenth Century, because the watergate of Baynard’s Castle was close by, both Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey may have received the last rites at St Benet on their way to execution at the Tower. The River Thames was, of course, an important thoroughfare at the time and the unlucky women could have completed their journey by boat.
St Benet is the only unaltered Wren church in the City. All but four were damaged in the Second World War and the other three either suffered the effects of an IRA bomb or have been restored.
The royal connection continued with Charles II having a special door at the side of the building and a private room from which he could take part in services. The Stuart arms can be seen above the west door marking the vantage point from which the king observed proceedings below.
Until 1867 St Benet was the parish church of Doctors Commons, a legal institution which, among its other activities, could provide facilities for hasty marriages. There is a record, for instance, of some 1300 weddings taking place in one year alone in the Eighteenth Century.
In 1747, Henry Fielding, the author of Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews and Shamela, married his second wife here.
In 1879 Queen Victoria removes St Benet from the list of churches to be demolished and grants the use of the church to the Welsh Anglicans for services.
The Officers of the College of Arms still have their own seats in St Benet’s and their personal banners hang from the gallery together with that of the Duke of Norfolk. At least 25 Officers are buried here.
In the 1870s the church was regarded as redundant and scheduled for demolition. Eminent Welsh Anglicans petitioned Queen Victoria to be allowed to use the building for services in Welsh. In 1879, Her Majesty granted the right to hold Welsh services here in perpetuity and this has continued ever since, with a service each Sunday morning.
In 1954, in the reorganisation of the City churches and parishes, St Benet became one of the City Guild churches as well as the Metropolitan Welsh Church.
The eminent composer Meirion Williams was the church organist in the 1960s and 1970s. As well as a Mass, Missa Cambrensis, he wrote a number of other works, including songs which are particular favourites of contemporary Welsh opera singers.
In 1971 a fire started by a vagrant damaged the north side of the church. During the repair work, necessitated mainly by smoke and heat damage, the Nineteenth Century organ was moved and rebuilt in its present (and original) position in the west gallery. When the church was reopened in May 1973, the congregation received a message from the Prince of Wales and trumpeters from the Royal Welsh Regiment blew a fanfare in celebration.
Today, the growing congregation at St Benet's remains committed to making known the good news of Jesus afresh to the current generation of the Welsh in London.
Some City churches seem to be open, if not all the time, then frequently. But others rarely seem to open their doors to visitors. Then there are those who seemingly don't want anyone to see inside their wonderful buildings. Which is more than a shame, really. These houses of God should be for everyone, not just the custodians.
Saying that, I must take another opportunity to thank The Friends of the City churches, and the time given by their volunteers who give up their time to ensure that these are open at least one day a week.
So, in the past two years, I think I have visited all of the churches that they are keyholders for, and so without this fine organisation, I would not have seen inside many of them.
St Benet's is open between 11:00 and 15:00 on Thursdays, and despite wondering whether it would be open as advertised, the greeters assured me it is open each and every Thursday.
St Benet's is unique in that I think I am right in saying that it is the only City Wren church that survived the Blitz undamaged. In which case, Wren would reconise this church, over all others he helped rebuild after the great fire in 1666.
It is now situated tucked in the corner of an off ramp of Queen Victoria Street, and the pedestrian has to walk through an unwelcoming subway to get to the door, which on this occasion was open.
I was greeted warmly, and given a tour of the history of the church, plus tips on visiting other churches. A wonderful visit and a fine church.
----------------------------------------------------
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is a Welsh Anglican church in the City of London. Since 1556, it has also been the official church of the College of Arms in which many officers of arms have been buried. In 1666 it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, after which it was rebuilt and merged with nearby St Peter's. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.[1] It is one of only four churches in the City of London to escape damage during World War II.
St. Benet's traces its history back to the year 1111, when a church was built on the site and dedicated to St Benedict. Over time the name was abbreviated to St. Benet. To the west of the site was the watergate of Baynard's Castle, which is referenced in the biographies of Queen Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. Both the church and the castle were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It was rebuilt by the architect Christopher Wren, and reopened in 1683.
St Benet Paul's Wharf, London, taken from the top of nearby St Paul's Cathedral. Visible behind the church is the City of London School.
On 2 March 1706, Henrietta Hobart married Charles Howard, 9th Earl of Suffolk, a captain in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons there. (Henrietta Howard subsequently became mistress to the future King George II.)[2]
The church was narrowly saved from destruction in the late 19th century, when its parish was merged with that of St Nicholas Cole Abbey. After an energetic campaign by its supporters, it was preserved and reconsecrated in 1879 as the London Church of the Church in Wales.[3] It is now the City's Welsh church, with services conducted in Welsh.[4]
In 2008 the church was closed for a few months due to a "dwindling congregation"[5] but reopened in time for the carol service in December that year. Welsh services are held weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m and 3.30 p.m and the church can be toured on Thursdays between 11 a.m and 3 p.m.
The church is of dark red brick, with alternate courses of Portland stone at the corners. The tower is situated to the north-west of the nave and is capped by a small lead dome, lantern and simple short spire.
The interior is almost a square. Unusually for a Wren church, the ceiling is flat rather than domed or curved. The north gallery was formerly used by the Doctors' Commons, and is now used by the College of Arms. Most of the original 17th century furnishings are still intact, including the magnificent altar table, reredos and pulpit, designed by Grinling Gibbons. The lectern and baptismal font are also original.[7]
The galleries are supported by Corinthian columns. There is a memorial to Inigo Jones, who was buried in the previous church, and a medallion bust of Sir Robert Wyseman, a benefactor of St Benet's who died in 1684.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Benet%27s,_Paul%27s_Wharf
A church has been on this site since 1111. Destroyed in the Great Fire, the present church was built by Wren and Hooke (possibly owing more to the latter) between 1677 and 1683. It was one of only four Wren churches to escape damage in the Second Word War but was vandalised in 1971: repaired and reopened in 1973. It has a long-standing connection with the College of Arms across the road. Also since 1879 the church has accommodated the Welsh Episcopalian congregation in London. It is therefore sometimes known as “the Welsh church”, though that is a misnomer. Paul’s Wharf was the wharf on the Thames from which stone and other building materials were conveyed for the Wren reconstruction of St Paul’s cathedral.
www.london-city-churches.org.uk/Churches/StBenetPaulsWhar...
There has been a church on this site, dedicated to St Benet (or Benedict), since the Twelfth Century.
Shakespeare refers to it in Twelfth Night: Feste, the Clown asking Duke Orsino to add a third to the two coins he is offering reminds him: “...the bells of St Bennet, sir, may put you in mind -– one, two, three.”
In the Sixteenth Century, because the watergate of Baynard’s Castle was close by, both Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey may have received the last rites at St Benet on their way to execution at the Tower. The River Thames was, of course, an important thoroughfare at the time and the unlucky women could have completed their journey by boat.
St Benet is the only unaltered Wren church in the City. All but four were damaged in the Second World War and the other three either suffered the effects of an IRA bomb or have been restored.
The royal connection continued with Charles II having a special door at the side of the building and a private room from which he could take part in services. The Stuart arms can be seen above the west door marking the vantage point from which the king observed proceedings below.
Until 1867 St Benet was the parish church of Doctors Commons, a legal institution which, among its other activities, could provide facilities for hasty marriages. There is a record, for instance, of some 1300 weddings taking place in one year alone in the Eighteenth Century.
In 1747, Henry Fielding, the author of Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews and Shamela, married his second wife here.
In 1879 Queen Victoria removes St Benet from the list of churches to be demolished and grants the use of the church to the Welsh Anglicans for services.
The Officers of the College of Arms still have their own seats in St Benet’s and their personal banners hang from the gallery together with that of the Duke of Norfolk. At least 25 Officers are buried here.
In the 1870s the church was regarded as redundant and scheduled for demolition. Eminent Welsh Anglicans petitioned Queen Victoria to be allowed to use the building for services in Welsh. In 1879, Her Majesty granted the right to hold Welsh services here in perpetuity and this has continued ever since, with a service each Sunday morning.
In 1954, in the reorganisation of the City churches and parishes, St Benet became one of the City Guild churches as well as the Metropolitan Welsh Church.
The eminent composer Meirion Williams was the church organist in the 1960s and 1970s. As well as a Mass, Missa Cambrensis, he wrote a number of other works, including songs which are particular favourites of contemporary Welsh opera singers.
In 1971 a fire started by a vagrant damaged the north side of the church. During the repair work, necessitated mainly by smoke and heat damage, the Nineteenth Century organ was moved and rebuilt in its present (and original) position in the west gallery. When the church was reopened in May 1973, the congregation received a message from the Prince of Wales and trumpeters from the Royal Welsh Regiment blew a fanfare in celebration.
Today, the growing congregation at St Benet's remains committed to making known the good news of Jesus afresh to the current generation of the Welsh in London.
Seemingly the only GSA present among several GSs, this made a quick getaway when the rain came so this is a heavily zoomed and cropped grab shot as it left. ART 234Y looks like it could be original but is actually a personalised plate and it was re-registered from A238 HVF a year ago.
With Summer seemingly well and truly over, the 14.57 shuttle to Newbury loads its half a dozen passengers from Platform 2 at Bedwyn station for the mid-afternoon 18 minute journey to Newbury, stopping at Hungerford and Kintbury en route. Today 165108 has the duty. As I have written before, the country scene featuring this little train reminds me of Annie and Clarabel, the two fussy carriages who accompanied Thomas the Tank Engine in his rural meanderings. Now where’s the Fat Controller ??
Seemingly still locked in the battle they have been fighting for decades, C&NW Alco RSD5 sits next to Milwaukee Road FM switcher. How many times in history have these two departed roads had diesels idling next to each other? Green Bay, Winona, Clinton to name a few. Illinois Railway Museum, Diesel days.
This seemingly bucolic November scene belies the fact that we are barely over a mile from Chicago's central business district (known as the "Loop"). The roll sign and twin yellow marker lights indicate that this is a northbound Red Line train heading into the subway portal that will lead to the State Street subway through the Loop.
The open space through which the train is traveling was once occupied almost entirely by railroad tracks. The Santa Fe main line, and the Chicago & Western Indiana main line to Dearborn Station were here, and were used by passenger trains of the C&WI, Santa Fe, Grand Trunk Western, Wabash, Chicago & Eastern Illinois, Monon, and Erie until Dearborn was closed with the coming of Amtrak in 1971.
The old railroad right-of-way laid fallow for a couple decades until CTA pushed through its new Orange Line service in the early Nineties to serve Midway Airport. In a major realignment of services that took place the day the Orange Line opened in 1993, CTA swapped endpoints for a handful of services. The trackage seen here was built as part of that realignment: It serves as the connector for trains to to travel from the route that operated in the median strip of the Dan Ryan Expressway into the State Street subway.
The ramp in the background is the connection was previously used (1969-1993) by Dan Ryan trains to access the South Side elevated tracks and in turn the Loop "L"; it is currently non-revenue trackage. The bridge leading across the frame in the background was new in 1993, and connects the "L" tracks with the then-new Orange Line.
The "DR1/539" sign marks the location of a "phantom signal" – in other words, a trackside block boundary without a wayside signal. Most of CTA's network is equipped with automatic train control and cab signals, and hence wayside signals only exist at interlockings and in their approaches.
Taking advantage of a break in the seemingly perennial could cover, yesterday a fellow photographer and I headed out to Grindstone Creek in the Royal Botanical Gardens of Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario. While walking along the trail, the low sun had cut through some of the gloom by casting a narrow beam of light on a stand of cattails. The bright yellow of the reeds set against the rich blue of the shaded hill slope provided a nice colour contrast. - JW
Date Taken: 2020-01-20
Tech Details:
Taken using a tripod-mounted Nikon D800 fitted with an AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1:4-5.6 lense set to 210mm, ISO100, Daylight WB, Aperture priority, f/8.0, 1/100. PP in free Open Source RAWTherapee from Nikon RAW/NEF source file: reduce overall brightness by setting exposure compensation to EV-0.50, use the Graduated Neutral Density/GND tool rotated to cover a diagonal area covering the bottom right tangle of reeds and darken that area to make it less of an attraction to the eye, use the Shadows/Highlights tool to recover highlight, increase contrast and Chromaticity in L-A-B mode, slightly increase Vibrance, sharpening of edges only and then saved. PP in free Open Source GIMP: load the image as 2 layers, top layer for adjustment of the hill in the background and the bottom one for the cattails and foreground, add a black/transparent layer mask to the top/hill layer and paint in the hill using a large, soft brush and using white/opaque paint, use the tone curves tool to darken the hill and then increase its contrast, then on the bottom/cattail layer use the tone curve tool to brighten the top end of the curve a little and then also use the dodge/burn tool to brighten the highlights of the cattails and sunlit ice and snow, create new working layer from visible result, sharpened and saved, scale image to 6000px wide, save, add fine black-and-white frame, add bar and text on left, save, scale image to 2048 px wide for posting online, sharpen very slightly, save.
The seemingly rare sight of matching livery pair on a freight service these days! 90041 & 90046 make light work of Shap at Greenholme, powering a Daventry - Coatbridge intermodal service.
Seemingly oblivious to the ornate MIdland Railway Ironwork above them, a couple of passengers have left 158904 (the 1449 Leeds - Carlisle) and make their way out of Hellifield station on 20 March 2009.
A seemingly freshly cleaned D&H motor resides on the power tracks in Binghamton NY. Unsure if this is Conklin or the Susquehanna terminal.
7/7/1990
Photographer Unknown
Kenny Wright Collection
A seemingly rare car. Spotted at a school car park, I had to be careful. Only seen a few. I had no idea these were the second generation of the Festiva with a different name.
Cookies send out seemingly irresistible...
Our Daily Challenge - Nov 12, 2015 - "Follow Me"
... signals.
The boys are allowed - indeed encouraged - to get their noses...
Daily Dog Challenge 1473. "Almost"
... touching the Cookie, but not quite.
Since the boys ALWAY get the Cookie in the end, and they know it, they are more than happy to play along.
Today's Post - showing the boys in several poses plus a rare selfie (Nose Magnet) : www.bzdogs.com/2015/11/nose-magnet.html
Stop on by Zachary and Henry's blog: bzdogs.com - The Secret Life of the Suburban Dog
seemingly hesitant, but pls. make no mistake, the prey is already targeted ---
please click here: www.flickr.com/photos/qmusaget/?details=1" to see HOW our streams should be preferably [or at least optionally] viewed ---
no GROUP ICONS, INVITES or AWARDS please (they will be [sadly] deleted) - just comments and critiques ---
Well. Here is what I have been working on for a seemingly two week stretch of inactivity on my photo stream in Flickr. I have photographed my redesigned MOC of a P-51 Mustang (in light bluish-gray), my MOC of a Dodge WC Utility truck from World War II, and my A-26 Invader plane (primarily in dark green). I'll start with the simplest one: the Dodge WC. I just constructed a representation of the average WC out there pertaining to World War II based off some images I found. It features Brickmania printed star tiles, as well as a simulated tarp able to house crates. The close second to the most complex would have to be the Mustang. This one was a LOT of failed experimentations, but I am proud of the final product. It features dihedral, an angling of the wings sideways as well as a slight backwards slant via balljoint techniques, and working landing gear on all three wheels. I was very proud how I was able to fit the minifigure in there too (:. Lastly, the Invader, the largest MOC here, was probably the most complex almost entirely due to its engines (which were some of the most convoluted sections I have ever created on a LEGO plane), the fully functioning landing gear, and the demand for a light bluish-gray blend at its belly to the fuselage color of dark green. Man, this was a lot of work done over some two weeks. But I hope you like it!
Also... check out Cooper Shaffner's stream on Flickr, as he has started a discord inclusive to all LEGO military builders. He is tagged in this photo, and his advertisement is on his page posted just recently.
Okay, that's all for now. Cheers (;.
Seemingly random rubble scattered about is not an uncommon sight in this part of downtown. UP 1362 works a yard pull job (YCR62[?]) in UP's North Yard. An IANR soybean extra is waiting for the UP job to move out of the way so they can proceed south and then set out all of their cars in CN's B Yard. Taken on 11/20/19.
One could seemingly spend an entire afternoon on YouTube viewing old Burger King commercials. Instead of the classic, infamous "Have it Your Way", here's a cute one from the 80's featuring a very young Sarah Michelle Gellar (note the old-school decor dining room in the background): youtu.be/DEUDwE1RW7I "It's not Christmas..." Long pause. "...It's not my birthday!" LoL!
Seemingly there are 3 pairs of the veteran EE type 2s at work in Derbyshire, as the lead pair is the third I have seen during my first week here. The working was the 7X08/1546 Derby Litchurch Ln Works to Banbury stock move, seen between Peartree station (to the north) and Stenson jn to the south, south of Derby. On 22/09/18, GBRf 20905 could be found leading RailFreight Red Stripe 20132, with BR Blue 20107 & 20096 tailing. They took another London Underground S Stock set south, ultimately to Ruislip LUL depot.
My video: youtu.be/1u-PA6dHfuw
A seemingly regular occurrence on a Sunday is one of the Streetlites out on the Y28 in place of a 53 plate dual-door Citaro. Quite an upgrade if you ask me!!
1301 departs Nottingham Milton Street with a Y28 to Wollaton Vale via Beechdale and Bilborough with a full and standing load!!
After seemingly working for the Dark Lord for the last few years, Darth Snaper finally reveals that he was on Harry's side all along, but is fatally wounded in a fight with (part of) Lord Palpamort. As he is dying, he asks to see Harry with his own eyes one last time.
Seemingly now allocated to the Pocklington depot for the time being, Volvo B7TL lowheight Plaxton President YY52 LCK is at York Piccadilly, under the private plate of 80 EYC, about to undertake a duty on route 18 to Holme on Spalding Moor and onward to Market Weighton.
Commentary.
Seemingly, little more than an infrequently used farm track, this trail leads from Loch Duntelchaig and Torness to Inverfarigaig,
over the “lip,” above the southern shore of Loch Ness.
Like a rocky, bumpy, knobbly “Inselberg,” Roche moutonée or mini-Sugar-loaf, capped by a single pine-tree, this hill stands starkly above seven “switchback” bends that take it down 200 metres or 650 feet to the famous loch.
Across the chasm, and in shot, is the snowy monolith
of Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, at 700 metres or 2,300 feet.
A series of varied and startling landscapes occur in rapid succession on and around the fault line, called “The Great Glen.”
~ Tisztán hangulatfotó. A frontlencsén a víz, és megfolyás is eredeti, és meg kell mondani: nekem nagyon tetszik, hisz 'annyit' hozzáad a képhez... :) ~
A kép a Torockóra vezető völgyúton készült, félméteres hóban.
explore #265
Seemingly without footplate crew, Maunsell 'U' 2-6-0 31806 gallops tender-first southwards between Corfe and Harmans Cross with the 12.15 from Norden to Swanage. Built in 1926 as a 'K' class tank engine, it was rebuilt in 1928 as a tender engine following a disastrous derailment at Sevenoaks which was attributed to poor riding and water surge in the tanks. As a Basingstoke 70D engine from 1955 to 1963 it was such a common sight that it was never noted in my spotter's books, but fortunately it was preserved after a spell at Woodhams' scrapyard in Barry.
Locos seemingly prepped and ready for an afternoons work at Wansford during photo charter organised by NVR Goods Train Group. 68070 played by 75006 which has not seen the light of day for a number of years while it waits in the overhaul queue while 68018 is in reality 3913 working very well.
Some City churches seem to be open, if not all the time, then frequently. But others rarely seem to open their doors to visitors. Then there are those who seemingly don't want anyone to see inside their wonderful buildings. Which is more than a shame, really. These houses of God should be for everyone, not just the custodians.
Saying that, I must take another opportunity to thank The Friends of the City churches, and the time given by their volunteers who give up their time to ensure that these are open at least one day a week.
So, in the past two years, I think I have visited all of the churches that they are keyholders for, and so without this fine organisation, I would not have seen inside many of them.
St Benet's is open between 11:00 and 15:00 on Thursdays, and despite wondering whether it would be open as advertised, the greeters assured me it is open each and every Thursday.
St Benet's is unique in that I think I am right in saying that it is the only City Wren church that survived the Blitz undamaged. In which case, Wren would reconise this church, over all others he helped rebuild after the great fire in 1666.
It is now situated tucked in the corner of an off ramp of Queen Victoria Street, and the pedestrian has to walk through an unwelcoming subway to get to the door, which on this occasion was open.
I was greeted warmly, and given a tour of the history of the church, plus tips on visiting other churches. A wonderful visit and a fine church.
----------------------------------------------------
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is a Welsh Anglican church in the City of London. Since 1556, it has also been the official church of the College of Arms in which many officers of arms have been buried. In 1666 it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, after which it was rebuilt and merged with nearby St Peter's. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.[1] It is one of only four churches in the City of London to escape damage during World War II.
St. Benet's traces its history back to the year 1111, when a church was built on the site and dedicated to St Benedict. Over time the name was abbreviated to St. Benet. To the west of the site was the watergate of Baynard's Castle, which is referenced in the biographies of Queen Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. Both the church and the castle were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It was rebuilt by the architect Christopher Wren, and reopened in 1683.
St Benet Paul's Wharf, London, taken from the top of nearby St Paul's Cathedral. Visible behind the church is the City of London School.
On 2 March 1706, Henrietta Hobart married Charles Howard, 9th Earl of Suffolk, a captain in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons there. (Henrietta Howard subsequently became mistress to the future King George II.)[2]
The church was narrowly saved from destruction in the late 19th century, when its parish was merged with that of St Nicholas Cole Abbey. After an energetic campaign by its supporters, it was preserved and reconsecrated in 1879 as the London Church of the Church in Wales.[3] It is now the City's Welsh church, with services conducted in Welsh.[4]
In 2008 the church was closed for a few months due to a "dwindling congregation"[5] but reopened in time for the carol service in December that year. Welsh services are held weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m and 3.30 p.m and the church can be toured on Thursdays between 11 a.m and 3 p.m.
The church is of dark red brick, with alternate courses of Portland stone at the corners. The tower is situated to the north-west of the nave and is capped by a small lead dome, lantern and simple short spire.
The interior is almost a square. Unusually for a Wren church, the ceiling is flat rather than domed or curved. The north gallery was formerly used by the Doctors' Commons, and is now used by the College of Arms. Most of the original 17th century furnishings are still intact, including the magnificent altar table, reredos and pulpit, designed by Grinling Gibbons. The lectern and baptismal font are also original.[7]
The galleries are supported by Corinthian columns. There is a memorial to Inigo Jones, who was buried in the previous church, and a medallion bust of Sir Robert Wyseman, a benefactor of St Benet's who died in 1684.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Benet%27s,_Paul%27s_Wharf
A church has been on this site since 1111. Destroyed in the Great Fire, the present church was built by Wren and Hooke (possibly owing more to the latter) between 1677 and 1683. It was one of only four Wren churches to escape damage in the Second Word War but was vandalised in 1971: repaired and reopened in 1973. It has a long-standing connection with the College of Arms across the road. Also since 1879 the church has accommodated the Welsh Episcopalian congregation in London. It is therefore sometimes known as “the Welsh church”, though that is a misnomer. Paul’s Wharf was the wharf on the Thames from which stone and other building materials were conveyed for the Wren reconstruction of St Paul’s cathedral.
www.london-city-churches.org.uk/Churches/StBenetPaulsWhar...
There has been a church on this site, dedicated to St Benet (or Benedict), since the Twelfth Century.
Shakespeare refers to it in Twelfth Night: Feste, the Clown asking Duke Orsino to add a third to the two coins he is offering reminds him: “...the bells of St Bennet, sir, may put you in mind -– one, two, three.”
In the Sixteenth Century, because the watergate of Baynard’s Castle was close by, both Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey may have received the last rites at St Benet on their way to execution at the Tower. The River Thames was, of course, an important thoroughfare at the time and the unlucky women could have completed their journey by boat.
St Benet is the only unaltered Wren church in the City. All but four were damaged in the Second World War and the other three either suffered the effects of an IRA bomb or have been restored.
The royal connection continued with Charles II having a special door at the side of the building and a private room from which he could take part in services. The Stuart arms can be seen above the west door marking the vantage point from which the king observed proceedings below.
Until 1867 St Benet was the parish church of Doctors Commons, a legal institution which, among its other activities, could provide facilities for hasty marriages. There is a record, for instance, of some 1300 weddings taking place in one year alone in the Eighteenth Century.
In 1747, Henry Fielding, the author of Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews and Shamela, married his second wife here.
In 1879 Queen Victoria removes St Benet from the list of churches to be demolished and grants the use of the church to the Welsh Anglicans for services.
The Officers of the College of Arms still have their own seats in St Benet’s and their personal banners hang from the gallery together with that of the Duke of Norfolk. At least 25 Officers are buried here.
In the 1870s the church was regarded as redundant and scheduled for demolition. Eminent Welsh Anglicans petitioned Queen Victoria to be allowed to use the building for services in Welsh. In 1879, Her Majesty granted the right to hold Welsh services here in perpetuity and this has continued ever since, with a service each Sunday morning.
In 1954, in the reorganisation of the City churches and parishes, St Benet became one of the City Guild churches as well as the Metropolitan Welsh Church.
The eminent composer Meirion Williams was the church organist in the 1960s and 1970s. As well as a Mass, Missa Cambrensis, he wrote a number of other works, including songs which are particular favourites of contemporary Welsh opera singers.
In 1971 a fire started by a vagrant damaged the north side of the church. During the repair work, necessitated mainly by smoke and heat damage, the Nineteenth Century organ was moved and rebuilt in its present (and original) position in the west gallery. When the church was reopened in May 1973, the congregation received a message from the Prince of Wales and trumpeters from the Royal Welsh Regiment blew a fanfare in celebration.
Today, the growing congregation at St Benet's remains committed to making known the good news of Jesus afresh to the current generation of the Welsh in London.
K745DAO seemingly abandoned at the old McaEwans garage at Catherinefield, Dumfries on 21/09/2018. MacEwans now only operate two vehicles which are both based at his home address.
A seemingly dead Tree Fern crown has thrown out new growth after two inches of rain in the last month.
COSMICAR-PENTAX TV LENS 35mm f2.8 wide open, uncropped.
The seemingly always busy desk formerly known as Member Services now sports the more abrupt term "Membership" overhead, along with a healthy dose of CCG (Cheezy Computer Graphics, for anyone that needs a refresher) on the sides of the sign of course :P Not sure what was wrong with the old wording myself...
And pretty sure I made it into the view of that monitor over the exit door, but my image is so blurry and tiny as to be not worth trying to blur it out even more for privacy concerns :P See the photo note I added on the monitor.
____________________________________
Sam's Club, 2000-01 built, Goodman Rd. at Elmore Rd., Southaven MS
A seemingly innocuous scene at Selly Oak on the evening of the 26th January 2015, except for 323207 being set up for heading the wrong way. Due to engineering works further up the line, the train terminated here with passengers being put onto buses to continue their journey. The train had just arrived with 2R92 2058 Lichfield Trent Valley - Selly Oak service, and the driver and pilotman are changing ends ready to form 2P95 the 2205 back to Lichfield. In the end, seemingly due to some issue with the paperwork, the train left 20 minutes late - buggering up the entire rest of the evening's service in the process!
This seemingly abandoned windmill is on Telegraph Avenue in north Oakland. I've been intrigued by it for years. The large "X" graffitied on it is really what caught my attention and caused me to stop and take a few photos after driving by it countless times. What is it, why is it there, what's its backstory? I wish I knew.
With the seemingly unstoppable rise of Irizar's fortunes in the UK today, we can easily forget that things weren't so promising for them in earlier attempts to break into the market here. Just 14 of these "Urko" bodies were sold in 1980/81 on Volvo B58 chassis. One of the last was this one with Thamesmead Coaches, which was a nice find with an elusive operator - and it was parked in the open ! Note the former Glenton Reliance next to it ....
Bizarrely, this one would spend a short period in the ownership of South Yorkshire Transport, as it had been acquired by Compass Coaches of Wakefield, with whom SYT formed a joint operation to attack West Riding's Wakefield area routes, in retaliation for their Sheffield & District start-up. When peace broke out, SYT acquired the whole Compass fleet, including this thing - it only lasted a few months, though.
Seemingly reciting an old line from an Oasis song. Fitting that this appears on the Salford / Manchester border at Blackfriars.
Seemingly chased by clouds but luckily not caught, 66 758 heads across the Fens at Turves, to the west of March, with the 6M76 Chesterton Jct to Wellingborough stone train.
Seemingly quite uncommon to come across these now, there was quite a few of these 3 series about when I started frequenting London but they seem few and far between currently. Not sure about chrome arches, but otherwise it looked great, I love the noise these things make too.
A seemingly simple enough photo..
I wanted to try a kaleidoscope first frame shot since I usually do lots of test shots for it. I took the kaleidoscope part of the photo in the bathroom of my apartment, then brought the camera outside and blindly set up for the second part of the exposure.
For some reason no exif data shows for this one. It was 500 something seconds long. It probably took me nearly 2 hrs to set up for it. When I finally was going to upload it, I was putting the SD card in the computer and accidentally put it in the XD slot. The card fell into the computer, and I had to take it apart to retrieve the card.
Photo: Colin Griffiths / Mick Bonham collection.
Resplendant in a seemingly fresh coat of corporate British Rail blue we see D9004 Queens Own Highlander being removed from the 1E05 to Kings Cross by Brush Type 4 D1570 at Edinburgh Waverley in June 1969. The Deltic had failed just before departure and the train was worked forward to London by D1570.
This photo comes from a collection lent to me to be scanned and archived by my good friend and lifelong railwayman Colin 'Griff' Griffiths, though he can't recall whether he or his mate Mick Bonham actually took it. Colin joined the railway as a 'booking boy' in Rugby's new Power Signal Box in 1966 and became a guard in 1971; he and Mick, a driver also based at Rugby, spent many hours travelling round the country together during the late 60s and early 70s photographing whatever they saw. Griff is one of those lucky people who can recall events, people and places with amazing accuracy and listening to his tales of life on the London Midland Region is a real tonic . . . . . and his route knowledge is better than any driver I know!
Things to note about the photo . . . . the 'D' prefix still intact on 9004, this was during the period after steam had finished on BR in August 1968 and the 'D' was removed soon after . . . . D1570, still in filthy two tone green with full yellow ends, has its Crewe Works builders plate on the cabside along with the then new blue and white vinyl data panel and the painted on oval shed plate (though its unreadable). Note too the difference in size between the builders plates on each loco.
A real period piece this, and I'm grateful to Griff for allowing me to scan and post these priceless images on flickr.
Seemingly another Private Hire RF in the background. Not sure if the STL is still "Private Hire"? Well it is open top!
STL1765 / DGX 308 New 1/1937 AEC Regent diesel with preselector gearbox. Started life red. Became green in 1951. Lost roofbox and the rest of the roof around about 1954. Sold to Birds of Stratford-upon-Avon. Ian's Bus Stop Roof Box STLs.
RF 23 / LUC223 New 1951. Became Green Line 1956. Sold 1962. Ian's Bus Stop Private Hire RFs.
Phtographer D Battams.